New Release Books on WW2 Showing 1,351-1,400 of 3,292

[Mikey B.]

Manray9 wrote: "From today's NY Times, below is a review of:

Goebbels: A Biography by Peter Longerich

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/17/boo......"

Read this too - and it's a good analysis

I quote from the review
>> we can see — as Goebbels himself often could not — just how skillfully Hitler manipulated him, deftly deploying his talents, exploiting his weaknesses, nurturing his loyalty by feeding but never fully satisfying his insatiable appetite for approval. Hitler saw to it that, like everyone in his inner circle, Goebbels had to share power with others:

But don't know if I could stomach 960 pages of Goebbels...

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Good review, thanks for posting the link Manray9, it may help decided if I purchase a copy or not :)

[Colin]

I interviewed many Germans who knew Goebbels, and their insights were fascinating.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

This new release by Niall Barr may interest a few members in the group:


Yanks and Limeys: Alliance Warfare in the Second World War by Niall Barr
Description:
In the mid-twentieth century the relationship between America and Britain had a chequered past. Theirs was a history of protection and oppression, of rebellion and ultimately war. But then the shared crisis of the Second World War brought Britain and America closer than ever before or since, and saw an unprecedented level of military cooperation. How was such a radical shift possible?

To uncover how this historically fraught relationship recovered from its inauspicious start, Niall Barr goes back to the origins of their shared military history in the American War of Independence and shows how these early days had ramifications for the later crucial alliance.

Picking up the tale with America’s entry into the Second World War, Niall Barr tells the story of these two armies as they fought in the largest war in history, from the uppermost echelons of the relationship between Churchill and Roosevelt right down to battlefield level and the soldiers fighting side by side for a common cause.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

This July 2015 release will most likely be a definite purchase for me, it may also interest other members in the group:

Monte Cassino: A German View by Rudolf Bohmler
Description:
As a German battalion commander Rudolf Bohmler fought in the front line during the fierce battles fought at Monte Cassino. After the war he wrote this remarkable history, one of the first full-length accounts of this famous and controversial episode in the struggle for Italy. His pioneering work, which has long been out of print, gives a fascinating insight into the battle as it was perceived at the time and as it was portrayed immediately after the war. While his fluent narrative offers a strong German view of the fighting, it also covers the Allied side of the story, at every level, in graphic detail. The climax of his account, his description of the tenacious defence of the town of Cassino and the Monte Cassino abbey by exhausted, outnumbered German troops, has rarely been equalled His book presents a soldier's view of the fighting but it also examines the tactics and planning on both sides. It is essential reading for everyone who is interested in the Cassino battles and the Italian campaign.

[Mike, Assisting Moderator US Forces]

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "This July 2015 release will most likely be a definite purchase for me, it may also interest other members in the group:

[book:Monte Cassino: A Germ..."

A required addition for me too.

[Dimitri]

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "This new release by Niall Barr may interest a few members in the group:


[book:Yanks and Limeys: Alliance Warfare in ..."

we have our choice of title :
http://pegasusbooks.com/books/eisenho...

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Oh no, a new book series that I may have to get! I think it's the first volume of a three book set, I wonder if I can sneak them into the library without my wife finding out:

The War in the West: Volume 1: The Rise of Germany, 1939-1941 by James Holland
Description:
Much of what we think we know about World War II is steeped in myth rather than fact. For seven decades, we have looked at this cataclysmic conflict in much the same way, particularly when it comes to the war in the western theater. In this sweeping narrative history, the first of three volumes, British historian and contrarian James Holland deploys deep research, incisive analysis, and a profound sense of humanity to revise and enhance our understanding of one of the most significant events in history.

It is commonly held that at the outset of war, Germany had the best army in the world, and that Britain barely managed to hold out against it until the Americans declared war and overwhelmed Nazi military prowess with economic might. But the picture looked much different in 1939: In advance of its Polish offensive, Germany was short on resources, tanks, and trained soldiers. Meanwhile, Britain and France had more men in uniform than Germany and considerably greater naval power, and Britain was the richest country in Europe with a massive empire at its disposal. Hitler was bluffing when he called for the wholesale destruction of Poland, but his bet that Western Europe wouldn’t get involved turned out to be fatally wrong.

