Book picks similar to
Queen of the Midnight Skies: The Story of America's Air Force Night Fighters by Garry R. Pape
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night-fighters
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Hurricane: Victor Of The Battle Of Britain
Leo McKinstry - 2010
Victory in the forthcoming air battle would mean national survival; defeat would establish German tyranny.The Luftwaffe greatly outnumbered the RAF, but during the Battle of Britain it was the RAF that emerged triumphant, thanks to two key fighter planes, the Spitfire and the Hurricane. The Hurricane made up over half of Fighter Command`s front-line strength, and its revolutionary design transformed the RAF`s capabilities. Leo McKinstry tells the story of the remarkable plane from its designers to the first-hand testimonies of those brave pilots who flew it; he takes in the full military and political background but always keeps the human stories to the fore - to restore the Hawker Hurricane to its rightful place in history.
Inferno: The Fiery Destruction of Hamburg, 1943
Keith Lowe - 2007
For ten days they pounded the city with over 9,000 tons of bombs, with the intention of erasing it entirely from the map. The fires they created were so huge they burned for a month and were visible for 200 miles.The people of Hamburg had no time to understand what had hit them. As they emerged from their ruined cellars and air raid shelters, they were confronted with a unique vision of hell: a sea of flame that stretched to the horizon, the burned-out husks of fire engines that had tried to rescue them, roads that had become flaming rivers of melted tarmac. Even the canals were on fire.Worse still, they had to battle hurricane-force winds to escape the blaze. The only safe places were the city's parks, but to reach them survivors had to stumble through temperatures of up to 800C and a blizzard of sparks strong enough to lift grown men off their feet."Inferno" is the culmination of several years of research and the first comprehensive account of the Hamburg firestorm to be published in almost thirty years. Keith Lowe has interviewed eyewitnesses in Britain, Germany, and America, and gathered together hundreds of letters, diaries, firsthand accounts, and documents. His book gives the human side of an inhuman story: the long, tense buildup to the Allied attack; the unparalleled horror of the firestorm itself; and the terrible aftermath. The result is an epic story of devastation and survival, and a much-needed reminder of the human face of war. Includes nineteen maps and thirty-one photographs, many never seen before.350 pages narrative, 489 pages in total
On To Berlin
James M. Gavin - 1978
Paperback by General James Gavin is the story of air combat in World War II.
The Last 100 Days
John Toland - 1966
To reconstruct the tumultuous hundred days between Yalta and the fall of Berlin, John Toland traveled more than 100,000 miles in twenty-one countries and interviewed more than six hundred people—from Hitler’s personal chauffeur to Generals von Manteuffel, Wenck, and Heinrici; from underground leaders to diplomats; from top Allied field commanders to brave young GIs. Toland adeptly weaves together these interviews using research from thousands of primary sources. When it was first published, The Last 100 Days made history, revealing after-action reports, staff journals, and top-secret messages and personal documents previously unavailable to historians. Since that time, it has come to be regarded as one of the greatest historical narratives of the twentieth century.
