[2banana]

The military history of Playboy and Penthouse

Seriously:

The Bear went over the Mountain
Afghan Guerrilla Warfare: In the Words of the Mujahideen Fighters

[nonliberal]

Anything John Keegan writes.

[Andyman]

Angels at Dawn about the liberation of the Los Banos prison camp in WWII.

[dts32041]

No military history but recommended by COS and Commandant reading list Starship Troopers.

History Victor Davis Hanson's Culture and Carnage.

[ClearCase_guy]

Also by Victor Davis Hanson: "Soul of Battle" seems appropriate.

[xsrdx]

Some of my favorites; all combine the tough tasks of being entertaining, authentic, and educational:

This Kind of War - Fehrenbach

Blackhawk Down - Bowden

Carnage and Culture - Hanson

The Killer Angels - Sharra

The Last Full Measure - Sharra

The Face of Battle - Keegan

Men Against Fire - Marshall

[KellyAdmirer]

I assume you are looking for a serious study. The best book of its kind that I know of is "From Moscow to Stalingrad: Decision in the East" by Earl F. Ziemke and Magna Bauer (1988 Military Heritage Press). Part of the Army Historical Series, it is one of a trilogy but far better than the other two in the series. Hardcover is well worth it.

[Verginius Rufus]

Some older books: Xenophon's The Persian Expedition (also called The Anabasis); Herodotus' The Persian Wars; Caesar's Gallic War; Bernal Diaz, The Conquest of New Spain. All available as Penguin paperbacks (although the Oxford World's Classics editions are better when they are available).

Xenophon's book is about a Greek army which gets involved in an invasion of Iraq about 400 B.C. and also does a lot of fighting in Kurdistan.

[Skooz]

"Yours to Reason Why" by William Seymour (takes the reader through various historical battle scenarios and, at critical points of battle or deployment, allows the reader to decide the next course of action. The reader's decision is then analyzed and compared to the other options as well as the commander's decision)

"Peter the Great" by Robert Massie (one of the best books of any kind ever written)

[Skooz]

Also:

"Cassino: The Hollow Victory" by John Ellis
"Panzer Battles" by Vaughn Mellenthin

[twigs]

Anything written by Victor Davis Hanson. He's a professor at the U CA, SAnta Cruz, I think, and he writes about the history of war. He believes in just war and thinks we are doing just the right thing in Iraq and Afghanistan. He writes beautifully. He just published a book called "Ripples of Battle" which takes a few battles throughout history and show how they changed our civilization. Any of his books would encourage any soldier.

[ErnBatavia]

"A Marine Named Mitch"...Mitchell Paige (A history of his Marine Corps career, including his exploits at Guadalcanal)

[WFTR]

General A.P. Hill, The Story of a Confederate Warrior, by Dr. James I. Robertson, Jr.,

Another good one by Dr. Robertson is called Soldiers Blue and Gray. A very long biography written by Dr. Robertson is called Stonewall Jackson, The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. I took a class from him years ago and have enjoyed reading his books. He's a world authority on the war.

Race and Mediocrity in Louisiana
Bill