The German army occupied the town of Saint-Lô on 17 June 1940. Being a strategic crossroads, Saint-Lô was almost totally destroyed (95% according to common estimates) during the Battle of Normandy in World War II, earning the title of "The Capital of the Ruins" from Samuel Beckett; it was even questioned whether to rebuild it or to leave the ruins intact as a testimony to the bombing.A detailed and vivid photo history, packed with rare photographs, some in colour, this is an invaluable reference tool to any modeller, historian or enthusiast on one of the most devastating battles in history. French Language

The Battered Bastards of Bastogne is the product of contributions by 530 soldiers who were on the ground or in the air over Bastogne. They lived and made this history and much of it is told in their own words. The material contributed by these men of the 101st Airborne Division, the Armour, Tank Destroyer, Army Air Force, and others is tailored meticulously by the author and placed on the historical framework known to most students of the Battle of the Bulge. Pieces of a jigsaw puzzle nearly 60 years old come together in this book, when memories related by one soldier fit with those of another unit or group pursuing the battle from another nearby piece of terrain.

Many professional historians have recorded the actions of D-Day but here is an account of the airborne actions as described by the actual men themselves in eyewitness detail. Participants range from division command personnel to regimental, battalion, company and battery commanders to chaplains, surgeons, enlisted medics, platoon sergeants, squad leaders and the rough, tough troopers who adapted quickly to fighting in mixed, unfamiliar groups after a badly scattered drop – and yet managed to gain the objectives set for them in the hedgerow country of Normandy. George Koskimaki was part of the 101st Airborne’s daring parachute landing into occupied France that day. Now, drawing on more than five hundred firsthand accounts, including the never-before-published experiences of the trailblazing pathfinders and glider men, Koskimaki re-creates those critical hours in all their ferocity and terror. Told by those who ultimately prevailed, ordinary Americans who faced an extraordinary challenge, D-Day with the Screaming Eagles is the real history of that climactic struggle beyond the beachhead.

September 17, 1944; thousands of 101st Airborne Division paratroopers, known as the Screaming Eagles, descend from the sky over Holland, dropping deep behind German lines in a daring daylight mission to seize and secure the road leading north to Arnhem and the Rhine. Their success would allow the Allied army to advance swiftly into Germany. The Screaming Eagles accomplish their initial objectives within hours, but keeping their sections of “Hell’s Highway” open takes another 72 days of fierce round-the-clock fighting against crack German troops and tank divisions. Hell's Highway is the dramatic name given to the vital stretch of road that the British 3rd Guards Armoured Division had to advance down rapidly on their route to relieve the American Paras (82nd Airborne) at Nijmegen and the British 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem. Drawing on interviews with more than 600 paratroopers, George E. Koskimaki chronicles, with vivid firsthand accounts, the dramatic, never-before-told story of the Screaming Eagles’ valiant struggle. Hell’s Highway also tells of the Dutch citizens and members of the underground who were liberated after five years of Nazi oppression and who never forgot America’s airborne heroes. This renowned force risked their lives for the freedom of a small country . . . and the world.About the AuthorGeorge Koskimaki is a noted historian of the 101st Airborne Division. His other books include D-Day With The Screaming Eagles and The Battered Bastards of Bastogne. He lives in Northville, MI, USA.

