New Release Books on WW2 Showing 2,401-2,450 of 3,289

[Jerome]

An April 2020 release:

by Saul David
Description:
With Allied forces sweeping across Europe and into Germany in the spring of 1945, one enormous challenge threatened to derail America's audacious drive to win the world back from the Nazis: Japan, the empire that had extended its reach southward across the Pacific and was renowned for the fanaticism and brutality of its fighters, who refused to surrender, even when faced with insurmountable odds. Taking down Japan would require an unrelenting attack to break its national spirit, and launching such an attack on the island empire meant building an operations base just off its shores on the island of Okinawa.

The amphibious operation to capture Okinawa was the largest of the Pacific War and the greatest air-land-sea battle in history, mobilizing 183,000 troops from Seattle, Leyte in the Philippines, and ports around the world. The campaign lasted for 82 blood-soaked days, as the fighting plumbed depths of savagery. One veteran, struggling to make sense of what he had witnessed, referred to the fighting as the "crucible of Hell." Okinawan civilians died in the tens of thousands: some were mistaken for soldiers by American troops; but as the US Marines spearheading the invasion drove further onto the island and Japanese defeat seemed inevitable, many more civilians took their own lives, some even murdering their own families. In just under three months, the world had changed irrevocably: President Franklin D. Roosevelt died; the war in Europe ended; America's appetite for an invasion of Japan had waned, spurring President Truman to use other means -- ultimately atomic bombs -- to end the war; and more than 250,000 servicemen and civilians on or near the island of Okinawa had lost their lives.

Drawing on archival research in the US, Japan, and the UK, and the original accounts of those who survived, Crucible of Hell tells the vivid, heart-rending story of the battle that changed not just the course of WWII, but the course of war, forever.

[Jerome]

A May 2020 release:

by Mark Zuehlke
Description:
The Canadians called it the Promised Land. In late September 1944, the Emilia-Romagna plain before I Canadian Corps stretched to the far horizon—a deceptively wide-open space where the tanks could run free. Throughout British Eighth Army, hopes ran high that once it entered the plain, the Germans could be driven from Italy. As soon as the advance began, however, the plain’s true nature was revealed: the land was criss-crossed by rivers, canals and drainage ditches over which all bridges had been demolished.

With higher command urging haste, the Canadians entered a long and nightmarish series of battles to win crossings over each waterway, whose high banks provided the Germans with perfect defensive positions. Early fall rains caused rivers to spill their banks and transformed the countryside into the worst quagmire the soldiers had ever seen.

More than five months of battle followed, with weeks of hard fighting required to advance from one river to the next. Each month, conditions only worsened, and the casualty rates rose appallingly. As their comrades fell one by one, most soldiers sought merely to survive. Doing that much required every measure of stamina, courage and fighting skill they possessed.

The fifth and final Canadian Battle Series volume set in Italy, The River Battles tells the story of this campaign’s last and hardest months. In riveting detail and with his trademark “you-are-there” style, Mark Zuehlke shines a light on this forgotten chapter of Canada’s World War II experience.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Two titles by two pretty good authors, both books will end up on my wish list! :)

[Jerome]

A June 2020 release:

by Anthony Tucker-Jones
Description:
In the late summer of 1944, SS-Obergruppenführer Wilhelm “Willi” Bittrich found himself in the Netherlands surveying his II SS Panzer Corps, which was in a poor state having narrowly escaped the defeat in Normandy. He was completely unaware that his command lay directly in the path of a major Allied thrust: the September 17, 1944, launch of the largest airborne and glider operation in the history of warfare. Codenamed Operation Market Garden, it was intended to outflank the German West Wall and “bounce” the Rhine at Arnhem, from where the Allies could strike into the Ruhr, Nazi Germany's industrial heartland. Such a move could have ended the war.

