Second World War Books

Book SynopsisA new and richly illustrated account of Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox, in North Africa.

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Book SynopsisThe iconic German fighter of the Second World War examined through its service in the latter years of the Second World War.

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Book Synopsis Holocaust movies have become an important segment of world cinema and the de-facto Holocaust education for many. One quarter of all American-produced Holocaust-related feature films have won or been nominated for at least one Oscar. In fact, from 1945 through 1991, half of all American Holocaust features were nominated. Yet most Holocaust movies have fallen through the cracks and few have been commercially successful. This book explores these trends--and many others--with a comprehensive guide to hundreds of films and made-for-television movies. From Anne Frank to Schindler''s List to Jojo Rabbit, more than 400 films are examined from a range of perspectives--historical, chronological, thematic, sociological, geographical and individual. The filmmakers are contextualized, including Charlie Chaplin, Sidney Lumet, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino and Roman Polanski. Recommendations and reviews of the 50 best Holocaust films are included, along with Trade ReviewRich Brownstein's Holocaust Cinema Complete is wonderful and special. His specific examination of the Anne Frank Diary's complicated print history, as well as his deep dive into the entire Anne Frank cinema sub-genre since the 1950s is extraordinary. As with all other Holocaust cinema, Brownstein recommends the best Anne Frank films, based equally on both their educational and entertainment value. His unique and well documented overview of this sub-genre of Holocaust movies is essential for educators and Anne Frank aficionados alike, as well as for film buffs generally." —Tom Brink, head of publications and presentations at the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and the producer of the Anne Frank Video Diary"The proliferation of films whose subject is the Holocaust, whether in its preliminaries, enactments, or aftermath, whether in Europe or the United States, is a continuing phenomenon, worthy of deeper study. Rich Brownstein's achievement in identifying, analyzing, and critiquing the wide-ranging genre will be of immense utility to a variety of readers, whether educators, film critics, historians, or those drawn almost irresistibly to the topic of how to represent the unrepresentable. In an informed and singular voice, Brownstein's exhaustive lists, numerous classifications, and cogent discussions, have provided us with an invaluable service and considerable material for further thought." —Froma I. Zeitlin, Ewing Professor of Greek Language and Literature and professor of comparative literature, emeritus, Princeton University.Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsForeword by Tim Blake NelsonForeword by Walter ReichForeword by Michael Berenbaum and Edward JacobsForeword by David ZuckerAuthor's Preface and Introduction1. Narrative Holocaust Film BasicsDefining Narrative Film  13Defining Holocaust Film  15Creating a Definitive Holocaust Film List  16Grouping Holocaust Films: The "4+1 Genre" System  19­Non-Holocaust Films: Shorts, Television Episodes, Documentaries and Miniseries  282. Stats and ErasHolocaust Film Stats  32Four Eras of Holocaust Film  433. Surprising Holocaust Film TraitsFiction vs. ­Non-Fiction  55­Non-American Holocaust Film Production  60American Guilt  70God, the Holocaust and Holocaust Exploitation  734. The Unavoidables: Elie Wiesel, Anne Frank, Oskar Schindler and Oscar BaitElie Wiesel: The Elephant in the Room  79Anne Frank: A Microcosm of Holocaust Film  83The Black Hole of Holocaust Films: Schindler's List (1993) & Friends  96Oscar Bait  1075. A Practical History of Holocaust Filmmaking in Hollywood6. The Greatest Narrative Holocaust Film Ever Made7. Roman Polanski and The Pianist (2002)8. Holocaust Film Curriculum Planning: The "SOFTA" SystemStudents  158Objectives  165­Follow-Up  168Time  173Administrative  175Summary  1769. Recommended Holocaust FilmsThe 52 Best Holocaust Films  181The Very Best Holocaust Films  275Epilogue: Eva.Stories and Holocaust Film TrendsAppendix I: List of Holocaust FilmsAppendix II: ­Non-Holocaust Films Often Miscategorized as Holocaust FilmsChapter NotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisShortlisted - 2023 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards for Best Reality-Based Work.An intimate co-creation of three graphic novelists and four Holocaust survivors, But I Live consists of three illustrated stories based on the experiences of each survivor during and after the Holocaust.David Schaffer and his family survived in Romania due to their refusal to obey Nazi collaborators. In the Netherlands, brothers Nico and Rolf Kamp were separated from their parents and hidden by the Dutch resistance in thirteen different places. Through the story of Emmie Arbel, a child survivor of the Ravensbrück and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps, we see the lifelong trauma inflicted by the Holocaust.To complement these hauntingly beautiful and unforgettable visual stories, But I Live includes historical essays, an illustrated postscript from the artists, and personal words from each of the survivors.As we urgently approach the post-witness era without livinTrade Review"The superb, heart-rending book But I Live: Three Stories of Child Survivors of the Holocaust collects the testimonies of four survivors in a graphic narrative format for new generations. It is a powerful and indispensable educational tool not just for high school students, for whom it was designed, but for anyone. Readers can now carry these indelible stories forward." * Quill & Quire *"I'm convinced that we need more books like this, so that we can preserve a terrible history in a way that makes it easily accessible on the one hand, but also allows a different, very personal access to the stories on the other. I think that this book belongs with Maus in every bookcase." -- Tobi Dahmen, comic artist and illustrator * www.tobidahmen.de *"The graphic narratives in But I Live are powerful and relate the Holocaust stories in profound and intense ways that words alone cannot. Created for middle readers, this book is suitable for adults too." -- Beverly Cramp * BC BookWorld *"Last week I was given a gift of sadness, a gift of violence, fear, tragedy and suffering…But it was also a gift of courage, extraordinary determination, unimaginable resilience, and ultimately triumph…The gift came in the form of a recently published collection of three graphic novellas called But I Live. It is a remarkable achievement bringing together four survivors with three writer/illustrators who help portray the harrowing journey of the survivors’ young lives." -- Chris * In a Spacious Place *"The combination of stories and artwork is powerful and chilling." -- Dean Poling * Valdosta Daily Times *“Who should read this book? Young adults, for sure. But also teachers. Makers of memorials and exhibitions. Historians, literary and art scholars, everyone.” -- Christian Staas * Die Zeit *Table of ContentsPreface Bernice Eisenstein The Stories “A Kind of Resistance” Miriam Libicki and David Schaffer “Thirteen Secrets” Gilad Seliktar, Nico Kamp, and Rolf Kamp “But I Live” Barbara Yelin and Emmie Arbel The Histories The Holocaust in Transnistria Alexander Korb Surviving in Hiding from the Nazis Dienke Hondius Surviving Ravensbrück and Bergen-Belsen as a Child Andrea Löw In Their Own Words David Schaffer Nico Kamp Rolf Kamp Emmie Arbel Behind the Art Miriam Libicki, Gilad Seliktar, and Barbara Yelin Afterword Charlotte Schallié, Matt Huculak, Ilona Shulman Spaar, and Jan Erik Dubbelman Acknowledgments Biographies

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Book SynopsisSince the earliest days of the nation, US citizenship has been linked to military service. Even though blacks fought and died in all American wars, their own freedom was usually restricted or denied. In many ways, World War II exposed this contradiction.As demand for manpower grew during the war, government officials and military leaders realized that the war could not be won without black support. To generate African American enthusiasm, the federal government turned to mass media. Several government films were produced and distributed, movies that have remained largely unexamined by scholars. Kathleen M. German delves into the dilemma of race and the federal government's attempts to appeal to black patriotism and pride even while postponing demands for equality and integration until victory was achieved.German's study intersects three disciplines: the history of the African American experience in World War II, the theory of documentary film, and the study of

