THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP discussion
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New Release Books on WW2
Dimitri wrote: "Jerome wrote: "A May 2018 release:"Jerome, if you keep'em coming like this, I'm going to have to add a '2018' shelf 3 months in advance :-)"
You don't have one yet? :)
Dimitri wrote: "Jerome wrote: "A May 2018 release:"Jerome, if you keep'em coming like this, I'm going to have to add a '2018' shelf 3 months in advance :-)"
I've been thinking about mine since January!
Well if you are getting ready your 2018 new book shelf you may want to consider leaving some space for this May 2018 release:
World War II at Sea: A Global History by Craig L. SymondsDescription:
Author of Lincoln and His Admirals (winner of the Lincoln Prize), The Battle of Midway (Best Book of the Year, Military History Quarterly), and Operation Neptune (winner of the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature), Craig L. Symonds ranks among the country's finest naval historians. World War II at Sea is his crowning achievement, a narrative of the entire war and all of its belligerents, on all of the world's oceans and seas between 1939 and 1945.
Here are the major engagements and their interconnections: the U-boat attack on Scapa Flow and the Battle of the Atlantic; the "miracle" evacuation from Dunkirk and the scuttling of the French Navy; the pitched battles for control of Norway fjords and Mussolini's Regia Marina; the rise of the Kidö Butai and Pearl Harbor; the landings in North Africa and New Guinea, then on Normandy and Iwo Jima. Symonds offers indelible portraits of the great naval leaders-FDR and Churchill (self-proclaimed "Navy men"), Karl Dönitz, François Darlan, Ernest King, Isoroku Yamamoto, Louis Mountbatten, and William Halsey, while acknowledging the countless seamen and officers of all nationalities whose lives were lost during the greatest naval conflicts ever fought. World War II at Sea is history on a truly epic scale.
Another new release due out in March 2018, this one is for Dimitri :)
Dunkirk Nine Days That Saved an Army: A Day by Day Account of the Greatest Evacuation by John GrehanDescription:
The epic of Dunkirk has been told many times, but the numerous accounts from surviving soldiers and sailors were often a blur of fear and fighting with the days mingling into each other, leaving what is, at times, a confusing picture. In this book, adopting a day by day approach, the authors provide a clear portrayal of the unfolding drama on the perimeter around Dunkirk, in the port itself and along the beaches to La Panne and the Belgian border. Reports from many of the captains of the vessels which took part in the great evacuation were submitted to the Admiralty immediately after the conclusion of Operation Dynamo. With access to these, and supported by the various records maintained by the Army and RAF, the authors have been able to finally piece together the movements and actions of the many of the squadrons, units and ships involved. With the Admiralty reports and a mass of other first-hand accounts, many of which have never been published before, the true tale of the heroism of the rescued and the rescuers is laid bare. Operation Dynamo saw civilian volunteers and Royal Navy personnel manning every type of craft from the anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Calcutta to the cockle boats of the Thames Estuary. The accounts of the men who crewed these vessels tell of being bombed and strafed by the Luftwaffe or shelled from the shore. There are stories of collisions in the dark, chaos on the beaches and tragic losses as ships went down. Similar tales are told by the men waiting on the beaches, defending the perimeter or flying in the skies overhead in a valiant effort to hold the German Army and Luftwaffe at bay. Yet this is ultimately a story, as Churchill described it, of deliverance , for against all the predictions, the BEF was saved to fight again another day. With civilians and servicemen working without respite for days and nights on end under almost continual attack to rescue the army, the nation pulled together as never before. It truly was Britain's finest hour.
This March 2018 release is on my wish list already and I am sure a few here in the group may be interested in a copy as well:
Panzer Ace: The Memoirs of an Iron Cross Panzer Commander from Barbarossa to Normandy by Richard Freiherr Von RosenDescription:
Richard Freiherr von Rosen was a highly-decorated Wehrmacht soldier and outstanding panzer commander. His memoirs, richly illustrated with contemporary photographs, including key confrontations of World War II. After serving as a gunlayer on a Pz.Mk.III during Barbarossa, he led a Company of Tigers at Kursk, later a company of King Tiger panzers at Normandy and in late 1944 commanded a battle group (12 King Tigers and a flak Company) against the Russians in Hungary in the rank of junior, later senior lieutenant (from November 1944, his final rank.)
Only 489 of these King Tiger tanks were ever built. They were the most powerful heavy tanks to see service, and only one kind of shell could penetrate their armour at a reasonable distance. Every effort had to be made to retrieve any of them bogged down or otherwise immobilized, which led to many towing adventures. The author has a fine memory and eye for detail, his account is easy to read and not technical, and adds very substantially to the knowledge of how the German Panzer Arm operated in the Second World War.
