THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP discussion
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New Release Books on WW2
Should be a good book, hopefully as good as this title which was first published in 1980:
by Julian Becton
I'm afraid this new release (due out in June 2015) is on my 'wish' list, it looks like a great book:
Order in Chaos: The Memoirs of General of Panzer Troops Hermann Balck by Hermann BalckDescription:
German general Hermann Balck (1897--1982) was considered to be one of World War II's greatest battlefield commanders. His brilliantly fought battles were masterpieces of tactical agility, mobile counterattack, and the technique of Auftragstaktik, or "mission command." However, because he declined to participate in the U.S. Army's military history debriefing program, today he is known only to serious students of the war.Drawing heavily on his meticulously kept wartime journals, Balck discusses his childhood and his career through the First and Second World Wars. His memoir details the command decision-making process as well as operations on the ground during crucial battles, including the Battle of the Marne in World War I and his incredible victories against a larger and better-equipped Soviet army at the Chir River in World War II. Balck also offers observations on Germany's greatest generals, such as Erich Ludendorff and Heinz Guderian, and shares his thoughts on international relations, domestic politics, and Germany's place in history. Available in English for the first time in an expertly edited and annotated edition, this important book provides essential information about the German military during a critical era in modern history.
A September 2015 release:
by Yasmin KhanDescription:
World War II was a global catastrophe. Far broader than just the critical struggle between Allies and Axis, its ramifications were felt throughout the world. It was a time of social relocation, reorienting ideas of patriotism and geographical attachment, and forcing the movement of people across oceans and continents. In India at War Yasmin Khan offers an account of India's role in the conflict, one that takes into consideration the social, economic, and cultural changes that occurred in South Asia between 1939 and 1945-and reveals how vital the Commonwealth's contribution was to the war effort.
Khan's sweeping work centers on the lives of ordinary Indian people, exploring the ways they were affected by a cataclysmic war with origins far beyond Indian shores. In manpower alone, India's contribution was staggering; it produced the largest volunteer army in world history, with 2.5 million men. Indians were engaged in making the raw materials and food stuffs needed by the Allies, and became involved in the construction of airstrips, barracks, hospitals, internee camps, roads and railways. Their lives were also profoundly affected by the presence of the large Allied army in the region, including not only British but American, African, and Chinese troops. Madras was bombed by the Japanese and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were occupied, while the Bengal famine of 1943-in which perhaps three million Bengalis died-was a man-made disaster precipitated by the effects of the war.
This authoritative account offers a critically important look at the contributions of colonial manpower and resources essential to sustaining the war, and emphasizes the significant ways in which the conflict shaped modern India.
message 1205:
by
Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces
(new)
Excellent thanks Jerome.
This book may have to go on my wish list, due for release in January 2015:
Hell's Angels: The True Story of the 303rd Bomb Group in World War II by Jay A StoutDescription:
During the air battles that destroyed Nazi Germany's ability to wage war, one bomb group was especially distinguished. The Hell's Angels. At the outbreak of World War II, the United States was in no way prepared to wage war. Although the U.S declared war against Germany in December 1941, the country lacked the manpower, the equipment, and the experience it needed to fight. Even had an invasion force been ready, a successful assault on Nazi-occupied Europe could not happen until Germany's industrial and military might were crippled. Because no invasion could happen without air superiority, the first target was the Luftwaffe--the most powerful and battle-hardened air force in the world. To this end, the United States Army Air Forces joined with Great Britain's already-engaged Royal Air Force to launch a strategic air campaign that ultimately brought the Luftwaffe to its knees. One of the standout units of this campaign was the legendary 303rd Bomb Group--Hell's Angels. This is the 303rd's story, as told by the men who made it what it was. Taking their name from their B-17 of the same name, they became one of the most distinguished and important air combat units in history. The dramatic and terrible air battles they fought against Germany changed the course of the war.
Reviews:
"[An] epic tale of the World War II aerial campaign over Europe... 'Hell's Angels' is a gripping and awe-inspiring book. " - Nathaniel Fick, author of One Bullet Away
"It's all there--the boredom, the devotion, the horror and even the humor in an industrial war fought on a global scale that we'll never see again. Unit histories just do not get any better." - Barrett Tillman, author of 'Whirlwind' and 'Forgotten Fifteenth.'
