THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP discussion

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BOOK DISCUSSIONS > New Release Books on WW2

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message 901: by Liam (new)

Liam (dimestoreliam) | 498 comments Tytti wrote: "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 th..."



Wow... I just read the article to which you so very kindly linked, and I am profoundly shocked. I have read essentially all the material (limited though it may be) on Törni/Thorne available in the English language, and this is the very first time I have ever heard that he had even been accused of fighting against Finland as a member of the SS during the Lappland War, never mind that this allegation was supposedly proven in a court of law. While this would conveniently explain why Törni's name was removed from the list of knights of the Mannerheim Cross after the war, I could not imagine that he would have escaped the death penalty, much less received a sentence of only a few years in prison, had he been convicted of treason during wartime. In addition, I have a great deal of difficulty believing that both of Törni/Thorne's English-language biographers could have completely missed something so important, or even worse been purposefully dishonest about it. I also cannot imagine that a serving officer of the Finnish army would campaign for the rehabilitation of a traitor; several such officers have publicly called for the reinstatement of Lauri Törni on the list of Mannerheim Cross knights over the last two or three decades, however. I suspect you are right to disagree with Silvennoinen; this book seems reminiscent of the sort of character assassination typical of both right & left wing extremists here in the States.


message 902: by Tytti (new)

Tytti | 140 comments Hmm... well that has been poorly translated, I didn't notice that, maybe by a non-Finn... In the Finnish version it was correct. (If you didn't know that he left to Germany I guess one might make that connection). I sent them feedback.

Of course he didn't fight against Finland in the Lapland War but for Germany during the war, in Germany. Which makes all the difference. Though the book does seem to suggest that he might have been willing to fight against Finns in case of a revolution. Which I don't believe (well, against Communists yes).

But he wasn't removed from the list of Mannerheim Knights, not sure if one could even do that, he lost his rank in the military. That is what some have called for reinstated, I guess, but he did fight for the enemy so his conviction was pretty simple.

Books of this nature are pretty common in Finland actually, they always spark similar discussions but I haven't read them all. There are (at least) two critical books about Mannerheim that just came out... As I said, I guess one can make different conclusions from the same facts, there certainly is no one "truth" in Finland. Silvennoinen's previous book deals with Finnish State Police and its co-operation with Gestapo in 1933-1944. His doctoral thesis was about Einsatzkommando Finnland so he is clearly interested in and quite critical towards Germany. Personally I am maybe a bit more conservative than my generation in general so I recognize his type of thinking, very common here. I can understand being against war but I still think it was the best decision in the circumstances.


message 903: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 | 4792 comments I came across this review in the New Statesman from a link in www.RealClearBooks.com (a site I've posted about earlier). Two new or recent WW II books:

http://www.newstatesman.com/2013/10/b...


message 904: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments I've got a copy of Warsaw 1944 on the way, sounds like it will be a very interesting account. Thanks for posting the link to the reviews Manray9.

Warsaw 1944 The Fateful Uprising by Alexandra Richie by Alexandra Richie


message 905: by Tytti (last edited Oct 27, 2013 02:34PM) (new)

Tytti | 140 comments More books most of you can't read.

A new one from Mikko Porvali is about a mission where they made preparations for the attack in 1941 Hyökkäyksen edellä – Kaukopartio Kannaksella kesällä 1941 by Mikko Porvali (Ahead of the attack). They were interviewed for the radio less than two weeks after they returned and the book includes a cd. (One can also listen to it online on the YLE site. I haven't had the time yet.) You can also download the map of their route here http://www.mikkoporvali.fi/files/hyok.... It's quite big.

His older one is also interesting. Salainen tiedustelija – Suomalaisen vakoojaupseerin kirjeet 1940–44 by Mikko Porvali (Secret scout - Letters of the intelligence/spy officer) tells about a Russian born officer. He sent spies to USSR and later served as an unofficial interpreter to President Kekkonen and was a professor at the Helsinki University. His letters were in Russian so they escaped censorship.

Another book Vakoojakoulu – Päämajan asiamieskoulutus jatkosodassa by Mikko Porvali (The Spy School) is about the training of Russian POWs who were selected, trained and sent back to USSR as spies and what happened to them.

