Research Guides: U.S. Military History: Books

Suggested Books

A Companion to American Military History, 2 Volume Set by James C. Bradford (Editor)
Publisher: Blackwell Pub., 2010
With more than 60 essays, A Companion to American Military History presents a comprehensive analysis of the historiography of United States military history from the colonial era to the present.
The Handy Military History Answer Book by Samuel Willard Crompton
Publisher: Visible Ink Press, 2015
The Handy Military History Answer Book is a captivating, concise, and convenient look at how the world, the United States, and the lives we lead today have been changed by war and the military. The weapons, leaders, soldiers, battles, tactics, strategies, blunders, technologies, and outcomes are all examined in this powerful primer on the military, its history--and world history.
The Oxford Companion to American Military History by John Whiteclay Chambers (Editor)
Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1999
With more than 1,100 entries written by some 500 distinguished contributors, The Oxford Companion to American Military History is "the most comprehensive treatment of American military history ever compiled" (Parameters: U.S. Army War College Quarterly) and an "easy-to-browse, well-organized work" (The Washington Post). Here is a gold mine of information on American military history, exploring battles and soldiers, ships and weapons, services and doctrines--as well as the social and cultural impact of the U.S. military at home and around the world.
Ways of War by Matthew S. Muehlbauer; David J. Ulbrich
Publisher: Routledge, 2018
From the first interactions between European and native peoples to the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, military issues have always played an important role in American history. Now in its updated second edition, Ways of War comprehensively explains the place of the military within the wider context of the history of the United States, showing its centrality to American culture, economics, and politics.

Chronology of American Military History by Fredriksen, John C.
Publisher: Facts on File, 2010
Beginning with the war for America's independence more than 230 years ago up to and including the regional conflicts of the 21st century, Chronology of American Military History is a three-volume panoramic reference covering the entire length of U.S. military history. Nearly 5,000 chronological, day-by-day entries allow students to follow events as they unfold, often in day-by-day detail. Coverage includes: Afghanistan War Ethan Allen Barbary Pirates Battle of the Bulge Battle of Gettysburg Battle of Iwo Jima Battle of Saratoga Continental army Dwight D. Eisenhower Flying Tigers Ulysses S. Grant Inchon invasion Iraq War Robert E. Lee Douglas MacArthur Manhattan Project Normandy invasion Operation Enduring Freedom George S. Patton John J. Pershing Persian Gulf War Tet Offensive Tuskegee Airmen George Washington Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager.
Encyclopedia of Warrior Peoples and Fighting Groups by Paul K. Davis (Editor)
Publisher: Credo Reference, 2016
From ferocious tribes to charismatic leaders and daring militias, this new edition of The Encyclopedia of Historical Warrior Peoples & Modern Fighting Groups explores the origins and leadership of these powerful combat forces, chronicles their conquests and accomplishments, examines the circumstances surrounding their decline or disbanding, and assesses their influence on the groups and methods of warfare that followed.
The Encyclopedia of World War II by Spencer C. Tucker (Editor); Priscilla Mary Roberts (Editor); Allan R. Millett (Foreword by)
Publisher: ABC-CLIO, 2005
An unprecedented achievement in publishing_a multivolume encyclopedic resource, for both the general reader and specialist_on the central conflict of the 20th century, The Encyclopedia of World War II covers the entire scope of the Second World War from its earliest roots to its continuing impact on global politics and human society.

American Naval History by Jack Sweetman
Publisher: Naval Institute Press, 2002
Provides concise, year-to-year summaries of events in the history of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
Coming Out under Fire by Allan Bérubé
Publisher: Project Muse, 2016
In Coming Out Under Fire, Allan Berube examines in depth and detail these social and political confrontation--not as a story of how the military victimized homosexuals, but as a story of how a dynamic power relationship developed between gay citizens and their government, transforming them both. Drawing on GIs' wartime letters, extensive interviews with gay veterans, and declassified military documents, Berube thoughtfully constructs a startling history of the two wars gay military men and women fough--one for America and another as homosexuals within the military.
Underdogs by Aaron B. O'Connell
Publisher: Harvard University Press, 2012
The Marine Corps has always considered itself a branch apart. Since 1775 America's smallest armed service has been suspicious of outsiders and deeply loyal to its traditions. Undying faith in its exceptionalism made the Marines one of the sharpest, swiftest tools of American military power, but developing this brand did not come without costs.
The United States Air Force by John C. Fredriksen
Publisher: ABC-CLIO, 2011
Understand the growth and evolution of American air power with this overview of the history of the world's most successful aviation force. The United States Air Force: A Chronology captures the sweep of U.S. Air Force history from the service's inception to present times.

