THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP discussion
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New Release Books on WW2
message 2201:
by
Colin
(new)
Sep 30, 2018 03:00PM
Adam is good, he seeks my advice on occasion. His book Devotion is also well worth reading, as well as Voices from the Pacific.
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A May 2019 release:
by James H HallasDescription:
The story of the Battle of Saipan has it all. Marines at war: on Pacific beaches, in hellish volcanic landscapes in places like Purple Heart Ridge, Death Valley, and Hell’s Pocket, under a commander known as “Howlin’ Mad.” Naval combat: carriers battling carriers from afar, fighters downing Japanese aircraft, submarines sinking carriers. Marine-army rivalry. Fanatical Japanese defense and resistance. A turning point of the Pacific War. James Hallas reconstructs the full panorama of Saipan in a way that no recent chronicler of the battle has done. In its comprehensiveness, attention to detail, scope of research, and ultimate focus on the men who fought and won the battle on the beaches and at and above the sea, it rivals Richard Frank’s modern classic Guadalcanal. This is the definitive military history of the Battle of Saipan.
Another:
by Alex KershawDescription:
Beginning in the predawn darkness of June 6, 1944, The First Wave follows ten men attempting to carry out D-Day's most critical missions. Their actions would determine the fate of the invasion of Hitler's Fortress Europe.
The ten make a charismatic, unforgettable cast. They include the first American paratrooper to touch down on Normandy soil; the only British soldier that day to earn a Victoria Cross; the Canadian brothers who led their decimated troops onto Juno Beach under withering fire; the colonel who faced the powerful 150-mm guns of the Merville Battery; as well as a French commando who helped destroy German strongholds on Sword Beach. This book will give authentic voice to the invaders' enemies—the German-enlisted men and officers tasked with destroying the Allies as they hit the beaches.
The result is an utterly immersive, adrenaline-driven drama, an epic of close combat and extraordinary heroism. It is the capstone Alex Kershaw's remarkable career, built on his close friendships with D-Day survivors and his intimate understanding of the Normandy battlefield. For the seventy-fifth anniversary, here is a fresh take on World War II's longest day.
Jerome wrote: "A May 2019 release: by James H HallasDescription:
The story of the Battle of Saipan has it all. Marines..."
I've read Hallas' books on Okinawa and Peleliu and very much enjoyed them so I will most likely be grabbing a copy of this book once its available.
Jerome wrote: "Another: by Alex KershawDescription:
Beginning in the predawn darkness of June 6,..."
Have a copy on my wish list already :)
Hi, everyone! Thank you for letting me into the group. My name is Jannie, PA to Gerri Hilger. She has a new book coming out at the end of October called Our Duty: A Story of Love, Service and Duty during World War Two. It is based on the author's relatives retelling of their real life experiences during World War Two. Would anyone be interested in receiving an advanced ebook copy of the book in exchange for a review? Please comment below if interested. Thank you.
Jannie wrote: "Hi, everyone! Thank you for letting me into the group. My name is Jannie, PA to Gerri Hilger. She has a new book coming out at the end of October called Our Duty: A Story of Love, Service and Duty..."
Welcome Jannie!
Your friend's book intrigued me. So I sought it out on Amazon and noted that it will be available later this month in paperback. I put it on my New Year's List and will place the order around December 31st.
As the son of a World War II U.S. Army veteran, I'm deeply interested in reading stories like the one your friend wrote.
Thanks so much.
KOMET
A July 2019 release:
by Jean Edward SmithDescription:
Following their breakout from Normandy in late June 1944, the Allies swept across northern France in pursuit of the German army. The Allies intended to bypass Paris and cross the Rhine into Germany, ending the war before winter set in. But as they advanced, local forces in Paris began their own liberation, defying the occupying German troops.