However, Market Garden and the battle for Arnhem were a disaster for the Allies. Put together in little over a week and lacking in flexibility, the operation became an all-or-nothing race against time. The plan to link the airborne divisions by pushing an armored division up a sixty-five-mile corridor was optimistic at best, and the British drop zones were not only too far from Arnhem Bridge, but also directly above two recuperating SS Panzer divisions. This new book explores the operation from the perspective of the Germans as renowned historian Anthony Tucker-Jones examines how they were able to mobilize so swiftly and effectively in spite of depleted troops and limited intelligence.

[Jerome]

Another:

by Kamen Nevenkin
Description:
The struggle for the Hungarian capital in 1944-45, like the battle fought in the bend of the River Don, left an indelible scar on the collective memory of the Hungarian people.

Although this topic has been discussed by several authors, using various approaches, no genuinely comprehensive account - based on a balanced study of relevant archival sources of the opposing sides - has been published on the military history of the battle fought within the territory of Budapest.

Bulgarian researcher Kamen Nevenkin's Fortress Budapest covers the military history of Operation Budapest. By studying and analyzing massive amounts of important and/or intriguing details, and utilizing an unprecedented amount of archival sources and materials - most of which previously inaccessible - the author provides an in-depth coverage of the 108-day operation. Within that broader framework, the author focuses primarily on the siege of Budapest, that lasted more than 50 days, on the war that raged within the boundaries of the Hungarian capital. The reader will find all the relevant details about the strength, organization and combat value of the opposing forces. One can be a witness to the ongoing combat events in each successive stage of the siege most closely on a daily basis, and sometimes even on an hourly basis. Individual chapters deal with the defensive system of the town that had been turned into a fortress, the combat actions fought on the respective areas of Pest, Buda and Margit Island, the sorties flown by the Soviet air units against Budapest, the air-supply efforts to support the besieged troops, and of course the breakout attempt.

The wide range of illustrations, presented in this two-volume monograph proves itself more than coequal with the verbal contents of he book. Using reproductions of detailed contemporary map sketches, readers can easily explore the fortified sectors within the defensive system including their fire plans, and several combat actions. The edition contains several, hitherto unpublished, photographs from the period of the struggle for Budapest (many of them are also important for both history of urban development and architecture). It is therefore reasonable to say that this monograph is one of the standard reference works published over the past years.

[Jerome]

Another:

by Jeffrey R. Cox
Descriptiuon:
From popular Pacific Theater expert Jeffrey R. Cox comes this insightful new history of the critical Guadalcanal and Solomons campaign at the height of World War II. His previous book, Morning Star, Rising Sun, had found the US Navy at its absolute nadir and the fate of the Enterprise, the last operational US aircraft carrier at this point in the war, unknown. This new volume completes the history of this critical campaign, combining detailed research with a novelist's flair for the dramatic to reveal exactly how, despite missteps and misfortunes, the tide of war finally turned. By the end of February 1944, thanks to hard-fought and costly American victories in the first and second naval battles of Guadalcanal, the battle of Empress Augusta Bay, and the battle of Cape St George, the Japanese would no longer hold the materiel or skilled manpower advantage. From this point on, although the war was still a long way from being won, the American star was unquestionably on the ascendant, slowly, but surely, casting a long shadow over the Rising Sun.

Jeffrey Cox's analysis and attention to detail of even the smallest events are second to none. But what truly sets this book apart is how he combines this microscopic attention to detail, often unearthing new facts along the way, with an engaging style that transports the reader to the heart of the story, bringing the events on the deep blue of the Pacific vividly to life.

[Jerome]

A July 2020 release:

by Ben Kite
Description:
This book provides a comprehensive explanation of the British Commonwealth’s war in the air during the Second World War. It combines detailed studies into the tactics, techniques and technology, together with the personal accounts of the aircrew themselves, as they executed some of the most hazardous operations of the war. The first volume Through Adversitycovered how the British achieved air superiority, conducted bomber operations and supported maritime operations.

