I have studied World War 2 for thirty years not so much about the killing, but to see how the Allies developed strategies to win the battles. So many decisions and so many sacrifices were made which give me pause about how great our leaders were even with their mistakes. They orchestrated the war in a grand panorama as well as focused on tactics to take a key bridge. I served in Vietnam but WW2 was different in almost every way. Recently I have focused on the effects of shell shock (WW1) and battle fatigue (WW2) known today as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD remains in the forefront from Vietnam to Afghanistan and Iraq. I have even counseled soldiers and families about PTSD.
I wrote...
Second Chance Against the Third Reich: U.S. Colonel Rescues His Daughter From the Nazis
By
Kent Hinckley
What is my book about?
Prior to D-day 1944, Colonel Dirk Hoffman, who suffers from shell shock (today known as PTSD) from World War 1, finds out from an MI-6 spy in Germany that the Nazis will arrest his estranged daughter. She married an SS major in Berlin in 1938. Hoffman goes behind the lines with the aid of the German Resistance and escapes with her from Berlin thereby incurring the wrath of an SS General who is obsessed with his capture. Hoffman despite bouts of shell shock manages to overcome incredible odds and near-death situations so he and his daughter can reach Switzerland. Instead of finding safety from the SS, they come to him. Hoffman also becomes prey for a Nazi spy working as a mole in U. S. Intelligence who has set a trap to kill them.
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The Books I Picked & Why
The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos
By
Judy Batalion
Why this book?
This well-researched and well-written book describes the heroism of Jewish women in Poland during the killing of Jews by the Nazis. Usually, the women get overlooked in war, but in Poland, their bravery and deception along with the men sabotaged the Nazis, and saved Jewish people and families because of incredible sacrifices. Even though the story is non-fiction, it reads as a fast-paced novel. The information was taken from old diaries and out of print books in Yiddish which shed light on the unbelievable war in Poland.
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Last Train To London
By
Meg Waite Clayton
Why this book?
While this book is considered historical fiction, the author and her vast research put you in the times and places prior to the fighting in World War 2. Well-written and thoroughly researched, this page turning true story is based on real life hero Truus Wijsmuller, a Dutch woman who saved the lives of 10,000 Jewish children. The book shows her bravery and reminds you how one person can make a difference.
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The Nightingale
By
Kristin Hannah
Why this book?
An international bestseller and a movie to be released shortly. I have read it three times. It’s about life in occupied France centered around two sisters that take different paths to survive the Nazis. One sister stays at home to care for her daughter and assumes responsibility for a Jewish friend’s daughter so she wouldn’t be killed. The second sister has a wild streak and avoids the Gestapo while she escorts downed British and American pilots over the Pyrenees mountains to Spain. I cried at the end as I admired the spirit of these two as they deal with death every day.
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A Fighter Pilot in Buchenwald: The Joe Moser Story
By
Joseph F. Moser,
Gerald R. Baron
Why this book?
During August 1944, Joe Mower’s P-38 was shot down, and Nazi forces sent him to Buchenwald—the infamous work camp where tens of thousands died of cruelty, medical experiments, and starvation. It’s a story of survival in the worst of situations.
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Berlin Diary: The Journal of a Foreign Correspondent, 1934-1941
By
William L. Shirer
Why this book?
This book was a best seller in 1941 and is still popular today. William Saffire was Edward R. Murrow’s counterpart in Germany where he reported on the radio about the build-up of the Nazis from 1934 to 1940 and set the stage for World War 2. This riveting book is for those who love history and freedom.
