THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP discussion
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New Release Books on WW2
Nishant wrote: "Paul wrote: "Every time I read this thread, the TBR grows..."What is TBR?"
To Be Read list. My is sitting pretty close to 1k.
These two future releases are going onto my wish list:
Panzers East and West: The German 10th SS Panzer Division from the Eastern Front to Normandy by Dieter StengerDescription:
Organized and trained during 1943, the 10th SS Panzer Division saw its first action in the spring of 1944 during the attempt to relieve an encircled German army on the Eastern Front. Several months later, Hitler ordered the 10th SS west to Normandy, where by mid-June 1944 German defenses against the Allied offensive were crumbling. Here the division engaged in a series of armored attacks and counterattacks against British and American forces. The 10th SS briefly held off a few enemy thrusts but gradually had to fall back to Falaise, where the division escaped the Allied encirclement with no tanks and only a fraction of its men. The 10th SS Panzer Division next defended against the Allied parachute assault during Operation Market Garden in September 1944. Depleted and now a division in name only, the 10th SS fought in Alsace before Hitler sent it to the Eastern Front again. There, east of Berlin, the division participated in the final, futile battles against the Red Army before escaping to Czechoslovakia to surrender to the U.S. Army.
Vitebsk: The Fight and Destruction of Third Panzer Army by Otto HeidkämperDescription:
The city of Vitebsk in Belarus was of strategic importance during the fighting on the Eastern Front, as it controlled the route to Minsk. A salient in the German lines, Vitebsk had been declared a Festerplatz--a fortress town--meaning that it must be held at all costs. A task handed to 3rd Panzer Army in 1943.Otto Heidkamper was chief of staff of Georg-Hans Reinhardt's 3rd Panzer Army, Army Group Center, which was stationed around Vitebsk and Smolensk from early 1942 until June 1944. His detailed account of the defense of Vitebsk through the winter of 1943 into 1944, right up to the Soviet summer offensive, is a valuable firsthand account of how the operations around Vitebsk played out. Twenty maps accompany the narrative. During this time, 3rd Panzer Army undertook numerous military operations to defend the area against the Soviets; they also engaged in anti-partisan operations in the area, deporting civilians accused of supporting partisans and destroying property. Finally, in June 1944, the Soviets amassed four armies to take Vitebsk, which was then held by 38,000 men of 53rd Corps. Within three days, Vitebsk was encircled, with 53rd Corps trapped inside. Attempts to break the encirclement failed, and resistance in the pocket broke down over the next few days. On June 27, the final destruction of German resistance in Vitebsk was completed. Twenty thousand Germans were dead and another 10,000 had been captured.
Couldn't help myself, ordered copies of both books above :)
Since we are talking Panzers, does anyone have a favorite Rommel biography?
My two favourites are:
Knight's Cross: A Life Of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel by David Fraser(Published 1993)
Field Marshal: The Life and Death of Erwin Rommel by Daniel Allen Butler(Published 2015)
tbh, Fraser's Rommel bio left me as cold as his prose (2 stars usually means I flipped more pages than actually reading'em) . He seems more at ease with high-level tactics, judging from a cursory look at And We Shall Shock Them: The British Army in the Second World War.
Dimitri wrote: "tbh, Fraser's Rommel bio left me as cold as his prose (2 stars usually means I flipped more pages than actually reading'em) . He seems more at ease with high-level tactics, judging from a cursory l..."Dimitri: I am in complete agreement with you on those two books by Fraser.
Thank you Rick, MR9 and Dimitri!
I've encountered many unusual books on WW II, but this is the first time encountering this subject.
The Great Cat and Dog Massacre: The Real Story of World War Two's Unknown Tragedy by Hilda Kean.From the University of Chicago Press: The tragedies of World War II are well known. But at least one has been forgotten: in September 1939, four hundred thousand cats and dogs were massacred in Britain. The government, vets, and animal charities all advised against this killing. So why would thousands of British citizens line up to voluntarily euthanize household pets?
In The Great Cat and Dog Massacre, Hilda Kean unearths the history, piecing together the compelling story of the life—and death—of Britain’s wartime animal companions. She explains that fear of imminent Nazi bombing and the desire to do something to prepare for war led Britons to sew blackout curtains, dig up flower beds for vegetable patches, send their children away to the countryside—and kill the family pet, in theory sparing them the suffering of a bombing raid. Kean’s narrative is gripping, unfolding through stories of shared experiences of bombing, food restrictions, sheltering, and mutual support. Soon pets became key to the war effort, providing emotional assistance and helping people to survive—a contribution for which the animals gained government recognition.