The author's grandfather took part in the mission of the first book and he also served in the Intelligence School and that book is based in his notes and stories.


message 906: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 | 4792 comments I just read about this book today. It is a new release which may be of interest to our group members for the November theme read:

Pacific Blitzkrieg World War II in the Central Pacific by Sharon Tosi Lacey Pacific Blitzkrieg: World War II in the Central Pacific by Sharon Tosi Lacey


message 907: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Sounds like the perfect book for the November theme read Manray9!


message 908: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments This book is due out in early 2014 and should interest a few members here in the group:


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.

Also posted in the Aviation and Eastern Front threads.


message 909: by Colin (new)

Colin Heaton (colin1962) | 2011 comments The Soviets lost hundreds of aircraft during that offensive at Kursk-Orel, also 70% of their tanks and infantry. Still they held out.


message 910: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Here is a book that is due out in early 2014 offering something a bit different for WW2 enthusiasts:


Nazis, Islamists, and the Making of the Modern Middle East by Barry Rubin by Barry Rubin
Description:
During the 1930s and 1940s, a unique and lasting political alliance was forged among Third Reich leaders, Arab nationalists, and Muslim religious authorities. From this relationship sprang a series of dramatic events that, despite their profound impact on the course of World War II, remained secret until now. In this groundbreaking book, esteemed Middle East scholars Barry Rubin and Wolfgang G. Schwanitz uncover for the first time the complete story of this dangerous alliance and explore its continuing impact on Arab politics in the twenty-first century.

Rubin and Schwanitz reveal, for example, the full scope of Palestinian leader Amin al-Husaini’s support of Hitler’s genocidal plans against European and Middle Eastern Jews. In addition, they expose the extent of Germany’s long-term promotion of Islamism and jihad. Drawing on unprecedented research in European, American, and Middle East archives, many recently opened and never before written about, the authors offer new insight on the intertwined development of Nazism and Islamism and its impact on the modern Middle East.


message 911: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (last edited Nov 14, 2013 10:58PM) (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Again, another new release that may interest some members of the group:


The Roar of the Lion The Untold Story of Churchill's World War II Speeches by Richard Toye by Richard Toye
Description:
The popular story of Churchill's war-time rhetoric is a simple one: the British people were energized and inspired by his speeches, which were almost universally admired and played an important role in the ultimate victory over Nazi Germany. Richard Toye now re-examines this accepted national story - and gives it a radical new spin.

Using survey evidence and the diaries of ordinary people, he shows how reactions to Churchill's speeches at the time were often very different from what we have always been led to expect. His first speeches as Prime Minister in the dark days of 1940 were by no means universally acclaimed - indeed, many people thought that he was drunk during his famous 'finest hour' broadcast - and there is little evidence that they made a decisive difference to the British people's will to fight on.

In fact, Toye shows, mass enthusiasm sat side-by-side with considerable criticism and dissent from ordinary people. There were speeches that stimulated, invigorated, and excited many, but there were also speeches which caused depression and disappointment in many others and which sometimes led to workplace or family arguments. This more complex reality has been consistently obscured from the historical record by the overwhelming power of a treasured national myth.

The first systematic, archive based examination of Churchill's World War II rhetoric as a whole, The Roar of the Lion considers his oratory not merely as a series of 'great speeches', but as calculated political interventions which had diplomatic repercussions far beyond the effect on the morale of listeners in Britain. Considering his failures as well as his successes, the book moves beyond the purely celebratory tone of much of the existing literature and offers new insight into how the speeches were written and delivered - and shows how Churchill's words were received at home, amongst allies and neutrals, and within enemy and occupied countries.

This is the essential book on Churchill's war-time speeches. It presents us with a dramatically new take on the politics of the 1940s -one that will change the way we think about Churchill's orations forever.


message 912: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments This February 2014 release is a possible for me, depending on the price at the time:


Tomb of the Panzerwaffe The Defeat of the Sixth SS Panzer Army in Hungary 1945 by Aleksei Isaev by Aleksei Isaev
Description:
In March 1945 the German Wehrmacht undertook its final attempt to change the course of the war by launching a counteroffensive in the area of Lake Balaton, Hungary. Here, the best panzer forces of the Third Reich and the elite of the Panzerwaffe were assembled - the panzer divisions SS Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, Das Reich, Totenkopf, Wiking and others, staffed by ardent believers in Nazism and armed with the most up-to-date combat equipment, including up to 900 tanks and self-propelled guns. At the time, this was considered a secondary axis for the Red Army, and thus the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front had to stop the German counteroffensive with their own forces and could not count upon reinforcements from the Stavka Reserve, which were needed for the decisive storming of Berlin. Relying upon their combat skill and rich combat experience, the Soviet troops carried out this task with honor, stopping the tidal wave of German armor and inflicting a decisive defeat and enormous, irreplaceable losses upon the enemy. The defeat of the Sixth SS Panzer Army became a genuine catastrophe for Germany, and Balaton becamse the tomb of the Panzerwaffe. In this book, penned by two leading Russian military historians, this major defeat suffered by the Wehrmacht has been described and analyzed for the first time using data from both Soviet and German archives. It focuses not only on Operation Spring Awakening, but also describes the preceding Konrad offensives conducted by the Germans in the effort to come to the aid of the encircled and desperate German and fascist Hungarian defenders of Budapest. This edition is lavishly illustrated with over a hundred rare photographs of destroyed or disabled German armor taken shortly after the battle by a Soviet inspection team, besides other photographs and specially-commissioned color maps.

Also posted in the Eastern Front thread.


message 913: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments This book is due out in early 2014 and I am sure it will interest a few members here in the group:


The Burning Shore How Hitler's U-Boats Brought World War II to America by Ed Offley by Ed Offley
Description:
On June 15, 1942, as thousands of vacationers lounged in the sun on Virginia Beach, a massive fireball erupted from a convoy of oil tankers steaming into Chesapeake Bay. By the next day, three ships lay at the bottom of the channel, victims of Lieutenant-Commander Horst Degen and his crew on the German submarine U-701. In "The Burning Shore," acclaimed military reporter Ed Offley presents a thrilling account of Degen's rampage along the American coast and of U.S. Lieutenant Harry J. Kane's quest to bring him down. Since the beginning of 1942, German U-boats had prowled the waters in the Atlantic, sinking merchant ships and threatening to sever the lifeline of supplies flowing from the U.S. to Great Britain. But when Kane and his crew spotted the silhouette of U-701 offshore that summer, the ensuing clash signaled a critical turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic--and the beginning of an unlikely friendship between the two rival commanders. An gripping tale of heroism and sacrifice, "The Burning Shore" grippingly describes how a small band of mariners and aviators drove Hitler's wolf packs from America's home waters.

Also posted in the Submarine Warfare thread.


message 914: by Tytti (last edited Nov 15, 2013 05:17PM) (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 found one mention of 'sisu' in the book I'm reading. The leader of the group wrote to his wife that he had "walked with sisu" for four days with an inflamed ankle, something like 20 km per day. Then he had to agree to be carried because he had a high fever (blood poisoning) and was losing his consciousness.


message 915: 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 found one mention of 'sisu' in the book I'm reading. T..."


Hmmmm...interesting.


message 916: by Manray9 (last edited Nov 24, 2013 08:34AM) (new)

Manray9 | 4792 comments The link below is to the brief review in today's Washington Post of:

Churchill's Bomb How the United States Overtook Britain in the First Nuclear Arms Race by Graham Farmelo Churchill's Bomb by Graham Farmelo

I liked : "The author uses some curious phrases that do not resonate across the pond — one hapless fellow “was on a hiding to nothing,” and another was a “boffin’s boffin.” Boffin I get, but "a hiding to nothing?"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinion...


message 917: by Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces (new)

Geevee | 3811 comments Manray9 it means doing something that you can't win at or get a successful outcome whatever you do.


message 918: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments This February 2014 release is on my wish list and it may interest other members. The author is a pretty well know writer for numerous Osprey titles.

Tank Warfare on the Eastern Front 1941-1942 Schwerpunkt by Robert Forczyk by Robert Forczyk
Description:
The German panzer armies that swept into the Soviet Union in 1941 were an undefeated force that had honed their skill in combined arms warfare to a fine edge. The Germans focused their panzers and tactical air support at points on the battlefield defined as Schwerpunkt - main effort - to smash through any defensive line and then advance to envelope their adversaries. Initially, these methods worked well in the early days of Operation Barbarossa and the tank forces of the Red Army suffered defeat after defeat. Although badly mauled in the opening battles, the Red Army's tank forces did not succumb to the German armoured onslaught and German planning and logistical deficiencies led to over-extension and failure in 1941. In the second year of the invasion, the Germans directed their Schwerpunkt toward the Volga and the Caucasus and again achieved some degree of success, but the Red Army had grown much stronger and by November 1942, the Soviets were able to turn the tables at Stalingrad. Robert Forczyk's incisive study offers fresh insight into how the two most powerful mechanized armies of the Second World War developed their tactics and weaponry during the critical early years of the Russo-German War. He uses German, Russian and English sources to provide the first comprehensive overview and analysis of armored warfare from the German and Soviet perspectives. His analysis of the greatest tank war in history is compelling reading.

