New Release Books on WW2 Showing 1,651-1,700 of 3,293

[Manray9]

The Washington Post has a review of Andrew Nagorski's --

The Nazi Hunters
It sounds pretty good. Here's the review:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinio...

[Sue]

Thanks for the posting. All-encompassing book topic and great review.

Forwarded it on to to others interested in WWII topics not on GR.

[Manray9]

The June 9th issue of NYRB has a review essay on two books about Churchill -- more accurately, one on him, another on his wife. They're:

No More Champagne: Churchill and His Money by David Lough

Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill by Sonia Purnell

Two excerpts from the review struck me:

No wonder that at Chartwell in April and May of 1949, so far from"no more champagne," 454 bottles were consumed, along with fifty-eight of brandy, fifty-six of Black Label whisky, and sixty-nine of port.

That's some serious imbibing, especially at a time when rationing of many items was still in effect.

But family life was woeful. Randolph married the very young Pamela Digby, begot a son, and went off to Egypt leaving behind a disconsolate, though not inconsolable, wife. In her life of Clementine, Sonia Purnell doesn't stint...describing a night at the Dorchester Hotel where Pamela helped an American visitor to "peel off her dress." And yet it's not without real historical significance that at the height of the war the American ambassador to the Court of St. James's was sleeping with the prime minister's daughter, and the president's special envoy was sleeping with the prime minister's daughter-in-law. Special relationships indeed.

Gil Winant, U.S. ambassador was having an affair with Sarah Churchill and Averill Harriman with Pamela Churchill (his future third wife). Whew!

[happy]

I saw Ms. Purnell on BootTV talking about her book a few months ago

http://www.c-span.org/video/?400028-1...

[Colin]

I knew and interviewed Pamela Churchill (Harriman), interesting lady.

[Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces]

I had the pleasure of working with Winston's grandson (also called Winston) on some charity work. He was a pleasure to be with and his own career was fascinating in itself, and listening to him talk about Sir Winston was wonderful, especially in the Houses of Parliament. A great loss when he died in 2010.

[Mike, Assisting Moderator US Forces]

Any stories that you remember and can share Geevee?

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Here is a new release title (June 2016) that really does offer something different in regards to WW2 history:

The Tattie Lads: The untold story of the Rescue Tug Service 1917–45 and its battle to save ships, lives and cargoes by Ian Dear
Description:
Enduring great danger and often terrible conditions in heavy seas, the Rescue Tug Services worked tirelessly to bring to port damaged vessels and keep up the supply of food and essential items during two world wars. They were first deployed towards the end of the First World War to support and if necessary to salvage merchant shipping that had been damaged by U-boat attacks. During the Second World War they were needed even more urgently when ships bringing food and other essential supplies to a beleaguered Britain were attacked by both air strikes and submarines. Although part of the Royal Navy, the contribution of the Rescue Tug Service remained curiously absent from the naval history of the Second World War. Yet the Service had developed what a wartime American newspaper called a new type of naval vessel the British fighting escort tug and had saved millions of tons of shipping, both warships and merchant ships, not to mention the crews and the precious cargoes. The official history of the Merchant Navy did not mention the Service either, nor did numerous other books on the war at sea. In 2014 author Ian Dear was given access to the archives of the Deep Sea Rescue Tug Service which were about to be disbanded. His research, here and elsewhere produced a view of the war at sea from an entirely new angle. The result, The 'Tattie Lads' explores why the service might have been omitted from the official story, and reveals its fascinating history in a full-length book for the first time.

[Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces]

Mike wrote: "Any stories that you remember and can share Geevee?"

Nothing that isn't known Mike but you certainly knew that Winston revered his grandfather and I found the memories he had of staying at Chartwell interesting as was the state funeral. Sir Winston used to write many letters to him when he was at Boarding school so they had a nice informal relationship.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Here are another two new release titles that may interest those who have a passion for books covering the conflict on the Eastern Front:

