Second World War Books

Book SynopsisIn this remarkable introduction, Stephen D Smith, the new Executive Director of the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education, describes the inspiring journey he and his family took in creating the first Holocaust centre in Britain. This story was written in response to many questions. It replies with a powerful challenge to all who think that ''never again'' is really worth the struggle. The Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation hosts this lecture by Stephen Smith, the new director of the Shoah Foundation Institute at the University of Southern California and co-founder of the Aegis Trust. In his powerful address, Smith discusses the past century of crimes against humanity and genocide: the links between them, and the ways to understand them in order to avoid them in the future.

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Book SynopsisDive into the submerged history of the Pacific theater of WWII where ships, planes, submarines, and military surplus rest beneath the waves. Explore the underwater museums preserved in time through stunning photography from award-winning photographer, Brandi Mueller, and captivating firsthand stories of diving the wrecks and the history of how they came to rest at the bottom of the sea.From airplanes lost in the depths of Guadalcanal and Sherman tanks swamped off the coast of a beach in Saipan to medicine bottles deep within a ship intended for American soldiers in Vanuatu, WWII left behind an abundance of relics underwater. Mangled metal associated with destruction and lost lives litter the seafloor of the Pacific theater. The wrecks have been transformed into prolific coral reefs teeming with fish and life. Go on an adventure to the underwater museums of little-known Kwajalein Atoll; the world-famous wreck diving destination, Truk Lagoon; Guam, where two WWI an

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Book Synopsis‘I was on a train, and a German soldier began shouting at me and poking me in the ribs with his machine gun. I just thought that was it, the game was up . . .’Downed airman Bob Frost faced danger at every turn as he was smuggled out of France and over the Pyrenees. Prisoner of war Len Harley went on the run in Italy, surviving months in hiding and then a hazardous climb over the Abruzzo mountains with German troops hot on his heels. These are just some of the stories told in heart-stopping detail as Monty Halls takes us along the freedom trails out of occupied Europe, from the immense French escape lines to lesser-known routes in Italy and Slovenia. Escaping Hitler features spies and traitors, extraordinary heroism from those who ran the escape routes and offered shelter to escapees, and great feats of endurance. The SAS in Operation Galia fought for forty days behind enemy lines in Italy and then, exhausted and pursued by the enemy, exfiltrated across the Apennine mountains. And in Slovenia Australian POW Ralph Churches and British Les Laws orchestrated the largest successful Allied escape of the entire war.Mixing new research, interviews with survivors and his own experience of walking the trails, Monty brings the past to life in this dramatic and gripping slice of military history.

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Book Synopsis"With this timely book in Hackett Publishing's Passages series, Michael Bryant presents a wide-ranging survey of the trials of Nazi war criminals in the wartime and immediate postwar period. Introduced by an extensive historical survey putting these proceedings into their international context, this volume makes the case, central to Hackett's collection for undergraduate courses, that these events constituted a 'key moment' that has influenced the course of history. Appended to Bryant's analysis is a substantial section of primary sources that should stimulate student discussion and raise questions that are pertinent to warfare and human rights abuses today." Michael R. Marrus, Chancellor Rose and Ray Wolfe Professor Emeritus of Holocaust Studies at the University of TorontoTrade Review"An excellent text for students. Cutting through the vast literature on Nazi criminality and efforts to bring the culprits -- not just the 'major perpetrators,' as these are usually understood, but ordinary professionals as well -- to justice, Bryant's masterful study boils down the essential facts and complex historiography. The inclusion of the actual indictments, court verdicts, and laws upon which the trials were based shows students how the legal scaffolding of modern international criminal law was constructed." -- Michael Bazyler, The 1939 Society Scholar in Holocaust and Human Rights Studies and law professor, Fowler School of Law, Chapman University

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Book SynopsisThis volume is an annotated collection of original, informative, and moving photographs of the twins who survived the brutal medical experiments conducted at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp (1943-1945). The experiments were conducted by the infamous physician, Josef Mengele. These never-before-seen photographs were taken by the author (Segal) at the 40th anniversary of the camp’s liberation (January 27, 1985) and the public hearing on Mengele’s crimes at Yad Vashem (Hand and Name) in Jerusalem that followed. Other memorable moments, captured in photographs include traveling to Krakow, visiting Warsaw and hearing survivors’ testimonies. The photographs are organized into ten sections that unfold chronologically—each section is accompanied by a brief essay to provide compelling context and each photograph has an informative caption.Trade Review“Archfiend Josef Mengele escaped earthly justice for his ghoulish experiments on child twins and other Auschwitz victims, but Nancy Segal gives them a voice and lights an eternal candle in their memory. A testament to the power of love over evil.”— Ralph Blumenthal, former New York Times reporter on Nazi crimes, and author of The Believer“‘For us, forgetting was never an option’ observed Elie Wiesel. In this very moving and significant book of photographs, Dr. Segal has ensured the twins, who endured horrific experiments at the hands of Josef Mengele, will be remembered as Jews who had families before the war and built meaningful new lives after the war. The Germans sought to strip them of their identities and their humanity, but the Jews prevailed against all odds.”— Dr. Alex Z. Grobman, senior resident scholar at the John C. Danforth Society“Dr. Nancy L. Segal has done an incredible job. Looking through The Twin Children of the Holocaust, I was instantly captivated by the photographs, and also left speechless—the emotion they conveyed was overwhelming. The images of the young twins in their striped garments are shocking, even to those of us familiar with such horrific scenes. The nearly 150 photographs also include the twins’ 40th anniversary reunion events at Auschwitz-Birkenau, their public testimonies at Yad Vashem, their visit to Holocaust memorials in Warsaw, and the Inquest that examined evidence of Mengele’s death. Segal takes us on an unforgettable journey in this unique compendium.”— Nancy Spielberg, President, Playmount Productions“Nancy L. Segal has specialized in the psychological study of twins, identical and fraternal. So, we are fortunate that she attended the reunion of the Mengele twins and reminds us of the issues that were raised by the experimentation at Auschwitz by Josef Mengele—rightfully called the Angel of Death—and by the twins’ quest for information and justice. Her work is part scholarship, part reportage, part travelogue, but we are the beneficiaries of a lifetime of learning that led to her insights. The experience of these twins was worthy of independent study and their reunion certainly merits skilled reporting. We are grateful for all that Dr. Segal has revealed, having listened so well to the voices of these survivors and being uniquely capable of understanding them.”— Dr. Michael Berenbaum, Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies, Director, Sigi Ziering Institute: Exploring the Ethical and Religious Implications of the Holocaust, American Jewish University“This riveting photographic accounting of their journey provides a glimpse into the 40th anniversary reunion of the twins’ release from the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in 1985 and their ensuing trip to Israel for the Yad Vashem hearing of Mengele’s atrocities. … The book is not only a recounting of the adventure that a number of surviving twins experienced in 1985. It also serves as a testament to them and a memorial to those who were unable to be there. … This document is fascinating, upsetting, and important. It should be read as a celebration of those who survived, with a reminder to all of us that these events must not be forgotten.”— The Jewish Press“In this book, renowned twin researcher and author, Nancy Segal, offers a unique and photographic perspective of her journey with twins who survived the brutal medical experiments conducted at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. … The rawness of the images effectively captures the twins’ mixed emotions as they meet fellow inmates and recall the horrors of the camp. Alongside photographs of the twins before and after their liberation, Nancy’s annotations provide vital and authentic historical context. … What shines through in the book… are the twins’ personal stories of resilience and resourcefulness at the time of their captivity to the time of their reunion. … I highly recommend The Twin Children of the Holocaust for all twin researchers and for everyone who wants to know about this tragic time in human history.”— Jeffrey M. Craig, Twin Research and Human Genetics“What is fascinating about this book is the format of factual text, accompanied by photographs taken by Nancy Segal and with explanations. The reader feels that they meet the survivors and that they are looking through a personal photo album. … These personal stories, accompanied by photographs, remind the reader of the people who were harmed, making this a very powerful text. In addition, the individual survivors portrayed in this book demonstrate how resilience and intelligence played a role in their ability to survive the ordeals that they faced.”— Julie Aitken Schermer, Personality and Individual Differences“For anyone moved by the stories of the ‘Mengele twins’... the book will be worth consulting. … [T]he photographs of the twins are thought-provoking: pictures of surviving twins in 1985 juxtaposed with images of them as children… are simultaneously images of survival, loss, migration, and a whole host of other things. Photographs need a caption, however brief. Without knowing that the twins shown here are survivors of Mengele’s experiments in Auschwitz, there would be little to say about them. Seeing them with this knowledge moves the viewer to ponder on the suffering of the twins as children and the ways in which their twinhood was a source of comfort, anguish, or both to them, whether during or after their time in the camp.”— Dan Stone, Contemporary Jewry“When I was asked to review this book I hesitated for a moment, fearing that the content would be too gruesome. But I went ahead anyway, thinking that regardless of the emotions it would stir up, reading it was necessary to begin to understand both the depths of depravity to which we humans may sink, and the carnage that can result when research is conducted without a solid grounding in morality and ethics... Yet as I made my way through the book, I felt a surprising sense of uplift and inspiration. … The largely verbally unadorned images bring the victims to life, providing a poignant reminder of their reality and humanity. … It provides a permanent memorial to the victims, who have a right to be known and to have their experiences shared.” — Edward Bell, Behavior Genetics“Thanks to Dr. Segal, the history of the Mengle twins, which, for the most part, has been overlooked by many Holocaust historians, is no longer just a footnote in the history of the Shoah.”— The Jewish Link“The infamous twin medical experiments have been described in many other publications; this unusual book of photographs testifies to the remarkable resilience of those twins who survived.”— Ruth O. Selig, Twinless Times“In this new book, Nancy Segal tells the survival story of some of the people [twins] who were subjected to Josef Mengele's horrors at Auschwitz. . . She can relate what happened at that meeting because she accompanied the survivors on the trip to Auschwitz and Israel. This book will help you realize that this cannot happen again.”— Multifamilias (translated from the Spanish)Table of ContentsForeword by David G. Marwell Preface1. Minneapolis to Auschwitz and Jerusalem: How Did it Happen? 2. Pre-event Activities: Meeting Twins3. Traveling to Poland4. Visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau: Reunion and Re-enactment 5. Exploring Auschwitz-Birkenau: An Art Museum, a Chance Meeting and a Trip to the Polish Border6. Medical Experiments: Process and Purpose7. Touring Warsaw: War Memorials and Everyday Life 8. Twin Testimonies: Public Hearing on Josef Mengele’s War Crimes 9. Aftermath: Inquiries and Inquest10. Twin Children of the Holocaust: After the Hearing and BeyondParting WordsAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorOther Books by Nancy L. Segal

