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message 851: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments I think I will be grabbing a copy of this book when it is released in October. I think a few other members in the group will be doing the same:

Warsaw 1944 The Fateful Uprising by Alexandra Richie by Alexandra Richie
Description:
The traumatic story of one of the last major battles of World War II, in which the Poles fought off German troops and police, street by street, for sixty-three days. The Warsaw Uprising of August 1944 was a shocking event in a hideous war. This is the first account to recall the tragedy from both German and Polish perspectives and asks why, when the war was nearly lost and resources were so urgently needed in the Fatherland, Hitler and Himmler decided to return to Warsaw bent on murder, deportation, and destruction. This was the only time in history that a European capital has ever been emptied of its entire population and destroyed street by street, house by house, razed leaving acres of smouldering ruin. Hundreds were thrown from windows, burned alive, trampled to death. The murder of 40,000 innocents on 5th August was the largest battlefield massacre of the war. But the Poles did not give in. Organized and popular, the Uprising, which had been expected to last under a week, fought off German troops including Himmler's most notorious SS battalions street by street, for sixty-three days. Alexandra Richie is connected to this story through her father-in-law Wladyslaw Bartoszewski who participated in the Uprising and whose vast archive forms the basis of the book, The book charts Nazi crimes but also through the testimony of a Pole press-ganged into a 'cremation detail' who, by living amongst them witnessed the break-down of morale in the SS at the end of the war. Dr Richie puts the Uprising in context of the collapse of Army Group Centre and the now forgotten battles which raged around Warsaw in the summer of 1944. She looks at the implications of Stalin's refusal to help the beleaguered Poles and shows for the first time how the Nazi leadership, and Himmler in particular, hoped that the increasing divisions between the Allies over Warsaw would lead to a Third World War. She also shows how the Uprising affected negotiations over the fate of post- war Europe and is rightly called the first battle of the Cold War.But above all else Warsaw 1944 is the story of a city's unbreakable spirit, in the face of unspeakable barbarism.


message 852: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments This new title which is due out in August this year offers WW2 readers something different:


Forgotten Voices The Expulsion of the Germans from Eastern Europe After World War II by Ulrich Merten by Ulrich Merten
Description:
The news agency Reuters reported in 2009 that a mass grave containing 1,800 bodies was found in Malbork, Poland. Polish authorities suspected that they were German civilians that were killed by advancing Soviet forces. A Polish archeologist supervising the exhumation, said, "We are dealing with a mass grave of civilians, probably of German origin. The presence of children . . . suggests they were civilians."

During World War II, the German Nazi regime committed great crimes against innocent civilian victims: Jews, Poles, Russians, Serbs, and other people of Central and Eastern Europe. At war’s end, however, innocent German civilians in turn became victims of crimes against humanity. Forgotten Voices lets these victims of ethnic cleansing tell their story in their own words, so that they and what they endured are not forgotten. This volume is an important supplement to the voices of victims of totalitarianism and has been written in order to keep the historical record clear.

The root cause of this tragedy was ultimately the Nazi German regime. As a leading German historian, Hans-Ulrich Wehler has noted, "Germany should avoid creating a cult of victimization, and thus forgetting Auschwitz and the mass killing of Russians." Ulrich Merten argues that applying collective punishment to an entire people is a crime against humanity. He concludes that this should also be recognized as a European catastrophe, not only a German one, because of its magnitude and the broad violation of human rights that occurred on European soil.

Reviews:
"FORGOTTEN VOICES: THE EXPULSION OF THE GERMANS FROM EASTERN EUROPE AFTER WORLD WAR II provides scholarly account that analyzes the expulsion of Germans across Eastern Europe after the second world war, and is a fine pick for any studying the aftermath of and its wide-ranging implications. A mass grave of German civilians was discovered in Poland 2009, prompting insights and investigations into what amounted to atrocities committed against non-military German civilians. This book considers the nature of crimes against Germans and humanity, and gathers an impressive collection of source materials documenting the 'ethnic cleansing' of Germans from Europe post-war. It's a sobering, enlightening account for any military or social issues collection concerned with the aftermath of World War II.” - California Bookwatch

“Merten states that it is a ‘crime against humanity’ to use ‘collective’ punishment against ‘individual’ crimes. Since there is no such thing as a collective mind, a collective conscience, a collective decision, a collective human body, it is an absolute truth that there cannot be a collective punishment that would be just . . . . This is a ‘must read’ book for our time.” - Ruben Lackman, bismarcktribune.com

