Catastrophe and identity in postwar german literature. Historians argue over the exact numbers, so most of the following figures are from the fallen of world war ii. The undisputed king of alternative histories is the prolific harry turtledove, who has helped guide the genre into mainstream reading. World war ii was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. Guernsey was the only british land to be occupied by the germans during the war, so their letters to juliet are unique and full of rich historical detail. Dec 09, 2008 the books has since been broken up, expanded, and rebranded as the second world war. Deutschland, officially federal republic of germany, republic 2015 est. By downloading libby to your smartphone, you can access thousands of ebooks and audiobooks from your library for free anytime and anywhere. Europe in the aftermath of world war ii by keith lowe. One of the largest and most modern cities of europe was left a wasteland. In my fathers country, she presents german history as a stark family saga.
The poetry of world war ii by the editors poetry foundation. Germany was stripped of its war gains and lost territories in the east to poland and the soviet union. Feb 26, 2018 this post on world war ii books is sponsored by libby. Army in world war ii series the armys official history of world war ii commonly referred to as the green books are listed in the following sections. List of books and articles about postwar germany online. The physical devastation from allied bombing campaigns and from ground battles was enormous. Sparked by the 1939 nazi invasion of poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the allies. The same as the history books in other western countries. After the defeat of nazi germany in world war ii, germany was divided between the two global blocs in the east and west, a period known as the division of germany.
The wild cards story collections were created by a group of new mexico science fiction authors, pulled together and edited by game of thrones author george r. He has written two works of fiction and two critically acclaimed books about world war two and its aftermath. Essays on the evolution of angloamerican air doctrine, 19401943 maxwell afb, al. Not to be confused with another novel with a similar name, this book is amazing, enriching, and well worth a read. After viewing these world war 2 photos, check out 31 of the most illuminating world war ii facts, and 21 of the most surprising world war ii myths. Historian sean mcmeekin picks the best books about the great dual monarchy destroyed by the first world war sean mcmeekin wed 31 jul 20. Judts book is a comprehensive history of the whole of europe from 1945. After hitler refused to stop the invasion, britain and france declared war on germany world war ii had begun. World war ii was the deadliest military conflict in history. An historical event so rich in detail and possibilities as the allies successful deception that made the normandy landing possible has given rise to many spy novels as well as passel of nonfiction books. It lasted from 1939 to 1945 and involved 30 countries from every part of the globe.
The guns of the south has the confederates equipped with ak47s by. The allies immediate post war industrial disarmament plan for germany had been to destroy germany s capability to wage war by complete or partial deindustrialization. All the light we cannot see by anthony doerr, the huntress by kate quinn, the tattooist of auschwitz by. To gain more land and power, on 1 september 1939 german troops invaded poland. The area extending north beyond the brandenburg gate was later controlled by soviets for almost 40 year. List of books and articles about postwar germany online research. There is a tendency to blame everything on the nazis rather than on germany or germans the official line in germany now is that the german people themselves were the first victims of the nazis. Six months and a million casualties later, the reich had barely averted catastrophe.
World war ii historical fiction, historical fiction, books. From the battlefields to the faces of the civilians who never set foot on one but whose lives were shattered all the same, the world war 2 photos above bring historys greatest catastrophe to life. Explore the collection the international museum of world war ii. The best books on the aftermath of world war ii five.
Wwii historical fiction youll be dying to share booklist queen. The epic account of world war ii s greatest rescue mission. The most popular theme for alternative histories by far is world war ii it would have been possible to populate the entire list with books where the nazis won or the conflicts outcome is drastically different. Germans at stalingrad, 19421943 rare historical photos. This book highlights the atrocities committed by stalin during world war 2, which rival those of the germans towards the jews during the same time period. After the german surrender in may 1945, world war ii ended in europe. Following the german military leaders unconditional surrender in may 1945, the country lay prostrate. In total the collection comprises over 7,000 objects, 500,000 documents, including letters, diaries, log books, leaflets, pamphlets, magazines and photographs, 3,500 posters and 7,500 books. Allies during world war ii, the us and the ussr became competitors on the world stage and engaged in the cold war, so called because it never resulted in overt, declared hot war. Novels bring world war ii to life for a new generation. His southern victory or timeline191 series has the confederates beating the union. May 24, 2019 the first is the story of a female nazi, who was found hiding in the united states after the war. This post on world war ii books is sponsored by libby.
Discover librarianselected research resources on postwar germany from the questia. Cold war history the complete history from world war 2 to the cuban missile crisis, and the vietnam war to reagan and gorbachev 19451991 required history by. His days of infamy books have japan occupying hawaii. Just after world war 2 ends, dawsey adams, a farmer from the british isle of guernsey, convinces his neighbors to write the stories of their war experience and send them to author juliet ashton. Agent of byzantium has the byzantine empire surviving. They dont know where or when, but the germans know itll be soon, and for felicity flick clairet, the. In the early years of the war germany had great success. World war 2 facts for kids national geographic kids. The first is the story of a female nazi, who was found hiding in the united states after the war. Snodgrass, also a contributor to the series there is a secret history of the worlda history in which an alien virus struck the earth in the aftermath of world war ii, endowing a handful of. 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. The major allied powers were britain, france, russia, china and the united states. Here are the 10 most essential books focusing on various aspects of the war in poland, organized by something like chronology.