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Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERHums with living history, human warmth and indignation' New York TimesLess a mystery unsolved than a secret well keptThe mystery has haunted generations since the Second World War: Who betrayed Anne Frank and her family? And why?Now, thanks to radical new technology and the obsession of a retired FBI agent, this book offers an answer. Rosemary Sullivan unfolds the story in a gripping, moving narrative.Over thirty million people have read The Diary of a Young Girl, the journal teenaged Anne Frank kept while living in an attic with her family and four other people in Amsterdam during World War II, until the Nazis arrested them and sent them to a concentration camp. But despite the many works journalism, books, plays and novels devoted to Anne's story, none has ever conclusively explained how these eight people managed to live in hiding undetected for over two years and who or what finally brought the Nazis to their door.With painstaking care, retired FBI agTrade ReviewThe New York Times bestseller ‘A stunning piece of historical detective work, cleverly structured and grippingly written’Daily Telegraph, five stars ‘Powerfully illuminates what it was like to live under a genocidal regime’Kathryn Hughes, Guardian ‘As much about the process of investigation as about the subject investigated. Along the way [Sullivan] lucidly describes many fascinating details of the compromises and betrayals of life under a murderous regime’Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday ‘Sullivan circles all of the possibilities like Agatha Christie with Zoom and a time machine. Shaped like a procedural or a whodunit, The Betrayal of Anne Frank hums with living history, human warmth and indignation’New York Times ‘Featuring startling new revelations and an intriguing new theory of what happened’Daniel Finklestein, The Times ‘Praiseworthy. With impressive clarity and dramatic effect, Sullivan reconstructs a complex investigation lasting five years’Gerard de Groot, The Times ‘A gripping, moving narrative’Press Association ‘Meticulous … Sullivan describes the Cold Case Team’s interdisciplinary methods, from criminal profiling, historical research and crowdsourcing to a Microsoft artificial intelligence program that found connections within a blizzard of archival documents. But the book is most engrossing as a portrait of wartime Amsterdam, a city of conflicting and cross-cutting loyalties, where personal peril could erase the line between heroism and villainy’Boston Globe

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Book SynopsisAn enchanting novel about fate, second chances, and hope, lost and found, by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Last of the Moon Girls. Soline Roussel is well schooled in the business of happy endings. For generations her family has kept an exclusive bridal salon in Paris, where magic is worked with needle and thread. It’s said that the bride who wears a Roussel gown is guaranteed a lifetime of joy. But devastating losses during World War II leave Soline’s world and heart in ruins and her faith in love shaken. She boxes up her memories, stowing them away, along with her broken dreams, determined to forget. Decades later, while coping with her own tragic loss, aspiring gallery owner Rory Grant leases Soline’s old property and discovers a box containing letters and a vintage wedding dress, never worn. When Rory returns the mementos, an unlikely friendship develops, and eerie parallels in Rory’s and Soline’s lives begin to surface. It’s clear that they were destined to meet—and that Rory may hold the key to righting a forty-year wrong and opening the door to shared healing and, perhaps, a little magic.Trade Review“Historically sound with a thread of supernatural intrigue, this exploration of shared experiences, learned adaptations, and the power of trust is a book that fans of Catherine Ryan Hyde, Erica Bauermeister, and Lucinda Riley will fall in love with.” —Booklist “This intriguing novel is magically woven together with sorrow, surprises, and happiness, just like the wedding gowns of ‘The Dress Witch’.” —Historical Novel Society “Davis’s tale of love and loss, expertly woven around the lives of two women who have nothing—and yet everything—in common, inspires hope that our own happy endings might be biding their time, ready to show up when and where we least expect them. The Keeper of Happy Endings is a perfect blending of romance and mystery with a sprinkling of magic—heartwarming and satisfying. Don’t miss it!” —Kerry Anne King, bestselling author of Whisper Me This and Everything You Are “Like a wedding dress lovingly crafted, The Keeper of Happy Endings is stitched through with secrets, romance, and mystery sure to enchant…and leave readers believing in the magic of second chances.” —Christine Nolfi, bestselling author of The Passing Storm