Confronting Case Blue: Briansk Front's Attempt to Derail the German Drive to the Caucasus, July 1942 by Igor' Sdvizhkov
Description:
The author Igor Sdvizhkov takes a close look at the attempt by Briansk Front's Operational Group Chibisov to collapse the northern shoulder of the German drive to the Caucasus northwest of Voronezh in July 1942. Using both previously-classified Soviet documents and German documents, Sdvizhkov focuses in particular on General A.I. Liziukov's role in the counteroffensive as commander of the 2nd Tank Corps, after his 5th Tank Army was disbanded following failed counterattacks in early July. The Soviet attacks led to nine days of heavy, see-saw fighting involving tens of thousands of men and hundreds of tanks and guns on both sides, and threatened to isolate the German forces holding Voronezh. Sdvizhkov also describes the German reaction to the initial penetration made by Operational Group Chibisov s offensive: a counterattack primarily with the forces of the 9th Panzer Division, which at the time of the new Soviet offensive was in a reserve position, serving as a fire brigade. The German riposte blunted the Soviet attacks and encircled elements of Operational Group Chibisov, and ultimately stabilized the tottering German front northwest of Voronezh for the time being.General Liziukov would go missing during the 2nd Tank Corps attack, and the author discusses why the Briansk Front and Operational Group Chibisov command initially made little or no effort to find the general; Stalin's suspicions surrounding General Liziukov s disappearance; and the results of the official wartime investigation of the matter. Sdvizhkov also addresses the numerous controversies that later ensued due to erroneous and/or misleading recollections as well as the total inability to locate General Liziukov or his remains. Carefully examining the available evidence, Sdvizhkov offers a cogent and persuasive explanation of what happened.

Operation Bagration, 23 June-29 August 1944: The Rout of the German Forces in Belorussia by Richard W Harrison
Description:
The Rout of the German-Fascist Troops in Belorussia in 1944 covers the Red Army's Belorussian strategic operation the linchpin of the ten major Soviet offensive efforts launched that year to clear the country of the invader. During the course of this operation the German position along the western strategic direction was destroyed and the stage set for an advance into Poland and Germany. The success of this operation also set the stage for the Red Army's subsequent advance into the Baltic and south-eastern Europe.

Like most works generated by the General Staff, the Belorussian study divides the operation into two parts: preparation and conduct. The first deals with the massive efforts by the First Baltic and First, Second and Third Belorussian fronts to accumulate the men and materiel to break through the German defences in the swampy and forested terrain of Belorussia. This section contains valuable information on the overall correlation of forces, equipment and troops densities along the breakthrough sectors and Soviet plans for supplying the offensive, as well as detailed information regarding the employment of the various combat arms. The second part deals with the actual conduct of the several front operations that made up the overall effort. This section covers the initial breakthrough battles and the encirclement of the Vitebsk and Bobruisk garrisons, followed by the capture of Minsk and the encirclement of sizeable German forces east of the city.

The narrative then continues with the the follow-on operations to cut off German forces in the Baltic States and to seize crossings over the Vistula River in eastern Poland. Compiled and written by professional staff officers, this study provides a detailed look at the conduct of one of the major operations of the Second World War. This latest work, along with other studies in this series, offers another insight into the Red Army's conduct of the war at the operational-strategic level.

[carl]

Hornfischer fans should like this one due out in Nov. Was surprised to see it already listed on GR. I guess marketing depts are always at work.

A buddy of mine goes to the same church with him and received an email w/the summary and description of the efforts that went into choosing the cover photo.

The Fleet at Flood Tide: America at Total War in the Pacific, 1944-1945

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Here are two new releases that I am sure quite a few members in this group will be interested in, I am!

From Victory to Stalemate: The Western Front, Summer 1944 Decisive and Indecisive Military Operations, Volume 1 by C J Dick
Description:
By the summer of 1944, the war in Europe had reached a critical point. Both the western Allies and the Soviets possessed the initiative and forces capable of mounting strategic offensives against the German enemy. Writing a study of operations on first the Western then Eastern Front, respected military analyst C. J. Dick offers rare insight into the strengths and weaknesses of generalship on both fronts, especially the judgments, choices, and compromises made by senior commanders. At the same time, he clarifies the constraints imposed upon leadership―and upon operations―by doctrinal shortcomings, by logistics, and, not least, by the nature of coalition war.

From Victory to Stalemate focuses on the Western Front, specifically American, British, and Canadian operations in France and the Low Countries. Dick's lens throughout is operational art, which links individual tactical battles to broader strategic aims. Beginning with the D-Day landings in Normandy and the strengths and weaknesses of the armies, including their military doctrines, Dick goes on to analyze the offensives launched in the high summer of 1944. He considers the strategic factors and plans that provide the context for his main concern: the Allied commanders’ handling of army, army group, and theatre offensive operations.

