History Happy Hour Reading List

History Happy Hour co-host historians Chris Anderson and Rick Beyer have put together a list of books that they and their guests have recommended or mentioned on the show. It’s a good one, so settle into your favorite easy chair and read on!

For more recent recommendations, visit the reading list on the History Happy Hour website.

December 19, 2021: China, India Burma in WWII

Our guest is Roberty Lyman, author, A War of Empires: Japan, India, Burma and Britain 1941-45. Here are some other books to check out.

Burma Victory: Imphal and Kohima, March 1944 to May 1945, David Rooney – A detailed history of the final campaign in Burma. Where I think this book rises above standard military history is in Rooney’s analysis of British high command, the importance of airpower and the central role played by Chinese, Indian and American forces played in the ultimate victory.

Quartered Safe Out Here, George MacDonald Fraser – Next to Eugene Sledge’s “With the Old Breed,” Quartered Safe Out Here is my absolute favorite memoir of a front-line soldier. Fraser, the author of the famous “Flashman” books, was a solider in 14^th Army and his recollections of the fighting on the “forgotten” front can’t be beat.

December 12, 2021: Hitler’s American Gamble

Our guests are Brendan Simms and Charles Laderman, authors of Hitler’s American Gamble: Pearl Harbor and Germany’s March to Global War.  Here are some other books to check out.

Countdown to Pearl Harbor: The Twelve Days to the Attack, Steve Twomey – A gripping account of the final 12 days of peace between Japan and the U.S.. Even though you already know what will happen, Twomey’s writing is so good you get caught up in the drama as events unfold. If you enjoyed the Chris Wallace countdown books, then you will enjoy this.

Pearl Harbor: From Infamy to Greatness, Craig Nelson – Nelson provides a good account of the Japanese attack that is comparable to Lord and Toland. Where I think this book shines is in his analysis of how the “myth/legend” of the Pearl Harbor attack is born and develops. Nicely picks up where Twomey leaves off.

Pearl Harbor: Japan’s Attack and America’s Entry Into World War II, Takuma Melber – Interesting retelling of the attack from the Japanese perspective. A quick read.

Fateful Choices: Ten Decisions that Changed the World 1940-41, Ian Kershaw – Fascinating book by acclaimed Hitler biographer Ian Kershaw. In a series of very inciteful essays Kershaw explores the decisive decisions made by each of the war’s major belligerents. His essays on why Japan attacks the United States and why Hitler makes the foolhardy decision to declare war on the U.S. are both particularly relevant to the show.

December 5, 2021: Britain’s WWII Spymaster

Our guest is Helen Fry, author of Spymaster: The Man Who Saved MI6. Here are some other great books to check out.

The History of the Secret Intelligence Service 1909-1949, Keith Jeffrey – An authoritative history of Britain’s senior foreign intelligence agency from its founding through the first half of the 20th Century. Provides a solid foundation for understanding Kendrick’s critical work with the organization during the war. MI6: The Art of Betrayal: Life and Death in the British Secret Service, Gordon Corera Corera continues the story begun by Jeffrey into the Cold War. Also does some very good work on the lives lived by MI6s agents. Much more focus on the agents’ personalities and personal life than you get in many histories. The Walls Have Ears, Helen Fry Our guests’ earlier ground-breaking work on the Secret Intelligence Service interrogation centers set up at the start of the war by Lawrence

November 21, 2021, Episode 83: King George III, The Misunderstood Monarch

Our Guest is Andrew Roberts, and his book is The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III. Here are some other books on the topic.  

George III, A Personal History, Christopher Hibbert – Somewhat dated biography of George III but it was the first one I read that was a reassessment of America’s last king. It was a real eye-opener to me, which is why it has always been a favorite of mine.

The Strangest Family: The Private Lives of George III, Queen Charlotte and the Hanoverians, Janice Hadlow – Illuminating account of how George III tried, and ultimately failed, to create a monarchy that was different than previous Hanoverian reigns. The place of the King’s family in George’s idea of monarchy is explained very well and is something that I don’t think most Americans give enough consideration to. A very moving book.

Revolution: The History of England Volume IV, Peter Ackroyd – As the title suggests, this is the fourth installment in a much larger history of England. This volume covers the period between 1688-1815. A highly readable account of England during the 18^th century that correctly places the American Revolution in a proper context. It also gives the reader an excellent window on Georgian England. Covers not only political and military history, but social and cultural as well.

The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution and the Fate of Empire, Andrew Jackson O’Shaughnessy

November 14, 2021, Episode 82: Lafayette

Our guest is Mike Duncan and his book is Hero of Two Worlds. Here are some other books on the topic.  

Lafayette Harlow Giles Unger – Good solid narrative biography of Lafayette’s life. Entertaining. Considered one of the best biographies of the marquis prior to Duncan’s book.

The Marquis, Laura Auriccio – Another biography of Lafayette but this one is, I think, much more of a personal look at the Marquis. Removes some of the veneer from the gloss of his life and paints a much more human account of a remarkable life.

Revolutionary Brothers: Thomas Jefferson, The Marquis de Lafayette and the Friendship that Helped Forge Two Nations, Tom Chaffin – A very interesting joint biography of Jefferson and Lafayette. Good, easy to read, narrative history of these two men. Also delves into the interesting-and important-sharing of ideas between the two revolutionary leaders and how their interaction effected change in both the Unites States and France.

Brothers at Arms: American Independence and the Men of France and Spain Who Saved It, Larrie Ferreiro – Wonderful book that explains just how much the colonists needed foreign intervention during the American Revolution. Author goes into the personalities the Frenchmen-including Lafayette-and Spaniards who ensured American success during the revolution. It also does an excellent-and important-job of placing the Revolution in its international context. As Ferreiro makes clear, what started at Lexington and Concord had become, by 1783, a world war.

November 7, 2021, Episode 81: Lexington and Concord

Our guest is John Bell and his book is The Road to Concord: How Four Stolen Cannon Ignited the Revolutionary War . Here are some other books on the topic.  

Paul Revere’s Ride, David Hackett Fischer – The finest book I have read on the events surrounding April 1775. Fischer does an amazing job of explaining how the Patriots “controlled the narrative” and communicated in the months leading up to the outbreak of revolution and after the “shot heard around the world,” was fired. An outstanding book.

The Minutemen and Their World, Robert Gross – Gross’s book is an oldie but a goodie. While his historical narrative of events in New England are good, the book’s real strength is the window it gives on the social and economic conditions in New England before the war. Valuable insights on colonial life.

The Minutemen: The First Fights: Myths and Realities of the American Revolution, John R. Galvin – Probably the best minute by minute account of Battle Road that I’ve read. Galvin, a career soldier, provides an analysis of the minutemen, their organization, training and effectiveness that is illuminating and original. 

American Spring: Lexington, Concord and the Road to Revolution, Walter Borneman – Places the events of 1775 in a larger colonial and international context. Reading it you feel just how tenuous the patriot cause was. Good, solid, popular history.

October 31, 2021, Episode 80: Conquering the Pacific

Our guest is Andrés Reséndez and his book is Conquering the Pacific: An Unknown Mariner and the Final Great Voyage of the Age of Discovery. Here are some other books on the topic.  

Travel Narratives from the Age of Discovery: An Anthology, Peter Mancall – It is always valuable to read the words of those who participated in the event. I find this particularly true when I’m dealing with a subject or time period that I know very little about. This collection does this.

Spain’s Road to Empire: The Making of a World Power, 1492-1763, Henry Kamen – Starting with the voyage of Christopher Columbus, Kamen tells how one of the most isolated, impoverished and weak countries in Europe embarked on a path of discovery that led it to becoming one of the most powerful countries in Europe. Very good history of Spain during the age of discovery.

Vanguard of Empire: Ships of Exploration in the Age of Discovery, Roger Smith – Book looks at the history of the age of exploration with a focus on the ships that made it possible. Smith considers the details of the ships as well as the development of maritime tactics and technologies that made the golden age of discovery a reality.

Henry the Navigator: A Life, Peter Russell – All but forgotten today, in the 15^th century Prince Henry of Portugal was one of the most famous scientists, explorer and colonizer of his day. A very readable and thorough biography of an important figure of the age of discovery. Good way to get comfortable with the period.

The Portuguese Empire 1415-1808: A World on the Move, A.J.R. Russell Wood – In the race for empire in the 15^th and 16^th Centuries, Spain’s greatest competitor for domination was Portugal, which forged its own great empire in the New World. Very good history that is a counterpoint to Kamen’s book on Spain.

October 17, 2021, Episode 79: The Battle for Brest

Our guest is Joe Balkoski, author of Beachhead to Brittany: The 29th Infantry Division at Brest, August-September 1944.  Here are some other books to peruse:

29^th Division Series – Joe Balkoski has written a series of books on the history of the 29^th Division that is unsurpassed. He is also the author of the definitive works on the landings on both Utah and Omaha beaches. If you want to understand what It was like for American GIs in WW2, read ANY of Joe’s books.

Brittany 1944: Hitler’s Final Defenses in France, Steven Zaloga – This is one of the famous Osprey Campaign Series. If you want a thorough short read on the whole campaign, this is a good place to start. Lots of facts and data and valuable as a reference.

To the Last Man: The Battle for Normandy’s Cotentin Peninsula and Brittany, Randolph Bradham – A very good history of the battles in France from June 7, 1944, through early September. It is a bit scholarly in places, but Bradham’s book has the advantage that the author is a veteran of the campaign as well so brings some authenticity and insights into his account.

Americans in Brittany 1944, Jonathan Gawne – Gawne has written a number of books in Americans during WW2 that are very good. They are published by Histoire and Collections, a French publisher. One feature of all of their books is that they are full of wonderful photographs and illustrations. Gawne’s narratives are also always top-flight.

October 10, 2021, Episode 78: Japanese Kamikaze Pilots

Our guest is Dan King, author of  Blossoms from the Sky: Firsthand Accounts from Kamikaze Pilots Who Volunteered to Fly the Ohka Baka Bomb. Here are some other related books:

Kamikaze: Japanese Special Attack Weapons 1944-45, Steven Zaloga – If you want to know some of the technical details of the Shinpu Tokubetsu Kogekitai (Divine Wind Special Attack Units), both the men and their various machines, then this is a very good, easily accessible reference work.

Divine Wind: Japan’s Kamikaze Force in WW2, Rikihei Inoguchi, Tadashi Nakajima, Roger Pineau (translator) – A postwar translation of interviews carried out with senior Japanese officers who had been involved in the creation, training and use of the Special Attack units. Provides a unique, and important, perspective.

Blossoms in the Wind: Human Legacies of the Kamikaze, M.G. Sheftall – Recollections of ordinary Kamikaze who, for one reason or another, neve completed their final mission. Provides some interesting nuggets of the thoughts and aspirations of the young men who carried out the infamous suicide missions.

Kamikaze Attacks of World War 2: A Complete History of the Japanese Suicide Strikes on American Ships, by Aircraft and Other Means, Robin Reilly – A detailed and thorough military history on each of the 400 documented strikes by Special Attack Units on American units during World War 2. Straightforward military history that relies on LOTS of US and Japanese primary source material.

October 3, 2021, Episode 77: WWI Great Escape 

Our guest is Margalit Fox, author of Confidence Men: How Two Prisoners of War Engineered the Most Remarkable Escape in History. Here are some other books on the topic:  

I Escape: The Great War’s Most Remarkable POW, J.L. Hardy – A prisoner of war during the Great War, British officer J.L. Hardy was a captive of the Germans for more than 3 ½ years, during which time he made no fewer than 12 escape attempts. This is his account of them.

Prisoners of the Kaiser, Richard van Emden – While there is a great deal written about the life of Allied POWs during World War II, less is known about those soldiers who found themselves in a similar situation during World War I. Ven Emden’s book is a solution to that problem. Good history of an overlooked subject.

A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Middle East, David Fromkin – Really wonderful history of the war in the Middle East from the perspective of the Ottoman Empire. In addition to a good overview of the war in the Middle East, there is also a good discussion of how the empire was run and how its military functioned.

September 26, 2021, Episode 76: Drunk

Our Guest is  Edwart Slingerland, author of the book Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization. Here are some other suggestions from Chris Anderson:

The Brewers Tale: A History of the World According to Beer, by William Bostwick – Bostwick is the beer critic for the Wall Street Journal and knows a thing or two about beer. This is a look at various types of beers and where they fit into the societies that they come from. It also looks at how the beers came about. The author then tries to recreate these historical brews at home. This is a fun book. It is NOT high-brow history. If you want a fun read this is great. If you are looking for something more in-depth and scholarly you might need to look somewhere else.

Wine and War: The French, The Nazis and France’s Greatest Treasure, by Donald & Petie Kladstrup – This is one of my favorite World War II books. It is a quick, fun read that I pick up and re-read every couple of years. While short and easy to read, it is a wonderful introduction to a fascinating topic. Despite its brevity, the authors do a wonderful job of discussing the issue of collaboration during the occupation and in explaining the importance of wine to France during the war. Highly recommended.

The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition, by W.J. Rorabaugh-From 1790 until 1840 Americans consumed more distilled spirits per capita than at any time during the country’s history. Rorabaugh’s book takes a fascinating look at the profound importance alcohol and the rituals of alcohol consumption had during the formative years of the American republic; a time when the produce of Washington’s distillery was most active.

Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How it Transformed Our World, by Mark Pendergrast – Much like Wine and War, Uncommon Grounds is a lightly written history book that says quite a lot. It covers the whole history of coffee and its consumption from Abyssinia to Starbucks. It then uses this story to touch on larger topics like international trade, slavery, global warning, corporate governance etc. If you are familiar with books like Cod and Salt and you enjoyed them, then you’ll enjoy Uncommon Grounds.

