THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP discussion
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New Release Books on WW2
message 351:
by
'Aussie Rick', Moderator
(new)
May 06, 2012 01:40PM
Hi Wade, I read Soldiers of Destruction when it was first released (ooops, showing my age now) and I must confess that I really enjoyed it. I was on a Waffen-SS kick back in those days and read everything I could on the subject. This was one of the first books available in English on the 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf and I thought it was well written and well researched, others may have a different opinion though.
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Most Excellent, Mr. Rick, thank you...off to get started.
message 353:
by
Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces
(new)
I spotted this new book and thought it might appeal to some group members, although it is a wee bit pricey
by Bill NortonBook Description:
This title examines the US Bombers of World War 2, including experimental and lesser-known military aircraft variants, including the aircraft developed for both the US Army and Naval air forces. In order to cover the subject coherently the author selects from the multitude of design concepts and proposals from the period to give adequate coverage of the programmes that advanced beyond the preliminary stages and contributed to the rapid developments in all aspects of bomber aircraft design during the war. The author discusses the technological maturation of US aircraft under the pressure of war with emphasis on high technology and experimental models. The war years were particularly noted for the rapid advance of electronic navigation, communications, radar, and electronic warfare that greatly aided bombing accuracy and mission success. The bold moves to long-range heavy bombers and super-heavy intercontinental bombers (the latter solely an American undertaking) further spurred system-intensive aircraft that were important transitions to the jet bombers that followed. How all this work contributed to actual fielded weapon systems is a particular point, with discussions of failures, course changes, and close-run competitions. The interaction with allies, knowledge of enemy systems or reaction to their introduction, and the effect of mobilizing the nation s industries for total war is touched on, together with consideration of the effects of emergency measures, haste, budgets, resources, evolving doctrine and strategy, the general course of the war, Allied achievement of air superiority, and leadership biases.
About the Author:
Bill Norton is a retired U.S. Air Force officer presently employed by JT3 at the Air Force Flight Test Center. He has been active in flight-test engineering and aircraft development since 1980. He has held numerous positions as a discipline engineer, lead engineer, project manager, and business manager. He has contributed in many flight test disciplines, on more than two dozen programs, including fighters, bombers, rotorcraft, UAVs, and missiles. His most recent efforts were as the lead flight-test engineer on the CV-22 program, structural loads FTE on the F/A-22, and as test director on the Global Hawk and Predator UAVs. He has written eight aviation books and many other professional publications and has served as a guest instructor at both United States Air Force and national test-pilot schools.
Nice post Geevee, thanks for the information on that new book, I'm sure a few people will be interested in it.
Geevee wrote: "I spotted this new book and thought it might appeal to some group members, although it is a wee bit pricey by Bill NortonBook Descr..."
Pretty sure I know him from my Edwards AFB testing days.
That's pretty cool Mike!
At long last my copy of ; "Flak: German Anti Aircraft Defenses, 1914 1945" by Edward B. Westermann has arrived. It took me a while to find an affordable second hand (HB) copy.
by Edward B. WestermannDescription:
Air raid sirens wail, searchlight beams flash across the sky, and the night is aflame with tracer fire and aerial explosions, as Allied bombers and German anti-aircraft units duel in the thundering darkness. Such "cinematic" scenes, played out with increasing frequency as World War II ground to a close, were more than mere stock material for movie melodramas. As Edward Westermann reveals, they point to a key but largely unappreciated aspect of the German war effort that has yet to get its full due.
Long the neglected stepchild in studies of World War II air campaigns, German flak or anti-aircraft units have been frequently dismissed by American, British, and German historians (and by veterans of the European air war) as ineffective weapons that wasted valuable materiel and personnel resources desperately needed elsewhere by the Third Reich. Westermann emphatically disagrees with that view and makes a convincing case for the significant contributions made by the entire range of German anti-aircraft defenses.
During the Allied air campaigns against the Third Reich, well over a million tons of bombs were dropped upon the German homeland, killing nearly 300,000 civilians, wounding another 780,000, and destroying more than 3,500,000 industrial and residential structures. Not surprisingly, that aerial Armageddon has inspired countless studies of both the victorious Allied bombing offensive and the ultimately doomed Luftwaffe defense of its own skies. By contrast, flak units have virtually been ignored, despite the fact that they employed more than a million men and women, were responsible for more than half of all Allied aircraft losses, forced Allied bombers to fly far abovehigh-accuracy altitudes, and thus allowed Germany to hold out far longer than it might have otherwise.