Charles de Gaulle, the leading figure of the Free French government, urged General Dwight Eisenhower to divert forces to liberate Paris. Eisenhower’s most senior staff recommended otherwise, but Ike wanted to help position de Gaulle to lead France after the war. And both men were concerned about partisan conflict in Paris that could leave the communists in control of the city and the national government, perhaps even causing a bloodbath like the Paris Commune. Neither man knew that the German commandant, Dietrich von Choltitz, convinced that the war was lost, dissembled and schemed to surrender the city to the Allies intact, defying Hitler’s orders to leave it a burning ruin.
In The Liberation of Paris, Jean Edward Smith puts this dramatic event in context, showing how the decision to free the city came at a heavy price: it slowed the Allied momentum and allowed the Germans to regroup. After the war German generals argued that Eisenhower’s decision to enter Paris prolonged the war for another six months. Was Paris worth this price? Smith answers this question in his superb, dramatic history of one of the great events of World War II—published seventy-five years after the liberation.
Jerome wrote: "A July 2019 release: by Jean Edward SmithDescription:
Following t..."
Thanks, Jerome. I am an admirer of Smith's work.
Looks intriguing Jerome! Thank you for heads up.
for that blend of WW2 and baseball history: 
The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win World War II
Finally saw a release date for this highly anticipated (at least by me) book by Jay Stout--scheduled to publish on February 1, 2019:Air Apaches: The True Story of the 345th Bomb Group and Its Low, Fast, and Deadly Missions in World War II
Added the cover photo for you Marc:
Looks like an interesting book!
carl wrote: "for that blend of WW2 and baseball history: The Cloudbuster Nine: Th..."
I love that combination (baseball and WW2, that is), and it will be quite appropriate if the BoSox can finish off the Dodgers.
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Added the cover photo for you Marc:Looks like an interesting book!"
Thanks, Rick. I thought about doing that myself, but figured the final cover artwork might be different!
Tim wrote: "This looks good 
"I'm hoping so as I have a copy on its way already Tim :)
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Tim wrote: "This looks good "I'm hoping so as I have a copy on its way already Tim :)"
Great Rick, would love to know how you go!
Tim wrote: "This looks good "TB...rrrrrrrrrrrr.
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Tim wrote: "This looks good "I'm hoping so as I have a copy on its way already Tim :)"
As do I! Given that the author's previous works have been really good, I have high hopes for this one.
Robert Matzen has a new book coming out on Audrey Hepburn's resistance work: Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II.A number of you had positive things to say about Matzen's Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe, so I think I'll try both.
Well Paul you got your Red Sox wish, they did prevail, my regret is that it didnt go 7 games.here's another book that you might like:
. POW Baseball in World War II: The National Pastime Behind Barbed WirePaul wrote: "carl wrote: "for that blend of WW2 and baseball history:
The Cloudbu..."
Normally, I would want it to go 7 games, but I was glad it ended early for two reasons:1. As a San Francisco Giants fan, I just wanted them to Beat L.A. as quickly as possible, and
2. Game 7 would have been on Halloween, and I would have missed it by taking my daughter trick-or-treating.
Thanks for the recommendation, though!
A March 2019 release:
by Steven K. BaileyDescription:
Bold Venture tells the nearly forgotten story of the American airmen who flew perilous combat missions over Hong Kong during the Second World War. Steven K. Bailey sheds new light on the American military campaign against Japanese forces in occupied China. From the first reconnaissance flights over Hong Kong by lone pilots in 1942 to the massive multi-squadron air strikes of 1945, he describes the complex history of American air operations in the China theater and paints an indelible portrait of the American air raids on Hong Kong and the airmen who were shot down over the city.
Today unexploded aircraft bombs are unearthed with frightening regularity by construction crews in Hong Kong. Residents are eager to know where these bombs originated, who dropped them, when, and what the targets were. Bailey’s account answers some of these questions and provides a unique historical perspective for Americans seeking to understand the complexities of military involvement.
A July 2019 release:
by John C. McManusDescription:
"Out here, mention is seldom seen of the achievements of the Army ground troops," wrote one officer in the fall of 1943, "whereas the Marines are blown up to the skies." Even today, the Marines are celebrated as the victors of the Pacific, a reflection of a well-deserved reputation for valor. Yet the majority of fighting and dying in the war against Japan was done not by Marines but by unsung Army soldiers.