Beginning with the lead-up to the outbreak of war in 1939 and ending in the middle of 1941 on the eve of the Nazi invasion of Russia, The War in the West, Volume I covers the war on several levels, from fascinating tactical revelations—blitzkrieg, Holland argues, is a myth—to the personal stories of a German U-boat captain, a French reserve officer, a son-in-law of Mussolini, an American construction tycoon, and civilians across the war zone. This is a major history, destined to generate significant scholarly debate and reader interest.

[Jerome]

A February 2016 release:

by Ronnie Day
Description:
In 1942, the Solomon Islands formed the stepping stones toward Rabaul, the main base of Japanese operations in the South Pacific, and the Allies primary objective. The stunning defeat of Japanese forces at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in November marked the turning point in the war against Japan and the start of an offensive in the Central Solomons aimed at New Georgia. New Georgia: The Second Battle for the Solomons tells the story of the land, sea, and air battles fought there from March through October 1943.

Making careful and copious use of both Japanese and Allied sources, Ronnie Day masterfully weaves the intricate threads of these battles into a well-crafted narrative of this pivotal period in the war. As Day makes clear, combat in the Solomons exemplified the war in the Pacific, especially the importance of air power, something the Japanese failed to understand until it was too late, and the strategy of island hopping, bypassing Japanese strongholds (including Rabaul) in favor of weaker or more strategically advantageous targets. This multifaceted account gives the fighting for New Georgia its proper place in the history of the drive to break the Japanese defensive perimeter and bring the homeland within range of Allied bombers.

[Michael, Assisting Moderator Axis Forces]

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Oh no, a new book series that I may have to get! I think it's the first volume of a three book set, I wonder if I can sneak them into the library without my wife finding out:

[bookcover:The War in..."

Im sure you could Rick with the huge size of it. Me on the other hand will just have to confess as this one looks right up my alley.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Got till October to work out a plan and save up some cash Michael :)

[KOMET]

Stay the Rising Sun: The True Story of USS Lexington, Her Valiant Crew, and Changing the Course of World War II by Phil Keith



Slated for release: June 25, 2015
+++++++++++++++++

SUMMARY
"Her crew called her the 'Lady Lex' - see how her fierce battle turned the tide in the Allies' favor.

"In May 1942, the United States' first naval victory against the Japanese in the Coral Sea was marred by the loss of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington. Another carrier was nearly ready for launch when the news arrived, so the navy changed her name to Lexington, confusing the Japanese.

"The men of the original 'Lady Lex' loved their ship and fought hard to protect her. They were also seeking revenge for the losses sustained at Pearl Harbor. Crippling attacks by the Japanese left her on fire and dead in the water. A remarkable 90 percent of the crew made it off the burning decks before Lexington had to be abandoned. In all the annals of the Second World War, there is hardly a battle story more compelling.

"Lexington's legacy did not end with her demise, however. Although the battle was deemed a tactical success for the Japanese, it turned out to be a strategic loss: For the first time in the war, a Japanese invasion force was forced to retreat.

"The lessons learned by losing the Lexington at Coral Sea impacted tactics, air wing operations, damage control, and ship construction. Altogether, they forged a critical, positive turning point in the war. The ship that ushered in and gave birth to a new era in naval warfare might be gone, but fate decreed that her important legacy would live on."

[Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces]

KOMET wrote: "Manray9 Fields of Fire: The Canadians in Normandy: Second Edition by Terry Copp

This is interesting to me because I don't recall reading
...that the Canadian contr..."

Bit late to this argument, but having read a lot on the Canadian contribution to my mind it was as good - and at times as poor - as British and US units.

Their units were keen (all volunteers) and overall performed well with courage and guile. I believe thei leadership especially at battalion, regimental, squadron level was as good as any other ally.

