Tag Archives: WW2

V-2

Posted on November 19, 2020 by smellincoffee

V-2: A Novel of World War 2 © 2020 Robert Harris320 pages The Wehrmacht is being pushed from western Europe, and the Waffen-SS is reeling in eastern Europe. The Luftwaffe flies no more. And yet Germany fights on, and the … Continue reading →

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COVID Reviews #6 Cleaning Up with gangsters, Navajo, politicians, and so many Germans

Posted on October 20, 2020 by smellincoffee

Back in September and early October when I was under quarantine, I didn’t have computer access, so I couldn’t take many notes or write reviews when things were fresh on my mind. I tried to post comments intermittently, but some … Continue reading →

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Of WW2 and alternate schools

Posted on September 14, 2020 by smellincoffee

Early last week I accidentally bought a ‘book’ called One Man Air Force, by Don S. Gentle. I say “book” because it’s only 50 pages, and I would have returned it (I was browsing WW2 books and hit the ‘buy … Continue reading →

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In the Garden of Beasts

Posted on July 30, 2020 by smellincoffee

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin © 2011 Erik Larson 432 pages In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt needed a man for a post no one wanted to fill: US Ambassador to Germany.  … Continue reading →

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The Splendid and the Vile

Posted on July 27, 2020 by smellincoffee

The Splendid and the Vile: A Sage of Churchill, Family, and Defiance during the Blitz © 2020 Erik Larson 464 pages “Nothing could have been more beautiful and the searchlights interlaced at certain points on the horizon, the star-like flashes … Continue reading →

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To Wake the Giant

Posted on June 21, 2020 by smellincoffee

To Wake the Giant: A Novel of Pearl Harbor © 2020 Jeff Shaara 528 pages In To Wake the Giant,  Jeff Shaara returns to World War 2, this time with a curveball.  Unlike most of his other novels,  Wake the … Continue reading →

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Code Girls

Posted on July 31, 2019 by smellincoffee

Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Codebreakers of World War 2 © 2017 Liza Mundy 640 pages At the outset of World War 2, the United States’ military intelligence apparatus, much like its military, was minimal.  Following … Continue reading →

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The USS Alabama

Posted on March 17, 2019 by smellincoffee

Images of America: USS Alabama© 2013 Kent Whitaker & Battleship Memorial Park128 pages When visiting downtown Mobile, one can’t help but notice the enormous battleship parked in the bay.  It’s the USS Alabama, tenth to bear the name, and its … Continue reading →

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An Iron Wind

Posted on October 11, 2018 by smellincoffee

An Iron Wind: Europe Under Hitler©  2016 Peter Fritzsche376 pages That crowds that cheered Neville Chamberlain’s return to England with a promise of peace in his hand are easy to condemn in hindsight. But no one in the 21st century … Continue reading →

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Church of Spies

Posted on October 6, 2018 by smellincoffee

Church of Spies: The Vatican’s Secret War Against Hitler© 2015 Mark Riebling384 pages The Catholic Church was one of Hitler’s earliest enemies, barring its members from participating in the Nazi party and publicly condemning Hitler’s early actions once he had … Continue reading →

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