THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP discussion

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BOOK DISCUSSIONS > New Release Books on WW2

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message 751: by Antoine (new)

Antoine Vanner | 34 comments Michael wrote: "Picked up a copy of Red Orchestra The Story of the Berlin Underground and the Circle of Friends Who Resisted Hitler by Anne NelsonbyAnne Nelson today"

I remember an excellent German TV Drama-Documentary series on "Der Rote Kapelle" about 30 years ago or more. Not sure if it's traceaable today but it made a big impression on me at the time.


message 752: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (last edited Feb 03, 2013 05:33PM) (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Just saw that this book is due out for release this month and offers something different for WW2 readers:


Blackett's War The Men Who Defeated the Nazi U-Boats and Brought Science to the Art of Warfare by Stephen Budiansky by Stephen Budiansky
Description:
The exciting history of a small group of British and American scientists who, during World War II, developed the new field of operational research to turn back the tide of German submarines—revolutionizing the way wars are waged and won.

In March 1941, after a year of unbroken and devastating U-boat onslaughts, the British War Cabinet decided to try a new strategy in the foundering naval campaign. To do so, they hired an intensely private, bohemian physicist who was also an ardent socialist. Patrick Blackett was a former navy officer and future winner of the Nobel Prize; he is little remembered today, but he and his fellow scientists did as much to win the war against Nazi Germany as almost anyone else. As director of the World War II antisubmarine effort, Blackett used little more than simple mathematics and probability theory—and a steadfast belief in the utility of science—to save the campaign against the U-boat. Employing these insights in unconventional ways, from the washing of mess hall dishes to the color of bomber wings, the Allies went on to win essential victories against Hitler’s Germany.

Here is the story of these civilian intellectuals who helped to change the nature of twentieth-century warfare. Throughout, Stephen Budiansky describes how scientists became intimately involved with what had once been the distinct province of military commanders—convincing disbelieving military brass to trust the solutions suggested by their analysis. Budiansky shows that these men above all retained the belief that operational research, and a scientific mentality, could change the world. It’s a belief that has come to fruition with the spread of their tenets to the business and military worlds, and it started in the Battle of the Atlantic, in an attempt to outfight the Germans, but most of all to outwit them.

Reviews:
"Little-known story of the Allied scientists whose unconventional thinking helped thwart the Nazi U-boats in World War II … [A]n excellent, well-researched account … [E]ngrossing." - Kirkus Reviews

“A fascinating and skilful blend of naval warfare, science, and British social history with a richly diverse cast of characters.” — Alex Kershaw, World War II Magazine

(Also posted in the naval thread)


message 753: by Mike, Assisting Moderator US Forces (new)

Mike | 3630 comments OR is very much in business and military ops even today. Added TBR. Hope it doesn't have too much math!


message 754: by Christie (new)

Christie | 336 comments Mike wrote: "OR is very much in business and military ops even today. Added TBR. Hope it doesn't have too much math!"

LOL! Mike, I'm such a geek that as I was reading synopsis and saw "math", that was what sealed it being added on to my wishlist. I absolutely love math. The book sounds really interesting.


message 755: by Christie (last edited Feb 08, 2013 08:38AM) (new)

Christie | 336 comments Book review on new release "190 Letters: A Soldier's Story of WWII" by Monty Ball. Couldn't find link on GR.

http://www.cantonrep.com/newsnow/x195...

Just checked on Amazon and this is a Kindle only book with a US release date of March 26, 2013 and you can pre-order for $8.79


message 756: by Steven (new)

Steven | 6 comments My books are military related and the 3rd book I wrote is an absolute bargain for the kindle version:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Steven-Preece...

http://www.amazon.com/Steven-Preece/e...


message 757: by Jim (new)

Jim | 55 comments I found a couple at Value Village yesterday. The first is Prairie Boys Afloat by George Zarn which seems to be a privately published personal memoir of a sodbuster in the RCN during the war years. It has quite a few photos and is a title I've never seen before. The second is Tug of war by Shelagh Whitaker . I love finding the rarer personal accounts and sometimes wonder how many are floating about in little bookstoresundiscovered and unappreciated.


message 758: by Christie (new)

Christie | 336 comments Tug of war by Shelagh Whitaker sounds really good. Only one review on Amazon but they gave it 5 stars. Looks like it's out of print but there are some new and used available from 3rd party sellers. Thanks for the info Jim. Value Village sounds like a cool place.


message 759: by Mike, Assisting Moderator US Forces (new)

Mike | 3630 comments Just in time, arrived in the mail today:

Total War From Stalingrad to Berlin by Michael Jones


message 760: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Damn good timing! I've just opened the thread for that discussion as well.


message 761: by Jim (new)

Jim | 55 comments You get mail on Saturday? Such a thing is unheard of!


message 762: by Christie (new)

Christie | 336 comments As of August 2013 the US is supposed to be suspending mail on Saturdays except for packages.


message 763: by Jim (new)

Jim | 55 comments Here in Canada they never started. You guys have been lucky to this point.


message 764: by Mike, Assisting Moderator US Forces (last edited Feb 09, 2013 08:22PM) (new)

Mike | 3630 comments Well, we will still get our book orders on Saturdays. The bills can wait until Monday!


message 765: by happy (new)

happy (happyone) | 2281 comments Mike wrote: "Just in time, arrived in the mail today:

Total War From Stalingrad to Berlin by Michael Jones"


I'll get started on it tomarrow


message 766: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments The thread is open and ready to go Happy, I am still working on 1918 but hope to join you in a few days time.


message 767: by Christie (new)

Christie | 336 comments Based on a recommendation, I picked up The Tears of War by Ingeborg E Ryals today. It was only $3.99 on Kindle and has some excellent reviews. Here's the book information:

Book Description
Publication Date: September 25, 2012
The small village in Pomerania in northern Germany provided a peaceful haven for the childhood years of author Ingeborg E. Ryals. But in 1939 the beginning of World War II irrevocably changed her idyllic life. In this memoir Ryals shares her first hand experiences as the war began to affect every aspect of her life. At the age of fifteen, she had to dig trenches behind the front lines and spent many days hiding in fear of the Soviet Army as it invaded and pillaged her village. Diphtheria and typhoid epidemics swept the country. She survived a bout of diphtheria but lingered near death for days on end with typhoid fever. There was little food to sustain them. At the age of eighteen, she was shipped to a labor camp operated by the Russian military on an island in the Baltic Sea. Ryals also recounts her escape and her eventual marriage to an American. With photos included, The Tears of War narrates a very real story of the tragedy of war. It shows Ryals' perseverance and her ability to overcome obstacles in an effort to survive.


message 768: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Sounds like a pretty interesting book, thanks for posting the details Christie.


message 769: by Tytti (new)

Tytti | 140 comments I came across this book written by several (young) Finnish historians. It got a very good review (in Finnish) from someone who probably knows something.

Finland in World War II: History, Memory, Interpretations

More from here: www.brill.com/finland-world-war-ii
Table of contents

Three Wars and Their Epitaphs The Finnish History and Scholarship of World War II
Part One. Politics and the Military
Part Two. Social Frameworks, Cultural Meanings
Part Three. Ideologies in Practice
Part Four. Wars of Memory


And I guess I might as well put these two articles here. The first one is about the memory of war in today's Finland.
Trauma portrayed with heroism
http://finland.fi/Public/default.aspx...
The interviewee Antero Holmila also wrote this book and participated in the first book. (Though his part was most criticized in the review.)
Reporting the Holocaust in the British, Swedish and Finnish Press, 1945-50 by Antero Holmila

And if you ever wondered what the Soviet Union was doing after the D-Day and/or how Finland eventually got out of the war, this explains it. It shows how important the political manoeuvring was during the summer 1944.
Defensive victory led the way to peace
http://finland.fi/Public/default.aspx...
The writer Max Jakobson is a Finnish Jewish journalist and a diplomat who was a candidate for the post of United Nations Secretary-General. (The Soviet Union vetoed and a former nazi Kurt Waldheim was chosen.) He has also written several books, some in English.


message 770: by Tytti (new)

Tytti | 140 comments Not exactly new but now translated in English:

Knut Pipping: "Infantry Company as a Society"
http://www.puolustusvoimat.fi/wcm/53b...


"Infantry Company as a Society" –book gets excellent commentary

The translation of Knut Pipping´s classic has collected several favourable international commentaries. One of those has been published by Dr. Joseph J. Thomas in U.S. Army War College paper “Parameters”.

Emeritus Professor Dr. Joseph J. Thomas of U.S. Marines leadership training credits "Infantry Company as a Society” in his scientific assessment.

According Thomas only a very few books draw wider attention and have greater impact in the subject area. Pipping´s dissertation is one of the few.

"Knut Pipping’s 1947 doctoral dissertation has had a considerable and lasting impact not only on the field of military sociology in his native Finland, but his work is now being introduced to an ever-expanding worldwide military audience", Thomas writes.