For All the Tea in China: Espionage, Empire and the Secret Formula for the World’s Favorite Drink, by Sarah Rose – A fun recounting of the 1848 secret mission of Scottish botanist Robert Fortune to steal the secrets of tea cultivation and production from China for the East India Company. A bit of the backstory to Great Britain’s favorite drink.

For God, Country and Coca Cola: The Definitive History of the Great American Soft Drink and the Company that Makes It, by Mark Pendergrast – Pendergrast gives this most recognizable of American drinks the same treatment that he did in his book on coffee. In this case, the book also tells the reader quite a bit about America during what many historians call, “The American Century.” I promise you’ll learn something new about the U.S. in this book.

September 12, 2021, Episode 74: The Alamo, Myth and Reality 

Our guest is Bryan Burrough, one of the co-authors of Forget the Alamo. Here are some other titles to consider: 

The Blood of Heroes: The 13-day struggle for the Alamo and the sacrifice that forged a nation, James Donovon – A solid history of the Battle of the Alamo that used a good deal of previously unseen primary source material.

Exodus From the Alamo: The Anatomy of the Last Stand Myth, Phillip Thomas Tucker – A very controversial retelling of the final stages of the Battle of the Alamo that questions many previous assumptions about how many of the heroes of the Alamo ended their battle. Sometimes the language is a bit dense, and you may not agree with Tucker, but you are guaranteed to be provoked by what he says.

Sleuthing the Alamo: Davy Crockett’s Last Stand and the Other Mysteries of the Texas Revolution, James Crisp – A wonderful analytical look at some of the myths and stories of the Texas war of Independence. Crisp does some first-rate historical research and while some of the paths he goes down are controversial, he is not as inflammatory as Tucker.

América: The Epic Story of Spanish North America 1493-1898, Robert Goodwin – An important book that looks at Spain’s four-centuries of involvement in North America. Even though Spain has a longer history in North America than either Great Britain or France, its contributions to America’s story is too often discounted or overlooked.

August 22, 2021, Episode 72: Japanese-American GI’s in WWII – The 442nd Regimental Combat Team

Our guest is Daniel James Brown, author of Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American. Here are some other titles:

Go For Broke: A Pictorial History of the Japanese American 100^th Infantry BN and 442^nd RCT, Chester Tanaka – A wonderful visual record of the most highly decorated American combat unit of World War 2. There are approximately 200 photographs and several maps that highlight the amazing combat record of this Japanese American unit.

The Eagles of Heart Mountain: A True Story of Football, Incarceration and Resistance in World War II America, Bradford Pearson – A fascinating-and moving-story of a high school football team made up of Japanese American boys who were interned by their government. Gives good insight into what was done to these American citizens and how, despite everything, they kept their dignity and remained patriots. 

Honor Before Glory: The Epic World War II Story of the Japanese American GIs Who Rescued the Lost Battalion, Scott McGaugh – In October 1944, approximately 200 GIs from the 36^th “Texas” Infantry Division were cut off and facing annihilation in the mountains of eastern France. The only thing that stood in the way of death or a POW camp were the men of the 442^nd RCT.

Looking Like the Enemy: My Story of Imprisonment in a Japanese American Internment Camp, Mary Matsuda Gruenwald – One young woman’s account of her time in an internment camp. Gruenwald was 16 when she was locked up and her account details the day to day lives of these American citizens who unexpectedly and unfairly found themselves behind barbed wire.

August 15, 2021, Episode 71: How Vikings Changed the World

Our guest is Arthur Herman, author of THE VIKING HEART: How Scandinavians Conquered the  World. Here are some other recommendations:  

Scandinavia: A History, Ewan Butler – Butler takes an interesting look at Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Sweden by describing not only the history of each country separately, but also as part of a larger Scandinavian identity. What I also like about the book is that it is a historical narrative that continues beyond the dark ages and into World War II and today.

The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of a Scandinavian Utopia, Michael Booth – A wry look at Scandinavia today. The author takes a VERY critical, but oftentimes humorous, look at Scandinavians today and questions whether our current fascination with so much of their society is valid or not. I did not always agree with what Booth was saying, but I really enjoyed how he said it.

Scandinavians: In Search of the Soul of the North, Robert Ferguson – Ferguson’s book is a bit of a combination of Butler and Booth. He looks at significant events in Scandinavian history-such as the 18^th Century Battle of Polatva or WWII Norwegian collaboration and considers how these events impacted on Scandinavian society today. I found it interesting that he describes great events of tremendous importance to Scandinavians that I knew little or nothing about.

Vikings: A History of the Northmen, W.B. Bartlett – This is a solid one-volume history of the Vikings. The author talks about the history of the “north men” from the dark ages through the middle ages. He discusses societal organization, ritual, culture, etc., as well as providing details of important figures in Viking history and a good narrative of events.

August 8, 2021, Episode 70: The Dieppe Raid 

Our guest this week is David O’Keefe, author, One Day in August: The Untold Story Behind Canada’s Tragedy at Dieppe.   

The Dieppe Raid: The Combined Operation’s Assault on Hitlers European Fortress, August 1942, War Department – This is a reprint of the official War Department account of the raid. Written during the war and revised again in 1945 once prisoners taken during the raid were released, this is a detailed account of what happened. As an “official history” this is a “just the facts mam” sort of account. There is no analysis or backstory, but it is a priceless starting point for those with a serious interest in what happened.

Tragedy at Dieppe: Operation Jubilee, August 19, 1942, Mark Zuehlke – Zuehlke is one of the most well-known Canadian writers of popular military history. He has written a number of books on Canada’s role in World Wars 1 & 2. All of his books are known for their solid research and heavy reliance on eyewitness testimony/ first-hand accounts. This is a solid one-volume history of the raid that is easy to read and informative.

Dieppe 1942: The Jubilee Disaster, Ronald Atkin – Another solid account of the raid. This one has a bit of an interesting perspective in that the writer is an English journalist and, as such, does not fall into the trap of looking for someone to blame like so much Canadian popular history does.

Ian Fleming’s War: The Inspiration for 007, Mark Simmons – The book does a terrific job of tracing the many direct links between Ian Fleming’s wartime exploits and the adventures of his fictional hero James Bond. While many of the connections are obvious, Simmons delves a bit deeper. I also like the fact that Simmons looks at the very real contributions that Fleming made to the Allies intelligence effort during World War II.

August 1, 2021, Episode 69: Joseph Kennedy 

Our guest this week is Susan Ronald, author, The Ambassador: Joseph {. Kennedy at the Court of St. James 1938-1940. Here are some other recommendations:

The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent TImes of Joseph P. Kennedy, David Nasaw – Very highly regarded biography of the senior Kennedy. Nasaw’s book was in the NY Times 10 Best books of 2012 and a 2013 finalist for the Pulitzer. 

Those Angry Days, Lynne Olson – Another great book by Olson, this one centered on the debate in the United States leading up to the start of the war. 

Citizens of London, Lynne Olson – Looks at how Edward R. Murrow, Averell Harriman and John Gilbert Winant worked to get America involved in the war to defeat HItler. A refreshing counterpoint to Kennedy. 

The Kennedy Curse: The Shocking True Story of America’s Most Famous Family, James Patterson – Covers the whole history of the family. If you really want to get down into the Kennedy weeds. 

July 25, 2021, Episode 68: The 101 st Airborne in Vietnam

Our guest this week is Ed Sherwood, author of Courage Under Fire: The 101 st Airborne’s Hidden Battle at Tam Ky. Here are some other recommendations:

Tiger Bravo’s War: An Epic Year with an Elite Airborne Rifle Company of the 101^st’s “Wandering Warriors,” Rick St. John – A wonderful account of a company in the 506^th Infantry Regiment by someone who served as a 23-year-old 1^st LT. in the company. Book nicely balances personal recollections with details of the battles and campaigns of his company and their place in the overall picture of the division’s actions.

The Battle of Hamburger Hill: The History and Legacy of One of the Vietnam War’s Most Controversial Battles, Charles River Editors – A very good, detailed history of one of the most hard-fought battles of the Vietnam War. The fight for Hill 973 is remembered not only for the brutal struggle by the 101^st Airborne Division to take and hold the hill, but also the controversial decision to abandon the position as a result of decisions made far from the battlefield. The story is guaranteed to inspire and enrage.

A Year in Vietnam with the 101^st Airborne 1969-1970, Harry Enoch – Enoch was a young draftee who found himself fighting for his life in the Central Highlands of Vietnam with the 101^st Airborne Division. This is a day-by-day journal account of Enoch’s year “in country.” It can be a bit rough around the edges in places but is an honest look at how an ordinary grunt saw and remembered the war.

First in, Last Out: An American Paratrooper in Vietnam with the 101^st and Vietnamese Airborne, John Howard – Howard brings an interesting perspective to his memoirs. A 1964 West Point graduate, Howard began his first tour in Vietnam just as America’s involvement was expanding. He returned for a second tour just as we began to pull out US troops in favor of greater involvement by ARVN forces. He has some interesting comments on how the war changed over time and the relative qualities of US and ARVN units.

July 18, 2021, Episode 67: Female Jewish Resistance Fighters

Our guest this week is Judy Batalion, author of The Light of Days: Women Fighters of the Jewish Resistance. Here are some other recommendations:

The Eagle Unbowed: Poland and the Poles in the Second World War, Halik Kochanski – Written by a British scholar of Polish heritage, Kochanski’s book is the most accessible/digestible one-volume history of Poland during WW2. I use it as a reference and to refresh my memory all the time. It will help put some of what our guest describes into some context.

Who Will Write Out History?: Rediscovering a Hidden Archive from the Warsaw Ghetto, Samuel Kassow – An incredible book about Emanuel Ringelblum who, while a prisoner of the Warsaw Ghetto, set about documenting, preserving and hiding from discovery by the Nazis, a record of life in the Warsaw Ghetto. He did this in the hope that even if nobody survived, a record of what happened would be preserved. The New Republic reviewer said, “This may be the most
important book about history that anyone will ever read,”

Memoirs of a Warsaw Ghetto Fighter: Critical Essays, Simha Rotem – Memoirs of survivors of the Warsaw Ghetto battle are incredibly rare. Rotem’s is one of them. Miraculously, Rotem survived in Warsaw throughout the German occupation from the beginning of the war until liberation. His book clearly demonstrates that there were Jews who did not passively await their fate.

The Bravest Battle: The 28 Days of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Dan Kurzman – While there has been a great deal written about the Ghetto and the uprising, I think Kurzman’s is amongst the best. One of the things I like the most about it is it comes closest to being a military history of the uprising that reads like an account of a military action, which it was.

July 11, 2021, Episode 66: The Finnish-Russian war

Our guest this week is David Murphy, author of THe Winter War: the Finnish Soviet War 1939-1940. Here are some other recommendations:

Finland at War: The Winter War of 1939-1940 & Finland at War: The Continuation and Lapland Wars 1941-1945, by Vesa Nenye – Taken together, these two books are a detailed account of Finland’s incredible history during World War II. A thorough overview, what makes these accounts so valuable is that they are written by a Finn who has served as a soldier. He is able to translate wonderful Finnish accounts into English and he brings a soldier’s eye to the story.

The Winter War: The Russo Finnish War of 1939-1940, William Trotter – Trotter’s book covers some of the same ground as Nenye. It adds to the conversation, however, by its coverage of some of the political dimensions of the war and its impact on western powers, particularly Great Britain and France.

Mannerheim: President, Soldier, Spy, Jonathan Clements – Fascinating biography of one of the giants of the 20^th Century. Even without World War II, Mannerheim’s life is amazing-Czarist soldier, spy in China and Finnish patriot who didn’t learn the language until he was 50-years old. He then goes on to fight against the Soviets and with the Nazis before fighting to eject the Germans from his country. At the end, he was able to secure his country’s independence from Soviet domination. He is a character we certainly should know more about.

June 20, 2021, Episode 64: Valcour Island 

Our guest this week is Jack Kelly, author of Valcour: The 1776 Campaign That Saved The Cause of Liberty. Here are some other recommendations from Chris:

1776: America and Britain at War, David McCullough – If you want a good one-volume history of what was going on at the time of Valcour Island I don’t think you can go wrong with McCullough’s book. It skips over some stuff but, on the whole, a good popular history.

The Battle of Valcour Island, Stephen Darley – This is NOT a narrative history of the battle. It is, however, a fantastic compendium of information on the battle. There are, for example, biographies of each of the captains of the American ships. There is also a great deal of information on the details of the ships involved. It would be a great compendium to have at your side as you read Kelly’s book.

Benedict Arnold’s Navy: The Ragtag Fleet that Lost the Battle of Lake Champlain but Won the American Revolution, James Nelson – A popular history of the battle that places the battle within the larger context of the American Revolution on the northern front. It pays a great deal of attention to Benedict Arnold. Master and Commander author Patrick O’Brian says nelson is a “master of this period.” It’s hard to argue with that sort of praise.

Turncoat: Benedict Arnold and the Crisis of American Liberty, Stephen Brumwell – I think this is the most nuanced and balanced biography of Arnold. Author uses lots of primary source material-much untouched previously-to talk about Arnold’s brilliant military career as well as the decision’s leading to his betrayal. It was not, as most think, simply for the money.

June 13, 2021, Episode 63: Transcontinental Railroad

Our guest this week is John Sedgewick, author of From the River to the Sea. Here are some other recommendations from Chris:

Nothing Like it In the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad, Stephen Ambrose – Well, I couldn’t NOT recommend Ambrose’s book on the building of the trans-continental railroad. A very personal history of the building of the first transcontinental railroad and the incredibly diverse workforce that was behind it. If you’ve enjoyed Ambrose’s other books, you’ll love this as well.

The Transcontinental Railroad, John Hoyt Williams – The focus of this history of the building of the transcontinental railroad is on the railroad tycoons, bankers and businessmen who built the railroad that spanned a continent. If high level decision making is where your interest lies, this might be a good choice for you.