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Book SynopsisIn Resurrecting Nagasaki, Chad R. Diehl explores the genesis of narratives surrounding the atomic bombing of August 9, 1945, by following the individuals and groups who contributed to the shaping of Nagasaki City''s postwar identity. Municipal officials, survivor-activist groups, the Catholic community, and American occupation officials all interpreted the destruction and reconstruction of the city from different, sometimes disparate perspectives. Diehl''s analysis reveals how these atomic narratives shaped both the way Nagasaki rebuilt and the ways in which popular discourse on the atomic bombings framed the city''s experience for decades.Trade ReviewResurrecting Nagasaki deserves to be read as a foundational work on the post-atomic history of Nagasaki. * Pacific Historical Review *The book makes a significant contribution to the understudied history of Nagasaki. Resurrecting Nagasaki is an important book for anyone who is interested in nuclear history, US Japan relations, US public diplomacy, and urban studies. * Japanese Studies *A nicely written monograph—also the first in English, as it turns out—on Nagasaki the bombed, Nagasaki the resurrected, and Nagasaki the mirror image of its ghastly twinned counterpart, Hiroshima. * Kirk Center *Resurrecting Nagasaki is the first scholarly work in English on the history of Nagasaki after the atomic bombing on 9 August 1945. Chad Diehl's book is therefore a welcome first work on the topic, one that can extend the frontiers of our understanding about how people have struggled to deal with the aftermath of unprecedented devastation. It should serve as a valuable springboard for further explorations into the history of postatomic Nagasaki. * Monumenta Nipponica *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Envisioning Nagasaki 2. Coexisting in the Valley of Death 3. The "Saint" of Urakami 4. Writing Nagasaki 5. Walls of Silence 6. Ruins of Memory Conclusion Notes Index

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Book SynopsisHow do you get students to engage in a historical episode or era? How do you bring the immediacy and contingency of history to life? Michael A. Barnhart shares the secret to his award-winning success in the classroom with Can You Beat Churchill?, which encourages role-playing for immersive teaching and learning. Combating the declining enrollment in humanities classes, this innovative approach reminds us how critical learning skills are transmitted to students: by reactivating their curiosity and problem-solving abilities.Barnhart provides advice and procedures, both for the use of off-the-shelf commercial simulations and for the instructor who wishes to custom design a simulation from scratch. These reenactments allow students to step into the past, requiring them to think and act in ways historical figures might have. Students must make crucial or dramatic decisions, though these decisions need not align with the historical record. In doing so, they learn, thrTrade ReviewA valuable book for educators and game designers. * The NYMAS Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. From Game to Simulation 2. Roles 3. Rules 4. Requirements 5. Room 6. The A.I. 7. Under the Hood 8. Simulations for an Afternoon 9. Can You Beat Churchill?

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Book SynopsisIn 1945, soon after the liberation of Auschwitz, Soviet authorities in control of the Kattowitz (Katowice) camp in Poland asked Primo Levi and his fellow captive Leonardo De Benedetti to compile a detailed report on the sanitary conditions they witnessed in Auschwitz. The result was an extraordinary testimony and one of the first accounts of the extermination camps ever written. Their report, published in a medical journal in 1946, marked the beginnings of Levi’s life-long work as writer, analyst and witness. In the subsequent four decades, Levi never ceased to recount his experiences in Auschwitz in a wide variety of texts, many of which are assembled together here for the first time, alongside other testimony from De Benedetti. From early research into the fate of their companions to the deposition written for Eichmann’s trial, Auschwitz Testimonies is a rich mosaic of documents, memories and critical reflections of great historic and human value. Underpinned by his characteristically clear language, rigorous method and deep psychological insight, this collection of testimonies, reports and analyses reaffirms Primo Levi’s position as one of the most important chroniclers of the Holocaust. Trade Review"One of the most important and gifted writers of our time."—Italo Calvino "The triumph of human identity and worth over the pathology of human destruction glows virtually everywhere in Levi's writing.... Time and time again we are moved by his narratives of how men refuse erasure."—Toni Morrison "Primo Levi's poise was one of the greatest achievements in the history of the human spirit. His writing restored the honor of humanism after Auschwitz."—Leon Wieseltier "Whether as witness or imaginative artist, Levi stands high among the truly essential European writers of the past century."—Michael Dirda, Washington Post "Their unvarnished testimony speaks volumes about the weight of responsibility felt by survivors such as Levi to ensure that the world never forgot the 'insane dream of building a thousand-year empire upon millions of corpses and slaves'."—The Sydney Morning Herald "Levi writes of unspeakable things with charity, clarity and objectivity."—Sunday Times "The publication of Auschwitz Testimonies may go some way to fulfil Levi's 40-year post-war odyssey to bear witness to 'the history of today, whose violence is the child of that violence which, by sheer chance, we managed to survive'."—The Morning Star

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Book SynopsisThis book recounts a little-known history of the estimated 2,000 babies born to black GIs and white British women in the second world war. The African-American press named these children 'brown babies'; the British called them 'half-castes'. Black GIs, in this segregated army, were forbidden to marry their white girl-friends. Nearly half of the children were given up to children's homes but few were adopted, thought 'too hard to place'. There has been minimal study of these children and the difficulties they faced, such as racism in a (then) very white Britain, lack of family or a clear identity. The book will present the stories of over fifty of these children, their stories contextualised in terms of government policy and attitudes of the time. Accessibly written, with stories both heart-breaking and uplifting, the book is illustrated throughout with photographs. -- .Trade Review'Lucy Bland's stories of Britain's Brown Babies evoke a potent mix of rage, tears, joy and thankfulness: rage at everyday racisms, both institutional and individual, tears for the cruelties suffered, joy at the love and care that some found and thankfulness that we can hear these voices.' Catherine Hall, Emerita Professor of History, UCL 'Using oral histories as well as revealing analyses of governmental policies and the politics of racially warped institutions, Lucy Bland's wonderful book lays out in no uncertain terms how the stigma of illegitimacy coupled with racism shaped the experiences of children born to white British women and African American G.I.s during and in the aftermath of World War II.' Sonya O. Rose, Professor Emerita of History, Sociology and Women's Studies, University of Michigan 'In this thoughtful and poignant work, Lucy Bland not only meticulously details the history of Britain's 'brown babies' but, by placing their voices at the very centre of her scholarship, offers invaluable fresh perspectives. Bland's compassionate and insightful foregrounding of these moving memories of racial mixing and mixedness can't be applauded strongly enough. An outstanding achievement.' Dr Chamion Caballero, Goldsmiths, University of London -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. British women meet black GIs 2. Keeping the 'brown babies' 3. 'Brown babies' relinquished: experiences of children's homes 4. Adoption, fostering and attempts to send the babies to the US 5. Secrets and lies: searching for mothers and fathers 6. After the war and beyond Appendix: the case study 'brown babies' Bibliography Index -- .