"Jay Stout is a triple-threat aviation historian--an experienced combat aviator, a meticulous researcher and a compelling story teller. His uncanny eye for authentic detail allows 'Hell's Angels' to be the incredible story of the 303rd Bomb Group and the bombing campaign that crippled Nazi Germany. Stout makes a hard-ridden topic seem fresh and new again. Highly recommended." - Walter J. Boyne, Author/Historian
"Jay Stout's reputation as a hard-hitting, authoritative, yet easy-to-read aviation author is upheld with this book. Readers looking for new insights and material will not be disappointed. Highly recommended." - Donald Caldwell, author of 'JG 26: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe'
"A well-researched, beautifully written, and deeply evocative paean to the 303rd Heavy Bombardment Group - and all the young American heavy-bomber crewmen who, from 1942 to 1945, went out, facing a high probability of death or imprisonment, to grind the German industrial base to dust." - Eric Hammel, Author of 'The Road to Big Week'
"Jay Stout has done a masterful job. The life and death struggles are told using the mission records, personal writings and experiences of one of the Eighth Air Force's most successful bombardment groups. All who wish a complete understanding of the role played by the Eighth Air Force and the strategic bombing of Germany should read this book." - Keith Ferris, Artist and Military Aviation Historian
Looks alright but there is a slight glitch with the blurb. Germany declared war on the US not the other way around.
Quite true James but I wonder if the blurb refers to the actual declaration of war between the United States and Germany:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_S...
Fair call Rick. I'd assumed that Germany declaring war on the US would mean automatically a state of war would exist between those two countries. I didn't know you had to declare war back ;). Just a formality I suspect.
Snow and Steel: The Battle of the Bulge, 1944-45 by Peter Caddick-Adams. Here's the link to the Amazon entry.If you don't like the book, it makes for an excellent door stop or bar bell.
Grabbed this new release at the library and it looks pretty good:
Enduring Courage: Ace Pilot Eddie Rickenbacker and the Dawn of the Age of SpeedWWI, WWII, and interwar period, lots of great history
Sounds like a fine book, keep us posted on your thoughts about it.
Mike wrote: "Grabbed this new release at the library and it looks pretty good:[book:Enduring Courage: Ace P..."Given that I live in Rickenbacker's hometown of Columbus, I am surprised I haven't seen this on the shelves yet! Thanks for the heads-up, I will be looking for it.
An April 2015 release:
by James M. ScottDescription:
In December 1941, as American forces tallied the dead at Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt gathered with his senior military counselors to plan an ambitious counterstrike against Tokyo. The top-secret bombing mission, led by daredevil Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, was fraught with problems, but Doolittle and his men succeeded in striking the heart of the empire in April 1942. The raid buoyed America’s morale and prompted an ill-fated Japanese attempt to seize Midway that turned the tide of the war. But it came at a horrific cost. An estimated 250,000 Chinese died at the hands of the Japanese in retaliation.
Based on extensive research, Target Tokyo is the most comprehensive account to date of this extraordinary mission. With harrowing stories about the fate of Doolittle’s men after crash-landing in China and Russia, Target Tokyo is gripping popular history.
Thanks Jerome, looks good!
Doolittle and many of the men on the April 1942 B-25 mission were subjects of my personal interviews, and in fact I met my wife Anne who was their official photographer, when I was at another of their reunions. Great guys, all but two gone now.
Here is a new release due out in February 2015 that may interest some members of the group, it does me:
Bombing Germany: The Final Phase: The Destruction of Pforzheim and the Closing Months of Bomber Command's War by A. C. ReddingDescription:
The stated objective of Bomber Command during WWII, according to the Casablanca Directive of 1943, was to 'participate in the progressive destruction and dislocation of the German military, industrial and economic system' as well as to 'undermine the morale of the German people to the point where their capacity for armed resistance is fatally weakened'. Pondered from a moral perspective, these directives are wholly questionable, but during the allied bombing raid of Pforzheim in 1945, both objectives were emphatically met. Just 11 weeks after the event, Germany surrendered, signalling the end of the Second World War. In this, the 70th anniversary year of the raid and the end of the war, Anthony Redding explores each facet of the offensive within its wider historic context, describing the build-up, the strategic reasons why Pforzheim was chosen as a target, the consequences of the raid in terms of human casualties and technological/aircraft losses, and its aftermath. The fate of a set of pilots downed during the offensive is given particular attention; their executions are described in stark terms, with first-hand accounts included from members of the Hitler Youth employed in the task. Redding does an admirable job of emphasising the importance of understanding historical context when considering actions in times of extreme trauma, and his narrative account of the closing months of Bomber Command's war is sure to intrigue and engage a wide cross-section of readers.