Iron Rails, Iron Men, and the Race to Link a Nation, Martin W. Sandler – I think much of the historical background is covered in my recommendations above. The strength of this book lies in the photographs, which are amazing.

June 6, 2021, Episode 62: D-DAY SPECIAL

Our guests this week’s special History Happy Hour, D-Day Conversations and Controversies, are Craig Symonds, Joe Balkoski, and Giles Milton. 

There is no point in proposing alternative books to read for this weeks’ episode because each of our guests is a master of his topic. Instead, we’ve just listed a couple of each guests’ books. Check them out, you won’t be disappointed.

• Operation Neptune: The D-Day Landings and the Invasion of Europe, Craig L. Symonds
• World War II at Sea: A Global History, Craig L. Symonds
• Utah Beach, Joe Balkoski
• Omaha Beach, Joe Balkoski
• *Balkoski has also done a multi-volume history of the 29^th Infantry Division that is unsurpassed.
• D-Day: The Soldiers’ Story, Giles Milton
• Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Giles Milton

May 30, 2021, Episode 61: Jewish Commandos

Our guest this week is Leah Garrett, author of X Troop: The Secret Jewish Commandos Who Helped Defeat the Nazis.   Here are some other recommendations from Chris Anderson:

The Commando Pocket Manual, 1940-1945, Christopher Westhorp – This is sort of a nuts and bolts of being a commando book; what was training like, what sorts of guns and equipment were used, etc. The author has compiled and condensed LOTS of commando training manuals to come up with a pretty good reference book for this elite force. If you were ever curious about the weight of a fighting knife, this is the book for you.

Commandos in Exile: The Story of Number 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando 1942-1945, Nicholas van der Bijl – X Troop was just one of the Troops that made up 10 Commando. The most unusual of commando units, each of the troops of 10 was made up of exiles from a different occupied country. Number 2 Troop, for example, was made up entirely of Dutch Commandos. This is a complete history of the entire unit that X Troop was a part of.

Churchill’s German Army: The Germans Who Fought for Britain in World War II, Helen Fry – History Happy Hour alum Helen Fry has written a fascinating book about the approximately 10,000 Austrians and Germans who fled their own country to continue the fight against fascism. Interned by the British at the start of the war, these exiles would eventually be allowed to serve in the Pioneer Corps, which became known as “The King’s Own Enemy Aliens.” Unhappy with a non-combatant role, as soon as they were allowed, many of these Germans volunteered to serve in some of the most elite units of the British armed forces.

German Schoolboy, British Commando: Churchill’s Secret Soldier, Helen Fry – This is a biography of Colin Anson, one of the remarkable German refugees that Fry got to know in researching her book about German and Austrian refugees fighting for the Allies. Lots of great first-hand accounts of a “typical” refugee soldier.

May 23, 2021, Episode 60: Vietnam Air War

Our guest this week is Raymond Caryl, author of Cat Killer 2-3: An Army Pilot Flying for the Marines in the Vietnam War.  Here are some other recommendations from Chris: 

The War in I Corps, Richard Guidry – Very personal account of a young African American Marine deployed to the DMZ in 1967. Particularly good description of the types of terrain the Marines Raymond Caryl supported from the air fought in.

A Hundred Feet Over Hell: In the Cockpit with the CATKILLERS Over I Corps and the DMZ 1968-1969, Jim Hooper – Like Caryl, Hooper was an Army pilot flying aerial reconnaissance for Marines Operating in the DMZ. Hooper’s book has been widely praised for its intimate portrayal of what it was like to fly the unarmed Cessna 01 “Bird Dog” low and slow over the combat zone.

Chickenhawk, Robert Mason – Vietnam veteran and author Robert Del Vecchio calls this the best book to come out of the Vietnam war, and I think he’s right. This is far and away the best first-person book I have read about Vietnam. Mason was a young helicopter pilot who flew more than 1,000 assault missions between 1966-1967. Gripping and harrowing. I’d say it is the Vietnam version of With the Old Breed.

Gunbird Driver: A Marine Huey Pilot’s War in Vietnam, David Ballentine – Ballentine performed similar missions to Caryl, Hooper and Mason, but his book is unique in that it is the only first-person account written by a Marine Huey observation pilot. Ballentine talks about his missions flying from Ky Ha and off of USS Princeton between 1966-67. His descriptions of flying over Khe Sanh are particularly good.

May 16, 2021, Episode 59: Nazi Art Plundering 

Our guest this week is Jonathan Peropoulos, author of Goering’s Man in Paris: The Story of a Nai Art Plunderer and his World.

Here are some other recommendations from Chris:

Goring’s Art Thief: Hildebrand Gurlitt, the Nazis, and the Looting of Europe’s Treasures, by Susan Ronald – In 2013 Police in Munich raided the non-descript apartment. What they found inside rivalled Tutankhamen’s treasure. More than 1,400 artworks valued at more than $1.35 billion were stuffed into the apartment, which belonged to 88-year-old pensioner Cornelius Gurlitt. Discovering the story of how Gurlitt kept such a treasure trove hidden for so long was just the start of a mystery that led, eventually, his father Hildebrand Gurlitt, Adolf Hitler’s greatest art thief.

Herman Goring and the Nazi Art Collection, by Kenneth Alford – Alford’s book is a detailed analysis of how, exactly, the Nazi’s, and Herman Goring in particular, went about looting the artistic legacy of Europe and what efforts are being made to the families and institutions the art has been stolen from.

Book Thieves: The Nazi Looting of Europe’s Libraries and the Race to Return a Literary Inheritance, by Anders Rydell – Amongst the many crimes the Third Reich is remembered for is the tens of thousands of books that were thrown into the flames by enraged Nazis. What is little known, however, is that in addition to looting the art of Europe, Hitler and his henchmen looted many of Europe’s great libraries as well. Rydell’s book is a fascinating look at an often-overlooked cultural theft by the Nazis and the effort by a handful of dedicated historians to return the stolen books to their rightful owners.

Saving Italy: The Race to Rescue a Nation’s Treasures from the Nazis, by Robert Edsel – What Petropoulos does for the story of the looting of Nazi art in his book, Edsel does for the Italians in Saving Italy. Edsel is the author of Monuments Men so if you enjoyed that, you would like this as well. 

May 9, 2021, Episode 58: The Fall of New Orleans, 1862

Our guest this week is Mark Bielski, author of A Mortal Blow to the Confederacy: The Fall of New Orleans 1862. Here are some other books you can read.  

There is a great account of the naval battle that led to the capture of New Orleans in the first volume of Shelby Foote’s series The Civil War.

April 25, 2021, Episode 57: American Oz

April 18, 2021, Episode 56: Stalin’s War

Our guest is Sean McMeekin, and his book is The Emergence of American Amphibious Warfare. Here are other recommendations from Chris Anderson:  

The Chief Culprit: Stalin’s Grand Design to Start World War II, Viktor Suvorov – A very interesting look at what brought the European countries into conflict in the second half of the 20^th Century by a former Soviet intelligence officer who defected to Western Europe. In Suvorov’s view, World War II might have just been the culmination of the work begun by Lenin in 1917. Thought provoking.

Hitler and Stalin: The Tyrants and the Second World War, Laurence Rees – Another very accessible book by BBC historian Laurence Rees. The author takes a very frightening look at the similarities between one of the Allies’ greatest partners and one of their greatest foes. There is lots in this book that will upset, alarm and anger the reader. It will also cause you to think about the war a bit differently.

Stalin’s Wars: From World War to Cold War 1939-1953, Geoffrey Roberts – Very interesting take on Soviet history that puts World War II within a continuum of wars directed by Josef Stalin and not as a stand-alone event. Takes the alliance beyond World War II and presents some interesting perspectives on the start of the Cold War.

Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine, Anne Applebaum – Fascinating study of Stalin’s war against his own citizens. Looks at Stalin’s struggle against people he viewed as opposed to communist revolution which, too Stalin, remained central to his motivation and behavior.

April 11, 2021, Episode 55: Amphibious Warfare

Our guest is David Nasca, and his book is The Emergence of American Amphibious Warfare. During the program we mention the film With the Marines at Tarawa. You can see that here: https://youtu.be/JolhiCbU_u8

Here are other recommendations from Chris Anderson:  

Amphibious Warfare: Strategy and Tactics from Gallipoli to Iraq, Ian Speller and Christopher Tuck – A good, international, overview of the trickiest operation in warfare-opposed landings on an entrenched enemy. The thing I found interesting was that the authors take the story beyond World War II.

American Amphibious Warfare: The Roots of Tradition to 1865, Gary Ohls – Very interesting look at early American amphibious operations before the idea of amphibious operations as a special, and unique, type of warfare, was even recognized. I particularly liked Ohl’s discussion of amphibious operations during the American Civil War.

Storm Landings: Epic Amphibious Battles in the Central Pacific, Joseph Alexander – Alexander, a retired USMC officer, is a renown historian of the USMC in WWII. Storm Landings is a classic and, as I recall, on the commandant’s reading list. Not only does Alexander discuss the many famous landings in the Pacific, but also the evolution of USMC amphibious doctrine. Alexander discusses how America’s “sea soldiers” became experts at beach landings.

Combined Operations: A Global History of Amphibious and Airborne and Amphibious Warfare, Jeremy Black – Black is a senior British military historian and in this book he discusses the complexities of combining different military branches and services into an effective organization to conduct complex military operations. As someone who has studied airborne operations intensively, it is interesting to see the comparison between amphibious and airborne operations.combining different military branches and services into an effective organization to conduct

April 4, 2021, Episode 54: Canada’s Black Watch Snipers

Our guest is David O’Keefe, and his book is Seven Days in Hell: Canada’s Black Watch Snipers. Here are other recommendations from Chris Anderson:

Stopping the Panzers: The Untold Story of D-Day, Marc Milner – An in-depth study of the Canadian efforts to stop German armored counterattacks on the afternoon of D-Day. Author has an interesting theory that Eisenhower placed Canadian forces landing at Juno Beach in a much more central role than previously thought.

The Canadian Army and the Normandy Campaign, John English – Very fine general history of the Canadian Army in Normandy. Author does a very good job of looking at the Canadian high command and how it related to the British and Montgomery and how this impact the Canadian Army’s effectiveness.

No Holding Back: Operation Totalize, Normandy, August 1944, Brian Reid – The attack described by our guest this week was part of Operation Totalize, a larger effort to eliminate German resistance around Caen. This is the best book I’ve read on the overall operation.

March 28, 2021, Episode 53: America’s Unknown War Against Russia 

Our guest is  Barnes Carr, and his book is The Lenin Plot: The Untold Story of America’s Midnight War Against Russia.  Here are some other recommendations from Chris Anderson:

The Russian Civil Wars 1916-1926: 10 Years that Shook the World, Jonathan D. Smele – There is a vast literature on the Russian Revolution, but a bit less on the Civil War that followed. Any understanding of what happens to Americans sent to Russia at the end of World War I needs a basic understanding of the Civil War. This is a good one volume history that can do that.

The Allied Intervention in Russia, 1918-1920: The Diplomacy of Chaos, Ian Moffat – This is a bit academic, but a very thorough overview of all the various national contingents sent to Siberia at the end of the Great War. It explains that each of the former allies had their own motivations and their contingents their own orders. This had a dramatic effect on the effectiveness of the mission.

Churchill’s Secret War with Lenin: British and Commonwealth Military Intervention in the Russian Civil War, 1918-1920, Damien Wright – A fascinating look at Churchill’s efforts to drag a war-weary British Empire into conflict in one of the remotest parts of the world. Often forgotten is Churchill’s virulent anti-communist beliefs-many of which had their origins in the Siberian intervention in 1919.

From Victoria to Vladivostok: Canada’s Siberian Expedition, 1917-1919, Benjamin Isilt – It was probably cold comfort to the Canadian soldiers sent to Siberia that their Imperial masters in London thought that coming from a “cold environment” the Canadian soldiers would be better suited to conditions in Siberia. Certainly, a little-known component of a forgotten expedition.

March 21, 2021, Episode 52: Stolen Nazi Treasure

This week’s guest is Menachim Kaiser, and his book is Plunder: A Memoir of Family, Property and Stolen Nazi Treasure.  Here are some other recommendations from Chris Anderson:

The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe’s Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War, Lynn Nicholas – I think this is the granddaddy of books on this topic. A very thorough look at the systematic looting of Europe by the Nazis and the efforts to restore these stolen works to the original owners after the war-not only as an act of restitution, but also as an act of justice.

Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, Robert Edsel – Don’t be put off by the movie of the same name. This is a fun-and illuminating-history of the US Army’s efforts to track down the missing masterpieces of Europe and return them to the victims they were stolen from.

The Orpheus Clock: The Search for My Families Art Treasures Stolen by the Nazis, Simon Goodman – A very personal-and engaging-story of one man’s effort to locate and reclaim artwork stolen from his family by the Nazis.

Goering’s Man in Paris: The Story of a Nazi Art Plunderer and His World, Jonathan Petropoulos – This just came out and I’m hoping to have the author on an upcoming HHH. It tells the story of Bruno Lohse, the man sent to France by the Nazis to loot the conquered country of its treasures. Tells not only how the Nazis organized and conducted this crime, but also the fate of those involved in perpetrating the crime.

March 14, 2021, Episode 51: Canada’s Second World War

Our guest this week is Tim Cook, and his book is The Fight for History: 75 Years of Forgetting, Remembering and Remaking Canada’s Second World War. Here are some other recommendations from Chris Anderson:

The Necessary War: Fight to the Finish, Tim Cook – This is a two-volume history of Canada in World War II by our guest Tim Cook. While there is some cross-over between this two-volume history and our topic for HHH, these two books are focused far more closely on all too often overlooked history of Canada in the war rather than the legacy of the fight and the place of memory. If the story of Canada in World War II is new to you, you’d be hard-pressed to do better. Covers not only NW Europe, but also the massive role of the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Also, the totally forgotten role of Canada in Italy and the Far East.