Novels bring world war ii to life for a new generation the. The first industrial plan for germany, signed in 1946, required the destruction of 1,500 manufacturing plants to lower german heavy industry output to roughly 50% of its 1938. Even better, the new version are spiralbound, which stands up better against wear and tear. A shocking account of a massive and brutal military occupation, after the reich draws on an array of contemporary firstperson accounts of the period to offer a bold reframing of the history of world war ii and its aftermath. 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 brutal history of allied occupation by giles macdonogh, 2007. The 17 best books on world war i of 2020 thoughtco. Europe and the mediterrean atlas and the second world war asia and the pacific atlas. Best world war ii history nonfiction readable accounts of any part of the war, but especially having to do with u. The top 10 books about austriahungary books the guardian. The epic account of world war iis greatest rescue mission. What are some good books to read to understand what was. In the 1950s and 60s about 786,000 germans immigrated to the united states. Novels bring world war ii to life for a new generation by alexandra alter june, 2016 historical fiction is having a renaissance, and publishers of youngadult.
With his new book on the second world war, british historian andrew roberts has not. The aftermath of world war ii was the beginning of a new era, defined by the decline of all european colonial empires and simultaneous rise of two superpowers. Glamour, decadence, and survival in peace and war, 19301944. The scale and speed of the conflict had been unprecedented. 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.
Girl spies, resistance and nazis by anne rouyer, supervising librarian, mulberry street libraryfebruary 20, 20. Decades after nazi armies began their march of conquest and. The major axis powers were germany, italy and japan. Explore the collection the international museum of world. Before world war 2 began, germany was ruled by a man named adolf hitler. If youre a world war ii aficionado or history buff in general, theres no other trip quite like seeing the sights left behind by the third reich and nazi germany. Evanss the coming of the third reich and the third reich in power. 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.
I will provide a description of germany at the finish of world war ii which will demonstrate why many people chose to immigrate to countries such as the united states. The soviets recovered 250,000 german and romanian corpses in and around stalingrad, and total axis casualties germans, romanians, italians, and hungarians are believed to have been more than 800,000. The best books on the aftermath of world war ii five books expert. E company, 506th regiment, 101st airborne, from normandy to hitlers eagle. In post wwii years of 19491958, 375,000 germans immigrated to the united states. Jun, 2016 novels bring world war ii to life for a new generation by alexandra alter june, 2016 historical fiction is having a renaissance, and publishers of youngadult novels say they are seeing special. The best books on the aftermath of world war ii five books. Cold war history the complete history from world war 2 to the cuban. The coming of the third reich covers the ascent of hitler and the nazi party from its creation to. The books have detailed maps of all campaigns, not just the ones involving americans. We have rarely felt sorry for what the germans suffered at the end of world war ii, in part because the germans have done a superb job of. Located in the center of europe, it borders the netherlands, belgium, luxembourg, and france on the west. World war ii was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. I am a 48 year old german, born in 1968 and raised in the southern part of the free state of bavaria.
Readers who think historical fiction is blah or boring stop right there. First published in 1960, this national book award winner and new york times bestseller traces the rise and fall of nazi germany from adolf hitler s birth in 1889 to the end of world war ii in 1945. In honor of veterans day, we thought it would be fun to do an entire post on world war ii historical fiction recommended by my readers. 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. National geographic kids is an exciting monthly read for planetpassionate boys and. Dec 15, 2010 in post wwii years of 19491958, 375,000 germans immigrated to the united states. Run, dont walk, to your nearest bookstore or library and get richard j. Mortensen pdf with commentary at air university press filed under. The shocking history of the brutal occupation of germany after the second world. Berlin at the end of the war, 1945 rare historical photos.
To compile our world war 2 reading list, i went through all the comments on our blog. Sunhee and her brother are forced to learn japanese in school and give up traces of their korean heritage and culture. So first on your list is a book by michael howard, the first world war 2003, which is a very nice, readable introduction to world war i. Jun 25, 2018 just after world war 2 ends, dawsey adams, a farmer from the british isle of guernsey, convinces his neighbors to write the stories of their war experience and send them to author juliet ashton. This list of books, set in nazi occupied europe, is filled with fast paced adventure, high stakes thrills, nail biting tension. In june 1942, nazi germany was looking forward to victory. You cant go much bigger in althistory terms than playing around with world war iithe world had never. The germans dont hide any of their history from their children,or attempt to excuse it as such. The german state had ceased to exist, and sovereign authority passed to the victorious allied powers. Its most immediate legacies were death, devastation, and misery. First of all, as a standalone book, this is the best, single, short introduction to. The comprehensive guide to over 1500 weapons systems, including tanks, small arms, warplanes, artillery, ships and submarines.
Rising to power in an unstable germany, adolf hitler and his national socialist nazi party rearmed the nation and signed treaties. Together with the nazi party, he wanted germany to rule europe. World war 2 was a battle between two groups of countries. It gives you a good sense of the whole war, including the peace settlement at versailles. World war ii killed around 70 million people, or 4% of the worlds population. 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. People love to read about one of the worst events in history. At the end of the war, there were some eight million foreign displaced persons in germany. 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 31, 20 historian sean mcmeekin picks the best books about the great dual monarchy destroyed by the first world war sean mcmeekin wed 31 jul 20 10. Some were bombed into obsolescence, others were destroyed to cover over the reminder of the atrocities of war, but many significant spots remain accessible to the public today.