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Book SynopsisThis book recounts a little-known history of the estimated 2,000 babies born to black GIs and white British women in the second world war. The African-American press named these children ‘brown babies’; the British called them ‘half-castes’. Black GIs, in this segregated army, were forbidden to marry their white girl-friends. Nearly half of the children were given up to children’s homes but few were adopted, thought ‘too hard to place’. There has been minimal study of these children and the difficulties they faced, such as racism in a (then) very white Britain, lack of family or a clear identity. The book will present the stories of over fifty of these children, their stories contextualised in terms of government policy and attitudes of the time. Accessibly written, with stories both heart-breaking and uplifting, the book is illustrated throughout with photographs.Trade Review'In this thoughtful and poignant work, Lucy Bland not only meticulously details the history of Britain's 'brown babies' but, by placing their voices at the very centre of her scholarship, offers invaluable fresh perspectives. Bland's compassionate and insightful foregrounding of these moving memories of racial mixing and mixedness can't be applauded strongly enough. An outstanding achievement.'Chamion Caballero, Goldsmiths, University of London‘Lucy Bland’s stories of Britain’s Brown Babies evoke a potent mix of rage, tears, joy and thankfulness: rage at everyday racisms, both institutional and individual, tears for the cruelties suffered, joy at the love and care that some found and thankfulness that we can hear these voices.’Catherine Hall, Emerita Professor of History, UCL‘Using oral histories as well as revealing analyses of governmental policies and the politics of racially warped institutions, Lucy Bland’s wonderful book lays out in no uncertain terms how the stigma of illegitimacy coupled with racism shaped the experiences of children born to white British women and African American G.I.s during and in the aftermath of World War II.’Sonya O. Rose, Professor Emerita of History, Sociology and Women's Studies, University of Michigan'Lucy Bland’s book beautifully and carefully recovers the intimate, painful and sometimes joyous stories of Britain’s ‘brown babies’. […] Throughout Bland writes with sensitivity, care and an astute sense of her positionality as interviewer, offering an exemplar of undertaking this essential oral history research. […] Her meticulous attention to the ways in which these children navigated their own sense of belonging and difference – at home, in the care system, in British society and with their American families – is a tremendous achievement, with important findings for historians of migration, Black Britain, childhood and family alike.'Women's History'An important advancement of the historio-graphy and, due to its clear style and unique source material, is ideally suited for use in the classroom, as well. Graduate students will benefit in particular from Bland’s careful discussion of her methodology ; for undergraduates and graduate students alike, Bland’s skillful use of oral history and biographical material makes her book highly accessible and engaging.'Res Militaris'[...] Professor Bland seamlessly weaves the stories of more than forty of these children for whom she has obtained in-depth interview material and who form the core of the book. The result is a work of substantial scholarship, accompanied by forty pages of notes and an extensive bibliography. The story appears close to the author’s heart which also makes it a humane and compelling narrative that is written with lucidity and precision.'Peter J. Aspinall (2021), Ethnic and Racial Studies'Meticulously researched and sensitively handled, Britain’s 'Brown Babies' not only makes a major contribution to the history of black people in Britain, but through it, shines a light on attitudes to illegitimacy and, in particular, race in the 1940s and 1950s – attitudes which are shockingly familiar to us still today.'History Workshop Journal -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. British women meet black GIs 2. Keeping the ‘brown babies’ 3. ‘Brown babies’ relinquished: experiences of children’s homes 4. Adoption, fostering and attempts to send the babies to the US 5. Secrets and lies: searching for mothers and fathers 6. After the war and beyond Appendix: the case study 'brown babies' Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisDeath in war matters. It matters to the individual, threatened with their own death, or the death of loved ones. It matters to groups and communities who have to find ways to manage death, to support the bereaved and to dispose of bodies amidst the confusion of conflict. It matters to the state, which has to find ways of coping with mass death that convey a sense of gratitude and respect for the sacrifice of both the victims of war, and those that mourn in their wake. This social and cultural history of Britain in the Second World War places death at the heart of our understanding of the British experience of conflict. Drawing on a range of material, Dying for the nation demonstrates just how much death matters in wartime and examines the experience, management and memory of death. It will appeal to anyone with an interest in the social and cultural history of Britain in the Second World War.Trade ReviewWinner of the Social History Society Book Prize 2022'This thoughtful book reminds us that societies interpret mass death on rhetorical, discursive and mnemonic levels, but people also live with its harsh practicalities, as death intersects with lived everyday experience and emotion. This deeply significant book thus has much to teach both historians and a wider readership today.'Twentieth Century British History'Drawing on cultural histories of death, emotions, and mourning, and on extensive archival research, Noakes (Univ. of Essex, UK) examines how the British government and people responded to the deaths of over 260,000 members of the armed forces and over 60,000 civilians during WW II. She argues that it was crucial for the government to manage mass death in a respectful way so as to maintain the consent of the public and keep morale high, and to encourage citizens to control their emotions and remain stoic even as they faced a total war in which they and their loved ones were the targets. There are somber chapters on how civilians and soldiers died (crushed or eviscerated by bombs, burned in tanks, frozen in Arctic waters), were buried and mourned, and how the dead “work[ed] for the nation” as symbols of shared sacrifice and unity. When this “people’s war” ended, the emphasis was on looking ahead, not back, and on creating a better world rather than grand monuments for the dead. This perceptive study of wartime death, grief, and bereavement will be welcomed by students of WW II, Great Britain, and nationalism.--A. H. Plunkett, Piedmont Virginia Community CollegeSumming Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.Reprinted with permission from Choice Reviews. All rights reserved. Copyright by the American Library Association.'There is much here to interest scholars working on death and grief, and conceptions of selfhood or citizenship, as well as those working more generally on social, cultural, and emotional histories of modern warfare. At the current moment, as many individuals and communities continue to grapple with the ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic, others may also find Noakes’ poignant history of what it means to live through periods of crisis and mass bereavement well worth a read.'Journal of Contemporary History 'A rich and multi-dimensional analysis of how war, death, and grief pervaded the lives of individuals and societies throughout the first half of the twentieth century is thus proffered here. Reading Dying for the Nation as 2020 draws to a painful close, it strikes me that there is much that may be gained from this thoughtful book in terms of understanding our own emotional codes and management of grief and loss in this last appalling year. Overall, Noakes’ new book is a pleasure to read and a real gift to anyone who teaches or researches the social and cultural history of Britain and the Second World War.'War in History -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction: death, grief and bereavement in wartime Britain1 Shadowing: death, grief and mourning before the Second World War2 Feeling: the emotional economy of interwar Britain3 Planning: imagining and planning for death in wartime4 Coping: belief and agency in wartime5 Dying: death and destruction of the body in war6 Burying: the disposal of the war’s dead7 Grieving: bereavement, grief, and the emotional labour of wartime8 Remembering: remembering and commemorating the dead of warConclusion: the personal and the political Bibliography

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Book SynopsisFrome at War 1939-1945 is a comprehensive account of this Somerset market town's experience of the conflict, covering in detail life on the Home Front set against the background of the wider theatres of war. The narrative of that global struggle is given with a focus on the ordeals endured by the people of Frome, as they cheered their men and women fighters off to war, welcomed hundreds of evacuated men, women and children to the town, and contributed their part to the fight against Hitler and the Nazi threat. Rare insights into the life of the town are included, along with seldom told stories from the footnotes of history; from Frome's part within the secret underground resistance movement and the national fight for women's equality, to the gradual influx of American GIs and Field-Marshall Montgomery's stay in the aftermath of Dunkirk. The book incorporates memoirs and memories, along with in depth research from official records and newspaper accounts, which allow the reader to see the war not only from ordinary people's perceptive, but the military experiences of Frome's heroic men and women - and in many cases their tragic sacrifices - as well. More controversial aspects are also touched on, including injustice, espionage, racism and politics, to give a full and fascinating picture of a town facing profound trials of endurance and courage, but at the same time revealing the characteristics that have sustained Frome throughout its illustrious and turbulent history.

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Book SynopsisIn September 1943, shortly after the conquest of Sicily, the Allied armies made amphibious assaults on the Italian Mainland at Calabria, Taranto and along the Gulf of Salerno beaches. The Italian Government quickly capitulated but the Germans fought on. Although the British XIII Corps and 1st Airborne s attacks were largely uncontested in Calabria and Taranto, the Allied Fifth Army s beachheads at Salerno underwent savage Nazi counterattacks. After Salerno, the Allied Fifth and Eighth Armies continued their advance north initially to the ports of Naples and Bari before struggling through Italian massifs, held up by a determined enemy and unfavourable ground and weather. In January 1944, the Fifth Army s X, II and French Expeditionary Corps attacked across the Garigliano and Rapido Rivers with the aim of breaking through the Gustav Line fortifications. The Nazi defence at the town of Cassino just succeeded in halting the two-week Allied attack during First Battle of Cassino and the Gustav Line was to be the scene of fierce fighting for months.

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Book SynopsisThe Panzer I and II played a significant part in the blitzkrieg campaigns that brought Germany such extraordinary success in the early years of the Second World War, and this highly illustrated volume in the TankCraft series is the ideal introduction to them. The Treaty of Versailles forbade Germany to manufacture tanks so the Panzer I had to be developed in strict secrecy, but by the time of the invasion of Poland the Wehrmacht had over 1400 of these light tanks. The Panzer II was an interim design, bridging the gap between the Panzer I and subsequent, far more viable armoured fighting vehicles like the Panzer III and IV. As well as tracing the history of the Panzer I and II, Robert Jackson's book is an excellent source of reference for the modeller, providing details of available kits, together with artworks showing the colour schemes applied to these tanks. Each section of the book is supported by a wealth of wartime photographs as well as diagrams showing the technical changes that were made to these tanks in the course of their careers.

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Book SynopsisFor almost four desperate years, from 1939 to the middle of 1943, the British and, in time, American navies fought a savage, losing battle against German U-boat wolf-packs. The Allies might never have turned the tide without an intelligence coup. The race to break the German U-boat codes is one of the greatest untold stories of the Second World War. Kahn expertly brings this tale to life in this updated edition of his classic book. Soon after war broke out, Hitler s U-boats began to sever Allied lifelines. In the grey wasteland of the North Atlantic, submarines prowled; at night, the sky lit up with the flames of torpedoed and sinking merchant ships and tankers. To meet the growing crisis, ingenious amateurs joined the nucleus of dedicated professionals at Bletchley Park. As the Battle of the Atlantic raged, they raced to unlock the continually changing German naval codes. Their mission: to read the U-boat messages of Hitler s cipher device, the Enigma. Critical to their success was a series of raids at sea. U-110, captured intact in the mid-Atlantic, yielded an example of the Enigma machine itself as well as a trove of secret documents.The weather ship Lauenburg, seized near the Arctic ice pack, provided code-settings for an entire month. In the Mediterranean, two sailors rescued a German weather cipher than enabled the team at Bletchley to solve the Enigma after a year-long blackout.

