THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP discussion

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BOOK DISCUSSIONS > New Release Books on WW2

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message 1251: by Colin (new)

Colin Heaton (colin1962) | 2011 comments During my interviews with Germans, they told the stories of these women, who they knew about, dropping their random bombs around the Luftwaffe airfields. Some funny stories also.


message 1252: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments A book by the husband of one of our members, Phyllis, which I am sure would interest a few members here in the group:

Unlikely Warrior A Jewish Soldier in Hitler's Army by Georg Rauch by Georg Rauch


message 1253: by Jerome (new)

Jerome Otte | 811 comments A March release:

The Last Cavalryman The Life of General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr. by Harvey Ferguson by Harvey Ferguson (no photo)
Description:
“Truscott was one of the really tough generals,” soldier-cartoonist Bill Mauldin of the 45th Infantry Division once wrote. “He could have eaten a ham like Patton for breakfast any morning and picked his teeth with the man’s pearl-handled pistols.” Not one merely to act the part of commander, Mauldin remembered, “Truscott spent half his time at the front—the real front—with nobody in attendance but a nervous Jeep driver and a worried aide.”

In this biography of Lucian K. Truscott, Jr., author Harvey Ferguson tells the story of how Truscott—despite his hardscrabble beginnings, patchy education, and questionable luck—not only made the rank of army lieutenant general, earning a reputation as one of World War II’s most effective officers along the way, but was also given an honorary promotion to four-star general seven years after his retirement.

For all his accomplishments and celebrated heroic action, Truscott was not one for self-aggrandizement, which may explain in part why historians have neglected him until now. The Last Cavalryman, drawing on personal papers only recently made available, gives the first full picture of this singular man’s extraordinary life and career. Ferguson describes Truscott’s near-accidental entry into the U.S. Cavalry (propelled by Pancho Villa’s 1916 raids) and his somewhat halting rise through the ranks—aided by fellow cavalryman George S. Patton, Jr., who steered him into the nascent armored force at the right time. The author takes us through Truscott’s service in the Second World War, from creating the U.S. Army Rangers to engineering the breakout from Anzio and leading the “masterpiece” invasion of southern France. Ferguson finishes his narrative by detailing the general’s postwar work with the CIA, where he acted as President Dwight Eisenhower’s eyes and ears within the agency.

A compelling story in itself, this biography of Lucian K. Truscott, Jr.—a cavalryman to the last—fills out an important chapter in American military history.


message 1254: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Thanks Jerome :)


message 1255: by Jerome (new)

Jerome Otte | 811 comments A November release:

The Battle for Hell's Island How a Small Band of Carrier Dive-Bombers Helped Save Guadalcanal in 1942 by Stephen L. Moore by Stephen L. Moore
Description:
November 1942: Japanese and American forces have been fighting for control of Guadalcanal, a small but pivotal island in Japan’s expansion through the South Pacific. Both sides have endured months of grueling battle under the worst circumstances: hellish jungles, meager rations, and tropical diseases, which have taken a severe mental and physical toll on the combatants. The Japanese call Guadalcanal Jigoku no Jima—Hell's Island.

Amid a seeming stalemate, a small group of U.S. Navy dive bombers are called upon to help determine the island's fate. The men have until recently been serving in their respective squadrons aboard the USS Lexington and the USS Yorktown, fighting in the thick of the Pacific War's aerial battles. Their skills have been honed to a fine edge, even as injury and death inexorably have depleted their ranks. When their carriers are lost, many of the men end up on the USS Enterprise. Battle damage to that carrier then forces them from their home at sea to operating from Henderson Field, a small dirt-and-gravel airstrip on Guadalcanal.

With some Marine and Army Air Force planes, they help form the Cactus Air Force, a motley assemblage of fliers tasked with holding the line while making dangerous flights from their jungle airfield. Pounded by daily Japanese air assaults, nightly warship bombardments, and sniper attacks from the jungle, pilots and gunners rarely last more than a few weeks before succumbing to tropical ailments, injury, exhaustion, and death. But when the Japanese launch a final offensive to take the island once and for all, these dive-bomber jocks answer the call of duty—and try to perform miracles in turning back an enemy warship armada, a host of fighter planes, and a convoy of troop transports.