Undaunted is the second and final volume of the series. It begins by explaining how Air Intelligence functioned and how the British used signals intelligence, interrogation and air photographic reconnaissance to develop a sophisticated understanding of the enemy. It continues by investigating the work of the Special Duties squadrons, explaining how they maintained contact and supported resistance and intelligence organisations in occupied countries in Europe and the Far East. The second volume’s major focus is on the support provided to Ground Forces, relating the compelling story of how a disaster in France in 1940, forced a conceptual and organisational re-design of how Britain executed ground support operations. This pioneering work began in the Western Desert, reached maturity in Italy and was then used with devastating effect in NW Europe and the Far East. ‘Undaunted’ also covers the role British Commonwealth Air Forces played in air transportation. Examining the techniques of parachute and glider borne operations in Europe, as well as the decisive part air transport played in the Far East, particularly Burma where it became a hallmark of the Fourteenth Army’s operational design.

Like its predecessor, Undaunted continues to balance explanations of the tactics, techniques and equipment used by the British with veteran’s anecdotes, which bring the human dimension of the air war to life. The final four chapters in particular cover the experiences of the ‘Guinea Pigs’ burns victims, airmen downed in the sea, those escaping and evading and most poignantly of all the Prisoner of War Experience.

Undaunted reflects the global and cosmopolitan nature of the British Commonwealth’s wartime operations. It includes exciting and thought-provoking accounts from not only RAF personnel, but also those of the RAAF, RNZAF, RCAF, SAAF, The Fleet Air Arm, as well as Poles, Frenchmen and other personnel from occupied countries.

It is exceptionally well Illustrated with over 150 photographs and diagrams, many never published before, as well as over 15 maps and diagrams. The book will undoubtedly appeal not only to aficionados, who will find considerable new information and insights on some of the rarer aspects of the air war, but also the more general reader who will appreciate it as the most comprehensive explanation on Britain’s war in the air to date.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Some very interesting books the Jerome, thanks for posting the details.

[Tim]

Thanks Jerome! I’m just glad they aren’t out yet so my bank account is safe... for now!

[Jerome]

A May 2020 release:

by John Gooch
Synopsis:
While staying closely aligned with Hitler, Mussolini remained carefully neutral until the summer of 1940. Then, with the wholly unexpected and sudden collapse of the French and British armies, Mussolini declared war on the Allies in the hope of making territorial gains in southern France and Africa. This decision proved a horrifying miscalculation, dooming Italy to its own prolonged and unwinnable war, immense casualties and an Allied invasion in 1943 which ushered in a terrible new era for the country.

John Gooch's new book is the definitive account of Italy's war experience. Beginning with the invasion of Abyssinia and ending with Mussolini's arrest, Gooch brilliantly portrays the nightmare of a country with too small an industrial sector, too incompetent a leadership and too many fronts on which to fight.

Everywhere - whether in the USSR, the Western Desert or the Balkans - Italian troops found themselves against either better-equipped or more motivated enemies. The result was a war entirely at odds with the dreams of pre-war Italian planners - a series of desperate improvizations against Allies who could draw on global resources and against whom Italy proved helpless.

This remarkable book rightly shows the centrality of Italy to the war, outlining the brief rise and disastrous fall of the Italian military campaign.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Jerome wrote: "A May 2020 release:

by John Gooch
Synopsis:
While staying closely aligned with Hitler, Musso..."

This could be a potential purchase :)

[Dimitri]

Jerome wrote: "A May 2020 release:

by John Gooch "

Good guy on Italy for either world war!

[Marc]

The second volume of International Historical Research Associates' story of the USAAF 43rd BG in the Pacific is available for pre-order now:

https://irandpcorp.com/products/43bg2/

Volume II picks up the story of the 43rd Bomb Group at the beginning of November 1943, by which time the last of its B-17s had returned to the States or been turned into armed transports or VIP aircraft. While the rest of the unit’s squadrons fully ramped up operations with the B-24 Liberator, the 63rd Squadron received a full complement of new radar-equipped B-24s with specially trained crews to conduct low-level night search and bombing operations against Japanese shipping. Operating in great secrecy, and separately from the other three squadrons of the 43rd, this highly successful unit eventually ranged around the entire Pacific perimeter of east Asia, sinking or damaging large numbers of Japanese merchant ships. Meanwhile, the other three B-24 squadrons continued to fly standard heavy bombardment missions against the far-flung land targets of the Southwest Pacific Theater including New Guinea, the Netherlands East Indies, the Philippines, Formosa and coastal targets on the Asia mainland, until they finally reached the shores of Japan itself.