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Book SynopsisLeutnant Gerhard Ehlert was one of the few survivors of 2. Nachtaufkl rungsstaffel, part of the Luftwaffe's 6th Air Fleet, which operated on Eastern Front during the Second World War. Although he came from a family that spoke out against Hitler and the Nazi regime, he volunteered to join the Luftwaffe. He went on to undertake combat patrols under the most extreme circumstances. Facing hazardous weather conditions - often landing his aircraft blind' in heavy fog - and mountainous odds against Soviet air superiority, Ehlert completed twenty-two sorties before his Dornier Do 217M-1, coded K7+FK, was shot down on 14 June 1944. Despite strenuous efforts to escape the Soviets, along with his rear-gunner Feldwebel Wilhelm Burr, he was captured by the Red Army. What followed changed his life forever. Though interrogated repeatedly, Ehlert revealed nothing about his missions or duties. Then, during his transfer to a prisoner of war camp, he had to face a hostile crowd of Russian civilians who had suffered from the devastating effects of the Luftwaffe's bombs. In the long journey eastwards across the bleak Russian steppes to the camp at Yelabuga, a town in the Republic of Tatarstan, Ehlert reflected on his early years and the road he took to the east and the horrifying situation he was in. But it was not the months he endured in the freezing prisoner of war camp which became his most haunting memory - it was when the war ended. The Russians announced that with peace came new rules. Now the prisoners must work and the food ration would be reduced. Their uniforms were removed, and all privileges of rank dismissed. To the Soviets they were no longer prisoners of war, they were mere criminals and were treated accordingly. Transferred to Bolshoy Bor in the north, day after day the men had to transport logs, even through the snow and ice of winter, with many of the prisoners dying of malnutrition and exposure. The Russians told them they were to rebuild what they destroyed in the Soviet Union'. Ehlert's suffering finally ended in 1949. He was able to return to his parental home, initially being treated as an unwelcome stranger. When he related his story to Christian Huber, Gerhard Ehlert was in his 90s, by then a happy father and grandfather, and undoubtedly a survivor.

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Book SynopsisOperation Dynamo, the successful evacuation of Belgian, British, Dutch, French and Polish troops from the beaches at Dunkirk between 27 May and 4 June 1940, was not only a pivotal moment of the war, but one that changed its final outcome. There has been much debate in the years since the end of the war concerning the "Hitler Halt" order, which was given to German Panzer units waiting patiently on the outskirts of Dunkirk to be allowed to finish the job they had started. Many theories have been put forward as to the reasons behind this, but the consequence was that it allowed Britain to remain in the war. A total of 338,226, British and Allied troops were rescued from the beaches of Dunkirk, aboard a total of 861 vessels, of which 243 were sunk. For those left behind, official figures record that up to 80,000 French and British troops were captured, whilst during the time of the actual evacuation, somewhere in the region of 16,000 French and 1,000 British soldiers were killed. Equipment wise British forces left behind somewhere in the region of 90,000 rifles, 11,000 machine guns, huge supplies of ammunition, 880 field guns, 310 large calibre artillery pieces, 500 anti-aircraft guns, 850 anti-tank guns, 700 tanks, 45,000 cars and lorries, and 20,000 motor cycles - enough equipment to arm nearly ten divisions of soldiers. It is known that two atrocities took place during the Battle of Dunkirk: the Massacre at Le Paradis, and another at Wormhoudt, carried out by Waffen- SS soldiers, against British and French troops who had already surrendered. Although the Battle of Dunkirk must ultimately go down tactically as a German victory, the rescue of so many of its men, ensured that like a phoenix, Britain rose from the ashes of defeat to gain a great and lasting victory.

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As elite troops, the German Fallschirmjager (paratroopers) were regularly engaged in front line combat during the Second World War. Their famed actions such as the fighting in Scandinavia, the taking of the Belgian fortress Eden-Emal in May 1940, and the Battle for Crete just a year later, have given them the reputation of being determined, courageous and loyal soldiers. This book covers the early years of the Fallschirmstruppen (paratroop units) before the beginning of the war, until the height of their successes in 1941, after which the Fallschirmjager were more often deployed in a more 'traditional' way, even though high-risk actions (such as at Monte Cassino, the Gran Sasso Raid) allowed them to reconnect once more with their glorious past.

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Book SynopsisThe story of 144 Brigade's defence of Wormhoudt and Bambecque must rank in importance alongside the defence of Cassel and Hazebrouck by 145 Brigade; however, what is often forgotten in the uncertainty that surrounded Wormhoudt and Bambeque is the heroic defence of West Cappel and Vwyfeg (les Cinq Chemins today) by the Welsh Guards and the 1/Fife and Forfar Yeomanry (1/F&F Yeomanry). Brigadier Norman's composite brigade was the final piece in the jigsaw of defence on the western flank of the Dunkerque Corridor and, after the last stand of the 2/Royal Warwicks and the 8/Worcesters, Norman's Brigade, held the line south of Bergues, containing the attacking German units at great cost, until the perimeter at Dunkerque had been established. He and the remnants of his brigade left Yvfweg just as the Germans were entering it from the south. The full story of the evacuation of the BEF from Dunkerque can be read in Battleground Europe: The Dunkerque Perimeter and Evacuation 1940. The defence of Wormhoudt in 1940 has long been associated with the massacre of British servicemen after they had surrendered and been taken prisoner. The events in the barn at La Plaine au Bois will always be considered one of the most appalling acts of the Second World War, carried out by elements of the Liebstandarte Regiment, in what looked very much like revenge; a massacre that was almost second nature to this group of fanatical followers of Adolf Hitler. Up against the regular troops of the 2/Warwicks and their supporting units, the Liebstandarte found no easy victory at Wormhoudt in an encounter that saw their regimental commander, Gruppenfuhrer Otto Sepp' Dietrich, having to take shelter in a roadside ditch away from the fury of the Cheshire machine gunners. Then again, what is often overshadowed by the events in the barn is the series of other murders of civilians and British soldiers that took place as the Liebstandarte overwhelmed the fragile defence of the Warwicks. Captain Tony' Crook, the Warwicks' Medical Officer, draws attention to just one of these incidents as he was marched into captivity past the bodies of A Company men, who he felt sure had been murdered in cold blood. Another incident involving the Worcesters at Bambecque is related by Lieutenant Roger Cleverley of C Company, who writes in his diary that all the wounded were shot by a commander of the Liebstandarte. Apart from hearsay and diary entries, there is little other evidence to support the deaths of these men but, in the opinion of the author, there is no doubt whatever that many British soldiers met a premature end after they had surrendered in the fields and on the pavements of Wormhoudt and Bambecque.

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Book SynopsisThe Royal Army Medical Corps was present during all engagements in the Second World War. From the frozen wastes of Norway through to liberation from the death camps of Germany and the Far East, RAMC personnel were frequently close to the front line, risking their lives to provide medical support to a mobile army in a mechanised war. Nearly 3,000 army medics were killed during the war as a result of enemy action and exposing themselves to dangerous tropical diseases. Using much previously unpublished material from public and private family archives, this book charts the story of those who remained true to the motto of the RAMC: Faithful in Adversity.

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Book SynopsisItaly, 1943\. Although allied with Hitler, there were those who refused to accept the fascist policies of racial discrimination and deportation. Among them was Gino Bartali. A champion cyclist, he won the Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy) three times and the Tour de France twice. But these weren't his only achievements. Deeply religious, Bartali never spoke about what he did during those dark years, when he agreed to work with the Resistance and pass messages from one end of the country to the other. Despite the dangers, Bartali used his training as a pretext to criss-cross Italy, hiding documents in the handlebars and saddle of his bicycle, all the while hoping that each time he was searched they wouldn't think to disassemble his machine. As a result of his bravery, 800 Jews including numerous children were saved from deportation. He died in Florence in 2000 and was recognised as one of the 'Righteous Among the Nations' in 2013. In this book, Alberto Toscano shares the incredible story of this great sportsman and recalls the dramatic moments in Italy and Europe in the twentieth century.