World War II at Sea and Panzer Ace both sound good. Added them to my Amazon Wish List already!
Saving that Durnkirk title! Evacuation's slowly spawning it's own shelf.
A May 2018 release:
by Mark ZuehlkeDescription:
They thought of themselves as the "Cinderella Army," and international correspondents agreed. This was because First Canadian Army had been relegated to the left flank of the Allied advance toward Germany from the Normandy beaches and given the tough, thankless task of opening the Channel ports from Le Havre to Ostend in Belgium. Then suddenly in early September 1944, securing these ports became an Allied priority, as this would allow Field Marshal Montgomery to drive to the Rhine with Operation Market Garden and win the war before Christmas.
Given only scant access to the Allied supply chain, the Canadians and their British partners in I Corps tackled the task assigned. Just getting to the ports proved a terrific undertaking fought against brutal German resistance. And once there, they faced fortresses that had been prepared for years to defeat an attack. "Lost outposts," the Allies called them, but the Germans within were not going to give up easily. And so over the month of September, the Canadians set about fighting for control of each port, scrambling for supplies while under constant military pressure to get those ports open now. For Canada this was the Cinderella Campaign, the battle for the Channel ports. For those who fought it, the sacrifice of comrades dead and wounded would never be forgotten.
Mark Zuehlke is a prolific author, I will have to add this to the rest of his books that I have :)
TBR'ed. Currently de-Americanizing my Normandy shelf with Stout Hearts: The British and Canadians in Normandy 1944.
Thanks Dmitri, the price was right so into the library it went....
Does sound interesting but a hardback is way toooo expensive for me at the moment, second hand copies start from £57.99 plus P&P to Australia.
Another May release:
by Duane Schultz Description:
In March 1945, against the advice of his top subordinates, Gen. George Patton created a special task force to venture more than fifty miles behind enemy lines and liberate a POW camp near Hammelburg, Germany. The camp held some 1,500 American prisoners, including Patton’s son-in-law. Hampered by ambushes and a lack of fuel and even maps, the raid was a disaster, one of the worst mistakes of Patton’s legendary career. Out of some 300 men, only three dozen returned. Based on memoirs, diaries, combat reports, and interviews with survivors, Patton’s Last Gamble vividly recounts a mission Gen. Omar Bradley later said “began as a wild goose chase and ended in tragedy.”
I know Hammelburg, it used to be the NATO urban warfare training center in the 1980s when I was there, great medieval town, castle, awesome training. I still have the photo of my company after two weeks of grinding work.
Jerome wrote: "Another May release: by Duane Schultz Description:
In March 1945, against the advice of hi..."
Oh, this is one I think I'll definitely need to get. Schulz has written excellent books on the Ploesti Raid and the Allied campaign in Italy, so I'm hoping this is just as good!
An November 2018 release:
byBair IrincheevDescription:
The war between the Soviet Union and Finland in 1941-44 is much less known in the West and in Russia than the Winter War 1939-40. For Finland the Continuation War is one of cornerstones of national identity. The Vyborg offensive, the battle that ended this war, is described very differently in Russian and Finnish literature. This book attempts to provide an extensive description of the buildup and course of the battle as well as the diplomatic games that lay behind it, including role of the Tehran Conference between the Allies.
The book covers all the main battlefields of the Vyborg offensive - both ones where the Leningrad front was victorious and where it failed. The author tries to give credit to simple soldiers on both sides and provides not only statistics but also recollections and memories of men who were there. Extensive archival research in Russia and Finland was undertaken, as well as numerous trips to the actual battlefields that lie less than 100 miles north from Saint Petersburg. The book includes photos and maps of the operations. The final part of the book summarizes the end of hostilities between the Soviet Union and Great Britain on one side and Finland on another.
I don't think this November 2017 release has been mentioned yet and I am sure it will interest a few in the group:
Omar Nelson Bradley: America's GI General by Steven L. OssadDescription:
When Omar Nelson Bradley began his military career more than a century ago, the army rode horses into combat and had less than 200,000 men. No one had heard of mustard gas. At the height of his career, Bradley (known as “Brad” and “The GI’s General”) led 1.23 million men as commander of 12 Army Group in the Western Front to bring an end to World War II.
Omar Nelson Bradley was the youngest and last of nine men to earn five-star rank and the only army officer so honored after World War II. This new biography by Steven L. Ossad gives an account of Bradley’s formative years, his decorated career, and his postwar life.
