One kind of weapon of mass destruction is poison gas. Weve selected 10 ya books, 20 novels and 30 examples of nonfiction with the. There are more than 500 separate items of equipment used between 1939 and 1945, from combat handguns to massive aircraft carriers. Even with tanks and aircraft, the foot soldiers remain an essential element of modern armies, both because there are tasks they do best, and because even the richest nations cant afford to equip millions of soldiers with tanks.
Some giant guns could hurl projectiles so far that crews had to take into account the rotation of. List of common world war ii infantry weapons wikipedia. The mg42 was a german design that is still in use today. Ww2 weapons 19391945 no other war of recent history holds the interest of many as does world war 2 with its veritable array of characters, events and of course weaponry. The importance of books was given wartime currency in the slogan books are weapons in the war of ideas. The kawanishi n1k, the best japanese fighter to have seen service with the imperial japanese navy, has a bizarre origin story. A lavishly illustrated compendium of military hardware covers everything that fought in the air, on the ground, and on the seas during world war ii. Germans used all small arms, trucks, tow tractors, light, medium and heavy tanks. World war ii, also called second world war, conflict that involved virtually every part of the world during the years 193945. Germany s secret weapons of world war ii explores this littleknown aspect of the nazi war machine to reveal the extent of german secret weapons development. Tanks of the second world war by thomas anderson, the world encyclopedia of rifles and machine guns. Dwight eisenhower considered the jeep one of the most significant weapons of world war ii. Many of them gave rise to weapons that the military forces of the world use today. M3 lee tanks under construction in the huge new tank factory of the detroit arsenal.
A blitzkrieg a type of offensive warfare that strikes a swift, focused blow at an enemy using mobile, maneuverable forces was often used in world war ii. This list does not consist of all weapons used by all countries in world war ii. World war ii saw rapid technological innovation in response to the needs of the various combatants. World war ii and popular culture the national wwii museum. Classical strategies for a modern world takes a unique approach.
The novels deal with the radical alteration of the history of world war ii and. Great britain and france responded by declaring war on germany. Jan 18, 2018 world war ii was fought from 1939 to 1945 and saw variety of weapons used in the field. Through the course of the war, weapons of all types evolved greatly and increased incomplexity. This article on ww2 vehicles is from the book dday encyclopedia. The early chapters of the first book in the trilogy, weapons of choice, are set. This bold reimagining of suntzus masterwork of strategic planning and conflict analysis has taken the disjointed, esoteric aphorisms of the original and reworked them into a lively and easytoread english prose. The reduced birthrate during world war ii is estimated to have caused. Kate hodges graduated from the university of westminster with a ba in print journalism.
Buy infantry weapons of world war ii by suermondt, jan isbn. It has been upgraded along the way but the original design was both reliable and rugged enough for field use. However, many of these inventions were downright bizarre, and this list aims to explore the inventions which. A historian of the ottoman empire and modern turkey, he is a publisher of popular history, a podcaster, and online course creator. Russia alone suffered more than 21 million casualties more than any other country. World war ii raged from 1939 to 1945, involving the vast majority of nations. World war ii, to date, caused more destruction and cost more money than any other conflict. This category explores the war, its history, and its legacy. World war ii greatly advanced technology and the weapons developed helped shape the postwar world. What every person should know about war the new york times. World war two firsthand accounts nonfiction 666 books.
New kinds of poison gas, such as nerve gas, are much more powerful than. This is a list of infantry weapons which were in mainstream use during world war ii 19391945. Throughout world war 2, tanks played a major role in many of the battles that occurred throughout the war. Originally intended to be a floatplane fighter, a landbased version was developed by the kawanishi company in 1941 as a private venture that was independent of the japanese military. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. A new history of the second world war the new yorker. First, it is aiming to offer interesting and useful information about ww2. It resulted in the deaths of at least 60 million soldiers and civilians. Hanson begins by putting the second world war in a classical context. Books as weapons during world war ii subject of author. List of world war ii firearms of germany wikipedia. A good overview of the weapons used by the soviet union during the second world war, ranging from individual infantry weapons up to the battleships of the soviet fleet, as well as the various lend lease items that supported the soviet war effort. For example, there is no book on the invasion of poland in 1939. Buy the illustrated encyclopedia of weapons of world war ii by chris bishop online from the works.