A remarkable story of grit, guts, and heroism, The Battle for Hell's Island reveals how command of the South Pacific, and the outcome of the Pacific War, depended on control of a single dirt airstrip—and the small group of battle-weary aviators sent to protect it with their lives.


message 1256: by Wade (new)

Wade (wade1) | 316 comments OK Jerome..thanks for heads up on this book.I enjoy the Naval Ops/Naval Aviators/Cactus Air Force so naturally the Pacific theater is my first choice reading. This book seems to be right on for me.


message 1257: by Jerome (new)

Jerome Otte | 811 comments No problem at all, Wade.


message 1258: by Jerome (new)

Jerome Otte | 811 comments A May release:

Ardennes 1944 Hitler's Last Gamble by Antony Beevor by Antony Beevor
Description:
On December 16, 1944, Hitler launched his ‘last gamble’ in the snow-covered forests and gorges of the Ardennes in Belgium, believing he could split the Allies by driving all the way to Antwerp and forcing the Canadians and the British out of the war. Although his generals were doubtful of success, younger officers and NCOs were desperate to believe that their homes and families could be saved from the vengeful Red Army approaching from the east. Many were exultant at the prospect of striking back.

The allies, taken by surprise, found themselves fighting two panzer armies. Belgian civilians abandoned their homes, justifiably afraid of German revenge. Panic spread even to Paris. While some American soldiers, overwhelmed by the German onslaught, fled or surrendered, others held on heroically, creating breakwaters which slowed the German advance.

The harsh winter conditions and the savagery of the battle became comparable to the Eastern Front. In fact the Ardennes became the Western Front’s counterpart to Stalingrad. There was terrible ferocity on both sides, driven by desperation and revenge, in which the normal rules of combat were breached. The Ardennes—involving more than a million men—would prove to be the battle which finally broke the back of the Wehrmacht.

In this deeply researched work, with striking insights into the major players on both sides, Antony Beevor gives us the definitive account of the Ardennes offensive which was to become the greatest battle of World War II.


message 1259: by Jerome (new)

Jerome Otte | 811 comments A March release:

Kohima by Arthur Swinson by Arthur Swinson
Description:
On 7 March 1944 Tokyo announced that the Japanese invasion of British India had begun. By mid-month, the Japanese 31st Division had crossed the Chindwin River in northern Burma, advancing on a wide front towards Imphal and Kohima. In bitter jungle fighting from early April, the British Fourteenth Army under Field Marshal Slim held the Japanese assault on Kohima Ridge. By late June the Japanese were in headlong retreat.

Kohima ranks for strategic importance with Alamein, Midway and Stalingrad. The increasing dominance of Allied airpower in the region in the aftermath of the battle was a major factor in turning the tide of the war in East Asia against the Japanese.

Drawing on documents and diaries from Japanese as well as Allied sources, Arthur Swinson, who served at Kohima, not only presents a thrilling and fascinating tale of heroism and combat action, but also analyses the political background to and long-term impact of a clash described by Mountbatten as 'one of the greatest battles in history'.


message 1260: by Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces (new)

Geevee | 3811 comments Two good looking titles thanks for posting Jerome.


message 1261: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Jerome wrote: "A May release:

Ardennes 1944 Hitler's Last Gamble by Antony Beevor by Antony Beevor
Description:
On December 16, 1944, Hitler launched his ‘last gamble’ in the snow-covered for..."


Sounds good and Beevor is usually a great historian/author but I wonder how it will compare to the last new book on the Ardennes by Peter Caddick-Adams.

Snow & Steel by Peter Caddick-Adams by Peter Caddick-Adams


message 1262: by Jerome (new)

Jerome Otte | 811 comments A September 2015 release:

The German War A Nation Under Arms, 1939-45 by Nicholas Stargardt by Nicholas Stargardt (no photo)
Description:
The Second World War was a German war like no other. The Nazi regime, having started the conflict, turned it into the most horrific war in European history, resorting to genocidal methods well before building the first gas chambers. Over its course, the Third Reich expended and exhausted all its moral and physical reserves, leading to total defeat in 1945. Yet seventy years on — despite whole libraries of books about the war’s origins, course and atrocities — we still do not know what Germans thought they were fighting for and how they experienced and sustained the war until the bitter end.