Dick’s analysis shows us an Allied command limited by thinking that is firmly rooted in the experience of small wars and the World War I. The resulting incremental approach was further complicated by a divergence in the ideas and interests of the Allied forces. The man responsible for pulling it all together, Dwight D. Eisenhower, proved remarkably capable in his role as statesman; he was to be less effective as a military technician who could govern such difficult subordinates as Bradley and Montgomery. As a result, the Allied offensive faltered and became a war of attrition, in contrast to the Soviet effort on the Eastern Front.

From Defeat to Victory: The Eastern Front, Summer 1944 Decisive and Indecisive Military Operations, Volume 2 by C J Dick
Description:
By the summer of 1944, the war in Europe had reached a critical point. Both the western Allies and the Soviets possessed the initiative and forces capable of mounting strategic offensives against the German enemy. Writing a study of operations on first the Western then the Eastern Front, respected military analyst C. J. Dick provides a uniquely informative comparison of the different war-fighting doctrines brought to bear by the Allies and the Red Army in contemporaneous campaigns. His book offers rare insights into the strengths and weaknesses of generalship on both fronts.

In volume 2, From Defeat to Victory, Dick turns to the Eastern Front, where battle lines stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea—nearly 1,500 miles to the Allies’ 600—and the Soviet armies and engagements dwarfed in scale those in the West. More importantly, they reflected a war-fighting philosophy significantly different than the Allies’, which in turn produced different military operations. The Soviets were masters of deception-and-surprise, a concept called maskirovka that was an essential part of every military operation. The Soviets were committed to highly mobile and high-tempo offensives. They massed troops in heavy concentrations to achieve a breakthrough that would quickly set conditions for decisive operational maneuvers; they were relentless in their will to destroy the enemy’s forces and, unlike their counterparts in the West, were willing to contend with an enormous amount of casualties. Dick’s analysis shows us how the Red Army, largely free of the political problems that constrained the Allies, was able to develop more radical operational ideas and implement them with a daring and ruthlessness impossible for the armies of democratic states.

From Defeat to Victory also offers a critical lesson in the enduring importance of finding, inculcating, and implementing operational and tactical doctrine that fits the conditions of contemporary war, as well as in the technology, politics, and psychology of the times.

[Dimitri]

Modern War Studies by Kansas U.P ? Keep calm and TBR ! :-)

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Dimitri wrote: "Modern War Studies by Kansas U.P ? Keep calm and TBR ! :-)"

Good response Dimitri!

[Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces]

Dimitri wrote: "Modern War Studies by Kansas U.P ? Keep calm and TBR ! :-)"

I see a t-shirt coming!

[J.]

Amazon just shipped my copy of:



A friend of mine served there in '44.

[Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces]

Looks good J and having the added interest of your friend will I hope make it a good read.

[J.]

Geevee wrote: "Looks good J and having the added interest of your friend will I hope make it a good read."

Probably so. I have Genl. Donovan in my book and asked my friend Dave how tall Donovan was. "Five-foot eight," he said, without a hesitation. Donovan once called him out of formation for a judo demonstration, selecting Dave because he wasn't bigger than the General.

[Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces]

...and that makes it that little bit more interesting to have that colour added to a man or event.

[J.]

Received my copy of OSS Station Victor today.

Only had time to flip through it. Nice picture of Gen. Donovan. Many illustrations; will be a good read for the weekend.

[Jerome]

An October release:

by E. R. Hooton
Description:
The air war over the Steppes was more than a brutal clash in which might alone triumphed. It was a conflict that saw tactical and technological innovation as the Soviet air force faced off against Herman Göring's Luftwaffe. As Germany and the Soviet Union battled for victory on the Eastern Front, they had to overcome significant strategic and industrial problems, while fighting against the extreme weather conditions of the East. These factors, combined with the huge array of aircraft used on the Eastern Front, create one of the most compelling conflicts of the war.

Told primarily from the strategic and command perspective, this account offers a detailed analysis of this oft-overlooked air war, tracing the clashes between Germany and the Soviet Union over the course of World War II. Historical photographs complement the examination as author E. R. Hooton explores these epic aerial battles between the Third Reich and the Soviet Union.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

A forthcoming release, do I need another book on Blitzkrieg? Probably not but then again I'm a sucker for books on WW2:

Blitzkrieg: Myth, Reality, and Hitler's Lightning War: France 1940 by Lloyd Clark
Description:
In the spring of 1940, the Germans launched a military offensive in France and the Low Countries that married superb intelligence, the latest military thinking, and new technology to achieve in just six weeks what their fathers had failed to achieve in all four years of the First World War. It was a stunning victory, altering the balance of power in Europe in one stroke, and convinced the entire world that the Nazi war machine was unstoppable.

