Second World War Books
Edinburgh University Press The Clandestine Lives of Colonel David Smiley
Book SynopsisDrawing on extensive interviews and archival research, this biography uncovers the motivations and ideals that informed Smiley's commitment to covert action and intelligence during the Second World War and early part of the Cold War, often among tribally based societies.
£90.25
Kensington Publishing Crossing the Line
£15.29
Washington Square Press The Girl They Left Behind
Book Synopsis
£16.15
Pan Macmillan Some Sunny Day: A Nurse. A Soldier. A Wartime
Book SynopsisA moving true story of love on the front lines.It was July 1944 when Madge stepped onto a troopship that was to carry her thousands of miles away from home. Only twenty years old and not long qualified as a nurse, she had signed up to serve in the Burma Campaign. She would be based on the Indian border, near the frontline where a fierce battle was raging between Allied forces and the Japanese.As Madge arrived in Chittagong, she wondered how she would adapt to the ever present danger of invasion and to life in a military hospital. She spent long, exhausting hours nursing the badly-injured young soldiers in her care, but found strength in her friendship with the other nurses. And then, one day, she met Captain Basil Lambert . . . Could their fragile, new found romance survive the terrifying final months of war? Heart-warming and poignant, Some Sunny Day by Madge Lambert is a story of courage, sacrifice and the power of true love.
£7.99
Pan Macmillan Escaping Hitler: Stories Of Courage And Endurance
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.
£18.00
Skyhorse Publishing Hitler's Commando: The Daring Missions of Otto
Book SynopsisFirst time in paperback Personal story of Germany’s top special forces man; fast-paced action Ongoing interest in Nazis can be seen from recent Man in the High Castle series – Amazon’s most streamed original series and Bill O’Reilly’s 2015 Hitler’s Last Days Iconic names and events – the rescue of Mussolini, action in the Ardennes, and much more Includes front matter by Dan Raviv, CBS news correspondent, and military historian and former Royal Tank Regiment officer Charles Messenger, author of nearly 40 books
£15.30
Hodder & Stoughton The Sailor from Casablanca: A summer read full of
Book SynopsisA spellbinding story of love and betrayal for fans of Santa Montefiore, Fiona Valpy's The Beekeeper's Promise and Dinah Jefferies. Perfect for book clubs! ***Shortlisted for the Filigranes Prize******RATED 5 STARS BY REAL READERS***"I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!" -5* Amazon review"A story full of mysteries and romance, set against the sumptuous backdrop of Casablanca." -5* Amazon review"An exceptional debut" -Les Livres d'Eve blog "A novel full of warmth, emotions and exoticism." -Le PopulaireTall, brilliant and ambitious, eighteen-year-old sailor Guillaume has the world at his feet when he steps onto the shores of Casablanca in April 1940. But his dreams of travelling the world are cut short when he dies in a warship explosion in the harbour of Casablanca.Sixty-five years later in 2005, as Loubna fights to open a cinema in the bustling harbourside city, the young woman discovers the mystery of the sailor from Casablanca . . . and a suitcase full of her grandfather Guillaume's love letters. But could it be that the boy everyone has supposed dead for over half a century is still alive?And if so - did he run away with one of his countless girlfriends all these years ago?As Loubna searches for answers, she finds herself swept up in an epic story of love, passion, intrigue and betrayal, set in the enchantingly glamorous heart of Golden Age Casablanca.
£9.99
Rowman & Littlefield Nazi Persecution and Postwar Repercussions: The
Book SynopsisThe International Tracing Service, one of the largest Holocaust-related archival repositories in the world, holds millions of documents that enrich our understanding of the many forms of persecution during the Nazi era and its continued repercussions ever since. Drawing on a selection of recently available documents from the archive, this compelling volume provides new insights into human decision-making in genocidal settings, the factors that drive it, and its far-reaching consequences. The sources that the author has collected and contextualized here reflect the full range of behaviors and roles that victims, their oppressors, beneficiaries, and postwar aid organizations played beginning in 1933, through World War II, the Holocaust, and up to the present.Trade ReviewMore than 60 years after the end of World War II, roughly 150 million documents were gradually released to researchers. This evidence cataloged the fates of millions of Jews and other Europeans victimized by Nazi Germany. The International Tracing Service archive yielded concentration camp records, transport and deportation lists, arrest vouchers, prison files, displaced persons and slave-labor documents (implicating scores of corporate, government, and military entities in the use and abuse of forced labor), and a chronicle of inquiries from millions of survivors and extended family members scattered around the world attempting to uncover information about murdered loved ones. More than a half century was required to open the archive; Paul Shapiro, director of the Holocaust Museum's Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, tells that story in the foreword. Brown-Fleming, senior coordinator of programs at the center, modestly describes this volume as a brief ‘point of entry into a complex collection.’ The resource is utterly invaluable to libraries supporting Holocaust research and any scholar or legal expert aiming to reconstruct at the micro-level the experiences of individuals brutalized by Nazi Germany. Sharing a rich cross section of the archive's vast holdings, the author also explains the manner in which the materials are organized into sub-unitsm. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; professionals/practitioners. * CHOICE *[T]he ITS will play a key role in combating Holocaust denial in the years ahead. All those familiar with it recognize the power of using this vast quantity of dehumanizing documentation to restore the humanity of the Nazis’ victims. * The Times of Israel *Brown-Fleming’s meticulous, document-heavy research showcases the ITS’s potential for research. . . . [S]cholars will appreciate the attention to detail. . . . Nazi Persecution and Postwar Repercussions provokes readers to think about how the ITS can and should be utilized. The author reminds her audience that each document represents a bridge to a person, a life, a family, a community, and that it does so in a way that can further Holocaust scholarship and honor the memory of the victims. * Holocaust and Genocide Studies *A deeply researched, eye-opening, moving, and hugely informative book. The author has done a tremendous service to scholars of the Holocaust, who can utilize the vast ITS collections with greater confidence and efficiency now that they can build on her path-breaking work. -- Dan Stone, Royal Holloway, University of LondonThe first-ever practical research guide to one of the largest digitized Holocaust-related archives, until recently kept under lock and key. It is well written and full of engaging biographies that detail the wide range of experiences of victims, perpetrators, and the many bystanders. This remarkable book convincingly charts new paths for learning about the Holocaust. -- Gerald Steinacher, University of Nebraska–LincolnA critical addition to any library due to its detailed analysis of one of the major Holocaust document archives in the world—only recently opened to the public. The author has made a superb selection of key documents that represent the remarkable diversity of information available in the ITS holdings. This well-crafted volume will provide both students and scholars a window into a seminal collection that could be daunting without this clear and concise guide. -- Johannes-Dieter Steinert, University of WolverhamptonTable of ContentsForeword Acknowledgments Abbreviations Chapter One: The International Tracing Service Holdings Chapter Two: ‘Our Mothers, Our Fathers:’ Lahnstein Chapter Three: Jewish Voices Chapter Four: Hour Zero: The Year 1945 Chapter Five: Imagining the Refugee Appendix I: The International Tracing Service Holdings by Subunit Appendix II: Finding Aids for the International Tracing Service Holdings Bibliography Index
£27.85
Forever The Paris Secret
Book Synopsis
£16.14
Basic Books Stalin's War: A New History of World War II
Book Synopsis“A provocative, revisionist take on the Second World War” (Financial Times) by a prize-winning historianWe remember World War II as a struggle between good and evil, with Hitler propelling events and the Allied powers saving the day. But Hitler’s armies did not fight in multiple theaters, his empire did not span the Eurasian continent, and he did not inherit the spoils of war. That role belonged to Joseph Stalin. Hitler’s genocidal ambition may have unleashed Armageddon, but as celebrated historian Sean McMeekin shows, the conflicts that emerged were distinctly shaped by Stalin’s maneuverings, orchestrated to unleash a war between Germany and her capitalist adversaries in Europe and between Japan and the “Anglo-Saxon” powers in Asia. Meanwhile, the United States and Britain’s self-defeating strategy of supporting Stalin and his armies at all costs allowed the Soviets to conquer most of Eurasia, from Berlin to Beijing, for Communism.A groundbreaking reassessment, Stalin’s War is essential reading for anyone looking to understand the roots of the current world order.
£18.74
PublicAffairs,U.S. War of Shadows: Codebreakers, Spies, and the
Book SynopsisIn this World War II military history, Rommel's army is a day from Cairo, a week from Tel Aviv, and the SS is ready for action. Espionage brought the Nazis this far, but espionage can stop them—if Washington wakes up to the danger. As World War II raged in North Africa, General Erwin Rommel was guided by an uncanny sense of his enemies' plans and weaknesses. In the summer of 1942, he led his Axis army swiftly and terrifyingly toward Alexandria, with the goal of overrunning the entire Middle East. Each step was informed by detailed updates on British positions. The Nazis, somehow, had a source for the Allies' greatest secrets. Yet the Axis powers were not the only ones with intelligence. Brilliant Allied cryptographers worked relentlessly at Bletchley Park, breaking down the extraordinarily complex Nazi code Enigma. From decoded German messages, they discovered that the enemy had a wealth of inside information. On the brink of disaster, a fevered and high-stakes search for the source began. War of Shadows is the cinematic story of the race for information in the North African theater of World War II, set against intrigues that spanned the Middle East. Years in the making, this book is a feat of historical research and storytelling, and a rethinking of the popular narrative of the war. It portrays the conflict not as an inevitable clash of heroes and villains but a spiraling series of failures, accidents, and desperate triumphs that decided the fate of the Middle East and quite possibly the outcome of the war.
£14.24
PublicAffairs,U.S. The Court at War: FDR, His Justices, and the
Book SynopsisThe inside story of how one president forever altered the most powerful legal institution in the country-with consequences that endure today By the summer of 1941, in the ninth year of his presidency, Franklin Roosevelt had moulded his Court. He had appointed seven of the nine justices-the most by any president except George Washington-and handpicked the chief justice.But the wartime Roosevelt Court had two faces. One was bold and progressive, the other supine and abject, cowed by the charisma of the revered president.The Court at War explores this pivotal period. It provides a cast of unforgettable characters in the justices-from the mercurial, Vienna-born intellectual Felix Frankfurter to the Alabama populist Hugo Black; from the western prodigy William O. Douglas, FDR's initial pick to be his running mate in 1944, to Roosevelt's former attorney general and Nuremberg prosecutor Robert Jackson.The justices' shameless capitulation and unwillingness to cross their beloved president highlight the dangers of an unseemly closeness between Supreme Court justices and their political patrons. But the FDR Court's finest moments also provided a robust defence of individual rights, rights the current Court has put in jeopardy. Sloan's intimate portrait is a vivid, instructive tale for modern times.
£25.20
PublicAffairs,U.S. Destination Casablanca: Exile, Espionage, and the
Book SynopsisIn the summer of 1940, following France's surrender to Germany, Casablanca was transformed from an exotic travel destination to a key military target. Nazi agents and collaborators soon overran the city looking to capitalize on the new Vichy regime. The resistance was not far behind, as bartenders, shopkeepers, taxi drivers, celebrities, and disgruntled bureaucrats formed a network of Allied spies. Meanwhile, Jewish refugees from Europe flooded the city, hoping to obtain visas to the United States and beyond.In November 1942, Casablanca's wartime fate changed in 74 hours, when 33,000 American soldiers stormed the beaches of French Morocco as part of Operation TORCH. In Allied hands, Casablanca's port became a crucial logistical hub in British and American plans to return to Europe and defeat Germany. Two months later, Roosevelt and Churchill traveled to Casablanca to plot the next phase of war and achieve Germany's "unconditional surrender." Rife with rogue soldiers, power grabs, plot twists, and diplomatic intrigue, Destination Casablanca is the riveting and untold history of this glamorous and beloved city--memorialized in the classic film--at the heart of World War II.