During the final days of World War II, German SS officers crammed trains, cars, and trucks full of gold, currency, and jewels, and headed for the mountains of Austria. Fearful of arrest and determined to keep the stolen loot out of Allied hands, they concealed their treasures and fled. Most of these men were eventually apprehended, but many managed to evade capture. The intensive post-war Allied investigation that followed recovered only a sliver of this mountain of gold. What happened to the rest of it, and what fate befell these men?Authors Alford and Savas answer these questions and many more. Their groundbreaking study is based upon thousands of pages of previously unpublished and recently declassified documents. The result is a fresh and absolutely original reading experience that offers insights into the minds and methods of these SS thieves, the Office within which they laboured, how they achieved their positions of near-absolute power, the complex Allied investigation into their activities, and what happened to the vast sums of wealth they looted from Europe's Jews.Nazi Millionaires deftly captures the high drama surrounding these men and women and the secrets they carried with them during the closing days of World War II – and in some cases, to the grave. It is a remarkable tale of greed, lust, fraud, deceit, treachery, and murder. It is one you will long remember.About the Authors: Kenneth D. Alford, of Richmond, Virginia, is the author of Great Treasure Stories of World War II and The Spoils of World War II. Theodore P. Savas has written or edited a dozen books, including Silent Hunters: German U-Boat Commanders of World War II.

“He was one of the last great foreign correspondents” – Larry Meredith, United Press“The story of how Guard gate-crashed journalism is in itself an epic.” – Newspaper World magazine“..

Although it is known that Allied airborne forces landed into a German buzzsaw on D-Day, far less is known about the troops they encountered in the dark night of June 6, 1944. One of the formations they encountered was a similarly elite group of paratroopers, who fought on the defensive instead of dropping from the skies, giving their Allied counterparts a tremendous challenge in achieving their objectives.This is the first complete wartime history of the 6th Fallschirmjäger, with numerous firsthand accounts from key members describing the events of 1943–45 vividly and without compromise for the first time. These accounts reveal previously unknown details about important operations in Italy, Russia, on the Normandy Front, Belgium, Holland, the last German Parachute drop in the Ardennes, and the final battle to the end in Germany.With over 220 original photographs, many from private collections and never before published, this book fully illustrates the men, their uniforms, equipment and weapons. Also included is an appendix with maps, battle calendar, staffing plans, a list of field and post-MOB-numbers, and the Knight's Cross recipients of the regiment. Having earned the respect of the Allied forces who fought against them during World War II, this work will inform current readers of the full record of Fallschirmjäger Regiment 6, and why the Allied advance into German-held Europe was so painstaking to achieve.

During World War II, thousands of Native Americans took part in the crusade for the defence of freedom and democracy in all theatres of operation: from Normandy to the Pacific via Africa and North Italy, the soldiers from these tribes demonstrated huge patriotism and courage. No minority has contributed as much to, or been as largely influenced by, World War II. 44,000 Indians in a population of 400,000 have served under the flags of the US military, with five receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor. Many other soldiers of Indian origin, such as Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, the famous commander of the "hotheads" and Ira Hayes, one of the Marines who hoisted the American flag on Mount Su-Ribash at Iwo Jima, have also known glory. The soldiers that fought in the ranks of the Allies came from many tribes of North America, such as the Navajo, the Apaches, Sioux, Cheyenne, Comanche, Choktaws, Mesk-wakis, Cherokees and other Iroquois, and many specialised in transmissions and using their languages ​as secret code on the Pacific theatre. Based on many photos, maps and testimonials, the author presents the decisive and often unrecognised contribution of the Indians of North America to the war effort. The US and Canada pay tribute to the soldiers of the First Nations Canadian and American who sacrificed their youth for their country.French Language

The Panzer-Abteilung s.SS 103/ 503 first saw action in southern Russia, during the Don campaign and the withdrawal from Stalingrad. It was upgraded in April 1943, receiving 24 new Tigers, completing their complement of 45 Tigers. Having lost only four Tigers during the Kursk offensive and a further four during the withdrawal, the unit received 12 replacements in August 1943. In late 1943, sPzAbt 503 was made part of Panzer Regiment "Bake", a special battle group which fought in several fierce engagements in the Dnieper sector near Cherkassy. The sPzAbt 503 remained assigned to PzRgt."Bake" until April 1944, then was withdrawn and sent to the West for refitting.After the success of two previous volumes devoted to these heavy tanks, this history of the Panzer-Abteilung s.SS 103/503 units is illustrated with 450 photographs, maps and various documents, as well as 20 colour profiles.French Language.