Also posted in the Eastern Front thread.


message 919: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments This new book which is due for release in May 2014 is sure to be of interest to a few members here in the group, I know I'm interested!

The Dead and Those About to Die D-Day The Big Red One at Omaha Beach by John C. McManus by John C. McManus
Description:
white-knuckle account of the 1st Infantry Division’s harrowing D-Day assault on the eastern sector of Omaha Beach—acclaimed historian John C. McManus has written a gripping history that will stand as the last word on this titanic battle.

Nicknamed the Big Red One, 1st Division had fought from North Africa to Sicily, earning a reputation as stalwart warriors on the front lines and rabble-rousers in the rear. Yet on D-Day, these jaded combat veterans melded with fresh-faced replacements to accomplish one of the most challenging and deadly missions ever. As the men hit the beach, their equipment destroyed or washed away, soldiers cut down by the dozens, courageous heroes emerged: men such as Sergeant Raymond Strojny, who grabbed a bazooka and engaged in a death duel with a fortified German antitank gun; T/5 Joe Pinder, a former minor-league pitcher who braved enemy fire to save a vital radio; Lieutenant John Spalding, a former sportswriter, and Sergeant Phil Streczyk, a truck driver, who together demolished a German strongpoint overlooking Easy Red, where hundreds of Americans had landed.

Along the way, McManus explores the Gap Assault Team engineers who dealt with the extensive mines and obstacles, suffering nearly a fifty percent casualty rate; highlights officers such as Brigadier General Willard Wyman and Colonel George Taylor, who led the way to victory; and punctures scores of myths surrounding this long-misunderstood battle.

The Dead and Those About to Die draws on a rich array of new or recently unearthed sources, including interviews with veterans. The result is history at its finest, the unforgettable story of the Big Red One’s nineteen hours of hell—and their ultimate triumph—on June 6, 1944.

Also posted in the D-Day thread.


message 920: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 | 4792 comments The link below is to today's NY Times' combined review by Benjamin Schwarz of:

Churchill's Bomb A Hidden History of Science, War and Politics (tentative ) by Farmelo Graham Churchill's Bomb by Graham Farmelo

The Roar of the Lion The Untold Story of Churchill's World War II Speeches by Richard Toye The Roar of the Lion by Richard Toye

Toye's revisionist take on the impact of Churchill's famous speeches of 1940-41 is of interest. According to Toye, "nearly all the evidence supporting the speeches’ decisive impact on British morale is derived from retrospective accounts — and people’s memories could easily have been shaped by the myth of 1940, a myth promulgated during the war by British propaganda, advanced after the war by Churchill and his supporters, then embraced by Britons who were no doubt flattered by the image it projected of them."

I'll seek this book out for a new take on history.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/01/boo...


message 921: by Wade (new)

Wade (wade1) | 316 comments Manray9 wrote: "The link below is to the brief review in today's Washington Post of:

Churchill's Bomb How the United States Overtook Britain in the First Nuclear Arms Race by Graham Farmelo Churchill's Bomb b..."


Well....Ok, but GeeVee what is-a boffins boffin? (You U.K.ers.talk funny) LOL.


message 922: by Wade (new)

Wade (wade1) | 316 comments Manray9 wrote: "I just read about this book today. It is a new release which may be of interest to our group members for the November theme read:

[bookcover:Pacific Blitzkrieg: World War II in the Central Pacifi..."


Sounds very interesting to me..hmmmmmmm.


message 923: by Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces (new)

Geevee | 3811 comments Wade a boffin is slang word for a scientist or engineer, and so a boffin's boffin would be used in the same way as a man's man or soldier's soldier.


message 924: by Wade (new)

Wade (wade1) | 316 comments Geevee wrote: "Wade a boffin is slang word for a scientist or engineer, and so a boffin's boffin would be used in the same way as a man's man or soldier's soldier."