"Infantry Company as a Society” published by The Behavioural Institute of The National Defence University is a Finnish military sociology classic with an international reputation. It has been out of reach for the international scientific community for more than 60 years, due to the original languages Finnish and Swedish. The English version was published and revised in 2008. The editor and translator is Petri Kekäle.



message 771: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Thanks for those details Tytti, much appreciated.


message 772: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments This new book is due out in a few months and may interest a few members here:


Stalin's Falcons Resurgent Soviet Air Power and the Battle of Kursk 1943 by Mark A. O'Neill by Mark A. O'Neill
Description:
This book describes the impact of Soviet air power on the battles in and around the Kursk bulge during the summer and fall of 1943. Soviet fighter, ground-attack and bomber pilots contributed dramatically to the success of both the defensive and offensive phases of the Battle of Kursk and the subsequent drive to the Dnepr. After a slow start against initial Luftwaffe attacks on July 5th, the 16th, 2nd and 17th Air Armies adjusted battlefield tactics to resist German bombers as well as provide increasingly effective support to Soviet infantry and armor units. The summer of 1943 saw the Red Air Force complete its return from near annihilation during the first months of Operation Barbarossa. While Soviet pilots were still dramatically short on training and other resources, they would increase in combat effectiveness for the rest of the Great Patriotic War, while their opponents would continue to lose combat effectiveness.

Posted in the Eastern Front thread as well.


message 773: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Here is a new release due out soon that I am sure will interest a few members here:


Battalion Commanders at War U.S. Army Tactical Leadership in the Mediterranean Theater, 1942-1943 by Steven Thomas Barry by Steven Thomas Barry
Description:
Examines the largely unsung leadership of U.S. Army battalion commanders in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations of World War II and concludes that they were hugely instrumental in overcoming their German adversaries to emerge victorious, first in North Africa (Operation TORCH) and then in Sicily (Operation HUSKY).


message 774: by Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces (new)

Geevee | 3811 comments 'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Here is a new release due out soon that I am sure will interest a few members here:


[bookcover:Battalion Commanders at War: U.S. Army Tactical Leadership in the Mediterranean Theater, 1942-1943|1..."


Thanks Rick, looks very interesting and added to my TBR.


message 775: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Folks, I have split this thread into two, one dedicated to new release titles (this thread) and a new thread to cover books members have purchased recently and want to let other members know about:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...


message 776: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Another new book due out in April covering the 1944 raid against Nuremberg. I am sure this will interest a few members here:

The Red Line by John Nicol by John Nicol
Description:
A gripping account of the disastrous 10,000 bomber raid on Hitler's lair, told for the first and final time. In March 1944 - as part of Bomber Command's 'Battle of Berlin' to decimate Hitler's capital city - the RAF attacked the spiritual home of the Nazi Party - Nuremberg. The raid that began on the evening of 30 March 1944 was a run-of-the-mill operation for the by then 'Thousand-Bomber' raids the RAF and United States Air Force were undertaking every week - as would be seen with Dresden's destruction in late 1944. What makes this operation so significant was that it would be the costliest in terms of aircraft losses that RAF Bomber Command suffered in a single night attack during the whole of the Second World War. The average attrition rate of a night raid was twenty planes, but, during this raid the British lost 96 Lancaster, and Halifax, bombers shot down and a further 10 written-off after landing, making a total of 106 aircraft lost (nearly 700 men killed or missing) and resulted in one pilot being awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. In addition, Nuremberg suffered comparatively light damage and the raid has since come to be seen by historians as a comparative failure. This new book would tell the human story of this disaster. John will look into the archives to research official reports on what went wrong with the operation, and how the RAF reacted to it. He will also look at the air crews debriefing notes as to their first-hand accounts of the disaster and why they feel it was ill-timed and the Germans were waiting for them. But, the main crux of the book is the human angle and Nichol brings his insightful and empathetic skills to bear with interviews of the very last survivors of this raid (who are all in their late 80s and 90s) to finally tell the true story of this most terrible night in Bomber Command's history.

Also listed in the Aviation thread.


message 777: by Christie (new)

Christie | 336 comments 'Aussie Rick' wrote: "This new book is due out in a few months and may interest a few members here:


Stalin's Falcons Resurgent Soviet Air Power and the Battle of Kursk 1943 by Mark A. O'Neill by Mark A. O'Neill
Des..."


