World War II Resources

The liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is a story of courage and enduring triumph of calamity and miscalculation. In this first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson shows why no modern reader can understand the ultimate victory of the Allied powers without a grasp of the great drama that unfolded in North Africa in 1942 and 1943. That first year of the Allied war was a pivotal point in American history, the moment when the United States began to act like a great power. Beginning with the daring amphibious invasion in November 1942, this book follows the American and British armies as they fight the French in Morocco and Algeria, and then take on the Germans and Italians in Tunisia. Battle by battle, an inexperienced and sometimes poorly led army gradually becomes a superb fighting force. Central to the tale are the extraordinary but fallible commanders who come to dominate the battlefield: Eisenhower, Bradley, Montgomery, and Rommel.

This is a monumental and definitive study of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. At 7:53 A.M.,December 7, 1941, America's national conciousness and confidence were rocked as the first wave of Japanese warplanes targeted the U.S. Pacific Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor. As intense and absorbing as a suspense novel,"At Dawn We Slept" is an unparalleled, exhaustive account of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor that is widely regarded as the definitive assessment of the events surrounding one of the most daring and brilliant naval operations of all time. Through extensive research and interviews with American and Japanese leaders, Gordon W.Prange assembled a remarkable historical study that examines the assault that sixty years later America cannot forget.

Discover the history of World War II through activities that explore the roles of women, the Tuskegee Airmen, the Nazis, the Allies and other groups involved in the war. Short, informative lessons and quick activities will give students an engaging overview of the second World War. 28 reproducible pages, softcover, with answer key.

Each card features 3 silhouettes of an Allied or Axis Power airplane, as it would be seen by a ground observer, or from another airplane. Facsimile of a deck first issued in 1943.

Gain a complete understanding of the players involved in World War II; stepping far away from the glory-filled praises of the Allies during World War II, "Uncle Eric" recounts the atrocities committed by Stalin (who killed twice as many people as Hitler), the British (who hunted Aborigines in Australia and set up concentration camps in S. Africa), and Americans (against Native Americans). Exposure of "Anglo-Saxonism", and Hitler's death tolls of Jews, minorities, and other political dissenters provide a wide-angle view of the Old World Conflict that began after a complex mix of the effects of the Treaty of Versailles and a long history of European conquests. Offering a different perspective on American involvement, World War II presents evidence that Roosevelt deliberately provoked the Pearl Harbor attack, that Hitler was already finished when America went to war, and other reasons why American neutrality should never have been abandoned. 349 indexed pages, softcover.

Based upon the Uncle Eric Book World War 2: The Rest of the Story and How if Affects You Today, A Bluestocking Guide to World War II provides reinforcing assigments and information to accompany the primary text. A variety of short answer, fill-in-the-blank, true/false, essay, thought questions and other activities are included to provide a full orbed experience. 95 pages, softcover, answers included. Non-reproducible.

History is more multifaceted, complex, and non-linear than standard textbooks would have students believe. Walch's Focus on US History series will encourage students to actually think about history, rather than regurgitating a simple set of concrete facts. Creative activities will extend and reinforce any American history curriculum through thought-provoking, analytical activities.

The Era of World War II Through Contemporary Times (1939-present) covers the United States and World War II, foreign policy and the Cold War, the postwar United States, civil rights and equal rights, and contemporary times.

Divided into four chronological and thematic sections that are guided by the National Standards for History, each unit includes a teacher guide and student background page in addition to student activity worksheets. Reading selections draw from primary document sources as well as contemporary material designed to help students with decision-making comprehension, comparative skills, map skills, and interdisciplinary connections. Teacher guide sections provide an overview of the unit, objectives, and specific teaching suggestions for each activity. Assessment questions are included in the back of the book with the answer key.

121 pages reproducible for a single teacher. Answer key, glossary, and additional resource list included. Grades 7-11.

Flags of our Fathers is the true story from behind the raising of the U.S. Flag on Iwo Jima, captured in an immortal photograph that lifted the heart and spirit of the nation. A section of black-and-white photographs are included in the center of the book.211 indexed pages, softcover.

A Bridge Too Far is Cornelius Ryan's masterly chronicle of the Battle of Arnhem, which marshalled the greatest armada of troop-carrying aircraft ever assembled and cost the Allies nearly twice as many casualties as D-Day. In this compelling work of history, Ryan narrates the Allied effort to end the war in Europe in 1944 by dropping the combined airborne forces of the American and British armies behind German lines to capture the crucial bridge across the Rhine at Arnhem. Focusing on a vast cast of characters--from Dutch civilians to British and American strategists to common soldiers and commanders--Ryan brings to life one of the most daring and ill-fated operations of the war. A Bridge Too Far superbly recreates the terror and suspense, the heroism and tragedy of this epic operation, which ended in bitter defeat for the Allies. 672 pages, paperback. From Simon & Schuster.