A February 2015 release:
by Stephen Dando-CollinsDescription:
Beginning with a crazy plan hatched by a suspect prince, and an even crazier reliance on the word of the Nazis, Operation Chowhound was devised. Between May 1 and May 8, 1945, 2,268 military units flown by the USAAF, dropped food to 3.5 million starving Dutch civilians in German-occupied Holland.
It took raw courage to fly on Operation Chowhound, as American aircrews never knew when the German AAA might open fire on them or if Luftwaffe fighters might jump them. Flying at 400 feet, barely above the tree tops, with guns pointed directly at them, they would have no chance to bail out if their B-17s were hit—and yet, over eight days, 120,000 German troops kept their word, and never fired on the American bombers. As they flew, grateful Dutch civilians spelled out “Thanks Boys” in the tulip fields below. Many Americans who flew in Operation Chowhound would claim it was the best thing they did in the war.
In this gripping narrative, author Stephen Dando-Collins takes the reader into the rooms where Operation Chowhound was born, into the aircraft flying the mission, and onto the ground in the Netherlands with the civilians who so desperately needed help. James Bond creator Ian Fleming, Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn, as well as Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and Churchill all play a part in this story, creating a compelling, narrative read.
Sounds like an interesting book and written by an Australian as well :)
Lee wrote: "Given that I live in Rickenbacker's hometown of Columbus, I am surprised I haven't seen this on the shelves yet! Thanks for the heads-up, I will be looking for it. [book:Enduring C..."Lee, pretty good book and I think you may enjoy the automotive history in your area as much as Rickenbacher's story.
A March 2015 release:
by Robert EhlersDescription:
Without what the Allies learned in the Mediterranean air war in 1942—1944, the Normandy landing—and so, perhaps, the Second World War II—would have ended differently. This is one of many is the lessons of The Mediterranean Air War the first one-volume history of the vital role of airpower during the three-year struggle for control of the Mediterranean Basin in World War II—and of its significance for the Allied successes in the war's last two years.
Airpower historian Robert S. Ehlers opens his account with an assessment of the pre-war Mediterranean theater, highlighting the ways in which the players' strategic choices, strengths, and shortcomings set the stage for and ultimately shaped the air campaigns over the Middle Sea. Beginning with the Italian invasion of Abyssinia, Ehlers reprises the developing international crisis—initially between Britain and Italy, and finally encompassing France, Germany, the U.S., other members of the British Commonwealth, and the Balkan countries. He then explores the Mediterranean air war in detail, with close attention to turning points, joint and combined operations, and the campaign's contribution to the larger Allied effort. In particular, his analysis shows how and why the success of Allied airpower in the Mediterranean laid the groundwork for combined-arms victories in the Middle East, the Indian Ocean area, North Africa, and the Atlantic, northwest Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, the Indian Ocean, and how victory in the Middle Sea benefitted Allied efforts in the Battle of the Atlantic and and even the China-Burma-India campaigns.
Of grand-strategic importance from the days of Ancient Rome to the Great-Power rivalries of the 18th eighteenth and 19th nineteenth centuries, the Middle Sea was no less crucial to the Allied forces and their foes. Here, in the successful offensives in North Africa in 1942 and 1943, the U.S. and the British learned to conduct a coalition air and combined-arms war. Here, in Sicily and Italy in 1943 and 1944, the Allies mastered the logistics of providing air support for huge naval landings and opened a vital second aerial front against the Third Reich, bombing critical oil and transportation targets with great effectiveness. The first full examination of the Mediterranean theater in these critical roles—as a strategic and tactical testing ground for the Allies and as a vital theater of operations in its own right—The Mediterranean Air War fills in a long-missing but vital dimension of the history of World War II.
Looks good Jerome, thanks for posting the details.
let me add my thnx, JeromeAdded to the TBR
message 1225:
by
Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces
(new)
Jerome has done a great job in tipping us on new books this year and I look forward to a stream more in 2015 :)
I can all but guarantee it, Geevee, my pleasure :)
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Looks good Jerome, thanks for posting the details."Yep Jerome, an interesting book, noted !