The 43rd was one of the key units participating in the famous raids on Hollandia in Dutch New Guinea during the spring of 1944, and against the oilfields at Balikpapan, Borneo during the fall. In 1945, the Group was instrumental in battering the industrial targets, ports and transportation infrastructure of Formosa to rubble. Along the way, the 43rd adopted the name Ken's Men after three famous theater leaders who were significant to the history of the unit: General George C. Kenney, commander of Fifth Air Force, Gen. Kenneth Walker, C.O. of V Bomber Command, who was lost on a 43rd Bomb Group mission over Rabaul on January 5, 1943, and Maj. Kenneth D. McCullar, one of the 43rd’s most successful early squadron commanders.

Co-authored by the former Group Commander during the B-24 era, Col. James T. Pettus, Jr., Ken's Men Against the Empire: The B-24 Era tells an extraordinary story of the second half of the Pacific War, created from all available surviving unit records blended together with the stories of hundreds of veterans. The book is in final production and will appear as Volume 5 in the Eagles over the Pacific book series. It will consist of 464 pages, a 32 page color section with dozens of rare color photos of the artwork and markings on the unit's aircraft, 32 full-color B-24 aircraft profiles that includes several pages of enlargements of unit markings and artwork rendered in near-photographic images by artist Jack Fellows.

[Jerome]

A December 2020 release:

by John Russell
Description:
Early April 1945 and the British Second Army is over the Rhine and advancing across the North German Plain. Its objective is Schleswig-Holstein, with the rivers Weser, Aller and Leine the only remaining obstacles of significance before the Elbe. German forces appear to be in total disarray and British confidence is high, but tempered by the fear of becoming a casualty with the end of the war within touching distance. Unknown to the British, a new division formed from naval personnel and supported by a Waffen-SS battalion of Hitler Youth, and some of the last available Tiger and Panther tanks, has been deployed westwards to the Weser and charged with its defence. Despite their inexperience, these are well-motivated troops and determined to acquit themselves to the best of their ability in what will, in all likelihood, be their first and last battle. The destruction of a Churchill tank on the outskirts of Minden on 6 April marks the opening of 11 days of fierce action, and for all the combatants the war is very far from over.

Meticulously researched and published in the 75th anniversary year of the events it describes, Theirs the Strife tells the story of a series of bitter actions fought by VIII and XII Corps to cross the three rivers. Historians have paid little attention to these final weeks, with the few British narratives hurrying from the Rhine to the surrender on Lüneburg Heath and at best making only passing reference to the actions fought en route. The lack of coverage of the fighting has given rise to a perception that in effect there was none and that the advances through Germany and the Netherlands were trouble-free ‘swans’. Nothing could be further from the truth and 21st Army Group suffered significant casualties during its final battles against the forces of a cornered regime. There is also a commonly-held perception that by 1945 Second Army was at its most potent, when in reality much of it was exhausted and extremely casualty conscious, with the infantry in particular nearly worn out both quantitatively and qualitatively. Furthermore, and largely the product of contemporary photographs and newsreels, there is a misconception that in April 1945 the German Army did little more than surrender. This also is mistaken and many of the German units in the account will fight with courage and resilience, the reasons for which are examined in detail in the book’s epilogue. There are therefore more similarities between the opposing combatants than might be assumed and they are both faced with the same challenge: summoning up the courage to prosecute a war to its bloody conclusion.

This book is no dry piece of military history. Much of the narrative is set at battalion level and below and studded with first-hand accounts, bringing the story to life. To provide full context to the action, details are provided on the organization, equipment and state of Second Army and German ground and air units, and the narrative is supported by 90 maps and figures. Theirs the Strife fills a significant gap in our knowledge of this period and is a long-overdue testament to the men who had to fight to the death when peace was in sight.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Some good books coming up for publication soon!