Thanks for the post AR. Added it to my wishlist as well as The Red Line by John Nicol .


message 778: by happy (new)

happy (happyone) | 2281 comments AR,

I've added The Red Line by John Nicol

as well - I'm fascinated by anything about Nuremberg - since I lived there as a teenager.


message 779: by Christie (new)

Christie | 336 comments happy wrote: "AR,

I've added The Red Line by John Nicol

as well - I'm fascinated by anything about Nuremberg - since I lived there as a teenager."


Happy, have you been able to find a listing for it on Amazon or Barnes and Noble? I can't seem to find it. I looked under John Nichol and the book title.


message 780: by happy (last edited Mar 01, 2013 10:33AM) (new)

happy (happyone) | 2281 comments It's on amazon.co.uk due to be released in April

I hope it will publishe on this side of the ocean sometime soon.


message 781: by Christie (new)

Christie | 336 comments Thanks Happy. Thought I was going nuts when I couldn't find it.


message 782: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments You guys might find it cheaper here:

http://www.bookdepository.com/


message 783: by Christie (new)

Christie | 336 comments Thanks AR. I always forget about the book depository. I will check them out.


message 784: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments My pleasure :)


message 785: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments My copy of David Stahel's latest book; Operation Typhoon arrived today and I have just found out that he is a lecturer at the University of New South Wales here in Canberra where I live!

Operation Typhoon Hitler's March on Moscow October 1941 by David Stahel by David Stahel


message 786: by Mike, Assisting Moderator US Forces (new)

Mike | 3630 comments Perhaps you can invite him to join our little group? That looks like a very interesting book. Added.


message 787: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments I will try and track him down and see how we go, I might at least get him to sign the two books of his that I have :)


message 788: by Antoine (new)

Antoine Vanner | 34 comments Am currently reading "Sink the Haguro" by John Winton, about the last major Royal Navy action in the Indian Ocean in WW2. It is excellent as regards naval operations off Malaya,Thailand and Indonesia in the period immediately before VJ Day and though they resulted in the sinking of a Japanese heavy cruiser by destroyers alone, has largely been forgotten. A horrible aspect of the story relates to suicides of Japanese seamen rather than be rescued and the appalling atrocities committed by the Japanese in this period against the local populations.

This is an unusual theme and very well handled.
Sink the Haguro!John Winton


message 789: by Wade (new)

Wade (wade1) | 316 comments Hmmmm...now Antoine, this sounds like a very interesting work, i don't know much if anything of the Royal Navy's Pacific/Indian Ocean operations in WW2...i need a break from NorthWest Europe/Eastern Front...i am going to heed your guidance and request a transfer to the Indian Ocean for my next stretch of duty...Full steam Ahead!


message 790: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (last edited Mar 04, 2013 04:37PM) (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments This new book was mentioned in the 'Intelligence Ops & Units during WW2' thread but I figured I'd mention it in the new release section as well just in case folks missed it.

The Secret Rescue An Untold Story of American Nurses and Medics Behind Nazi Lines by Cate Lineberry by Cate Lineberry
Description:
It is one of the greatest forgotten stories of World War II. When 26 Army Air Forces flight nurses and medics board a military transport plane in November 1943, they never anticipate a crash landing in Nazi territory, or their months-long fight to survive.

This long untold, true story begins as the group of men and women is on its way to evacuate wounded and sick troops near the frontlines in Italy. Caught in a violent storm, the plane is pushed off course and into the path of German fighter planes. Without a working radio or compass, the flight crew is flying blind after hours in the air and is forced to land in unforgiving and unknown terrain.

When the Americans emerge from their battered aircraft, they find themselves in Albania-a brutal and poverty-stricken country rife with chaos and danger-with only one gun among them. Met by battle-hardened partisans, they wander for months over rugged mountains during a brutal winter in their efforts to escape, facing a barrage of life-threatening incidents, including a German attack that almost costs them their lives. With hunger and sickness as their constant companions, the party is haunted by the threat of capture by the Nazis. Always on the move, they hide at night with courageous villagers who share what little food they have and risk death at Nazi hands to help them, hoping for the daring rescue attempts American and British agents plan in this tumultuous landscape of war.

The drama of the party captured the American public, but the details of their journey remained hidden for decades. A mesmerizing tale of the courage and bravery of ordinary people, THE SECRET RESCUE tells for the first time the whole story, of heroic struggle and endurance.