When war broke out in September 1939, it was deeply unpopular in Germany. Yet without the active participation and commitment of the German people, it could not have continued for almost six years. What, then, was the war Germans thought they were fighting? How did the changing course of the conflict — the victories of the Blitzkrieg, the first defeats in the east, the bombing of Germany’s cities — change their views and expectations? And when did Germans first realise that they were fighting a genocidal war?

Drawing on a wealth of first-hand testimony, The German War is the first foray for many decades into how the German people experienced the Second World War. Told from the perspective of those who lived through it — soldiers, schoolteachers and housewives; Nazis, Christians and Jews — its masterful historical narrative sheds fresh and disturbing light on the beliefs, hopes and fears of a people who embarked on, continued and fought to the end a brutal war of conquest and genocide.


message 1263: by Colin (new)

Colin Heaton (colin1962) | 2011 comments Also read Voices from the Third Reich by Dennis Showalter, Peter Pechel and Johannes Steinhoff.


message 1264: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Here is a July 2015 release that may interest a few members in the group. It covers a very interesting subject and looks like it goes past the usual point covered in books on the 'Dambusters'.

After the Flood What the Dambuster Did Next by John Nichol by John Nichol
Description:
After the famous dams raid, thousands of equally daring missions were flown in WWII by 617 Squadron. Find out about them here, from former RAF Tornado Navigator and Gulf War veteran John Nichol.

The role RAF 617 Squadron in the destruction of the dams at the heart of the industrial Ruhr has been celebrated in book, magazine and film for more than seventy years.

On the 17th May 1943, 133 airmen set out in 19 Lancasters to destroy the Möhne, Eder and Sorpe dams. 56 of them did not return. Despite these catastrophic losses, the raid became an enormous propaganda triumph. The survivors were feted as heroes and became celebrities of their time.

They had been brought together for one specific task – so what happened next? Of the 77 men who made it home from that raid, 32 would lose their lives later in the war and only 45 survived to see the victory for which they fought.

Few are aware of the extent of the Dambuster squadron’s operations after the Dams Raid. They became the ‘go to’ squadron for specialist precision attacks, dropping the largest bombs ever built on battleships, railway bridges, secret weapon establishments, rockets sites and U-boat construction pens. They were involved in attempts on the lives of enemy leaders, both Hitler and Mussolini, created a ‘false fleet’ on D-day which fooled the Germans, and knocked out a German super gun which would have rained 600 shells an hour on London.

In After The Flood, John Nichol retraces the path of 617 Squadron’s most dangerous sorties as their reputation called them into action again and again.


message 1265: by Rick (last edited Feb 13, 2015 06:32AM) (new)

Rick Danger (rickdangerous) | 2 comments What about this one ?

Stalingrad Battle Atlas volume I by Anton Joly
Stalingrad Battle Atlas: volume I

Already 3 volumes out of 5 planned (if one refers to the editor’s site) are out. The series emphasizes on detailed and day by day maps


message 1266: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Sounds like a book series every serious library should have Rick!


message 1267: by Rick (new)

Rick Danger (rickdangerous) | 2 comments I guess so Rick!

Actually volume 3 is there on Amazon but not yet listed on Goodreads, seems too recent


message 1268: by Steve (new)

Steve Switzer | 45 comments














message 1269: by Jerome (new)

Jerome Otte | 811 comments An August release:

Eisenhower's Armies The American-British Alliance during World War II by Niall Barr by Niall Barr
Description:
The Anglo-American relationship from 1941-1945 proved to be the most effective military alliance in history. Yet there were also constant tensions and disagreements that threatened to pull the alliance apart. This book highlights why the unprecedented level of cooperation between the very different American and British forces eventually led to victory but also emphasizes the tensions and controversies which inevitably arose. Based on considerable archival research on both sides of the Atlantic, this work considers the breadth and depth of the relationship from high-level strategic decisions, the rivalries and personalities of the commanders to the ordinary British and American soldiers who fought alongside one another. The book also looks back and demonstrates how the legacy of previous experience shaped the decisions of the war.