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Book SynopsisMasterfully told and compellingly reinterpreted. The Moscow TimesStalinism at War tells the epic story of the Soviet Union in World War Two. Starting with Soviet involvement in the war in Asia and ending with a bloody counter-insurgency in the borderlands of Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltics, the Soviet Union's war was both considerably longer and more all-encompassing than is sometimes appreciated. Here, acclaimed scholar Mark Edele explores the complex experiences of both ordinary and extraordinary citizens Russians and Koreans, Ukrainians and Jews, Lithuanians and Georgians, men and women, loyal Stalinists and critics of his regime to reveal how the Soviet Union and leadership of a ruthless dictator propelled Allied victory over Germany and Japan. In doing so, Edele weaves together material on the society and culture of the wartime years with high-level politics and unites the military, economic and political history of the Soviet Union with broader popular hisTrade ReviewA true tour de force, this single book weaves together Soviet grand strategy; World War II era geopolitics; and social, economic, and of course military history all together ... Mark Edele has made a considerable contribution to scholarship regarding the Soviet Union during World War II as well as the Stalinist period of Soviet history. It is highly recommended for specialists in these areas, as well as those seeking a decent introduction. Its comprehensive weaving together of various strains of history of the time period is a true model for future scholarship. * Journal of Slavic Military Studies *Anyone looking for a readable and thought-provoking primer about the Second World War need look no further. * European History Quarterly *[A] superb account of the Soviet Second World War, one the present reviewer will be assigning to classes for a long time to come. * Russian Review *Stalinism at War is a fine, detailed general history of the USSR in 1937–49. In particular, it successfully argues that the Soviet participation in World War II included Asia, starting in the 1930s, and was extremely destructive owing to the actions of both the Axis and the Stalin regime. This longer and larger framework better fits the domestic history of the USSR than do previous works on the subject. * Michigan War Studies Review *The work is chocked full of valuable comprehensive statistical data ... Stalinism at War is the most authoritative and comprehensive short work on the Soviet Union in World War Two. It is essential reading for anyone interested in Soviet history or the Second World War and would be suitable assigned reading for courses on those topics. * Slavonic & East European Review *A vividly written account of the conflict that comes equipped with a raft of compelling yet counterintuitive conclusions on the conflict… It’s a refreshing break with tradition given — as Edele is careful to note — the vast numbers who fought and died in these otherwise neglected theaters of conflict… Edele writes with a lively elegance that makes his narrative a genuine pleasure to read. His reluctance to get bogged down in the minutiae of war or to take sides in obscure historiographical debates keeps the text fresh and readable… What [the chapters] deliver is the richly human story of an inhuman conflict, masterfully told and compellingly reinterpreted. -- Felix Light * The Moscow Times *Edele offers a provocative new interpretation of the central event of Soviet history – and the greatest war in the historical record – challenging the very chronology and geography that typically frame it. He weaves a highly readable narrative that toggles between the personal and epic without skipping a beat. * Brandon Schechter, Visiting Assistant Professor of History, Columbia University, USA *Edele delivers plentiful bang for his reader’s buck – or rather, ruble. And his work is recommended reading. For students of history and strategy, Stalinism at War broadens our perspective of the vastness and multiplicity of timelines and front lines the Soviets fought over during the mightiest war, ever. For students of the human condition, Edele’s saga of oppression, deportation, massacre and battle makes clear how facile our Covid-era woes are compared to the staggering sufferings endured by a generation whose last, few survivors still share the earth with us. -- Andrew Salmon * Asia Times *This vivid, clear-eyed, and accessible new history reconceives Soviet involvement in WWII as a Eurasian cataclysm that began the east in 1937 and ended with the cessation of postwar insurgencies only in 1949. Sure-footed in military, international, political, and social history, Mark Edele incorporates his own landmark contributions into a synthesis of a vast new body of scholarship. This fresh vision, brought to life through a kaleidoscope of biographical accounts, is essential for everyone interested in Stalinism and World War II—both of which even today haunt Russia and the post-Soviet world. * Michael David-Fox, Professor of History, Georgetown University, USA *For a period we thought we knew so well, Edele's Stalinism at War opens up a much broader conversation on Soviet military activity in the Second World War. A delightfully accessible read, backed by dense research and insightful judgements. Highly recommended. * David Stahel, Researcher, University of New South Wales, Australia *This thought-provoking book, based on fresh sources, contributes two important elements to our understanding of the conflict: it shows how Soviet citizens were affected by developments, and it provides a context which is broad, both geographically and in terms of time. * Evan Mawdsley, Honorary Professorial Research Fellow, University of Glasgow, UK *The author has made a significant contribution to the history of World War II and Stalinism in the Soviet Union and provided important insights into the impact of Stalin’s policies. This book can be recommended for those interested in issues related to Soviet World War II politics and the impact of total war on a society. * International Journal of Russian Studies *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations List of Maps List of Tables and Charts Acknowledgements Introduction: Stalinism at War, 1937-49 1. Preparing for War 2. The War begins in the East, 1937-39 3. War in the West, 1939-40 4. Armageddon, 1941-42 5. Recovery, 1941-42 6. Triumph, 1943-45 7. War of Ideologies 8. The War after the War, 1944-49 9. Impact and Aftermath Appendix: Maps Notes Index

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Book SynopsisOf the RAF's trio of four-engined heavy bombers in World War 2, the mighty Short Stirling was the first to enter service in August 1940. From its first raid in February 1941, the Stirling was at the forefront of the British night bombing offensive against Germany before unacceptably high losses forced its relegation to second-line duties later in the war.In its modified form as the Mark IV the Stirling fulfilled vital roles with the RAF as a paratroop transport and glider tug on D-Day, at Arnhem and on the Rhine crossing as well as flying countless Special Duties operations over Occupied Europe and Norway. Its last gasp was in 1948-49 when a handful of Mk Vs were acquired by the Royal Egyptian Air Force to bomb Israel in the First ArabIsraeli War.Containing numerous first-hand combat accounts from the crews that flew the bomber and detailed profile artwork, Short Stirling Units of World War 2 uncovers the history of one of the RAF''s greatest World War 2 bombe