Reviews:
"Cate Lineberry has written a touching, thrilling, completely engrossing story of great courage under harrowing circumstances. This is a World War II story that few people have ever heard, but, after reading this book, no one will forget." - Candice Millard, author of The River of Doubt and Destiny of the Republic

"Cate Lineberry has unearthed a little-known episode of World War II that has all the elements of a classic escape adventure. Carefully researched and compellingly told, The Secret Rescue is a suspenseful story of courage, audacity, and endurance behind enemy lines. I couldn't stop reading it." - Gary Krist, author of City of Scoundrels

"American nurses and medics, trapped behind enemy lines, hungry and haggard, dodging Nazis, hope dimming as winter gains strength. In Cate Lineberry's gifted hands, the true story of The Secret Rescue is a gripping and suspenseful tale, alive with rich details that carry readers along every step of this remarkable journey." - Mitchell Zuckoff, author of Lost in Shangri-La and Frozen in Time

"The Secret Rescue is narrative history at its best. Cate Lineberry uncovers a fascinating, long-forgotten drama that captured the world's attention during the darkest days of World War II and transforms it into a gripping story of courage under fire." - Daniel Stashower, author of The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War

"Cate Lineberry's The Secret Rescue is the kind of great story that makes you wonder, 'How come I didn't know about this?' A thrilling story of courage behind enemy lines." - Christopher S. Stewart, author of Jungleland: A Mysterious Lost City, a WWII Spy, and a True Story of Deadly Adventure

"Lineberry takes us into a part of World War II often neglected in war histories - the vantage point of nurses and medics. The medical air evacuations were as dangerous as they were heroic, and after this group of men and women crash lands in Nazi-held Albania, they face daunting physical and cultural challenges. Their story is a courageous journey across not only a foreign landscape, but the topography of the human spirit as well." - Molly Caldwell Crosby, author of The Great Pearl Heist and The American Plague

"The Secret Rescue is an intriguing and spellbinding story. Cate Lineberry has created an amazing piece of work and research that highlights the critical role played by the British clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in these dramatic events." - Art Reinhardt, OSS Veteran (China) and OSS Society, Treasurer


message 791: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments This book is due out in a few months and offers a story not covered in much detail previously, I am sure it will interest a few members here:

Cruel Crossing Escaping Hitler Across the Pyrenees by Edward Stourton by Edward Stourton
Description:
The mountain paths are as treacherous as they are steep - the more so in the dark and in winter. Even for the fit the journey is a formidable challenge. Hundreds of those who climbed through the Pyrenees during the Second World War were malnourished and exhausted after weeks on the run hiding in barns and attics. Many never even reached the Spanish border.

Today their bravery and endurance is commemorated each July by a trek along the Chemin de la Liberté - the toughest and most dangerous of wartime routes. From his fellow pilgrims Edward Stourton uncovers stories of midnight scrambles across rooftops and drops from speeding trains; burning Lancasters, doomed love affairs, horrific murder and astonishing heroism.

The lives of the men, women and children who were drawn by the war to the Pyrenees often read as breathtakingly exciting adventure, but they were led against a background of intense fear, mounting persecution and appalling risk. Drawing on interviews with the few remaining survivors and the families of those who were there, Edward Stourton's vivid history of this little-known aspect of the Second World War is shocking, dramatic and intensely moving.

Reviews:
"Edward Stourton's portrayal of the escape lines across the Pyrenees - the courage and endurance of those involved and above all, the heroism in one man (or woman) risking their life for another - is rich in detail and a remarkable testimony to the resilience of the human spirit. A compelling read." - James Holland

"Heart-breaking and breath-taking, and a vivid tribute both to all those who escaped from France into Spain as well as those who helped them. A thoroughly moving and very readable book." - Simon Mawer, (author of The Girl Who Fell From The Sky)

"Escaping the Nazis across the Pyrenean mountain trails became one of the most extraordinary acts of spontaneous resistance of World War Two. In Cruel Crossing, Ed Stourton straps on his backpack and takes to the escape lines himself, reflecting as he treks on the courage and self-sacrifice of the escapers and evaders who went before him - many of them young women, whose remarkable stories are told here often for the first time. Stourton has produced both a compelling history and a unique mountain guide, telling his story with his familiar humour and journalistic verve." - Sarah Helm, (author of A Life in Secrets: Vera Atkins and the Lost Agents of SOE)

"An important book packed with poignant stories, remarkable characters and uncomfortable truths." - Clare Mulley, (author of The Spy Who Loved and The Woman Who Saved The Children)

