Company E, was one of the first divisions to land on the beach during the Normandy invasion, June 6, 1944.
September 1 marks the 78th anniversary of the start of World War II, when the Nazi Wehrmacht stormed into Poland.
France and Britain declared war on Germany two days later, and the conflagration would soon stretch to every corner of the world.
The scope and complexity of the war itself mirror the longstanding and deep-seated tensions - both in Europe and Asia - from which the war arose.
The US Army has distributed reading recommendations so that soldiers and civilians can explore "the decisive role played by landpower in conflicts across the centuries," and a number of the books dive into World War II and its origins.
Below are some of books $4 by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley, along with some of his explanations for their inclusion.