John C. McManus, one of our most highly acclaimed historians of World War II, takes readers from Pearl Harbor—a rude awakening for a military woefully unprepared for war—to Makin, a sliver of coral reef where the Army was tested against the increasingly desperate Japanese. In between were nearly two years of punishing combat as the Army transformed, at times unsteadily, from an undertrained garrison force into an unstoppable juggernaut, and America evolved from an inward-looking nation into a global superpower.
At the pinnacle of this richly told story are the generals: Douglas MacArthur, a military autocrat driven by his dysfunctional lust for fame and power; Robert Eichelberger, perhaps the greatest commander in the theater yet consigned to obscurity by MacArthur's jealousy; "Vinegar Joe" Stillwell, a prickly soldier miscast in a diplomat's role; and Walter Krueger, a German-born officer who came to lead the largest American ground force in the Pacific. Enriching the narrative are the voices of men otherwise lost to history: the uncelebrated Army grunts who endured stifling temperatures, apocalyptic tropical storms, rampant malaria and other diseases, as well as a fanatical enemy bent on total destruction.
This is an essential, ambitious book, the first of two volumes, a compellingly written and boldly revisionist account of a war that reshaped the American military and the globe and continues to resonate today.
Jerome wrote: "A July 2019 release: by John C. McManus..."So many good books hitting the shelf, here's another one added to my mountain.
Mike wrote: "Jerome wrote: "A July 2019 release: by John C. McManus..."So many good books hitting the shelf,..."
As a big fan of McManus' work, I'll definitely be getting this one.
Me four but I am blaming peer pressure! 😜or should that be beer?
Marc wrote: "Mike wrote: "Jerome wrote: "A July 2019 release: by John C. McManus..."So many good books hitti..."
Just read the complete blurb for this one and saw it's the first of two volumes. Sweet!
Tim wrote: "Me four but I am blaming peer pressure! 😜or should that be beer?"Blame both!
Indeed Jeff, a problem we all share!
James Holland's latest had got the (inevitable) June 2019 release date - the 2019 pre- order train just pulled in!Normandy '44: D-Day and the Retaking of Europe
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Here is a book due out in early 2019 that is sure to interest a few group members:[bookcover:Spearhead: An American Tank Gunner, a German Tank Gunner, and the World War II Encounter That Linked T..."
Goodreads giveaway right now.
Jonny wrote: "James Holland's latest had got the (inevitable) June 2019 release date - the 2019 pre- order train just pulled in!Normandy '44: D-Day and the Retaking of Europe"
It will be going on my wish list as well :)
A May 2019 release:
by Peter Caddick-AdamsDescription:
Sand and Steel is a new study of the Liberation of France, made up of D-Day, the Southern France landings and the activities of the Resistance. It tells the story of almost a whole year, beginning on 10 December 1943, when Eisenhower was appointed Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces (SHAEF). It then follows the US build-up in England, the invasions & subsequent combat, dwells on the contribution of the Resistance, and ends with the liberation of Strasbourg on the Franco-German border, on 23 November 1944, at the point where Snow and Steel began.
Jerome wrote: "A May 2019 release: by Peter Caddick-AdamsDescription:
Sand and Steel is a new study of the Liberation of France, mad..."
Already on my wish list waiting for its publication :)
This June 2019 (UK) release may interest a few in the group, it interests me as I'm a sucker for anything covering Kursk:
The Battle of Prokhorovka: The Tank Battle at Kursk, the Largest Clash of Armor in History by Christopher A. LawrenceDescription:
The Battle of Kursk was one of the defining moments of World War II. In July 1943, German forces under Erich von Manstein--one of Germany's best generals--launched a massive attack in an offensive code-named Citadel. A week later, the Soviets counterattacked, sparking a huge clash of tanks at Prokhorovka, the largest armor battle in history, pitting more than 600 Soviet tanks against some 300 German panzers. Though the Germans gained a tactical victory, destroying huge numbers of Soviet tanks, they failed to achieve their objectives, and in the end the battle marked a turning point on the Eastern Front. The Red Army gained the strategic initiative and would not lose it.