Cinderella Army: Terry Copp – Copp was one of the first to remind people that Canada had a part to play in World War II and really revived interest in the Canadian Army and the vital part it played in victory. He also refutes the unfair criticism the Canadian Army generally receives by many historians of D-Day. Cinderella Army is an overall history of the Canadian Army in NW Europe.

Mark Zuehlke Books 

Zuehlke has written several books about the details of specific Canadian Campaigns. They are all very good and I’d recommend them for any reader who wants to explore this in any more depth.

March 7, 2021, Episode 50: Uncovering the Hidden Life of a Nazi

Our guest this week is Daniel Lee, and his book is The SS Offiicer’s Armchair. Here are some other recommendations from Chris Anderson:

The Holocaust: A New History, Laurence Rees – I think this is the most accessible recent history of the Holocaust. If you wanted one history as an introduction to this horrible topic, I think that this would be a good place to go. Rees was the BBC programmer of history and interviewed thousands about WWII. All of his books are fascinating as are his documentaries.

The SS: A New History, Adriane Weale – Best remembered as the militant arm of the Nazi state and the perpetrators of the Holocaust. By the end of the war, Heinrich Himmler’s police organization was one of the largest corporations in Europe. A deeply complex-and compromised-organization, this book can help breakdown the organization, structure and function of this reprehensible organization.

The Ratline, Philippe Sands – One of the best books I’ve read in 2020-21. Sands is the author of East West Street as well as the Ratline. Ratline looks at the career and terrible legacy of Otto von Wechter, the Austrian SS officer who built the Kraków Ghetto, was SS Governor of Galicia and a fugitive from justice. A fascinating read.  (Or you can watch the recent HHH with Philippe Sands) 

Mengele: Unmasking the “Angel of Death,” David Marwell – A fascinating look at one of the most horrific Nazis by the chief of investigative research at the Justice Department’s Office of Special Investigation. Marwell spent his entire career investigating Mengele’s crimes. In this book Marwell separates fact from fiction and describes the motivations and life of this banal, evil individual.

February 28, 2021, Episode 49: Exercise Tiger

Operation Neptune, Craig Symonds (This week’s guest) – This is the book that inspired our conversation about Operation Tiger. Symonds is the dean of historians when it comes to the naval part of Operation Overlord and the Normandy landings. Too often the story of the fleet actions gets out of the D-Day story, Symonds corrects that deficiency. If you consider yourself a student of D-Day, this book must be on your shelf.

The Forgotten Dead: The True Story of Exercise Tiger, Ken Small & Mark Rogerson – Ken Small was the man who originally “broke” the story of the Exercise Tiger disaster. His first edition was privately printed and hard to get. This edition has been cleaned up with a bit by Mark Rogerson. Tells the story of the disaster that saw almost 1,000 Americans killed during a training exercise just prior to D-Day. It also tells the story of Small’s efforts to get the victims of the disaster recognized.

The Invasion Before Normandy: Secret Battle of Slapton Sands, Edwin Hoyt – Hoyt is a well-known popular historian. His book on the Slapton Sands disaster is focused more on the events of what happened. Reviews are a bit mixed, but there are lots of good eyewitness testimonies in the book that are worth reading.

Gators of Neptune: Naval Amphibious Planning for the Normandy Invasion, Christopher Yung – Very interesting take on D-Day books that takes a look at the evolution of amphibious warfare doctrine as it applied to Operation Neptune and the Normandy landings. Recommended.

February 21, 2021, Episode 48: The Battle of Fredericksburg

Our guest is John Matteson, author of A Worse Place Than Hell: How the Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg Changed a Nation. Here are some other recommendations from Chris Anderson:

Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg!, by George Rable – It may be a bit dated now by O’Reilley’s book, but back in the ‘90s and early 2000’s when I was working quite a bit more in the American Civil War, this was considered a very good history of the battle and became for many, myself included, the standard work on the event. I still recommend it.

Guide to the Battles of Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg, Jay Luvaas and Harold Nelson, (eds.) – Luuvaas and Nelson did a series of wonderful guidebooks to Civil War battlefields years ago that are still VERY useful. If you ever get a chance to visit either of these battlefields, then you’ll want this book with you. Even if you never go, you’ll find it interesting. There is a very solid campaign and battlefield overview and then directions to important-and often obscure or overlooked-portions of the battlefield. At each of the stops listed there is a great historical description of what happened there as well as first-person accounts.

The Fredericksburg Campaign: Decision on the Rappahannock, Gary Gallagher, (ed.) – If you’ve gotten a general overview of the battle and are then looking for a bit more, you’ll enjoy this book. Gallagher is one of the leading scholars of the Civil War and has edited a collection of essays about various aspects of the Battle of Fredericksburg by other important historians. I found lots of interesting stuff in here.

The Fredericksburg Campaign: Inter War on the Rappahannock, by Francis Augustin O’Reilly – This is the latest comprehensive history of the Fredericksburg Campaign. I’ve not read it yet, but it has been getting some very good comments and reviews by people whose opinion I respect.

February 14, 2021, Episode 47: Life and Death of a Nazi Fugitive

Our guest is Philippe Sands, author of  The Ratline: Love, Lies and Justice on the Trail of a Nazi Fugitive. Here are some other books we recommend for deeper reading:  

The Real Odessa, by Uki Goni – Fascinating history that looks at how Argentinian president Juan Peron set up an escape route for Nazis fleeing justice at the end of World War II. Among the criminals who took advantage of this escape route were Josef Mengele and Erich Priebke. Goni does a very thorough job at looking at the various accomplices that abetted Peron in this crime.

The SS Officer’s Armchair: In search of a hidden life, by Daniel Lee – Wow, just wow. An amazing book. Well written and an awesome historical detective story. It begins with the unexpected discovery of a stash of papers covered in swastikas sewn into a chair cushion. What Lee’s research reveals through the papers is the life of an “ordinary” German and the part he played as a ‘deskbound murderer’ in the Third Reich. Amazing book.

Nazi Wives: The Women at the Top of Hitler’s Germany, by James Wyllie – This is an interesting look at a too often overlooked aspect of the Third Reich. We know that most of the top Nazis-Goering, Goebbels, Boreman, etc. were married, but we know little about the role their wives played in their lives. This is an oversite. As Wyllie points out, these women were major players in the horrific regime their husbands created and ruled. Wyllie also takes an interesting look at the lives of these women after the war.

The Nazi Hunters, by Andrew Nagorski – As one reviewer explained on the cover of the book, the “era of the Nazi Hunters is coming to an end.” This is a good solid account of the efforts made by a handful of individuals in the last 75 years to bring the criminals of the Third Reich to justice despite indifference and the passage of time. A good, solid, one-volume account of the topic.

February 7, 2021, Episode 46: Emperor Pertinax

Our guest, Simon Elliot is the author of Pertinax: The Son of a Slave Who Became a Roman Emperor. Here are some other recommendations:

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome, by Mary Beard – Probably the most recent history of ancient Rome. Beard is a very popular academic historian who does lots of accessible work on ancient Rome here in the UK-books, documentaries, TV shows, etc. I thought SPQR was just enough to fill me in on all the details-as well as some of the little-known juicy bits-of ancient Roman history. Great for someone like me who probably will only ever read a couple of books about ancient Rome.

Gladius: Living, Fighting and Dying in the Roman Army, by Guy de La Bedoyere – Bedoyere was the Roman expert on “Time Team”-one of my all-time favorite television shows so I knew a bit about his style from that. Gladius is a terrific one-volume overview of the Roman military machine which, after all, is what draws many of us to the story of ancient Rome. Very readable account of the nitty gritty of the Roman military machine: how it was organized, how it worked, what it accomplished and what was lifelike for the men who conquered an empire for what had once been an obscure Italian city.

Chronicles of the Roman Emperors: The Reign-by-Reign record of the Rulers of Imperial Rome, by Chris Scarre – If you are like me, you find it almost impossible to keep your emperors straight-who came before who, who overthrow who and which

Jan 31, 2021, Episode 45: Taping the German Generals

Our guest is Helen Fry author of the new book The Walls Have Ears: The Greatest Intelligence Operation of World War II. Here are some other reading suggestions:

Soldaten: On Fighting, Killing and Dying, The Secret Second World War Tapes of German POWs, by Sonke Neitzel and Harald Welzer – Incredible book. Focuses on lower ranks of German military who found themselves as POWs. Gives a brutally honest insight into the thoughts and motivations of the average German soldier. A bit more on what thoughts were shared rather than what intelligence was gained. Slightly different angle from Fry’s book and looking at men lower down the chain of command, but equally as fascinating.

London Cage: The Secret History of Britain’s World War II Interrogation Center, by Helen Fry – From 1940-1948 Britain operated a top-secret interrogation center in the heart of London. Intended to be a place where only the most recalcitrant-and important-of prisoners would be sent, the agents at the Cage would often use methods that might shock present day sensibilities. The question remains, was the intelligence gathered as a result of these interrogations worth it?

Intelligence in War: Knowledge of the Enemy from Napoleon to Al-Qaeda, by John Keegan – Anything by the late John Keegan is-IMHO-masterful. This is no exception. Keegan does a wonderful job of telling the story of the central role that military intelligence-and military intelligence gathering efforts-have plaid throughout history. He also shows how success or failure in war has often depended upon the effectiveness of a nation’s intelligence gathering efforts.

Behind the Enigma: The Authorized History of GCHQ, Britain’s Secret Cypher Intelligence Agency, by John Ferris – The authorized biography of Great Britain’s most secretive intelligence operation. Covers the whole 100-year history of the organization. I’ve not read this yet, but it is getting quite a lot of buzz here in the UK and generally favorable reviews.

Week 44 – Marian Anderson, Voice of Freedom

Our guest is historian Adriane Lentz-Smith, who appears in the upcoming PBS American Experience program Voice of Freedom, which premieres on February 15, 2021.  

Here are some recommended books on Anderson:

The Sound of Freedom: Marian Anderson, the Lincoln Memorial and the Concert that Awakened America, by Raymond Arsenault – Marian Anderson was at the top of her career as a musician when she found herself thrust into the center of the civil rights struggle in America. Barred from singing at the Daughters of the American Revolution Hall in Washington, DC, because she was black, an indignant Eleanor Roosevelt offered her the Lincoln Memorial instead. Her Easter Sunday 1939 concert to 75,000 people is considered, by some, the first act of the Civil Rights movement.

Marian Anderson: A Singer’s Journey, by Allan Keiler – While her Easter Sunday concert at the Lincoln Memorial is one of the most well-remembered events in American history, Marian Anderson had a life full of milestones and accomplishments. Keiler’s biography helps fill in the details of a remarkable woman’s very remarkable life.  

Days of Hope: Race and Democracy in the New Deal Era, by Patricia Sullivan – An interesting book that looks at the coalition of African Americans and white Americans that sought to use the New Deal’s progressive legislation to push for improved civil rights in the South. Most books about the New Deal give insufficient attention to the role of African Americans in pushing a progressive agenda. This one does not.

Week 43 – WWII Monuments and What They Tell Us

Our guest is Keith Lowe, and his book is  Prisoners of History: What Monuments to the Second World War Tell Us About Our History and Ourselves. Here are some other books Chris recommends:

The Fear and the Freedom: Why the Second World War Still Matters, by Keith Lowe – This is another book by our guest about the legacies and lessons of World War II. History Happy Hour alumnus Saul David called this one, “A masterpiece,” and he’s correct. An amazing book that really opens your eyes about the war’s lasting impact.

The Long Road Home: The Aftermath of the Second World War, by Ben Shephard – Major Richard Winters once told me that his scariest moment of the war came after the shooting stopped. Surrounded by thousands of German POWs and displaced persons in Austria, Winters said he was totally unprepared for how to establish the piece. Shephard’s account of the immediate aftermath of the war, with particular focus placed on the millions of people displaced by the conflict, is probably the best account of this incredibly difficult period in our history.

The Phony Victory: The World War II Illusions, by Peter Hitchins – Was World War II really the “Good War?” This is one of those books that is best described as “thoughti provoking.” I was informed at times while reading this as well as angered, but I learned lots of new stuff and was challenged, which is always good. Author clearly states that the war had to be fought and won, but also takes a VERY close look at some of the myths that have built up around the war.

Week 42 – Abdication Crisis

Our guest is Alexander Larman, and his book is Crown in Crisis: Countdown to Abdication. Here are some other books you might want to check out:  

King’s Counsellor: Abdication and War: The Diaries of Sir Alan Lascelles, Duff Hart-Davis (ed) – A fascinating first-person account of the inner workings of the Royal Family. Lascelles was private secretary to the Royal Family for the first part of the 20^th Century. His diary begins with the abdication crisis of the 1930s and continues on until the death of George VI and the coronation of Elizabeth II. Very good observations about George VI during World War II. For folks who liked “The Crown”, Lascelles is a major character in the first parts of the series.

King Edward VIII, by Philip Ziegler – With unparalleled access to private Royal papers, Ziegler has written the official biography of Edward VIII. Not only does Ziegler cover Edward’s year-long reign in exhaustive detail, but also the King’s early life prior to coronation and what happened to him after he became the only English monarch to voluntarily surrender his crown. The New York Times said Ziegler’s biography of Edward is, “A book of such compelling interest and frankness that it is difficult to put down…a very fine book.”

King Edward VIII: An American Life, by Ted Powell – As the author says, “Before Edward fell in love with Wallace Simpson he had fallen in love with America.” Powell’s book is an interesting take on Edward’s life and his close association with the United States. Also, of interest is that it delves into American’s impressions of the king who fell in love with an American divorcee and the constitutional crisis in Britain that ensued. A different look at the “special relationship.”