Eisenhower's Armies is the story of two very different armies learning to live, work, and fight together even in the face of serious strategic disagreements. The book is also a very human story about the efforts of many individuals—famous or otherwise—who worked and argued together to defeat Hitler’s Germany. In highlighting the cooperation, tensions, and disagreements inherent in this military alliance, this work shows that Allied victory was far from pre-ordained and proves that the business of making this alliance work was vital for eventual success. Thus this dynamic new history provides a fresh perspective on many of the controversies and critical strategic decisions of World War II. As such, this book provides expert analysis of the Anglo-American military alliance as well as new insights into the ‘special relationship’ of the mid-twentieth century.


message 1270: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Looks like a book that should interest a few members in the group, thanks for the details Jerome.


message 1271: by Nooilforpacifists (new)

Nooilforpacifists (nooil4pacifists) | 97 comments Part two of Ian Toll's Pacific war trilogy will be a September 21st release:

The Conquering Tide: War in the Pacific Islands, 1942-1944

(Sorry, on an iPad, so no links.). Publisher's blurb:

Ian W. Toll's masterful history encompasses the heart of the great Pacific war, when a "conquering tide" of Allied air and sea power suported the U.S. Marines in reclaiming the thousands of Japanese-held islands on the road to Tokyo. It was the largest, bloodiest, most costly, most technically innovative, and logistically complicated amphibious war in history, and the complexity of it fostered bitter inter service rivalries, leaving wounds that even victory could not heal.

Toll's battle scenes--in the air, at sea, and in the jungles--are simply riveting, but he also takes the reader into the wartime councils in Washington and Tokyo where politics and strategy often collide, and into the struggle to mobilize wartime production, which was the secret of Allied victory. His account is peopled by firsthand accounts--letters, diaries, debriefings and memoirs--that are the raw material of the telling details, shrewd judgment, and penetrating insight of this magisterial narrative.


message 1272: by Dj (new)

Dj | 2295 comments Added to my TBR. Grrrr.


message 1273: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments I saw his second volume coming out, its on my wish list as well, however I better read the first volume soon eh!


message 1274: by Nooilforpacifists (new)

Nooilforpacifists (nooil4pacifists) | 97 comments A.R., first volume (Pacific Crucible) is very good.


message 1275: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments I'll try and move it to the front of the very large pile!


message 1276: by Dj (new)

Dj | 2295 comments 'Aussie Rick' wrote: "I'll try and move it to the front of the very large pile!"

Do like I do, get it from the library, that puts a time limit on it and moves it to the head of the class pretty rapidly.


message 1277: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Not a bad idea but I love to own the books I read.


message 1278: by Dj (new)

Dj | 2295 comments True dat, but this way I can decide how much I luvs the book before I own it. There are so many Battle of the Bulge books I had to decide I couldn't own them all. After all they are a tad more expensive than Pokemon. LOL.


message 1279: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments I do borrow books from the library (well get my wife to order them in for me) if they are expensive and I am unsure if I will like them so I can check them out first but if they are good I usually end up ordering a copy for my own library :)


message 1280: by Jerome (new)

Jerome Otte | 811 comments A July release:

Famine, Sword, and Fire The Liberation of Southwest China in World War II by Daniel Jackson by Daniel Jackson
Description:
The untold story of Chinese and Americans standing side-by-side, fighting together and dying together on the highest, most rugged battlegrounds of WWII. In May 1942, the Japanese 15th Army conquered Burma and southwest China. Only a desperate defense by disorganized and defeated Chinese troops and the war-weary remains of Claire Chennault s mercenary Flying Tigers stopped the advance at the Salween River.

For two years, the people of southwest China lived under an oppressive Japanese occupation while Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, President Franklin Roosevelt, General Joseph Stilwell, and Major General Claire Chennault bickered over what to do next. Finally, in May 1944, the Chinese Expeditionary Force, with American supplies and advisors, supported from above by the legendary 14th Air Force, crossed the Salween to take back what they had lost. Firsthand accounts from the Chinese and American soldiers and airmen that fought there vividly illustrate the carnage of battle and the ultimate triumph of liberation as they braved famine, sword, and fire to defeat the Japanese.


message 1281: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Here is a new release covering a different subject of WW2 history and sure to interest a few group members:

Professor Porsche S Wars The Secret Life of Legendary Engineer Ferdinand Porsche Who Armed Two Belligerents Through Four Decades by Karl Ludvigsen by Karl Ludvigsen
Description:
Regarded as one of the great automotive engineers of the twentieth century, Ferdinand Porsche is well remembered today for his remarkable automotive designs including the Volkswagen Beetle and Auto Union Grand Prix cars. Yet there is another side to his extraordinary career, for he was an equally inventive designer of military vehicles and machinery. In this field too he excelled. Indeed the sheer versatility of his contribution is astonishing. Karl Ludvigsen’s study is the definitive guide.