"Though Merten's account does take sides in an argument, his scholarly tone, the materials he employs, and his explicit denials of any intention to equate the fate of the expellees to the Jews in the Holocaust, and/or to relativize the Holocaust, suggests strongly that he is open to further discussion about the character of the expellees. As such this is a sound and level-headed introduction for Americans." - John Flynn, professor emeritus, Sewanee: The University of the South


message 853: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments For those members looking for something different to read on WW2 you could try this new release:


Wealth of an Empire The Treasure Shipments That Saved Britain and the World by Robert Switky by Robert Switky
Description:
Wealth of an Empire tells the dramatic true story of a top-secret mission that changed the course of World War II: Great Britain s shipment of virtually its entire treasury across the treacherous waters of the North Atlantic to safety in the United States and Canada. Had the Germans captured or sunk the treasure-laden ships, the war could have been lost more than eighteen months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The British government authorized this immensely risky and long-running operation not only because of the obvious danger that Germany s rising militancy posed but also because of the isolationist sentiment that permeated both American society and Congress. America s refusal to sell arms and other goods without payment up front left Britain little choice but to mount this daring operation.

Only a few banking, political, and military leaders were responsible for the complicated logistical and security procedures that were designed to safeguard the transfer of both gold and financial securities to North America. Although the special shipments were initially of relatively modest value, the strategic imperative changed dramatically when Germany threatened to invade Britain in the summer of 1940. Fearing that Britain s wealth might fall into German hands, in an audacious yet visionary decision newly installed prime minister Winston Churchill authorized the evacuation of nearly all of Britain s liquid assets.

Wealth of an Empire uses previously unused and unavailable original documents including those from the British National Archives, the Bank of England's archives, the Imperial War Museum, and the Bank of Canada's archives to shed new light on this underexplored aspect of Britain s wartime history.


message 854: by Michael, Assisting Moderator Axis Forces (new)

Michael Flanagan (loboz) | 292 comments This thread is bad for my bank balance :)


message 855: by happy (last edited Jul 22, 2013 10:09PM) (new)

happy (happyone) | 2281 comments We all don't have AR's seemingly unlimited funds availablity :)

It keeps my library busy - I've been told I'm one of their go to people for their WW II and WW I collections


message 856: by Michael, Assisting Moderator Axis Forces (new)

Michael Flanagan (loboz) | 292 comments My meager collection (compared to AR's) is always commented on by people new to the house.


message 857: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments That's a good way to impress people!


message 858: by Michael, Assisting Moderator Axis Forces (new)

Michael Flanagan (loboz) | 292 comments I had a teenage daughter of a friend asked me if I was a white supremist because I has so many books on Hitler and stuff.


message 859: by Liam (last edited Jul 22, 2013 11:39PM) (new)

Liam (dimestoreliam) | 498 comments Michael wrote: "I had a teenage daughter of a friend asked me if I was a white supremist because I has so many books on Hitler and stuff."



Ouch! People used to ask me questions like that when I was a kid, 'cause I was always walking around carrying some book or other with a swastika on the cover.


message 860: by Michael, Assisting Moderator Axis Forces (new)

Michael Flanagan (loboz) | 292 comments She regretted the question as I bored her to tears with why I read such books :)


message 861: by Colin (new)

Colin Heaton (colin1962) | 2011 comments 'Aussie Rick' wrote: "I am pretty sure that this future release (November 2013) will attract the attention of a few members. It sounds like a pretty interesting story to me:

[bookcover:A Death in San Pietro: The Untold..."


Good post. I interviewed a couple of German veterans of that battle, very intense


message 862: by Colin (new)

Colin Heaton (colin1962) | 2011 comments Michael wrote: "I had a teenage daughter of a friend asked me if I was a white supremist because I has so many books on Hitler and stuff."

I was labeled a closet Nazi because I have published interviews with German vets when I was an undergrad. Been there.


message 863: by Colin (new)

Colin Heaton (colin1962) | 2011 comments 'Aussie Rick' wrote: "I think I will be grabbing a copy of this book when it is released in October. I think a few other members in the group will be doing the same:

[bookcover:Warsaw 1944: The Fateful Uprising|1816270..."


This was a critical moment in world history indeed. I interviewed SS Standartenfuehrer Johannes-Rudolf Muhlenkamp, who was commander of the 5th SS Division under Erich von dem Bach-Zeleski about the battle.


message 864: by Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces (last edited Jul 25, 2013 01:10PM) (new)

Geevee | 3811 comments This might interest some members: Ice Steel and Fire: British Explorers in Peace and War 1921-45 by Linda Parker

Description
The generation that reached maturity in the interwar years had grown up in the shadow of the heroic age of Polar exploration and the sacrifices of a generation in the Great War.