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Book SynopsisOn 1 April 1942, less than four months after the world had been stunned by the attack upon Pearl Harbor, sixteen US aircraft took to the skies to exact retribution. Their objective was not merely to attack Japan, but to bomb its capital. The people of Tokyo, who had been told that their city was invulnerable' from the air, would be bombed and strafed - and the shock waves from the raid would extend far beyond the explosions of the bombs. The raid had first been suggested in January 1942 as the US was still reeling from Japan's pre-emptive strike against the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. The Americans were determined to fight back and fight back as quickly as possible. The 17th Bomb Group (Medium) was chosen to provide the volunteers who would crew the sixteen specially-modified North American B-25 bombers. As it was not possible to reach Tokyo from any US land bases, the bombers would have to fly from aircraft carriers, but it was impossible for such large aircraft to land on a carrier; the men had to volunteer for a one-way ticket. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy' Doolittle, the seventy-one officers and 130 enlisted men embarked on the USS Hornet which was shielded by a large naval task force. However, the ships were spotted by a Japanese ship. The decision was therefore made to take-off before word of the task force's approach reached Tokyo, even though the carrier was 170 miles further away from Japan than planned and in the knowledge that the B-25s would not have enough fuel to reach their intended landing places in China. The raid was successful, and the Japanese were savagely jolted out of their complacency. Fifteen of the aircraft crash-landed in, or their crews baled-out over, China; the sixteenth managed to reach the Soviet Union. Only three men were killed on the raid, with a further eight being taken prisoner by the Japanese, three of whom were executed and one died of disease. The full story of this remarkable operation, of the men and machines involved, is explored through this fascinating collection of images.

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Book SynopsisAfter the astonishing Japanese successes of 1941 and early 1942, the Allies began to fight back. After victories at Guadalcanal, Coral Sea, Midway and other islands in the Pacific, by 1944, the Japanese had been pushed back onto the defensive. Yet there was no sign of an end to the war, as the Japanese mainland was beyond the reach of land-based heavy bombers. So, in the spring of 1944, the focus of attention turned to the Mariana Islands - Guam, Saipan and Tinian - which were close enough to Tokyo to place the Japanese capital within the operational range of the new Boeing B-29 Superfortress. The attack upon Saipan, the most heavily-defended of the Marianas, took the Japanese by surprise, but over the course of more than three weeks, the 29,000 Japanese defenders defied the might of 71,000 US Marines and infantry, supported by fifteen battleships and eleven cruisers. The storming of the beaches and the mountainous interior cost the US troops dearly, in what was the most-costly battle to date in the Pacific War. Eventually, after three weeks of savage fighting, which saw the Japanese who refused to surrender being burned to death in their caves, the enemy commander, Lieutenant General Saito, was left with just 3,000 able-bodied men and he ordered them to deliver a final suicide banzai charge. With the wounded limping behind, along with numbers of civilians, the Japanese overran two US battalions, before the 4,500 men were wiped out. It was the largest banzai attack of the Pacific War. As well as placing the Americans within striking distance of Tokyo, the capture of Saipan also opened the way for General MacArthur to mount his invasion of the Philippines and resulted in the resignation of the Japanese Prime Minister Tojo. One Japanese admiral admitted that 'Our war was lost with the loss of Saipan'. This is a highly illustrated story of what US General Holland Smith called 'the decisive battle of the Pacific offensive'. It was, he added, the offensive that 'opened the way to the Japanese home islands'.

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Book SynopsisThis is the story of 2 Group RAF during World War II. Much of it is told by the men who flew the Blenheim, Boston, Mitchell and Mosquito aircraft that carried out many daring daylight and night-time raids on vitally important targets in Nazi-occupied Europe and Germany. These were not the famous 1,000 bomber raids that hit the wartime headlines, but low-level, fast-moving surprise attacks flown by small formations of fleet-footed and skilfully piloted twin-engine light bombers. Their targets were usually difficult to locate and heavily defended because of their strategic importance to the enemy. From the very start of the war, the men and machines of 2 Group were at the forefront of the RAF's offensive. On 3 September 1939, the day war broke out, a Blenheim from 2 Group carried out the first British operational sortie to cross the German frontier in the Second World War. The following day saw the Group's Blenheims make the first British bombing attack of the war. No.2 Group also played a vital part in the invasion of Europe both before and after D-Day. Often, its crews would fly at wave-top height across the English Channel or North Sea to avoid detection and then hedge-hop deep into enemy territory to deliver their precision attack. Enemy fighters and anti-aircraft fire were a constant risk. This is a remarkable story of skill and bravery by a little-known branch of the RAF.

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Book SynopsisIn September 1944, to prevent Japanese air interdiction against General MacArthur's planned invasion of the Southern Philippines, the Americans attacked Peleliu and Angaur in the Palau group of the Western Caroline Islands. Admiral Halsey, commanding the US Third Fleet, feared the heavily defended Palaus would be costly for his III Amphibious Corps comprising the 1st Marine Division and the 81st Infantry Division. While Angaur fell in four days, on Peleliu the Japanese resisted tenaciously using their underground fortifications on the Umurbrogel Ridge overlooking the airfield. It was only after over two months' bitter fighting that the Americans finally controlled the Island. Despite the heavy cost, the benefits of this hard fought and costly victory were doubtful. In the event, Mindanao and other Southern Philippine Islands were bypassed by MacArthur in favour of a direct assault on Leyte on 20 October. But, as the graphic images and well researched text bear witness, there is no denying the courage and determination shown by the attacking US forces.

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Book SynopsisThe third and final volume of the Author's Americans in North-west Europe series covers the historic period December 1944 to May 1945. Launched in December 1944, the Nazis' Ardennes offensive, known as the Battle of the Bulge, was one of the most dangerous periods of the War. During six weeks of desperate fighting, more US soldiers were killed, wounded or reported missing than in any battle in American history. The Rhine was crossed in March 1945, first by the seizure of the railway bridge at Remagen and then by the combined American, British and Canadian ground and airborne operation codenamed Varsity. In the closing stages of the War, the western allies pushed remorselessly in the heart of Germany. Shocking evidence of Nazi atrocities was uncovered. Berlin fell to the Russians in early May and the Allies met up on the River Elbe. In the chaos that followed, Germany was divided into four zones of occupation. The immediate tasks were ensuring the survival of the civilian population, establishing law and order, and the capture of war criminals. In true Images of War style, this book graphically describes the magnificent role played by US forces under General Eisenhower's overall command.

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Book SynopsisWhat do we really know about the sources of Adolf Hitler's anti-Semitism? What led him to become such a genocidal anti-Semite? It is often said that the strongly anti-Semitic atmosphere in pre-war Vienna, in which Hitler failed to achieve his dream of becoming an artist, was when his hatred of the Jews first began to stir. We also often read that such feelings were compounded by the so-called stab in the back' by Jewish-Marxists at the end of the First World War, which led to Germany's humiliating capitulation. The Darwinian science of natural selection is often included in the debate as well, which to Hitler meant keeping the Germanic race pure' and untainted by the inferior' Jews. However, as Peter den Hertog sets out in this book, such external, cultural and environmental factors were also experienced by most of Hitler's contemporaries, and they did not all turn into rabid Jew-haters. In this study, the author investigates what we do know about the roots of the German leader's anti-Semitism. He also takes the significant step of mapping out what we do not know in detail. This allows the reader to understand which information needs to be looked for in the search for a complete explanation. Historians will be historians and so have their own way of looking at the world. This fails to provide us with complete clarity in this matter. That is why this study also employs insights from Psychology, Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry. Readers even take a trip 65 million years back in time to the field of Evolutionary Psychology. The author reveals how Hitler was a man with highly paranoid traits. The causes of this paranoia are clarified for the first time and its connection to Hitler's anti-Semitism is explained in depth. The author also explores, and answers, whether the F hrer gave one specific instruction ordering the elimination of Europe's Jews, and, if so, when this took place. Peter den Hertog is able to provide an all-encompassing explanation for Hitler's anti-Semitism by combining insights from many different disciplines. He also succeeds in clarifying how Hitler's own particular brand of anti-Semitism could lead the way to the Holocaust.