He tells the complete story, focusing on Porsche’s relations with the German armed forces and on the stream of advanced designs he was responsible for. Included are Austro Daimler’s pioneering aero engines, the Kübelwagen, Schwimmwagen, Type 100 Leopard tank, Ferdinand or Elefant tank destroyer and the astounding Type 205 Maus tank. He also describes Porsche’s creative work on aero engines, tank engines and even a turbojet for the V-1 flying bomb.

Karl Ludvigsen’s account confirms the preeminence of Ferdinand Porsche as a brilliant and prolific engineer, one of the most remarkable of his generation.

Review:
"...hard to put down...The author has given us a eminently readable but learned treatise on a less known aspect of one of the greatest engineers of the twentieth century. The illustrations are well chosen and nicely reproduced, fitting the text and thus adding to the interest...with the added bonus of being written by Karl Ludvigsen it is a must have. Buy a copy and spend a day reading it, it is really hard to put down. Most enthusiastically recommended." - The Bulletin of the Vintage Sports Car Club UK


message 1282: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Another new book on Doolittle's Raid, quite a substantial book by the looks of it as well (672 pages):

Target Tokyo Jimmy Doolittle and the Raid That Avenged Pearl Harbor by James M. Scott by James M. Scott
Description:
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 the heart of the Japanese Empire: Tokyo. Four months later, on April 18, 1942, sixteen U.S. Army bombers under the command of daredevil pilot Jimmy Doolittle lifted off from the deck of the USS Hornet on a one-way mission to pummel the enemy’s factories, refineries, and dockyards and then escape to Free China. For Roosevelt, the raid was a propaganda victory, a potent salve to heal a wounded nation. In Japan, outraged over the deaths of innocent civilians—including children—military leaders launched an ill-fated attempt to seize Midway that would turn the tide of the war. But it was the Chinese who suffered the worst, victims of a retaliatory campaign by the Japanese Army that claimed an estimated 250,000 lives and saw families drowned in wells, entire towns burned, and communities devastated by bacteriological warfare.

At the center of this incredible story is Doolittle, the son of an Alaskan gold prospector, a former boxer, and brilliant engineer who earned his doctorate from MIT. Other fascinating characters populate this gripping narrative, including Chiang Kai-shek, Lieutenant General Joseph “Vinegar Joe” Stilwell, and the feisty Vice Admiral William “Bull” Halsey Jr. Here, too, are indelible portraits of the young pilots, navigators, and bombardiers, many of them little more than teenagers, who raised their hands to volunteer for a mission from which few expected to return. Most of the bombers ran out of fuel and crashed. Captured raiders suffered torture and starvation in Japan’s notorious POW camps. Others faced a harrowing escape across China—via boat, rickshaw, and foot—with the Japanese Army in pursuit.

Based on scores of never-before-published records drawn from archives across four continents as well as new interviews with survivors, Target Tokyo is World War II history of the highest order: a harrowing adventure story that also serves as a pivotal reexamination of one of America’s most daring military operations.


message 1283: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments I found a few reviews on Target Tokyo that may interest a few members here.

Target Tokyo Jimmy Doolittle and the Raid That Avenged Pearl Harbor by James M. Scott by James M. Scott
Reviews:
“In Target Tokyo, James Scott has given us a superb new account of the Doolittle raid, a daring and unprecedented gambit that altered the history of the Pacific War. Scott’s narrative, which draws deeply on new archival sources, will certainly take its place as the definitive history of the Doolittle raid. That alone would be reason enough to recommend it—but Target Tokyo is also a terrific story and a cracking good read.” - Ian Toll, author of Pacific Crucible, War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942

“The Doolittle raid on Japan was the American 'tit' for the Japanese 'tat' at Pearl Harbor. The raid changed the complexion of the war—suddenly the Land of the Gods was vulnerable to American airpower. James Scott has uncovered American and Japanese records and photographs never published before. Go on a mission that many thought impossible and enjoy his gripping Target Tokyo.” - James Bradley, Author of Flags of Our Fathers, Flyboys, The Imperial Cruise, and The China Mirage