Thanks for the clarification GeeVee,it was not intended to be taken personally, if so, please accept my apology,..as always."England and America are two countries seperated by the same language".


message 925: by Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces (new)

Geevee | 3811 comments Wade never was there a thought in my mind so no need to apologise my friend - and I'm used to the Aussies ribbing (making fun of) me...we are indeed separated as you (and Churchill?) say by a common language.


message 926: by Wade (new)

Wade (wade1) | 316 comments Very Good my friend..i was hoping for that very reply,Thanks again.


message 927: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Australians are required by law to keep the British in their place - I think it's even mentioned on our birth certificates :)


message 928: by Manray9 (new)

Manray9 | 4792 comments 'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Australians are required by law to keep the British in their place - I think it's even mentioned on our birth certificates :)"

and what is their place?


message 929: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (last edited Dec 02, 2013 09:40PM) (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Confined to the British Isles and about two to three rungs below Australians :)

Sorry Geevee, you know I have to knock you sometimes :)


message 930: by Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces (new)

Geevee | 3811 comments Sorry it's taken me 14 hours and 22 minutes to reply to Rick's post but I was just laughing so much at the Aussie fantasy ;)


message 931: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Glad your back Geevee, I thought you had picked up your bat & ball and walked off the pitch :)


message 932: by Colin (new)

Colin Heaton (colin1962) | 2011 comments I have a new WW II book, The German Aces Speak vol. II out in March, for those who read vol I.


message 933: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Which aces does volume II cover Colin?


message 934: by Colin (new)

Colin Heaton (colin1962) | 2011 comments The interviews I conducted with Erich Hartmann, Gunther Rall, Johannes Steinhoff, and Dietrich Hrabak. See at Amazon or my website at www.lewisheatonbooks.com


message 935: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments It sounds like a book a few members will have to have!


message 936: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments For those eagerly awaiting the third and final volume in David Glantz's Stalingrad Trilogy here is some news that may interest you:

"Just a short update on the Stalingrad series, about which folks seem to be anxious. Thanks to some help from some German friends, volume three has 'morphed' into a 950-page narrative and 600-page companion volume containing both German and Soviet documents (including Manstein's and Paulus' and Schmidt's and Schulz's (chiefs of staff) correspondence, most key German orders, and Sixth Army's long-lost documents). I am in the process of proofing both, hopefully, to send the two books to the publisher by the end of February. The two volumes are as definitive as I can make them, and they answer most if not all of the controversial questions about the Soviet offensive and Manstein's relief efforts."

The two volumes due to be released in the next few months:

http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/newbyau...

http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/glaen2....


message 937: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments For some reason I cannot add the cover of this book to this post, Goodreads appears to be having a minor heart attack. Anyhow this book has jumped to the top of my wish list although it won't be released until mid 2014: The Sword Behind the Shield: A Combat History of the German Efforts to Relieve Budapest 1945 - Operation 'Konrad' I, III, III by Norbert Szamveber.

Synopsis:
"The history of the Hungarian theater of war from late August 1944 to the end of March 1945 is a special chapter of the history of the Eastern Front during World War II. The Soviet 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts had encircled Budapest by Christmas 1944, after very heavy combat. However, this was just the first phase of a period of intense combat, as Adolf Hitler and the German High Command planned the relief of the Hungarian capital.

The reinforced IV. SS-Panzerkorps was designated for this task and its units were transferred rapidly from Polish territory to Hungary. Two operational plans were swiftly devised by the Germans, before they chose the code name "Konrad". This was an armored strike from the Komárom region through the mountains south of the river Danube to the Buda side of the Hungarian capital. The first day of Operation "Konrad" was 1 January 1945, and marked the beginning of a series of fierce clashes that lasted for nearly six weeks, a very special period in the history of the Battle for Budapest. Both sides employed significant numbers of armored forces in these battles, including heavy tanks.

The German-Hungarian forces tried to break through to Budapest three times in three different locations, but each time they struck relocated Soviet tank, mechanized, rifle, cavalry, artillery and antitank units from 3rd Ukrainian Front's reserve. In January 1945, furious tank battles developed in the eastern part of Transdanubia in Hungary, especially in the areas of Bajna, Zsámbék, Zámoly, Pettend, Vereb, Dunapentele and Székesfehérvár. After the third and strongest German attempt (code-named "Konrad 3"), which also failed, the Soviet troops launched a counter offensive in late January 1945 to encircle and eliminate the advancing enemy forces. But the German armored Kampfgruppen managed to blunt the Soviet attack, which eventually wound down and fragmented, mirroring the German offensives before it.