"One Woman's War will undoubtedly earn a place as one of the most valuable personal documents of the Second World War." – Montreal Gazette "A compelling memoir." – William French, Globe and Mail "The eyewitness report is so vivid, so utterly human, that one puts down the book with the feeling of having been there. " – Patricia Morley Books This is a story not of military campaigns and grand strategy, but the joys and sorrows of life on a more intimate battlefield – the battlefield of the French resistance.Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Gladys Arnold was sent to Paris by Canadian Press in October 1939, and was the only Canadian reporter to experience the invasion of France by the Germans in the spring of 1940. One Woman's War is Gladys Arnold's vivid eyewitness account of the fall of France and the growth of the Free French resistance. She was one of the first journalists to interview General Charles de Gaulle, and she brings to life many of the memorable people, French and Canadian, who fought the underground war.One Woman's War is an account of some of the most important and harrowing events of the 20th century, told by a marvellously engaging and courageous woman.About the AuthorGladys Arnold was Paris correspondent for Canadian Press from 1936 to 1941 and information officer with the Free French in Canada from 1941 to 1947.

"Finkel and Leibovitz have come up with a new and more satisfactory explanation of why the Second World War broke out when it did." – Telegraph JournalWas Neville Chamberlain merely naive, a man of peace who was blind to Hitler's warlike intentions in the late 1930s? Or did he, with the backing of much of Britain's ruling elite, positively prefer Nazism to the threat of Communism in a politically charged era? Alvin Finkel and Clement Leibovitz forcefully maintain the latter view. They present irrefutable evidence that in 1938 Chamberlain’s government, supported by powerful business interests and an influential segment of the press, sought an agreement with the Nazis that would protect the west against attack while positively encouraging German expansion in Central and Eastern Europe. Attempts to conclude a pact among Britain, France, Germany and Italy were not, in fact, abandoned until Churchill's ascension to power in May of 1940.The Chamberlain-Hitler Collusion is a bold and scrupulously documented re-examination of a vital period in European history, one that definitively overturns much received wisdom.About the AuthorsAlvin Finkel is a professor of history at Athabasca University. He is the author of Business and Social Reform in the Thirties, The Social Credit Phenomenon in Alberta, and A History of Canadian Peoples.Clement Leibovitz spent eight years researching the events leading to World War II.

Renowned for decades as the world’s foremost railroad artist, Howard Fogg’s career spanned half a century and some twelve hundred paintings. However, while his art has been welcomed for decades, few of his enthusiasts have been aware of his prior career, as a fighter pilot in the U.S. 8th Air Force during World War II. Fortunately Fogg left behind a detailed diary of his experiences, which illuminate this brief but exciting aspect of his life, as he engaged in direct combat with the Luftwaffe at the controls of a P-47 Thunderbolt.Articulate and insightful, his diary offers a frank and fascinating glimpse into the life of a fighter pilot, both in the sky and in wartime England. Written during 1943 and 1944 it offers a confidential perspective of life as a “flyboy,” during which Howard flew 76 combat missions and was awarded the Air Medal with three clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross with one cluster.Presented in its entirety, with supplementary material by Richard and Janet Fogg, and supporting illustrations from Fogg himself, including satirical cartoons and military and railroad artwork, Fogg in the Cockpit paints with a broad brush, from the smallest details of a pilot’s day-to-day existence to air combat, and the strategic and political decisions that influenced the course of the war.