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Book SynopsisA major new account of Britain’s military strategy between 1914–1945, including the two world wars and everything betweenTrade Review“Robin Prior’s assessment of the workings, strengths, and weaknesses of civil-military relationships and their impact on military outcomes in both wars is trenchant and challenging.”—William Philpott, Times Literary Supplement “How Britain’s Armed Forces coped in two world wars is the subject of Conquer We Must: A Military History of Britain, 1914–1945, by Robin Prior, which exposes the constant tension, whether in conflict or in peace, between politicians and service chiefs.”—Simon Heffer, Daily Telegraph, “Best History Books 2022” Shortlisted for the 2023 Military History Matters Book of the Year “[A] tremendous, sweeping study of power in wartime.”—Allan Allport, Literary Review “[A] magisterial analysis of the Britain between 1914 and 1945.”—Robert Lyman, Aspects of History “In sum, this is an enlightening, uplifting and altogether magnificent book.”—Allan Mallinson, Country Life “Intensively researched using both military and political archives, it is revealing and thought-provoking.”—Choice “A superb and highly readable account. . . . That Britain ultimately made an effective and successful partnership between politicians and soldiers, seen most explicitly in the personalities of Churchill and Brooke, lies at the heart of this engaging book. . . . I couldn’t put it down, and neither will you.”—Robert Lyman, Aspects of History “[Conquer We Must] is both interesting and important . . . an informed contribution based on sound scholarship and interpretation of the facts at hand.”—Christopher Harrison, Journal of Military History “Any book by Robin Prior is an event, and this is no exception. Conquer We Must is a well-researched and trenchantly argued tour de force. Historians of Britain’s military effort in the two world wars will be busy debating his ideas for years to come.”—Gary Sheffield, author of Forgotten Victory “This is a gripping account of how relations between the military and the politicians shaped the outcome of Britain’s two world wars, revealing just how much the experience of 1914–18 informed decision-making in 1939–45. Robin Prior provides incisive arguments for what went wrong for the British and what, crucially, went right and why.”—Heather Jones, author of For King and Country “This book is the result of decades of research and writing on Britain at war in the twentieth century. Authoritative and insightful, a classic piece of military history by one of the finest exponents of the genre.”—David G. Morgan-Owen, author of The Fear of Invasion “A very impressive and vivid piece of work which pulls together a lifetime of scholarship by one of our finest military historians.”—Jonathan Boff, author of Haig’s Enemy

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Financial Times Best History Book of the Year 2021""A Telegraph Best Book of the Year 2021""Books of this quality and significance are rare. Haslam has mined the archives of all the main players to produce an excellent, game-changing thesis that is as convincing as it is original."---Saul David, The Times"It may be a cliché to say this is a book every intelligent person ought to read, but it really is."---Simon Heffer, The Telegraph"Anyone interested in global tensions in the interwar period will learn much from the latest book of Jonathan Haslam. . . . He draws on a lifetime of expertise on the Soviet Union and Russian foreign policy to explain how fear of communism permeated international relations after 1917."---Tony Barber, Financial Times"Drawing on sources in English, French, Russian, German, Italian, Spanish and Swedish from archives across Europe (and beyond), The Spectre of War is full of fascinating stories that offer a unique glimpse into the tormented world on the eve of the Second World War. Elegantly crafted, it offers the reader the knowledge of a scholar who has worked in the field for decades."---David Motadel, Times Literary Supplement"2021’s most impressive work of history pulls together hidden threads to show how fear of Bolshevism poisoned international relations between the wars." * A Telegraph Best Book of the Year *"One of the year’s most impressive pieces of research."---Simon Heffer, A Telegraph Best New History Book

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Book SynopsisThis multifaceted and comprehensive book examines the brutal twentieth-century tragedies that took place at Babyn Yar, a ravine on the outskirts of Kyiv in modern-day Ukraine.Table of ContentsPreface Norman Naimark Introduction Vladyslav Hrynevych and Paul Robert Magocsi 1. Babyn Yar in Time and Space Mykhailo Kalnytskyi 2. On the Eve of Babyn Yar Igor Shchupak 3. Ukraine under Nazi Rule Karel C. Berkhoff 4. Babyn Yar: The Holocaust and Other Tragedies Vitaliy Nakhmanovych 5. Executioners and Saviours at Babyn Yar Oleksandr Kruglov 6. Babyn Yar after Babyn Yar Vladyslav Hrynevych 7. Babyn Yar in Personal Accounts Asia Kovrigina 8. Babyn Yar in Oral History Gelinada Grinchenko 9. Babyn Yar in Belles Lettres Iryna Zakharchuk 10. Babyn Yar in Cinema Karel C. Berkhoff 11. Babyn Yar in Sculpture and Painting Iryna Klimova 12. Babyn Yar in Music Natalia Symonenko 13. Babyn Yar: A Place of Memory in Search of a Future Vitaliy Nakhmanovych In Lieu of an Afterword Paul Robert Magocsi Illustration Sources and Credits Contributors

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Book SynopsisDemocracies do not die; they are killed. Democracy in Crisis explores how a democracy, grounded in fair elections, parliamentary institutions, and a liberal constitution, nonetheless can fall prey to extreme partisanship, ideological radicalism, procedural manipulation, and external pressures.

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Book SynopsisFor five decades, comedian, actor, singer, dancer, and entertainer Bob Hope (1903-2003) traveled the world performing before American and Allied troops and putting on morale-boosting USO shows. Dear Bob... tells the story of Hope's remarkable service to the fighting men and women of World War II.

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Book SynopsisThe Stuff of Soldiers uses everyday objects to tell the story of the Great Patriotic War as never before. Brandon M. Schechter attends to a diverse array of thingsfrom spoons to tanksto show how a wide array of citizens became soldiers, and how the provisioning of material goods separated soldiers from civilians.Through a fascinating examination of leaflets, proclamations, newspapers, manuals, letters to and from the front, diaries, and interviews, The Stuff of Soldiers reveals how the use of everyday items made it possible to wage war. The dazzling range of documents showcases ethnic diversity, women''s particular problems at the front, and vivid descriptions of violence and looting.Each chapter features a series of related objects: weapons, uniforms, rations, and even the knick-knacks in a soldier''s rucksack. These objects narrate the experience of people at war, illuminating the changes taking place in Soviet society over the course of tTrade ReviewWith this original approach—in itself an amazing achievement given the immense literature in this historical field—Brandon Schechteruses the material culture of the Red Army to trace the makeover of Soviet life and politics brought about by the war. * Foreign Affairs *The Stuff of Soldiers is a well-written, wide-ranging, novel approach for understanding the social and military history of the Soviet Army. [It] is an excellent addition to the historiography of the Great Patriotic War and to the general study of how material culture can reflect how soldiers and their societies have experienced war throughout time. * Journal of Military History *The Stuff of Soldiers has much to offer those with an affinity for cultural history studied through objects and for others who want a basic introduction to the quotidian of the Red Army during the Second World War... it takes the reader into the daily life of the Soviet soldier during the war in a way that no other work in the field does. * The Russian Review *Few, if any, thinkers have sought to view [the materiality of the human being] through the prism of an army, its weaponry, the environment it shaped and the objects its soldiers used, cherished or robbed. Brandon M. Schechter is the first to embark upon this intellectual adventure. * The Journal of Power Institutions in Post-Soviet Societies *This book will be of interest not only to students and scholars of Soviet history and World War II but also to everyone interested in the experience of life during wartime. * Canadian Slavonic Papers *Schechter's ability to analyze the everyday minutiae of soldiers' lives to tell both personal stories of what it meant to be a member of the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War with careful attention placed on differing perspectives based on class, gender, and nationality, and a broader narrative of state-directed (if not always followed) social transformation is inspiring. * Region: Regional Studies of Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia *Given the author's lively and accessible style this is surely a work that will reach an audience outside of academia, while the deeply-researched and insightful content equally makes it an invaluable addition to scholars of both the Soviet Union and those interested more broadly in the history and legacies of the Second World War. * British Journal for Military History *A beautifully written, sweeping and nuanced history of the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War through the lens of objects and material culture. The Stuff of Soldiers is not only a major contribution to the history of the war; it is also a stimulating attempt to overcome disciplinary boundaries and long-lasting debates about the Soviet project through an ethnographic focus on objects and practices of everyday life. * Cahiers du monde russe *Schechter elegantly intertwines individual stories, context, and analysis taking the reader to the most intimate parts of soldiers' everyday lives. The interested audience of this work will be very large, spanning individuals interested in military history broadly defined, in the history of the Soviet Union, and in material culture. * Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society (JSPPS) *Brandon Schechter has written a tour-de-force volume that presents an innovative approach to the history of the Second World War in the Soviet Union. [O]ne of the main contributions of this work is Schechter's success in offering a new and fresh analysis of these sources from the perspective of material culture. * English Historical Review *Table of ContentsPrelude: Outgunned and Outmanned Acknowledgments List of Archival Sources and Their Abbreviations Terms and Abbreviations Explanatory Notes Introduction: Government Issue 1. The Soldier's Body: A Little Cog in a Giant War Machine 2. A Personal Banner: Life in Red Army Uniform 3. The State's Pot and the Soldier's Spoon: Rations in the Red Army 4. Cities of Earth, Cities of Rubble: The Spade and Red Army Landscaping 5. "A Weapon Is Your Honor and Conscience": Killing in the Red Army 6. The Thing-Bag: A Public-Private Place 7. Trophies of War: Red Army Soldiers Confront an Alien World of Goods Conclusion: Subjects and Objects Notes Index