During World War II, thousands of Americans read Ernie Pyle's accounts of the war; he was sent overseas with only one assignment: to write a story every day on whatever he could find. What came from that assignment was a best loved column that gave people an insiders view on the GI's fighting in Europe and later, the Pacific. Deciding to actually live the same life as the soldiers, he made beach-invasions with them, including Normanday and Iwo Jima, saw their battles and lived at their camps. He raised morale, supported the men he was working with and provided information in a time when he was sorely needed. After his death in the Pacific, he was mourned alongside Roosevelt. One of the greatest journalists, and one that laid the groundwork for later war correspondents, this engaging work on a little-known figure engrosses and informs, providing a window of light into the history of war media. 319 pages, indexed.

Newlywed American misionary Darlene Deibler Rose survived four years in a notorious Japanese prison camp set deep in the jungles of New Guinea. Thinking she was never to see her husband again, Darelene was forced to sign a false confession and face the executioner's sword, only to be miraculously spared in this true story of one woman's survival against the odds.

Battlefields & Blessings is a unique devotional offering 365 daily historical and spiritual insights into WWII and the lives of those who fought. You'll hear stories of selfless acts by soldiers, the kindness of chaplains, the faith of family at home, friendships forged and much more. As they did then, you'll be encouraged to draw near to God during difficult times.

On February 19, 1945, nearly 70,000 American soldiers invaded a tiny volcanic island in the Pacific. Over the next thirty-five days, approximately 28,000 soldiers died, including nearly 22,000 Japanese and 6,821 Americans, making Iwo Jima one of the costliest battles of World War II.

Bestselling oral historian Larry Smith dug deep for exclusive stories from Iwo Jima veterans, including the last surviving flag raiser on Mount Suribachi, a Navajo "code talker," a retired general, two Medal of Honor recipients, B-29 flyers, and other die-hard Marines who secured the island. Along the way, Smith investigates the controversy surrounding the famous photograph by Joe Rosenthal and presents the groundbreaking story of Japanese General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, rumored to have committed suicide rather than submit to capture.

Unabridged. 11 CDs. Narrated by Dick Hill.

In this superb book, Tom Brokaw goes out into America, to tell through the stories of individual men and women the story of a generation, America's citizen heroes and heroines who came of age during the Great Depression and the Second World War and went on to build modern America. This generation was united not only by a common purpose, but also by common values--duty, honor, economy, courage, service, love of family and country, and, above all, responsibility for oneself. In this book, you will meet people whose everyday lives reveal how a generation persevered through war, and were trained by it, and then went on to create interesting and useful lives and the America we have today.

The Battle for Berlin was the culminating struggle of World War II in the European theater, the last offensive of Hitler's Third Reich, which devastated one of Europe's historic capitals and brought the Nazi leviathan to itsdownfall. It was also one of the war's bloodiest and most pivotal moments, whose outcome would play a part in determining the complexion of international politics for decades to come. This is the compelling account of that final battle, a story of brutal extremes, of stunning military depth alongside the stark conditions that the civilians of Berlin experienced in the face of the Allied assault.

This volume, ten years in the writing, recounts the full story of the critical campaign for Guadalcanal and is based on first-time translations of official Japanese Defense Agency accounts and recently declassfied U.S. radio intelligence. Guadalcanal recreates the battle - on land, at sea, and in the air - as never before: it examines the feelings of both American and Japanese soldiers, the strategies and conflicts of their commanders, and the strengths and weaknesses of various fighting units.

The armies of six nations met on the battlefields of Normandy in what was to be the greatest Allied achievement of World War II. With dramatic, driving power, John Keegan describes the massed armies American, Canadian, English, German, Polish, and French at successive stages of the invasion. As he details the strategies of the military engagements, Keegan brilliantly shows how each of the armies reflected its own nation's values and traditions. And in a new introduction written especially to commemorate the 50th anniversary of D-Day, he contemplates the ways the events in Normandy still reverberate today.

Millions of young Americans went off to war in the 1940s. Wesley Biddle Notgrass (1915-2007) was one of them. Born and reared in Columbia, Tennessee, Wesley served in the U.S. Army for four years, one month, and seven days in the United States, England, France, Belgium, and Germany.
In One Soldier's Story, Wesley’s grandson John Notgrass tells Wesley’s story wearing his uniform and using his photographs. Based on written accounts from Wesley’s childhood and adulthood as well as oral accounts told to his family, this is the story of one man who sought to do his duty toward his God and his country. All ages. DVD in standard case. 49 minutes plus bonus features

Easy Company, 506th Airborne Division, U.S. Army, was as good a rifle company as any in the world. From their rigorous training in Georgia in 1942 to D-Day and victory, Ambrose tells the story of this remarkable company which kept getting the rough assignments. Easy Company was responsible for everything from parachuting into France early D-Day morning to the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden. Band of Brothers is the accounts of the men of this remarkable unit who fought, went hungry, froze, and died, a company that took 150 percent casualties and considered the Purple Heart a badge of office. Drawing on hours of interviews with survivors as well as the soldiers' journals and letters, Stephen Ambrose tells the stories, often in the men's own words, of these American heroes.