Something a bit different indeed MR9!
Were they euthanized or turned into roof rabbits ? the Belgians in the first war made'em quite tasty, with onions and cooked in sweet dark beer.P.S. If this sounds callous, hold the pitchforks, I have 3 cats myself. They are trained to purr over the compliment "heey my lil' roof rabbit" :-D
Dimitri wrote: "Were they euthanized or turned into roof rabbits ? the Belgians in the first war made'em quite tasty, with onions and cooked in sweet dark beer.P.S. If this sounds callous, hold the pitchforks, I..."
LOL. I remember in Jr. High my Grandfather told me what Roof Rabbit was, not that I think he realized what he was saying, since almost immediately afterward he was telling me about how he never ate any since he owned a bar during the Depression. Took me years to realize that meant that all the chickens that they had come about due to the trading involved. Go figure.
yeah strange. never heard of that one. Manray9 wrote: "I've encountered many unusual books on WW II, but this is the first time encountering this subject.
[bookcover:The Great Cat and Dog Massacre: The Real Story of World War Two's Unknown Tragedy|313..."
A November release:
by Eugenie Buchan Description:
On December 7, 1941, a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor plunged the United States into armed conflict with Japan. In the first three months of the war the Japanese seemed unbeatable as they seized American, British, and European territory across the Pacific: the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Dutch East Indies. Nonetheless, in those dark days, the U.S. press began to pick up reports about a group of American mercenaries who were bringing down enemy planes over Burma and western China. The pilots quickly became known as the Flying Tigers and a legend was born.
But who were these flyers for hire and how did they wind up in the British colony of Burma? In the standard version of events, an American named Claire Chennault had convinced the Roosevelt administration to establish, fund, and equip covert air squadrons that could attack the Japanese in China and possibly bomb Tokyo—even before a declaration of war existed between the United States and Japan. That was hardly the case: although present at the creation, Chennault was not the sole originator of the American Volunteer Group.
In A Few Planes for China, Eugenie Buchan draws on wide-ranging new sources to overturn seventy years of received wisdom about the genesis of the Flying Tigers. This strange experiment in airpower was accidental rather than intentional; haphazard decisions and changing threat perceptions both shaped its organization and deprived it of resources. In the end it was the British—more than any American in or out of government—who got the Tigers off the ground. On the eve of Pearl Harbor, the most important man behind the Flying Tigers was not Claire Chennault but Winston Churchill.
Hmm, that books looks intriguing...
I'm not too sure if this July 2017 release has been mentioned yet but I dare say it can't hurt to mention it again as I know quite a few members are interested in the Ploesti raid:
The Daring World War II Raid on Ploesti by William BradleDescription:
In 1943, the Allied forces were grasping for anything to undercut Hitlers power and relieve his relentless pressure on the Red Army. The US Army Air Force planned Operation Tidal Wave, which would take off from Benghazi, Libya, fly low and maintain complete radio silence to escape Axis observation, and bomb Hitlers vital oil fields in Ploesti, Romania. On 1 August, 178 B-24 bombers prepared to take off. Fifty-three would never return -- the Germans knew they were coming. Operation Tidal Wave was a massive tactical defeat. However, it proved the mettle of the USAAF and provided a rallying point for the public. William R Bradle offers the definitive account of this doomed operation and takes readers into the thick of the action with thrilling accounts from many of the crews.
Another WW2 aviation new release that may be of interest to some group members:
Stirling to Essen: The Godmanchester Stirling: A Bomber Command Story of Courage and Tragedy by Roger LeiversDescription:
On 11 April 1942, a stricken Short Stirling Royal Air Force bomber crashes into fields to the east of Godmanchester in Cambridgeshire, England. Hours earlier the commitment and skill of the crew had been tested to the limit confronting the formidable searchlight and flak defences of the German city of Essen. This event, hidden for so long, had drifted into the fog of history, but a chance email led to this amazing story revealing itself. An epic tale of a wealthy young man, whose mother died during his birth, who lived for excitement, and who went on to join the RAF in 1938. Matthew Drummond Henderson Wilson went on to become a Ferry pilot, a Flying Instructor and finally a Test pilot. In October 1941, he joined RAF Bomber Command s No. XV Squadron becoming a Squadron Leader, and taking part in numerous raids on Brest and the Ruhr. Stirling to Essen is also the story of the men who served alongside their pilot, and the unbreakable bond of friendship they found as they soared over the deadly skies of the Third Reich and occupied Europe. What became of these men, did fate smile upon them or was luck to desert them? Time and again new and unexpected stories came to light, embroidering the already rich tapestry.