The King Who Had to Go: Edward VIII, Mrs. Simpson and the Hidden Politics of the Abdication Crisis, by Adrian Phillips – The abdication crisis of 1936 is most often remembered today as a romance. Would England’s king surrender his throne to marry the woman he loved? It was, however, much more than that. Edward’s insistence on living a life with Wallace Simpson set off a constitutional crisis in Britain that raised questions about the authority of the Royal Family and its place in British life. Great read.

Week 41 – War Movies

The Encyclopedia of War Movies: A Complete Guide to Movies About Wars of the 20^th Century, Robert Davenport – Might be a bit dated as it came out about 10-years ago, but it should cover most of the biggies-and maybe some you have never heard about.

Week 40 – American Uprising in Second World War England

Our guest is Kate Werran, author of Second War Uprising in Second World War England. Here are some other reccomedations from Chris Anderson: 

The Employment of Negro Combat Troops, Ulysses Lee – This is among the best of the official U.S. Army in World War II Series, the famous “Green Books.” Lee does a terrific job of providing a detailed analysis of the politics surrounding the use of African American soldiers as well as details of their recruitment, training and performance. Any study of African Americans in the military in World War II needs to start here. It can be downloaded for free from the Army’s website.

Roi Ottley’s World War II: The Lost Diary of an African American Journalist, Mark Huddle (ed) – I really can’t recommend this book highly enough. It is a must-read. Ottley was already an accomplished African American author when he was commissioned a lieutenant and sent to Europe as a wartime correspondent. He was the first African American to cover the war for major U.S. newspapers. Before the war, he had written detailed depictions of African American life in Harlem and as the war began, he wrote, New World a Coming, in which he talked about the hypocrisy of fighting fascism in Europe while denying African Americans their rights at home. Military Review called Ottley, “The negro soldiers’ Ernie Pyle,” and I think they are right.

Fighting in the Jim Crow Army: Black Men and Women Remember World War II, Maggi M. Morehouse – A very nice collection of oral history accounts from African Americans. There is a good deal about the 92^nd and 93^rd Infantry Divisions, but not exclusively so. What I like about this book is that unlike so many oral history collections about the war it really conveys the struggles, hardships and pain of these brave men. It is not all bad, however, what really shines through in this book is despite everything, the incredible patriotism and courage of these soldiers.

When Jim Crow Met John Bull: Black American Soldiers in World War II Britain, Graham Smith – Very interesting look at the impact of African American soldiers deployed to Britain. Not only does the book look at the racism inherent in the U.S. Army, but he also considers the racism prevalent in Great Britain at the time and how the British government and people dealt with the arrival of these minority soldiers.

Rich Relations: The American Occupation of Britain 1942-1945, David Reynolds – If you could only read one book about Operation Bolero and the arrival of millions of young Americans to Britain during World War II this would be it. It is both scholarly and well-written. It avoids being a dry military recounting of what happened by the insertion of ample first-person accounts. Highly recommended.

Week 39 – The Battle of Okinawa

Our guest is Saul David, the author of Crucible in Hell. Here are some other recommendations from Chris Anderson:

With the Old Breed on Peleliu and Okinawa, by Eugene Sledge – I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in World War II, the war in the Pacific or men in combat. To my mind it is THE best book ever written by an infantryman about combat. Sledge’s description of the fighting on Okinawa are intimate and graphic. Can’t say enough good things about this book.

Tenozan: The Battle for Okinawa and the Atomic Bomb, by George Feifer – This is the first serious book I ever read about the battle of Okinawa. It remains amongst the best. Discusses the largest air-land-sea battle in history in great detail as well as delving into the clash of cultures between east and west and how the horrific fighting impacted on the decision to drop the Atomic Bomb.

The Battle for Okinawa, Hiromichi Yahara and Frank Gibney – Any first-person account by a Japanese soldier in World War II is a rare thing. To have one from one of the principals in a battle is even rarer. Hiromichi Yahara was a senior staff officer in the 32^nd Japanese Army, which was responsible for the defense of the island. As such, he has some truly unique insights into how the Japanese prepared for, and fought, the climactic battle of the War in the Pacific. In 1995, when the book first came out, the Washington Post called it the best military history book of the year. They were right. It still remains one of the best.

Descent Into Hell: Civilian Memories of the Battle of Okinawa, by Ryukyu Shimpo and Alastair McLauchlin – This book goes very well with Hiromichi Yahara’s book. It is a collection of tragic first-person accounts by Okinawans about living during the battle. It serves as a poignant reminder that throughout the war in the Pacific civilians often found themselves in the middle of a battlefield-with tragic consequences.

And one from Rick Beyer…

Nemesis: The Battle for Japan 1944–45 – SIr Max Hastings spent a few decades as a war correspondent before turning his hand to military history. This book unpacks the last year or so of the Paciric war as seen from multiple points of view.  Hastings is good at mixing intense personal storytelling with easy to understand overview of campaigns and battles.  He introduces you to commanders and privates, soldiers and civilians of both sides.  He is one of my favorite popular historians, and this book is a good example of his towrk.

Week 38 – The Suffragegette Surgeons of WWI

Our guest is Wendy Moore, the author of No Mans Land. (US Title). Here are some other recommendations from Chris Anderson:

Fighting on the Home Front: The Legacy of Women in World War I, by Kate Adie – Written by a BBC news correspondent, Fighting on the Home Front is a solid popular history of women in Britain during World War II. It is built around a variety of personal stories and accounts that tell the story of the growing role Women played in the 20^th Century’s first global war. It is entertaining and well-written popular history and a great introduction to the topic.

Rise UP Women! The Remarkable Lives of the Suffragettes, by Diane Atkinson – A very highly detailed history of the Suffragette movement as seen through the lives of some of the principal leaders of the movement. As the book clearly shows, women’s suffrage was not inevitable but the end result of much effort and suffering. I think an understanding of the suffragette movement is essential for any understanding of the role of women in World War I.

Roses of No Man’s Land, Lynn MacDonald – I read this decades ago not because I had a particular interest in the role of nurses in World War I but because, at that time, I was reading everything I could get my hand on by Lynn MacDonald, an early practitioner, and master of, oral history. Decades later I re-read it. It is fantastic in its own right and well worth a read. A very good introduction to the topic of military medicine at the front

Beyond Suffrage: Feminism in War and Peace, by Joanna Alberti – Alberti does a great job of pointing out the connection between the suffragette movement and the many roles women took up during World War 1. She also explores how the women’s movement was impacted by the Allied nations being consumed by prosecuting the war, which left little time, energy or resources for tackling any other social issues.

Week 37 – Eleanor Roosevelt

Our guest this week is David Michaelis, author of Eleanor. Here are some other suggestions from Chris Anderson. 

No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and the Home Front in World War II, by Doris Kearns Goodwin – I’m generally not a huge fan of Goodwin, but in this case I think she does a superb job of explaining a too often overlooked part of the World War II story. I also commend her for making Eleanor an equal part of the story and not just as a sidebar or anecdote to her husband. If you only read one of Goodwin’s books, for me, this would be the one.

A World Made New: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, by Mary Ann Glendon – A very good popular history. It tells the tale of Eleanor’s efforts to have the newly formed United Nations pass the Universal Declaration of Human Rights before the goodwill over the Allied victory in World War II completely wore off. In today’s cynical world, the declaration can be looked at as an irrelevancy, but as Glendon explains, the declaration was revolutionary for its time and is still something that can be looked back upon with pride-and recently widowed Eleanor Roosevelt was central to its passage.

Eleanor and Franklin: The Story of Their Relationship, by Joseph Lash – An intimate look at the four-decade long marriage of these two remarkable people. Much of the information in this book is taken from Eleanor Roosevelt’s private papers so it is very much a view of the relationship as seen through Eleanor’s eyes. It does a good job of how vital a partnership the marriage was and how important Eleanor was to Franklin’s success.

Eleanor in Her Words: On Women, Politics, Leadership and Lessons from Life, by Eleanor Roosevelt & Nancy Woloch – It is always nice to hear from a historical figure in their own words. I think that this is especially true in this case, as it shows Eleanor as an intelligent and accomplished woman in her own right. It is largely a collection from radio addresses, speeches etc. Also included are large numbers of photographs of the first lady.

Week 36 – The History of the World in Six Glasses

Our Guest is Tom Standage, author of the book The History of the World in Six Glasses.  Here are some other suggestions from Chris Anderson:

The Brewers Tale: A History of the World According to Beer, by William Bostwick – Bostwick is the beer critic for the Wall Street Journal and knows a thing or two about beer. This is a look at various types of beers and where they fit into the societies that they come from. It also looks at how the beers came about. The author then tries to recreate these historical brews at home. This is a fun book. It is NOT high-brow history. If you want a fun read this is great. If you are looking for something more in-depth and scholarly you might need to look somewhere else.

Wine and War: The French, The Nazis and France’s Greatest Treasure, by Donald & Petie Kladstrup – This is one of my favorite World War II books. It is a quick, fun read that I pick up and re-read every couple of years. While short and easy to read, it is a wonderful introduction to a fascinating topic. Despite its brevity, the authors do a wonderful job of discussing the issue of collaboration during the occupation and in explaining the importance of wine to France during the war. Highly recommended.

The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition, by W.J. Rorabaugh-From 1790 until 1840 Americans consumed more distilled spirits per capita than at any time during the country’s history. Rorabaugh’s book takes a fascinating look at the profound importance alcohol and the rituals of alcohol consumption had during the formative years of the American republic; a time when the produce of Washington’s distillery was most active.

Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How it Transformed Our World, by Mark Pendergrast – Much like Wine and War, Uncommon Grounds is a lightly written history book that says quite a lot. It covers the whole history of coffee and its consumption from Abyssinia to Starbucks. It then uses this story to touch on larger topics like international trade, slavery, global warning, corporate governance etc. If you are familiar with books like Cod and Salt and you enjoyed them, then you’ll enjoy Uncommon Grounds.

For All the Tea in China: Espionage, Empire and the Secret Formula for the World’s Favorite Drink, by Sarah Rose – A fun recounting of the 1848 secret mission of Scottish botanist Robert Fortune to steal the secrets of tea cultivation and production from China for the East India Company. A bit of the backstory to Great Britain’s favorite drink.

For God, Country and Coca Cola: The Definitive History of the Great American Soft Drink and the Company that Makes It, by Mark Pendergrast – Pendergrast gives this most recognizable of American drinks the same treatment that he did in his book on coffee. In this case, the book also tells the reader quite a bit about America during what many historians call, “The American Century.” I promise you’ll learn something new about the U.S. in this book.

Week 35 – Bill Mauldin

Our Guest is Todd Pastino, editor of the new book Drawing Fire: The Editorial Cartoons of Bill Mauldin. Other books to check out:

Willie and Joe: The World War 2 Years, by Bill Mauldin, Todd DePastino, ed. – This is the most comprehensive collection of Bill Mauldin’s editorial cartoons from World War II and includes in its two volumes some 600 of the master’s depiction of life in the World War II Army. Many of these cartoons have not been reprinted since the war. Text is provided by DePastino, which makes this the most thorough and comprehensive collection of this classic cartoon strip.

Willie and Joe Back Home, Bill Mauldin – Chris says: I love this book because it continues the story of Willie and Joe and reminds the reader of the many adjustments that the veterans of World War II had to make to adjust to the world they helped preserve.

Bill Mauldin: A Life Up Front, by Todd DePastino – A wonderful biography of the two-time Pulitzer Prize winning journalist/cartoonist by our guest. DePastino discusses the full breadth of Mauldin’s remarkable career while focusing on Mauldin’s wartime work and his evolution as a cartoonist.

The Brass Ring: A Sort of Memoir, by Bill Mauldin – One of my favorite autobiographies of a World War II vet. Full of humor and sarcasm as you would expect. He has observations that stretch beyond his service in World War II. No matter what he is discussing, you can see his love of the ordinary soldiers and the common man coming through. A classic that I think deserves more attention.

Reporting World War II: American Journalism 1938-1946, ed., Samuel Hynes – A wonderful compilation of some of the best journalism of World War II. Among the authors in this collection are some from Mauldin’s fellow Stars and Stripes staff members.

World War II Front Pages, by Stars and Stripes – This is pretty much what the title says it is. This book was done in the late 80s by the newspaper as a commemorative volume. A little short on editorial or narrative, but it will give you a good feel for the look of the “soldiers’ paper.”

Best of Fragments From France, Bruce Barnsfather – To get a taste of another classic military cartoon strip, CHris recommends  Barnsfather. Widely known to Brits and students of the Great War, Barnsfather’s humorous cartoons, which originally appeared in the Wipers Times, are too-often overlooked by Americans. If you check out Barnsfather’s cartoons, however, you will see many similarities between his main protagonist Bert, and Mauldin’s Willie and Joe.

Week 24 – African-Americans in WWI

We Return Fighting: World War I and the Shaping of Modern Black Identity, ed Kinshasa Holman Conwill – This book is heavy on photographs and objects, which is what you would expect from a book taken largely from the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Cultures. Through the artifacts and text, the book tells the story not only of soldiers on the battlefield but also the African American community at home. Most interestingly, it shows how the experience of living and working amongst the more tolerant French encourage African American veterans to agitate for greater civil rights on their return home to the United States.  (Although he is not listed on the cover, our guest, Krewasky Salter, was a co-author of this book.) 

Torchbearers of Democracy: African American Soldiers in the World War I Era, by Chad Williams – A very thorough history of African Americans in World War I. The book’s chapters are organized topically, with chapters, for example, on the question of patriotism, loyalty and the duty of service; black soldiers in combat; French attitudes to African American soldiers; post-war black diaspora and the meaning of the war in the struggle for civil rights. Williams covers a lot of ground but in a digestible way.