Bradley’s decisions shaped the five Northwest European Campaigns from the D-Day landings to VE Day. As the man who successfully led more Americans in battle than any other in our history, his long-term importance would seem assured. Yet his name is not discussed often in the classrooms of either civilian or military academies, either as a fount of tactical or operational lessons learned, or a source of inspiration for leadership exercised at Corps, Army, Group, Army Chief, or Joint Chiefs of Staff levels.
The Bradley image was tailor-made for the quintessential homespun American heroic ideal and was considered by many to be a simple, humble country boy who rose to the pinnacle of power through honesty, hard work, loyalty and virtuous behavior. Even though his classmates in both high school and at West Point made remarks about his looks, and Bradley was always self-conscious about smiling because of an accident involving his teeth, he went on to command 12 Army Group, the largest body of American fighting men under a single general.
Bradley’s postwar career as administrator of the original GI Bill and first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Korean War ensures his legacy. These latter contributions, as much as Bradley’s demonstrable World War II leadership, shaped U.S. history and culture in decisive, dramatic, and previously unexamined ways.
Drawing on primary sources such as those at West Point, Army War College and Imperial War Museum, this book focuses on key decisions, often through the eyes of eyewitness and diarist, British liaison officer Major Thomas Bigland. The challenges our nation faces sound familiar to his problems: fighting ideologically-driven enemies across the globe, coordinating global strategy with allies, and providing care and benefits for our veterans.
Aussie,Thank you for bringing this book to my attention. I had read a previous bio of ONB, but it failed to do much for me. This looks like the book I wanted those many years ago.
How do you think it stacks against his Auto Bio
I'm afraid that I haven't read any books on Bradley but I intended to when I purchased a copy of this title, I just haven't gotten around to reading it yet:
Omar Bradley: General at War by Jim DeFelice
Phrodrick wrote: "Aussie,Thank you for bringing this book to my attention. I had read a previous bio of ONB, but it failed to do much for me. This looks like the book I wanted those many years ago.
How do you thi..."
I have read both, I seem to remember that the General's Life is a tad more smooth in tone and somewhat less vindictive. Bradley was very judgemental and could carry a grudge for a very long time.
Patton was supposed to be a complimentary movie, Well it was for Bradley, but Patton came off looking something like a clown in places. When you read either book on Bradley you can tell that he wasn't very happy at being called Omar the Rug Maker.
A June 2018 release:
by Ashley Jackson Description:
This dynamic history is the first to construct a total picture of the experience and impact of World War II in Iran and Iraq. Contending that these two countries were more important to the Allied forces’ war operations than has ever been acknowledged, historian Ashley Jackson investigates the grand strategy of the Allies and their operations in the region and the continuing legacy of Western intervention in the Middle East.
Iran and Iraq served as the first WWII theatre in which the U.S., the U.K., and the U.S.S.R. fought alongside each other. Jackson charts the intense Allied military activity in Iran and Iraq and reveals how deeply the war impacted common people’s lives. He also provides revelations about the true nature of Anglo-American relations in the region, the beginnings of the Cold War, and the continuing corrosive legacy of Western influence in these lands
That is interesting ! I didn't know the USSR fought in that "neck of the woods". I thought they were busy defending then chasing the Germans back home while doing a little land-grabbing on the side.
Joaniepony wrote: "That is interesting ! I didn't know the USSR fought in that "neck of the woods". I thought they were busy defending then chasing the Germans back home while doing a little land-grabbing on the side."Yep, the Soviets came in from the north, the British from Iraq.
Jerome wrote: "A May 2018 release:
by Samuel KleinerDes..."
Here's another one on the Flying Tigers:
A Few Planes for China: The Birth of the Flying TigersThere's a review of the book here.
Thanks for the link to that review Chin Joo, very helpful.
An April 2018 release:
by Stephen A. BourqueDescription:
Beyond the Beach examines the Allied air war against France, especially from April through June 1944. During this period, General Dwight David Eisenhower, as Allied Supreme Commander, took control of all American, British, and Canadian air units, including the heavy bombers of RAF Bomber Command and the United States Army Strategic Air Forces. Rather than employ these aerial systems in a strategic manner, attacking targets deep in Germany, he used them for his own tactical and operational purposes.
Employing bombers as, virtually, his long-range artillery he, through his air staff and commanders, directed the destruction of bridges, rail centers, ports, military installations, and even French towns, with the intent of preventing German reinforcements from interfering with Operation Neptune, the Allied landings on the Normandy beaches. This intense bombing operation, conducted against a friendly occupied state, resulted in a swath of physical and human destruction across northwest France. Ultimately, this air offensive resulted in the death of over 60,000 French civilians and an immense amount of damage to towns, churches, buildings, and works of art.