Their own adventures were to prove as astonishing and heroic as those of a previous generation. The members of the British Arctic air route expedition to Greenland, including Martin Lindsay, Quintin Riley and Freddie Spencer Chapman, were to pioneer the weather research methods necessary for Trans-Atlantic Flight.

The university expeditions to Spitsbergen led by George Binney in the 1920s and Sandy Glen in the 1930s traversed and surveyed unexplored ground and contributed to developments in polar flight and radar.

Other pre-war exploits of these adventurers included a voyage around the world the wrong way, and participation in the British Graham Land Antarctic expedition. Peter Fleming, brother to the creator of James Bond - Ian Fleming - spent the 1930s exploring Brazil, China and Tartary. Fleming's exploits are recounted in detail in this book.

The character, skills and endurance obtained in these years set these adventurers and explorers apart as men who were to play a distinguished and heroic role in the Second World War.

Their expertise in Arctic conditions, small boat handling, and exploring in all climatic conditions resulted in their participation in all aspects of warfare and arenas of battle, particularly as exponents of 'special operations', and as key members of Britain's first special forces. Their war service took them from the fjords of Norway and Spitsbergen to the jungles of Burma and Malaya and the beaches of Normandy and Italy.

Most of these men had known each other before war came in 1939. In some cases they ended up serving alongside one another in wartime. The intertwined stories of these characters in peace and war are examples of how the spirit of adventure shown by men in the interwar years contributed to Britain's outstanding role in the Second World War.

Linda Parker has written an important study that is equally relevant to both the history of British exploration and the genesis and early days of Britain's special forces 1939-45


message 865: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Sounds like a very interesting book covering something different during WW2, thanks for posting the details Geevee.


message 866: by Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces (new)

Geevee | 3811 comments It does look good Rick and another for my list and I found this through Jerome's ask on the thread "I'm looking for a book on" the German Weather Stations.


message 867: by Jerome (new)

Jerome Otte | 811 comments Look like this is coming out soon:
Release date: October 29, 2013

Japan 1941 Countdown to Infamy by Eri Hotta by Eri Hotta

Description
A groundbreaking history that considers Pearl Harbor from the Japanese perspective--and is certain to revolutionize how we think of the war in the Pacific.

When Japan attacked the United States in 1941, argues Eri Hotta, its leaders, in large part, understood they were entering a conflict they were bound to lose. Availing herself of rarely consulted material, Hotta poses essential questions overlooked by historians in the seventy years since: Why did these men--military men, civilian politicians, diplomats, the emperor--put their country and its citizens in harm's way? Why did they make a decision that was doomed from the start? Introducing us to the doubters, bluffers, and schemers who led their nation into this conflagration, Hotta brilliantly shows us a Japan never before glimpsed--eager to avoid war but fraught with tensions with the West, blinded by traditional notions of pride and honor, nearly escaping disaster before it finally proved inevitable.


message 868: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Sounds interesting Jerome, thanks for posting the details.


message 869: by Dj (new)

Dj | 2295 comments Jerome wrote: "Look like this is coming out soon:
Release date: October 29, 2013

Japan 1941 Countdown to Infamy by Eri Hotta by Eri Hotta

Description
A groundbreaking history that considers Pearl Harbo..."



I will have to get this to see how it compares with Rising Sun.


message 870: by Tytti (new)

Tytti | 140 comments Not that you would ever be able to find or read it but they just published a book about a Finnish POW and later sentenced to 25 years in forced labour in Siberia. He was pardoned after Stalin died in 1954, after ten years in horrible conditions. (Roughly half of the Finnish POWs died while being prisoned.) Now, aged 94 he has finally opened up about his experiences. For example he was in Lubljanka, in Moscow, and heard that Rauol Wallenberg had been taken from the next cell to somewhere. Sotavankina Siperiassa by Eino Hietala

Those who are interested might try Google translate with this article. http://www.lapinkansa.fi/Lappi/119483...


message 871: by Colin (new)

Colin Heaton (colin1962) | 2011 comments I interviewed two Germans in Lubianka who spoke to and knew Wallenberg was there also.


message 872: by Jerome (new)

Jerome Otte | 811 comments Another upcoming release:

Savage Will The Daring Escape of Americans Trapped Behind Nazi Lines by Timothy M. Gay by Timothy M. Gay

Synopsis:
On a cold morning in war-ravaged Sicily in 1943, men and women of the 807th Medical Air Evacuation Squadron boarded a routine flight to the Italian mainland to care for wounded soldiers. En route, their plane became lost in storm clouds looming over the Adriatic Sea, drifted hundreds of miles off course, and crash-landed in remote mountainous Albania.

Stranded without proper winter clothing or weapons, the Americans were trapped hundreds blizzard-plagued miles from Allied lines in a country torn apart by rival bands of pro- and anti-German guerrillas.

