World war ii historical fiction, historical fiction, books. The victoria cross is the ultimate award for bravery in the british and commonwealth armies. The campaigns ended in early october with germany and the soviet union dividing and. When hitler came to power, pilsudski, the leader of poland, asked for an alliance with the germans to march on red square. Hitlers war directives 19391945 by hugh trevorroper lists approximately 80 major war directives given by hitler starting with the invasion plans for poland in 1939 to the last stand of the reich in 1945. This book is a concise outline, and not a lengthy volume, so it makes a great introduction to the topic. For an easily readable book covering the most basic stuff about the war which took place over 6 continents and all of the worlds oceans, by the way you can start with 1001 things everyone should know about wwii. This month marks 80 years since the start of world war ii. Is there any truth to the idea that poland started ww2. Poland in the darkness of world war ii anne applebaum. The famous british military historian, sir john keegan, wrote in the times literary supplement. The best books on the aftermath of world war ii five. These books will help kids understand the events of one of the most interesting periods of modern history. World war ii is one of the most terrible events of humanity, composed of miseries, grief and the inconceivable suffering of everyday people.
The book that i love most on the second world war is carries war. This is the extraordinary story of oskar schindler, who risked his life to protect jews in nazioccupied poland and who was transformed by the. The following list was compiled by william szych and. Poland and the poles in the second world war by halik. May 04, 2012 ken burns 6 favorite books about world war ii. An illustrated military history by andrew hempel is a great overview of the polish military effort in the second world war. The books have detailed maps of all campaigns, not just the ones involving americans. World war ii in europe, 19391945, by norman davies. Nov, 2019 up until 1989, poland sat behind the communist iron curtain. World war 2 tour history tour of wwii sites in poland. By downloading libby to your smartphone, you can access thousands of ebooks and audiobooks from your library for free anytime and anywhere.
What are the best books about world war ii andor the. In 1938 he won a silver medal in ski jumping during the world ski championships in lahti as the first polish who earned a medal in such a competition. Other articles where battle of poland is discussed. Best war books world war 2 books for middle school. History general history jewish history military world war ii holocaust, jewish 19391945 holocaust, jewish 19391945 poland jews jews persecutions poland poland world war, 19391945 world war, 19391945 jewish resistance poland. You dont have to go into lots of detail and, of course, tailor your explanation to the age of your child but do try to set the scene for them. Dec 09, 2008 the books has since been broken up, expanded, and rebranded as the second world war. First published in 1960, this national book award winner and new york times bestseller traces the rise and fall of nazi germany from adolf hitlers birth in 1889 to the end of world war ii in 1945.
He was a tank commander and served in the 601st tank. On september 1, 1939, poland was invaded by nazi germany and, sixteen days later, by the soviet union. Back then, even in spite of the disastrous treaty of versailles and 1920s crisis germany was still an industrial sup. The silver sword is a book by ian serraillier about 3 polish children whose parents are taken away by the nazis. The best books on the aftermath of world war ii recommended by keith lowe. Indeed, some of the very best books about the war were written by.
In response to german aggression, great britain and france declared war on nazi germany. Polish culture during world war ii was suppressed by the occupying powers of nazi germany and the soviet union, both of whom were hostile to poland s people and cultural heritage. Sparked by the 1939 nazi invasion of poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the allies. Oct 24, 2017 world war ii books often focus on the events that unfolded in europe, but this story provides an important portrait of the life of a young girl in japaneseoccupied korea. Jul 20, 2019 50 of the best world war ii books for middle schoolers. Historical fiction set during world war ii penguin random house.
France and britain declared war on germany, but gave no real aid to their polish ally. This is a very personal book and at one time it would have begun to fill a small niche in the military history of world war two not there werent plenty of books available on the invasion of poland, but there were for a time very few in english. And each week my son and i looked for more world war ii books. Army in world war iihighlights the major ground force campaigns during the six years of the war, offers suggestions for further reading, and provides americans an opportunity to learn about the armys role in world war ii. The silver sword is an engrossing tale about 3 polish children surviving world war 2. The 17 best books on world war i of 2020 thoughtco. Travel in and out was near impossible for the curious traveler. Polish culture during world war ii was suppressed by the occupying powers of nazi germany and the soviet union, both of whom were hostile to polands people and cultural heritage. This is a very good book about what happened to poland and what poland did in the years leading to wwii and during the war. Rediscovering a hidden archive from the warsaw ghetto, by samuel d. Snyder is looking at the deliberate mass murder of civilians in a particular zone of europe between about 1930, at the start of the second ukraine famine, and 1945. It has been awarded 1,357 times since its inception, and only three people have ever received more than one of them. From actionpacked eyewitness accounts such as guadalcanal diary to devastating holocaust memoirs like the diary of anne frank and night to the thrilling espionage tale of operation mincemeat, world war ii is the subject of some of the most fascinating and influential nonfiction books ever written.
Best war books world war 2 books for middle school students. It is necessary to write once and for all in all history books. Europe and the mediterrean atlas and the second world war asia and the pacific atlas. Available for the first time in paperback, no greater ally redresses the balance, giving a comprehensive overview of poland s participation in world war 2. The story is about how the survive the war and go searching for their parents. Keegan says that although the origins of the second. The history of poland from 1939 to 1945 encompasses primarily the period from the invasion of poland by nazi germany and the soviet union to the end of world war ii. Invasion of poland, fall 1939 the holocaust encyclopedia. Poland in the darkness of world war ii the new republic. The 10 best novels about world war ii mal warwick blog on books. Fine book for learning that the poles werent the pushovers once thought in ww2 as outnumbered, outgunned, and underequipped, the polish army nevertheless. This world war 2 tour is a perfect choice for those interested in history of the world war ii. The top 10 books about poland during world war ii newsweek. Others we discovered via the librarian or through our own searches up and down the aisles.