This book explores, therefore the relationship between ground and air operations and its effects on the French population. It begins by considering the three broad groups the air operations involved: the occupied French, the occupying Germans, and Eisenhower's headquarters. It then examines the doctrine and equipment used by Allied air force leaders to implement the supreme commander's plans. Next, it examines each of the eight major operations, called lines of effort, that coordinated the employment of the thousands of fighters, medium bombers, and heavy bombers that prowled the French skies that spring and summer of 1944. Each of these sections discusses the operation's purpose, conduct, and effects upon both the military and the civilian targets. Finally, the book explores short and long term effects of these operations and argues that this ignored narrative should be part of any history of the D-Day landings.
Jerome, once again you magnificently violate my intention of keeping the soon-to-be-created "2018" shelf minimalist bare. Oh well. Normandy is the fattest subcategory in my ETO.
Henry: A Polish Swimmer's True Story of Friendship from Auschwitz to America"HENRY: A Polish Swimmer's True Story of Friendship from Auschwitz to America" is a view of WWII as seen through the eyes of a Polish (Catholic) political prisoner in German concentration camps. The book is a significant contribution to WWII history in that it includes more than 80 original documents and photos not seen elsewhere, verified stories not written elsewhere, and a unique perspective not written about near enough. Ever heard of a puffhaus? prisoner mail? Stehebunker? A prisoner's gratitude when American troops finally reached Dachau? I met Henry Zguda when I wrote for the newspaper. He was 85 with a thick Polish accent and an abundance of stories and photos. I hope you're intrigued, as I spent fifteen years researching and writing this tale of friendship and luck. It's a brand new publication released in October 2017. Advance praise has been incredibly validating. 
Dimitri wrote: "Jerome, once again you magnificently violate my intention of keeping the soon-to-be-created "2018" shelf minimalist bare. Oh well. Normandy is the fattest subcategory in my ETO."You finally have one now, Dimitri? About time! :)
Jerome wrote: "An October release:
by Victor Davis HansonDescription:
World War II was the most lethal..."
Any further thoughts on Hanson's book? I see that there a few reviews floating around (from quite varied sources):
https://www.wsj.com/articles/review-t...
http://www.nationalreview.com/article...
I have found some of Hanson's books a bit 'hit & miss' so I will be keen to hear what other readers think about his new title before I commit to buying a copy.
Now here is a forthcoming release of interest to me since I grew up reading Sven Hassel novels as a kid. I am sure its a book that will interest others in the group as well:
Strafbattalion: Hitler’s Penal Battalions by Walter S. Zapotoczny Jr.Description:
When war broke out in 1939, Hitler created `Strafbattalion' (Penal Battalion) units to deal with incarcerated members of the Wehrmacht as well as `subversives'. His order stated that any first-time convicted soldier could return to his unit after he had served a portion of his sentence in `a special probation corps before the enemy'. Beginning in April 1941, convicted soldiers-even those sentenced to death-who had shown exceptional bravery or meritorious service were allowed to rejoin their original units. However those in probation units were expected to undertake dangerous operations at the front. Refusal entailed enforcement of the original sentence. The soldiers who `win back an honourable place in the national community' had done everything that was asked of them: risky advance teams, spyware and shock troops, laying mines under enemy fire. This book examines the penal units, their combat history and order of battle.
One more new release that may be of interest to some group members:
Hitler's Island War: The Men Who Fought for Leros by Julie PeakmanDescription:
In September 1943, at the height of World War II, the Aegean island of Leros became the site of the most pivotal battle of the Dodecanese campaign as the British tried, in vain, to retain control of the island. Over the course of two short months from 15 September 1943 to 17 November 1943 almost 1500 men lost their lives and hundreds more ended up in Prisoner-of-War camps. In this book, Julie Peakman, a modern-day resident of Leros, brings to life the story of the men caught up in the battle based on first-hand interviews and written accounts including diaries, letters and journals. She tells of the preparations of the soldiers leading up to the battle, the desperate hand-to-hand fighting, and the suffering endured from continual bombings. She also shows the extent of the men's despair at the allied surrender, the many subsequent daring escapes as well as the terrible years of incarceration for those who were captured and imprisoned. Many of the heart-rending accounts of the battle are told here for the first time, providing a unique eyewitness take on this forgotten corner of World War II.