What followed is the most thrilling untold story of World War II—a saga that would ensnare a cast of hundreds, from President Roosevelt and top Allied intelligence officials to a host of brave Albanian Resistance fighters, the British and U.S. Mediterranean air forces, and the gritty officers sent behind enemy lines to rescue them: a dashing English lieutenant and a tenacious American captain.

Hunted by German soldiers, the American castaways were forced to rely on what one survivor called their “savage will” to elude their enemy and ultimately find their way to freedom. Savage Will is a testament to a generation who defied all odds


message 873: by Jerome (new)

Jerome Otte | 811 comments And another:

Monty's Men The British Army and the Liberation of Europe by John Buckley by John Buckley

Synopsis:
Historian John Buckley offers a radical reappraisal of Great Britain’s fighting forces during World War Two, challenging the common belief that the British Army was no match for the forces of Hitler’s Germany. Following Britain’s military commanders and troops across the battlefields of Europe, from D-Day to VE-Day, from the Normandy beaches to Arnhem and the Rhine, and, ultimately, to the Baltic, Buckley’s provocative history demonstrates that the British Army was more than a match for the vaunted Nazi war machine. This fascinating revisionist study of the campaign to liberate Northern Europe in the war’s final years features a large cast of colorful unknowns and grand historical personages alike, including Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery and the prime minister, Sir Winston Churchill. By integrating detailed military history with personal accounts, it evokes the vivid reality of men at war while putting long-held misconceptions finally to rest.


message 874: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Here is a September release that may interest those members who enjoy reading about the Pacific theatre in WW2:

Pacific Blitzkrieg World War II in the Central Pacific by Sharon Tosi Lacey by Sharon Tosi Lacey
Description:
Pacific Blitzkrieg closely examines the planning, preparation, and execution of ground operations for five major invasions in the Central Pacific (Guadalcanal, Tarawa, the Marshalls, Saipan, and Okinawa). The commanders on the ground had to integrate the US Army and Marine Corps into a single striking force, something that would have been difficult in peacetime, but in the midst of a great global war, it was a monumental task. Yet, ultimate success in the Pacific rested on this crucial, if somewhat strained, partnership and its accomplishments. Despite the thousands of works covering almost every aspect of World War II in the Pacific, until now no one has examined the detailed mechanics behind this transformation at the corps and division level.

Sharon Tosi Lacey makes extensive use of previously untapped primary research material to re-examine the development of joint ground operations, the rapid transformation of tactics and equipment, and the evolution of command relationships between army and marine leadership. This joint venture was the result of difficult and patient work by commanders and evolving staffs who acted upon the lessons of each engagement with remarkable speed. For every brilliant strategic and operational decision of the war, there were thousands of minute actions and adaptations that made such brilliance possible.

Lacey examines the Smith vs. Smith controversy during the Saipan invasion using newly discovered primary source material. Saipan was not the first time General “Howlin’ Mad” Smith had created friction. Lacey reveals how Smith’s blatant partisanship and inability to get along with others nearly brought the American march across the Pacific to a halt.

Pacific Blitzkrieg explores the combat in each invasion to show how the battles were planned, how raw recruits were turned into efficient combat forces, how battle doctrine was created on the fly, and how every service remade itself as new and more deadly weapons continuously changed the character of the war.

Reviews:
"Pacific Blitzkrieg is not only a major contribution to our understanding of the Pacific War but is also a delight to read. Lacey demolishes the belief, widely held among students of the Pacific War, that a deep gulf lay between the Marine Corps and the Army." - Williamson Murray, coauthor of A War to Be Won: Fighting the Second World War

“This is a significantly fresh approach in that it goes beyond the Army-Marine controversies best exemplified by ‘Smith versus Smith.’ ” —Dennis E. Showalter, author of Hitler’s Panzers and Patton and Rommel

Pacific Blitzkrieg is an exceptional analysis of U.S. joint amphibious operations against Japan during World War II. Lacey clearly demonstrates that despite the heat of the Smith versus Smith controversy during the invasion of Saipan, in fact U.S. Army and Marine units and commanders cooperated far better than the published historical record to date suggests. A must read for current and future joint force commanders and their staffs.” — Peter R. Mansoor, author of The GI Offensive in Europe: The Triumph of American Infantry Divisions, 1941-1945

Also posted in the Pacific Theatre thread.


message 875: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (last edited Sep 14, 2013 08:31PM) (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments This October release may interest a few of the members here in the group:


The Silent Attack The Taking of the Bridges at Veldwezelt, Vroenhoven and Kanne in Belgium by German Paratroops, 10 May 1940 by Oscar Gonzalez by Oscar Gonzalez
Description:
Much has been written about the capture of Fort Eben Emael Belgium by German paratroopers, on May 10, 1940. This operation marked the first use of gliders and shaped charges, while proved possible drop paratroopers behind enemy lines. The training, secret, accuracy and speed, in addition to the element of surprise, these men became lethal, causing chaos among Belgian soldiers. However, it should be stressed that these paratroopers were part of a larger group: The Sturmablteilung Koch (Koch Assault Group), the elite of the Luftwaffe in 1940, whose mission was not only to take Eben Emael, but also the three bridges over the Alberto canal near: Veldwezelt, Vroenhoven and Kanne. The success of the attack on Belgium and France would depend on the rapid conquest of those bridges. The aim of this book is to show how it was planned and carried out the assault on the Albert Canal bridges. All this not only through a supported text documents, records and evidence, but also by many photos never published until now. Every detail, from the creation of the Koch Assault Group, until the final attack, has been closely scrutinized by reference to the best sources, as well as testimonies of Belgian and German soldiers. About the authors: Oscar Gonzalez Lopez has a degree in Philosophy and teaches History and Philosophy. As a military historian his research has focused on the Fallschirmjager as well as the Spanish volunteers in the German Army during the Second World War, through close contact with many former veterans. Amongst other books, he has published Fallschirmjager at the Gran Sasso and German Paratroops in Scandinavia. He lives in Spain. Thomas Steinke studied at the Otto-von-Guericke University in Magdeburg, Germany. He takes part in the 'Volksbund Dr. Kriegsgraberfursorge', being involved in the search and care of German War graves of the Second World War, as well as in educational activities whose main goal is to improve the mutual and peaceful understanding amongst the European people. The focus of his studies has long been German paratroopers, in particular the members of the Sturmabteilung Koch and the LL-Sturmregiment. Ian Tannahill holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Queensland, Australia, and is a registered patent and trade mark attorney. His interest in the Fallschirmjager was sparked by an article he read as a teenager on the fall of the fortress of Eben Emael. His contact with former German paratroopers ignited a desire within Ian to tell the world about the capture of the Albert Kanal bridges by the Fallschirmjager and glider pilots of Sturmabteilung Koch.

Also posted in the European Theatre thread.


message 876: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments And for our Eastern Front fans here is a new release (October) that should interest a few of you:


Leningrad Siege and Symphony by Brian Moynahan by Brian Moynahan
Description:
In Leningrad: Siege and Symphony, Brian Moynahan sets the composition of Shostakovich's most famous work against the tragic canvas of the siege itself and the years of repression and terror that preceded it.

Drawing on extensive primary research in archives as well as personal letters and diaries, he vividly tells the story of the cruelties heaped by the twin monsters of the 20th century, Stalin and Hitler, on a city of exquisite beauty, and of its no less remarkable survival.

Weaving Shostakovich's own story and that of many others into the context of the maelstrom of Stalin's purges and the Nazis' brutal invasion of Russia,Leningrad: Siege and Symphony is a magisterial and moving account of one of the most tragic periods of the twentieth century.

Also posted in the Eastern Front thread.


message 877: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 | 4792 comments 'Aussie Rick' wrote: "And for our Eastern Front fans here is a new release (October) that should interest a few of you:


Leningrad Siege and Symphony by Brian Moynahan by Brian Moynahan
Description:
In Leningrad: S..."


I read Moynahan's bio of Freddy Spencer Chapman, the jungle partisan leader of Malaya. It was very well done.


message 878: by Colin (last edited Oct 06, 2013 06:56AM) (new)

Colin Heaton (colin1962) | 2011 comments 'Aussie Rick' wrote: "This October release may interest a few of the members here in the group:


[bookcover:The Silent Attack: The Taking of the Bridges at Veldwezelt, Vroenhoven and Kanne in Belgium by German Paratroo..."


Excellent choice. I also interviewed many of the German paras, and in the future will release another book, similar to the Aces Speak series we did, with their interviews. Ironically, Oberst Friedrich August Baron von der Heydte was a distant relative of mine. See our website at www.lewisheatonbooks.com and go to Future Book Projects and see.


message 879: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments I think this title (see below) may be a re-release but for those who missed it the first time it could be of interest:

Empire on the Adriatic Mussolini's Conquest of Yugoslavia, 1941-1943 by H. James Burgwyn by H. James Burgwyn
Description:
The short period of Balkan history during World War II when the Axis Powers, Italy and Germany, invaded Yugoslavia triggered a cycle of violence that equaled that of the 1990s. The focus of this book is the Italian occupation of Yugoslavia between 1941 and 1943 and the role that Fascist Italy played in this tragic time. Encountering tough partisan resistance and determined German rivalry, Italian imperialism frequently sputtered and eventually burned out, leaving behind many enemies and few heroes to honor at home. But the Italian 2nd Army salvaged some degree of honor by providing refuge for thousands of Orthodox Serbs and Jews, thus saving them from the German and Croatian death camps.


message 880: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments This new title may also interest a few of the group's members:


Generalissimo Stalin The Myth of Stalin as a Great Military Strategist by Boris Gorbachevsky by Boris Gorbachevsky
Description:
This new book from the author of Through the Maelstrom: A Red Army Soldier's War on the Eastern Front reveals a bitter truth about that war, which has thrown neo-Stalinists in Russia today into a fury. A frontline veteran who survived the most savage and continuous fighting of the Second World War refutes one of the primary Soviet myths: that it was Stalin's "brilliant strategic mind" and his "invaluable contributions" that brought about the eventual victory. Partially relying on his own frontline experience in fighting from Rzhev 1942 to Konigsburg 1945, the author argues that the Red Army emerged victorious from the war in spite of the Kremlin tyrant, who never spared his soldiers' lives and who recognized only one strategy: to break the Wehrmacht's resistance by overloading it with the corpses of Red Army soldiers. He maintains that it was the people who won the war, but Stalin stole the mantle of victory and donned it himself after the war. Gorbachevsky goes on to argue that the Soviet regime and recent official Russian estimates deliberately understated the staggering true cost of that victory, and reveals the scandalous official mistreatment of returning prisoners-of-war, neglect of war invalids and disregard of the millions of soldiers' remains lying in shallow, unmarked, often fraternal graves and the millions more still listed as "missing-in-action" - all of which show the Stalinist system's disdain for human life.


message 881: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments This book is due for release in October 2013 and sounds like an interesting read, not too many first-hand accounts around from German armoured car commanders:

Panzer Leader Memoirs of an Armoured Car Commander, 1944-1945 by Otto Henning by Otto Henning
Description:
The armoured reconnaissance units were the spearheads of the Panzer divisions, moving stealthily ahead of the tanks to locate the enemy. Otto Henning's armoured car unit of the elite Panzer-Lehr-Division fought throughout the campaigns in the West in 1944 and 1945, arriving in Normandy a few weeks before D-Day and finally surrendering in the Ruhr pocket in mid-April 1945. Henning describes the difficulties reconnaissance forces faced in the close terrain of the Normandy bocage and the threat posed by the Allies' complete control of the air. He saw the devastation wrought by Michael Wittmann's lone Tiger tank against the British 7th Armoured Division at Villers Bocage, and experienced the chaos and demoralisation of the Germans' retreat across France. After the Battle of the Bulge and the final fighting in western Germany, Henning surrendered and endured terrible conditions in a prisoner-of-war camp until he escaped in 1947. This is a fascinating and often harrowing account of the final campaigns in Western Europe, and exposes the little-known scandal of the treatment of German prisoners-of-war even after the war had ended.


message 882: by Jerome (new)

Jerome Otte | 811 comments A new history of the Warsaw uprising, due for release in December:

Warsaw 1944 Hitler, Himmler, and the Warsaw Uprising by Alexandra Richie by Alexandra Richie

Description:
In 1943, the Nazis liquidated Warsaw’s Jewish ghetto. A year later, they threatened to complete the city’s destruction by deporting its remaining residents. A sophisticated and cosmopolitan community a thousand years old was facing its final days—and then opportunity struck. As Soviet soldiers turned back the Nazi invasion of Russia and began pressing west, the underground Polish Home Army decided to act. Taking advantage of German disarray and seeking to forestall the absorption of their country into the Soviet empire, they chose to liberate the city of Warsaw for themselves.

Warsaw 1944 tells the story of this brave, and errant, calculation. For more than sixty days, the Polish fighters took over large parts of the city and held off the SS’s most brutal forces. But in the end, their efforts were doomed. Scorned by Stalin and unable to win significant support from the Western Allies, the Polish Home Army was left to face the full fury of Hitler, Himmler, and the SS. The crackdown that followed was among the most brutal episodes of history’s most brutal war, and the celebrated historian Alexandra Richie depicts this tragedy in riveting detail. Using a rich trove of primary sources, Richie relates the terrible experiences of individuals who fought in the uprising and perished in it. Her clear-eyed narrative reveals the fraught choices and complex legacy of some of World War II’s most unsung heroes.


message 883: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments I have a copy on order, just waiting for it to be published & released. I have the UK edition which should be due out this month :)

Warsaw 1944 The Fateful Uprising by Alexandra Richie by Alexandra Richie


message 884: by Colin (last edited Oct 11, 2013 07:38AM) (new)

Colin Heaton (colin1962) | 2011 comments Jerome wrote: "A new history of the Warsaw uprising, due for release in December:

Warsaw 1944 Hitler, Himmler, and the Warsaw Uprising by Alexandra Richie by Alexandra Richie

Description:
In 1943, the Nazis l..."