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Book Synopsis"The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere offers a lucid, dynamic, and highly readable history of Japan's attempt to usher in a new order in Asia during World War II." â Cross-Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review In The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, Jeremy A. Yellen exposes the history, politics, and intrigue that characterized the era when Japan's "total empire" met the total war of World War II. He illuminates the ways in which the imperial center and its individual colonies understood the concept of the Sphere, offering two sometimes competing, sometimes complementary, and always intertwined visions-one from Japan, the other from Burma and the Philippines. Yellen argues that, from 1940 to 1945, the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere epitomized two concurrent wars for Asia's future: the first was for a new type of empire in Asia, and the second was a political war, waged by nationalist elites in the colonial capitals of Rangoon and Manila. Exploring Japanese visions for international order in the face of an ever-changing geopolitical situation, The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere explores wartime Japan's desire to shape and control its imperial future while its colonies attempted to do the same. At Japan's zenith as an imperial power, the Sphere represented a plan for regional domination; by the end of the war, it had been recast as the epitome of cooperative internationalism. In the end, the Sphere could not survive wartime defeat, and Yellen's lucidly written account reveals much about the desires of Japan as an imperial and colonial power, as well as the ways in which the subdued colonies in Burma and the Philippines jockeyed for agency and a say in the future of the region.Trade ReviewThe author's insights, based on extensive research, add depth to understanding of Japan's wartime decision-making process while also correcting misreadings of the role played by its erstwhile collaborators in Burma and the Philippines * Choice *No English-language monographs have [yet] explored the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere—Japan's wartime effort to impose a new regional order—from the vantage point of Japanese high policy. Jeremy Yellen has admirably filled this gap, offering innovative insights into Japan's abortive effort to redefine the international relations of East and Southeast Asia from the late 1930s to 1945. * Global Asia *Yellen offers a useful examination of the changing and contested meaning of Japan's proclaimed 'Co-Prosperity Sphere.' [His] work helps inform about an important but opaque aspect of World War II history that influenced the receding of Asian empires after that war. * Journal of Military History *The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere is in fact a truly timely addition to the historiography of modern Japan in general and a fundamental contribution to the study of the Japanese wartime experience. * The Japan Society *In this outstanding new study of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, Jeremy Yellen challenges the longstanding view that the Sphere was little more than a facade for Japan's predatory imperialism and that Asian leaders who collaborated with Japan were traitors to their countries. [E]ssential reading for anyone interested in the inner workings of the Japanese empire and its enduring legacy in Southeast Asia. * Pacific Historical Review *We had to wait forty-four years, but Yellen's The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere: When Total Empire Met Total War was worth the wait. In his masterful account regarding the Co-Prosperity Sphere, Yellen argues that it was nothing more than 'a failed dream'—an incoherent vision that was contested and an idea that never coalesced into a coherent policy that could be enacted. * Journal of Asian Studies *The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere offers a lucid, dynamic, and highly readable history of Japan's attempt to usher in a new order in Asia during World War II. * Cross-Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review *With his excellent command of Japanese and use of rich Japanese sources, Yellen reveals the ambivalence evident in Japan's policy making and implementation of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. * Southeast Asian Studies *Yellen's study is a welcome step toward a fuller understanding of GEACPS led by international scholars on a truly global basis. * Pacific Affairs *Yellen describes in his deep empirical analysis, showing mastery of the archival record in Japan and the long stretch of Japanese secondary scholarship, how Japan was attempting to shape its own new world order. The delicious banquet that [he] serves up is the complex and at times completely incongruous definition of the sphere. * Journal of Japanese Studies *

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Book SynopsisDuring World War II, tens of thousands of African Americans served in segregated combat units in U.S. armed forces. The majority of these units were found in the U.S. Army, and African Americans served in every one of the combat arms. They found opportunities for leadership unparalleled in the rest of American society at the time. Several reached the field grade officer ranks, and one officer reached the rank of brigadier general.Beyond the Army, the Marine Corps refused to enlist African Americans until ordered to do so by the president in June 1942, and two African American combat units were formed and did see service during the war. While the U.S. Navy initially resisted extending the role of African American sailors beyond kitchens, eventually the crew of two ships was composed exclusively of African Americans. The Coast Guard became the first service to integrate—initially with two shipboard experiments and then with the integration of most of their fleet. Finally, the famous Tuskegee airmen are covered in the chapter on air warfare.Proud Warriors makes the case that the wartime experiences of combat units such as the Tank Battalions and the Tuskegee Airmen ultimately convinced President Truman to desegregate the military, without which the progress of the Civil Rights Movement might also have been delayed.

