Akron Public Library

"Masters of the Air is a narrative history of the bomber war in World War Two. The U.S. had two air forces conducting strategic bombing in Europe during the war, the Eighth and the Fifteenth. The Eighth was the more powerful and was the one that bombed Germany. Masters of the Air is the story of the Eighth Air Force. The American bomber war began in the summer of 1942 with a strike by a dozen Flying Fortresses (B-17s), or "Forts," as they were called,...

"Renowned historian Max Hastings recreates one of the most thrilling events of World War II: Operation Pedestal, the British action to save its troops from starvation on Malta--an action-packed tale of courage, fortitude, loss, and triumph against all odds. In 1940, Hitler had two choices when it came to the Mediterranean region: stay out, or commit sufficient forces to expel the British from the Middle East. Against his generals' advice, the Fuhrer...

Jules and Jim are best friends. They play together. They go to school together. They grow up together. Through it all, Jim is always a little ahead of Jules-a little faster, a little stronger. So, when Canada goes to war against Germany in 1914, Jim is the first to volunteer, but Jules is right behind him. They fight together. They battle the cold and the mud of the trenches together. But in the end, only one of them will see the Armistice begin at...

"A historical account of Operation Varsity, the largest airborne invasion of World War II"--

Armin Scheiderbauer served as an infantry officer with the 252nd Infantry Division, German Army, saw four years of bitter combat on the Eastern Front, and was wounded six times. Scheiderbauer joined his unit during the winter of 1941-42, and during the following years saw fierce combat in many of the largest battles on the Eastern Front. His experiences of the 1943-45 period are particularly noteworthy, including his recollections of the massive Soviet...

When Nick Nardini enlists in the Marine Corps' new paratrooper combat unit at the start of World War II, he has to talk his best friend, Zachary Klecko, into joining him in what he sees as an adventure--but from boot camp on it is clear that Zach is much more serious about the war than Nick is, at least until they are assigned to one of the POW recovery teams on the Japanese mainland.

A "riveting biography of an American hero" who was a famed fighter pilot, author of the memoir God is my co-pilot, and military general.

"John C. McManus, one of our most highly-acclaimed historians of World War II, takes readers from Pearl Harbor--a rude awakening for a ragtag militia woefully unprepared for war--to Makin, a sliver of coral reef where the Army was tested against the increasingly-desperate Japanese. In between were nearly two years of punishing combat as the Army transformed, at times unsteadily, from an undertrained garrison force into an unstoppable juggernaut, and...

This documentary about the American Civil War features living history reenactments that take viewers to the battle line to see the action from the soldiers point of view, as well as addressing the political and personal factors that played a role in the war, through personal letters, official reports, and diaries.

Autumn 1944. World War II is nearly over in Europe but is escalating in the Pacific, where American soldiers face an opponent who will go to any length to avoid defeat. The Japanese army follows the samurai code of Bushido, stipulating that surrender is a form of dishonor. Killing the Rising Sun takes listeners to the bloody tropical-island battlefields of Peleliu and Iwo Jima and to the embattled Philippines, where General Douglas MacArthur has made...