I will have to read this book. My friend, journalist Rita Cosby's father survivied the 1944 Uprising. See her book "Quiet Hero" on him. Although he recently passed away, and I could not get his story, I did interview the second in command under Bach-Zelewski, SS Col. Muhlenkamp, who was given command of the 5th SS Panzer Division during the event. Great story. Muehlenkamp was the reason why so many of the uniformed soldiers and others went to POW camps, and not the death camps. He convinced Himmler via Zelewski, to adhere to the Geneva Convention of 1929.


message 885: by Tytti (new)

Tytti | 140 comments Two well known Finnish historians have written a book about Lauri Törni and they have researched the archives of Finland, Germany and USA. At least they are saying there is some new information in it (which of course is possible, there are some parts of his life we don't know about yet).

Tuntematon Lauri Törni by Juha Pohjonen by Juha Pohjonen and Oula Silvennoinen
I don't think there has been other books about him by "real" historians...


message 886: by Liam (new)

Liam (dimestoreliam) | 498 comments Tytti wrote: "Two well known Finnish historians have written a book about Lauri Törni and they have researched the archives of Finland, Germany and USA. At least they are saying there is some new information in ..."


Cool! Thanx for the heads-up, Tytti!


message 887: by Tytti (new)

Tytti | 140 comments I guessed that you might be interested, Liam. Though I suppose you have to practice your Finnish a bit if you want to read it...


message 888: by Tytti (new)

Tytti | 140 comments The comments about the new Törni book have been interesting but not really unexpected, for me at least. (I think the other author was pretty critical about Finland's relations with Germany in his earlier book.)

I guess the "new information" is about his involment with plans to organize a guerilla war with SS/Germany's help if Finland was occupied, about Sonderkommando Nord and all the rest. (There were also the Operation Stella Polaris for transporting intelligence records, equipment and personnel to Sweden and the Weapons Cache Case that was a separate organization for preparing for a guerilla war. It's not really known who all knew about them and are they somehow connected.) There is some about his excessive alcohol use, too, nothing that was too unusual for veterans after 5-6 years of war...

Of course it's interesting that some Finns co-operated with Germans when others were fighting against them. But we, or our history, is like that... Personally I don't think Törni was very nazi-minded even though some seem to think so. The hatred and fear towards the Soviet Union was so strong among Karelians especially and on the other hand we have always had close relations with Germany. It might be easy to criticize him but nobody knew about the future. The threat of occupation was so big. Even my father, who served his military duty in the 1950's told me that they had wondered whether they would have to fight in a war. I don't think people in other countries, without a border with the Soviet Union can understand the mentality of people living with "the bear" or the "neighbour". (It's funny, though. Even my Italian friend who has learnt to speak Finnish well refers to Russia as "a/the neighbour".)


message 889: by Liam (new)

Liam (dimestoreliam) | 498 comments Tytti wrote: "The comments about the new Törni book have been interesting but not really unexpected, for me at least. (I think the other author was pretty critical about Finland's relations with Germany in his e..."


It definitely looks interesting; I just hope some of these books we have discussed are translated from Finnish, if not into English than at least into German or French, so I would have a fighting chance to read them someday (the likelihood of me improving my German & French is quite good, while it is unlikely that I'll ever learn enough Finnish to read a book in that language). In reference to the Asekätkentä, I came across another book you may find to be of interest: Asekätkentä by Matti Lukkari .


message 890: by Tytti (new)

Tytti | 140 comments Liam wrote: "It definitely looks interesting; I just hope some of these books we have discussed are translated from Finnish, if not into English than at least into German or French..."

I highly doubt that will ever happen. People hardly know we exist and we were on the wrong side, anyway. Also I think they would have to be rewritten and have many things explained for foreigners.

I think I have actually read that book, or at least skimmed through the interesting bits. I wonder if it's the same. I think one had some very detailed information about who were involved in a certain area.


message 891: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 | 4792 comments Tytti wrote: "Liam wrote: "It definitely looks interesting; I just hope some of these books we have discussed are translated from Finnish, if not into English than at least into German or French..."

I highly do..."