Freedom Struggles: African American Soldiers and World War I, by Adriane Danette Lentz-Smith – Lentz-Smith covers much the same ground that Williams covers in Torchbearers of Democracy but I’d say her case studies are a bit more thorough. This book is definitely on the more academic side in terms of writing style. Williams might be an easier read, but I think Lentz-Smith dives a bit deeper.

93^rd Division Summary of Operations in the World War, ed. Scott Schoner – A bit dry, but this reprint of the official history of an African American infantry division during World War I will go a long way to dispelling the notion that African Americans only served in stevedore units. One of the 93^rd’s men, Freddie Stowers, would receive the Medal of Honor for his bravery in combat.

All Blood Runs Red: The Legendary Life of Eugene Bullard, by Tom Clavin and Phil Keith – Details the incredible life of a remarkable man. Born to a former slave and a native American woman in Columbus, Georgia, Bullard fled the racist United States as a very young man and made his way to Scotland, and eventually France. At the outbreak of WWI, he volunteered and served in the French Foreign Legion and 170^th Infantry Regiment. Wounded at Verdun in 1916 he volunteered for the aviation service and flew more than 20 missions. And these were just the start of his adventures. Wonderful account of a truly amazing and courageous man.

Harlem’s Rattlers and the Great War: The Undaunted 369^th Regiment and the African American Quest for Equality, by Jeffrey Sammons and John H. Morrow, Jr. – When a French officer told young Henry Johnson that he and his comrades in the 369^th Infantry Regiment should be prepared to retreat in the face of a German attack, the young African American soldiers simply said, “I’m an American, and I never retreat,” and he didn’t. This is a very deep dive on the combat history of arguably the most famous African American unit of World War I. While extolling the unit’s many exploits, it avoids and debunks many of the myths surrounding this unit. In focusing on this one unit, it also covers much of the ground taken up in Williams and Lentz-Smith. It is also a very thorough military history of an American infantry regiment in service with the French. I highly recommend this.

Week 33 – Mastermind of Dunkirk and D-Day

Mastermind of Dunkirk and D-Day: The Vision of Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay is the book by our guest, brian Izzard.  here are some other books on the subject recommended by Chris Anderson.

The Miracle of Dunkirk: The True Story of Operation Dynamo, Walter Lord – American readers will probably be most familiar with Lord’s books on Midway and Pearl Harbour. Lord brings his same readable style to his account of the British evacuation from Dunkirk. As an American writer, he also avoids the pitfalls of many British writers on the topic by not slipping too far into mythology. Great general read on Operation that Ramsay was central too.

The Evacuation from Dunkirk: Operation Dynamo, 26 May-4 June 1940. Naval Staff Histories, by W.J.R. Gardner – This is the official history of the operation from the Royal Navy. As such, it can be a bit dry but as far as the nitty-gritty of what Ramsay planned it will be hard to top.

Operation Neptune: The D-Day Landings and the Allied Invasion of Europe, by Craig Symonds – While it is often in the shadows of other broad accounts of D-Day, what I like about Symonds’ book is that it focus’ on the planning prior to the landings as well as the naval component of the operation. People often forget that the D-Day landings did not start on the morning of June 6 when the first Allied paratroopers dropped from the sky-Symonds doesn’t. I highly recommend this account.

The Year of D-Day: The 1944 Diary of Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay RN, John Major and Robert William Love, eds – Hard to beat reading about one of the most important events in human history in the words of one of D-Days central figures.

Week 32 – Daughters of Yalta

Our guest, Catherine Grace Katz, is the author of Daughters of Yalta.  Here are some other books CHris Anderson says to check out:  

8 Days at Yalta: How Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin Shaped the Post War World, Diana Preston – For me, diplomatic history can be tough, but Preston pulls off the drama to be found in the Yalta Conference brilliantly. She describes how, in just 8 days, the leaders of the three most powerful Allied nations decided on the final course of the war in Europe, how Germany, once defeated would be governed, laid the groundwork for the United Nations constitution and decided the fate of Eastern Europe, the Balkans and Greece.

Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family and Defiance During the Blitz, Erik Larson – What I like so much about Larson’s work is that he does a terrific job of setting the scene and of giving you a picture of the time you are reading about. This is a wonderful account of the early days of the war, when Britain stood “alone,” and the part played by Churchill’s family as the prime minister prepared his nation for a long and costly war.

Churchill: Walking with Destiny, by Andrew Roberts – Andrew Roberts has written the biography of Winston Churchill, Churchill Walking with Destiny, that is certain to become the definitive biography of the man the BBC named as history’s greatest Briton. He has written a great number of highly regarded works of history and biography that are worth reading. 

Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life, by Robert Dallek – The literature on Roosevelt is vast, but this most recent work by Robert Dallek is amongst my favorites. Dallek does a spending job of explaining what drove Roosevelt to a life in politics and what made him so successful. It also touches on how he led that Allied effort against the Axis powers. What is particularly helpful in regard to Yalta is that Dallek relies heavily on the voluminous correspondence between Churchill and Roosevelt.

Week 31 – Dropping the Bomb

Countodwn 1945:  The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic bomb and the 116 Days that Changed the World  is the book by our guest, Chris Wallace.  Here are some other choices:

Tinian and the Bomb, by Don Farrell – This is THE book on the history of the bomb’s development, deployment and delivery. Focusing on the role played by the tiny island of Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands.

Enola Gay: The Bombing of Hiroshima, by Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan – A terrific account of the first atomic mission that reads like a thriller. Lots of great personal stories and insights into the 509^th Composite Group’s time on Tinian.

Retribution: The Battle for Japan 1944-1945, by Max Hastings. – Superlative history of the final year of the War in the Pacific that will inform, challenge and infuriate. Hastings is to be commended for not only covering the American portion of the war so thoroughly but also exploring the history of the British in Burma, Japanese in China, etc. Tremendous book.

The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Richard Rhodes

Week 30 – Frank Brock MBE

Our guest is Harry Smee, co-author of Gunpowder & Glory: The Explosive life of Frank Brock.  Here are some other reading choices: 

Zeebrugge: 11 VC’s Before Breakfast, Barrie Pitt – A stirring account of the April 23, 1918, commando raid that was made responsible, in part, by the inventiveness of Frank Brock, that Pitt believes shortened World War I and saw the award of 11 Victoria Crosses, 21 Distinguished Service Orders and 29 Distinguished Service Crosses for an action that lasted little more than an hour. This is an older history of the raid by one of Britain’s foremost military historians. While there have been more recent volumes that tell the tale of Zeebrugge, Pitt’s account still stands up well. At the time of its publication one reviewer said, “A graphic page turner that does full justice to a night of exceptional heroism.?

Flatpack Bombers: The Royal Navy and the Zeppelin Menace, Ian Gardner – When we think of aerial combat during World War I, we generally think of dogfights over the Western Front. We forget that the genesis of what would become the Royal Air Force were the Zeppelin raids on Great Britain and that it was the bombers of the Royal Naval Air Force that were given the job of returning the favour and striking the Kaiser’s zeppelin force in their lairs. It is also generally forgotten that it was the work of Frank Brock that made these first strategic bombing raids possible.

The Naval Memoirs of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Keyes: Scapa Flow to the Dover Straits 1916-1918, Roger Keyes – Amongst his many other actions, Admiral Keyes was instrumental in developing the plan for, and then leading, the Zeebrugge raid. It was in this capacity that he worked with Brock in developing a means of getting the raiding force safely ashore. Keyes provides one of the few eye-witness accounts of Brock at the time of the raid.

Week 29 – The Ghost Army 

We’ll put a thumb on the scale and place Rick’s book at the top of the list. The Ghost Army of World War II: How One Top-Secret Unit Deceived the Enemy with Inflatable Tanks, Sound Effects, and Other Audacious Fakery. By Rick Beyer and Elizabeth Sayles, 2015, Princeton Architectural Press

A great Ghost Army resource book is Ghosts of the ETO: American Tactical DeceptionUnits in the European Theater, 1944–1945. By Jonathan Gawne. CasematePublishers. Jon, who appears in the documentary, goes operation by operation, with lots of detail based on meticulous research

Secret Soldiers: The Story of World War II’s Heroic Army of Deception. By Philip Gerard. Lots of anecdotes from veterans of the unit.

For an exhaustive look at all Allied deception, there’s Thaddeus Holt’s book, The Deceivers.  It’s not light reading, and clocks in at 805 pages plus 200 pages of appendices, maps and footnotes. It is a bit biased toward the British, even though the author is American, and Rick believes that bias colors his appreciation (or lack thereof) of the Ghost Army. But Holt served as deputy under-secretary of the Army and had access to classified documents, making this THE definitive work to date on ALlied deception in WWII.  

Documentary

 “The Ghost Army of WWII”, written produced and directed by Rick Beyer, originally aired on PBS, and is now available on Amazon Prime, Itunes, and elsewhere. It features interviews with nearly 20 Ghost Army veterans.

Week 28 – Battle of Antietam

The Cornfield: Atietam’s Bloody Turning Point is the book by our guests, David Welker

Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam, Stephen Sears – This is narrative history at its best. The Chicago Tribune called it, “An American Classic.” Sears’ book remains THE best one-volume history of the American Civil War’s bloodiest day.

The Antietam Campaign, Gary Gallagher (Ed) – University of Virginia historian Gallagher is a specialist in the Confederacy and its legacy. In this volume he has assembled a number of leading Civil War historians and had them each submit a detailed essay on specific topics. There are some very eye-opening articles in this volume and well worth a read if you’d like to find out a bit more about the battle.

A Fierce Glory: Antietam-The Desperate Battle That Saved Lincoln and Doomed Slavery, Justin Martin – Martin tells the story of this battle through Lincoln and his family. I think it does a wonderful job of explaining the toll the war and this battle took on Lincoln and, most importantly, the profoundly important consequences of the battle. If Sears’ book explains the details of how and why the battle was fought, Martin and Slotkin (below) do a great job of explaining why it matters.

The Long Road to Antietam: How the Civil War Became a Revolution, Richard Slotkin. – What makes this history of Antietam so interesting is its focus. Slotkin looks at the troubled relationship between Lincoln and his top general George McClellan and the battles Lincoln fought to bring his army to bear against the Confederacy as well as to move toward a victory that would allow him to issue the emancipation proclamation.

Week 27 – Eisenhower Leadership

How Ike Led: The Principles Behind Eisenhower’s Biggest Decisions is the book by our guest, Susan Eisenhower. Here are some of Chris’s favorite Eisenhower biographies.

Eisenhower: The Supreme Commander and Eisenhower: The President, Stephen Ambrose – Obviously we are a bit biased, but Ambrose’s two volumes on Eisenhower remain among the most readable and accessible of the general biographies on the supreme commander and president.

Eisenhower, Geoffrey Perret – This is one of my favorite general biographies of Ike. Scrupulously researched and very well-written you wouldn’t go wrong if this was the only book you read about Eisenhower.

Eisenhower and the Supreme Command, Forest Pogue – Exhaustive in its detail and analysis, Pogue’s book is a volume in the U.S. Army in World War II “Green Book” series. It would be the standard academic work to read on Eisenhower’s role as commander of Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Forces.

Eisenhower: A Soldier’s Life: Carlo D’Este – I’d say this is the best popular history of Eisenhower as supreme commander. D’Este is at the top of his game with this book. He makes the absolutely correct assertion that Eisenhower was much more effective as a soldier and leader than others frequently give him credit for.

Leadership in War: Lessons From Those Who Made History, Andrew Roberts – History Happy Hour alumnus and Churchill biographer makes some very valuable observations on Eisenhower as a leader in this book. His insights are particularly interesting as they are made by a leading British scholar.

The Eisenhower Legacy: Discussions of Presidential Leadership, Shirley Anne Warshaw (ed) – This is a collection of papers and transcription of discussions at a conference held at Gettysburg College on the Centennial of Eisenhower’s birthday. Don’t let this scare you off. In addition to leading scholars, the symposium featured participation by many former members of Eisenhower’s presidential staff and administration. The guests provide some fascinating insights on Eisenhower as president.

Week 26 – Spanish Civil War

Our guest this week is Adam Hochschild, and his book is Spain in Our Hearts.“With all due respect to Orwell,” the New Republic reviewer said, “Spain in Our Hearts should supplant Homage to Catalonia as the best introduction to the conflict written in English.”

The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939, Antony Beevor – Beevor is a hugely popular historian here in Britain and his books on Stalingrad and Berlin are rightly considered as classics. His account of the Spanish Civil War should rank amongst his best as well. If you were only going to read one book on the war, we recommend this or Paul Preston’s Spanish Civil War; Preston’s being a bit more to the left than Beevor’s.

Unlikely Warriors: The British in the Spanish Civil War and the Struggle Against Fascism, Richard Baxell – This is a nice companion to Hochschild’s book about America and the war. Young an idealistic Britons were among the first to volunteer to assist the Republicans in Spain after the Nationalist rising in July 1936, 2,500 would eventually travel to Spain to fight in the International Brigades, some 500 would never come home. Book relies heavily on oral histories and is a pleasure to read.

Homage to Catalonia, George Orwell – Gripping first-person account of one of the 20th Century’s greatest writers. Orwell later wrote, “Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic Socialism as I understand it.” You can see in Homage to Catalonia where much of this inspiration came from. You can’t have an understanding of the Civil War without reading this book.

Franco’s International Brigades: Adventurers, Fascists and Christian Crusaders in the Spanish Civil War, Christopher Othen – The Spanish Civil War attracted people from all over the world to fight. While the story of those who volunteered to fight with the Republicans is best known, many thousands offered their services to Franco. This is an interesting and non political look at the foreign volunteers who fought for Franco.