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Book SynopsisThe summer of 1940 remains a pivotal moment in modern British history - still inspiring immense national pride and a global fascination. The Fall of France was catastrophic. Britain stood alone and within range of German air attack. America, with its vast resources was neutral, Hitler's forces unbeaten, the outlook for Britain bleak. As Britain's wartime leader, Winston Churchill, rightly predicted, the Battle of Britain is about to begin'. Famously, Churchill mobilised the English language, emboldening the nation with rousing rhetoric. In this darkest of hours, Churchill told the people that this was, in fact, their Finest Hour', a time of unprecedented courage and defiance which defined the British people. Connecting the crucial battle with Shakespeare's heroic Henry V and Agincourt, Churchill also immortalised Fighter Command's young aircrew as the Few' - to whom so many owed everything. The Few comprised nearly 3,000 aircrew, 544 of which gave their lives during the Battle of Britain's sixteen weeks of high drama. Arguably, however, the official dates of 10 July - 31 October 1940 are arbitrary, the fighting actually ongoing before and afterwards. Many gave their lives whose names are not included among the Few, as, of course, did civilians, seamen and ground staff - which is not overlooked in this ground-breaking book. In this unique study, veteran historian and author Dilip Sarkar explores the individual stories of a wide selection of those who lost their lives during the Finest Hour', examining their all-too brief lives and sharing these tragic stories - told here, in full, for the first time. Also included is the story of a German fighter pilot, indicating the breadth of investigation involved. Researched with the full cooperation of the families concerned, this work is a crucial contribution to the Battle of Britain's bibliography.

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Book SynopsisAfter the Allies had defeated the Japanese in the Solomons and the Dutch East Indies, the capture of the Philippines became General MacArthur's next objective. For this offensive to succeed, MacArthur felt compelled to secure his eastern flank by seizing control of the Palau Islands, one of which was Peleliu. The task of capturing this island, and the enemy airfield on it, was initially handed to Admiral Nimitz. The Palau Islands, however, formed part of Japan's second defensive line, and Peleliu's garrison amounted to more than 10,000 men. Consequently, when the US preliminary bombardment began on 12 September 1944, it was devastating. For two days the island was pounded relentlessly. Such was the scale of the destruction that the commander of the 1st Marine Division, Major General William H. Rupertus, told his men: 'We're going to have some casualties, but let me assure you this is going to be a fast one, rough but fast. We'll be through in three days - it may only take two.' At 08.32 hours on 15 September 1944, the Marines went ashore. Despite bitter fighting, and a ferocious Japanese defence, by the end of the day the Marines had a firm hold on Peleliu. But rather than Japanese resistance crumbling during the following days as had been expected, it stiffened, as they withdrew to their prepared defensive positions. The woods, swamps, caves and mountains inland had been turned into a veritable fortress - it was there where the real battle for possession of Peleliu was fought. Day after day the Americans battled forward, gradually wresting control of Peleliu from the Japanese. Despite Major General Rupertus' prediction, it was not until 27 November, after two months, one week and five days of appalling fighting, and a final, futile last sacrificial charge by the remaining enemy troops, that the Battle of Peleliu came to an end.

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Book SynopsisIn the early morning of 10 May 1940, the sky literally fell on the heads of the defenders of Fort Eben-Emael, considered to be Belgium's most powerful fortress. This huge structure, with its powerful artillery and infantry weapons, was the key to the Meuse and Albert Canal defences. In the darkness of the pre-dawn, German DFS 230 gliders drifted silently over the southern Netherlands, landing one by one on top of Eben-Emael. Within minutes German Special Forces troops destroyed most of the fort's weapons and observation capabilities. The following day, the garrison surrendered, and the door to Belgium and France was open. But, as Clayton Donnell relates in this perceptive and meticulously researched study, Eben-Emael was only one of the nineteen forts of the fortified positions of Li ge and Namur attacked in May 1940\. Three new and sixteen refurbished forts held out for several days, and fought to the death. The story he tells contradicts the common assumption that these static defences were rolled over or bypassed powerless to resist the overwhelming force of the German combat engineer's assaults, Stuka bombs and heavy artillery shells. In vivid detail he demonstrates that their importance in the 1940 campaign has been seriously under reported, and he gives clarity to some of the legends that have grown up around the capture of Eben-Emael itself.

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Book SynopsisDuring the Allied advance across northwest Europe in 1944, the opening up of the key port of Antwerp was a pivotal event, yet it has been neglected in histories of the conflict. The battles in Normandy and on the German frontier have been studied often and in detail, while the fight for the Scheldt estuary, Walcheren and Antwerp itself has been treated as a sideshow. Graham Thomas's timely and graphic account underlines the importance of this aspect of the Allied campaign and offers a fascinating insight into a complex combined-arms operation late in the Second World War. Using operational reports and vivid first-hand eyewitness testimony, he takes the reader alongside 21 Army Group as it cleared the Channel ports of Calais, Boulogne and Dunkirk, then moved on to attack the Scheldt and the island stronghold of Walcheren. Overcoming entrenched German resistance there was essential to the whole operation, and it is the climax of his absorbing narrative.Trade ReviewA most interesting book, well researched and very well documented.-- "FSAddon"

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Book SynopsisOn 28th October 1940, the Greek premier, Ioannis Metaxis, refused to accept a deliberately provocative ultimatum from Mussolini and Italian forces began the invasion of Greece via Albania. This aggression was prompted by Mussolini's desire for a quick victory to rival Hitler's rapid conquest of France and the Low Countries. On paper, Greek forces were poorly equipped and ill-prepared for the conflict but Mussolini had underestimated the skill and determination of the defenders. Within weeks the Italian invasion force was driven back over the border and Greek forces actually advanced deep into Albania. A renewed Italian offensive in March 1941 was also given short shrift, prompting Hitler to intervene to save his ally. German forces invaded Greece via Bulgaria on 6 April. The Greeks, now assisted by British forces, resisted by land, sea and air but were overwhelmed by the superior German forces and their blitzkrieg tactics. Despite a dogged rearguard action by Anzac forces at the famous pass of Thermopyale, Athens fell on the 27th April and the British evacuated 50,000 troops to Crete. This island, whose airfields and naval bases Churchill considered vital to the defence of Egypt and the Suez Canal, was invaded by German airborne troops the following month and eventually captured after a bitter thirteen-day battle. The remaining British troops were evacuated and the fall of Greece completed. John Carr's masterful account of these desperate campaigns, while not disparaging the British and Commonwealth assistance, draws heavily on Greek sources to emphasize the oft-neglected experience of the Greeks themselves and their contribution to the fight against fascism.

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Book SynopsisOn the night of 31 March 1945, five men were woken and taken from their cells in the city of Zwolle, in The Netherlands. They were put in a vehicle and escorted by the German occupying forces to a street nearby, where all five were lined up and executed. The corpses were left behind as the Germans left the scene. Whether by accident or betrayal, these men had fallen in to the clutches of the _Sicherheitsdienst_, the Nazi intelligence service. Although the liberation was at hand (Zwolle would be freed less than two weeks later), these men did not live to see it. This book not only reveals what the men had done and the reasons behind their execution, but also the experiences of their wives, who had tried to obtain their husbands' release, while other women were deported to concentration camps. Attention is also paid to the execution and the process leading up to it. Combining interviews with descendants, eyewitnesses, acquaintances, archival research, historical books and newspapers, family member and history student Samuel de Korte recreates an image of the executed men on that fateful morning and the families they left behind. Using a number of rare and well-known photographs, the condemned are portrayed as resistance fighters as well as fathers and husbands. The book examines not only the consequences of the men and their actions, but also the grief of the women who were left behind.

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Book SynopsisThe Hawker Hurricane was the RAF's most valuable fighter asset in the Second World War, yet even today is relatively under-appreciated by the general public. Yet from the early months of the war it was the single engine fighter most often encountered by the Luftwaffe and during the Battle of Britain it made 80% of the successful interdictions of enemy formations. As this superbly researched book written by a leading authority on the air war reveals, this was only the start of the Hurricane's war service. Its reliability and versatility ensured that variants saw action in more war theatres worldwide than any other fighter. Indeed, as the RAF's Official History recalls Everywhere the Ubiquitous Hurricane was to be seen'. This book follows the Hurri' to Russia, Malta, North Africa and as far afield as Burma, Sumatra and Java. Seaborne versions fought in the Battle of the Atlantic and defended the Mediterranean convoys. In the ground attack role Hurricane fighter bombers made countless sweeps over occupied Europe. Pilots' first-hand accounts supplement the text. Readers are left in no doubt as to the massive contribution that the Hurricane made to ultimate victory.