This book is due out in March 2015 and should interest those members who love reading about the war on the Eastern Front:
Hans Sturm: A Soldier's Odyssey on the Eastern Front by Gordon WilliamsonDescription:
There are many biographies of former soldiers of the Wehrmacht, many of whom had fascinating and exciting stories to tell, and several of whom were highly decorated. However, few can match Hans Sturm in his astonishing rise from a mere private in an infantry regiment, thrown into the bloody maelstrom of the Eastern Front, to a highly decorated war hero. A young man who had displayed fearless heroism in combat, earning him some of Germany's highest military awards, Sturm hated bullies and injustice, and reacted in his normal pugnacious and outspoken manner when confronted with wrongdoing. From striking a member of the feared Sicherheitsdienst for his treatment of a Jewish woman, to refusing to wear a decoration he felt was tainted because of the treatment of enemy partisans, Sturm repeatedly stuck to his moral values no matter what the risk. Even with the war finally over, Sturm's travails would not end for another eight years as he languished in a number of Soviet labour camps until he was finally released in 1953.
That sounds like a must-have AR.
Sad to say it is for me :)
This May 2015 release may interest some members of the group:
Armored Champion: The Top Tanks of World War II by Steven ZalogaDescription:
Armor expert Zaloga enters the battle over the best tanks of World War II with this heavy-caliber blast of a book armed with more than forty years of research.
•Provocative but fact-based rankings of the tanks that fought the Second World War
•Breaks the war into eight periods and declares Tanker's Choice and Commander's Choice for each
•Champions include the German Panzer IV and Tiger, Soviet T-34, American Pershing, and a few surprises
•Compares tanks' firepower, armor protection, and mobility as well as dependability, affordability, tactics, training, and overall combat performance
•Relies on extensive documentation from archives, government studies, and published sources--much of which has never been published in English before
•Supported by dozens of charts and diagrams and hundreds of photos.
That looks like one to add to the library, not just the TBR :)
Below is a link to the NY Times review of --
China 1945: Mao's Revolution and America's Fateful Choice by Richard BernsteinI like this excerpt with the twist on the old Barry Goldwater quote:
Truman’s options were “bad,” “worse” and “terrible.” Truman wisely chose “bad.” Not all global problems have American solutions, and often the best policy choice is to manage and minimize costs. Moderation in the defense of liberty is no vice.
Nothing could be more accurate than "Not all global problems have American solutions." I don't understand why that reality cannot sink into heads in Washington.
The review:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/11/boo...
Thanks for that link Manray9, sounds like another interesting book.
This will be out next month:
by Phillips O'Brien Description:
The Second World War is usually seen as a titanic land battle, decided by mass armies, most importantly those on the Eastern Front. Phillips O'Brien shows us the war in a completely different light. In this compelling new history of the Allied path to victory, he argues that in terms of production, technology and economic power, the war was far more a contest of air and sea supremacy. He shows how the Allies developed a predominance of air and sea power which put unbearable pressure on Germany and Japan's entire war-fighting machine from Europe and the Mediterranean to the Pacific. Air and sea power dramatically expanded the area of battle and allowed the Allies to destroy over half of the Axis's equipment before it had even reached the traditional 'battlefield'. Battles such as El Alamein, Stalingrad and Kursk did not win World War II; air and sea power did.
And this will be out in August 2015:
by Francis Pike Description:
Hirohito's War offers an original interpretation of the Pacific War, balancing the existing Western-centric view with attention to the Japanese perspective on the conflict. Francis Pike offers many challenges to the standard narrative, in particular questioning popular assumptions about the origins and causes of the conflict and asking whether or not US victory was inevitable.
This book represents the most comprehensive one-volume narrative of the conflict to date, and is structured to deal with regional and chronological contexts. It provides a valuable synthesis of the literature for students of the conflict and will fascinate anyone with an interest in the Second World War.
Looks good Jerome, thanks for posting the details.
I saw a copy of this new release today, looks like the work of some excellent research, not a happy story I'm sure but should be of great interest to some members in the group:
If This Is a Woman : Inside Ravensbruck - Hitler's Concentration Camp for Women by Sarah HelmDescription:
On a sunny morning in May 1939 a phalanx of 800 women - housewives, doctors, opera singers, politicians, prostitutes - were marched through the woods fifty miles north of Berlin, driven on past a shining lake, then herded through giant gates. Whipping and kicking them were scores of German women guards.