“Target Tokyo is an unforgettable account of American ingenuity and courage in the dark days after Pearl Harbor. With his flair for characterization and vivid storytelling, James Scott reveals the many layers behind the historic Doolittle Raid in 1942—and its consequences. Using an array of fresh sources he allows us, at last, to see the mission both in its contemporary context and from today’s perspective. Both sides of the saga are represented, American and Japanese; brave and tragic; noble and despicable. His account of Japanese barbarity—long whitewashed—is particularly affecting. This is a work destined to become a classic.” - Nigel Hamilton, Author of The Mantle of Command: FDR at War, 1941-1942

“A lucid, highly readable story fleshed out with an exceptional variety of people at every level, from mechanics with grease under their fingernails to aircrew inbound to the enemy capital, to national leaders in halls of power in Washington, Tokyo, and China. Target Tokyo is bound to remain the standard reference on the subject.” - Barrett Tillman, Author of Whirlwind: The Air War Against Japan 1942-1945 and Forgotten Fifteenth: The Daring Airmen Who Crippled Hitler's War Machine

“A beautifully told account of the legendary Doolittle raid, one of the most daring strikes in US military history. Thrilling and brilliantly researched.” - Alex Kershaw, author of The Liberator: One World War II Soldier's 500-Day Odyssey from the Beaches of Sicily to the Gates of Dachau

“A superb writer and historian with a keen eye for detail, James Scott has created a meticulously researched account that undoubtedly will be considered the last—and best—word on the subject.” - Flint Whitlock, Editor, WWII Quarterly magazine

“The Doolittle raid on Tokyo is a fabulous story of bold decision-making and combat heroism. With a perfect blend of extensive research and exemplary prose, James Scott’s narrative shines.” - Bruce Gamble, author of The Rabaul Trilogy

“When I grew up in the house of a fighter pilot, it was a religious tenet with my father that the Doolittle Raiders were the bravest pilots in the history of flight. James Scott’s epic historical work, Target Tokyo, makes that opinion seem almost unassailable. Target Tokyo is one of the most incredible accounts of American military valor I’ve ever read.” - Pat Conroy

“The Doolittle raid on Tokyo was one of the most impossible, daring, and consequential missions ever taken by American military men, and James Scott brings it back to the reader with you-are-there immediacy and drama. Filled with great characters, great heroism, and great suffering, Target Tokyo is at once thorough, realistic, and thrilling.” - Evan Thomas, author of Sea of Thunder and Ike's Bluff

“James Scott’s Target Tokyo is much more than another narrative account of Jimmy Doolittle’s famous air attack on Tokyo in April of 1942. It is a gripping tale of determination, tragedy, endurance, and redemption. Even those who think they know this story, will be absorbed by this vivid account of adventure and peril.” - Craig L. Symonds, author of The Battle of Midway


message 1284: by happy (last edited Mar 09, 2015 09:42PM) (new)

happy (happyone) | 2281 comments Nooilforpacifists wrote: "A.R., first volume (Pacific Crucible) is very good."

Pacific Crucible War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942 by Ian W. Toll

agreed - it's very good, a 5 star read for me


message 1285: by Doubledf99.99 (new)

Doubledf99.99 | 626 comments Jerome wrote: "A July release:

Famine, Sword, and Fire The Liberation of Southwest China in World War II by Daniel Jackson by Daniel Jackson
Description:
The untold story of Chinese and Ameri..."

I will be looking forward for this one. Thanks for the heads-up.


message 1286: by Colin (new)

Colin Heaton (colin1962) | 2011 comments My wife Anne was the official Doolittle Raiders photographer, and we are both honorary members. We also have that status with the Black Sheep and others. Anne is getting ready to auction/sell off her collection of Doolittle Raiders autographs, amazing collection. Email me if interested in seeing jpegs of them at cdheatonii@aol.com


message 1287: by Dj (new)

Dj | 2295 comments 'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Here is a new release covering a different subject of WW2 history and sure to interest a few group members:

[bookcover:Professor Porsche S Wars: The Secret Life of Legendary Engineer Ferdinand Por..."



