Best War Audiobooks: Military History, Memoirs and Novels

The year the American Revolution was nearly lost, following George Washington’s ragged army from the siege of Boston to the crossing of the Delaware. David McCullough reads it himself, in the voice many people know from Ken Burns documentaries.

The Pulitzer-winning, one-volume history of the Civil War and the years that led to it, still the best single book on the subject. At nearly 40 hours it’s a big listen, and Jonathan Davis keeps it clear and engaging.

Ron Chernow’s biography of Ulysses S. Grant, from struggling store clerk to the general who won the Civil War and then president. Mark Bramhall’s measured reading carries all 48 hours.

The Pulitzer-winning history of the first month of World War I, and how Europe’s leaders stumbled into it. Wanda McCaddon reads with a crisp precision that suits Tuchman’s sharp, witty prose.

The last voyage of the Lusitania, sunk by a German U-boat in 1915 with nearly 1,200 lives lost. Scott Brick builds the tension masterfully, even though you know how it ends.

The men of Easy Company, from paratrooper training in Georgia through D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge and the capture of Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest. Tim Jerome reads it plainly and respectfully, and lets the veterans’ own stories carry it.

Stephen Ambrose tells the story of June 6, 1944, through the men who planned it, flew it and fought their way off the beaches, drawing on hundreds of their own accounts. Jesse Boggs reads it with steady authority, and it’s the natural next listen after Band of Brothers.

Olympic runner Louis Zamperini survives a bomber crash in the Pacific, 47 days adrift at sea and years in Japanese prison camps. Edward Herrmann reads with steady compassion through some very hard material, and what happens after the war is just as moving.

A young Marine’s account of the brutal fighting on Peleliu and Okinawa, often called the greatest memoir of the Pacific war. Marc Vietor reads it, and Tom Hanks and Joe Mazzello, who played Sledge in HBO’s The Pacific, are on the recording too. Expect graphic descriptions of combat.

Winston Churchill’s first year as prime minister, as Britain stands alone against the Blitz, told through diaries and private letters. John Lee reads with the authority and pace to match, from Downing Street to the bomb shelters.

The classic history of Nazi Germany, written by an American journalist who reported from Berlin. At 57 hours it’s a commitment, but Grover Gardner’s clear, measured reading makes it surprisingly easy to stay with.

Elie Wiesel’s account of surviving Auschwitz and Buchenwald as a teenager alongside his father. George Guidall reads it quietly, without a trace of drama, which is exactly right. It’s just over four hours, and it stays with you for a lifetime.

The 1965 battle of the Ia Drang Valley, one of the first major clashes of the war, told by the commander and a reporter who were both there. Jonathan Davis reads it with urgency and respect.

The 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, when a US raid in Somalia turned into an 18-hour firefight. Alan Sklar’s hard-edged reading keeps the chaos clear, and it’s still the benchmark for modern combat reporting.

Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell’s account of a 2005 mission in Afghanistan in which he was the only member of his team to survive. Kevin T. Collins reads it with the intensity of a thriller.

Navy SEAL Chris Kyle on his four tours in Iraq and what the war cost him and his family at home. John Pruden reads it in a plain, direct voice that suits Kyle’s no-nonsense storytelling.

Two Navy SEAL officers turn hard lessons from the battle of Ramadi into a leadership guide for work and life. Reading it themselves, Willink and Babin sound like they’re briefing you before a mission.

Sean Parnell led a 10th Mountain Division platoon through 16 months of fighting near the Pakistan border. Ray Porter gives it grit and heart, and it’s as much about the bond between the men as the firefights.

In 2009, a small American outpost in a valley in Afghanistan was overrun by hundreds of Taliban fighters. Clinton Romesha earned the Medal of Honor that day, and his minute-by-minute account, read by Will Damron, is one of the most gripping combat listens on Audible.

The Battle of Gettysburg, told over four days from inside the minds of the commanders on both sides. Stephen Hoye reads it with gravity, and it’s the Civil War novel behind the film Gettysburg.

A young German soldier and his classmates are sent to the trenches, and few of them come home. Frank Muller’s reading is spare and haunting, and this short classic is still one of the most powerful anti-war novels ever written.

Billy Pilgrim comes unstuck in time, bouncing between his life and the firebombing of Dresden he survived as a prisoner of war. James Franco’s deadpan reading suits Vonnegut’s dark humor, and at just over five hours it’s a quick listen.

A blind French girl and a German orphan with a gift for radios are drawn together in occupied France. Zach Appelman reads with quiet restraint, and the short, alternating chapters are easy to follow by ear.

Two sisters in occupied France take very different paths to survive and resist the Nazis. Polly Stone’s soft, steady reading lets the emotion build, and it’s one of the most popular historical novels on audio.

Linked stories about a platoon in Vietnam and the memories the survivors carry for the rest of their lives. Bryan Cranston’s gravelly, understated reading is one of the best celebrity performances in audio.

A young Marine lieutenant and his company fight for a remote hilltop in 1969, written by a decorated veteran of the war. Bronson Pinchot voices a huge cast with real range across 21 hours. Read my review.

A young nurse volunteers for Vietnam, then comes home to a country that barely acknowledges the women who served. Julia Whelan carries the emotion beautifully, and it’s one of the most popular war novels of recent years.

A Soviet submarine captain heads for the US in the most advanced sub in his fleet, and nobody knows whether he’s defecting or attacking. Scott Brick’s tense, authoritative reading is perfect for the book that made Tom Clancy.

A Navy SEAL commander survives an ambush that wipes out his team, then discovers it wasn’t an accident. Jack Carr is a former SEAL himself, and Ray Porter gives this revenge thriller relentless energy.