£15.19
Little, Brown & Company Wheels of Courage: How Paralyzed Veterans from
Book SynopsisWHEELS OF COURAGE reveals the never-before-told story of the world's first wheelchair athletes: U.S. soldiers, sailors, and Marines who were paralysed on the battlefield during World War II. They organised the first-ever wheelchair basketball teams within V.A. hospitals after the war, which quickly spread across the nation and changed the perception and treatment of disabled people. The book tells this story through the lens of three of these vets, describing their time in the military, their injuries, their recovery, and their role in creating wheelchair basketball. These men changed the narrative of disability, from pity for people whose lives were over to seeing them as capable people who happened to have a disability. Their doctors changed the way the medical community looked at and treated disabled patients by treating the whole patient instead of just trying to make the patient as comfortable as possible in a hopeless situation. And laws started changing to make the world more accessible to the disabled -- things we take for granted today, like sidewalk ramps. For the disabled, for sports fans, for veterans, for history buffs -- this is a narrative of hope, perseverance, and acceptance.
£21.84
Black Rose Books The German Historians – Hitler′s Willing
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£17.09
Black Rose Books Pure Soldiers or Sinister Legion: The Ukrainian
Book Synopsis
£33.75
Ivan R Dee, Inc The Lisbon Route: Entry and Escape in Nazi Europe
Book SynopsisThe Lisbon Route tells of the extraordinary World War II transformation of Portugal's tranquil port city into the great escape hatch of Nazi Europe. Royalty, celebrities, diplomats, fleeing troops, and ordinary citizens desperately slogged their way across France and Spain to reach the neutral nation. Here the exiles found peace and plenty, though they often faced excruciating delays and uncertainties before they could book passage on ships or planes to their final destinations. As well as offering freedom from war, Lisbon provided spies, smugglers, relief workers, military figures, and adventurers with an avenue into the conflict and its opportunities. Ronald Weber traces the engaging stories of many of these colorful transients as they took pleasure in the city's charm and benign climate, its ample food and drink, its gambling casino and Atlantic beaches. Yet an ever-present shadow behind the gaiety was the fragile nature of Portuguese neutrality, which at any moment the Axis or Allies might choose to end.Trade ReviewA leisurely, story-filled account of life in Nazi-occupied Europe’s last open door to freedom. During World War II, the port city of Lisbon, in neutral Portugal, was the destination for a flood of refugees fleeing the Nazi terror who hoped to make their way to the United States and elsewhere. An estimated 100,000 or more refugees passed through the old-fashioned European capital, writes Weber (American Studies/Univ. of Notre Dame; News of Paris: American Journalists in the City of Light Between the Wars, 2006, etc.), often waiting for weeks or months for a place on a freighter, fishing boat or plane. At the same time, reporters, diplomats, spies, military leaders and others shuttled in and out freely, and the formerly sleepy city became a frenzied bazaar, charged with energy, conspiratorial feeling and moral uncertainty. . . . Based on newspaper accounts as well as diaries and letters, Weber’s book brings the wartime city to life, tracing the machinations of agents and double agents in bars and hotels; Varian Fry’s work on behalf of the International Rescue Committee to find safe passage for artists and intellectuals; and secret meetings where belligerents exchanged information. With the war’s end, Prime Minister Antonio Salazar’s authoritarian government began promoting the country as a postwar tourist destination. An engaging . . . chronicle of a city that was 'a way into Europe as well as a way out.' * Kirkus *During WWII, people hoping to escape Nazi-occupied Europe made their way to a city that was a gateway to the free world. Lisbon, Portugal, was an open city, politically neutral, which made it a prime destination for refugees. But getting there wasn’t easy, and getting out of Lisbon wasn’t a walk in the park, either. Weber explores the importance of the Lisbon route to freedom by focusing on the stories of men and women who used it, or who made it possible, people like Arthur Koestler, the Jewish writer who decided to get out of occupied Paris in 1940 (which he did by taking an unusual first step—enlisting in the French Foreign Legion); American journalist Varian Fry, who secretly worked for the Emergency Rescue Committee, helping refugees get out of Europe; and Russian-born German spy Lily Sergeyev, who operated as a double agent for the British in Lisbon. . . . The information is educational and very interesting. WWII buffs should definitely give it a read. * Booklist *As Weber notes, the Lisbon route is largely forgotten as anything more than Ilsa’s destination in Casablanca. But the route offered thousands of refugees a path from Nazi-held Europe to neutral Portugal and from there to America. Weber, professor emeritus of American studies at Notre Dame (News of Paris), assembles vignettes into each stand-alone chapter, creating contrast between the breathless escape of pilots such as Chuck Yeager (who crossed the Pyrenees with the help of the Resistance after his plane was downed in France) and easier journeys by Man Ray, Virgil Thomson (who arrived by train), and the duke and duchess of Windsor, (they fled France by car with a diplomatic escort). As the primary city offering air and sea passage to England and the United States, once quiet Lisbon attracted a mixture of wealthy expatriates, desperate intellectuals, and other refugees, along with spies, creating a colorful collage of luxury hotels, and brothels whose prostitutes were paid to spy; Ian Fleming came as a member of British naval intelligence. Weber provides a rich if sober microcosm of one segment of WWII’s substantial displaced population. * Publishers Weekly *A vivid depiction of how Lisbon became the antechamber of Nazi Occupied Europe. Weber brings alive the experiences of those who found themselves in a city caught between the Axis and the Allies during the Second World War. His illuminating account shows how reaching Lisbon was a momentous step toward escape for many, at the same time others benefited from unexpected opportunities provided by the conflict. -- Hanna Diamond, University of BathTable of ContentsChapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 Hub of the Western Universe Chapter 3 Tramping Forward Chapter 4 Whatever We Can Chapter 5 The Last Lap Chapter 6 Gaiety, Plenty, and Brilliant Lights Chapter 7 Living There Chapter 8 Celebrité de Passage Chapter 9 Holding Out Hopes Chapter 10 Gloriously Neutral Chapter 11 War without Guns Chapter 12 The Seething Cauldron Chapter 13 One World to Another Chapter 14 Wolfram by Day Chapter 15 Where to Spend One's Holiday Chapter 16 Sources
£17.99
Barricade Books Inc An Uncommon Journey: From Vienna to Shanghai to
Book SynopsisA brother and sister recount their escape from the Nazis and journey to Shangai and beyond in this moving memoir. Covering themes of persecution and the will to survive, it becomes a touching portrait of a family uprooted.