But as Lloyd Clark, a leading British military historian and academic, argues in Blitzkrieg, much of our understanding of this victory, and blitzkrieg itself, is based on myth. Far from being a foregone conclusion, Hitler’s plan could easily have failed had the Allies been even slightly less inept or the Germans less fortunate. The Germans recognized that success depended not only on surprise, but on avoiding being drawn into a protracted struggle for which they were not prepared. And while speed was essential, 90% of Germany’s ground forces were still reliant on horses, bicycles, and their own feet for transportation. There was a real fear of defeat. Their surprise victory proved the apex of their achievement; far from being undefeatable, Clark argues, the France 1940 campaign revealed Germany and its armed forces to be highly vulnerable—a fact dismissed by Hitler as he began to plan for his invasion of the Soviet Union.

[Dimitri]

I speak in favour if it's anything like Lloyd Clark's Arnhem. But why wasn't this released "live by calendar", in june ? Perfect for our theme read :-)

[Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces]

Thanks gents. I had the pleasure of listening to Lloyd Clark as a keynote speaker late last year at a WWI seminar. Very knowledgeable and personable gent.

[Jerome]

A January 2017 release:

by Stephen Dando-Collins
Description:
Oflag 64, a World War II prisoner of war (POW) camp based in Schubin, Poland, was speculated to be one of the only POW camps set up exclusively for U.S. Army ground component officers. About 150 American officers lived in the camp in 1943, and by 1945, that number had expanded to 1,500. When the German commandant Colonel Fritz Schneider received orders to march all of his prisoners to west Germany to escape the Russians in January 1945, that number declined rapidly as the American officers put into place long-existing escape plans that would make history.

In The Big Break, we follow famous POWs, such as General Eisenhower’s personal aide, General Patton’s son-in-law, and Ernest Hemingway’s eldest son, as the first American escapes via a tunnel in a stinking latrine, with almost 250 US officers following closely behind in a mass break. The Schubin escapes are by far the largest Allied POW escape of the second World War, surpassing even The Great Escape of 1944. Historian Stephen Dando-Collins chronicles the gripping story of irrepressible Americans determined to be free, brave Poles risking their lives to help them, and dogmatic Nazis determined to stop them.

[Marc]

Just received an e-mail from Amazon that this book is coming out early next month (earlier than previously expected):

Storm Over Leyte: The Philippine Invasion and the Destruction of the Japanese Navy

Having previously read Prados' book
Islands of Destiny: The Solomons Campaign and the Eclipse of the Rising Sun, I'm looking forward to this one.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

For those who enjoy Giles Milton he has a new book just out that may interest you:

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: Churchill's Mavericks: Plotting Hitler's Defeat by Giles Milton
Description:
In the spring of 1939, a top secret organisation was founded in London: its purpose was to plot the destruction of Hitler's war machine through spectacular acts of sabotage.

The guerrilla campaign that followed was to prove every bit as extraordinary as the six gentlemen who directed it. Winston Churchill selected them because they were wildly creative and thoroughly ungentlemanly. One of them, Cecil Clarke, was a maverick engineer who had spent the 1930s inventing futuristic caravans. Now, his talents were put to more devious use: he built the dirty bomb used to assassinate Hitler's favourite, Reinhard Heydrich. Another member of the team, William Fairbairn, was a portly pensioner with an unusual passion: he was the world's leading expert in silent killing. He was hired to train the guerrillas being parachuted behind enemy lines.

Led by dapper Scotsman Colin Gubbins, these men - along with three others - formed a secret inner circle that planned the most audacious sabotage attacks of the Second World War. Winston Churchill called it his Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. The six 'ministers', aided by a group of formidable ladies, were so effective that they single-handedly changed the course of the war.