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Book Synopsis250 b/w illustrations

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Book SynopsisThe origins of 1/1250 and 1/200 scale models can be traced back to the first years of the twentieth century and their use as identification aids by the military during the First World War. When peace came the manufacturers aimed their increasingly sophisticated products at collectors, and ever since then acquiring, enhancing, modifying or scratch-building miniature ship models has been an avidly pursued hobby around the world. This new book focusses on models of the ships of the Second World War, probably the most popular subject for miniature model collectors, and the author, a well-known modeller himself, addresses all the practical issues that might confront those many collectors who like to enhance, convert, and modify their models, or even scratch-build models of ships not commercially available. The book covers both Allied and Axis warships, naval airplanes, merchant conversions and even an Italian armed schooner, and provides historic and technical information on the ships represented as well as practical advice on modelling them. The latter is extensive with twenty-five chapters covering everything from initial production techniques such as spin casting, silicon mould casting, resin casting, die-casting, plastic mould injection, and 3D printing through techniques for enhancing and modifying models to eventually researching and scratch-building an uncommon ship or type. The focus is always on particular vessels and the vast array covered by the author builds into a fascinating panorama of the vessels that fought across the world's oceans in that era. The combination of intriguing background and historical information, combined with detailed practical information and more than 300 stunning photographs will make this book irresistible to any collector or modeller and, indeed, to anyone with an interest in the navies of the Second World War.

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Book SynopsisOn 22 June 1941, German forces launched Operation Barbarossa -Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union. Instead of the swift knock-out blow that the Germans had anticipated, the war against the Soviets ground on relentlessly for almost four years. It was into this bloody theatre of war that Fritz Sauer was sent. Having initially joined the ranks of the Reichsarbeitsdienst, the Reich Labour Service, Fritz was posted to Infantry Regiment No.437 in April 1942\. Part of the 132nd Infantry Division, the regiment was serving on the Eastern Front having been deployed to the Crimea. The regiment was then transferred to the region around Leningrad, where, for the first time, Fritz truly experienced the horrors of war. As well as his best friend being killed by a sniper, Fritz recalled events such as recovering the body of a fallen colleague from No Man's Land, the terrifying experience of facing a Red Army infantry attack, Soviet tank assaults, and the moment when a group of comrades in a neighbouring crater were hit by a shell. He became a casualty himself when he was badly wounded in the legs during a counterattack. After his recovery and retraining in a convalescent unit, Fritz was detailed to serve as a guard in a prisoner of war camp -still on the Eastern Front. Transferred to a tank assault regiment during the last year of the war, he was ordered to make contact with another unit, but lost his way in the snow. After sheltering with a farmer's family, Fritz decided to head west, fleeing before the advancing Red Army. His subsequent journey home took many twists and turns. Based on Fritz's own recollections and narrative, this account of a young soldier's experiences in the Second World War was brought together by his son. It is a moving and graphic description of one man's involvement in the largest military confrontation in history -the Hell that was the Eastern Front.

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Book SynopsisFor the first time, this book tells the story of how naval air operations evolved into a vital element of the Royal Navy's ability to fight a three-dimensional war against both the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe. An integral part of RN, the Fleet Air Arm was not a large organisation, with only 406 pilots and 232 front-line aircraft available for operations in September 1939\. Nevertheless, its impact far outweighed its numbers -it was an RN fighter that shot down the first enemy aircraft of the war, and an RN pilot was the first British fighter 'ace' with 5 or more kills. The Fleet Air Arm's rollcall of achievements in northern waters went on to include the Norwegian Campaign, the crippling of _Bismarck_, the gallant sortie against _Scharnhorst_ and _Gneisenau_ as they passed through the Channel, air attacks on enemy E-boats in the narrow seas, air cover for the Russian convoys, air attacks that disabled _Tirpitz_, and strikes and minelaying operations against German shipping in the Norwegian littoral that continued until May 1945\. By the end of the war in Europe the FAA had grown to 3243 pilots and 1336 aircraft. This book sets all these varied actions within their proper naval context and both technical and tactical aspects are explained with 'thumb-nail' descriptions of aircraft, their weapons and avionics. Cross reference with the Fleet Air Arm Roll of Honour has been made for the first time to put names to those aircrew killed in action wherever possible as a mark of respect for their determination against enemy forces on, above and below the sea surface which more often than not outnumbered them. The Fleet Air Arm and the War in Europe completes David Hobbs' much-praised six-volume series chronicling the operational history of British naval aviation from the earliest days to the present.

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Book SynopsisThe gripping, vividly told story of the largest POW escape in the Second World War – organized by an Australian bank clerk, a British jazz pianist and an American spy.In August 1944 the most successful POW escape of the Second World War took place – 106 Allied prisoners were freed from a camp in Maribor, in present–day Slovenia. The escape was organized not by officers, but by two ordinary soldiers: Australian Ralph Churches (a bank clerk before the war) and Londoner Les Laws (a jazz pianist by profession), with the help of intelligence officer Franklin Lindsay. The American was on a mission to work with the partisans who moved like ghosts through the Alps, ambushing and evading Nazi forces.How these three men came together – along with the partisans – to plan and execute the escape is told here for the first time. The Greatest Escape, written by Ralph Churches' son Neil, takes us from Ralph and Les’s capture in Greece in 1941 and their brutal journey to Maribor, with many POWs dying along the way, to the horror of seeing Russian prisoners starved to death in the camp. The book uncovers the hidden story of Allied intelligence operations in Slovenia, and shows how Ralph became involved. We follow the escapees on a nail–biting 160–mile journey across the Alps, pursued by German soldiers, ambushed and betrayed. And yet, of the 106 men who escaped, 100 made it to safety. Thanks to research across seven countries, The Greatest Escape is no longer a secret. It is one of the most remarkable adventure stories of the last century.

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Book Synopsis'Magisterial . . . [a] fine, balanced and superb account. It deserves to be read for many years to come.' TELEGRAPHMarch 1945. Allied troops are poised to cross the Rhine and sweep on into Germany. Victory is at last within their grasp. But if they believe this victory can be easily won, they face swift disillusionment. The final I00 days of the Second World War will prove to be bitterly and bloodily fought, village by village, town by town.This is the extraordinary and gripping story of those final I00 days._________________________________________________'Superbly written and full of wisdom and deep understanding, this will stand as a defining work on these darkest months of the conflict.' JAMES HOLLAND'This is the most vivid and detailed narrative of the subject that we are likely to see.' MILITARY HISTORY MAGAZINE'An impressive work. Lively, informative and comprehensively researched.' CAROLINE MOOREHEAD, SPECTATOR'An important contribution to military history. A great read and powerful reminder of how the Second World War in Europe was definitely not over until the final surrender.' BBC HISTORY MAGAZINETrade ReviewPeter Caddick-Adams cements his place as one of our foremost historians of the Second World War with this major new account of the final months of the war in the West. Superbly written and full of wisdom and deep understanding, this will stand as a defining work on these darkest months of the conflict. -- James HollandMagisterial . . . Peter Caddick-Adams has done full justice to the vast range of the fighting in the west in those last months of the war , in all its complexity, brutality, awfulness and, frankly, pointlessness . . . [he] not only covers these events in detail but also does so with genuinely new and convincing perspectives . . . Caddick-Adams [has] an authority that oozes off every page. He has a particularly enjoyable habit of suddenly ducking down rabbit holes of anecdote, often personal or which delve into deeper history . . . [a] fine, balanced and superb account. It deserves to be read for many years to come. -- James Holland * The Telegraph *Caddick-Adams includes vivid anecdotes, small-unit fireworks, and strong, well-informed personal opinions on the often unwise decisions of the leaders . . . A first rate analysis for military buffs. * Kirkus Reviews *Excellent. Most accounts of the Second World War in Europe devote only a few pages to the last 100 days. 1945 corrects this balance and makes an important contribution to military history. It is also a great read and powerful reminder of how the Second World War in Europe was definitely not over until the final surrender. * BBC History Extra Magazine *This is the most vivid and detailed narrative of the subject that we are likely to see. * Military History Magazine *An immersive study of the last 100 days of the Western Front, when the Allies met ferocious resistance from Nazi fanatics who preferred death to surrender. -- Best History Books of 2022 * Daily Telegraph *Pacy and engaging. * The Past *A meticulous reconstruction . . . 1945 is an impressive work, lively, informative and comprehensively researched . . . It long stays in the mind. * Spectator *A thorough and well-researched dive into the often-forgotten final months of the war from the perspectives of the soldiers and commanders of the different army groups. * Classic Military Vehicle *There is no book like 1945 . . . Written with style and humour . . . Highly recommend. * Britain At War Magazine *