[Boudewijn]

Don't know if it was already mentioned in our group, but recently finished 1939: A People's History (June 2019) which serves as a warning for today: never take peace for granted. It can all happen again. Review here for anyone interested.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

God review Bou, I will try and read my copy of the book sometime soon.

[Dachokie]

If anyone has been waiting for a (more) affordable copy of a highly regarded resource on the Battle for Berlin by A. Stephan Hamilton, a new edition will be released in Feb 2020 and you can pre- order it now on Amazon. The current price of the new edition is~$90 (US) and Amazon has a good price guarantee on pre-orders. I’ve had this on my Amazon wishlist for almost 10 years and the price of a used copy ran about $900 until now (lowest price for an acceptable used book is $156). This new release and new editions of Jason Mark’s extraordinary books on the Eastern Front make owning these gems more reasonable.


A. Stephan Hamilton
Bloody Streets: The Soviet Assault on Berlin
Revised and Expanded 2nd Edition
ISBN-13: 978-1912866137, ISBN-10: 1912866137


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/191286...

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Dachokie wrote: "If anyone has been waiting for a (more) affordable copy of a highly regarded resource on the Battle for Berlin by A. Stephan Hamilton, a new edition will be released in Feb 2020 and you can pre- or..."

Thanks for those details, I am sure a few members will be keen to check the new edition out.

[Jerome]

A September 2020 release:

by Ian W. Toll
Description:
Twilight of the Gods is a riveting account of the harrowing last year of World War II in the Pacific, when the U.S. Navy won the largest naval battle in history; Douglas MacArthur made good his pledge to return to the Philippines; waves of kamikazes attacked the Allied fleets; the Japanese fought to the last man on one island after another; B-29 bombers burned down Japanese cities; and Hiroshima and Nagasaki were vaporized in atomic blasts.

Ian W. Toll’s narratives of combat in the air, at sea, and on the beaches are as gripping as ever, but he also takes the reader into the halls of power in Washington and Tokyo, where the great questions of strategy and diplomacy were decided. Lionel Barber of the Financial Times chose the second volume of the series (The Conquering Tide) as the preemiment book of 2016, calling it “military history at its best.” Readers who have been waiting for the conclusion of Toll’s masterpiece will be thrilled by this final volume.

[Dimitri]

Woo-hoo Toll 3!

[Marc]

Jerome wrote: "A July 2020 release:

by Ian W. Toll
Description:
Twilight of the Gods is a riveting account of the ..."

Yay! I smell a group read...

[Brent]

Jerome wrote: "A July 2020 release:

by Ian W. Toll
Description:
Twilight of the Gods is a riveting account of the ..."

I can't wait!

[Jerome]

A July 2020 release:

by Mitchell A. Yockelson
Description:
Generals during World War II usually stayed to the rear, but not Matthew Ridgway and Maxwell Taylor. During D-Day and the Normandy campaign, these commanders of the 82nd “All-American” and the 101st “Screaming Eagle” Airborne Divisions refused to remain behind the lines and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with their paratroopers in the thick of combat. Jumping into Normandy during the early hours of D-Day, Ridgway and Taylor fought on the ground for six weeks of combat that cost the airborne divisions more than 40 percent casualties. The Paratrooper Generals is the first book to explore in depth the significant role these two division commanders played on D-Day, describing the extraordinary courage and leadership they demonstrated throughout the most important American campaign of World War II.

[Colin]

I knew Matt Ridgeway and Jim Gavin of the 82nd. Outstanding men indeed.

[Marc]

Just saw this one on Amazon yesterday. Release date of June 23, 2020:

Blazing Star, Setting Sun: The Conclusion of the Guadalcanal–Solomons Naval Campaign of World War II

A masterful account of a vital four months in the bloody battle for the Pacific, giving fresh insights into the Guadalcanal and Solomons campaign, a key turning point in both the Pacific Theater and the wider Second World War.

