The 20 Best Books about WWII History

<script async data-uid&equals;"defcacd1dd" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;fierce-maker-9650&period;kit&period;com&sol;defcacd1dd&sol;index&period;js" data-jetpack-boost&equals;"ignore" data-no-defer&equals;"1" data-no-optimize&equals;"1" nowprocket><&sol;script>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;3 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad5667 " id&equals;"quads-ad5667" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;text-align&colon;center&semi;padding&colon;0px 0 0px 0&semi;" data-lazydelay&equals;"0">&NewLine;<script async src&equals;"&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- HH3 --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-9266290638607128" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"2439182190" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine;&lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<div id&equals;"fb-root"><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>Here&&num;8217&semi;s a list of the 20 best books about WWII history that will give you a noteworthy dose of insight into the most significant period in world history&period; They&&num;8217&semi;re some of the most fascinating and influential nonfiction books out there&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em>NOTE&colon; As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases&period;<&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h3>1&period; A Woman of No Importance&colon; The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Based on new and extensive research&comma; Sonia Purnell has for the first time uncovered the full secret life of Virginia Hall&&num;8211&semi;an astounding and inspiring story of heroism&comma; spy craft&comma; resistance&comma; and personal triumph over shocking adversity&period; A Woman of No Importance is the breathtaking story of how one woman&&num;8217&semi;s fierce persistence helped win the war&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;8689" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-8689" style&equals;"width&colon; 600px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-8689" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;12&sol;A-Woman-of-No-Importance&period;jpg" alt&equals;"book cover of one of the best books about WWII history entitled A Woman of No Importance&colon; The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"913" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-8689" class&equals;"wp-caption-text"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;Woman-No-Importance-Untold-American&sol;dp&sol;0735225311&quest;&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;ll1&amp&semi;tag&equals;thedaiext-20&amp&semi;linkId&equals;6824fdcc68fd81f87b730b35cb3d2333&amp&semi;language&equals;en&lowbar;US&amp&semi;ref&lowbar;&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;ss&lowbar;tl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">BUY THIS BOOK<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<h3>2&period; Countdown 1945&colon; The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World by Chris Wallace with Mitch Weiss<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;But Countdown 1945 is more than a book about the atomic bomb&period; It’s also an unforgettable account of the lives of ordinary American and Japanese civilians in wartime—from &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Calutron Girls” like Ruth Sisson in Oak Ridge&comma; Tennessee&comma; to ten-year-old Hiroshima resident Hideko Tamura&comma; who survives the blast at ground zero but loses her mother and later immigrates to the United States&comma; where she lives to this day—as well as American soldiers fighting in the Pacific&comma; waiting in fear for the order to launch a possible invasion of Japan&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;8690" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-8690" style&equals;"width&colon; 600px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-8690" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;12&sol;Countdown-1945&period;jpg" alt&equals;"book cover of one of the best books about WWII history entitled Countdown 1945&colon; The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World by Chris Wallace with Mitch Weiss" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"911" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-8690" class&equals;"wp-caption-text"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;Countdown-1945-Extraordinary-Story-Changed&sol;dp&sol;1982143347&quest;&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;ll1&amp&semi;tag&equals;thedaiext-20&amp&semi;linkId&equals;176bf36e57a54e465ba375ee75bf3f7b&amp&semi;language&equals;en&lowbar;US&amp&semi;ref&lowbar;&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;ss&lowbar;tl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">BUY THIS BOOK<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<h3>3&period; The Forgotten 500 by Gregory A&period; Freeman<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Classified for over half a century for political reasons&comma; the full account of this unforgettable story of loyalty&comma; self-sacrifice&comma; and bravery is now being told for the first time ever&period; The Forgotten 500 is the gripping&comma; behind-the-scenes look at the greatest escape of World War II&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;8691" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-8691" style&equals;"width&colon; 600px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-8691" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;12&sol;The-Forgotten-500&period;jpg" alt&equals;"book cover of The Forgotten 500 by Gregory