I'm something of an amateur WWII historian, been studying it for almost 50 years.
If you liked Band of Brothers (most excellent, it shows you what Hollywood can do when it skips the nonsense and gets serious) then you should read Rick Atkinson's Liberation Trilogy.
The first volume, An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, won the Pulitzer Prize. It was followed by The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy. Then the final volume published in 2013, The Guns at Last light: The War in Western Europe.
The whole thing is the definitive story of the Allied victory in Europe. It's way long, way detailed, but simply incredible and a must-read for those really interested in this part of our history.
All that is needed to make a happy life is within yourself, in your way of thinking. -Marcus Aurelius