The Battle of the Bridges: The 504 Parachute Infantry Regiment in Operation Market Garden
Frank Van Lunteren - 2014
However, within that operation were episodes of heroism that still remain unsung.On September, 17, 1944, the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, floated down across the Dutch countryside, in the midst of German forces, and proceeded to fight their way to vital bridges to enable the Allied offensive to go forward. The 101st Airborne was behind them; the British 1st Airbourne was far advanced. In the 82nd s sector the crucial conduits needed to be seized.The Germans knew the importance of the bridge over the Waal River at Nijmegen as well as James Gavin and his 82nd troopers did. Thus began a desperate fight for the Americans to seize it, no matter what the cost. The Germans would not give, however, and fought tenaciously in the town and fortified the bridge. On September 20 Gavin turned his paratroopers into sailors and conducted a deadly daylight amphibious assault in small plywood and canvas craft across the Waal River to secure the north end of the highway bridge in Nijmegen. German machine guns and mortars boiled the water on the crossing, but somehow a number of paratroopers made it to the far bank. Their ferocity thence rolled up the German defenses, and by the end of day the bridge had fallen. This book draws on a plethora of previously unpublished sources to shed new light on the exploits of the Devils in Baggy Pants by Dutch author and historian Frank van Lunteren. A native of Arnhem the site of The Bridge too Far the author draws on nearly 130 interviews he personally conducted with veterans of the 504th, plus Dutch civilians and British and German soldiers, who here tell their story for the first time. REVIEWS "Through years of painstaking research and close contact with 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment veterans, Frank van Lunteren has added much to our understanding of Market Garden. On these pages, the human story comes to life, sometimes tragic, sometimes amusing, but always poignant and compelling." John C. McManus, Ph.D., Author of SEPTEMBER HOPE: THE AMERICAN SIDE OF A BRIDGE TOO FAR and THE DEAD AND THOSE ABOUT TO DIE, D-DAY: THE BIG RED ONE AT OMAHA BEACH It is rare to find such an engrossing book as Frank van Lunteren s The Battle of the Bridges. Anyone who wants to read firsthand experiences of one of the most amazing actions in the western European Theater of the Second World War must get this book. Doug McCabe, curator of the Cornelius Ryan Collection Battle of the Bridges provides an exhaustively researched account of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment s exploits during Operation Market Garden. The legendary crossing of the Waal river to seize the Nijmegen bridges is covered in exceptional detail. Steven Zaloga, Author of US Airborne Divisions in the ETO" and his most recent "The Devil's Garden: Rommel's Desperate Defense of Omaha Beach on D-Day""
The Traitors
David W. Walker - 2010
Collapsing Nazi Germany has developed terrible super weapons: the V1 Flying bomb, the V2 missile, rocket and jet powered aircraft. Now, with the war apparently lost, the maniacal Nazi leadership fashions a final diabolical plan born of the infamous Japanese Unit 731 of biological warfare and the secret “Amerika Bomber” ME 264. It is so evil, so inhuman, that even those ordered to proceed find themselves questioning their loyalty and this mission of mass death. OSS agent Chris Clancy will need all his skill and courage to combat this desperate plot. In a secret mission behind enemy lines, Clancy must locate the hidden base and defeat an enemy on his own ground. Yet, with twist on unseen twist, who are the enemies, and who are the Traitors?
Gracie Under Fire (Women and War Book 1)
Rachel Wesson - 2021
A chance meeting introduces her to the love of her life. But the storm clouds are gathering, Europe is teetering on the verge of war and threatening to destroy everything Gracie holds dear.When war arrives her family are split up, her younger siblings evacuated, her brothers join up to serve, her boyfriend, Charlie, is in daily danger and her life is threatened. Her father and Charlie believe a woman's place is in the home but she is equally determined to do her duty for King and Country.Then the telegram arrives…Note: Updated, revised and expanded edition. Previously published under the pen name Ellie Keaton.
Before Their Time: A Memoir
Robert Kotlowitz - 1997
208 pp. 15,000 print.From the Hardcover edition.