From popular Pacific Theater expert Jeffrey R. Cox comes this insightful new history of the critical Guadalcanal and Solomons campaign at the height of World War II. His previous book, Morning Star, Rising Sun, had found the US Navy at its absolute nadir and the fate of the Enterprise, the last operational US aircraft carrier at this point in the war, unknown. This new volume completes the history of this critical campaign, combining detailed research with a novelist's flair for the dramatic to reveal exactly how, despite missteps and misfortunes, the tide of war finally turned. By the end of February 1944, thanks to hard-fought and costly American victories in the first and second naval battles of Guadalcanal, the battle of Empress Augusta Bay, and the battle of Cape St George, the Japanese would no longer hold the materiel or skilled manpower advantage. From this point on, although the war was still a long way from being won, the American star was unquestionably on the ascendant, slowly, but surely, casting a long shadow over the Rising Sun.

Jeffrey Cox's analysis and attention to detail of even the smallest events are second to none. But what truly sets this book apart is how he combines this microscopic attention to detail, often unearthing new facts along the way, with an engaging style that transports the reader to the heart of the story, bringing the events on the deep blue of the Pacific vividly to life.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Marc wrote: "Just saw this one on Amazon yesterday. Release date of June 23, 2020:

[boo..."

One I have to get to finish the trilogy, thanks for posting the details Marc.

[Marc]

Just found out about these books which have come out this year--haven't seen anyone else post about them:

Arnhem 1944 - An Epic Battle Revisited: Vol. 1: Tanks and Paratroopers

Volume 2 is also out, but not showing up on Goodreads.

There's also this one:

Black Cross Red Star -- Air War Over the Eastern Front : Volume 4: Stalingrad to Kuban 1942-1943

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

I remember the "Black Cross Red Star" series starting years ago and then stopping due to a dispute between the author and his publisher, good to see its back up and running again.

[Marc]

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "I remember the "Black Cross Red Star" series starting years ago and then stopping due to a dispute between the author and his publisher, good to see its back up and running again."

Looks like a new publisher, and a fifth volume is expected next year.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

I'm afraid we will have to wait till July 2020 to see this book out on the shelves:

Flamethrower: Medal of Honor Recipient Woody Williams, Iwo Jima, and World War II in the Pacific by Bryan Mark Rigg
Description:
Imagine strapping on a highly flammable 70-pound pack and entering combat as a surefire walking target - and you'd only begin to understand the job, and the horror, of Marine Corps flamethrower man. That's precisely what Hershel "Woody" Williams did in World War II, most importantly in February 1945 on Iwo Jima, one of the Pacific War's toughest battles. A few days into the battle, Marines were fighting hard for an airfield, and his captain asked Woody if he could do anything. He responded, "I'll try" - and for the next four hours, he virtually singlehandedly took on and ultimately destroyed seven enemy pillboxes and helped secure the airfield. Accomplished military historian Bryan Mark Rigg reconstructs Williams' remarkable story, from his youth in West Virginia to his experiences on Guadalcanal, Saipan, Guam, and most significantly Iwo Jima. In Rigg's telling, Williams's Medal of Honor action is not "just" a brave deed, but one of only a few strategically significant brave deeds - one that secured a strategic objective during a major campaign. Rigg tells Williams' story vividly, and objectively, and places it in the context of the broader Pacific theater of World War II.

[Colin]

Well, my old partner in historical research and writing Bryan Rigg will be opening a few eyes with this book. I reviewed several drafts of the manuscript over the last few years.

[Nooilforpacifists]

Well, at least I know two books I’ll be reading in the summer of 2020. . .

NOfP

[Jerome]

A March 2020 release:

by Richard B. Frank
Description:
In 1937 the swath of the globe from India to Japan contained half the world’s population, but only two nations with real sovereignty (Japan and Thailand) and two with compromised sovereignty (China and Mongolia). All other peoples in the region endured under some form of colonialism. Today the region contains nineteen major, fully sovereign nations.