£21.59
Pelican Publishing Co D-Day Survivor: An Autobiography
Book Synopsis
£23.39
Paul Dry Books When the Tree Sings
Book Synopsis
£16.16
Other Press LLC The Cost Of Courage
Book Synopsis
£22.09
Koren Publishers Jerusalem The Yellow Star: A Boy's Story of Auschwitz and
Book Synopsis
£11.99
Penguin Putnam Inc Personality and Power: Builders and Destroyers of
Book Synopsis
£22.50
PublicAffairs,U.S. Destination Casablanca: Exile, Espionage, and the
Book SynopsisIn the summer of 1940, following France's surrender to Germany, Casablanca was transformed from an exotic travel destination to a key military target. Nazi agents and collaborators soon overran the city looking to capitalize on the new Vichy regime. The resistance was not far behind, as bartenders, shopkeepers, taxi drivers, celebrities, and disgruntled bureaucrats formed a network of Allied spies. Meanwhile, Jewish refugees from Europe flooded the city, hoping to obtain visas to the United States and beyond.In November 1942, Casablanca's wartime fate changed in 74 hours, when 33,000 American soldiers stormed the beaches of French Morocco as part of Operation TORCH. In Allied hands, Casablanca's port became a crucial logistical hub in British and American plans to return to Europe and defeat Germany. Two months later, Roosevelt and Churchill traveled to Casablanca to plot the next phase of war and achieve Germany's "unconditional surrender." Rife with rogue soldiers, power grabs, plot twists, and diplomatic intrigue, Destination Casablanca is the riveting and untold history of this glamorous and beloved city - memorialized in the classic film - at the heart of World War II.
£22.50
The New York Review of Books, Inc Marrow and Bone
Book Synopsis
£16.20
The New York Review of Books, Inc Living Pictures
Book SynopsisA poignant collection of short pieces about the author's hometown, St. Petersburg, Russia, and the siege of Leningrad that combines memoir, history, and fiction.Living Pictures refers to the parlor game of tableaux vivants, in which people dress up in costume to bring scenes from history back to life. It's a game about survival, in a sense, and what it means to be a survivor is the question that Polina Barskova explores in the scintillating literary amalgam of Living Pictures. Barskova, one of the most admired and controversial figures in a new generation of Russian writers, first made her name as a poet; she is also known as a scholar of the catastrophic siege of Leningrad in World War II. In Living Pictures, Barskova writes with caustic humor and wild invention about traumas past and present, historical and autobiographical, exploring how we cope with experiences that defy comprehension. She writes about her relationships with her adoptive father and her birth father; about sex, wanted and unwanted; about the death of a lover; about Turner and Picasso; and, in the final piece, she mines the historical record in a chamber drama about two lovers sheltering in the Hermitage Museum during the siege of Leningrad who slowly, operatically, hopelessly, stage their own deaths.Living Pictures introduces a startlingly daring and original new voice from world literature.
£15.29
Pan Macmillan Australia The Writing On The Wall
Book Synopsis
£12.59
Allen & Unwin Bastard Behind the Lines: The extraordinary story
Book Synopsis'The way I look at it is this...When you're behind the line and get yourself into trouble, you've got to get your bloody self out irrespective of anybody else. That's why I like it.'Scottish-born but a Queenslander to the bone, Jock McLaren was a true Australian hero. As a prisoner he escaped twice, first from Changi and later from the infamous Sandakan POW camp in Borneo. After paddling a dugout canoe across open sea, he fought for two years with American-led Filipino guerrillas, his exploits so audacious the Japanese put a price on his head.At the helm of his 26-foot whaleboat, the Bastard, McLaren sailed brazenly into enemy-held harbours, wreaking havoc with his mortar and machine guns before heading back out to sea. In early 1945 he joined Australia's secretive Z Special Unit, parachuting into Borneo to carry out reconnaissance and organise anti-Japanese resistance ahead of Allied landings. He cheated death on numerous occasions and saved his own life by removing his appendix without anaesthetic, using 'two large dessert spoons' and a razor blade.Drawing on Allied and Japanese wartime documents, Bastard Behind the Lines brings the story of a courageous digger vividly to life and throws light on a rarely explored aspect of Australia's Pacific war.
£13.49
Upfront Publishing SAS Operation Galia: Bravery behind enemy lines in the Second World War
Book SynopsisTwo Days after Christmas 1944, during the harshest winter in living memory, 33 SAS troops parachuted into the valley of Rossano, Northern Italy. Carried out in broad daylight, the parachute drop was intended to deceive enemy forces into believing that a full parachute brigade had landed behind them. Drawing on post-op reports and memoirs, this book is a fictionalised account written from the perspective of one of the rank and file parachutists who took part in the operation, the author's father. Scrupulously researched and richly illustrated, Hann's personal narrative brings to life the co-ordinated attempts of the SAS and local partisans to engage and evade the enemy. For the first time, Hann provides a detailed account of some of the devastating setbacks and triumphs of SAS Operation Galia. One of the hardest fought and most successful operations of World War Two.