They stuggled with equipment issues and were given numerous tasks and changed deployments and were often [always??] sent - like the Poles - to tough but thankless tasks on the flank. They fought tough battles in winter 1944 holding areas in the North and fought awful and costly battles to liberate Holland and in April 1945 suffered more heavy casualties in actions for ground and towns people could today not name as the war wound down.

One aspect not mentioned in the recent discussion is the Can-Loan scheme, where 673 Canadian officers were loaned to the British army between 1943-45 and, all volunteers, served in the invasion of Normandy and onwards. They were very well liked by the men and by British commanders and were recognised with the award of 40 military crosses (and one bar) plus 1 US DSC, 2 Silver Stars. 128 Can-loan officers were killed in action/DoW.

There are also a number of communications from British and US commanders to Canadian units thanking them for their efforts and support on operations when assigned to British or US divisions, brigades or individual units.
My understanding was that Canadian artillery and engineer units were also highly sought after, especially bridging and mine teams. Again no different to other allied units especially in respect of specialist teams/groups where the host unit got to know their detached units and wanted to use and keep them as they became "thiers".

Numbering around 200,000 men the Canadians served their country well and to my British mind gave the allies a strong and able, albeit small, contingent of men in an army of liberation number millions.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

A thoughtful and interesting post, thanks Geevee.

[Manray9]

Geevee wrote: "KOMET wrote: "Manray9 Fields of Fire: The Canadians in Normandy: Second Edition by Terry Copp

This is interesting to me because I don't recall reading
...that the ..."

Thanks, Geevee. Good post on Canada's contributions.

[Lee]

Jerome wrote: "A February 2016 release:

by Ronnie Day


Thanks for the notification, the whole Solomons campaign is one of my prime interests in the war.

[Jerome]

A November release:

by David Drake
Description:
Paris at War chronicles the lives of ordinary Parisians during World War II, from September 1939 when France went to war with Nazi Germany to liberation in August 1944. Readers will relive the fearful exodus from the city as the German army neared the capital, the relief and disgust felt when the armistice was signed, and the hardships and deprivations under Occupation. David Drake contrasts the plight of working-class Parisians with the comparative comfort of the rich, exposes the activities of collaborationists, and traces the growth of the Resistance from producing leaflets to gunning down German soldiers. He details the intrigues and brutality of the occupying forces, and life in the notorious transit camp at nearby Drancy, along with three other less well known Jewish work camps within the city.

The book gains its vitality from the diaries and reminiscences of people who endured these tumultuous years. Drake’s cast of characters comes from all walks of life and represents a diversity of political views and social attitudes. We hear from a retired schoolteacher, a celebrated economist, a Catholic teenager who wears a yellow star in solidarity with Parisian Jews, as well as Resistance fighters, collaborators, and many other witnesses.

Drake enriches his account with details from police records, newspapers, radio broadcasts, and newsreels. From his chronology emerge the broad rhythms and shifting moods of the city. Above all, he explores the contingent lives of the people of Paris, who, unlike us, co­uld not know how the story would end.

[Mike, Assisting Moderator US Forces]

Jerome wrote: "A November release:

by David Drake
Description:
Paris at War chronicles the lives of ordinary Parisians during World War II, from Septem..."

Did a double-take when I saw the author...he is the very same author of many excellent military scifi novels. Will be interesting to see how he fares at nonfiction history.

[Mikey B.]

Thanks Jerome for this interesting book

[Jerome]

An April 2016 release:

by Henri De Wailly
Description:
At the height of World War II, while the Germans were setting their sights on Moscow, Free French, British and Australian forces launched an assault on the Vichy French army in the Middle East on 8th June 1941. This joint initiative of Churchill and de Gaulle - codename "Operation Exporter" - led to one of the most shocking conflicts of World War II. Was this an attempt by the Allied forces to cause mass desertions from the Vichy forces to the Free French? Or were Churchill and de Gaulle motivated to reassert their respective control of the Middle East? The fight caused the loss of 10,000 lives, numerous ships and an estimated 200 aircraft. The Australian forces, under the command of Lieutenant General John Lavarack, carried out the bulk of the fighting and suffered the most casualties. The Vichy Army was overcome, but even during the bitter campaign, the Free French airmen refused to fire on their Vichy compatriots. Henri de Wailly here presents the story of this extraordinary campaign by the British, Australian and Free French forces against Vichy French forces in Syria and Lebanon, the true extent of which has largely been forgotten.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Looks like a good book for my Christmas wish list!