Westermann's definitive study sheds new light on every facet of the development and organization of this vital defense arm, including its artillery, radar, searchlight, barrage balloon, decoy sites, and command components. Highlighting the convergence of technology, strategy, doctrine, politics, and economics, Flak also provides revealing insights into German strategic thought, Hitler's obsession with micromanaging the war, and the lives of the members of the flak units themselves, including the large number of women, factory workers, and even POWs who participated.
message 358:
by
Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces
(new)
Mike wrote: "Geevee wrote: "I spotted this new book and thought it might appeal to some group members, although it is a wee bit pricey by Bill Nor..."Funny Mike when I was reading his background I did think of you. Can you get cheap copies LOL
message 359:
by
Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces
(new)
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "At long last my copy of ; "Flak: German Anti Aircraft Defenses, 1914 1945" by Edward B. Westermann has arrived. It took me a while to find an affordable second hand (HB) copy.[bookcover:Flak: Ger..."
Rick this is a great find - having seen the huge flak towers in Germany I will look to get a copy of this.
It took me a while to find a second-hand copy I could afford Geevee but by all accounts its a very well researched book and on a subject not generally covered in depth.
Geevee wrote: "Funny Mike when I was reading his background I did think of you. Can you get cheap copies LOL ..."Hmmm, I do know some in the leadership out there, but unlikely to get a deal any better than anyone else.
that does look like a good one. i'll borrow AR's whenhe's finished...
Geevee wrote: "'Aussie Rick' wrote: "At long last my copy of ; "Flak: German Anti Aircraft Defenses, 1914 1945" by Edward B. Westermann has arrived. It took me a while to find an affordable second hand (HB) copy...."
My copy of If Chaos Reigns by Flint Whitlock just arrived and after a quick flick through the book it looks prety damn good. I will have to try and move it up my 'to-read' list towards the top. Anyone here read this book yet?
by Flint Whitlock
Saw this book in the book store. Almost picked it up but the TBR pile on my floor which is supposed to be getting smaller is getting bigger so had to stop myself.
byMichael Bess(no photo)Synopsis
World War II remains a celebrated event in our collective memory—a time of great high-minded clarity, patriotic sacrifice, and national unity of purpose. It was the quintessential “good war,” in which the forces of freedom triumphed over the forces of darkness. Now, in his provocative new book, historian Michael Bess explodes the myth that this was a war fought without moral ambiguity. He shows that although it was undeniably a just war—a war of defense against unprovoked aggression—it was a conflict fraught with painful dilemmas, uneasy trade-offs, and unavoidable compromises. With clear-eyed, principled assurance, Bess takes us into the heart of a global contest that was anything but straightforward, and confronts its most difficult questions: Was the bombing of civilian populations in Germany and Japan justified? Were the Nuremberg and Tokyo war crimes trials legally scrupulous? What is the legacy bequeathed to the world by Hiroshima? And what are the long-term ramifications of the Anglo-American alliance with Stalin, a leader whose atrocities rivaled those of Hitler?
Viewing the conflict as a composite of countless choices made by governments, communities, and—always of the utmost importance—individuals, Bess untangles the stories of singular moral significance from the mass of World War II data. He examines the factors that led some people to dissent and defy evil while others remained trapped or aloof, caught in the net of large-scale operations they saw as beyond their control. He explains the complex psychological dynamics at work among the men of Reserve Battalion 101, a group of ordinary working-class Germans who swept through the Polish countryside slaughtering Jews, and among the townspeople of the Plateau Vivarais-Lignon, who rescued thousands of Jewish refugees at their own peril. He asks poignant hypothetical questions, such as what would have happened had the Catholic Church taken a hard line against Nazism, placing an imperative on its members to choose between their loyalties.
As Bess guides us through the war’s final theater, the politics of memory, he shows how long-simmering controversies still have the power to divide nations more than half a century later. It is here that he argues against the binaries of honor and dishonor, pride and shame, and advocates instead an honest and nuanced reckoning on the part of the world’s nations with the full complexity of their World War II pasts.
Forthright and authoritative, this is a rigorous accounting of the war that forever changed our world, a book that takes us to the outer limits of moral reasoning about historical events.
I've had that book on my wishlist for awhile. Hopefully someday I'll actually find the time to buy & read it lol. My TBR pile is never-ending as well
That looks like a heckuva good book, Nicole. Definitely have to get this one.
Good post Nicole and it does sound like a very interesting book, thanks for all the information.