£12.39
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Bolt Action: Armies of France and the Allies
Book SynopsisWorld War II was truly a ‘world’ war, and many nations joined the fight against Germany and the Axis. This latest supplement for Bolt Action covers the armies of France, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Norway, Holland and Belgium that stood against the German Blitzkrieg, as well as the resistance forces that sprung up in the aftermath of occupation.Table of ContentsIntroduction /Army Lists /Theatres
£22.50
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC German Automatic Rifles 1941–45: Gew 41, Gew 43,
Book SynopsisThis book explores the origins, development, combat use and lasting influence of Nazi Germany’s automatic rifles, focusing on the Gew 41(W), Gew 43/Kar 43, FG 42 and MP 43/StG 44. The Blitzkrieg campaigns of 1939–40 convinced many observers that most infantry combat took place at closer ranges than the 750–1,000m. From 1941 Germany’s arms designers took note and produced a new series of infantry firearms. This study not only provides a detailed technical description of each weapon, but also explores how the firearms performed on the battlefields of World War II. The combat takes us from the FG 42 in the hands of Fallschirmjäger at Monte Cassino through to StG 44s being used by Waffen-SS soldiers on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. Postwar service is also studied, such as the Gew 43’s adoption by the Czech Army and the StG 44’s use by the Viet Cong in the Vietnam War. Setting each firearm in its tactical and historical context, and employing striking photographs and full-colour artwork, firearms expert Chris McNab sets out the absorbing story of this distinctive and influential series of weapons.Table of ContentsIntroduction /Development /Use /Impact /Select Bibliography /Index
£999.99
Atlantic Books The Cooler King: The True Story of William Ash -
Book SynopsisA thrilling tale of incredible courage and resilience, a true wartime story of William Ash.The Cooler King is at once uplifting and inspirational, and stands as a testament to the durability of decent values and the invincible spirit of liberty.The Cooler King tells the astonishing story of William Ash, an American flyer brought up in Depression-hit Texas, who after being shot down in his Spitfire over France in early 1942 spent the rest of the war defying the Nazis by striving to escape from every prisoner of war camp in which he was incarcerated. Alongside William Ash is a cast of fascinating characters, including Douglas Bader, Roger Bushell, who would go on to lead the Great Escape, and Paddy Barthropp, a dashing Battle of Britain pilot who despite his very different background became Ash's best friend and shared many of his adventures. Using contemporary documents and interviews with Ash's comrades, Patrick Bishop vividly recreates the multiple escape attempts, while also examining the P.O.W. experience and analysing the passion that drove some prisoners to risk death in repeated bids for freedom.Trade ReviewBishop's excellent account of Ash's wartime exploits makes fascinating and gripping reading. * Sunday Times *Bill Ash is a genuine Boy's Own hero of whom you have probably never heard. But because Patrick Bishop writes like a dream, you are unlikely ever to forget him. * Literary Review *The remarkable story of Flight Lieutenant William Ash is told for the first time in its full historical context... Enthralling * Tribune *Reads like an adventure story, with tales of extreme bravery and derring-do * Military History Monthly *
£8.54
Quercus Publishing The Real X-Men: The Heroic Story of the
Book SynopsisThe thrilling and true story of the development and operational deployment of human torpedoes - 'Chariots' - and 'X-craft' midget submarines in British naval service during WWII, and of the extraordinary men who crewed these dangerous vessels. The commando frogmen who rode the Chariots and operated as divers from the X-craft were the forerunners of today's Special Boat Service, the SBS. Their aim was to attach an explosive charge underneath an enemy ship to destroy the vessel. Their hope was to return to their submarine unscathed. The Real X-Men tells the story of the sacrifice and heroism of the individual men, many of them little more than teenagers, who volunteered for this dangerous duty and who crewed both the Chariots and the X-craft without knowing the full extent of the risks entailed, nor indeed the very small chances they had of coming back alive.Trade ReviewUnbearably tense . . . will make you feel proud to be British. - Daily ExpressHeroism, adventure, tragedy, a superman hero and the loathsome Boche. This comprehensive retelling of the story has not lost any of its firepower. - Daily Mail
£12.34
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Wartime Broadcasting
Book SynopsisOn 3 September 1939, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain sat tensely at a microphone, using radio to declare that ‘this country is at war with Germany’. During the ensuing wartime years, the BBC was the sole radio broadcaster in Britain, boosting morale through programmes such as ‘ITMA’ and ‘Worker’s Playtime’; helping the Home Front with useful hints and advice; transmitting government messages; and providing news. Personalities and stars became household names – Tommy Handley, Arthur Askey, Ethel and Doris Walters, Mr Middleton – and their catchphrases could be heard everywhere. And yet, as this fascinating book explains, the BBC chose to avoid propaganda, and had to tread a fine line between what the people wanted to hear and what it was felt they should hear.Table of ContentsEarly Days Entertainment International For Your Information The Forces Programme The End of the War Conclusion Further Reading Places to Visit Index
£9.42
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Hitler's Island War: The Men Who Fought for Leros
Book Synopsis*Highly Commended by the British Records Association for the 2019 Janette Harley Prize* In September 1943, at the height of World War II, the Aegean island of Leros became the site of the most pivotal battle of the Dodecanese campaign as the British tried, in vain, to retain control of the island. Over the course of two short months - from 15 September 1943 to 17 November 1943 - almost 1500 men lost their lives and hundreds more ended up in Prisoner-of-War camps. In this book, Julie Peakman, a modern-day resident of Leros, brings to life the story of the men caught up in the battle based on first-hand interviews and written accounts including diaries, letters and journals. She tells of the preparations of the soldiers leading up to the battle, the desperate hand-to-hand fighting, and the suffering endured from continual bombings. She also shows the extent of the men's despair at the allied surrender, the many subsequent daring escapes as well as the terrible years of incarceration for those who were captured and imprisoned. Many of the heart-rending accounts of the battle are told here for the first time, providing a unique eyewitness take on this forgotten corner of World War II.Table of ContentsIntroduction List of Illustrations Chapter One The Island of Leros Chapter Two Behind Enemy Lines Chapter Three Drop into Rhodes Chapter Four Troops to Leros Chapter Five Fall of Kos Chapter Six Making Preparations Chapter Seven Waiting Under Bombs Chapter Eight The First Day of Battle Chapter Nine Central Collision Chapter Ten And the Fight Goes On Chapter Eleven Inbound Royal West Kents Chapter Twelve Tired, Hungry and Lost Chapter Thirteen Final Day of Battle Chapter Fourteen Surrender or Escape Chapter Fifteen The Rescuing Parties Chapter Sixteen Prisoners of War Chapter Seventeen The German POW Camps Chapter Eighteen Aftermath Considerations Chronology Glossary Bibliography Index