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Now here is a forthcoming release of interest to me since I grew up reading Sven Hassel novels as a kid. I am sure its a book that will interest others in the group as well:[bookcover:Strafbattal..."
One of the men I interviewed, WW I Pour le Merite recipient (the youngest ever) and prolific author Ernst Junger's son died as a result of being in one of these penal units. Both father and son were openly anti-Nazi.
It should provide some very interesting information Colin and I'm not sure that I've seen a book dedicated to the subject in English yet.
There is a new Australian release due out very shortly which may not interest too many members outside of Australia but I saw a copy today and from my initial perusal it looked quite interesting. I usually steer clear of books on politicians but this one covers not only our WW2 Prime Minister but Australia's involvement in the Second World War and the change in direction from the 'Mother' country to the United States.
John Curtin's War The coming of war in the Pacific, and reinventing Australia by John EdwardsDescription:
John Curtin became Australia’s Prime Minister eight weeks before Japan launched war in the Pacific.
Curtin’s struggle for power against Joe Lyons and Bob Menzies, his dramatic use of it when he took office in October 1941, and his determination to be heard in Washington and London as Japan advanced, is a political epic unmatched in Australian experience. As Japan sank much of the Allied navy, advanced on the great British naval base at Singapore, and seized Australian territories in New Guinea, Curtin remade Australia.
Using much new material John Edwards’ vivid, landmark biography places Curtin as a man of his times, puzzling through he immense changes in Australia and its region released by the mighty shock of the Pacific War.
It shows Curtin not as a hero and certainly not as a villain but as the pivotal figure making his uncertain way between what Australia was, and what it would become. It locates the turning point in Australian history not at Gallipoli or the Western Front or even Federation but in the Pacific War and in Curtin’s Prime Ministership.
This two volume work is a major contribution to Australian biography, and to how we understand our history. In this first part, Edwards takes Curtin’s story from the late nineteenth century socialist ferment in Melbourne through to his appointment as prime minister and a Japanese onslaught so complete and successful that within a few months of launching it military leaders in Tokyo debated between the options of invading Australia, or sealing it off from Allied help.
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "There is a new Australian release due out very shortly which may not interest too many members outside of Australia but I saw a copy today and from my initial perusal it looked quite interesting. I..."Sounds like an interesting take Rick, one for the wish list!
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "It should provide some very interesting information Colin and I'm not sure that I've seen a book dedicated to the subject in English yet."Thanks Aussie Rick. I've just added John Curtin's War to my (long) TBR list! This is a perspective I know too little about.
My pleasure Derek :)I've decided to purchase a copy as I need to go further in my reading to the political dimensions sometimes. I usually find the subject boring although I know its very important but this new book seems to be well written with a good mix of the political landscape at home (Australia) with what's going on in the world and what's happening with our military forces.
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "There is a new Australian release due out very shortly which may not interest too many members outside of Australia but I saw a copy today and from my initial perusal it looked quite interesting. I..."Curtain is held in high regard by the heavy hitters I spoke to who ran the war, Matthew Ridgeway compared him to Churchill, only with more determination. FYI WSC's mother was my great great grandmothers 1st cousin.
Good to hear Curtin was held in such regard.Nice family tree Colin :)
My family tree is so twisted it makes a knot.
Today I received a press release from the University of Missouri Press on the publication of:
Omar Nelson Bradley: America's GI General by Steven Ossad.
Manray9 wrote: "Today I received a press release from the University of Missouri Press on the publication of: [book:Omar Nelson Bradley: America's GI..."Are you going to order a copy MR9?
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Manray9 wrote: "Today I received a press release from the University of Missouri Press on the publication of: [book:Omar Nelson Bradl..."Not at the asking price of $33. I'll wait and pick up a second hand copy.
Now in paperback! as the advertising used to say. -----------------------------
I am very pleased to announce that my book, THE FLEET AT FLOOD TIDE: America at Total War in the Pacific, has just been released in paperback by Bantam Books.
After seven hardcover printings and a brief appearance on the New York Times bestseller list, I am mindful that an author, without engaged, interested readers, is an author who is going exactly nowhere.
So thank you very much for your interest, which sustains me as I continue my project of capturing the history of the U.S. Navy at war.
All best,
Jim Hornfischer
Please follow me on Twitter: @navy1944
----------------------------------
Congrats, keep it going, all of us historians understand you.
While the paperback version is good news, I'm more anxious for the third volume in Hornfischer's Pacific War trilogy.
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Jerome, if you keep'em coming like this, I'm going to have to add a '2018' shelf 3 months in advance :-)