I'm guessing it may be a cut-down edition of this title:
Kursk: The Battle of Prokhorovka by Christopher A. Lawrence
Some of the men I interviewed from that battle had the best stories.
Colin wrote: "Some of the men I interviewed from that battle had the best stories."I bet they did!
This looks interesting.Captives of War: British Prisoners of War in Europe in the Second World War
https://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/rev...
It does sound pretty interesting, thanks for posting the link to the review 4ZZZ.
Here is a February 2019 (UK) release that may appeal to some of our naval minded members in the group:
Tin Cans and Greyhounds: The Destroyers that Won Two World Wars by Clint JohnsonDescription:
This action-packed narrative history of destroyer-class ships begins with destroyers' first incarnation as torpedo boats in 1898 through the last true combat service of the ships in the Vietnam War. Nicknamed "tin cans" or "greyhounds," destroyers were quick naval ships used to defend larger battleships—and they proved indispensable in America's military victories. In Tin Cans and Greyhounds, author Clint Johnson brings readers inside the quarter-inch hulls of destroyers to meet the men who manned the ships' five-inch guns and fought America's wars from inside a "tin can"—risking death by cannon shell, shrapnel, bomb, fire, drowning, exposure, and sharks.
This May 2019 (UK) release sounds quite interesting and I am sure a few group members may appreciate checking out a copy:
The Ghost Ships of Archangel: The Arctic Voyage That Defied the Nazis by William GerouxDescription:
An extraordinary story of survival and alliance during World War II: the icy journey of four Allied ships crossing the Arctic to deliver much needed supplies to the Soviet war effort.
On the fourth of July, 1942, four Allied ships traversing the Arctic separated from their decimated convoy to head further north into the ice field of the North Pole, seeking safety from Nazi bombers and U-boats in the perilous white maze of ice floes, growlers, and giant bergs. Despite the risks, they had a better chance of survival than the rest of Convoy PQ-17, a fleet of thirty-five cargo ships carrying $1 billion worth of war supplies to the Soviet port of Archangel--the limited help Roosevelt and Churchill extended to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin to maintain their fragile alliance, even as they avoided joining the fight in Europe while the Eastern Front raged.
The high-level politics that put Convoy PQ-17 in the path of the Nazis were far from the minds of the diverse crews aboard their ships. U.S. Navy Ensign Howard Carraway, aboard the SS Troubadour, was a farm boy from South Carolina and one of the many Americans for whom the convoy was to be a first taste of war; aboard the SS Ironclad, Ensign William Carter of the U.S. Navy Reserve had passed up a chance at Harvard Business School to join the Navy Armed Guard; from the Royal Navy Reserve, Lt. Leo Gradwell was given command of the HMT Ayrshire, a fishing trawler that had been converted into an antisubmarine vessel. All the while, The Ghost Ships of Archangel turns its focus on Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin, playing diplomatic games that put their ships in peril.
The twenty-four-hour Arctic daylight in midsummer gave no respite from bombers, and the Germans wielded the terrifying battleship Tirpitz, nicknamed The Big Bad Wolf. Icebergs were as dangerous as Nazis. As a newly forged alliance was close to dissolving and the remnants of Convoy PQ-17 tried to slip through the Arctic in one piece, the fate of the world hung in the balance.
Looks like May 2019 has a few good books being released. I am sure this book will tickle the fancy of a few group members:
The Hero of Dunkirk: The Life of Admiral Bertram Ramsay, Naval MasterMind of the Allied Landings by Andrew GordonDescription:
The definitive biography of the British naval commander who masterminded the evacuation of Dunkirk and was the operational genius behind the Allied landings at Normandy.
Admiral Bertram Ramsay may not be the most familiar World War II commander, but he was critical to the Allied victory. He orchestrated the dramatic evacuation of British expeditionary forces at Dunkirk, planned the invasions of North Africa and Sicily, and worked closely with General Dwight Eisenhower on Operation Neptune, the Allied landings on the beaches of Normandy.