Tower of Skulls is the first work in any language to present a unified account of the course and titanic impact of this part of the global war, which began the torturous route to twenty-first-century Asia. Covering with extraordinary detail campaigns in China, Singapore, the Philippines, and Burma, as well as the attack on Pearl Harbor, it expands beyond military elements to highlight the critical political, economic, and social reverberations of the struggle. Finally, it provides a graphic depiction of the often forgotten but truly horrific death toll in the Asia-Pacific region—over 20 million—which continues to shape international relations today.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Jerome wrote: "A March 2020 release:

by Richard B. Frank
Description:
In 1937 the swath of the g..."

Could be one for the library, thanks for posting the details Jerome. I just noticed that this is only volume one and covers the period July 1937-May 1942. I wonder how many volumes this will run to?

[Mike, Assisting Moderator US Forces]

That one will likely find a place on the shelf here too.

[Dimitri]

Guadalcanal & downfall get a shelf buddy in March.

[Paul]

The Slightest Chance

In 1941, an Anglo-Australian's circumstances in colonial Hong Kong become complicated by his double life in both love and war. From real history, discover the Australian-run spy agency that operated in occupied China, witness how a young Englishwoman made unique history in her defiance of Imperial Japan and meet the Japanese Christian soldier who risked his life helping Imperial Japan's enemies.

Published by Blacksmith Books and widely available online and in stores across Australia, Hong Kong, UK and beyond. Find out more at https://paulletters.com/

[Tim]

Rick, from what I have found it is supposed to be a trilogy. Which worries me given Richard Frank is 72 and only publishes a new book every 6-8 years. That is probably the secret behind the quality of his books but I am worried he won't be able to share all he wants to. He doesn't strike me as a person who likes to do a half job.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Tim wrote: "Rick, from what I have found it is supposed to be a trilogy. Which worries me given Richard Frank is 72 and only publishes a new book every 6-8 years. That is probably the secret behind the quality..."

That could be a problem. I am still waiting for the second and final book from Lyn MacDonald to finish 1918.

[Jerome]

A May 2020 release:

by Brian Walter
Description:
For four centuries the British realm depended upon sea power to defend its interest and independence against a myriad of threats both military and economic. During this time the Royal Navy established itself as the "Sovereign of the Seas," helping transform England, and later Great Britain, from an unassuming island nation perched on the edge of the European continent to the center of a global empire. Yet the advent of World War II presented Britain's maritime services with their greatest challenge to date. At stake was the survival of the nation.

The Longest Campaign tells the story of this epic struggle and the indispensable role that British sea power played in bringing about the victory that shaped the world we live in today. It is a complete, balanced and detailed account of the activities, results and relevance of Britain's maritime effort in the Atlantic and off northwest Europe throughout World War II. It looks at the entire breadth of the maritime conflict, exploring the contribution of all participants including the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and British merchant marines and their Commonwealth equivalents. It puts the maritime conflict in the context of the overall war effort and shows how the various operations and campaigns were intertwined. Finally, it provides unique analysis of the effectiveness of the British maritime effort and role it played in bringing about the final Allied victory.

[Dimitri]

Jerome wrote: "A May 2020 release:

by Brian Walter
Description:
For four c..."

Sounds like a cousin to
'Total Germany' : The Royal Navy' War Against the Axis Powers 1939-1945 byDavid Wragg...

[Manray9]

Dimitri wrote: "Jerome wrote: "A May 2020 release:

by Brian Walter
Descript..."

Dimitri: I've read Wragg's The Fleet Air Arm Handbook 1939-45 and Stringbag: The Fairey Swordfish at War. Both pretty good.

[Marc]

This one just came out this month, but for some reason I'm unable to post it the regular way:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

Having read three volumes put out by the International Historical Research Associates, I can honestly say they are some of the best unit histories you will ever find.