[Mikey B.]

Saw this biography reviewed in the NYT

A Complex Fate: William L. Shirer and the American Century by Ken Cuthbertson

Shirer is of course the author of such iconic books as
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany
and
The Collapse of the Third Republic

[Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces]

Interesting title thanks Mikey.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Thanks for those links Mikey.

[Lee]

I just received my USNI fall catalog. The headliner seems to be an Illustrated edition of The Big E: The Story of the USS Enterprise, due out in November.

I remember reading my dad's paperback copy of this in middle school-- the Pacific has long been of interest to me. While I might not necessarily want to read it again, 259 b&w photos will change my mind!

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Nice big book there Lee, would look good in your library :)

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Here is an October release to keep your eyes open for:


Eisenhower's Thorn on the Rhine: The Battles for the Colmar Pocket, 1944-45 by Nathan B. Prefer
Description:
By the fall of 1944 the Western Allies appeared to be having it all their own way. The summer's Normandy invasion had finally succeeded and the Germans had been driven out of northern France and most of the Low Countries. In September the invasion of France's southern coast had met less opposition and Allied divisions had begun lining up along the Rhine. But while the Americans were about to meet a nasty surprise in the Ardennes, the Germans never did let go of the province of Alsace, and in a hard pocket around the city of Colmar continued to resist. On New Year's Eve they launched a counteroffensive, Operation Northwind, that nearly put Allied forces back on their heels. While the Allies were eventually able to take care of their Ardennes problem the Colmar one still remained. On January 12, 1945, Eisenhower could only tell George Marshall, "It is a very bad thorn in our side today." This is the story of the Sixth Army Group (7th US & 1st French Armies) which fought on the southern flank of the SHAEF front. The French had multiple problems during this campaign so that increasing number of US divisions needed to take part. In the process the 3rd and 28th Infantry Divisions, and 10th and 14th Armored, among others were able to cover themselves with heroism, though hardly less than the threadbare German 19th Army, which bravely resisted against enormous odds until finally the west bank of the Rhine was cleared. Amidst a horrific winter and rough terrain, interspersed by demolished towns, both sides traded blows in a ferocious campaign often neglected in histories of the war. This book informs us fully of the tremendous and costly struggle waged on that often-neglected sector of the front.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Another new release in October by the author of Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze:


Nanjing 1937: Battle for a Doomed City by Peter Harmsen
Description:
The infamous Rape of Nanjing looms like a dark shadow over the history of Asia in the 20th century, and is among the most widely recognized chapters of World War II in China. By contrast, the story of the month-long campaign before this notorious massacre has never been told in its entirety. Nanjing 1937 by Peter Harmsen fills this gap. This is the follow-up to Harmsen's best-selling Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze, and begins where that book left off. In stirring prose, it describes how the Japanese Army, having invaded the mainland and emerging victorious from the Battle of Shanghai, pushed on toward the capital Nanjing in a crushing advance that confirmed its reputation for bravery and savagery in equal measure. While much of the struggle over Shanghai had carried echoes of the grueling war in the trenches two decades earlier, the Nanjing campaign was a fast-paced mobile operation in which armor and air power played mayor roles. It was blitzkrieg two years before Hitler's invasion of Poland. Facing the full might of modern, mechanized warfare, China's resistance was heroic, but ultimately futile. As in Shanghai, the battle for Nanjing was more than a clash between Chinese and Japanese. Soldiers and citizens of a variety of nations witnessed or took part in the hostilities. German advisors, American journalists and British diplomats all played important parts in this vast drama. And a new power appeared on the scene: Soviet pilots dispatched by Stalin to challenge Japan's control of the skies. This epic tale is told with verve and attention to detail by Harmsen, a veteran East Asia correspondent who consolidates his status as the foremost chronicler of World War II in China with this path-breaking work of narrative history.

