Best of
World-War-Ii

1979

Bomber Command


Max Hastings - 1979
    More than 56,000 British and Commonwealth aircrew and 600,000 Germans died in the course of the RAF’s attempt to win the war by bombing. The struggle in the air began meekly in 1939 with only a few Whitleys, Hampdens, and Wellingtons flying blindly through the night on their ill-conceived bombing runs. It ended six years later with 1,600 Lancasters, Halifaxes, and Mosquitoes, equipped with the best of British wartime technology, razing whole German cities in a single night. Bomber Command, through fits and starts, grew into an effective fighting force.In Bomber Command, originally published to critical acclaim in the U.K., famed British military historian Sir Max Hastings offers a captivating analysis of the strategy and decision-making behind one of World War II’s most violent episodes. With firsthand descriptions of the experiences of aircrew from 1939 to 1945—based on one hundred interviews with veterans—and a harrowing narrative of the experiences of Germans on the ground during the September 1944 bombing of Darmstadt, Bomber Command is widely recognized as a classic account of one of the bloodiest campaigns in World War II history. Now back in print in the U.S., this book is an essential addition to any history reader’s bookshelf.

Blitzkrieg: From the Rise of Hitler to the Fall of Dunkirk


Len Deighton - 1979
    Len Deighton brings to bear all the skills of a best-selling novelist in this compelling study.In Blitzkrieg, Len Deighton turns a searchlight on the rise of Hitler, the lightning dash of his armies to the Channel coast in 1940 and on the debacle of Dunkirk, where — in a mistake that was to trigger his eventual downfall — a quarter of a million British troops were allowed to escape.

Children of the Holocaust: Conversations with Sons and Daughters of Survivors


Helen Epstein - 1979
    She found:Gabriela Korda, who was raised by her parents as a German Protestant in South America;Albert Singerman, who fought in the jungles of Vietnam to prove that he, too, could survive a grueling ordeal;Deborah Schwartz, a Southern beauty queen who—at the Miss America pageant, played the same Chopin piece that was played over Polish radio during Hitler's invasion.Epstein interviewed hundreds of men and women coping with an extraordinary legacy. In each, she found shades of herself.

Munich: The Price of Peace


Telford Taylor - 1979
    procesutor at the Nuremberg trials - this is the most comprehensive study ever made of the origins of Woprld War II. Munich examines the issues, intrigues and personalities (Hitler and Chamberlain, in particular) of the fateful conference of 1938, which, according to the author, "shattered the pre-existing power structure of Europe". And to enlarge our understanding of this "nodal point in the course of modern history", it traces all the diplomatic and military alignments and machinations in Western Europe between the wars, from the Treaty of Versailles and the Paris peace conference of 1919 to Munich and Hitler's invasion of Prague, and their aftermath.

To War in a Stringbag


Charles Lamb - 1979
    Antiquated as it was, the "Stringbag" still outmaneuvered almost any other aircraft—especially with Lamb at the controls. Go with him into the thick of the action—landing on the Courageous just before she sinks; flying 29 sorties over northern Europe; attacking E-boats through the nine days of Dunkirk. Also experience the terror of being shot down...and living to soar again, defending Malta and the Mediterranean. A rare story of courage. 5 X 7 3/4.

Hellcat, the F6F in World War II


Barrett Tillman - 1979
    The Hellcat's extensive combat role is fully documented with a wealth of previously unpublished photos and carefully researched information from squadron histories, combat action reports, and other official documents.

Corsair: The F4U in World War II and Korea


Barrett Tillman - 1979
    Filled with facts and figures, this fast-paced history begins with the nerve-wracking test flights of the 1940s and concludes with the F4Us that were active thirty-eight years later. Placed skillfully in between are the stories that gave birth to the legend: the exploits of the aces, including the Medal of Honor recipient who shot down twenty-five enemy planes, and the details of the combat missions of Charles A. Lindbergh. During thirty months of combat in World War II with the U.S. Navy and Marines, the Corsair shot down more than two thousand Japanese planes. In Korea the U-bird, as it was called, was credited with ten aerial victories.A trip down memory lane for anyone who has followed the career of this Cadillac of the props, this new paperback edition of a book first published in hardcover in 1979 offers fine historical aviation reading that presents a riveting picture of the men and machine that helped win two wars.

Less Than Slaves: Jewish Forced Labor and the Quest for Compensation


Benjamin B. Ferencz - 1979
    Ferencz participated in the liberation of Nazi concentration camps. He returned to Germany after the war to help bring perpetrators of war crimes to justice and remained to direct restitution programs for Nazi victims. In Less Than Slaves, Ferencz describes the painstaking efforts that were made to persuade German industrial firms such as I. G. Farben, Krupp, AEG, Rheinmetall, and Daimler-Benz to compensate camp inmates who were exploited as forced laborers. The meager outcome of these efforts emerges from searing pages that detail the difficulties confronted by Ferencz and his dedicated colleagues. This engrossing narrative is a vital resource for all who are concerned with the moral, legal, and practical implications of the recent significant increase in the number of compensation claims by victims of persecution. First published in 1979, Ferencz's penetrating firsthand account returns to print with the author's evaluation of its historical significance and current relevance.

Guns In The Sky: The Air Gunners Of World War Two


Chaz Bowyer - 1979
    

The German Navy in World War Two: An Illustrated Guide to the Kriegsmarine, 1935-1945


Jak P. Mallmann Showell - 1979
    Chapters cover its history, organization, the various ships, ranks, uniforms, awards, insignias, biographies, warship data and more. Filled with dozens of black and white photos, some full-page, plus some maps and illustrations.

Paratrooper! The Saga Of Parachute And Glider Combat Troops During World War II


Gerard M. Devlin - 1979
    

Angels in the Camp: A Remarkable Story of Peace in the Midst of the Holocaust


Jan Markell - 1979
    A fictionalized account of a young Jewish girl's life in war-torn Germany where she discovers the differences Jesus Christ makes, even in the midst of the holocaust.

The Battle of Arnhem


Cornelius Bauer - 1979
    Paratroopers were dropped in the Netherlands to secure bridges and towns along the Allied axis of advance. They landed at Arnhem to secure the Nederrijn. The British forces faced unexpected resistance from elements of the 9th SS and 10th SS Panzer Divisions. This is a detailed account of Operation Market Garden and its unexpected consequences in Arnhem.

A Nurse's War


Brenda McBryde - 1979
    Everyone had a different war. This was mine." Thus ends Branda BcBryde's remarkable account of her experiences as a nurse in the Second World War. Her uniquely moving story began on the eve of World War II when Branda McBryde enrolled as a trainee nurse at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle. The next six years saw Sister McBryde nursing civlians through the Blitz, volunteering for service in the Maxillo-Facial ("Max-Factor") plastic surgery unit, joining the troops in the early days following the D-Day landings, and serving in the Field Hospitals in the front line of fighting. Then, as the drew to a close, she faced the greatest challenge of her career, the restoration to health and sanity of Germany's concentration camp victims.

The Battle Of Leyte Gulf


Adrian Stewart - 1979