I had a long conversation one evening in a bar in Imatra with a group of Finns. They attempted to explain to me the concept of "sisu." That evening taught me the fundamental incomprehensibility of Finnish to one raised in English and educated in Russian, Latin and French.


message 892: by Tytti (last edited Oct 21, 2013 03:11PM) (new)

Tytti | 140 comments Manray9 wrote: "Tytti wrote: "Liam wrote: "It definitely looks interesting; I just hope some of these books we have discussed are translated from Finnish, if not into English than at least into German or French......"

And if it's not strange enough, we make it sound like it is. :D Well Finnish is an old language, much older than English proabably. We can say a lot with just one word. :-)

Hevonen vetää. = A horse pulls.
Hevosmies vedättää. = The horseman makes the horse pull.
Kymppi vedätyttää. = The foreman orders the horse man to pull something with the horse.
Ukkoherra vedätätyttää. = The boss demands that the foreman orders the horseman to...

I've actually noticed that English is missing some everyday words like "eväät" which is food you take with you to work or camping and also used to mean more abstract things. In military vocabulary "sissi" is also difficult to translate. It's usually translated as a guerilla but it's also a paratrooper, ranger, commando, partisan... The first known Finnish "sissis" fought during the 16th century. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pekka_Ve... Lauri Törni was a quintessential "sissi".


message 893: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 | 4792 comments Tytti wrote: "Manray9 wrote: "Tytti wrote: "Liam wrote: "It definitely looks interesting; I just hope some of these books we have discussed are translated from Finnish, if not into English than at least into Ger..."

As I recall the discussion, the Finns said "sisu" was like perseverance, but with an element of self-inflicted suffering -- a test of will. The example used was about the delight taken by many Finns in ice fishing under the most difficult weather conditions. Why did they do it? Sisu.


message 894: by Tytti (new)

Tytti | 140 comments Manray9 wrote: "Tytti wrote: "Manray9 wrote: "Tytti wrote: "Liam wrote: "It definitely looks interesting; I just hope some of these books we have discussed are translated from Finnish, if not into English than at ..."

Näh, no one goes ice fishing when the weather is poor. Unless you are very hungry, that is. Besides, what are these "difficult weather conditions" anyway? I think I would use it only when it's maybe below -30 degrees Celsius or a very big storm. Running naked in freezing cold would be a better example of sisu. :D


message 895: by Liam (last edited Oct 21, 2013 06:46PM) (new)

Liam (dimestoreliam) | 498 comments Tytti wrote: "Manray9 wrote: "Tytti wrote: "Manray9 wrote: "Tytti wrote: "Liam wrote: "It definitely looks interesting; I just hope some of these books we have discussed are translated from Finnish, if not into ..."


I suspect that Törni/Thorne did not make a habit of referring to himself as a "Sissi" while he was in the U.S. Army, hahaha...


message 896: by Tytti (last edited Oct 21, 2013 07:17PM) (new)

Tytti | 140 comments Liam wrote: "I suspect that Törni/Thorne did not make a habit of referring to himself as a "Sissi" while he was in the U.S. Army, hahaha... "

Yeah, the thought accurred to me, too.


message 897: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 | 4792 comments Tytti wrote: "Manray9 wrote: "Tytti wrote: "Manray9 wrote: "Tytti wrote: "Liam wrote: "It definitely looks interesting; I just hope some of these books we have discussed are translated from Finnish, if not into ..."

Do you agree with my understanding? "...perseverance, but with an element of self-inflicted suffering -- a test of will."


message 898: by Tytti (new)

Tytti | 140 comments Manray9 wrote: "Do you agree with my understanding? "...perseverance, but with an element of self-inflicted suffering -- a test of will."

I haven't really thought of it, it's such an adjustable word. Probably means different things in different situations. I can bet that young men add that self-inflicted suffering into it but I don't see it. Usually you know that it will hurt but you do it anyway for some other reason. And for me it really isn't a test, either, more like fatalism. You just have to do it and succeed, a failure isn't really an option. You have a job to do and you do it, as simple as that. I actually don't use the word that much, I don't need it in modern life.


message 899: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 | 4792 comments Tytti wrote: "Manray9 wrote: "Do you agree with my understanding? "...perseverance, but with an element of self-inflicted suffering -- a test of will."

I haven't really thought of it, it's such an adjustable wo..."


Interesting. Thanks.


message 900: by Tytti (new)

Tytti | 140 comments An article in English about the Törni book: yle.fi/uutiset/new_book_on_war_hero_d...

I find myself often disagreeing with Silvennoinen's take on things. I don't really think that people would have tried to organize a national socialist revolution (at least not before a possible Soviet occupation). Some might have admired some things in Germany but the ideology just doesn't really fit in the Finnish mentality. I think we are just too stubborn.


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