£42.75
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Churchill's Last Stand: The Struggle to Unite
Book SynopsisAfter the Second World War, with much of Europe in ruins, the victorious Winston Churchill swore to build a peace across Europe that would last a generation.Fighting against the new 'Iron Curtain' which had fallen across the world, and battling the personal disappointment of losing the 1945 election in Britain, Churchill dedicated the rest of his life to forging a united Europe. This book, based in part on new evidence, reveals his vision: Britain as a leading member of the European family. Through Churchill's own private papers, Felix Klos unveils Churchill's personal battle to regain his place in world affairs, his confidential conversations with European leaders and the thinking and preparation behind some of his most powerful speeches. A beautifully written history of Europe after the war, and a new glimpse at one of its greatest statesmen.Trade Review'An exceptionally well crafted work of history. Politically, what is particularly important about it is the way that Churchill's argument was not about economics, but about the political need for collaboration between European states as a way of avoiding the return of small nation protectionism and the political antagonisms to which it gave rise.' - Professor Gareth Stedman Jones, King's College, University of Cambridge, "This accessible and thoroughly researched study explores Churchill's extraordinary contribution to the original emergence of the European 'project', and will challenge muddled explanations of his thinking on Europe. An important book which could not have come at a better time.' - Dr Sue Onslow, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, 'All historical writing speaks to the present through the past, but it is rare, very rare, to find a work of scholarship that is as decisively relevant as Felix Klos's portrait of Winston Churchill in his later career as a champion of Europeanism. This scrupulous, elegant book rejuvenates for the twenty-first century the prophetic vision of one of the towering figures of the twentieth.' - Vijay Seshadri, Author, Essayist and Winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize, 'All politicians suffer from having their words misquoted or taken out of context, but the posthumous conflicts over the precise nature of Churchill's views on European integration are probably in a class of their own. Timely, erudite and absorbing.' - Professor Peter Catterall, editor of The Macmillan Diaries
£42.75
Atlantic Books 1941: Politics, Espionage and the Secret Pact
Book SynopsisPrior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, America had long been involved in a shadow war. Throughout 1941, President Roosevelt concocted ingenious ways to come to Winston Churchill's aid, without breaking the Neutrality Acts. Conducting espionage at home and in South America to root out Nazi sympathizers, and waging undeclared war in the Atlantic, were just some of the tactics with which America battled Hitler in the shadows. President Roosevelt also had to contend with growing isolationism and anti-Semitism as he tried to influence public opinion. While Americans were sympathetic to those being crushed under Axis power, they were unwilling to enter a foreign war. Wortman tells the story through the eyes of the powerful as well as ordinary citizens. Their stories weave throughout the intricate tapestry of events that unfold during the crucial year of 1941.Trade ReviewEngrossing... an absorbing world-wide epic... Wortman's brisk narrative takes us across nations and oceans with a propulsive vigor that speeds the book along like a good thriller. * Wall Street Journal *1941 has the sweep and intimacy of an epic novel and the pace of a military thriller. -- Debby Applegate * Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for THE MOST FAMOUS MAN IN AMERICA *Like the rumble of thunder before a storm, Marc Wortman's 1941 creates a mesmerizing sense of ominous and terrifying foreboding. This is the fascinating story of the global war that most Americans know almost nothing about -- Nathaniel Philbrick * Bestselling author of IN THE HEART OF THE SEA *Told with such verve and delightful panache -- Paul Kennedy * J. Richardson Dilworth Professor of History at Yale University *
£10.44
Profile Books Ltd At Close Range: Life and Death in an Artillery
Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE MILITARY HISTORY MATTERS AWARD 'Hart is a historian and author at the peak of his powers' Richard van Emden The best way to understand what it was like to fight in the Second World War is to see it through the eyes of the soldiers who fought it. The South Notts Hussars fought at almost every major battle of the Second World War, from the Siege of Tobruk to the Battle of El Alamein and the D-Day Landings. Here, Peter Hart draws on detailed interviews conducted with members of the regiment, to provide both a comprehensive account of the conflict and reconstruct its most thrilling moments in the words of the men who experienced it. This is military history at its best: outlining the path from despair to victory, and allowing us to share in soldiers' hopes and fears; the deafening explosions of the shells, the scream of the diving Stukas and the wounded; the pleasures of good comrades and the devastating despair at lost friends.Trade ReviewPraise for Peter Hart's previous books: A superb account of the tactics that finally brought victory on the Western Front. The Last Battle pays just tribute to the allied military achievement of 1918, too often forgotten in our preoccupation with earlier horrors. -- Max HastingsThought provoking, erudite, yet eminently readable and entertaining: Peter Hart is a historian and author at the peak of his powers -- Richard van EmdenExquisite ... Hart lets theses gunners speak. -- Gerard de Groot * the Times *Memory can play false, of course, but these recollections, admirably curated, have authenticity. -- Allan Mallinson * Spectator *
