World War II: The Real Story
(Updated December 2006)
If you are interested in learning about World War II, check out some of these nonfiction titles spotlighted by Reader Advisor Paul Mathews.
To order any of these titles, contact the library by email, mail or phone. You may also request these titles online through our OPAC. Happy Reading!
A-Train: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman by Charles W. Dryden.
Autobiography by a retired lieutenant colonel of the United States Air Force who was one of the original African American fighter pilots in World War II. Dryden discusses his experiences in a segregated military institution where he and his colleagues, although they never lost a bomber, were denied privileges at American bases because of their race. RC 47159.
The American Magic: Codes, Ciphers, and the Defeat of Japan by Ronald Lewin.
A military historian recounts the decisive role of American codebreakers in shortening the war in the Pacific. He details how American Intelligence succeeded, even before Pearl Harbor, in breaking Japanese diplomatic and military codes and how information acquired in this manner was used or misused during the conduct of World War II. RC 17625.
The Black Sheep: The Definitive Account of Marine Fighting Squadron 214 in World War II by Bruce Gamble.
Gamble recounts actual events behind the legends of World War II fighters in marine squadron 214. Describes exaggerations among the images portrayed in a popular television series and even in "Pappy" Boyington's autobiography. Presents a roster of pilots and a chronology of VMF-214 operations. RC 48259.
Combat Crew: A True Story of Flying and Fighting in World War II by John Comer.
Memoir of a man who survived 25 combat missions as a B-17 flight engineer and top-turret gunner. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, Comer enlisted in the Army and wound up on a Flying Fortress crew based in England. There he participated in some of the war's toughest raids. RC 27615.
Flights of Passage: Reflections of a World War II Aviator by Samuel Hynes.
Memoir of a marine bomber pilot in the closing stages of World War II. Hynes chronicles how military service and combat flying formed a rite of passage from childhood to adulthood, not just for him, but for a whole generation that grew up during the war. He also gives a historical account of the unsung, unglamorous, and highly dangerous lives of the pilots. RC 27938.
The Forbidden Diary: A B-24 Navigator Remembers by John L. Stewart.
World War 2 navigator who guided B-24 Liberator bombers over Europe at age nineteen reveals entries from the journal he kept in defiance of military orders in 1944. Reminisces about members of his crew and life in wartime England. Illustrates flight routes; appendix explains calculations. RC 48698.
Guadalcanal Diary by Richard William Tregaskis.
A daily account of the landing of the American Marines on Guadalcanal Island where they fought one of the most critical battles of World War II. The author, a war correspondent, accompanied the troops. RC 22138.
O God of Battles by Harry Homewood.
Wartime adventures of two brothers serving in the Navy. Both face unending battles and personal hardships as Michael O'Connor eventually becomes the Navy's most decorated submarine captain while his younger brother, Andy, becomes a fighter pilot ace. Some strong language. RC 19657.
They Were Expendable by William Lindsey White.
The heroic exploits of an American Torpedo Boat Squadron during the Philippine campaign of World War II, based on interviews and verbatim accounts from the four young naval officers who survived. RC 18850.
Thunder Below!: The USS Barb Revolutionizes Submarine Warfare in World War II by Eugene B. Fluckey.
The retired rear admiral and winner of the Medal of Honor relates the story of the submarine USS Barb, which he commanded in World War II. Drawing from his memories, as well as from logs, letters, interviews, official reports, and diaries, Fluckey reconstructs the daring missions of the ship and crew that sank more enemy tonnage than any other submarine during the war. RC 42300.
Tumult in the Clouds by James A. Goodson.
One of the leading aces of the Allied Forces in World War II gives a vivid account of his career and etches indelible portraits of the men who shared the dangers and excitement of air combat with him. RC 22083.