The axis of time trilogy is an alternative history series of novels written by australian journalist and author john birmingham, from macmillan publishing. The different aspects of the war, such as the battles, ideologies of the nazis, events of the holocaust, and effects on various culturescountries, have meant that books about the war have a range of topics, and a selection of books are listed below. The mg 42 german mg42 machine gun bunker at omaha beach, normandy, france 1944 image. My only complaint is that the information on many weapons is not comprehensive but considering the small size and price, who can complain. Jul 09, 2010 you should check out one of our authors, cathryn prince. Instead, with an extraordinary array of facts and statistics, the book offers an account of the fatalism of war. What are the best books to read for a neutral view on the. To accept cookies from this site, please click the allow cookies button below. Encyclopedia of the tanks of world war ii tanks of world war ii tanks in world war ii wwii tanks world war 2 tanks german panzerworld germanys panzer and weapons of ww2 german tanks and armored vehicles of ww2 technical summaries porsche panzers tiger tank tiger tank of world war ii german tanks in world war 2, panzer achtung panzer. Best sellers in world history of world war ii 19391945. She has over 20 years writing experience on magazines, having been a staffer on publications including the face, bizarre, just seventeen, smash hits and sky, and written for many more, including the guardian, kerrang. Many different weapons systems evolved as a result.
World war ii started in 1939 when germany invaded poland. The rifles, sub machine guns, pistols, and other weapons of world war 2 soldiers. Her other books might interest you too, all focus on some aspect of american history. I have also read some accounts of the gruesome rape, pillage and exploitation by the the alli. A gripping, cinematic world war ii adventure and an intimate comingofage. More than 600 fullcolor artworks accompany entries that feature a detailed history of each weapon s design and. From pusher biplanes in 1914 to the first monoplanes. The first world war saw many varied weapons being used by soldiers. Bibliography of pacificasia, world war ii compiled by wild bill wilder most of these books are currently available at the time of this writing.
Contributors to the historical controversy have deployed the documents selected here to support their arguments about the first use of nuclear weapons and the end of world war ii. World war ii wwii or ww2, also known as the second world war, was a. World war ii touched virtually every part of american life, even things so. World war ii is the subject of some of the most fascinating and influential nonfiction books ever written. Technology was used to formulate precise rations food given to soldiers to make sure they got the right amount of nutrition and energy. The comprehensive guide to over 1500 weapons systems, including tanks, small arms, warplanes, artillery, ships and submarines. World war ii weapons small arms despite ww2 saw the rise of technology unimaginable in previous conflicts, the infantry remain the single most important element of any military force, and this section details the weapons that the infantrymen wielded. Lets look at what was manufactured and being used on the battlefield. Vermacht relied heavily on captured equipment throughout the war, and not only of russian origin. Interesting facts about world war ii technology at one point the united states used the native american language of the navajo peoples as a secret code that the germans were unable to crack. The 9 most essential world war ii books americas military.
Discover the best world war ii history in best sellers. Although it was a hightech conflict with newly lethal weapons, he writes, it still. The people left behind at home also had a part to play in ww2. Often times, historical fiction books capture the mood of an era just as deftly as their nonfiction counterpartsand the following novels are no exception. Weapons listed were made by or for germany and do not include captured foreign equipment. The home front ww2 is the name given to the effect of the war on peoples everyday lives. Truman and world war ii this truman library website contains a collection of documents. Marshall called it americas greatest contribution to modern warfare. Broken down by weapon types, the book includes reference tables, diagrams, colourful maps and charts and photographs, presenting all the core data in easytofollow formats.