Yesterday at a garage sale in the Pittsburgh,area i purchased 3 volumes by Werner Haupt-Army Groups North, Center& South, all 3 are in excellent condition. At first glance they all seem to be pretty scholory type volumes,any word on the 3? I was looking for "Hitler Moves East", no luck, there.
message 369:
by
Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces
(new)
Wade wrote: "Yesterday at a garage sale in the Pittsburgh,area i purchased 3 volumes by Werner Haupt-Army Groups North, Center& South, all 3 are in excellent condition. At first glance they all seem to be prett..."Wade those three are volumes I have looked to buy - I'd welcome your thoughts as you settle down with them.
I have a guilty secret, I quite enjoyed Paul Carel's two books covering the German camaign in the East.
by Paul Carell
by Paul CarellNice buy on all three volumes of the German Army Groups!
and
and
by Werner Haupt
Geevee wrote: "Wade wrote: "Yesterday at a garage sale in the Pittsburgh,area i purchased 3 volumes by Werner Haupt-Army Groups North, Center& South, all 3 are in excellent condition. At first glance they all see..."'Aussie Rick' wrote: "I have a guilty secret, I quite enjoyed Paul Carel's two books covering the German camaign in the East.
[bookcover:Hitler Moves East 19411943] by Paul Carell
[bookcover:Scorched Earth: The Russ..."
Well i thanks for the positive comments on the purchase,
I picked up these three WW2 books today from my Post Office box:
by Egbert Kieser
by Robert Gerwarth
by Duane P. SchultzThey all look pretty good!
That's quite the mailbox you have there, Rick. It never fails to produce some interesting titles.
message 375:
by
Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces
(new)
Just bought this to add to a number of books both contemporary and later that I have on the Home Guard. These are the diaries of Colonel Rodney Foster a gentleman who having seen service in WWI joined up to defend his corner of England with the Kent Home Guard.
The book covers the very dark days when German invasion was expected immediately after Dunkirk. Later in 1940 after the Battle of Britain with invasion still a concern and the Blitz and V1s bombing underway this area of Kent was known as Bomb Alley. His diary contiues until war's end.
The men of the Local Defence Volunteers (LDV), later renamed the Home Guard, were tasked with taking up defensive positions in their local area to support and bolster regular troops against the might of the Third Reich.
Like the regular army at this time equipment was at a premium and scarce or even absent. A figure of fun for some - both then and now - these men carried on with regular jobs and then went about their duties.
A considerable number like Rodney Foster had served in the military before with active service behind them and among their number in the Home Guard across the country were holders of the VC, DSO, MC, DCM and MM.
by Rodney Foster
Excellent post Geevee, not many books covering the Home Guard, so good to see a new title that may interest others here.
Saw this book in the new releases and added it to my TBR pile (the virtual one...not the floor one). Looks pretty interesting.Twelve Desperate Miles: The Epic World War II Voyage of the SS Contessa
byTim Brady(no photo)Synopsis
The Dirty Dozen meets Band of Brothers in this true story of how a rusty old New Orleans banana boat staffed with an unlikely crew of international merchant seamen, a gang of inmates from a local jail, and a French harbor pilot spirited out of Morocco by O.S.S. agents in the trunk of a Chevy, were drafted into service in WWII -- and heroically succeeded in setting the stage for Patton's epic invasion of North Africa.
The largest amphibious invasion force ever to cross the Atlantic Ocean set sail from Virginia for North Africa in November 1942. Operation Torch was the true beginning of the liberation of Europe since control of Northwestern Africa — Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia -- gave the Allies a base on the Mediterranean for the coming invasion of southern Europe. The prime objectives of the Moroccan invasion, headed by General George Patton, were the port city of Casablanca and an airfield 60 miles northeast of the city, which had the only concrete runways in the region. Unfortunately, the field was located a dozen miles up a shallow, twisting Moroccan river that wound its way down from the Atlas Mountains to the Atlantic. Patton needed five hundred tons of highly volatile airplane fuel and nine hundred tons of bombs delivered to that Moroccan airport to supply his planned air campaign against Casablanca, but he faced a major challenge: the river was too shallow for any available transport ship in the entire Allied fleet. As the clock ticked down on the invasion, the War Department searched every harbor and cove in the Atlantic and only at the last moment turned up the Contessa, a salt-caked, rust-stained Honduran-registered civilian freighter that had spent most of her undistinguished career hauling bananas and honeymooners from New Orleans to the river port harbors of the Caribbean. But at least she would be capable of hauling heavy cargo in shallow waters.