Back in the long ago days when the History Channel was mostly focused on WWII, my dad called it the all Hitler all the time channel, they had a show on the history of auto racing. If it had wheels and went fast my Dad was all over watching that. Of course he started out with the words, that they wouldn't have Hitler in this.
Yep, he was wrong. Hitler/Porsche started the first professional style pit crews. Go figure.


message 1288: by Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces (new)

Geevee | 3811 comments Another new release. One that I expect to be both interesting and horrifying:

KL A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps by Nikolaus Wachsmann KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps by Nikolaus Wachsmann

Description
In March of 1933, a disused factory surrounded by barbed wire held 223 prisoners in the town of Dachau. By the end of 1945, the SS concentration camp system had become an overwhelming landscape of terror. Twenty-two large camps and over one thousand satellite camps throughout Germany and Europe were at the heart of the Nazi campaign of repression and intimidation.

The importance of the camps in terms of Nazi history and our modern world cannot be questioned.

Dr Nikolaus Wachsmann is the first historian to write a complete history of the camps. Combining the political and the personal, Wachsmann will examine the organisation of such an immense genocidal machine, whilst drawing a vivid picture of life inside the camps for the individual prisoner. The book will give a voice to those typically forgotten in Nazi history: the 'social deviants', criminals and unwanted ethnicities that all faced the terror of the camps.
Wachsmann will explore the practise of institutionalised murder and inmate collaboration with the SS selectively ignored by many historians. Pulling together a wealth of in-depth research, official documents, contemporary studies and the evidence of survivors themselves, KL will be a complete but accessible narrative.


message 1289: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Good add Geevee!


message 1290: by Mike, Assisting Moderator US Forces (new)

Mike | 3630 comments Horrifying indeed but I added it to the TBR. Important work.


message 1291: by KOMET (last edited Mar 11, 2015 10:24AM) (new)

KOMET | 436 comments NEW RELEASE!

The Mediterranean Air War: Airpower and Allied Victory in World War II by Robert Ehlers

The Mediterranean Air War Airpower and Allied Victory in World War II by Robert Ehlers


Summary
"Without what the Allies learned in the Mediterranean air war in 1942-1944, the Normandy landings — and so, perhaps, World War II — would have ended differently. This is one of many 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 US, 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.

"Of grand-strategic importance from the days of Ancient Rome to the Great-Power rivalries of the eighteenth and 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 US 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."

(I received my copy of the book in the mail a short time ago and eagerly look forward to reading it.)


message 1292: by Dimitri (new)

Dimitri | 1413 comments Geevee wrote: "Another new release. One that I expect to be both interesting and horrifying:

KL A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps by Nikolaus Wachsmann [book:KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camp..."


His book about regular prisons in Nazi Germany (including labour camps) was outstanding. It took 8 years to write this one, sounds adequate for a doorstopper- CANNOT WAIT :)


message 1293: by Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces (new)

Geevee | 3811 comments Thanks Dimitri I've not read his other title so will look that up.


message 1294: by Dimitri (new)

Dimitri | 1413 comments Geevee wrote: "Thanks Dimitri I've not read his other title so will look that up."

Hitler�s Prisons: Legal Terror in Nazi Germany

added Dutch edition :

Hitler's Gevangenissen : de rechtsorde in nazi-Duitsland


message 1295: by Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces (new)

Geevee | 3811 comments And added to my TBR, thank you.


message 1296: by Jerome (new)

Jerome Otte | 811 comments A January 2016 release:

War at the End of the World Douglas MacArthur and the Forgotten Fight For New Guinea, 1942-1945 by James P. Duffy by James P. Duffy
Description:
One American soldier called it “a green hell on earth.” Monsoon-soaked wilderness, debilitating heat, impassable mountains, torrential rivers, and disease-infested swamps—New Guinea was a battleground far more deadly than the most fanatical of enemy troops. Japanese forces numbering some 600,000 men began landing in January 1942, determined to seize the island as a cornerstone of the Empire’s strategy to knock Australia out of the war. Allied Commander-in-Chief General Douglas MacArthur committed 340,000 Americans, as well as tens of thousands of Australian, Dutch, and New Guinea troops, to retake New Guinea at all costs.

What followed was a four-year campaign that involved some of the most horrific warfare in history. At first emboldened by easy victories throughout the Pacific, the Japanese soon encountered in New Guinea a roadblock akin to the Germans’ disastrous attempt to take Moscow, a catastrophic setback to their war machine. For the Americans, victory in New Guinea was the first essential step in the long march towards the Japanese home islands and the ultimate destruction of Hirohito’s empire. Winning the war in New Guinea was of critical importance to MacArthur. His avowed “I shall return” to the Philippines could only be accomplished after taking the island.