This work is based mainly on German, Soviet and Hungarian archival records (e.g. war diaries, daily and after-action reports, etc.). In addition, a number of rare unit histories, contemporary private diaries and reliable personal memoirs, from generals to enlisted men, have also been used by the author. The combat actions are extremely detailed, and provide a day-by-day account. The author analyzes the command and control systems at operational and tactical levels and the losses of both sides. For a better understanding of the events the book includes many photographs and detailed specially commissioned color battle maps."


message 938: by Jerome (new)

Jerome Otte | 811 comments An upcoming biography:
Release date: April 1, 2014

Marshal K.K. Rokossovsky The Red Army's Gentleman Commander by Boris Sokolov by Boris Sokolov
Description:
The author Boris Sokolov offers this first objective and intriguing biography of Marshal Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky, who is widely considered one of the Red Army's top commanders in the Second World War. Yet even though he brilliantly served the harsh Stalinist system, Rokossovsky himself became a victim of it with his arrest, beatings and imprisonment between 1937 and 1940. The author analyzes all of Rokossovsky's military operations, in both the Russian Civil War and the Second World War, paying particular attention to the problem of establishing the real casualties suffered by both armies in the main battles where Rokossovsky took part, as well as on the Eastern Front as a whole. Rokossovsky played a prominent role in the battles for Smolensk, Moscow, Stalingrad, Kursk, Belorussia, Poland, East Prussia and Pomerania. While praising Rokossovsky's masterful generalship, the author does not shy away from criticizing the nature of Soviet military art and strategy, in which the guiding principle was "at all costs" and little value was placed on holding down casualties. This discussion extends to the painful topic of the many atrocities against civilians perpetrated by Soviet soldiers, including Rokossovsky's own troops.

A highly private man, Rokossovsky disliked discussing his personal life. With the help of family records and interviews, including the original, uncensored draft of the Marshal's memoirs, the author reveals the numerous dualities in Rokossovsky's life. Despite his imprisonment and beatings he endured, Rokossovsky never wavered in his loyalty to Stalin, yet also never betrayed his colleagues. Though a Stalinist, he was also a gentleman widely admired for his courtesy and chivalry. A dedicated family man, women were drawn to him, and he took a 'campaign wife' during the war. Though born in 1894 in Poland, Rokossovsky maintained that he was really born in Russia in 1896. This Polish/Russian duality in Rokossovsky's identity hampered his career and became particularly acute during the Warsaw uprising in 1944 and his later service as Poland's Defense Minister. Thus, the author ably portrays a fascinating man and commander, who became a marshal of two countries, yet who was not fully embraced by either.


message 939: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Got that one sitting in a shopping basket waiting for the release date, good post Jerome.


message 940: by Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces (new)

Geevee | 3811 comments Thanks Jerome this is a book for me in 2014.


message 941: by Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces (new)

Geevee | 3811 comments From the same publisher, which I just spotted as I ordered the book Jerome mentioned above. It is just prior to the formal outbreak of WWII but is a interesting aspect of the events leading up to the German invasion of Poland and the allies declaration of war:

Baptism of Fire The First Combat Experiences of the Royal Hungarian Air Force and Slovak Air Force, March 1939 by Csaba Becze Baptism of Fire: The First Combat Experiences of the Royal Hungarian Air Force and Slovak Air Force, March 1939 by Csaba Becze

Publisher's description
This conflict is just a short episode from the turbulent history of Central Europe in the 20th century, which is little known even in the countries involved, and almost totally obscure outside them.

From the international point of view the most important event in the middle of March, 1939 was that the Third Reich occupied the Czech territories, which was a failure of the Western powers, since they hoped that by the Munich Agreement (29-30 September, 1938), they could avoid any future conflicts with Adolf Hitler. That is why their contemporary media and their recent history books are filled with these events, and do not mention a small parallel conflict.

From the Hungarian point of view, occupying its former territory of Sub-Carpathia was very important. Hungary was surrounded on three sides by the hostile Little Entente countries (Czechoslovakia, Rumania and Yugoslavia) and on the fourth side, since the Anschluss in March, 1938, by the Third Reich. To break this encirclement, it was necessary to restore the common border with Hungary’s historical ally, Poland and this was achieved by the occupation of this territory. For the Hungarian Armed Forces, the short border conflict with Slovakia was only the closing phase of the occupation of Sub-Carpathia.

From the Slovakian point of view, however, this is a far more important conflict. Slovakia became independent for the first time in its history in March, 1939. Parallel to Slovak independence, the Czech territories from the former Czechoslovakia were seized by the Third Reich and Sub-Carpathia was occupied by Hungary. The invasion of a border area of Slovakia by the Hungarians was considered by the Slovaks as a direct threat to the independence of the country.