A House For Spies: SIS Operations into Occupied France from a Sussex Farmhouse
Edward Wake-Walker - 2011
From 1941 to 1944, Bignor Manor, a farmhouse in Sussex provided board and lodging for men and women of the French Resistance before they were flown by moonlight into occupied France. Barbara Bertram, whose husband was a conducting officer for the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), became hostess for these daring agents and their pilots during their brief stopovers in their house. But who were these men and women that passed through the Bertram’s house? And what activities did they conduct whilst in France that meant that so many of them never returned? Edward Wake-Walker charts the experiences of numerous agents, such as Gilbert Renault, Christian Pineau and Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, and the networks of operatives that they created that provided top-secret intelligence on German defences and naval bases, U-boats, as well as Hitler’s devastating new weapons, the V-1 and V-2 flying bombs. A House For Spies provides fascinating insight into the lives of SIS agents and their Lysander pilots who provided invaluable intelligence to Allied forces. This is a much-forgotten aspect of the Second World War that is only now being told by Edward Wake-Walker. “Utterly fascinating, very moving and funny. I couldn't have enjoyed it more.” — Hugh Grant “Edward Wake-Walker's meticulously researched chronicles of desperate resistance, audacity, duty, determination and daring are a valuable addition to the history of World War II” — Bel Mooney, Daily Mail “It kept me up at night as I wanted to know what happened to all the various characters [brought] so admirably back to life” — Russell England, Director of Bletchley Park: Codebreaking's Forgotten Genius and Operation Mincemeat
Requiem for a Patriot (Captain Harry Tennant Mystery Book 2)
David J. Oldman - 2018
It’s an Arctic January day, one of the coldest winters on record. A man on a deserted East Anglian beach strips naked, neatly folds his clothes and wades into the icy waters. Walks to his death. His final moments are watched by Harry Tennant. The ex-copper has been assigned to observe his target by British Intelligence. The dead man is Joseph Wolff. He is a Russian Jew. He is also a professor of mathematics at Oxford University. All Harry knows is that Wolff had been doing some sort of secret work during the war. So when Wolff waded into the sea and drowned himself, he could not make sense of it. Back in the hotel room where Woolf was staying, Harry discovers an unfinished note hinting of betrayal. Harry can’t resist following a trail of unanswered questions buzzing in his head. It’s a long and tortuous trail that leaves him just staring in the ever more inscrutable face of British Intelligence. David J Oldman’s compassionate and compelling Requiem for a Patriot offers a fictional version of what was happening in Britain during and immediately after of the Second World War as East and West drew closer and closer to head-on collision. It explores a shocking secret. Thoroughly researched and based on actual events, the novel succeeds in combining all-too-human stories with political intrigue, spy rings and cold-blooded murder. It paints a frightening picture of the helplessness of the individual when faced by the monolith that is the state. Born into the austerity of post-war Britain, David J. Oldman began writing in his early twenties. Frequently humorous, and often moving, his books are an examination of ordinary people caught up in life-changing events beyond their control. He presently lives with his wife in the New Forest in the south of England pursuing his deep interest in history, writers and writing. Also published by Endeavour Media is Oldman’s The Unquiet Grave.
The Berlin Escape (An Aubrey Endeavours Spy Thriller Book 1)
Warren Court - 2021
America's newest spy is trying to stop it!Young, beautiful and fearless, Aubrey Endeavours fought for recognition in the male dominated world of aviation.And Won!Then her country called.Recruited into America’s fledgling spy agency. Her first mission; to steal vital information about Hitler's next move.Now she is alone and undercover in Berlin. Hunted by the Gestapo. Torn between her loyalty to her country……and the enemy she’s fallen in love with.This time, Aubrey is fighting for her life.If you like historical spy thrillers mixed with romantic suspense then you’ll love The Berlin Escape.Get your copy today!
The Manhattan Project: The Making of the Atomic Bomb
Al Cimino - 2015
The atomic bombs that came out of it brought an end to the war in the Pacific, but at a heavy loss of life in Japan and the opening of a Pandora's box that has tested international relations.This book traces the history of the Manhattan Project, from the first glimmerings of the possibility of such a catastrophic weapon to the aftermath of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It profiles the architects of the bomb and how they tried to reconcile their personal feelings with their ambition as scientists. It looks at the role of the politicians and it includes first-hand accounts of those who experienced the effects of the bombings.