[Robert]

Some years after the war the Enterprise was set to be scrapped. There was a move on to save it, but sufficient money could not be raised. What a stupendous battle record she had. What a shame we could not save her for future generations to see and walk across her wooden flight deck.

[Manray9]

The Cost of Courage by Charles Kaiser

Kaiser's book on the Boulloche family of France and their roles as résistants during WW II. A review from The Washington Post:

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

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Thanks for the details and review on that new book Manray9.

[Dimitri]

Jerome wrote: "Another November release:

by Henri De Wailly
Description:
At the height of World War II, while t..."

TBR !

[Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces]

Another new release which I am sure will interest many members.

Go-Betweens for Hitler by Karina Urbach

Description
This is the untold story of how some of Germany's top aristocrats contributed to Hitler's secret diplomacy during the Third Reich, providing a direct line to their influential contacts and relations across Europe - especially in Britain, where their contacts included the press baron and Daily Mail owner Lord Rothermere and the future King Edward VIII.

Using previously unexplored sources from Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and the USA, Karina Urbach unravels the story of top-level go-betweens such as the Duke of Coburg, grandson of Queen Victoria, and the seductive Stephanie von Hohenlohe, who rose from a life of poverty in Vienna to become a princess and an intimate of Adolf Hitler. As Urbach shows, Coburg and other senior aristocrats were tasked with some of Germany's most secret foreign policy missions from the First World War onwards, culminating in their role as Hitler's trusted go-betweens, as he readied Germany for conflict during the 1930s - and later, in the Second World War.

Tracing what became of these high-level go-betweens in the years after the Nazi collapse in 1945 - from prominent media careers to sunny retirements in Marbella - the book concludes with an assessment of their overall significance in the foreign policy of the Third Reich.

[Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces]

Another.

The Raj at War: A People’s History of India’s Second World War (No cover photo) by Dr. Yasmin Khan

Description
The Second World War was not fought by Britain alone. India produced the largest volunteer army in world history: 2.5 million men. But, until now, there has never been a comprehensive account of the developments on India’s turbulent home front, and the nexus between warfare and India’s society.

At the heart of The Raj at War are the many lives and voices of ordinary Indian people. From the first Indian to win the Victoria Cross to the three soldiers imprisoned as ‘traitors to the Raj’ who returned to a hero’s welcome, from the nurses in Indian General Hospitals, the labourers, prostitutes and families, their everyday testimonies reveal the great upheaval experienced throughout the land.

Yasmin Khan presents the hidden and sometimes overlooked history of India at war, and shows how mobilisation for the war introduced seismic processes of economic, cultural and social change―decisively shaping both the international war effort, the unravelling of the empire and India’s own political and economic trajectory.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

More excellent books to look our for, thanks for the adds Geevee!

[Eileen]

Jerome wrote: "A November release:

by David Drake
Description:
Paris at War chronicles the lives of ordinary Parisians during World War II, from Septem..."

Thanks Jerome; this sounds like a book I would like.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

This October 2015 release by Frederick Taylor will be a definite purchase for me when it becomes available:


Coventry: Thursday, 14 November 1940 by Frederick Taylor
Description:
At a few minutes past seven on the evening of Thursday, 14 November 1940, the historic industrial city of Coventry was subjected to the longest, most devastating air raid Britain had yet experienced. Only after eleven hours of continual bombardment by the German Luftwaffe could its people emerge from their half-sunk Anderson shelters and their cellars, from under their stairs or kitchen tables, to venture up into their wounded city. That long night of destruction marked a critical moment in the Second World War. It heralded a new kind of air warfare, one which abandoned the pursuit of immediate military goals and instead focused on obliterating all aspects of city life. It also provided the push America needed to join Britain in the war. But while the Coventry raid was furiously condemned publically, such effective enemy tactics provided Britain's politicians and military establishment with a 'blueprint for obliteration', to be adapted and turned against Germany. A merciless four-year war of attrition had begun. In this important work of history Frederick Taylor draws upon numerous sources, including eye witness interviews from the archives of the BBC which are published here for the first time, to reveal the true repercussions of the bombing of Coventry in 1940. He teases out the truth behind the persistent rumours and conspiracy theories that Churchill knew the raid was coming, assesses this significant turning point in modern warfare, looks at how it affected Britain's status in the war, and considers finally whether this attack really could provide justification for the horror of Dresden, 1945.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Another new release (September) on the same subject that may also interest some group members:


The Blitzed City: The Destruction of Coventry, 1940 by Karen Farrington
Description:
The Luftwaffe's targetting and destruction of Coventry city remains the biggest and most destructive air raid on British soil during the Second World War. Seen as a centre of British armaments production, the German high command wished to inflict terror and panic on the British public, a plan that had paid dividends during their relentless conquest of France that year. Attacking over two nights in November, 1940 they systematically bombed and destroyed the bulk of the city, making thousands homeless, and killing over 400 men, women and children.

Such was the devastation, panic and disorder it wrought, that Winston Churchill ordered a news blackout for three weeks in order to quell the unease and morale-sapping effect that the raid had. But people at the time acted with great bravery to save those trapped in bombed out and burning buildings, as well as caring for those badly injured (of which there were thousands), and fighting the Nazi planes coming in to attack the city itself.

Now, for the very first time we interview those veterans who survived the raid and helped fight the flames and bombs to tell the story of this iconic event. Such was the effect it had on the country that when Bomber Command began night time raids against German cities – Hamburg, Cologne and most famously, Dresden – the call 'Remember Coventry!' went up.

[Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces]

Thanks for these Rick. A couple for me too.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Geevee wrote: "Thanks for these Rick. A couple for me too."

I should have guessed that :)

[Dimitri]

Geevee wrote: "Another.

The Raj at War: A People’s History of India’s Second World War (No cover photo) by Dr. Yasmin Khan

Description
The Second World War was not fought by ..."

Curious, the same author is releasing something similar two months later; maybe we should wait ?

http://www.amazon.com/India-At-War-Su...

[Nooilforpacifists]

AR-

I can't read TWO books on Coventry in two months. Think I'll TBR the Taylor. Thanks!

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Frederick Taylor is my first choice out of the two as I loved his book on Dresden.

[Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces]

I'd plump for Taylor's first too.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

I'm afraid this book will find it's way onto my 2015 Christmas list:


The German War: A Nation Under Arms by Nicholas Stargardt
Description:
As early as 1941, Allied victory in World War II seemed all but assured. How and why, then, did the Germans prolong the barbaric conflict for three and a half more years? In "The German War," acclaimed historian Nicholas Stargardt draws on an extraordinary range of primary source materials personal diaries, court records, and military correspondence to answer this question. He offers an unprecedented portrait of wartime Germany, bringing the hopes and expectations of the German people from infantrymen and tank commanders on the Eastern front to civilians on the home front to vivid life. While most historians identify the German defeat at Stalingrad as the moment when the average German citizen turned against the war effort, Stargardt demonstrates that the Wehrmacht in fact retained the staunch support of the patriotic German populace until the bitter end. Astonishing in its breadth and humanity, "The German War" is a groundbreaking new interpretation of what drove the Germans to fight and keep fighting for a lost cause."