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Book SynopsisMost accounts of the Holocaust focus on trainloads of prisoners speeding toward Auschwitz, with its chimneys belching smoke and flames, in the summer of 1944. This book provides a hitherto untold chapter of the Holocaust by exploring a prequel to the gas chambers: the face-to-face mass murder of Jews in Galicia by bullets. The summer of 1941 ushered in a chain of events that had no precedent in the rapidly unfolding history of World War II and the Holocaust. In six weeks, more than twenty thousand Hungarian Jews were forcefully deported to Galicia and summarily executed. In exploring the fate of these Hungarian Jews and their local coreligionists, A Summer of Mass Murder transcends conventional history by introducing a multitude of layers of politics, culture, and, above all, psychology—for both the victims and the executioners. The narrative presents an uncharted territory in Holocaust scholarship with extensive archival research, interviews, and corresponding literature across countries and languages, incorporating many previously unexplored documents and testimonies. Eisen reflects upon the voices of the victims, the images of the perpetrators, whose motivation for murder remains inexplicable. In addition, the author incorporates the long-forgotten testimonies of bystander contemporaries, who unwittingly became part of the unfolding nightmare and recorded the horror in simple words. This book also serves as a personal journey of discovery. Among the twenty thousand people killed was the tale of two brothers, the author's uncles. In retracing their final fate and how they were swept up in the looming genocide, A Summer of Mass Murder also gives voice to their story.Table of Contents List of Illustrations The Main Characters: Survivors, Witnesses, Rescuers, Perpetrators Author's Note Preface 1. Prologue: A Primer to the Holocaust 2. The Ostjuden: The Galicianer in the Hungarian Imagination 3. Galicia: An Exile into the Unknown 4. Kamenets-Podolsk: The Anatomy of a Massacre 5. Galicia 1941 – 1942: The Delirium of Murder 6. Weapon of War: Rape and Sexual Violence 7. Return from the Abyss: Rescue and Survival 8. Opening Old Wounds: Responsibility and Consequences 9. Requiem for a Deportation: Unanswered Questions Epilogue: Looking for Closure Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisPart I Medicine's Descent into Inhumanity.- Chapter 1.Medicine during the Third Reich.- Chapter 2. Female Doctors of the Third Reich.-Chapter 3. Race Hygiene.- Chapter 4 Involuntary Sterilization.- Chapter 5 Involuntary Euthanasia.- Chapter 6 Genocide.- Part II The Women Doctors.- Chapter 7. Albers, Lotte.- Chapter 8. Albrecht, Rosemarie.- Chapter 9. Asam-Bruckmüller, Irene.- Chapter 10. Bauer, Ilse.- Chapter 11. Bensel, Ursula.- Chapter 12 Bluhm, Agnes.- Chapter 13 Eyrich, Hedwig.- Chapter 14 Fauser, Martha.- Chapter 15 Flocken, Erika.- Chapter 16 Hecker, Elisabeth.- Chapter 17 Hermann, Josefine.- Chapter 18 Hielscher, Margarete.- Chapter 19 Hoffmann, Gertrude.- Chapter 20 Hübsch, Margaretheetc.

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Book SynopsisTanks were the beasts of the Second World War, machines designed to destroy anything and anyone in their path. Throughout the summer of 1944, the Allied forces readily employed tanks and armored vehicles to gain ground in the bloody campaign of Normandy. Heavily armed, they provided a kind of support which no number of infantrymen could offer, battling their way through enemy lines with their guns blazing. From the US 2nd Armored Division named ‘Hell on Wheels’ to the British ‘Achilles’ tank, the encounters they had in battle were explosive.This volume of the Casemate Illustrated series explores the Normandy invasion from the perspective of the Allied Armored divisions, looking at how armored vehicles played a central role in the many battles that took place. It includes over 40 profiles of tanks and armored vehicles, from the American Sherman and Stuart tanks to the bulldozers and amphibious vehicles designed for the beach.With detailed diagrams and many photos illustrating the composition of the Allied armored divisions and tank regiments present at Normandy, this volume explains the crucial part played by tanks in gaining a foothold in Normandy after the D-Day landings, as well as the significance of many other types of armored vehicles.Trade ReviewIdeal source material for general interest, wargamers and modeller alike. Some excellent colour plates, Order of Battle diagrams and a sound historical narrative in support. * Despatches *… I would recommend to get it for your collection […] handy if you like to build allied armor. * DetailScaleView *The book is clear and concise […] the huge amount of information, diagrams, profiles is an excellent starting point to understanding the use of the allied armoured formations in the Normandy Campaign. * Old Barbed Wire *...if you want to learn more about the subject or want to gain a broad understanding of the use of armored units in Normandy, this is a good introduction. * Recollections of World War II *

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Book SynopsisHere is a jam-packed visual encyclopedia of the armored vehicles used by the Nazi forces in World War II. With over six hundred photos, many of which never before seen by the public, David Doyle book offers military historians a unique look at the German war machine.David Doyle, award-winning author of dozens of books on the subject, provides mechanical information, photos, and usage history for: Armored cars Half-tracks Tanks Assault guns Jagdpanzers Panzerjagers Self-propelled guns, howitzers, and mortars Flakwagens Flammpanzers Recovery vehicles Armored Engineer vehicles An encyclopedic resource by an authority on the subject, The Complete Guide to Armored Vehicles is a must-have for modelers, gamers, and WWII buffs alike.

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Book SynopsisNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Eugene Sledge became more than a legend with his memoir, With The Old Breed. He became a chronicler, a historian, a storyteller who turns the extremes of the war in the Pacific—the terror, the camaraderie, the banal and the extraordinary—into terms we mortals can grasp.”—Tom HanksIn The Wall Street Journal, Victor Davis Hanson named With the Old Breed one of the top five books on epic twentieth-century battles. Studs Terkel interviewed the author for his definitive oral history, The Good War. Now E. B. Sledge’s acclaimed first-person account of fighting at Peleliu and Okinawa returns to thrill, edify, and inspire a new generation. An Alabama boy steeped in American history and enamored of such heroes as George Washington and Daniel Boone, Eugene B. Sledge became part of the war’s famous 1st Marine Division—3rd Battalion, 5th Marines. Even after intense training, he was shocked to be thrown into the battle of Peleliu, where “the world was a nightmare of flashes, explosions, and snapping bullets.” By the time Sledge hit the hell of Okinawa, he was a combat vet, still filled with fear but no longer with panic. Based on notes Sledge secretly kept in a copy of the New Testament, With the Old Breed captures with utter simplicity and searing honesty the experience of a soldier in the fierce Pacific Theater. Here is what saved, threatened, and changed his life. Here, too, is the story of how he learned to hate and kill—and came to love—his fellow man.“In all the literature on the Second World War, there is not a more honest, realistic or moving memoir than Eugene Sledge’s. This is the real deal, the real war: unvarnished, brutal, without a shred of sentimentality or false patriotism, a profound primer on what it actually was like to be in that war. It is a classic that will outlive all the armchair generals’ safe accounts of—not the ‘good war’—but the worst war ever.”—Ken Burns

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Book SynopsisThe Dirlewanger Brigade was an anti-partisan unit of the Nazi army, reporting directly to Heinrich Himmler. The first members of the brigade were mostly poachers who were released from prisons and concentration camps and who were believed to have the skills necessary for hunting down and capturing partisan fighters in their camps in the forests of the Eastern Front. Their numbers were soon increased by others who were eager for a way out of imprisonment—including men who had been convicted of burglary, assault, murder, and rape.Under the leadership of Oskar Dirlewanger, a convicted rapist and alcoholic, they could do as they pleased: there were no repercussions for even their worst behavior. This was the group used for its special “talents” to help put down the Jewish uprising of the Warsaw Ghetto, killing an estimated 35,000 men, women, and children in a single day. Even by Nazi standards, the brigade was considered unduly violent and an investigation of its activities was opened. The Nazi hierarchy was eager to distance itself from the behavior of the brigade and eventually exiled many of the members to Belarus. Based on the archives from Germany, Poland, and Russia, The SS Dirlewanger Brigade offers an unprecedented look at one of the darkest chapters of World War II.