For americans, world war ii began in december of 1941, with the bombing of pearl harbor. Feb 26, 2018 this post on world war ii books is sponsored by libby. S unday marks the eightieth anniversary of the outbreak of world war ii. One of adolf hitler s first major foreign policy initiatives after coming to power was to sign a nonaggression pact with poland in january 1934. This post on world war ii books is sponsored by libby. Sep 06, 2019 this month marks 80 years since the start of world war ii. Almost all territory of poland was affected by war so you can find relative places virtually everywhere. The popular military historian antony beevor recommends some of his own favourite books about the second world war. Here are the 10 most essential books focusing on various aspects of the war in poland, organized by something like chronology.
The polish air force in world war ii no greater ally is an absolutely crucial contribution to the history of the second world war. The immediate origins of the second world war 19381939 by donald cameron watt heinemann, 1989 the road to war by richard overy with richard wheatcroft macmillan, 1989. He must skate along the frozen canals of the netherlands and across the belgian border, in order to guide two neighborhood children to their aunts house in brugge, where the children will remain for the duration of world war ii. Sunhee and her brother are forced to learn japanese in school and give up traces of their korean heritage and culture. From actionpacked eyewitness accounts such as guadalcanal diary to devastating holocaust memoirs like the diary of anne frank and night to the thrilling espionage tale of operation mincemeat, world war ii is the subject of some of the most fascinating and influential nonfiction books ever written each year, seemingly dozens of new titles emerge to offer fresh perspectives and uncover. Following the germansoviet nonaggression pact, poland was invaded by nazi germany on 1 september 1939 and by the soviet union on 17 september. May 08, 2015 id like to recommend two books on the second world war. Recommended reads about the polish experience of war against both the nazi germany and the soviet union.
This book is about not just world war ii but it is also about the stalinist repression of the areas known as the borderlands, which snyder has termed the bloodlands. Best childrens books about world war ii 19391945 253. Captain charles upham was the only man to be awarded the victoria cross twice in world war ii. Anybody who seeks to understand the dynamics of betrayal and resistance as they apply to this period, in poland, in europe, must read this book. Afterward, they were left to grapple with their trauma alone. A world war ii story from the netherlands in 1941 piet, a young dutch boy from sluis, gets the assignment of a lifetime. I have separated my list of the best war books into categories world war ii as it affected england, the stories of people trying to escape the nazis, the war in europe, how relationships between people got complicated, and the war in the pacific. Poland and the poles in the second world war by halik kochanski, surviving the forest by adiva geffen, the. World war ii was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Reading world war two books aloud if youre reading these books aloud, its a good idea to give your kids a sort of broadbrush picture of what happened before you start reading. My grandfather, willis b nesmith, served under patton in italy and africa fighting against rommel. On september 3, they declared war on germany, initiating world war ii. To hitler, the conquest of poland would bring lebensraum, or living space, for the german people.
On this list youll find historical fiction to give context for the time period and convey what it really felt like for fighters on the front lines, kids and families back home, and jews in hiding or sent to concentration camps. Capturing warsaw at the dawn of world war ii as german bombs began falling on poland in 1939, an american photographer made a fateful decision zygmunt. German troops invaded poland on september 1, 1939, triggering world war ii. What are the best childrens books on the second world war. A book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. The building at 7 planty street in kielce, poland, site of a little known post world war ii pogrom that claimed the lives of 42 jews. Could be any war but written 39 after invasion of poland. I love great historical novels, so i was looking forward to this book set at the cusp of world war ii, but i wasnt expecting it to be so good, or so impactful. Two books stand out from the vast literature of the second world war. Poland is responsible for the unleashing of world war ii eu. Less than a year later, after germans attacked poland, he didnt escape to the safer area of europe, but joined ak armia krajowa and fought until he was captured in 1940. Chester wilmots the struggle for europe, published in 1952, and david irvings hitlers war. This shroud of secrecy meant that the key to understanding some of the most impactful recent world events, namely world war ii, were out of reach save for interpretations in history books and movies.
During world war ii, the nazis kidnapped tens of thousands of children and forcibly germanized them. A chilling and expertly written history of the 1939 september campaign and the onset of world war ii times of london. Best childrens books about world war ii 19391945 young readers are fascinated with world war ii, but teachers and parents have a hard time finding books to recommend. In a preface to this fascinating memoir of the german occupation of poland in world war ii, jan nowak says that he intended to write the book. A gripping history of the september campaign and the onset of world war ii for americans, world war ii began in december of 1941, with the bombing of pearl harbor. Even better, the new version are spiralbound, which stands up better against wear and tear. World war ii sites tour covers some of the most important sites and will give you opportunity to learn more about that tragic times. Its my grandfathers handwritten journal he wrote before he died. Inferno is about the firebombing of hamburg by british and us air forces in 1943, which destroyed most of the city and resulted in some 40,000 civilian deaths. The top 10 books about poland during world war ii 1.
If you were in ukraine, the baltic states, and in bits of poland, the war began for you not when the germans invaded but when the soviet union invaded in areas of poland in 1939 and the baltic states in 1940. Capturing warsaw at the dawn of world war ii history. In early 2017, poland was supposed to unveil what is perhaps the most ambitious museum devoted to world war ii in any country. He has written two works of fiction and two critically acclaimed books about world war two and its aftermath. May 4, 2012 the war, ken burns sevenpart documentary film on the american experience of world war ii, is being released on bluray this month. The lies about world war ii foreign policy journal. Following their valiant but doomed defense of poland in 1939, members of the polish armed forces fought with the allies wherever and however they could.