Their destination was Ravensbrück, a concentration camp designed specifically for women by Heinrich Himmler, prime architect of the Nazi genocide.
For decades the story of Ravensbrück was hidden behind the Iron Curtain and today is still little known. Using testimony unearthed since the end of the Cold War, and interviews with survivors who have never spoken before, Helm has ventured into the heart of the camp, demonstrating for the reader in riveting detail how easily and quickly the unthinkable horror evolved.
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "I saw a copy of this new release today, looks like the work of some excellent research, not a happy story I'm sure but should be of great interest to some members in the group:[bookcover:If This ..."
Don't know if I can read this one, it all ready sends a deep chill through my spine..
From what I saw when I browsed in the shop today it appears to be a comprehensive account and therefore most likely a very disturbing story.
This June 2015 release is sure to generate some interest:
The Battle of Moscow 1941-1942: The Red Army's Defensive Operations and Counter-offensive Along the Moscow Strategic Direction by Richard W. HarrisonDescription:
The Battle of Moscow, 1941–1942: The Red Army’s Defensive Operations and Counteroffensive Along the Moscow Strategic Direction is a detailed examination of one of the major turning points of World War II, as seen from the Soviet side. The Battle of Moscow marked the climax of Hitler’s “Operation Barbarossa,” which sought to destroy the Soviet Union in a single campaign and ensure German hegemony in Europe. The failure to do so condemned Germany to a prolonged war it could not win.
This work originally appeared in 1943, under the title "Razgrom Nemetskikh Voisk pod Moskvoi" (The Rout of the German Forces Around Moscow). The work was produced by the Red Army General Staff’s military-historical section, which was charged with collecting and analyzing the war’s experience and disseminating it to the army’s higher echelons. This was a collective effort, featuring many different contributors, with Marshal Boris Mikhailovich Shaposhnikov, former chief of the Red Army General Staff and then head of the General Staff Academy, serving as general editor.
The book is divided into three parts, each dealing with a specific phase of the battle. The first traces the Western Front’s defensive operations along the Moscow direction during Army Group Center’s final push toward the capital in November–December, 1941. The study pays particular attention to the Red Army’s resistance to the Germans’ attempts to outflank Moscow from the north. Equally important were the defensive operations to the south of Moscow, where the Germans sought to push forward their other encircling flank.
The second part deals with the first phase of the Red Army’s counteroffensive, which was aimed at pushing back the German pincers and removing the immediate threat to Moscow. Here the Soviets were able to throw the Germans back and flatten both salients, particularly in the south, where they were able to make deep inroads into the enemy front to the west and northwest.
The final section examines the further development of the counteroffensive until the end of January 1942. This section highlights the Soviet advance all along the front and their determined but unsuccessful attempts to cut off the Germans’ Rzhev–Vyaz’ma salient. It is from this point that the front essentially stabilized, after which events shifted to the south.
This new translation into English makes available to a wider readership this valuable study.
Another new book on Stalingrad, from the Russian perspective:
Stalingrad: The City that Defeated the Third Reich by Jochen HellbeckDescription:
Just days after the Germans surrendered at Stalingrad, legendary Red Army sniper Vasily Zaytsev described the horrors he witnessed during the five-month long conflict: “one sees the young girls, the children who hang from trees in the park... I have unsteady nerves and I'm constantly shaking.”
He was being interviewed, along with 214 other men and women—soldiers, officers, civilians, administrative staffers and others—amidst the rubble that remained of Stalingrad by members of Moscow’s Historical Commission. Sent by the Kremlin, their aim was to record a comprehensive, historical documentary of the tremendous hardships overcome and heroic triumphs achieved during the battle.
20 soldiers of the 38th Rifle Division vividly recount how they stumbled upon the commander of the German troops, Field Marshal Friederich Paulus, defeated and hiding in a bed that reeked like a latrine. A lieutenant colonel remembers the brave 20 year-old adjutant who wrapped his arms around his commander’s body to protect him from a flying grenade. Working around the clock, Nurse Vera Gurova describes a 24 hour period during which her hospital received over than 600 wounded men – equivalent to one every two and an half minutes. Countless soldiers endured shrapnel wounds and received blood transfusions in the trenches, but she can’t forget the young amputee who begged her to avenge his suffering at Stalingrad.