The People’s Army in the Spanish Civil War: A Military History of the Republic and International Brigades 1936-1939, Alexander Clifford – If you are into the nuts and bolts of military history then this would be a good book for you. Takes a careful look at how the Republican Government raised, trained, equipped and led its armed forces as well as discussing the chronology of the war’s many battles and skirmishes. Probably the closest thing to straight-up military history on this list.

For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway – I don’t generally list fiction but this is a classic. Hemingway’s fictional account of a young volunteer in the international brigades and draws heavily on his own time in Spain and in the
people he met and events he experienced while there.

Week 25 – Lt. Dick Winters

Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose

Week 24 – Lincoln as Commander in Chief

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, Doris Kearns Goodwin – When Barrack Obama was asked which book he could not live without in the White House, he answered Team of Rivals. Stephen Spielberg’s blockbuster hit Lincoln was also based on the book. Goodwin explores how Lincoln masterfully incorporated political rivals into his wartime cabinet and how this had a major impact on the course of the conflict and, eventually, Union victory.

Tried by War: Lincoln as Commander in Chief, James McPherson – Detailed analysis of Lincoln as a military commander by the preeminent historian of the American Civil War. Ignorant of military matters upon becoming commander-in-chief, McPherson shows how Lincoln quickly mastered military affairs and had a central role in developing Union strategy and managing a successful war effort. His book Battle Cry of Freedom is also a classic, probably the best single-volume account of the Civil War.

Lincoln’s Lieutenants: The High Command of the Army of the Potomac, Stephen Sears – Sears is a renowned historian of the Civil War probably best known for his detailed battle studies. In this volume, he provides biographical details of this armies many commanders and discusses how Lincoln was able to deal with each of these often-fractious personalities.

Army of the Potomac Trilogy, Bruce Catton – Catton is the doyenne of historians of the Union Army. Originally published in 1951, Catton’s classic account of the Union’s principal army in the Eastern Theatre is still considered a classic account. While much has been written about the army since the trilogy was first published, there are few as detailed and non as well written.

Decided on the Battlefield: Grant, Sherman, Lincoln and the Election of 1864, David Alan-Johnson – Three years into the war and the Union was facing defeat. The Union Armies were bleeding themselves white trying to penetrate the Confederacy, George B. McClellan, the Army of the Potomac’s former commander beloved by the soldiers was running for president on a peace ticket and defeat for Lincoln seemed certain. Despite this, Lincoln was re-elected. This is a great account focusing on one year of the war and how the close working relationship

Week 23 – The Korean War: Chosin Reservoir 

Breakout: The Chosin Reservoir Campaign, Korea 1950 by Hampton Sides, who is our guest this week. An excellent, close-up look at this legendary Marine campaign conducted in the worst imaginable weather.  Says Rick: “Hampton Sides is one of my favorite non-fiction authors, and as with all his other books, this one puts you right in the middle of the action.”  Highly recommended. 

The Korean War by Max Hastings – The best one-volume history of the war that began on June 25, 1950, when North Korean communists charged across the border. You will be informed, challenged and enlightened by Hastings. Both Chris and Rick respect and enjoy the writings of Sir Max.

To the Last Round: The Epic British Stand on the Imjin River, Korea 1951, Andrew Salmon – A terrific story about a forgotten Nato contingent in Korea and one of the most epic defensive stands of the war in Korea. Very much in the vein of the Marines at the Chosin Reservoir.

Pork Chop Hill, S.L.A. – Marshall-Classic account of one particularly brutal battle at the end of the conflict. It was one of the books made famous by Marshall’s oral history techniques.

Colder than Hell: A Marine Rifle Company at the Chosin Reservoir, Joseph Owen – Very much a “Korean Band of Brothers.” What makes this even more valuable is it was written by someone who was there as a young junior officer serving with Baker Company, 1^st Bn, 7^th Marines. Highly recommend this account.

Week 22 – The German Resistance in WWII

Defying Hitler: The Germans Who Resisted Nazi Rule by Gordon Thomas – A very readable narrative of the many various resistance movements that formed in Germany. As Thomas points out, there was more to the resistance than Stauffenberg. Also discusses if they were effective or not and what, ultimately, was their importance to the history of Germany during WWII.

Germans Against Hitler: The Stauffenberg Plot & Resistance Under the Third Reich by Hans Mommsen – This is a much more academic-dense-version of Thomas’ book. It is hard to argue with scholarship and level of detail of Mommsen’s research. More of an emphasis on Valkyrie and Stauffenberg but still brings in other movements and groups.

A Noble Treason: The Story of Sophie Scholl and the White Rose Revolt Against Hitler Richard Hanser – A wonderful biography of one of my personal heroes. Says Chris:  “Scholl is one of the bravest people I have ever read about and I think everyone should know something about Sophie and her White Rose movement.”

Week 21 – Tinian and the Bomb 

Tinian and the Bomb, by Don Farrell – This is THE book on the history of the bomb’s development, deployment and delivery. Focusing on the role played by the tiny island of Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands.

Enola Gay: The Bombing of Hiroshima by Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan – A terrific account of the first atomic mission that reads like a thriller. Lots of great personal stories and insights into the 509^th Composite Group’s time on Tinian.

Retribution: The Battle for Japan 1944-1945 by Max Hastings – Superlative history of the final year of the War in the Pacific that will inform, challenge and infuriate. Hastings is to be commended for not only covering the American portion of the war so thoroughly but also exploring the history of the British in Burma, Japanese in China, etc. Tremendous book.

The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes

Week 20 – Washington’s Whiskey 

Our guest, Anna Anderson, wrote her master’s thesis on Washington’s distillery. It is called A Study of Transition in Plantation Economy: George Washington’s Whiskey Distillery, 1799. You can download it from this link. 

Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow. – The most recent biography of the first president written by an accomplished biographer who has shown his American history chops on a number of biographies of America’s most important historical figures.

Founding Spirits: George Washington and the Beginning of American Whiskey by Dennis Pogue – The only history that focuses on Washington’s distillery and his effectiveness as a businessman and plantation owner.

The Whiskey Rebellion: Georg Washington, Alexander Hamilton and the frontier rebels who challenged America’s new-found sovereignty, by William Hogeland – Story of the 1794 uprising in Pennsylvania that saw mass protests in opposition to a federal tax on distilled spirits. The fall out of the rebellion would have a profound impact on the relationships between the federal and state governments and George Washington’s legacy.

The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition by W.J. Rorabaugh – From 1790 until 1840 Americans consumed more distilled spirits per capita than at any time during the country’s history. Rorabaugh’s book takes a fascinating look at the profound importance alcohol and the rituals of alcohol consumption had during the formative years of the American republic; a time when the produce of Washington’s distillery was most active.

Week 19 – The Election of 1948 

Our guest this week is author and journalist AJ Baime, and his book is Dewey Defeats Truman: The 1948 Election and the Battle for America’s Soul 

The Last Campaign: How Harry Truman Won the 1948 Election, by Zachary Karabell – Came out about 20 years ago. Karabell is not afraid to call out Truman for what he sees as rhetorical excesses

Truman by David McCullough – Probably the definitive biography of Truman-certainly the most accessible. Some have criticized it as a hagiography but it is a well researched and very compelling book.

Thomas E. Dewey: His Times, by Richard Norton Smith – Not that there is a lot of competing biographies, but this is a good one. Shows the important part Dewey played in creating the Republican Party as it was for most the remainder of the 20^th Century.

1948: Harry Truman’s impossible victory and the year that transformed America by David Pietrusza – Puts the election into the larger context of America just after the end of World War II.

Week 18 – The Last 100 Days of WWI. 

Hundred Days: The End of the Great War, by Nick Lloyd Lloyd is currently one of the leading lights of WWI history here in UK. A good account of all the factors that came into play that brought the war to such an unexpected end in 1918.

1918: A Very British Victory, Peter Hart As the name suggests this is focused on British and Commonwealth Forces. It discusses how the British Army evolved, adapted and improved and how this allowed the Allies to win in World War I.

November 1918: Triumph and Tragedy in the Final Days of World War I, by Gordon Brook-Shephard. This book covers all the fronts in the war and gives you the “complete package” on all the fronts in explaining how the war ended. The author wrote quite a bit about Austria-Hungary so he brings this expertise to the book.

American Armies and Battlefields in Europe, by American Battle Monuments Commission. Written after the war for the benefit of Americans visiting the battlefields. It gives incredible amounts of details in maps and text explaining where the battles were fought. Considered sort of an “unofficial” official history of the war. An interesting bit is that Dwight D. Eisenhower contributed a huge amount to the book when he was an aid to Pershing after the war. You can download it for free from the ABMC site.

Winning the War, Losing the War, Matthias Strohn editor. Nice collection of essays on the end of the war commissioned for the 100th Anniversary. Variety of topics. The article on the French Army by David Murphy is quite good.

Nine Divisions in Champagne: The Second Battle of the Marne, by Patrick Takle. A good solid account of the battle that began the 100 Days. He does a good job of telling the story from the British and American perspective and shows how the two armies complemented one another.

Make the Kaiser Dance, Henry Berry One of Chris’s favorite WWI books. A terrific collection of oral histories that puts lie to the notion that the Americans were not deeply involved in the war and that the few battles they fought were “easy.”

Week 17 – WWII French Resistance 

Our guest, Lynne Olson, is the author of The Secret War of Marie Madeline Fourcade, about an amazing hero of the French resistance who is well known in France but not so much in the USA.  Lynne is also the author of many other books touching on Britain’s role WWII, including Last Hope Island, Citizens of London, and Those Angry Days.  

Marie Madeline Fourcade wrote her autobiography, in the 1970s Noah’s Ark.  (That’s the name the Germans used to refer to her network because everyone’s codename was a different animal.)  The English translation is a bit stiff, but it is a great primary source document.  Not currently in print, libraries are probably the best bet.

For more on the WWII spies and such…

A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of Virginia Hall, World War II’s Most Dangerous Spy, By Sonia Purnell.Great bio of a woman who, for a time, was the Gestapo’s most wanted agent. Book has gotten terrific reviews and has been optioned for a movie so I suspect we will hear more about it.

Carve Her Name with Pride, R.J. Minney. Biography of Violette Szabo was one of the first about role of women agents. Done just after the war it made Szabo a hero-she has a blue plaque-and something of a household name. Perhaps a bit dated but still a terrific read.

Odette: Secret Agent Prisoner, Survivor, Jerrard Tickell. Another biography. What makes this one interesting is that Odette was a French woman living in the UK when the war broke out and volunteered to go back. All sorts of adventures including surviving torture at Revensbrouck, where Szabo was executed.

They Fought Alone: The True Story of SOE Agents in Wartime France, by Maurice Buckmaster. A thorough history of the whole SOE effort in France. Gives you a bit bigger picture than just the biographies.

The Secret War: Spies, Codes and Guerillas 1939-1945, Max Hastings. Outstanding one-volume history of all the special ops during World War II. Hastings approaches the topic with his customary thorough but critical eye. Highly recommend.

Week 16 – Battle of Saratoga

Our guest, Eric Schnitzer, is the author of Don Troiani’s Campaign to Saratoga- 1777. The book features hundreds of paintings by famed illustrator Don Troiani, each done with painstaking accuracy. Eric focuses on primary accounts and material culture to offer a fresh perspective on the battle.

Richard Ketchum’s book Saratoga: Turning Point of the American Revolution. published in 1997, is probably the best-known book about the battle.

1777: Tipping Point at Saratoga, by Dean Snow – A very good, detailed account of the battle. Focuses on the days of the battle and does not get lost in telling the whole story of the campaign. The other interesting aspect is the author is an archeologist so brings that sensibility to discussions of terrain, etc.

Leadership Principles: How Their Use by Lt. Gen. John Burgoyne and Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates Influenced the Engagement at Saratoga 1777, by U.S. Army Command and General Staff College – As you would expect from a book by soldiers for soldiers, this can be pretty dry. It does, however, get you into the heads of the decision-makers, which I find interesting.

Staff Ride Handbook for the Saratoga Campaign, 13 June to 8 November 1777, by Steven Clay – Great to have in your pocket if you are visiting the battlefields. A very detailed history of the campaign. Short on narrative deep on facts and accounts.

The Tragedy of Benedict Arnold: An American Life, by Joyce Lee Malcolm – An interesting-and far more nuanced-biography of a pivotal figure in American history.

Week 15 – Japanese Fighter Pilots

Our guest, Dan King, is author of The Last Zero Fighter. Dan has interviewed more than 100 Japanese pilots from WWII about their experiences. For more on the Pacific War, here are some suggestions:

Nemesis: The Battle for Japan by Max Hastings – A history of the final, climactic, year of the war in the Pacific. It is hard to argue with Hasting’s thorough research and readability. There are lots of general histories of the War in the Pacific, this is one of the ones we have both enjoyed the most.

Japan’s War: The Great Pacific Conflict by Edwin Hoyt – A very good history of Japan and its war in the Pacific. It covers a greater span of time than Hastings. Good thing about this book is that it is from the Japanese perspective, which is something Westerners only guess at.

Soldiers of the Sun: The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army by Merion Harris – Although it is focused on the army, this book has many lessons that apply to the Navy as well. Tells a story of how the military descended from revered institution to criminal organization.

The Imperial Japanese Navy in the Pacific War by Mark Stile – Good collection of essays and details about the IJN. It is a compilation of material published in various Osprey books. If you want one book on the IJN this one is good. The Japanese Navy in WWII: In the Words of Former Naval Officers by David Evans. Japanese accounts of the war are very rare, which makes this book valuable.

Week 14 – Lawrence of Arabia 

Atop this week’s list is the book by our guest, James Stejskal: Masters of Mayhem. Not so much a study of Lawrence, but a look at the entire British Military Mission and how it influenced unconventional warfare tactics of the last 100 years.

