Books - Second World War - Western Europe
 Home Run: Escape from Nazi Europe, John Nichol and Tony Rennell. A compelling account of the risks that were taken by evaders and the people that helped them attempt to escape from Nazi occupied Europe during the Second World War. This well balanced book uses eyewitness accounts to take us into the escape lines that spirited thousands of Allied airmen back to Britain, with a well judged but somber section that makes it clear just how big a risk their European helpers were taking. [see more] |
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 Band of Brothers , The book that inspired the epic TV series based on the true wartime exploits of a unit within the elite 101 Airborne. |
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Corps Commander , Major General Sir Brian Horrocks with Belfield, Eversley and Essame, H., Magnum Books, London, 1979 (First Published 1977).
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 Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan, Shrabani Basu. A detailed book covering the story of Noor Inayat Khan one of the most famous SOE agents in World War 2. A well written and moving account of a young girl’s bravery with excellent research which answers many questions about Noor’s final fate that were left unanswered for many years. It is a fitting tribute to this young Indian woman’s bravery and sacrifice and is a moving biography. |
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Battles
 Battle for Crete, John Hall Spencer. A valuable reprint of one of the classic accounts of the German invasion of Crete. Hall Spencer has produced a book that combined a clear overview of the battle, from the moment the British decided to intervene in Greece, to the final evacuation from Crete, while at the same time using eye witness accounts to bring us right down to the level of the individual platoons and soldiers fighting around the crucial airfields on Crete. As a result the course of the battle becomes much clearer, as do the reasons for the Allied failure to hold Crete. One of the best accounts of an individual battle I have read. [see more]
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The D-Day Companion, ed. Jane Penrose. A selection of thirteen separate essays on different aspects of the D-Day lands, from the initial planning to post-war memorials; this is an excellent piece of work that sets the D-Day landings firmly in context. An excellent starting point for anyone who wants to learn more about Operation Overlord, but its wide range of topics means it is likely to be of value to anyone with an interest in the subject. [see more] |
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Rangers Lead the Way: Pointe-du-Hoc D-Day 1944, Steven J. Zaloga. This is the first entry in a new Osprey series, looking at some of the most famous raids in military history, starting with the US Rangers' attack on the German gun battery on Pointe-du-Hoc on D-Day. The result is a detailed account of the raid that includes some very interesting material about the German coastal defences, as well as a good account of the raid itself and the German counterattack. A promising start to this new series. [read full review] |
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| Normandy 1944 , (campaign series) Stephen Badsey.
Detailed maps and colour plates plus some excellent data on effectiveness of anti-tank weapons and tank armour make this a good buy for the wargamer. A section at the end of the book deals with wargaming the battles but the serious historian should look elsewhere for more detailed accounts. |
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Men of Steel: 1st SS Panzer Corps, The Ardennes and Eastern Front 1944-45, Michael Reynolds. A hugely detailed account of the battles fought by the 1st SS Panzer Corps in the last few months of the Second World War, covering its role in the Ardennes offensive in the west and the last German offensive of the war in Hungary. [read full review]