"Cruel Crossing is an accomplished account of an overlooked part of the Second World War. Using wide-ranging research and an impressive number of eye-witness accounts, Stourton tells the story of the escape lines across the Pyrenees, and of the wartime history of southwest France in all its muddied complexity. The gripping escape stories he narrates are sometimes harrowing, often moving, and above all, full of variety and surprises. There is suffering, extraordinary bravery, friendship and even humour; but there is also treachery, betrayal and villainy. A fitting memorial to how war brings out the best and worst in people." - Matthew Parker, (author of The Battle of Britain)


message 792: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments This is a book that many readers may want in their library once it's released in April 2013:


The Desert War Then and Now by Jean-Paul Pallud by Jean-Paul Pallud
Description:
Following Mussolini's declaration of war in June 1940, initially Italy faced only those British troops based in the Middle East but as the armed confrontation in the Western Desert of North Africa escalated, other nations were drawn in - Germany, Australia, India, South Africa, New Zealand, France and finally the United States - to wage the first major tank-versus-tank battles of the Second World War. First tracing the history of the very early beginnings of civilisation in North Africa, and on through the period of Italian colonisation, Jean Paul Pallud begins his account when the initial shots were fired at the 11th Hussars as they approached Italian outposts near Sidi Omar in Libya. It proved to be the opening move of a campaign which was to last for three years. When the Afrikakorps led by Rommel joined the battle in February 1941, the Germans soon gained the upper hand and recovered the whole of Cyrenaica, minus Tobruk, in the summer. The campaign then swung back and forth across the desert for another year until Rommel finally captured Tobruk in June 1942 and then moved eastwards into Egypt. With British fortunes at their lowest ebb, changes in command led to Montgomery launching his offensive at El Alamein the following November. This began the advance of the Eighth Army over a thousand miles to Tunisia, resulting in the final round-up of the German and Italian forces in May 1943. Jean Paul and his camera retraced the route just prior to the recent civil war in Libya and the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt in 2011, so he was fortunate to capture the locations before yet another war left its trail of death and destruction. Although the campaign in 1940-43 was dominated largely by armour, nevertheless the Allies lost over 250,000 men killed, wounded, missing and captured and the Axis 620,000. Those that never came home lie in cemeteries scattered across the barren landscape of a battlefield that has changed little in over 70 years.


message 793: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments This new release title covers the British Para raid against the German Bruneval facility at Le Havre in 1941:


Night Raid The True Story of the First Victorious British by Taylor Downing by Taylor Downing
Description:
The loss of British bombers over Occupied Europe began to reach alarming levels in 1941. Could it be that the Germans were using a sophisticated form of radar to direct their night fighters and anti-aircraft guns at the British bombers? British aerial reconnaissance discovered what seemed to be a rotating radar tower on a clifftop at Bruneval, near Le Havre. The truth must be revealed.

The decision was taken to launch a daring raid on the Bruneval site to try and capture the technology for further examination. The planned airborne assault would be extremely risky. The parachute regiment had only been formed a year before on Churchill's insistence. This night raid would test the men to the extreme limits of their abilities.

Night Raid tells the gripping tale of this mission from the planning stages, to the failed rehearsals when the odds seemed stacked against them, to the night of the raid itself, and the scientific secrets that were discovered thanks to the paras' precious cargo - the German radar. Its capture was of immense importance in the next stages of the war and the mission itself marked the birth of the legend of the 'Red Devils'.

Review:
"The Bruneval Raid was the start of the airborne brotherhood. Taylor Downing's vivid account brings alive this important turning point in military history with flair and pace." - Andy McNab


message 794: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Here is a new release covering one of the British Para's missions for D-Day. I am sure it will interest a few folks here:

The Manner of Men 9 PARA's Heroic D-day Mission by Stuart Tootal by Stuart Tootal
Description:
In June 1944, an elite unit of British paratroopers was sent on a daring and highly risky behind-the-lines mission, which was deemed vital to the success of D-Day.

Dropping ahead of the main Allied invasion, 9 PARA were tasked with destroying an impregnable German gun battery. If they failed, thousands of British troops landing on the beaches were expected to die. But their mission was flawed and started to go wrong from the moment they jumped from their aircraft above Normandy.

Only twenty per cent of the unit made it to the objective and half of them were killed or wounded during the attack.

Undermanned and lacking equipment and ammunition, the survivors then held a critical part of the invasion beachhead. For six bloody days, they defended the Breville Ridge against vastly superior German forces and bore the brunt of Rommel's attempt to turn the left flank of the Allied invasion.

