Are the huge, single volume World War II books (Hasting, Weinberg, Gilbert, Beevor, Liddell Hart) too similar? Is it only one of them enough to have an overview of the war or should I read two or more?

by BrightShadow168
Kugelfang52

I found Gilbert, Marshall, and Keegan to be varied enough that I enjoyed them all. Keegan and Marshall focused more on operational history (although Gilbert didn't avoid it), while Gilbert included large quantities of information on the societies at war.

I enjoyed Gilbert the most due to his powerful and consistent use of primary source quotes. He followed a number of actors, military and civilian alike, throughout the war.