Twelve Desperate Miles tells the incredible story of the Contessa’s role in the opening salvo of World War II. This unremarkable ship, crewed by seamen from twenty-six different nations and eighteen sailors pulled from the Norfolk County jail, became the focus of the first invasion of the war as it was rushed to Virginia at the insistence of George Patton and quickly retrofitted for war. Too late to join the safety of the massive convoy sailing for Africa, the Contessa set out on her own through the U-Boat-infested waters of the Atlantic to the shores of Morocco, where she faced her final and most daunting challenge: the twelve mile voyage up the shallow and well-defended Sebou River, carrying an explosive cocktail of gasoline and bombs in her holds.
In Twelve Desperate Miles, veteran history writer Tim Brady chronicles one of the great untold stories of the war. This surprising and entertaining account of the baptism of American forces on the Western Front is a mix of Moroccan intrigue, portraits of some of the great figures of the war (Patton, Eisenhower, Marshall, General Lucian Truscott) at its outset, snapshots of the daily workings of the colorful crew of a merchant ship, along with a thrilling account of the invasion of French Morocco. Twelve Desperate Miles offers a unique and fascinating picture of the war in its opening moments.
My copy only arrived last week, I've had a quick flick through it and it looks pretty good.
My copy of James Holland's latest book arrived today; Dam Busters
by Tom HollandDescription:
The night of May 16th, 1943. Nineteen specially adapted Lancaster bombers take off from RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, each with a huge 9,000lb cylindrical bomb strapped underneath it. Their mission: to destroy three dams deep within the German heartland, which provide the lifeblood to the industries supplying the Third Reich's war machine.
From the outset it was an almost impossible task, a suicide mission: to fly low and at night in formationover many miles of enemy-occupied territory at the very limit of the Lancasters' capacity, and drop a new weapon that had never been tried operationally before from a precise height of just sixty feet from the water at some of the most heavily defended targets in Germany.
More than that, the entire operation had to be put together in less than ten weeks. When visionary aviation engineer Barnes Wallis's concept of the bouncing bomb was green lighted, he hadn't even drawn up his plans for the weapon that was to smash the dams. What followed was an incredible race against time, which, despite numerous setbacks and against huge odds, became one of the most successful and game-changing bombing raids of all time.
I picked up the six volume series of Winston Churchill's "The Second World War" today at a used book store for $10.00. They are the hardbacks. Now I'm hooked on "The Gathering Storm"!
Nice buy Mark, well done! He is a pretty decent writer. I have read & enjoyed his History of the English Speaking People and I have heard good things about his history of the Second World War. Keep us posted on how it goes.
by Winston S. Churchill
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Nice buy Mark, well done! He is a pretty decent writer. I have read & enjoyed his History of the English Speaking People and I have heard good things about his history of the Second World War. Keep..."Thanks! When I read the book, I can hear Churchill's voice in my head. By the way, is it true that Australians still have a grudge against Churchill because of Gallipoli?
Not so much Gallipoli as WW2. Churchill and Australia had a love/hate relationship throughout his life. When our government asked for our troops to be shipped back from the Middle East to help protect Australia from the Japanese in 1942 he wasn't going to let them go, when he finally relented (after El Alamein) he then tried to divert the ships to the Burma-India theatre as he believed that India was the crown jewel in the British Empire. That soured relationships between the two countries and Australia turned towards America as our new ally in the Pacific region and it’s been that way ever since.
One book that I really enjoyed that explores the relationship between Churchill and Australia is:
by Graham Freudenberg
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Not so much Gallipoli as WW2. Churchill and Australia had a love/hate relationship throughout his life. When our government asked for our troops to be shipped back from the Middle East to help pr..."
Thank you for the answer and the link.
My pleasure and your right about hearing Churchill's voice in your head while reading his books :)
message 386:
by
Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces
(new)
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Not so much Gallipoli as WW2. Churchill and Australia had a love/hate relationship throughout his life. When our government asked for our troops to be shipped back from the Middle East to help pr..."
Rick you know my high view of Australian Forces, so I can perhaps understand his decision when viewed from 1941/42 in not wanting to let well led fine quality troops go when he was really concerned about the safety of the Suez Canal, the oilfields and ultimately the route to India.
Their sterling performance at Tobruk in my opinion ensured Morshead and the 9th Division were never going home until the Western Desert was secured (he did allow the 6th and 7th divisions to leave after Tobruk though).