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Book SynopsisA unique perspective of the global history of U-boats during the entirety of the Second World War by Lawrence Paterson, one of the world''s leading U-boat experts.The accepted historical narrative of the Second World War predominantly assigns U-boats to the so-called Battle of the Atlantic, almost as if the struggle over convoys between the new world and the old can be viewed in isolation from simultaneous events on land and in the air. This has become an almost accepted error. The U-boats war did not exist solely between 1940 and 1943, nor did the Atlantic battle occur in seclusion from other theaters of action. The story of Germany''s second U-boat war began on the first day of hostilities with Britain and France and ended with the final torpedo sinking on May 7, 1945. U-boats were active in nearly every theater of operation in which the Wehrmacht served, and within all but the Southern Ocean. Moreover, these deployments were not undertaken in isolatioTrade ReviewA high quality publication - highly recommended. * Warship World *A comprehensive and interesting read. * The Armourer *A welcome addition to the history of the U Boat campaign. * The Naval Review *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Illustrations Glossary Introduction Chapter One: Genesis Chapter Two: War Chapter Three: The Myth of the ‘Happy Time’ Chapter Four: Diverging Objectives Chapter Five: The Descent Chapter Six: Sun and Snow Chapter Seven: Drumbeat in the New World Chapter Eight: Losing the Race Chapter Nine: Tipping Point Chapter Ten: Reinforcing Failure Chapter Eleven: Total Commitment Select Bibliography Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThe first book to explore in detail the wrecks of these two vessels from Force Z which in December 1941 was sent to defend Singapore. It grippingly narrates the lead up to the siege of Singapore and the battle far out at sea in which Force Z was decimated in the Royal Navy's greatest loss in a single engagement. The force was attacked by 85 Japanese torpedo bombers, with huge loss of life. It was the first time a modern battleship had been sunk by air power and the loss of Prince of Wales is seen as marking the end of the era of the battleship. The wrecks are explored in detail with illustrations of them on the seabed and underwater photographs.Trade Review'...another outstanding work by established author and diver Rod Macdonald, we are provided with the most complete history of the ships, men, political intrigue and events which led to the loss of these two famous ships so overwhelmingly. The surrender of Singapore and an account of Lt. General Percival's actions are also included. ...should be studied by anyone and everyone who is considering a visit to the two wrecks in question. ...the excellence of this work - which I truly regard as a tour de force and from which I have learned much... ...I do believe this book contains all you ever wanted to know about these two ships and their fate!' Ned Middleton '...this is a beautifully compiled book accompanied with stunning photgraphs of how the wrecks look today. A fitting tribute to the loss of these two fine ships and the sacrifice of the men who served in them.' Sea Breezes '...is laced with glorious black & white photographs. ... it's a fascinating tale well told, and again there are contemporary photographs and explanatory maps. ... it's the text that captures the spirit of the moment. ... I thoroughly recommend reading this book... ...it makes for a fascinating read'. Divernet '...submariners and especially divers will appreciate this book. ... The build-up to, and the invasion of Malaya via Thailand and the battle for Singapore are described in some detail'. In Depth '...gives excellent background on the ships, their role, the build up to the Japanese attacks on the Force Z ships, and the subsequent fall of Singapore. ...a first class book. ... His explanations of the Japanese military build up and campaigns in the Malay Peninsula are both succinct and informative, and to me they are one of the highlights of the book. ...a thoroughly enjoyable book and for anyone who wishes a short but well written account of the fall of Singapore, I can thoroughly recommend this "dive book"!' Warship World '...the story of Force Z, particulary HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse a significant aspect or World War II history. ... Undoubtedly, the detailed work and research that the author dedicated to this publication is reflected in the depth of information provided... ...these chapters are intriguing and easily readable, engaging the reader throughout. As a result this publication would be of particular use to maritime historians, divers and students alike, simply in terms of the detail and wealth of information Macdonald has included about the wrecks and their wartime context'. The Great Circle 'It is a well researched, well written, well illustrated and very interesting. The author participated in a diving expedition on the wrecks of these great British warships in the South China Sea. That experience, combined with a family connection, inspired this excellent book. A good and brief description of one of Britain's worst ever naval disasters, the build-up and its aftermath'. Work Boat World 'Macdonald's descriptions of the sinking of the Prince of Wales and Repulse are well written... The photographs are highly emotive: The human drama is brought sharply into focus, and the illustrations of the wrecks are interesting, insightful, and haunting. ...the book does provide a new angle on the fate of Force Z, and Macdonald's enthusiasm for his subject is evident'. Naval History '...the textual wreck descriptions and colour photographs of the sites at the end of the work are quite fascinating. They are well shot, with enough light and detail to ponder over what exactly caused such damage, and various ancillary effects. ... The rest of the book is well illustrated, and there is a good bibliography. Recommended'. Journal of the Australian Naval Institute

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Book SynopsisThe book covers the whole of Hitler''s life, from his obscure beginnings through his advance to supreme absolute power and then his final decline and suicide in the bunker as Russian shells fell around him. Bullock divides the narrative into three main sections. The first deals with Hitler''s early life, his rise to party leader in the years following the First World War, and his gaining of the Chancellorship in 1933. The second part describes how he consolidated his position and extended his power once he was in office. The third and final part is about his actions in the Second World War.