£12.34
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Master of Deception: The Wartime Adventures of
Book SynopsisMaster of Deception is a biography of Peter Fleming, elder brother of Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond. Peter Fleming worked as a travel writer and journalist, serving with distinction throughout World War II and played a crucial role in British intelligence operations in the Far East. This biography ranges from the personal life of Fleming such as his marriage to Celia Johnson, a famous actor of the time, to his extensive military intelligence career which took him from Norway and Greece to the Far East. Framed through the life of Peter Fleming this book offers an in-depth study of British intelligence operations in the Far East during World War II.Trade ReviewA study of the adventurer's wartime capers ... filled with details you couldn't invent. 4/5 stars. * The Daily Telegraph *[Ogden] has researched his subject assiduously. A good part of the book consists of official documents, memoranda and reports written by Fleming himself. These will be of great interest and value to other researchers and historians ... This is a fascinating book. * Literary Review *A punctilious and notably well-researched account of Fleming’s military career. * New Criterion *This book has some fascinating parts … A good read. * Sorted Magazine *This is not a conventional biography, and a bit like Peter Fleming's extraordinarily fertile mind, it wends its way through an oblique and complex subject in a fascinating way ... We get real insights into the problems and challenges; this is an historian's book not a journalist's. * The Guards Magazine *Peter Fleming has been best remembered as an adventurous travel writer and brother of author Ian Fleming, making him an uncle of James Bond. In this readable account we are introduced properly to Peter Fleming, the wartime intelligence officer and master of the arts of deception against the Japanese Army in South East Asia. Alan Ogden’s well researched biography reveals a little understood period in the life of an exceptional human being. * Professor Sir David Omand, former UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator *Alan Ogden's masterly study of Peter Fleming, a man as brilliant as a Second World War intelligence officer (and brother of the better-known Ian) as a Times journalist, is a book about military intelligence at its best during the Second World War. Fleming's plans for 'stay behind' guerrilla units in Sussex and Kent (to fight the Wehrmacht on British soil, had the Nazis invaded Britain), his courageous (and highly explosive) acts of sabotage against the advancing German forces in Greece, as well as the intricate and intellectually refined strategies of deception and future 'Imperial Intelligence' that he developed to help win the war in the Far East, make this crisp study of the breadth and the depth of Fleming's skills a gripping introduction to the field. * Professor Anthony Glees, Director, Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies, The University of Buckingham *[T]his readable volume is very useful in bringing out the role of deception in South East Asia and, for the first time, the important part Fleming played in it. * Journal of Modern History *Table of ContentsChapter One: A New Elizabethan Chapter Two: Plans and More Plans Chapter Three: To War in the Frozen North Chapter Four: A Very British Guerrilla Chapter Five: A Greek Tragedy Chapter Six: A Summons to India Chapter Seven: Burmese Capers and Haversack Ruses Chapter Eight: Global Strategists and Strategems Chapter Nine: Dining with Chinese Dragons Chapter Ten: Total Intelligence: A Common Sense Approach Chapter Eleven: Building the Organisation Chapter Twelve: Sleight of Hand in the Order of the Battle Chapter Thirteen: The Conjurors Take to the Field Chapter Fourteen: Feints and Noises Off Chapter Fifteen: The Double Agents' Impressario Chapter Sixteen: Imaginary Spies and Fantasy Networks Chapter Seventeen: The Bright Eye of Danger: A Chance with the Chindits Chapter Eighteen: Enough of War Crimes Chapter Nineteen: Home is the Hunter
£29.75
John Blake Publishing Ltd The Hidden Army - MI9's Secret Force and the
Book SynopsisAlmost seventy-five years ago, MI9 dreamt up the most audacious escape and evasion plan of World War Two. Formulated by Airey Neave, one of the first men ever to escape from Colditz, this plan was one of subterfuge, concealment and deception on a scale never seen before. With numerous downed RAF and Allied pilots on the run in Europe and with the fabled Comete Escape Line having been infiltrated by double agents, Neave's plan was to hide these men right under the very noses of the Nazis rather than risk repatriation. Choosing a forest in the heart of France, right next to one of the German Army's largest ammunition bases, Neave, Belgian agents and the French Resistance would secretly transport and hide Allied pilots and soldiers within feet of the enemy. Nobody thought it would work, but such was the success of the secret camp that a whole community of over one hundred and fifty Allied escapers lived within the forest for three months in the run-up to D-Day. Despite numerous close shaves, they were never discovered and this outrageous plan, brilliant in its simplicity, saw the Allied evaders make their home in the forest, cooking and hunting to survive - and even setting up a golf course in the forest using branches for clubs - without discovery. This operation remained absolutely secret, to the point that the inhabitants of the villages surrounding the forest were unaware, until the end, of the existence of that allied force so close to them.Told through interviews with evaders, members of the Resistance and the children charged with smuggling food into the forest, this book tells the compelling story of one of the most audacious operations in World War Two. A story that has, until today, remained as secret as the Hidden Army of Freteval.
£8.54
The History Press Ltd Bomber Command's Forgotten Summer: 1940
Book SynopsisWhile the heroic exploits of ‘The Few’ of Fighter Command are rightly lauded, those of ‘The Many’ of Bomber Command often remain overlooked. Night after night, the bomber crews ranged across Europe seeking out and attacking targets in an all-out endeavour to undermine the German war effort against Britain and prevent invasion.Bomber Command’s Forgotten Summer tells the stories of the young men who carried out dangerous missions on a nightly basis, battling against both the enemy and the elements, relying on a mix of nerve, skills and luck to hit their target and make it home. Faced with flak and fighters, exposed to the harsh weather conditions and operating at the edge of their capabilities, for the young men of Bomber Command, this was just as vital as the Battle of Britain.