The 84th Infantry Division In The Battle Of Germany: November 1944-May 1945
Theodore Draper - 2009
Through the course of the next six months it would see some of the most ferocious fighting of the entire war. As soon as they landed they drove quickly into the Netherlands to prepare for an offensive into Nazi Germany. Their movements were dramatically altered as the German forces attempted to launch a momentous counter-offensive against the allies. The 84th division was sent to Belgium to plug a gap in the Allied line and fought back against the last ditch effort of Nazi forces. Draper takes the reader through every engagement that the division took part in from the first shots fired in anger through to crossing the Rhine into Germany and finally taking Hannover and making contact with Soviet forces in May 1945. Lt. Theodore Draper’s book is a unique account of the allied invasion of Germany. Rather relying on secondhand stories of the division’s actions months after the events had occurred, Draper was encouraged to go direct to the source, to the men themselves, from the commanding general to any private, for the most complete, firsthand information on every action. This book is largely based on hundreds of pages of such interviews, most of them within 48 hours of the unit’s relief and many of them while the unit was still fighting. “Though ostensibly a divisional history, Draper’s well-informed and interesting account is useful for an understanding of the war on the western front in general.” Robert Gale Woolbert, Foreign Affairs “This is the whole operation of the battle of Germany on the broad and individual level, the Siegfried Line, the fight to the Rhine, the Ardennes, the mad race to the Elbo, with credit attributed to men, companies, battalions where it is due.” Kirkus Reviews Theodore Draper was an American historian and political writer. He wrote many notable books during his career on a variety of subjects. During the Second World War he was inducted into the U. S. Army and worked in the historical section of the 84th Infantry Division. His book The 84th Infantry Division In The Battle Of Germany : November 1944-May 1945 was first published in 1946 and he passed away in 2006.
For Better For Worse
June Francis - 2020
Grace used to be besotted with the handsome man, but she is increasingly worried by his bullying behaviour and gambling. On her way home from seeing Dougie off at the docks, Grace is nearly run down by a truck driven by widower Ben, who is on his way to the hospital to see his young son. Soon, Grace has agreed to look after Ben’s child while he recovers from his accident. As they spend time together Ben struggles to ignore his growing feelings for Grace. But Dougie is determined not to let Grace go and when war breaks out he returns to England. With her old flame to contend with, never mind the relentless German bombers, will ever Grace find peace and love? From Liverpool’s much-loved saga novelist comes a tale of love and heartache in wartime, which fans of Kitty Neale and Katie Flynn will love.
Rendezvous By Submarine: The Story Of Charles Parsons And The Guerrilla-Soldiers In The Philippines
Travis Ingham - 2018
Manila had fallen and MacArthur had retreated with the famous words, “I shall return.” Many thousands of American and Filipino prisoners of war were forced to march in atrocious conditions from Bataan to various prison camps with huge numbers dying along the way. Yet the Imperial Japanese Army was not able to subdue all of its enemies. A motley group of American and Filipino soldiers escaped into the depths of Mindanao and began to form a new force that would fight with coordinated guerrilla tactics against the occupying forces. Charles “Chick” Parsons, who previously had been in charge of the naval docks of Manila, led his men to cause terror among the Japanese as they stuck time and again in hit-and-run raids. Endlessly spying on the Japanese forces they became the eyes and ears for MacArthur’s forces who were preparing to retake the Philippines. Parsons became instrumental in organization of the guerrilla movement as they moved ammunition, medicine and arms from under the noses of the Japanese, installed coast watchers and radio stations, evacuated American and Allied personnel and civilians, and undertaking secret submarine missions to the Philippines. Travis Ingram drew much of the material for this book directly from Parsons who frequently interjects through the book with his own opinion of certain situations. This is the remarkable story of the man that MacArthur described as “the bravest man I ever met” and deserves to be read by all who wish to find out more about individual acts of heroism that took place in the most trying of circumstances. “A story of military and morale building that paid dividends to our advantage, told with the flourish and zest it deserves.” Kirkus Reviews “No small part of the credit for the reconquest of the Philippines goes to an American businessman turned Navy Commander — Mr. Charles Parsons — who organized guerrilla forces in a number of islands. This is the exciting narrative of how he did this job.” Foreign Affairs Travis Ingham was an American writer. His book Rendezvous By Submarine: The Story Of Charles Parsons And The Guerrilla-Soldiers In The Philippines was first published in 1945. He passed away in 1969.