I do love a good Churchiil book his history of WWII is an excellent read I also enjoyed his book
Very valid points Geevee, I suppose its hard to look at the big picture when your homeland is a risk but I think Churchill's decision about trying to divert the convoy when he finally realeased the troops was the straw that broke the camels back for the Australian government.
i always wondered why they didn't use a torpedo, perhapsmodified someway. i imagine some scientist going,
oh yeah well why didn't we think of that?
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "My copy of James Holland's latest book arrived today; Dam Busters
[bookcover:The Dambusters: The True Story of the Legendary Raid on the Ruhr] by Tom Holland
Description:
The night of May 16th, 19..."
good find mark, i remember those books on my dad's bookshelf since, probablyforever, and they're still there. we had the red version, kinda faded to pink. i read parts here and there. with Churchill you have to remember his quote:
"History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it."
Mark wrote: "I picked up the six volume series of Winston Churchill's "The Second World War" today at a used book store for $10.00. They are the hardbacks. Now I'm hooked on "The Gathering Storm"! [bookcover:Th..."
This saturday I was browsing through a used bookstore in Rotterdam. Don't spend much time in these stores anymore as they in general don't have much I like. This time, however, I stumbled upon this little gem which made me grin from ear to ear. I was very happy to have found it (altough it was quite expensive).
Generalleutnant Fritz Bayerlein, Commander of the Panzer Lehr Division, wrote twenty manuscripts while interred as a U.S. Army prisoner of war from April 1945 until his release from captivity two years later. The entire series of manuscripts, commonly referred to as "Foreign Military Studies", was prepared post-war by hundreds of senior German officers at the direction of the U.S. Army's Historical Division. Bayerlein cooperated whole-heartedly and honestly with the U.S. Army, telling his own version of events as they unfolded, starting with the creation of the famous Panzer Lehr Division. Bayerlein recounts his experiences through the horrors of D-Day, his retreat to the Rhine, the failed Ardennes Offensive, and on to his final days of fighting with his LIII Armeekorps in the Ruhr Pocket.
that's a rather fascinating find! Singleton wrote: "This saturday I was browsing through a used bookstore in Rotterdam. Don't spend much time in these stores anymore as they in general don't have much I like.
This time, however, I stumbled upon th..."
Good find Singleton, nice book!
Hi folks, here is additional information on Alex Kershaw's new book due out in a few months. This sounds like a great book so I am sure many folks here will be keen to see this in the book shops soon:
by Alex KershawDescription:
It's story of Felix Sparks, went from 2nd Lt. to Colonel, from Sicily to Dachau, wounded twice, lost all of his men - a company at Anzio - and almost all - a battalion to the SS in Germany, commanding officer of first US forces to liberate Dachau on 500th day of war. Died 2007, a giant of our time, a miracle he survived given the extraordinary intensity of the combat at Anzio and other places. Never hated Germans or SS and defeated NRA aged 76 after his grandson was killed in drive by and he decided to put tough laws on the books in Colorado banning minors from legal access to handguns. Book based on dozens of interviews with 45th Div and 147th regiment vets and several very in depth sessions with Sparks.
I will set up some additional information and a book cover as soon as I can, keep tuned!
Looking forward to it I am currently reading his book
and am really enjoying it.
My copy of Spitfire Ace Over Malta arrived today, looks pretty decent!
by Denis BarnhamDescription:
'The Germans had watched our arrival on radar and that afternoon all Hell broke loose over the Maltese airfields. In spite of strenuous efforts by the fighters and anti-aircraft gun defences, the Ju 87 and Ju 88 dive-bombers and strafing Messerschmitts managed to damage and destroy several of the newly delivered aircraft on the ground.'
One Man's Window is the journal of Flight Lieutenant Denis Barnham, who arrived on Malta as an inexperienced pilot, but grew into a battle-hardened Spitfire ace over his grueling two hundred operational hours between 13 April and 21 June 1942.
Malta was of great strategic importance to the Allies, and was pivotal to their success in North Africa as it provided the perfect launching pad for aircraft to attack Axis supply ships in the Mediterranean. the island in turn suffered intensive bombing by the German and Italian air forces as a direct result.
This memoir was written by the author as he and his fellow pilots battled against terrible odds and under constant attack. His words reflect honestly the sheer terror of flying from Malta.
'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Keep us posted!"Finished
by Alex Kershaw and I strongly recommend it to all.
Excellent news Michael, thanks for that.
Excellent! I have it on the TBR pile on my floor.
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