Chris suggests Lawrence in Arabia by Scot Anderson as a recent and very readable biography of Lawrence.

We asked James for a few suggestions, and he didnt hold back!

• T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, 1922 Complete Oxford Text 
• Jeremy Wilson, Lawrence of Arabia
• John E. Mack, A Prince of Our Disorder: The Life of T.E. Lawrence
• Philip Walker, Behind the Lawrence Legend
• COL W.F. Stirling, Safety Last
• Alison Jolley, Lawrence of Arabia’s War: Day by Day
• Neil Faulkner, Lawrence of Arabia’s War
• Bruce Westrate, The Arab Bureau
• Michael Korda, Hero
• James Schneider, Guerrilla Leader
• Polly Mohs, Military Intelligence and the Arab Revolt

Week 13 – Hamilton and Burr

Tops on Rick’s list is his own book: Rivals Unto Death which is a dual biography of Hamilton and Burr. Dual biography – get it? It is a short book (Thank God, says Chris)  perfect for a quick take on their relationship and events leading up to the duel.

Ron Chernoff’s Hamilton is the definitive biography and the book that inspired Lin Manuel Miranda. It is exhaustive–some might say exhausting–but impeccably researched and well written. Nancy Isenberg’s book The Life of Aaron Burr is your best bet if you are looking for the opposing point of view, although she spends a lot of time trying to rebut what others have said about Burr instead of just telling his story. 

War of Two by John Sedgewick is another take on the two men together.  For something different, check out “Founders Online” at the National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/ . You can do all sorts of interesting searches here –  for example, you can search for letters from Alexander Hamilton to Aaron Burr. It is an invaluable resource for researchers. 

Week 12 – The Pacific, Saipan, Tinian and the Bomb

From our guest historian: Tinian and the Bomb by Don Farrell. Privately published Don says you can get it on Amazon. It will be published-hopefully-as Atomic Island by Stackpole in 2021. The authoritative history of Tinian, its capture, development and use as a landing strip for the B-29 bombing and atomic missions against Japan. Fantastic text and photos.

Saipan: The Battle that Doomed Japan in World War II by James Hallas. New history that came out in 2019. Very thorough with a good mix of first-person accounts, analysis and detail.

Howlin Mad vs. the Army by Harry A. Gailey-Terrific history of the battle of Saipan with an emphasis on examining the Army vs. USMC controversy. Comes out strongly on the side of the army. (P.S. I think he’s right. Don thinks I’m unfair to the USMC)

Oba: The Last Samurai, by Don Jones-Very detailed account of a Japanese officer who took part in the defense of the island. Good account of the Japanese banzai attack. Oba survived the final banzai attack and then continued to resist until he surrendered his small command on December 1, 1945

Clash of the Carriers: The True Story of the Marianas Turkey Shoot, Barrett Tillman. The best one-volume account of the climactic carrier battle off the Marianas that destroyed the remnants of the Japanese navy.

Enola Gay: The Bombing of Hiroshima, by Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan Witts. A terrific account of the first atomic mission that reads like a thriller. Lots of great personal stories and insights into the 509th Composite Group’s time on Tinian.

Week 11 – London 1940 – The Blitz, Battle of Britain, and Dunkirk

German Attack of May 1940

Take a look at The Blitzkrieg Legend by Karl Heinz Friesser. (Chris: “One of my favorite WWII Books) Debunks the myth of the Blitzkrieg and German invincibility in 1940. Written by a German military historian and officer. There’s also To Loose a Battle by Alistair Horne. A bit dated history of the 1940 Campaign but k it holds up pretty well for the general reader. 

Dunkirk

Hugh Sebag Montefiore’s Dunkirk is of the “standard” works. Good and quite readable.  Dunkirk: Retreat to Victory by Julian Thompson offers, a good soldier’s view of the campaign. Thompson is a professional soldier and historian so brings both experiences to his telling of the battle. 

The Blitz

The Blitz by Juliet Gardiner is the newest, and most thorough history of the Blitz

The Myth of the Blitz by Angus is an oldie but a goodie. Shatters some of the myths about the Blitz and plucky London. Alone by Alex Korda is part memoir, part history. Korda was a little boy from a wealthy and influential family in Britain. Tells the story of the start of the war through the summer of 1940. Not intense history but well written and interesting. 

Battle of Britain

The Battle of Britain: Myth and Reality by Richard Overy is a nice short history of the battle that debunks a few myths. The Few by Alex Kerhsaw tells the story from the perspective of the Eagle Squadron. A fun read and our American readers might enjoy the perspective. 

Recommended by guest, Hugh MacDonald-Buchanan

Man Of Valour: Gort VC by John (Jock) Colville.

Excellent insight into the machinations of British high command and politics by Churchill’s parliamentary private secretary (and former Chamberlain man). Plus British view of difficult military decisions in May 1940.

The Bombing War by Richard Overy
Very good section on the Blitz (the first strategic bombing campaign) and Battle of Britain – before going on to describe the problems of strategic bombing all told.

The Final Enemy by Richard Hillary.

This was a huge hit in 1942 by a Battle of Britain Spitfire Pilot who was shot down and badly burned. It describes his life and friends at Oxford then the RAF, his combat experience, and treatment by Macindo. RH was later killed.

London At War by Philip Ziegler
Looks at wartime London as a socio-economic-military ecosystem.

The Maesky Diaries
Fascinating perspective by the Soviet Ambassador to London.

The Shelter Of The Tubes by John Gregg
Well illustrated and not romantic account of tube sheltering in wartime London.

Week 10 – The Role of the Combat Historian

Erik Flint on the methods and procedures of the combat historian and his experiences as a historian during the war in Afghanistan. To learn more about the unique military role of the combat historian and two of the earliest practitioners of the craft see: Pogue’s War: Diaries of a World War II Combat Historian, by Forrest C. Pogue who, after the war, wrote Supreme Command for the Army’s official history of World War II as well as the magisterial multi-volume biography of George C. Marshall.

A critical analysis of another equally famous wartime historian is: SLAM: The Influence of SLA Marshall on the U.S. Army, by F.D.G. Williams.

Week 9 – Custer and the Plains War 

John Langellier is a renowned historian of the Plains Wars and the U.S. Army in the West. Among his many works are: Myles Keogh, a definitive biography of the quintessential American cavalryman and The U.S. Army in the West, which is the most complete history of the material culture of the American soldier of the Indian Wars written. In addition to Langellier’s works, you may also enjoy:

Forty Miles a Day on Beans and Hay: Enlisted Soldier Fighting the Indian Wars, by Don Rickey. A very good social history of the U.S. soldier during the Indian Wars.

The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull and the Battle of the Little Big Horn, by Nathanial Philbrick is a solid popular history of the battle and its leading personalities by a prolific author.

The Strategy of Defeat at the Little Big Horn: A Military and Timing Analysis of the Battle, by Frederic C. Wagner III, is a much more academic and analytical history of the battle than Philbrick’s. Warning, this is not beach reading.

Week 8 – Winston Churchill

Andrew Roberts has written the biography of Winston Churchill, Churchill Walking With Destiny, that is certain to become the definitive biography of the man the BBC named as history’s greatest Briton. He has written a great number of highly regarded works of history and biography that are worth reading. Among his other works are, The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War, Masters and Commanders: How Roosevelt, Churchill, Marshall and Allanbrooke won the war in the west and, most recently, Leadership in War: Lessons from those who made history.

Week 7 – Faces of Margraten

Sebastiaan Vonk is a young historian who has made a name for himself as the founder of the Faces of Margraten memorial project. His first book is War is Hell, but Damned Exciting: U.S. Remembrance of World War II in the post veteran era.

Week 6 – Revolution Revelations

We mentioned a few books in this discussion. Private Yankee Doodle: Dangers and Sufferings of a Revolutionary Soldier by Joseph Plum Martin is a soldier’s first person account of his time fighting for American independence. From the other side of the firing line we have John Grave Simcoe’s A Journal of the Operations of the Queen’s Rangers, the story of the loyalist British Army unit he commanded. And finally, Paul Revere’s Ride, David Hackett Fischer’s detailed account of first day of the Revolution and the events leading up to it.

Week 5 – Joe Balkoski, “The Top Living D-Day Historian”

Balkoski’s books on Omaha and Utah beaches are unsurpassed as are the five-volume history of the 29^thInfantry Division. There is no finer historian of America’s role in Normandy and any D-Day library of note should contain his books.

• Omaha Beach: D-Day, June 6, 1944
• Utah Beach: The Amphibious Landings and Airborne Operations on D-Day
• Beyond the Beachhead: The 29^thInfantry Division in Normandy
• Beachhead Brittany: The 29^thInfantry Division at Brest, August-September 1944
• From Brittany to the Reich: The 29^thInfantry Division in Germany September-November 1944
• Our Tortured Souls: The 29^thInfantry Division in the Rhineland, November-December 1944
• The Last Roll Call: The 29^thInfantry Division Victorious 1945

Week 4 – Ghost Army

Chris: Well, there really are only a couple here. The first, obviously, is Rick’s book (co-authored with Elizabeth Sayles), The Ghost Army of World War II, which, along with Rick’s documentary, is the definitive account of this incredible unit. Also of interest is Jonathan Gawne’s Ghosts of the ETO: American Tactical Deception Units in the ETO.

Rick: Who am I to disagree with Chris? I will say that Jon’s book is an excellent operation by operation look at the unit, and Jon was kind enough to offer his expertise in the documentary as well. If you want to read the official history of the unit, the most all-encompassing primary source document, you can find it here:

Ghost Army Legacy Project

Week 3 – Five books on a Desert Island

Chris: This was a very tough week for me. It was almost impossible to choose the 5 books I would take with me to a desert island but, after much back and forth, here are my selections:

Campaigns of Napoleon, by David Chandler. Chandler’s military biography of Napoleon is still, in my opinion, the definitive biography of history’s greatest general. Unbeatable in its analysis and scope. The maps are amazing as well. This book showed me what an analytical biography could be and how much there was to know about Napoleon. You could read it a dozen times and still get something new from it.

The First Day on the Somme, by Martin Middlebrook. Although thousands of pages have been written about July 1, 1916, none have matched Middlebrook’s account. Besides being an excellent account of the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army, Middlebrook’s book showed me how a soldier’s eye view of a battle should be written.

The Face of Battle, by John Keegan. Keegan’s history of Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme literally changed how military history was written and what ‘battle’ means for soldiers throughout the ages.

Berlin Diary by William Shirer. I try to read this book at least once a year and every time I do it still terrifies me. Gripping account of how Germany descended into totalitarianism, murder and insanity. A chilling reminder of why World War II had to be fought and won.

With the Old Breed on Peleliu and Okinawa, by Eugene Sledge. To my mind Sledge’s account of the part he played in the brutal Pacific battles of Peleliu and Okinawa remains the finest first-person account by an ordinary soldier I have ever read.

Rick: I focused on five books that I have read over and over. Chris says I cheated by picking books that are single volumes of two and three-volume sets, and he may be right! But I could be happy on a desert island with just these five

The Civil War: Fredericksburg to Meridian by Shelby Foote. Like a lot of Americans, I discovered Shelby Foote watching Ken Burns Civil War. I have read his trilogy over and over, and this book, with its depiction of Gettysburg and Vicksburg, among other battles is the best.

War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk. A follow-up to the Winds of War, this novel follows the Henry family from the day after Pearl Harbor to August 1945. I first read these as a teenager, and they were the foundation of a life long interest in WWII. And the real history in them is impeccably researched and told – especially the Battle of Midway.

The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill by William Manchester. I am always fascinated by how historical figures rise to greatness. This covers Churchill from 1932 to 1940, when he is desperately trying to warn the country of the coming storm, and his countrymen are slowly waking up. Riveting.

Armageddon by Sir Max Hastings. Covering the last 9 months of the war in Europe from every point of view: American, British, Canadian, German, Russian, Jewish, POW, civilian etc. Eye-opening

Hellhound on his Trail by Hampton Sides. A beautifully researched and written book about the events leading up to the assassination of Martin Luther King, and the search for his killer. A murder mystery in which you start out knowing who is murdered and who did it – but that matters not a whit.

Week 2 – Stories from D-Day

Chris: Such a big topic. I’m listing some newish titles that many Americans might not be aware of or have not considered. I won’t list any of Joe Balkoski’s books here as he has a whole show but in addition to Joe’s books, you must try-Bletchley Park and D-Dayby David Kenyon. Jaw-droppingly good book on the vital role that the code breakers at Bletchley played in the D-Day invasion. Best book on D-Day I’ve read in years.

Stout Hearts: The British and Canadians in Normandy in 1944. Ben Kite looks at the other half of the landing forces. Not only is his description of events on the non-American beaches exhaustive, but he does a wonderful job of explaining how a military force evolved during the course of the campaign. Highly recommended.

Last, try Stopping the Panzers: The Untold Story of D-Day,by Arc Milner. Milner provides a thought-provoking reassessment of the role played by the 3^rdCanadian Division and the Canadian contribution to the Normandy landings.

Rick: I talked about Second Rangers, Second Lieutenant Ted Lapres and Pointe Du Hoc. Colonel Robert Black’s book The Battalion is a solid telling of that story, and follows the Second Rangers all the way to the Rhine.

Week 1 – Introduction

Rick: This was the first week so the topics were a bit all over the board. We touched on the American Revolution and the violence of its beginning. To read a wonderful new book on that topic I would recommend: Scars of Independence: America’s Violent Birth by Holger Hock.

For Pearl Harbor, I’d recommend At Dawn We Slept by Gordon Prange, which is a classic account of the Japanese attack. New, but very, very good is Attack on Pearl Harbor: Strategy, Combat, Myths, Deceptions, by Alan D. Zinn. I found it very analytical and full of some amazing revelations and conclusions.