During the Hungarian occupation of Sub-Carpathia, their ground troops were supported by Hungarian reconnaissance and bomber forces. During the border conflict with Slovakia, a short but fierce clash started between the contending air forces. Slovak planes strafed and bombed Hungarian ground troops on 23 March 1939, but the heaviest clashes happened on the very next day, when extensive air-to-air combat occurred. Clashes saw Hungarian Fiat CR.32s come up against Slovak Avia fighters and Letov reconnaissance and light attack planes. Also on that day, Hungarian Ju 86 bombers raided the main Slovak air base.

The majority of Hungarian materials relating to the combat have been lost or destroyed, so author Csaba B. Stenge Ph.D. has put in a Herculean effort to construct this account. The text contains details of the historical background to the conflict, a full account of the combat, as well as notes on Hungarian aviators decorated for their performance, short biographies of Hungarian aviators credited with aerial victories, and a list of Hungarian anti-aircraft claims and aerial victories. Besides this, the book contains over 150 rare and mostly previously-unpublished images, as well as a selection of superb colour profiles showing camouflage and markings for the aircraft of both air forces.


message 942: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Interesting book, good post Geevee!


message 943: by Mansoor (new)

Mansoor Azam (azam69) | 42 comments Interesting edition ... Surely on my wish list in 2014


message 944: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (last edited Jan 03, 2014 11:24PM) (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Here is a future release that may interest a number of members in the group:


The Decisive Campaigns of the Desert Air Force 1942 1945 by Bryn Evans by Bryn Evans
Description:
Compared to the RAF's Fighter and Bomber Commands, the Desert Air Force (DAF) is far less well known, yet its achievements were spectacular. DAF led the way in North Africa and Italy in pioneering new tactics in close Army-Air Force co-operation on the battlefield, DAF and Allied air forces gave Allied armies in North Africa and Italy a decisive cutting edge. While the Axis forces used the many rivers and mountains of Tunisia and Italy to slow the Allies' advance, DAF was there to provide that extra mobile firepower - the artillery from the sky. They were the first multi-national air force, and the first to introduce air controllers in the front lines of the battlefield. With first-hand accounts by veteran airmen form Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA, this book reveals the decisive victories with which DAF won the war over North Africa, the Mediterranean and Italy in 1942-45.

Also posted in the Aviation thread.


message 945: by Colin (new)

Colin Heaton (colin1962) | 2011 comments 'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Here is a future release that may interest a number of members in the group:


The Decisive Campaigns of the Desert Air Force 1942 1945 by Bryn Evans by Bryn Evans
Descripti..."


You may like my book The Star of Africa, which has great first and second person accounts of the air war in Africa.


message 946: by Jerome (new)

Jerome Otte | 811 comments Another upcoming book:
Release date: May 1, 2014

Stemming the Blitzkrieg Hitler's Failure on the Road to Moscow, 1941 by Victor Kamenir by Victor Kamenir
Description:
Winston Churchill once said, History is written by the victors. While this may generally be true, in the case of the Second World War in Russia, at least in the English language, it seems as if the reverse has been true, as history has been written by the defeated German generals. Even the name to the theater of operations, the Eastern Front, betrays a German-centric bias to the history of what in terms of magnitude should properly be called the main event of the war.Now, however, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the opening up of Soviet archives a new generation of historians are able to present the rest of the story regarding the Russo-German War.

As he did in his first book, The Bloody Triangle, author Victor Kamenir has delved deeply into these archives to present a balanced history of the central thrust of the German invasion of the USSR. He shows how the Red Army, despite being overmatched at the beginning of Hitler s Operation Barbarossa, valiantly fought back, slowing the German offensive, strategically trading space of the vast Russian steppes for the vital time needed to regroup and prepare for the defense of the Soviet capital, and the counterattack that stopped the mighty German Wehrmacht literally at the gates of Moscow.Many books extoll the German effort, which faced the endless Russian hordes. This book looks at that horde itself, who were in fact flesh-and-blood humans, and examines how in the face of admittedly superior German military expertise they were able to save their capital and homeland from a surprise onslaught from the West.


message 947: by Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces (last edited Jan 16, 2014 12:15PM) (new)

Geevee | 3811 comments A new release on the Russian 2nd Guards Tank Army Stalin's Favorite The Combat History of the 2nd Guards Tank Army from Kursk to Berlin Volume 1 January 1943-June 1944 by Igor Nebolsin Stalin's Favorite: The Combat History of the 2nd Guards Tank Army from Kursk to Berlin: Volume 1: January 1943-June 1944 by Igor Nebolsin

Description from Amazon UK
This is the first detailed combat history of any Soviet unit available in the English language known to the author. The 2nd Tank Army was not an ordinary force; by 1945 it was an elite Guards formation which played a decisive role in the Soviet offensive operations of that year and whose tanks were the first to enter Berlin's streets.