Author Roger Leivers meticulous and comprehensive research has brought to life the remarkable story of the Godmanchester Stirling. A story of friendship, bravery, and sacrifice, acted out against the nightly threat of never returning to this sceptred isle again.
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "I'm not too sure if this July 2017 release has been mentioned yet but I dare say it can't hurt to mention it again as I know quite a few members are interested in the Ploesti raid:The Daring World War II Raid on Ploesti"Oh dear.... now we have to play rock paper scissors with
Fortress Ploesti: The Campaign to Destroy Hitler's Oil Supply
Jerome wrote: "A November release: by Eugenie Buchan ."
Thanks for this: I'm a sucker for anything related to the AVG. Next to the South Pacific, they are among my favorites to read about!
This June 2017 release is sure to attract some interest within the group:
The Women Who Flew for Hitler by Clare MulleyDescription:
Hanna Reitsch and Melitta von Stauffenberg were talented, courageous and strikingly attractive women who fought convention to make their names in the male-dominated field of flight in 1930s Germany. With the war, both became pioneering test pilots and both were awarded the Iron Cross for service to the Third Reich. But they could not have been more different and neither woman had a good word to say for the other.
Hanna was middle-class, vivacious and distinctly Aryan, while the darker, more self-effacing Melitta, came from an aristocratic Prussian family. Both were driven by deeply held convictions about honour and patriotism but ultimately while Hanna tried to save Hitler's life, begging him to let her fly him to safety in April 1945, Melitta covertly supported the most famous attempt to assassinate the Führer. Their interwoven lives provide a vivid insight into Nazi Germany and its attitudes to women, class and race.
Acclaimed biographer Clare Mulley gets under the skin of these two distinctive and unconventional women, giving a full - and as yet largely unknown - account of their contrasting yet strangely parallel lives, against a changing backdrop of the 1936 Olympics, the Eastern Front, the Berlin Air Club, and Hitler's bunker. Told with brio and great narrative flair, The Women Who Flew for Hitler is an extraordinary true story, with all the excitement and colour of the best fiction.
Here's a book about the Anglo-Canadian liberation of the Channel ports, followed by the clearing of the Scheldt, which is coming out in July.
Thanks for the details on the new book Nishant, I know its bound to interest a few members here in the group.
We could use something more recent than the official histories andTug of war by Denis Whitaker (1980's)....
I released a WWII historical fiction novel this Spring about the OSS, the Big Inch pipeline which shipped Texas crude oil/refined products to the troops in Europe, and the Texas home front. It's been well-reviewed and is available on Amazon and Kindle. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts since you all know WWII was the first mechanized war, and it would have ground to a halt without oil. Also, it's surprising because so little is said of the work of the espionage network in the States.The Big InchThe Big Inch
Here is a new release covering an area usually overlooked in WW2 histories:
The Riviera at War: World War II on the Cote de Azur by George G KundahlDescription:
During World War II three distinct forces opposed the Allies - Germany, Italy, and Japan. Few areas of the world experienced domination by more than a single one of these, but southeastern France - the region popularly known as the Riviera or Cote d'Azur - was one. Not only did inhabitants suffer through Italian Fascism and German Nazism but also under a third hardship at times even more oppressive - the rule of Vichy France. Following a nine-month prelude, the reality of World War II burst onto the Riviera in June 1940 when the region had to defend itself against the Italian army and ended in April 1945 with a battle against German and Italian forces in April 1945, a period longer than any other part of France. In this book, George G. Kundahl tells for the first time the full story of World War II on the French Riviera. Featuring previously unseen sources and photographs, this will be essential reading for anyone interested in wartime France.