In this gripping narrative, historian James P. Duffy chronicles the most ruthless combat of the Pacific War, a fight complicated by rampant tropical disease, violent rainstorms, and unforgiving terrain that punished both Axis and Allied forces alike. Drawing on primary sources, War at the End of the World fills in a crucial gap in the history of World War II while offering readers a narrative of the first rank.


message 1297: by Mike, Assisting Moderator US Forces (new)

Mike | 3630 comments That's a no-brainer addition to the TBR, thanks Jerome!


message 1298: by KOMET (new)

KOMET | 436 comments I'd like to recommend the following book, which I finished reading a few days ago.

When Paris Went Dark: The City of Light Under German Occupation, 1940-1944 by Dr. Ronald C. Rosbottom

When Paris Went Dark The City of Light Under German Occupation, 1940-1944 by Ronald C. Rosbottom


Last month, I attended a book reading at a local bookstore that was given by the author, who later graciously autographed my copy of this book. For personal reasons, Paris is a city that thrills and excites my imagination and interest. (I grew up on stories of "la Ville-Lumière" from my father, who had spent considerable time in Paris, where he had received his discharge from the U.S. Army in July 1946.) I feel lucky to have twice visited there and walked along many of its grand boulevards and streets. It is a place where the past is not dead, but rather coexists with the present.

In reading this book, I came to know of a Paris during the darkest period of its history, when it was under German control between June 14, 1940 and August 25, 1944. I like to cite some passages that helped to make it so startlingly clear in my mind how a city so renowned for its culture, architecture, and free spirit was declared an open city by the French government, and gradually absorbed by its German conquerors:

1) “… almost four million inhabitants fled Paris and its environs in late May and early June [1940] rather than await the increasingly inevitable occupation of their precious capital. Several memoirists mention that Parisian boulevards soon resembled empty movie sets... Groceries and bakeries were closed, their entrances barricaded; automobiles had vanished;"

2) In mid-June of 1940, the German army arrived before Paris, exuberant but stunned. They could see in the distance the Eiffel Tower, standing as confidently over the world's most recognized cityscape as when it had first appeared there just fifty-one years earlier. The Wehrmacht had been almost as surprised as the French at the ease of their foray into the Low Countries and France."

3) "About 6:00 [AM} on Friday, June 28, 1940, a convoy of convertible Mercedes limousines ... entered nearly abandoned Paris, zigzagging around military barriers and passing a few staring Parisian police officers and bystanders. They had come from the northeast, speeding down Avenue de Flandre, then Rue La Fayette, to ... the Opéra de Paris. Adolf Hitler was tense with excitement." (The author provides a diagram, showing the route that Hitler and his entourage followed that day. In all, Hitler spent 4 hours in Paris, marvelling over its architecture and showing no interest in its neighborhoods or restaurants, markets, and cafés. It would prove to be his one and only trip to the city.)

4) "The German occupiers wanted to unmake dynamic Paris, to create a static simulacrum, preserving its most banal characteristics for their own enjoyment. They thought they could persuade the world that they, too, were culturally and aesthetically sensitive, while keeping Parisians literally in line. For a time, the strategy seemed to work."

5) "The Parisian apartment figures prominently in recollections of the Occupation. An apartment was more than a place of expected physical comfort; it was also a site of psychological retreat from confusion and uncertainty. Yet... the apartment could be a trap, and many wrote of feeling closed in there by events and police, always worrying about how they would escape should there be an ominous knock at the door."


"When Paris Went Dark" is highly readable and full of personal accounts -- from both sides of the Occupation, French and German, Jew and Gentile -- which help to give the reader a tangible sense of immediacy to an era now fast fading into history as the Second World War generation becomes fewer in number. It also offers an examination into France's continuing efforts to come to grips with this dark chapter in its history with which it remains in many respects unreconciled. I'm so glad I read this book because I now want to learn so much more about this epoch.


message 1299: by 'Aussie Rick', Moderator (new)

'Aussie Rick' (aussierick) | 20068 comments Two good books Jerome and Komet, thanks for posting the details.


message 1300: by Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces (new)

Geevee | 3811 comments Thanks for sight of the new book Jerome and to Komet for the interesting description on his recommended book.


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