The Army commander, Colonel-General Semen Bogdanov, became a Marshal of Armored Troops and was promoted to the position of Chief Commander of all armored and tank units of the USSR shortly after the war, and remained in this position until 1953. 2nd Guards Tank Army remained in Germany until 1993, a period of 48 years. It is the only Soviet Tank Army of the war that still exists today, now named 2nd Guards Army.

This study is based on the rarely available operational documents of the Army from the Central Archives of the Russian Defense Ministry and provides an analysis of every battle it fought in World War II.
This includes Operation Citadel North (Kursk), Sevsk, Cherkassy, Tyrgul-Frumos and Jassy, Warsaw, Vistula-Oder, Pomerania (including Sonnenwende) and Berlin.

What also differentiates this book is that it was created in cooperation with the senior army general (Anatoly Shvebig) who was an active participant in all the Army's engagements. Another unique point is that the combat operations are covered from both sides in a scope and scale that has never previously been attempted. The day by day coverage of events, honest views of the Army's commanders, full statistical data (including unit strengths, movements, and casualties for each operation from both Russian and German points of view), and the 'human element' based on the exciting first-hand reminiscences of Soviet tank officers all make this study an incredibly valuable source of information on tank battles fought on the Eastern Front 1943-1945.

According to Major-General Anatoly Svebig, deputy commander of 12th Guards Tank Corps within the 2nd Guards Tank Army, this is the best study on any Soviet unit he has ever seen in his long life!

Volume 1 focuses on the first half of the Army's service in the Great Patriotic War. 2nd Tank Army was created in January 1943. In spring and summer of 1943 it was engaged in the fierce battles at Sevsk and Kursk. Combat experience was heavily paid for in blood. The Army played a critical role in containing a strike of the German III. Panzerkorps in February 1944, aimed at rescuing units in the Cherkassy pocket. In March-April 1944 2nd GTA carried out a deep raid to Uman and was amongst the first Russian units that crossed the Romanian border. In May-June 1944 Army was engaged in combats at Tyrgul Frumos and Jassy against strong German armoured forces belonging to 'Grossdeutschland' and 24. Panzer-Division.

The text is fully supported by specially-commissioned colour maps and an extensive selection of photographs, many from private collections in Russia.

Volume 2 will provide a detailed record of the Army for the remainder of World War II, including its elevation to Guards status later in 1944.


message 948: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Excellent post Geevee, sounds like a very interesting book indeed!


message 949: by happy (new)

happy (happyone) | 2281 comments That really looks good Geevee - on the ever expanding TBR list it goes


message 950: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (last edited Jan 24, 2014 07:26PM) (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments This publication is due out in May 2014 and may interest some members of this group:


The Cover-Up at Omaha Beach D-Day, the US Rangers, and the Untold Story of Maisy Battery by Gary Sterne by Gary Sterne
Description:
The Rangers’ mission was clear. They were to lead the assault on Omaha Beach and break out inland. Simultaneously, other Ranger units would scale the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc to destroy the ostensibly huge gun battery there and thus protect the invasion fleet from being targeted. But was the Pointe du Hoc mission actually necessary? Why did the Allies plan and execute an attack on a gun battery that they knew in advance contained no field guns? And more importantly, why did they ignore the position at Maisy that did? Using personal interviews with the surviving Rangers who fought on the beach and at Pointe du Hoc, The Cover-Up at Omaha Beach presents exceptionally detailed new research that takes the reader into the middle of the action with the Rangers.

Gary Sterne has made a painstaking study of what the Allies actually knew in advance of D-Day, including what was known about Maisy Battery. Maps, orders, and assault plans have been found in US, UK, and German archives, many of which have only been recently released after having been classified for more than sixty years. Radio communications of the Rangers as they advanced inland have been found, and Royal Air Force intelligence evaluations of bombing missions directed at the site have now been released. All these combine to make The Cover-Up at Omaha Beach one of the most up-to-date references on the subject.


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