Noted AR. Had an Uncle in that theater, US Artillery and haven't done a lot of research on it yet. This would be good.'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Here is a new release covering an area usually overlooked in WW2 histories:
[book:The Riviera at War: World War II on the C..."
Kimberly wrote: "I released a WWII historical fiction novel this Spring about the OSS, the Big Inch pipeline which shipped Texas crude oil/refined products to the troops in Europe, and the Texas home front. It's be..."For 99 cents, I may just pick up the e-Book, but don't hold your breath - I have a hard time with e-Books and typically on get a page or two at a time. If I buy it and get through it reasonably soon, I will let you know my thoughts. Good luck with the book, regardless!
James Holland has a new book out:The War in the West: A New History: Volume 2: The Allies Fight Back 1941-43
I'm sure people here who have read the first volume (Germany ascendant) or other books by the same author would like this book.
Nishant wrote: "James Holland has a new book out:The War in the West: A New History: Volume 2: The Allies Fight Back 1941-43
I'm sure people here who have read the first volume (Germany ascendan..."
At last ! :-D
Nishant wrote: "James Holland has a new book out:The War in the West: A New History: Volume 2: The Allies Fight Back 1941-43
I'm sure people here who have read the first volume (Germany ascendan..."
I've got my copy on order and it should be waiting for me when I get back home in June :)
I've published a review of Blitzed, Norman Ohler's book on drugs in the Third Reich. 
An October release:
by Robert M. CitinoDescription:
By 1943, the war was lost, and most German officers knew it. Three quarters of a century later, the question persists: What kept the German army going in an increasingly hopeless situation? Where some historians have found explanations in the power of Hitler or the role of ideology, Robert M. Citino, the world’s leading scholar on the subject, posits a more straightforward solution: Bewegungskrieg, the way of war cultivated by the Germans over the course of history. In this gripping account of German military campaigns during the final phase of World War II, Citino charts the inevitable path by which Bewegungskrieg, or a “war of movement,” inexorably led to Nazi Germany’s defeat.
The Wehrmacht’s Last Stand analyzes the German Totenritt, or “death ride,” from January 1944—with simultaneous Allied offensives at Anzio and Ukraine—until May 1945, the collapse of the Wehrmacht in the field, and the Soviet storming of Berlin. In clear and compelling prose, and bringing extensive reading of the German-language literature to bear, Citino focuses on the German view of these campaigns. Often very different from the Allied perspective, this approach allows for a more nuanced and far-reaching understanding of the last battles of the Wehrmacht than any now available. With Citino’s previous volumes, Death of the Wehrmacht and The Wehrmacht Retreats, The Wehrmacht’s Last Stand completes a uniquely comprehensive picture of the German army’s strategy, operations, and performance against the Allies in World War II.
I'll be ordering a copy of is book once it's published, thanks for the details Jerome.
Citino for KUP. This is going to be goood :p
Half way through, Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Brilliant and for me a lot of new information. Beautifully written.
This one just landed today:
Rocky Boyer's War: An Unvarnished History of the Air Blitz That Won the War in the Southwest Pacific
Added that one to the TBR.
For those of you interested in England's (especially London's) post-war austerity, can I let you know about the third book in my trilogy A Relative Invasion, set in this time. The story is about a boyhood rivalry that culminates dramatically in this volume, but I spent a long time researching those times to get the background accurate. There's a collection of data from thousands of ordinary folk, so that I was able to get a better idea of attitudes than is possible from newspapers. The book is called Impact (A Relative Invasion, Book 3)
From a recent review in The Washington Post of Lynne Olson's --
Last Hope Island: How Nazi-Occupied Europe Joined Forces with Britain to Help Win World War II.The reviewer, Paul Kennedy, states:
Given the liveliness and occasional breathlessness of Olson’s account, it may be sometimes difficult for the reader, or even the military historian, to understand what exactly these varied bodies of French, Belgians, Danes, Dutch, Norwegians, Czechs and Poles did “that helped turn the tide of war” (as the book’s subtitle has it).
I have noted the "breathlessness" of previous works by Olson.
February 2018 from James Holland:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Set your calendar if you're that way inclined...
Will be one to have I think Jonny, thanks for the heads up!
My book, The General's Niece (about Charles de Gaulle's niece Genevieve), launches this week. Here's the Goodreads profile:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Thanks in advance for your support and interest.