The Business of Civil War by Mark R. Wilson
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006
This wide-ranging, original account of the politics and economics of the giant military supply project in the North reconstructs an important but little-known part of Civil War history. Drawing on new and extensive research in army and business archives, Mark R. Wilson offers a fresh view of the wartime North and the ways in which its economy worked when the Lincoln administration, with unprecedented military effort, moved to suppress the rebellion.
Militarism in a Global Age by Dirk Bönker
Publisher: Cornell University Press, 2012
At the turn of the twentieth century, the United States and Germany emerged as the two most rapidly developing industrial nation-states of the Atlantic world. The elites and intelligentsias of both countries staked out claims to dominance in the twentieth century. In Militarism in a Global Age, Dirk Bonker explores the far-reaching ambitions of naval officers before World War I as they advanced navalism, a particular brand of modern militarism that stressed the paramount importance of sea power as a historical determinant.
Not a Gentleman's War by Ron Milam
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press, 2009
Written by a combat veteran of the Vietnam War, Not a Gentleman's War is about such soldiers--a gritty, against-the-grain defense of the much-maligned junior officer. Conventional wisdom holds that the junior officer in Vietnam was a no-talent, poorly trained, unmotivated soldier typified by Lt. William Calley of My Lai infamy. Drawing on oral histories, after-action reports, diaries, letters, and other archival sources, Ron Milam debunks this view, demonstrating that most of the lieutenants who served in combat performed their duties well and effectively, serving with great skill, dedication, and commitment to the men they led.
The Occupation of Iraq by Ali A. Allawi
Publisher: Yale University Press, 2008
Involved for over thirty years in the politics of Iraq, Ali A. Allawi was a long-time opposition leader against the Baathist regime. In the post-Saddam years he has held important government positions and participated in crucial national decisions and events. In this book, the former Minister of Defense and Finance draws on his unique personal experience, extensive relationships with members of the main political groups and parties in Iraq, and deep understanding of the history and society of his country to answer the baffling questions that persist about its current crises.
Wounded by Emily Mayhew
Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2013
In Wounded, Emily Mayhew tells the history of the Western Front from a new perspective: the medical network that arose seemingly overnight to help sick and injured soldiers. Drawing on hundreds of letters and diary entries, Mayhew allows readers to peer over the shoulder of the stretcher bearer who jumped into a trench and tried unsuccessfully to get a tightly packed line of soldiers out of the way, only to find that they were all dead. Both comprehensive and intimate, this groundbreaking book captures an often neglected aspect of the soldier's world and a transformative moment in military and medical history.

Anti-Submarine Warfare in World War I by John Abbatiello
Publisher: Routledge, 2016
Investigating the employment of British aircraft against German submarines during the final years of the First World War, this new book places anti-submarine campaigns from the air in the wider history of the First World War. This book examines aircraft and weapons technology, aircrew training, and the aircraft production issues that shaped this campaign. This book will be of interest to historians of naval and air power history, as well as students of World War I and military history in general.
Of Arms and Men by Robert L. O'Connell
Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1989
In a sweeping narrative that ranges from prehistoric times to the nuclear age, O'Connell demonstrates how social and economic conditions determine the types of weapons and the tactics used in warfare and how, in turn, innovations in weapons technology often undercut social values. Of Arms and Men brilliantly integrates the evolution of politics, weapons, strategy, and tactics into a coherent narrative, one spiced with striking portraits of men in combat and penetrating insights into why men go to war.

Embry-Riddle at War by Stephen G. Craft
Publisher: University Press of Florida, 2019
Embry-Riddle at War is the first study of a civilian aviation school during World War II. Stephen Craft examines the myriad components of aeronautical training, the evolution of a civilian company contributing to the war effort, the experiences and lives of those who participated in the school, and the crucial part Florida played in the war.
Fly Girls by Keith O'Brien
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018
The untold story of five women who fought to compete against men in the high-stakes national air races of the 1920s and 1930s -- and won Between the world wars, no sport was more popular, or more dangerous, than airplane racing. Fly Girls recounts how a cadre of women banded together to break the original glass ceiling: the entrenched prejudice that conspired to keep them out of the sky. Like Hidden Figures and Girls of Atomic City, Fly Girls celebrates a little-known slice of history in which tenacious, trail-blazing women braved all obstacles to achieve greatness.
Shell Shock to PTSD by Edgar Jones; Simon Wessely
Publisher: Psychology Press, 2005
The application of psychiatry to war and terrorism is highly topical and a source of intense media interest. Shell Shock to PTSD explores the central issues involved in maintaining the mental health of the armed forces and treating those who succumb to the intense stress of combat. Drawing on historical records, recent findings and interviews with veterans and psychiatrists, Edgar Jones and Simon Wessely present a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of military psychiatry.

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