Told with Giles Milton's trademark verve and eye for detail, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is thoroughly researched and based on hitherto unknown archival material. It is a gripping and vivid narrative of adventure and derring-do and is also, perhaps, the last great untold story of the Second World War.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Here is an October/November release from Yale University Press that is sure to interest a few in the group:

The First Victory: The Second World War and the East Africa Campaign by Andrew Stewart
Description:
Surprisingly neglected in accounts of Allied wartime triumphs, in 1941 British and Commonwealth forces completed a stunning and important victory in East Africa against an overwhelmingly superior Italian opponent. A hastily formed British-led force, never larger than 70,000 strong, advanced along two fronts to defeat nearly 300,000 Italian and colonial troops. This compelling book draws on an array of previously unseen documents to provide both a detailed campaign history and a fresh appreciation of the first significant Allied success of the war. Andrew Stewart investigates such topics as Britain's African wartime strategy; how the fighting forces were assembled (most from British colonies, none from the U.S.); General Archibald Wavell's command abilities and his difficult relationship with Winston Churchill; the resolute Italian defense at Keren, one of the most bitterly fought battles of the entire war; the legacy of the campaign in East Africa; and much more.

[Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces]

Thanks Rick both look good especially the East Africa Campaign.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Geevee wrote: "Thanks Rick both look good especially the East Africa Campaign."

Yes, I'm tempted on getting a copy of that one myself :)

[Jerome]

A March 2017 release:

by Lynne Olson
Description:
When the Nazi blitzkrieg rolled over continental Europe in the early days of World War II, the city of London became a refuge for the governments and armed forces of six occupied nations—Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Norway, Czechoslovakia, and Poland—who escaped there to continue the fight. So, too, did General Charles de Gaulle, the self-appointed representative of free France.

As the only European democracy still holding out against Hitler, Britain became known to occupied countries as “Last Hope Island.” Getting there, one young emigré declared, was “like getting to heaven.”

In this epic, character-driven narrative, acclaimed historian Lynne Olson takes us back to those perilous days when the British and their European guests joined forces to combat the mightiest military force in history. Here we meet the courageous King Haakon of Norway, whose distinctive “H7” monogram became a symbol of his country’s resistance to Nazi rule, and his fiery Dutch counterpart, Queen Wilhelmina, whose anti-fascist radio broadcasts rallied the spirits of her defeated people. Here, too, is the Earl of Suffolk, a swashbuckling British aristocrat whose rescue of two nuclear physicists from France helped make the Manhattan Project possible. Surprising bit players emerge as well: a young Audrey Hepburn, who served as a courier for the Dutch resistance, and four-year-old Madlenka Korbel, the daughter of an exiled Czech government official, who survived Luftwaffe bombardment and grew up to become U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

Last Hope Island also recounts some of the Europeans’ heretofore unsung exploits that helped tilt the balance against the Axis: the crucial efforts of Polish pilots—more than a hundred in all—during the Battle of Britain; the vital role played by French and Polish code breakers in cracking the Germans’ reputedly indecipherable Enigma code; and the flood of top-secret intelligence about German operations—gathered by spies throughout occupied Europe—that helped insure the success of the 1944 Allied invasion.

A fascinating companion to Citizens of London, Olson’s bestselling chronicle of the Anglo-American alliance, Last Hope Island recalls with vivid humanity that brief moment in time when the peoples of Europe stood together in their effort to roll back the tide of conquest and restore order to a broken continent.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Sounds like something a bit different, thanks for posting the details Jerome.

[Dimitri]

Book #7 for 2017 added ... let the New Year come with fistfuls of cash !

[Wulf]

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Here is an October/November release from Yale University Press that is sure to interest a few in the group:

[bookcover:The First Victory: The Second World War and the East Africa Campaign|29563722..."



New to the group here (hey! :D) but yeah thanks for the info on that release, i was dying to get something on the east african campaign.

[Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces]

Hi Wulfburk, glad we got you started and I'm sure the group can add more books for your interest areas. Welcome :)

[Manray9]

Wulfburk wrote: "'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Here is an October/November release from Yale University Press that is sure to interest a few in the group:

[bookcover:The First Victory: The Second World War and the East Af..."

Welcome, Wulfburk.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Hi Wulfburk, and welcome to the group, glad you have found a book of interest already :)

[Doreen]

Marc wrote: "Just received an e-mail from Amazon that this book is coming out early next month (earlier than previously expected):

[bookcover:Storm Over Leyte: The Philippine Invasion and the Destruction of th..."
My grandfather was involved in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. I'm gonna have to check this book out Marc. Thanks for the heads up.

[Marc]

Doreen wrote: My grandfather was involved in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. I'm gonna have to check this book out Marc. Thanks for the heads up.