The Manner of Men is an epic account of courage beyond the limits of human endurance, where paratroopers prevailed despite intelligence failures and higher command blunders, in what has been described as one of the most remarkable feat of arms of the British Army and the Parachute Regiment during World War II.


message 795: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Damn, this sounds like a book to read:


Frozen in Time An Epic Story of Survival and a Modern Quest for Lost Heroes of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff by Mitchell Zuckoff
Description:
On November 5, 1942, a U.S. cargo plane on a routine flight slammed into the Greenland Ice Cap. Four days later, the B-17 assigned to the search-and-rescue mission became lost in a blinding storm and also crashed. Miraculously, all nine men on the B-17 survived. With the weather worsening, the U.S. military launched a daring rescue mission, sending a Grumman Duck amphibious plane to find the men. After picking up one member of the B-17 crew, the Duck flew into a severe storm, and the plane and the three men aboard vanished. In this thrilling, true-life adventure, Mitchell Zuckoff offers a spellbinding account of these harrowing crashes and the fate of the survivors and their would-be saviors. Full of evocative detail, "Frozen in Time" brings their extraordinary ordeal vividly into focus-a fight to stay alive and sane through 148 days of a brutal Arctic winter. Zuckoff takes us deep into the most hostile environment on earth and into the snow caves and tail section of the broken B-17, where the soldiers took refuge from subzero temperatures, hurricane-force winds, and vicious blizzards. He places us at the center of a group of valiant men kept alive by sporadic military food drops until an expedition headed by famed Arctic explorer Bernt Balchen brought them to safety. But that is only part of the story that unfolds in "Frozen in Time". Moving forward to today, Zuckoff recounts the efforts of the Coast Guard and North South Polar Inc., led by an indefatigable dreamer named Lou Sapienza, who worked for years to solve the mystery of the Duck's last flight and recover the remains of its crew. Drawing on intensive research and a firsthand account of the dramatic and dangerous 2012 expedition, "Frozen in Time" is a breathtaking blend of mystery, adventure, heroism, and survival. It is also a poignant reminder of the sacrifices of our military personnel and their families - and a tribute to the important, perilous, and often overlooked work of the US Coast Guard.


message 796: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments I figured some members in the group might like the sounds of this book:


Cronkite's War His World War II Letters Home by Walter Cronkite, IV by Walter Cronkite, IV
Description:
With hair-raising accounts of bomb raids and glittery tales of elbow-rubbing with the likes of Clark Gable, Andy Rooney, and Ernest Hemingway, Cronkite's War captures what foreword writer Tom Brokaw calls a quintessential American story. The book recounts Walter Cronkite's experience as a United Press correspondent covering the air war in Europe from 1943-45, told through letters to his young wife Besty. Selected by his grandson, Walter Cronkite IV, and historian Maurice Isserman, this captivating correspondence chronicles the excitement and complexity of one of the world's great historical events, seen through the eyes of the reporter who would go on to become the most trusted man in America as anchorman of the CBS Evening News.

Reviews:
"Fascinating glimpses of a stirring time that was a crucible for so many journalists." - School Library Journal starred review

"What a treasure! If you like the news, if you like a good adventure story or if you're just a sucker for a good old fashioned love story, you will love this book." - Bob Schieffer, CBS News

"The immediacy of these letters provides an unforgettable glimpse into how people lived during the most devastating war in human history, and shed light on how Walter Cronkite became one of our greatest newsmen." - Susan Eisenhower

"An extraordinary journey with the most trusted man in America." - Kirkus Reviews


message 797: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments This book has just been released in Australia; Lancaster Men: The Aussie Heroes of Bomber Command. Not sure if it will be easily available elsewhere though

Lancaster Men The Aussie Heroes of Bomber Command by Peter Rees by Peter Rees
Description:
More than 10,000 Australians served with Bomber Command, a highly trained band of elite flyers who undertook some of the most dangerous operations of World War II. They flew raid after raid over France and Germany knowing that the odds were against them. Stretched to breaking point, nearly 3500 died in the air. Their bravery in extreme circumstances has barely been recognised.

Peter Rees traces the extraordinary achievements of these young aviators. He tells their hair-raising stories of battle action and life on the ground. And he recounts how, when they returned to Australia, they were greeted as Jap dodgers and accused of 'hiding in England while we were doing it tough'.

Exciting, compelling and full of life, Lancaster Men is a powerful tribute to these forgotten Australian heroes of World War II.