Reviews:
“[A] massive but thorough meditation…A well-researched, unsettling social history of war that will prove deeply thought-provoking—even worrying—for readers who wonder what they might have done under the same circumstances.” - Kirkus Reviews

“Forcing reflection on many different levels, Nicholas Stargardt’s book pierces through the tangles of both propaganda and moralism to offer a searching and compulsively readable account of a conflict that was understood from within as a German, not just a Nazi, war. Stargardt negotiates the considerable risks of writing from inside German experiences of this brutally destructive war with subtlety, humanity, and wisdom. This is a rich and deeply impressive lesson in ethical understanding without sacrifice of historical distance or critical judgment.” - Jane Caplan, Emeritus Fellow, St Antony’s College, Oxford

“The German War is an outstanding book by a master historian. Weaving together personal letters, secret police reports, Goebbels’ propaganda ministry assessments, and other sources, Nicholas Stargardt shows what and when the German people knew about the conduct of the war, what they thought about it, and how the regime, always attuned to people’s moods, tailored its message and policies accordingly. The German War is a masterpiece of historical writing, blending seamlessly a ‘bird’s eye’ view with intimate micro-history of this calamitous period in twentieth century Europe.” - Jan T. Gross, author of Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland

“Using letters, diaries and other published and unpublished testimonies, Nicholas Stargardt shows that notwithstanding the spreading knowledge of the regime’s crimes—particularly against the Jews—and the growing impact of major defeats, Wehrmacht and population were determined to go on fighting, possibly out of fear of retribution, to the very end. Beautifully written and convincingly argued, this book is a must.” - Saul Friedlander, author of Nazi Germany and the Jews

“A terrific book. Nicholas Stargardt brilliantly explores diaries, letters, and other previously untapped sources to provide more vivid and nuanced insight than ever before achieved into the motivation of ordinary Germans fighting the most horrific war of all time.” - Ian Kershaw, author of The End: The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler’s Germany, 1944-1945

“Little by little, with a raft of new insights, and a clear and empathetic eye, Nicholas Stargardt’s remarkable new book transforms our view of something we thought we already understood: the German population’s evolving attitudes during the war. For the first time, the wartime chronology of German sentiment, of popular hopes and fears, realism and fantasy, becomes truly visible. A powerful and compelling account.” - Mark Roseman, Professor of History, Indiana University

“Why did most Germans, reluctant to enter a second World War in 1939, ultimately unify behind an effort that by 1943 seemed doomed to failure? Weaving together first person testimonies drawn from diaries, memoirs, and letters, Nicholas Stargardt provides insightful, illuminating, complex, and convincing answers in this big book. Seven decades and a mountain of monographs later, I wouldn’t have thought there’d be much more to say about WWII. Stargardt has proven me wrong.” - Robert Moeller, Professor of History, University of California, Irvine

“The German War is a tour de force of historical learning, breadth of vision, and narrative skill. In depicting the intricate back-and-forth between the big violence of the conduct of the war and the impossible complexities inside individual stories—between the challenges facing ordinary lives and the relentlessness of a wartime beyond their control—Nicholas Stargardt brings an acuteness of insight and sureness of touch to an extraordinary wealth of material. A truly epic account.” - Geoff Eley, Professor of History and German Studies, University of Michigan

“Nicholas Stargardt spotlights the surprising twists and turns in the popular embrace of both the war and Nazi racial extremism. He explains—as few have—why the German people fought to the finish, whereas even the supposedly fanatical Japanese surrendered before an invasion of the homeland.” - Sheldon Garon, author of Molding Japanese Minds: The State in Everyday Life

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

I am pretty sure that this September 2015 release will interest a few members in this group:


The Red Army and the Great Terror: Stalin's Purge of the Soviet Military by Peter Whitewood
Description:
On June 11, 1937, a closed military court ordered the execution of a group of the Soviet Union's most talented and experienced army officers, including Marshal Mikhail Tukhachevskii; all were charged with participating in a Nazi plot to overthrow the regime of Joseph Stalin. There followed a massive military purge, from the officer corps through the rank-and-file, that many consider a major factor in the Red Army's dismal performance in confronting the German invasion of June 1941. Why take such action on the eve of a major war? The most common theory has Stalin fabricating a "military conspiracy" to tighten his control over the Soviet state. In The Red Army and the Great Terror , Peter Whitewood advances an entirely new explanation for Stalin's actions--an explanation with the potential to unlock the mysteries that still surround the Great Terror, the surge of political repression in the late 1930s in which over one million Soviet people were imprisoned in labor camps and over 750,000 executed. Framing his study within the context of Soviet civil-military relations dating back to the 1917 revolution, Whitewood shows that Stalin sanctioned this attack on the Red Army not from a position of confidence and strength, but from one of weakness and misperception. Here we see how Stalin's views had been poisoned by the paranoid accusations of his secret police, who saw spies and supporters of the dead Tsar everywhere and who had long believed that the Red Army was vulnerable to infiltration by foreign intelligence agencies engaged in a conspiracy against the Soviet state. Recently opened Russian archives allow Whitewood to counter the accounts of Soviet defectors and conspiracy theories that have long underpinned conventional wisdom on the military purge. By broadening our view, The Red Army and the Great Terror demonstrates not only why Tukhachevskii and his associates were purged in 1937, but also why tens of thousands of other officers and soldiers were discharged and arrested at the same time. With its thorough reassessment of these events, the book sheds new light on the nature of power, state violence, and civil-military relations under the Stalinist regime.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Here is another September 2015 release that looks like offering a detailed account of the Canadian efforts in Europe during the final year of the war. I am pretty sure this volume will interest some members of our group:

Fight to the Finish: Canadians in the Second World War, 1944-1945 by Tim Cook
Description:
The magisterial second volume of Tim Cook's definitive account of Canadians fighting in the Second World War. Historian Tim Cook displays his trademark storytelling ability in the second volume of his masterful account of Canadians in World War II. Cook combines an extraordinary grasp of military strategy with a deep empathy for the soldiers on the ground, at sea and in the air. Whether it's a minute-by-minute account of a gruelling artillery battle, vicious infighting among generals, the scene inside a medical unit, or the small details of a soldier's daily life, Cook creates a compelling narrative. He recounts in mesmerizing detail how the Canadian forces figured in the Allied bombing of Germany, the D-Day landing at Juno beach, the taking of Caen, and the drive south. Featuring dozens of black-and-white photographs and moving excerpts from letters and diaries of servicemen, "Fight to the Finish" is a memorable account of Canadians who fought abroad and of the home front that was changed forever."

[Mike, Assisting Moderator US Forces]

Well, I have 3 kids and if I play it right, I can get all three books under the tree in December. Added TBR.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Excellent plan Mike!

[Miss M]

This does go beyond the war, but I think some might be interested:


Queen of Spies: Daphne Park, Britain's Cold War Spy Master

From living in a tin-roofed shack north of Dar-es-Salaam to becoming Baroness Park of Monmouth, Daphne Park led a most unusual life—one that consisted of a lifelong love affair with the world of Britain's secret services. In the 1970s, she was appointed to Secret Intelligence Service's most senior operational rank as one of its seven Area Controllers—an extraordinary achievement for a woman working within this most male-dominated and secretive of organizations.

Also some great background, here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obitu...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/35...

"Daphne Park was summoned for interview at FANY (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry – which had evolved to undertake unconventional tasks among the Services). There she was vetted for her usefulness in encryption but became the first person ever to fail the final examination, by providing an over-elaborate response to a question about ciphers. Fortunately, her paper found its way to the head of coding at the Special Operations Unit, who put her on his staff. It was the beginning, as she admitted, of her "very interesting war".
After a period instructing a range of agents in the use of codes, Daphne Park was promoted to the rank of sergeant and sent to Milton Hall in Leicestershire, where she helped to train the Jedburghs, special teams formed to support the Resistance in Europe. She was, however, sacked for insubordination after she told a senior officer he was incompetent, and in 1945 went to work as a briefing and dispatching officer in North Africa.
Daphne Park's wartime activities in SOE left her deeply compromised in Europe and disqualified her from entry into the Service. Instead, bitterly disappointed, and still a FANY officer, she was sent to Vienna in 1946 to set up an office for FIAT (Field Intelligence Agency Technical), directing the search for Axis scientists who had been involved in interesting projects during the war and were wanted for interview by the British. Her assistance to SIS secured her an interview back in London. She was duly offered a job and entered the Service in July 1948, the time of the Berlin airlift."