World war ii started in europe, but spread throughout the world. How a dead man and a bizarre plan fooled the nazis and assured an allied victory. Find out about the german war machine of world war ii including day by day timelines, profiles of the main commanders and details of significant weapons and technology. The illustrated encyclopedia of weapons of world war ii by. Scroll down to see more articles about the history of ww2 weapons.
Visit now to browse our huge range of products at great prices. Four books in the top thirty focus on the plight of the germans in the postwar period under allied occupation, and other is about indias occupation by britain. The number two and three books are a revisionist take on the allies role in entering the war with germany, and both take the view that hitler only wanted danzig. Which weapons from world war ii are still in use today. Because of the grand scale of the conflict, there have been many books written about the second world war, including both fact and fiction. The world war ii database is founded and managed by c. After world war ii, people continued to develop new weapons, including intercontinental ballistic missiles. The fruit of the seven years research, this is the first of a series devoted to the vehicles and crossing equipment used by the german pioneers during world war two, a theme neglected by military specialists until now. The acclaimed author of troublesome young men reveals the behindthescenes story of how the united states forged its wartime alliance with britain, told from the perspective of three key american players in london. Naval weapons of world war two books pics download new. I find that some of the books are written by authors from nations that won the war and portray the axis powers as pure evil.
Her blog will feature updates about this wip work in progress in the coming months. As a result, the widespread and often desperate fighting led to many new inventions, from computers, to jet engines, to atomic bombs. Fascinating facts about wwii including maps, historic photographs, and timelines wagner, melissa, bryant, dan on. Nara resources archives surviving from world war ii an excerpt copied with permission of the author, gerhard weinberg, from his book a world at arms. Encyclopedic in scope and meticulously researched, this comprehensive, heavily illustrated singlevolume reference, first published in 1985, is now back in print by popular demand. Facts and data for germanys special weapons programme world war ii germany. It is often said that necessity is the mother of all invention, and at no other point in a countrys history is necessity greater than in wartime.
One of the biggest technological advances made during the great war or world war 2 was in tank technology. Propaganda, publishing and the battle for global markets in the era of world war ii tells the littleknown story of the vital partnership between american book publishers and the united states government to put carefully selected recent books highlighting american history and values into the hands of civilians liberated from axis forces. Im a writer, a historian and im very busy day in and day out, so it should surprise no one that i am working on several major projects simultaneously. By turns disturbing and heroic, they represent some of the greatest works of world war ii literature, offering a multicultural perspective of the deadliest conflict in human history. Ww2 weapons and equipment, tanks, aircraft, rifle, machine gun. The boards creative artists responded with 52 nonfiction articles. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Popular world war two non fiction books showing 150 of 120 operation mincemeat. Some of these books are outofprint, but most of them are readily available and have been republished several times which means keegan put together a quality list. Many different weapons systems we see today evolved from world war 2 warfare.
Discover the best military history books telling stories of bravery and ideals, and stories of people writing history as we know it today. Japan and italy produced the greatest number of tanks throughout the war, however, the german tanks were best known during and after the war. The german students who participated in mass book burnings had given american war propagandists the perfect imageburning booksto symbolize the antithesis of americas free marketplace of ideas. This website requires cookies to provide all of its features. The 20th centurys most significant leap in traditional weapons technology was the increased lethality of artillery due to improvements in gun design, range and ammunitiona fact that was all too clear in the great war, when artillery killed more people than any other weapon did. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. The war in the pacific ended when japan surrendered on september 2, 1945. In about 300 pages devoted to weapons, with most pages having 2 weapons, probably somewhere in excess of 500 of the most important weapons of ww2 are covered in a handy, well printed, and astonishingly inexpensive book. The list is nearly 20 years old, but it is still valuable to those researching world war ii. The war in europe ended with germanys surrender on may 7, 1945. Military history books the people, the wars, the weapons. For more information on what data is contained in the cookies, please see our cookie policy.
248 326 239 1223 986 929 1253 1211 1306 934 990 86 1058 809 343 641 1285 1209 404 1036 676 116 1 557 1416 536 166 1390 837 1481 29 1321 27 508