Here the author describes his experiences as a Luftwaffe Anti-Aircraft Assistant from 1944-1945: “It was simply a question of us fifteen to sixteen-year olds manning the anti-aircraft guns on the ground defending ourselves against the airmen in the bombers and fighters 20,000 feet above our heads.” Letters, reports, documents and above all, the author’s complete diary and photographs do so much to authenticate this time capsule. He describes how it was in those days, the final two years of World War II, both on the ground and in the air, manning the guns and systems of the 7th German Anti-Aircraft Brigade, or on operations with the bombers of the 15th US Air Fleet - including insight into the lives of the schoolboy troopers “down here” and the bomber crews “up there”. About the AuthorMSc Eng. Gerhard Oberleitner was born in Ybbs an der Donau, Austria, on April 7, 1928, the younger son of a Master Carpenter. He attended grade school in Ybbs, and the first to fourth years of high school in Vienna 19. He was supposed to attend the fifth to eighth high school years in Amstetten, but after the first trimester of the 6th grade, he was drafted as a Luftwaffe Anti-Aircraft Assistant. Almost up to the end of World War II, he served with a heavy AA battery in St. Valentin.

• A newly updated edition of this highly regarded volume on the Normandy landings and battles in English and FrenchHeimdal’s first Album Mémorial appeared in July 1983, complete with over 1000 photographs, and proved to be a tremendous success. With all the information in both French and English, during a period when similar works were scarce, it sold close to 50,000 copies during the following decade. The times may have changed, but this album has taken on a mythical quality and is still fulfilling the need for a detailed description of the landing and Normandy battle. Twenty-seven years later, here is a newly updated account of this dramatic period from history in all its splendour.

In May 1940, during the Battle of France, the British Expeditionary Force in France aiding the French, was cut off from the rest of the French Army by the German advance. Encircled by the Germans they retreated to the area around the port of Dunkirk. The German land forces could have easily destroyed the British Expeditionary Force, especially when many of the British troops, in their haste to withdraw, had left behind their heavy equipment. This lull in the action gave the British a few days to evacuate by sea. Winston Churchill ordered any ship or boat available, large or small, to pick up the stranded soldiers, and 338,226 men (including 123,000 French soldiers) were evacuated – the miracle of Dunkirk, as Churchill called it. It took over 900 vessels to evacuate the Allied forces. More than 40,000 vehicles as well as massive amounts of other military equipment and supplies were left behind; their value being less than that of trained fighting men. After the success of Corridor des Panzers and Zur Kuste, this new volume takes us directly into the Dunkirk arena, and concludes the suite of works on this dramatic period of history.Jean-Yves Mary has also provided modern photos of the battlefields, in comparison with the original images, allowing us to locate the areas where the events took place.

"This book is a must-read for all those who wish to understand Germany’s greatest World War II commander, for both his strategic brilliance and moral ambiguity" – History Book Club“Lemay, a civilian scholar and one of the best of the rising generation of military historians, synergizes Manstein’s campaigns and his role in the Final Solution.” – World War II magazine“…an objective analysis not only of Von Manstein's campaigns but also of his participation in the criminal aspects of Nazi Germany's war effort. Much to the author's credit, he does not flinch when he exposes Von Manstein's participation in the “Final Solution” and an intense examination of the Field Marshal's politics, attitudes and behavior towards his enemies. An excellent biography of a flawed yet brilliant soldier.” – The Past in Review“…well researched, convincingly reasoned analysis of a general widely considered one of World War II’s great commanders...” – Publisher’s WeeklyTo many students of World War II, von Manstein is already considered to be the greatest commander of the conflict, if not the entire 20th century. He devised the plan that conquered France in 1940, thence led an infantry corps in that campaign; at the head of a panzer corps he reached the gates of Leningrad in 1941, then took command of 11th Army and conquered Sevastopol and the Crimea. After destroying another Soviet army in the north, he was given command of the ad hoc Army Group Don to retrieve the German calamity at Stalingrad, whereupon he launched a counteroffensive that, against all odds, restored the German front.Though an undoubtedly brilliant military leader –whose achievements, considering the forces at his disposal, cast those of Patton, Rommel, MacArthur, and Montgomery in the pale – surprisingly little is known about Manstein himself, save for his own memoir and the accolades of his contemporaries. In this book we finally have a full portrait of the man, including his campaigns, and an analysis of what precisely kept a genius such as Manstein harnessed to such a dark cause.