World War 2
Last updated: December 10, 2024
Books on the Aftermath of World War II, recommended by Keith Lowe
Postwar Europe was a scene of both physical and moral destruction. Keith Lowe, author of the award-winning Savage Continent, recommends essential reading for understanding the sheer scale of suffering, dislocation and fighting after the war was over.
VE Day Books: Editors’ Picks, recommended by Sophie Roell
For the anniversary of VE or Victory in Europe Day, Five Books editor Sophie Roell takes a personal tour of books about World War II and the Holocaust.
The best books on The Psychology of Nazism, recommended by Daniel Pick
The historian and author of The Pursuit of the Nazi Mind, Daniel Pick, tells us what we can learn from attempts to use psychology, psychiatry and psychoanalysis to understand Nazism.
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1
After Jutland: The Naval War in North European Waters, June 1916-November 1918
by James Goldrick -
2
The Rules of the Game: Jutland and British Naval Command
by Andrew Gordon -
3
The Silent Deep: The Royal Navy Submarine Service since 1945
by James Jinks & Peter Hennessy -
4
Battle Line: The United States Navy, 1919–1939
by Thomas C. Hone & Trent Hone -
5
World War II at Sea: A Global History
by Craig L. Symonds
The best books on Naval History (20th Century), recommended by Nicholas Rodger
The best books on Naval History (20th Century), recommended by Nicholas Rodger
In the world wars of the twentieth century, naval warfare has often been given a secondary role. But as naval historian Nicholas Rodger explains, the protagonists who thought like that lost. Here, he chooses five books that explain the military role and development of navies over the course of the 20th century.
The best books on The French Resistance, recommended by Jonathan Fenby
The historian and author chooses five books on de Gaulle and the Resistance. He says the British tried to veto de Gaulle’s famous 1940 speech from London calling on the French to stand up to German occupation
The best books on The Other France, recommended by Carmen Callil
Author and founder of Virago Press decries the absolute silence of the church during the Holocaust, and discusses five books on the “dark and murky side” the French have now “faced up to”
The best books on Pilots of the Second World War, recommended by Steve Darlow
Steve Darlow, author of nine books on military aviation, discusses his favourite books on pilots during the Second World War – a time when 800 Allied airmen were lynched
The best books on Nazi Hunters, recommended by Guy Walters
The Times journalist calls Simon Wiesenthal a liar. He’s just not this secular saint that everyone says he is – his memoirs all contradict each other and are at odds with the rest of the evidence