Anden verdenskrig

"From Alex Kershaw, author of the New York Times bestseller Against All Odds, comes an epic story of courage, resilience, and faith during the Second World War General George Patton needed a miracle. In December 1944, the Allies found themselves stuck. Rain had plagued the troops daily since September, turning roads into rivers of muck, slowing trucks and tanks to a crawl. A thick ceiling of clouds had grounded American warplanes, allowing the Germans to reinforce. The sprint to Berlin had become a muddy, bloody stalemate, costing thousands of American lives. Patton seethed, desperate for some change, any change, in the weather. A devout Christian, he telephoned his head chaplain. "Do you have a good prayer for the weather?" he asked. The resulting prayer was soon printed and distributed to the 250,000 men under Patton's command. "Pray when driving," the men were told. "Pray when fighting. Pray alone. Pray with others. Pray by night and pray by day. Pray for the cessation of immoderate rains, for good weather for Battle. Pray for victory. Pray for Peace." Then came the Battle of the Bulge. Amid frigid temperatures and heavy snow, 200,000 German troops overwhelmed the meager American lines in Belgium's Ardennes Forest, massacring thousands of soldiers as the attack converged on a vital crossroads town called Bastogne. There, the 101st Airborne was dug in, but the enemy were lurking, hidden in the thick blanket of fog that seemed to never dissipate. A hundred miles of frozen roads to the south, Patton needed an answer to his prayer, fast, before it was too late."--

On 11 November 1941, four Fairey Swordfish of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm took off from Hal Far base in Malta to fly a mission over the Strait of Sicily. Their plans quickly went awry, turning their story into one of skill, determination and grit that is only now being fully told.This book, inspired by a photo of an aircraft upside down on Cefalù beach in Sicily, led to years of meticulous research by the authors to uncover the full story of the men and aircraft of the mission. Their research is brought to life through historical facts, technical details, recreated conversations, and a rich array of photographs and illustrations, many from the night of the mission itself. Rated as an "average pilot", it is clear that the man who piloted the plane into enemy territory as well as the crew of this mission were anything but ordinary. Like so many of their generation, these exceptional men still have much to teach us.

Delve into the remarkable and inspiring life of one of history's unsung heroes, Irena Sendler. This compelling biography chronicles the extraordinary journey of a Polish social worker who, during the darkest days of World War II, risked her life to save over 2,500 Jewish children from the clutches of the Nazi regime.Follow Irena's early years as she becomes a dedicated social worker and activist, driven by her unyielding compassion and sense of justice. Witness her courageous efforts to smuggle Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto, creating a clandestine network that would come to be known as "Zegota." Despite the constant threat of capture and execution, Irena's unwavering determination and cunning ingenuity allowed her to orchestrate daring rescues, ensuring the survival of countless innocent lives.This captivating tale not only explores the dangerous world of resistance during the Holocaust but also delves into Irena's post-war life, where she faced persecution under the Soviet regime and lived in relative obscurity. Unearth the untold chapters of her life as her heroic actions slowly come to light, bringing her the recognition she truly deserved.

"In April 1942, the Imperial Japanese Army steamrolled through Burma, capturing the only ground route from India to China. Supplies to this critical zone would now have to come from India by air--meaning across the Himalayas, on the most hazardous air route in the world. Skies of Thunder is a story of an epic human endeavor, in which Allied troops faced the monumental challenge of operating from airfields hacked from the jungle, and took on 'the Hump, ' the fearsome mountain barrier that defined the air route. They flew fickle, untested aircraft through monsoons and enemy fire, at brain-melting altitudes with inaccurate maps and only primitive navigation technology. The result was a litany of both deadly crashes and astonishing feats of survival. The most chaotic of all the war's arenas, the China-Burma-India theater was further confused by the conflicting political interests of Roosevelt, Churchill, and their demanding nominal ally, Chiang Kai-shek"--

Situated on Europe's northern periphery, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden found themselves caught between warring powers during World War II. Ultimately, these nations survived the conflict as sovereign states whose wartime experiences have profoundly shaped their historiography, literature, cinema and memory cultures. Nordic War Stories explores the commonalities and divergences among the five Nordic countries, examining national historiographies alongside representations of the war years in canonical literary works, travel writing, and film media. Together, they comprise a valuable companion that challenges the myth of Scandinavian homogeneity while demonstrating the powerful influence that the war continues to exert on national identities.

"Whether you are just interested in perusing through some never before seen photos from the German side during the war, or are looking for something to boost your enthusiasm to build something out of the ordinary, this book is a worthy pick." -- AMPSFrontkämpfer is a collection of World War II German photographs, the majority of which have never been published before. Sourced directly from personal photo albums of German veterans, Allied soldiers, and archival resources, readers are taken on a chronological journey through World War II, its beginning in September 1939 with the Blitzkrieg invasion of Poland and its culmination with the German surrender in Berlin in May 1945. Frontkämpfer takes the reader through the campaigns in Europe, North Africa, and the Soviet Union, as well as the air war and the war at sea. Featured in this volume are all branches of the German Wehrmacht: Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen SS, foreign volunteer legions, Volkssturm, and auxiliary support units. This book presents a detailed study of the uniforms, small arms, equipment, and machinery of the German military, including rare and experimental subject matter. Historically significant battles such as Stalingrad and wartime personalities are featured as well. As an added bonus, photographs from the early post-war years are included, highlighting the return of German POWs, the reconstruction of Germany, and the birth of the West German Bundeswehr and East German Nationale Volksarmee. Frontkämpfer is a must have for students of German military history.

Provides an insight into one of the mightiest fighting organisations of all time.

Dramatic accounts of living through the Blitz.

One of the largest POW camps in the German Reich during World War II, Stalag VII A, was located in Moosburg an der Isar. Built in the fall of 1939 for 10,000 prisoners, it housed some 70,000 soldiers from numerous nations on April 29, 1945, the day of liberation. The booklet covers various aspects of the prisoners' lives and the camp itself.The english edition is a translation of the German edition issued 2015. See BoD: Stalag VII A / ISBN 9783750408340.