While we think of D-Day as the event that won WWII, it would have never even been possible without the code breakers from Bletchly Park, England. Presenting the history of code breaking during World War II, Battle of Wits provides extensive information on the Enigma Machine, explanations of how the Japanese codes were broken, and how American codebreaking machines helped to crack the Axis codes. Black and white photograph plates are included. 436 indexed pages, softcover.

In this riveting account, historian Stephen Ambrose continues where he left off in his "1 bestseller D-Day. Ambrose again follows the individual characters of this noble, brutal, and tragic war, from the high command down to the ordinary soldier, drawing on hundreds of interviews to re-create the war experience with startling clarity and immediacy. Citizen Soldiers tells the real story of World War II, from the hedgerows of Normandy to the overrunning of Germany, from the perspective of the men and women who fought it.

In this riveting account, historian Stephen Ambrose continues where he left off in his "1 bestseller D-Day. Ambrose again follows the individual characters of this noble, brutal, and tragic war, from the high command down to the ordinary soldier, drawing on hundreds of interviews to re-create the war experience with startling clarity and immediacy. Citizen Soldiers tells the real story of World War II, from the hedgerows of Normandy to the overrunning of Germany, from the perspective of the men and women who fought it.

Stephen E. Ambrose draws from more than 1,400 interviews with American, British, Canadian, French, and German veterans to create the preeminent chronicle of the most important day in the twentieth century. Ambrose reveals how the original plans for the invasion were abandoned, and how ordinary soldiers and officers acted on their own initiative. D-Day is above all the epic story of men at the most demanding moment of their existence, when the horrors, complexities, and triumphs of life and laid are. Ambrose portrays the faces of courage and heroism, fear and determination - what Eisenhower called "the fury of an aroused democracy" - that shaped the victory of the citizen soldiers whom Hitler had disparaged.

This volume, ten years in the writing, recounts the full story of the critical campaign for Guadalcanal and is based on first-time translations of official Japanese Defense Agency accounts and recently declassfied U.S. radio intelligence. Guadalcanal recreates the battle - on land, at sea, and in the air - as never before: it examines the feelings of both American and Japanese soldiers, the strategies and conflicts of their commanders, and the strengths and weaknesses of various fighting units.

On Easter Sunday, 1945, the U.S. Marines and Army launched an invasion of Japan, attacking Okinawa with 540,000 men and 1,600 seagoing ships. The closing battle of World War II, it lasted eighty-three days and eclipsed D-Day in both troops and tonage. In Okinawa, Marine and Pacific War veteran Robert Leckie retells the epic tale of this great battle from both sides, including the stories of the Japanese generals, who in the battle's last moments committed hari-kiri. He especially focuses on the American soldiers themselves and their commanding officers, drawing brilliantly illuminated portraits of individuals who fought a merciless enemy in the tradition of American military history at its most splendid and terrifying.

A stunning novel based on the true story of how German war profiteer and factory direktor Oskar Schindler came to save more Jews from the gas chambers than any other single person during World War II. In this milestone of Holocaust literature, Thomas Keneally uses the actual testimony of the Schindlerjuden- Schindler's Jews- to brilliantly portray the courage and cunning of a good man in the midst of unspeakable evil.

Drawing on previously unpublished eyewitness accounts, prizewinning historian Donald L. Miller has written what critics are calling one of the most powerful accounts of warfare ever published. Here are the horror and heroism of World War II in the words of the men who fought it, the journalists who covered it, and the civilians who were caught in its fury. Miller gives us an up-close, deeply personal view of a war that was more savagely fought -- and whose outcome was in greater doubt -- than readers might imagine. This is the war that Americans at the home front would have read about had they had access to the previously censored testimony of the soldiers on which Miller builds his gripping narrative.

Newly in print for the first time in years, this is the classic story of the invasion of Normandy, and a book that endures as a masterpiece of living history. A compelling tale of courage and heroism, glory and tragedy, The Longest Day painstakingly recreates the fateful hours that preceded and followed the massive invasion of Normandy to retell the story of an epic battle that would turn the tide against world fascism and free Europe from the grip of Nazi Germany.