This harrowing montage of distinct voices was so candid that the Kremlin forbade its publication and consigned the bulk of these documents to a Moscow archive where they remained forgotten for decades, until now. Jochen Hellbeck’s Stalingrad is a definitive portrait of perhaps the greatest urban battle of the Second World War—a pivotal moment in the course of the war re-created with absolute candor and chilling veracity by the voices of the men and women who fought there.
I just stumbled across details of this new book on Audie Murphy which is due for release in a few months. I dare say I will need to order a copy for my library.
Audie Murphy by David SmithDescription:
When he was seventeen years old, Audie Murphy falsified his birth records so he could enlist in the Army and help defeat the Nazis. When he was nineteen, he single-handedly turned back the German Army at the Battle of Colmar Pocket by climbing on top of a tank with a machine gun, a moment immortalized in the classic film "To Hell and Back," starring Audie himself. In the first biography covering his entire life--including his severe PTSD and his tragic death at age 45--the unusual story of Audie Murphy, the most decorated hero of WWII, is brought to life for a new generation.
One more new release (April 2015) covering a very interesting topic and sure to interest a few members in this group:
Defending the Motherland Russian Airwomen in World War II by Lyuba VinogradovaDescription:
Plucked from every background, and led by an N.K.V.D. Major, the new recruits who boarded a train in Moscow on 16th October 1941 to go to war had much in common with millions of others across the world. What made the 586th Fighter Regiment, the 587th Heavy-bomber Regiment and the 588th Regiment of light night-bombers unique was their gender: the Soviet Union was creating the first all-female active combat units in modern history. Drawing on original interviews with surviving airwomen, Lyuba Vinogradova weaves together the untold stories of the female Soviet fighter pilots of the Second World War. From that first train journey to the last tragic disappearance, Vinogradova's panoramic account of these women's lives follows them from society balls to unmarked graves, from landmark victories to the horrors of Stalingrad. Battling not just fearsome Aces of the Luftwaffe but also patronising prejudice from their own leaders, women such as Lilya Litvyak and Ekaterina Budanova are brought to life by the diaries and recollections of those who knew them, and who watched them live, love, fight and die.
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "I just stumbled across details of this new book on Audie Murphy which is due for release in a few months. I dare say I will need to order a copy for my library. [..."Well, he was the most decorated American hero at any rate, and a true first rate soldier.
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "One more new release (April 2015) covering a very interesting topic and sure to interest a few members in this group:[bookcover:Defending the Motherland Russian Airwomen in World War II|24665647..."
Now this is an interesting topic.
message 1248:
by
Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces
(new)
Some very interesting books coming and thanks for posting AR. I agree with Wade too on the interesting topic on Russian airwomen.
Geevee wrote: "Some very interesting books coming and thanks for posting AR. I agree with Wade too on the interesting topic on Russian airwomen."I once read about the Soviet airwomen--are these the same "Black Withces" that the German soldiers& airmen lothed?
Hi Wade, yes indeed, the "Black Witches" was a night bomber unit made up of female pilots so the book should cover their exploits.
THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP
Books mentioned in this topic
Into the Firestorm: The Allied Heroes Who Flew World War II's Most Daring Missions (other topics)Empire of Ashes: Truman, Hirohito, and the Descent into Total War (other topics)
Empire of Ashes: Truman, Hirohito, and the Descent into Total War (other topics)
1942: Hitler's Gamble for Victory (other topics)
1942: Hitler's Gamble for Victory (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Scott McGaugh (other topics)James M. Scott (other topics)
James M. Scott (other topics)
Richard Hargreaves (other topics)
Richard Hargreaves (other topics)
More...
Description:
On the morning of April 16, 1945, the crewmen of the USS Laffey saw what seemed to be the entire Japanese air force assembled directly above. They were about to become the targets of the largest single-ship kamikaze attack of World War II.
By the time the unprecedented assault was finished, thirty-two sailors were dead and more than seventy wounded. Although she lay shrouded in smoke and fire for hours, the Laffey somehow survived. The gutted American warship limped from Okinawa’s shore for home, where the ship and crew would be feted as heroes.
Using personal interviews with survivors, the memoirs of crew members, and their wartime correspondence, John Wukovits breathes life into the story of this forgotten historic event.