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Book SynopsisHasegawa rewrites the history of the end of World War II in the Pacific by integrating the key actors in the story—the US, the USSR, and Japan. From April 1945, when Stalin broke the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact and Truman assumed the presidency, to the final Soviet military actions against Japan, he reveals the real reasons Japan surrendered.Trade ReviewRacing the Enemy is a tour de force -a lucid, balanced, multi-archival, myth-shattering analysis of the turbulent end of World War II. Tsuyoshi Hasegawa sheds fascinating new light on fiercely debated issues including the U.S.-Soviet end game in Asia, the American decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Japan's frantic response to the double shock of nuclear devastation and the Soviet Union's abrupt declaration of war. -- John W. Dower, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War IIWith this book, Tsuyoshi Hasegawa will establish himself as the expert on the end of the war in the Pacific. This important work will attract a wide readership. -- Ernest R. May, author of Strange Victory: Hitler's Conquest of FranceIn summer 1945 Truman and his advisers set a foreign policy course that demanded American use of doomsday weapons not only against Japan but, indirectly, against humanity itself. In this groundbreaking book, Hasegawa argues that the atomic bombs were not as decisive in bringing about Japan's unconditional surrender as Soviet entry into the Pacific War. His challenging study reveals the full significance of Truman's decision not to associate Stalin with the Potsdam Declaration and offers fresh evidence of how Japan's leaders viewed Stalin's entrance into the war as the decisive factor. Others have shown that Truman missed opportunities to secure Japan's unconditional surrender without an invasion or the nuclear destruction of Japanese cities. But few have so thoroughly documented the complex evasions and Machiavellism of Japanese, Russian, and, especially, American leaders in the process of war termination. -- Herbert P. Bix, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Hirohito and the Making of Modern JapanIn this landmark study, Tsuyoshi Hasegawa gives us the first truly international history of the critical final months leading to Japan's surrender. Absorbing and authoritative, provocative and fair-minded, Racing the Enemy is required reading for anyone interested in World War II and in twentieth-century world affairs. A marvelously illuminating work. -- Fredrik Logevall, author of Choosing War: The Lost Chance for Peace and the Escalation of War in VietnamThe long debate among historians about American motives and Japanese efforts at ending World War II is finally resolved in Racing the Enemy, Tsuyoshi Hasegawa's brilliant and definitive study of American, Soviet and Japanese records of the last weeks of the war. -- Richard Rhodes * New York Times Book Review *Without doubt the best-informed book in English on Japanese and Soviet manoeuvres in the summer of 1945...[Hasegawa] provides an international context sorely missing from most previous work. He has mined Japanese and Russian literature and documentation and, despite much that is based on surmise, provides fresh insight into the extraordinary inability of Japanese leaders to surrender, and into Stalin's machinations aimed at maximizing Soviet territorial gains in East Asia. -- Warren I. Cohen * Times Literary Supplement *A landmark book that brilliantly examines a crucial moment in 20th-century history...[An] important, enlightening, and unsettling book. -- Jonathan Rosenberg * Christian Science Monitor *The most comprehensive study yet undertaken of Japanese documentary sources. The highly praised study argues that the atomic bomb played only a secondary role in Japan's decision to surrender. By far the most important factor, Hasegawa finds, was the entry of the Soviet Union into the war against Japan on Aug. 8, 1945, two days after the Hiroshima bombing. -- Gar Alperovitz * Philadelphia Inquirer *One of the first to make a detailed study of the political interplay among the Soviet Union, Japan, and the United States in 1945. -- Alex Kingsbury * U.S. News and World Report *As Tsuyoshi Hasegawa has shown definitively in his new book, Racing the Enemy--and many other historians have long argued--it was the Soviet Union's entry into the Pacific war on Aug. 8, two days after the Hiroshima bombing, that provided the final 'shock' that led to Japan's capitulation. -- Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin * Los Angeles Times *[Racing the Enemy] might be called the definitive analysis of the U.S. decision to use atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. Professor Tsuyoshi Hasegawa of the University of California, Santa Barbara, has mined both Japanese and Soviet sources to produce the first truly international study of the Hiroshima decision. -- Errol MacGregor Clauss * Winston-Salem Journal *Managing to convey the thought processes, assumptions and biases of the Imperial elite is Hasegawa's greatest achievement...Hasegawa's story is a weird, compelling one, and his case for revising our view of the leadup to VJ Day is overwhelming. -- John Dolan * The Exile *Hasegawa's study provides the most comprehensive examination yet published on the international factors that shaped the decision-making processes and policies adopted in Washington, Moscow, Potsdam and Tokyo, and which ultimately contributed to Japan's surrender in 1945. Racing the Enemy provides a fresh and multi-faceted perspective on a well studied topic primarily because the author draws on information from Russian, Japanese and American archives and sources. While this study both complements and challenges the well-informed findings of Asada Sadao, Robert Butow, Richard Frank and Leon Sigal, the international framework in which Hasegawa places the surrender of Japan makes this book a compelling read for students and scholars alike. -- J. Charles Schencking * Pacific Affairs *Will we ever really know why Japan surrendered in World War II? In this judicious and meticulously researched study of the endgame of the conflict, [Hasegawa] internationalizes (by a thorough look at American, Japanese, and Soviet literature and archives) the diplomatic and political maneuvering that led to Japanese capitulation...No study has yet to bundle together the myriad works on the war's end in such a complete manner...This work should become standard reading for scholars of World War II and American diplomacy. -- Thomas Zeiler * American Historical Review *Tsuyoshi Hasegawa's Racing the Enemy is a splendid book--the first to examine the end of the Second World War in the Asia Pacific from a comprehensive, international perspective. Based on archival and published materials in Russian, English, and Japanese, it provides a gripping account of the complex diplomatic maneuvers and political battles that culminated in the tumultuous events of August 1945...Hasegawa has written the first truly international history of the end of the Pacific War. By bringing hitherto separate literatures together into a much-needed dialogue, he has recast the contours of the whole debate. Racing the Enemy will remain essential reading for students of foreign policy and international history for many years to come. -- Anno Tadashi * Monumenta Nipponica *This book is a well-researched and provocative analysis of a fascinating yet neglected aspect of World War II: the American public's conventional assumption is that Japan surrendered to the Allies because of American atomic bombs...Hasegawa's conclusion raises tempting hypothetical questions for further research of this topic, and he provides intriguing answers to them. -- Sean Savage * Historian *What ended World War II?...Tsuyoshi Hasegawa--a highly respected historian at the University of California, Santa Barbara--has marshaled compelling evidence that it was the Soviet entry into the Pacific conflict, not Hiroshima and Nagasaki, that forced Japan's surrender. His interpretation could force a new accounting of the moral meaning of the atomic attack. It also raises provocative questions about nuclear deterrence, a foundation stone of military strategy in the postwar period. And it suggests that we could be headed towards an utterly different understanding of how, and why, the Second World War came to its conclusion. -- Gareth Cook * Boston Globe *

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Book SynopsisThe M1 Garand gave the US infantryman a marked edge during World War II. It shot faster and further than enemy infantry rifles and hit harder. No less an authority on killing the enemy than General George S. Patton called the Garand, “The greatest battle implement ever devised.” At a time when opposing forces were armed with bolt-action rifles, US troops had a highly reliable self-loader. The eight-round clips which were used to load the M1 Garand were, however, viewed with mixed emotions by the troops on the ground. Some Army and Marine Corps troops allegedly felt that the distinctive “twang” as the Garand's clip was ejected when empty alerted the enemy that the soldiers were reloading and resulted in an attack. But the Garand became the defining mankiller of the war, despite its weight and magazine problems, and many US combat veterans consider it one of the key reasons they survived the war.Table of ContentsIntroduction /Development /Use /Impact /Further Reading

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Book SynopsisIn 1941 as the Nazi hordes swept eastward into the Soviet Union, the desperate call went out for women to join the Russian air force. Women responded and flew incessant bombing runs; the Germans, who came to dread them, called them 'night witches'.Trade Review"Professional journal information about Paramount purchasing the rights to Night Witches..." -- Daily Variety, May 2003.

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Book SynopsisIn almost every army in the World, the Military Police rank amongst those who are least liked by other soldiers despite the essential duties that they carry out, often being amongst the first in and last out in any theatre of war. In the German armed forces, however, opinions of the military police were often those of fear as much as dislike, so great were the powers held by these troops. Germany created a plethora of different branches of what were termed 'Ordnungstruppe' - Troops for Maintaining Order. Many wore a distinctive metal gorget plate on a chain around the neck, leading to their pejorative nickname 'Kettenhund' or Chain Dogs. Despite certainly being involved in often brutal treatment of partisans and other unfortunates who fell into their grasp, their skills were sufficiently appreciated by the allies that on Germany's surrender, a number of military police units of the Wehrmacht were allowed to remain in post under allied control to assist in controlling the vast number of now disarmed German troops. Kettenhund!The German Military Police in the Second World War, using primarily previously unpublished photographic material from private sources, provides a detailed study of the organisation of these units and the distinctive uniforms and insignia they wore.

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Book SynopsisSolid As a Rock is a detailed account of little-known actions fought by the German Fallschirmjäger Regiment 1 on the Eastern Front in 1942 and 1943.The 1st Parachute Regiment of the Luftwaffe is well known for its actions during the German Blitzkrieg in Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands and Crete, but little has been published about its infantry operations on the Eastern Front. Solid As a Rock covers the regiment''s actions as part of the 7th Flieger Division north of Smolensk in November 1942-January 1943 and the fierce fighting to save the southern flank of the German 2nd Panzer Army around Orel in February-March 1943. Supported by rare personal recollections of the participants and detailed maps and sketches drawn from seldom consulted primary sources, this book offers an intimate insight into the fighting through the eyes of the soldiers of a neglected campaign on the Eastern Front.

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