Chapter 31 - Remember Us

I won't say I've been reading a lot of books about World War II lately as, honestly, the time period has always fascinated me. Maybe it is because my father, uncles, and many of my friends' parents served during the war. I am always intrigued about the cruelty of people and nations as well as the brave people who rise to the occasion to combat injustices and war. Maybe I have interest because World War II was closer in time to my generation than the tragedy of 9/11 is to children being born today. I always unconsciously read a lot of fiction and nonfiction about this war.

Here are some World War II books I've read this year which I can wholeheartedly recommend:

Prisoners of the Castle: An Epic Story of Survival and Escape from Colditz, the Nazis' Fortress Prison by Ben Macintyre - This was a wonderful story (with pictures and illustrations) of Colditz. High ranking British, Dutch, French and Polish POWs were incarcerated there when they had tried to escape from other camps and were considered "deutschfiendlich" or unfriendly to Germans. The book tells of escapes, escape attempts, and the tools smuggled into the camp disguised within packages from home. It is a remarkable tale.

The Fifteen: Murder, Retribution, and the Forgotten Story of Nazi POWs in America by William Geroux - I may have mentioned this book before but here it is again, one of my favorite books from this year. After the United States entered the war, we collected (for want of a better term) many German POWs. Britain no longer had room for them so they were shipped to various camps in the US. The camps were much better than those of the Axis powers but there was a considerable distrust between the regular German soldiers and fervent Nazis. This led to beatings and murders by the Nazi's and ultimately trials and death sentences. The Germans hearing of this, picked 15 Americans from among their POW camps to kill in retaliation. This is the story of how that played out.

The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson - I know that reading often quiets my brain and calms me. In 1944 London Clara Button a librarian turned the Bethnal Green tube station into the country’s only underground library to help people escape from bombing both physically and mentally. Along with a library, the tube station also held bunk beds, a cafe, a nursery, and a theater. Tested by the war, Clara and her assistant Ruby, created a community underground that may or many not succeed in keeping people alive.

The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly - Josie Anderson and Arlette LaRue are working in the French resistance and become known as the Golden Doves because they steal so many Nazi secrets. They are finally arrested and imprisoned in Ravensbruck, a concentration camp where doctors do unspeakable things to women. Decades later the women team up to track down one of the doctors and put themselves in danger once again.

Angels of the Pacific by Elise Hooper - After the Great Depression, an assignment to the Philippines in 1941 seems like a dream to Army nurse Tess Abbott. How bad could it be? Dealing with minor injuries, curable tropical diseases, and having handsome soldiers, sailors, and airmen for escorts? All that changes with Imperial Japan's invasion of the Philippines and Tess and her band of nurses become prisoners of war. A young university student, Flor Dalisay, is devastated when Japan invades her homeland. The only thing she can do is to become a member of the resistance. Of course, the paths of the two women meet in this incredible story.

The Longest Winter: The Battle of the Bulge and the Epic Story of WWII's Most Decorated Platoon by Alex Kershaw - One of my uncles fought and was injured in the Bulge campaign so this was of particular interest to me. Alex Kershaw never fails to tell history in a way that makes readers feel like they are there. In December of 1944, in the Ardennes forest, a platoon of eighteen men under the command of were huddled in foxholes trying to keep warm. Suddenly, the early morning silence was broken by the roar of a huge artillery bombardment as the German's launched a last ditch attempt to oust American troops. In the woods, this small American platoon was facing the main thrust of the entire German assault. Terribly outnumbered, they repulsed three German assaults in a fierce day-long battle, killing over five hundred German soldiers. Only when the men had run out of ammunition did they surrender to the enemy. Kershaw writes about this small platoon and what happened next.

Any books you might recommend about this time period? Let me know.