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Book Synopsis"A remarkable and important story" BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour"Unputdownable . . . Urbach has also retold the tragic Holocaust story in quite unforgettable lines" A.N. Wilson"In a remarkable new book, Alice's granddaughter Karina, a noted historian, has traced what happened to her family but also what happened to the cookbook" Daniel Finkelstein"This fascinating book, by Alice's granddaughter Karina Urbach, shines a spotlight on this lesser-known aspect of Nazi looting" The Times"A gripping piece of 20th-century family history but also something much more original: a rare insight into the 'Aryanisation' of Jewish-authored books during the Nazi regime" Financial TimesWhat happened to the books that were too valuable to burn?Alice Urbach had her own cooking school in Vienna, but in 1938 she was forced to flee to England, like so many others. Her younger son was imprisoned in Dachau, and her older son, having emigrated to the United States, became an intelligence officer in the struggle against the Nazis.Returning to the ruins of Vienna in the late 1940s, she discovers that her bestselling cookbook has been published under someone else's name. Now, eighty years later, the historian Karina Urbach - Alice's granddaughter - sets out to uncover the truth behind the stolen cookbook, and tells the story of a family torn apart by the Nazi regime, of a woman who, with her unwavering passion for cooking, survived the horror and losses of the Holocaust to begin a new life in America.Impeccably researched and incredibly moving, Alice's Book sheds light on an untold chapter in the history of Nazi crimes against Jewish authors."As this engaging memoir makes clear, the theft of the cookbook remained for Alice's entire life the symbol of everything that had been taken from her" TLSTranslated from the German by Jamie BullochTrade ReviewA remarkable and important book * BBC Radio 4 "Woman's Hour" *A gripping piece of 20th-century family history but also something much more original: a rare insight into the "Aryanisation" of Jewish-authored books during the Nazi regime. Urbach has meticulously pieced together everything she could find about how and why Alice's publishers were able to deny her authorship for more than 80 years . . . It's impossible to read this moving and clear-eyed book without admiring Alice's fiercely optimistic spirit -- Bee Wilson * Financial Times *In a remarkable new book, Alice's granddaughter Karina, a noted historian, has traced what happened to her family but also what happened to the cookbook. -- Daniel FinkelsteinUnputdownable . . . I have read all Urbach's historical books with high admiration, but none of them can match this story, for its sheer oddity . . . By telling the story of the brazen theft of a cookbook, and the fate of its title long after the war, Urbach has also retold the tragic Holocaust story in quite unforgettable lines. -- A.N. WilsonUnlike Nazi art theft, about which there are many excellent books, there has been surprisingly little research into the Nazi theft of Jewish authorship . . . As this engaging memoir, smoothly translated by Jamie Bulloch, makes clear, the theft of the cookbook remained for Alice's entire life the symbol of everything that had been stolen from her. -- Caroline Moorehead * TLS *An unputdownable narrative, told with remarkable restraint. * Spectator Books of the Year 2022 *This fascinating book shines a spotlight on this lesser-known aspect of Nazi looting. -- Ysenda Maxtone Graham * The Times *The extraordinary story of a phenomenal woman with a cookery school in pre-war Vienna . . . Thanks to [Urbach's] research, recognition and copyright was restored to Alice's descendants in 2021. * Tablet *A fascinating family history [about] a little-known strand of Nazi persecution. -- Matthew Reisz * Spectator *The sheer pettiness of the crime adds to our understanding of the Nazi intent: to rob Jews of any shred of standing, dignity or entitlement . . . Alice's is a story worth telling. -- Jenni Frazer * Jewish Chronicle *This new book is an important act of reclamation * Prospect Magazine Books of the Year *Engaging, elegant and moving . . . a compelling fusion of meticulous history accounting and a family memoir. -- Richard Cockett * Literary Review *What the historian has brought to light is perfect film material - persecution, murder, fraud, imprisonment, escape, rescue, friendship, secret service activities, rise, fall and a new beginning . . . And Urbach's writing is exciting, cinematic. -- Susanne Kippenberger * Tagesspiegel *Exciting, moving, informative - this family memoir belongs on the bestseller list. Simply terrific! -- Mike Altwicker * WDR *A remarkable book . . . The author describes the slow expropriation of Alice Urbach - a fate she shared with many Jewish authors. -- Martin Doerry * Spiegel *Karina Urbach not only reconstructs individual fates from family correspondence and tape interviews from her grandmother's estate, she also draws on a myriad of archives. [...] The fact that she - a traditional historian who is aware of the dangers of a lack of emotional distance - manages this without sentimentality is an achievement in itself. The facts are moving enough. -- Walter Schübler * Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung *Exciting, touching and insightful: Karina Urbach has written a great book about a strong woman who could not be shaken by anything and who turned her little happiness into happiness for others -- Heribert Prantl * Sueddeutsche Zeitung *A remarkable and important book * BBC Radio 4 "Woman's Hour" *

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Book SynopsisThis remarkable book traces the quest for the truth about the Holocaust in Lithuania by two ostensible enemies: Rūta a descendant of the perpetrators, Efraim a descendant of the victims. Rūta Vanagaitė, a best-selling Lithuanian writer, was motivated by her recent discoveries that some of her relatives had played a role in the mass murder of Jews and that Lithuanian officials had tried to hide the complicity of local collaborators. Efraim Zuroff, a noted Israeli Nazi-hunter, had both professional and personal motivations. He had worked for years to bring Lithuanian war criminals to justice and to compel local authorities to tell the truth about the Holocaust in their country. The fact that his maternal grandparents were born in Lithuania and that he was named for a great-uncle who was murdered with his family in Vilnius with the active help of Lithuanians made his search personal as well. Journey with an Enemy exposes the significant role played by local political leaders and the prewar Lithuanian administration that remained in place during the Nazi occupation in implementing the Nazis’ Final Solution. It also tackles the sensitive issue of the motivation of thousands of ordinary Lithuanians in the murder of their Jewish neighbors. At the heart of the book, these are the issues that Rūta and Efraim discuss, debate, and analyze as they crisscross the country to visit dozens of Holocaust mass murder sites in Lithuania and neighboring Belarus. During the journey, they searched for neglected graves, interviewed eyewitnesses, and looked for traces of the rich Jewish life that had existed in hundreds of Jewish communities throughout Lithuania. This compelling book recounts their harrowing journey.Trade ReviewThis is a painful and important book—painful because so much of it consists of excruciating eyewitness accounts to the torment inflicted on Lithuanian Jews by their fellow citizens, and important because so little has appeared in English on not only this terrible dimension of the Holocaust, but also the reluctance, even refusal, of the descendants of the killers to acknowledge their role in the murders all these years later. The account of the Lithuanian government’s vacillations in dealing with the nation’s past is particularly eye-opening. -- Peter Hayes, author of Why? Explaining the HolocaustOur People is an immensely valuable addition to our knowledge about the genocidal murder of Lithuanian Jews. The authors’ remarkable investigation has brought to light the active role played by Lithuanian citizens, often with minimal oversight by Nazi occupiers, at hundreds of killing sites. It will serve as a powerful wake-up call for grappling with the complicit legacy of World War II. -- Yehuda Bauer, Holocaust Historian, Academic Advisor, Yad Vashem

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Book SynopsisAs World War II rages, love, mystery, and secrets collide on the English coast in a riveting novel by the bestselling author of The Snow Gypsy. In April 1943 a young woman washes ashore on a deserted beach in Cornwall, England. With shorn hair and a number stitched on her tattered chemise, Alice is the survivor of a ship torpedoed by a German U-boat. She’s found by the mysterious Viscount Jack Trewella, who suspects that she’s a prisoner of war or a spy. But the secret Alice asks Jack to keep is one he could never have guessed, and it creates an intimate bond he never expected. With her true identity hidden beneath the waves, Alice grasps the chance to reinvent herself. But as she begins to fall for Jack, she discovers he has secrets too—ones echoing the legend of a mermaid said to lure men into the dark depths of the sea. For two strangers in the shadow of war, lost love, and haunting memories, is it time to let go of the past? Or to finally face it—whatever the risks?

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Book SynopsisIn occupied France, two people sacrificed everything. Now their granddaughter has come looking for the truth… Ruth’s childhood was a happy one, and her family—on her mother’s side—large and loving. But her father’s French origins have always remained a mystery. Now, with aged relatives beginning to die, Ruth decides to research her father’s family before it’s too late. When she discovers a series of long-lost cassettes, everything she thought she knew about them shatters. The tapes expose an unimaginable truth – an epic wartime story of hidden love and sacrifice, stretching back to occupied France. These long-buried confessions will rock Ruth’s family—and finally piece together the puzzle of her father’s heritage. But are any of them ready for the truth?

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