In this magisterial biography, over a decade in the making, Andrew Gordon captures Ramsay's complex, conflicted nature. Born into a family with a military heritage but little money, Ramsay joined the navy at fourteen. As a junior officer he developed the obsessive standards of discipline that would characterize his career, managing his ships more through regulation than charisma. He had frequent run-ins with his seniors, including a notorious dispute in 1935 with the Commander-in-Chief Home Fleet that forced his retirement. Brought back to service in August 1939, Ramsay would oversee operations in the English Channel, where his talent for logistics proved vital. Though Ramsay's acerbic manner could generate friction, Eisenhower would later write that "not only was he outstanding as an able sailor and a wonderful teammate in this Allied Force, but he was my warm personal friend." Gordon offers a penetrating study of command dynamics as he covers the key engagements of the war.
The first full-life biography of Ramsay in over sixty years and the most authoritative portrait we are ever likely to have, Neptune's Admiral restores this great naval commander to his essential place in World War II history.
An August 2019 release:
by John F. WukovitsDescription:
When Billy Hobbs and his fellow Hellcat aviators from Air Group 88 lifted off from the venerable Navy carrier USS Yorktown early on the morning of August 15, 1945, they had no idea they were about to carry out the final air mission of World War II. Two hours later, Yorktown received word from Admiral Nimitz that the war had ended and that all offensive operations should cease. As they were turning back, twenty Japanese planes suddenly dove from the sky above them and began a ferocious attack. Four American pilots never returned--men who had lifted off from the carrier in wartime but were shot down during peacetime.
Drawing on participant letters, diaries, and interviews, newspaper and radio accounts, and previously untapped archival records, historian and prolific author of acclaimed Pacific theater books, including Tin Can Titans and Hell from the Heavens, John Wukovits tells the story of Air Group 88's pilots and crew through their eyes. Dogfight over Tokyo is written in the same riveting, edge-of-your-seat style that has made Wukovits's previous books so successful. This is a stirring, one-of-a-kind tale of naval encounters and the last dogfight of the war--a story that is both inspirational and tragic.
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "This May 2019 (UK) release sounds quite interesting and I am sure a few group members may appreciate checking out a copy:[bookcover:The Ghost Ships of Archangel: The Arctic Voyage That Defied the..."
I knew Hajo Herrmann who scored many of his 77,000 tons of shipping sunk as a bomber pilot against PQ-17. It was one of the most famous convoys of the war.
Massive number of new books coming out for the 75th anniversary of D-Day including this one from the other side of the beach:
D-Day Through German Eyes: How the Wehrmacht Lost France by Jonathan TriggDescription:
Everyone is familiar with the story of D-Day and the triumphal liberation of France by the Allies - a barbaric enemy was defeated by Allied ingenuity, courage and overwhelming military force, helped by dreadful German command errors and the terrible state of Wehrmacht forces in the West – but is this all true? The Wehrmacht was hugely experienced, equipped with some of the best weaponry of the war and was holding its own in Italy and Russia at the time. Berlin knew the invasion was coming and had had years to prepare for it. So how did the Germans view the impending invasion and campaign, did they feel ready, just what forces did they have and could they have done better?
Previous histories have focused on the ‘clash of the generals’; the battle between Runstedt and Eisenhower, Montgomery and Rommel, but on the German side in particular this was a battle that would be fought by divisional and regimental commanders; the ‘German D-Day colonels’ upon whom the real business of trying to defeat the invasion fell – it was they and their men; outnumbered and outgunned, who somehow held Normandy for ten whole weeks against the greatest seaborne invasion force ever assembled, and occasionally even came close to defeating it. In the end they lost, and the majority of these unsung leaders ended up killed, wounded or captured in the fighting. As for their men, they ranged from élite Waffen-SS stormtroopers through to bewildered teenagers, old men, ‘recycled’ invalids and even anti-communist Eastern legions.
Written from the ‘other side’ and told as much through the words of the veterans as from standard histories, this book is a revelation.
THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP
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