£13.49
The History Press Ltd Reflections of Alan Turing: A Relative Story
Book SynopsisEveryone knows the story of the codebreaker and computer science pioneer Alan Turing.Except …When Dermot Turing is asked about his famous uncle, people want to know more than the bullet points of his life. They want to know everything – was Alan Turing actually a codebreaker? What did he make of artificial intelligence? What is the significance of Alan Turing’s trial, his suicide, the Royal Pardon, the £50 note and the film The Imitation Game?In Reflections of Alan Turing, Dermot strips off the layers to uncover the real story. It’s time to discover a fresh legacy of Alan Turing for the twenty-first century.Trade ReviewA timely and important book … [an] exploration of the possibilities of AI and beyond. -- Sir Adrian Smith FRSStrips away the encrusted hagiography that has developed around Alan Turing in recent years … a passionate argument for the lessons we should draw from his life and his extraordinary scientific achievements. -- Robert HanniganFascinating and highly readable ... My wife Rohini and I feel particularly grateful to have a special link to [Alan Turing] through our house in Coonoor … where Alan’s mother lived for many years. -- Nandan NilekaniEssential reading for anyone who thinks they know the history of Alan Turing … a significant reappraisal of his meaning for us today. -- Dr Tilly BlythDermot compels us to learn from his uncle’s incredible life and many achievements in our own pursuit of creating a better world for all. -- Liz Carr
£11.78
The History Press Ltd Rudolf Hess: A New Technical Analysis of the Hess
Book SynopsisOn 10 May 1941, on a whim, Hitler’s deputy Rudolf Hess flew a Messerschmitt Bf 110 to Scotland in a bizarre effort to make peace with Britain; Göring sent fighters to stop him but he was long gone. Imprisoned and tried at Nuremberg, he would die by his own hand in 1987, aged 93. That’s the accepted explanation. Ever since, conspiracy theories have swirled around the famous mission. How strong were Hess’s connections with the British establishment, including royalty? Was the death of the king’s brother, the Duke of Kent, associated with the Hess overture for peace? In the many books written about Hess, one obvious line of enquiry has been overlooked, until now: an analysis of the flight itself – the flight plan, equipment, data sheets, navigation system.Through their long investigation, authors John Harris and Richard Wilbourn have come to a startling conclusion: whilst the flight itself has been well recorded, the target destination has remained hidden. The implications are far reaching and lend credence to the theory that the British establishment has hidden the truth of the full extent of British/Nazi communications, in part to spare the reputations of senior members of the Royal Family. Using original photography, documentation and diagrams, Rudolf Hess sheds light on one of the most intriguing stories of the Second World War.
£14.39
The History Press Ltd Arnhem 1944: Battle Story
Book SynopsisThe Battle of Arnhem has acquired a near-legendary status in British military history as an audacious plan to land paratroopers into the Netherlands and spearhead an attack against the German-held Ruhr. Beyond images of brave paratroopers and scenes from A Bridge Too Far, this was in fact one of the most complex and strategically important operations of the war.It was expected that the British would sweep through and connect with the Arnhem force within a matter of days. But things on the ground proved very different. The Allied forces were isolated, without reinforcements and unable to advance. The operation ended in disaster. Using first-hand accounts, maps and detailed timelines, historian Chris Brown explores the unfolding action of the battle and puts the reader on the front line. If you truly want to understand what happened and why – read on.
£9.49
The History Press Ltd A Dangerous Game: Growing Up East of the Oder
Book SynopsisLuise Urban was born in 1933 into a world about to be turned upside down. Her family lived east of the river Oder. Fatefully, her family were not Nazi Party members and suffered as a result. As the Third Reich crumbled and the Red Army advanced, she was one of 15 million Germans trapped in a war zone during the terrible winter of 1945. Weakened by starvation and forced to flee their home, it was only the bravery of Luise’s mother that saved the family from total destruction.The Oder–Neisse line (Oder-Neiße-Grenze) is the German–Polish border drawn in the aftermath of the war. The line primarily follows the Oder and Neisse rivers to the Baltic Sea west of the city of Stettin. All pre-war German territory east of the line and within the 1937 German boundaries was discussed at the Potsdam Conference in 1945. Germany was to lose 25 per cent of her territory under the agreement. Crucially, Stalin, Churchill and Truman also agreed to the expulsion of the German population beyond the new eastern borders. This meant that almost all of the native German population was killed, fled or was driven out by force.In A Dangerous Game, Luise relives that harrowing time, written in memory of her mother, to whom she owes her life. It is the story of a child, but it is not a story for children.
£12.34
The History Press Ltd Leakey's Luck: A Tank Commander with Nine Lives
Book SynopsisMajor General Rea Leakey was one of the Royal Tank Regiment’s greatest heroes of the Second World War. As a young tank commander, he fought Rommel’s Afrika Korps in the Western Desert of Egypt, before becoming trapped for six months in the siege of Tobruk and temporarily joining the Australian infantry as an honorary Lance Corporal. He later returned to the European theatre in 1944 and served as a Churchill tank commander in Normandy, the Rhine and Germany. Despite it being strictly forbidden, Leakey kept a diary throughout his soldiering career. Based on this valuable account, Leakey’s Luck documents Leakey’s wartime service in its entirety, and offers a view of the war through the eyes of a man who was there at the ‘sharp end’. Many of his exploits were hair-raising, some even too fantastic to believe. Incredibly, Leakey’s luck held out throughout the war, and he remained in the British Army until retirement in 1968.
£12.34
The History Press Ltd Codeword Overlord: Axis Espionage and the D-Day
Book SynopsisIt was inevitable that the Allies would invade France in the summer of 1944: the Nazis just had to figure out where and when. This job fell to the Abwehr and several other German intelligence services. Between them they put over 30,000 personnel to work studying British and American signals traffic, and achieved considerable success in intercepting and decrypting enemy messages. They also sent agents to England – but they weren’t to know that none of them would be successful.Until now, the Nazi intelligence community has been disparaged by historians as incompetent and corrupt, but newly released declassified documents suggest this wasn’t the case – and that they had a highly sophisticated system that concentrated on the threat of an Allied invasion. Written by acclaimed espionage historian Nigel West, Codeword Overlord is a vital reassessment of Axis behaviour in one of the most dramatic episodes of the twentieth century.Trade ReviewHis information is so precise that many people believe he is the unofficial historian of the secret services. West’s sources are undoubtedly excellent. His books are peppered with deliberate clues to potential front-page stories.
£13.49
The History Press Ltd Mabel's War: Love and Hope Beyond the Blitz
Book SynopsisWith devastating clarity and gentle humour, Mabel Hewitt takes us through her extraordinary life, from her childhood in the shadow of the First World War right up to the present day. Born in the tumultuous thirties, when the threat of the poorhouse hung over working families, she was just 10 years old when war clouds began to gather across Europe. She remembers air-raid sirens, taking shelter underground with her mother and sisters, and the utterly terrifying Coventry Blitz, when almost two-thirds of the city was destroyed or damaged.And yet, despite everything, her spirit shines through. Mabel’s War is a poignant account of love and hope during some of the country’s darkest days.
£10.44