[Peter]

Released 11/9/19: ASSIGNMENT: CASABLANCA; A WWII Novel of Naval Intelligence and Spies - Book 4
Assignment: Casablanca

In ASSIGNMENT: CASABLANCA, the protagonist, Tony Romella, takes a small team on what is expected to be a routine, short term trip to Casablanca, Morocco. Their task is simply to provide a temporary special intelligence communications center for U.S. members of a high level Allied war planning meeting. The easy, piece of cake mission quickly goes awry. Only two months after the Allied assault and occupation of Casablanca (Operation TORCH), the city remains a hotbed of Vichy and German sympathizers and spies. One unexpected event there leads to yet another. Things get dicey, with life threatening situations and shots fired. Tony is sent from Casablanca on a secret side mission to another country, which ultimately results in meeting Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. This cauldron of events keeps the pages turning.

This series begins just after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The protagonist, a Navy cryptologist, is ordered from Washington to the U.S. Embassy London's Naval Attaché Department. This is an unusual assignment for a cryptologist, but he uses these unique skills in his pursuits. Duty takes him to Bletchley Park (Book 1), London/France (Book 2), Norway (Book 3), and in Book 4, Morocco. These novels inform and entertain with communications intelligence, counter-intelligence, military politics, diplomatic tension, WWII history, and family dynamics. In the final analysis, these are very exciting, twisting and fast moving stories.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Marc wrote: "This one just came out this month, but for some reason I'm unable to post it the regular way:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

Having read three volumes p..."

Looks and sounds quite interesting Marc.

Ken’s Men Against the Empire: The Illustrated History of the 43rd Bombardment Group During World War II - Volume II: October 1943 to December 1945, The B-24 Era by Lawrence J. Hickey

[Marc]

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Marc wrote: "This one just came out this month, but for some reason I'm unable to post it the regular way:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

Having read th..."

Thanks for posting that. For some reason, I'm unable to get the book to pop up when I look for it under "add book/author"

[Dimitri]

Marc wrote: "Thanks for posting that. For some reason, I'm unable to get the book to pop up when I look for it under "add book/author""

Maybe the 'sort by' keyword was entered erroneously when the book was created in GR ?
Odd also, volume 1 you can find with the title keyword "43rd bombardment" but not volume 2.
"Ken's men" would be correct for both books.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Its going to be a bit of a pain to wait for both volumes of this series to be available:

Within the Realm of a Dying Sun: IV SS Panzer Corps: From Warsaw to Vienna, 1944-45 by Douglas E. Nash
(Feb. 2020)

From the Realm of a Dying Sun. Volume 2: IV. Ss-Panzerkorps from Budapest to Vienna, December 1944-May 1945 by Douglas E. Nash
(Aug. 2020)

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

A new book due out for release on Dresden in Feb. 2020 for those interested:

Dresden: The Fire and the Darkness by Sinclair McKay
Description:
In February 1945 the Allies obliterated Dresden, the 'Florence of the Elbe'. Explosive bombs weighing over 1,000 lbs fell every seven and a half seconds and an estimated 25,000 people were killed. Was Dresden a legitimate military target or was the bombing a last act of atavistic mass murder in a war already won?

From the history of the city to the attack itself, conveyed in a minute-by-minute account from the first of the flares to the flames reaching almost a mile high - the wind so searingly hot that the lungs of those in its path were instantly scorched - through the eerie period of reconstruction, bestselling author Sinclair McKay creates a vast canvas and brings it alive with touching human detail.

Along the way we encounter, for example, a Jewish woman who thought the English bombs had been sent from heaven, novelist Kurt Vonnegut who wrote that the smouldering landscape was like walking on the surface of the moon, and 15-year-old Winfried Bielss, who, having spent the evening ushering refugees, wanted to get home to his stamp collection. He was not to know that there was not enough time.

Impeccably researched and deeply moving, McKay uses never-before-seen sources to relate the untold stories of civilians and vividly conveys the texture of life in a decimated city. Dresden is invoked as a byword for the illimitable cruelties of war, but with the ever-lengthening distance of time, it is now possible to approach this subject with a much clearer gaze, less occluded with the weight of prejudice in either direction, and with a keener interest in the sorts of lives that ordinary people lived and lost, or tried to rebuild.

From general and individual morality in war to the raw, primal instinct for survival, through the seemingly unstoppable gravity of mass destruction and the manipulation of memory, this is a master historian at work.