I'm thinking I might have to read this one soon myself. Also, keep your eyes out for this one which comes out in October:

The Fleet at Flood Tide: America at Total War in the Pacific, 1944-1945

[happy]

Great, a new Hornfischer - I don't even have to think about putting it on the TBR

[Marc]

happy wrote: "Great, a new Hornfischer - I don't even have to think about putting it on the TBR"

Hornfischer's books automatically go to the top of the reading list!

[Dimitri]

Hold all my other listed Pacific books, this looks like a solid stepstone!

[KOMET]

I'd like to recommend the upcoming book -

Spitfire II/V vs Bf 109F: Channel Front 1940–42 by Tony Holmes



Slated for release: FEBRUARY 21st, 2017.

Summary
"With stunning artwork and detailed analysis, this volume provides a pilot's view of the dramatic clashes between these two legendary fighters, as some of the most gifted and “big name” aces of the Second World War went head-to-head in the skies of Northwest Europe.

"As the Battle of Britain approached its conclusion, two new versions of the famous Spitfire and Messerschmitt Bf 109 arrived on the scene. The RAF could see that the Luftwaffe were stepping down their incursions into British airspace and went on to the offensive. The Spitfire Mark II, and increasingly the Mark V, would fly over the picturesque English Channel in fighter sweeps, or to escort vulnerable Blenheim bombers -- waiting for them was the Bf 109F 'Friedrich.'

"Yet despite the reversal of offensive and defensive dispositions, and despite the Luftwaffe deploying the bulk of their fighter strength to the Eastern Front in 1941, the Jagdflieger were able to inflict severe losses on their RAF counterparts."

[Colin]

I have over 100 interviews with pilots who flew all variants of the 109, and the F was the overall favorite, even over the later G models.

[Jerome]

An October release:

by Scott McGaugh (no photo)
Description:
On October 24, 1944, more than 200 American soldiers were surrounded by German infantry deep in the Vosges Mountains of eastern France. When their food, ammunition, and medical supplies ran out, the area’s Army headquarters turned to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated unit of Japanese–American soldiers, to achieve what other units had failed to do: rescuing the “lost battalion.”

In this riveting, gritty narrative, New York Times bestselling historian Scott McGaugh tells the story of the famous Go–for–Broke regiment, whose soldiers had volunteered for combat from within America’s internment camps. It is a story of a young generation’s fight against both the enemy and American prejudice— a story of heroism, sacrifice, and the best America has to offer.

[Colin]

I knew a few of them, including MOH recipient Sen. Daniel Inouye

[Jerome]

A May 2017 release:


by Lawrence Patterson (no photo)
Desription:
Next to nothing has been written about the U-boat war in the Indian Ocean. This is the story of a forgotten campaign. The battle began in August 1943, when a German submarine arrived in the Malaysian harbor of Georgetown. In total, nearly forty U-boats were assigned to penetrate the Indian Ocean, serving alongside troops of the occupying Imperial Japanese forces.

The Japanese allowed U-boats to use Malaysia as an operational station. From that base, they mixed with Japanese forces on a hitherto unseen scale: a move which spread the U-boat war throughout the vast Indian Ocean and into the Pacific. Success in this theater of war held a real chance to swing the tide of battle in North Africa in favor of Rommel, but the Germans essentially did too little too late.

The joint action also gave U-boats the opportunity to penetrate the Pacific Ocean for the first time, attacking shipping off the Australian coast and hunting off New Zealand. Plans were even afoot for an assault on American supply lines. The cooperation' also brought into stark relief the fundamental differences of German and Japanese war aims. After the crews of Italian supply submarines joined the Germans and Japanese, relations between the fighting men of the three main Axis powers were often brutal and almost constantly turbulent.

Stories of U-boats laden with gold and treasure stem almost exclusively from boats destined to and returning from Japanese-controlled Malaysia, laden with material exchanged between the two major partners of the Triple Axis Alliance.

[Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces]

An interesting addition to the library, thanks Jerome.

[Dimitri]

TBR. We'll also need something good on surface action in the Indian Ocean. There's one relatively recent book on those 1942 raids but it received rather mixed reviews (the author lost family members in the action)...and of course the title escapes me...

[KOMET]

Dimitri wrote: "TBR. We'll also need something good on surface action in the Indian Ocean. There's one relatively recent book on those 1942 raids but it received rather mixed reviews (the author lost family member..."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Is this the book you have in mind, Dimitri?

"The Most Dangerous Moment of the War": Japan's Attack on the Indian Ocean, 1942 by John Clancy