Also posted in the aviation thread.


message 798: by Jerome (new)

Jerome Otte | 811 comments Looks like this is coming out in April:

The Last Battle When U.S. and German Soldiers Joined Forces to Defeat Holdout SS Troops--After Germany Surrendered by Stephen Harding by Stephen Harding

Synopsis

May 1945. Hitler is dead, and the Third Reich little more than smoking rubble. No GI wants to be the last man killed in action against the Nazis. But for cigar-chewing, rough-talking, hard-drinking, hard-charging Captain Jack Lee and his men, there is one more mission: rescue fourteen prominent French prisoners held in Castle Itter, a high-security SS fortress perched high in the Austrian Alps.

The castle’s commandant and guards have fled, but desperate and fanatical Waffen-SS units in the area are bent on killing the prisoners in the war’s waning days, and time is running out fast. It’s a dangerous mission, but Lee has help from an unlikely source: a decorated German Wehrmacht officer and his men, who voluntarily join the fight. It is the only battle in which U.S. Army regulars and Wehrmacht soldiers fought side by side—a remarkable episode that could only have happened in the war’s chaotic and fiery climax.

Based on personal memoirs, author interviews, and official American, German, and French histories, Stephen Harding’s The Last Battle is one of World War II’s most unbelievable stories—a tale of unlikely allies, bravery, cowardice, and desperate combat between implacable enemies.


message 799: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments For those members who enjoy reading about the USMC and their battles during WW2 this new book may interest a few here:

Voices of the Pacific Untold Stories from the Marine Heroes of World War II by Adam Makos by Adam Makos
Description:
These are the stories from fifteen WWII Marines, compiled by Adam Makos and Marcus Brotherton but left unfiltered and in the words of the Marines who were there. Unflinching, brutal, and relentless, Voices of the Pacific will leave a reader gasping for air and dumbstruck in awe of the old heroes who won the Pacific war with bare hands, bayonets, and guts.

The book presents accounts of heroism and honor as told by World War II veterans Sid Phillips, R.V. Burgin, and Chuck Tatum—whose exploits were featured in the HBO mini-series The Pacific—and their Marine buddies from the legendary 1st Marine Division.

These Marines trace the action from the Pearl Harbor attack and intense boot camp training through battles with the Japanese on Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, and Okinawa, to their return home after V-J Day. With unflinching honesty, these men reveal harrowing accounts of combat with an implacable enemy, the friendships and camaraderie they found—and lost—and the aftermath of the war’s impact on their lives.

With unprecedented access to the veterans, never-before-seen photographs, and unpublished memoirs, Makos and Brotherton have forged Voices of the Pacific into an incredible historic record of American bravery and sacrifice.

Reviews:
"These are the true—and terrifying—stories of combat Marines struggling against a fanatical enemy on the far-flung islands of the Pacific. A powerful new book.” — Dale Dye, military advisor for Band of Brothers and The Pacific

“A fantastic, deeply moving collection of stories told by the men who were actually there.” — Alex Kershaw, New York Times bestselling author of The Liberator

“Imagine a last conversation with your father or grandfather who fought in WWII, only this time he tells you the stories he always held back. That’s Voices of the Pacific.” — Larry Alexander, New York Times bestselling author of Biggest Brother

“Like a Higgins landing craft, Voices of the Pacific rumbles to our literary shores without pretense to deliver first-person accounts of war with the same gut-level realism as the opening scene in Saving Private Ryan.” — Bob Welch, author of Resolve

“An impressive array of personal stories from the nightmarish fights on islands such as Guadalcanal, Peleliu, and Iwo Jima, all delivered in a simple, poignant narrative that readers will adore.” — Ian Gardner, author of Tonight We Die As Men

Also posted in the Pacific Theatre thread.


message 800: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Another new book due out in a few months covering the war in China from 1937-1945. It sounds interesting:


The Enduring War by Rana Mitter by Rana Mitter
Description:
For decades, a major piece of World War II history has gone virtually unwritten. China was the fourth great ally, partner to the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain, yet its drama of invasion, resistance, slaughter, and political intrigue remains little known in the West.

In this emotionally gripping book, made possible through access to newly unsealed Chinese archives, Rana Mitter unfurls the story of China’s World War II as never before and rewrites the larger history of the war in the process. He focuses his narrative on three towering leaders — Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Zedong, and the lesser-known collaborator Wang Jingwei — and extends the timeline of the war back to 1937, when Japanese and Chinese troops began to clash, fully two years before Hitler invaded Poland.

Unparalleled in its research and scope, Forgotten Ally is a sweeping, character-driven history that will be essential reading not only for anyone with an interest in World War II, but also for those seeking to understand today’s China, where, as Mitter reveals, the echoes of the war still reverberate.

Also posted in the Pacific Theatre thread.


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