Best regards,
Paige
A March 2018 release:
by Nigel Walpole Description
From September 1940 until May 1941, Britain - especially Greater London - suffered heavily under a barrage of day and night-time raids by the then mighty Luftwaffe; raids which killed some 20,000 people and destroyed or damaged one million homes during what came to be known as the London Blitz. A baby blitz followed, from January to May 1944, which was destined to be the final manned bomber offensive by a much depleted Luftwaffe. Afterwards, there came the last gasp, the final blitz on London, this time delivered by the V1 flying bombs and V2 rockets which were aimed at the capital. Overall, the V weapons killed or seriously injured 31,000 in London and destroyed or seriously damaged 1.6 million houses throughout Britain. Yet despite all this, British industry, economy and morale remained largely intact.
Group Captain Nigel Walpole grew up in London during the Blitz and he has traced the full history of the V1 'doodlebugs' and V2 rockets that terrorised so many at this time. He looks at the infamous missile development site at Peenemunde and the engineers who brought Hitler's horrific visions to life. He reports his vivid memories of the three Blitz campaigns and the countermeasures taken in response to them. Having been granted direct access to the history of the V weapons, he describes the evolution, development, production deployment and launch of the flying bombs and rockets. Whilst acknowledging the terrible damage inflicted by these weapons, Nigel also recognises them as an example of Germany s extraordinary capacity for innovation and determination during one of the darkest periods of world history.
And a May 2018 release:
by Evan McGilvrayDescription:
Along with thousands of his compatriots, Władysław Anders was imprisoned by the Soviets when they attacked Poland with their German allies in 1939. They endured terrible treatment until the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 suddenly put Stalin in the Allied camp, after which they were evacuated to Iran and formed into the Polish Second Corps under Anders' command.
Once equipped and trained, the corps was eventually committed to the Italian campaign, notably at Monte Cassino. The author assesses Anders' performance as a military commander, finding him merely adequate, but his political role was more significant and caused friction in the Allied camp. From the start he often opposed Sikorski, the Polish Prime Minister in exile and Commander in Chief of Polish armed forces in the West. Indeed, Anders was suspected of collusion in Sikorski's death in July 1943 and of later sending Polish death squads into Poland to eliminate opponents, charges that Evan McGilvray investigates. Furthermore, Anders voiced his deep mistrust of Stalin and urged a war against the Soviets after the defeat of Hitler.
A November 2018 release:
by Richard DohertyDescription:
One of the bloodiest European battles of the Second World War was that from January to June 1944 for the Gustav Line, anchored on Monte Cassino, famous for its Benedictine Abbey. Better known as the Battle of Cassino, the campaign only ended when Rome was liberated.
With General Sir Harold Alexander in overall command, the Allied Army Group in Italy, consisted of Fifth (US) and Eighth (British) Armies. Both were truly multi-national with some 20 allies nations involved. The book recognises the contributions of all elements and flags up the inevitable national tensions and rivalries exacerbated by restrictions of terrain and weather. Allied commanders, using ingenuity, highly effective artillery and sophisticated close air support, finally triumphed over their formidable German adversaries. Cassino: January-June 1944 examines the campaign from the political/strategic levels to the tactical, using official records, accounts from commanders and participants, including interviews. The Author has conducted many battlefield studies and written extensively on the War in Italy.
Just good looking books coming up, thanks for posting the details Jerome.
Jerome wrote: "And a February 2018 release: by Evan McGilvray Finally, a companion to Anders' autiobiographical classic:
An Army in Exile: The Story of the Second Polish Corps
Malta 1940-42: The Axis' Air Battle for Mediterranean Supremacy by Ryan K NoppenAnticipated Publication Date: February 20, 2018
SUMMARY
"In 1940, the strategically vital island of Malta was Britain's last toehold in the central Mediterranean, wreaking havoc among Axis shipping. Launching an air campaign to knock Malta out of the war, first Italy and then Germany sought to force a surrender or reduce the defenses enough to allow an invasion.
"Drawing on original documents, multilingual aviation analyst Ryan Noppen explains how technical and tactical problems caused the original Italian air campaign of 1940–41 to fail, and then how the German intervention came close to knocking Malta out of the war. Using stunning full color artwork, this fascinating book explains why the attempt by the Axis powers to take the British colony of Malta ultimately failed."
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