A&period; Freeman" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"898" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-8691" class&equals;"wp-caption-text"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;Forgotten-500-Untold-Greatest-Mission&sol;dp&sol;0451224957&quest;&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;ll1&amp&semi;tag&equals;thedaiext-20&amp&semi;linkId&equals;d4387930a5c1829500122c5d96a54307&amp&semi;language&equals;en&lowbar;US&amp&semi;ref&lowbar;&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;ss&lowbar;tl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">BUY THIS BOOK<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<h3>4&period; The Bomber Mafia&colon; A Dream&comma; a Temptation&comma; and the Longest Night of the Second World War by Malcolm Gladwell<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;In The Bomber Mafia&comma; Malcolm Gladwell weaves together the stories of a Dutch genius and his homemade computer&comma; a band of brothers in central Alabama&comma; a British psychopath&comma; and pyromaniacal chemists at Harvard to examine one of the greatest moral challenges in modern American history&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;8692" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-8692" style&equals;"width&colon; 600px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-8692" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;12&sol;The-Bomber-Mafia&period;jpg" alt&equals;"book cover of The Bomber Mafia&colon; A Dream&comma; a Temptation&comma; and the Longest Night of the Second World War by Malcolm Gladwell" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"890" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-8692" class&equals;"wp-caption-text"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;Bomber-Mafia-Temptation-Longest-Second&sol;dp&sol;0316296619&quest;&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;ll1&amp&semi;tag&equals;thedaiext-20&amp&semi;linkId&equals;d624f92268a76e649692ad412c0ba442&amp&semi;language&equals;en&lowbar;US&amp&semi;ref&lowbar;&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;ss&lowbar;tl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">BUY THIS BOOK<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<h3>5&period; Band of Brothers by Stephen E&period; Ambrose<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;This is the story of the men who fought&comma; of the martinet they hated who trained them well&comma; and of the captain they loved who led them&period; E Company was a company of men who went hungry&comma; froze&comma; and died for each other&comma; a company that took 150 percent casualties&comma; a company where the Purple Heart was not a medal—it was a badge of office&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;8693" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-8693" style&equals;"width&colon; 600px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-8693" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;12&sol;Band-of-Brothers&period;jpg" alt&equals;"book cover of Band of Brothers by Stephen E&period; Ambrose" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"893" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-8693" class&equals;"wp-caption-text"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;Band-Brothers-Regiment-Airborne-Normandy&sol;dp&sol;1501179403&quest;&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;ll1&amp&semi;tag&equals;thedaiext-20&amp&semi;linkId&equals;021a3c3f2d159a8674a8e32d44ce73a3&amp&semi;language&equals;en&lowbar;US&amp&semi;ref&lowbar;&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;ss&lowbar;tl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">BUY THIS BOOK<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<h3>6&period; Ghost Soldiers&colon; The Epic Account of World War II&&num;8217&semi;s Greatest Rescue Mission by Hampton Sides<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;In Ghost Soldiers Hampton Sides vividly re-creates this daring raid&comma; offering a minute-by-minute narration that unfolds alongside intimate portraits of the prisoners and their lives in the camp&period; Sides shows how the POWs banded together to survive&comma; defying the Japanese authorities even as they endured starvation&comma; tropical diseases&comma; and torture&period; Harrowing&comma; poignant&comma; and inspiring&comma; Ghost Soldiers is the mesmerizing story of a remarkable mission&period; It is also a testament to the human spirit&comma; an account of enormous bravery and self-sacrifice amid the most trying conditions&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;8694" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-8694" style&equals;"width&colon; 600px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-8694" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;12&sol;Ghost-Soldiers&period;jpg" alt&equals;"book cover of Ghost Soldiers&colon; The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission by Hampton Sides" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"933" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-8694" class&equals;"wp-caption-text"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;Ghost-Soldiers-Account-Greatest-Mission&sol;dp&sol;038549565X&quest;&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;ll1&amp&semi;tag&equals;thedaiext-20&amp&semi;linkId&equals;57113782904147aa9c8f72de62c2973f&amp&semi;language&equals;en&lowbar;US&amp&semi;ref&lowbar;&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;ss&lowbar;tl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">BUY THIS BOOK<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<h3>7&period; With the Old Breed by E&period; B&period; Sledge<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Based on notes Sledge secretly kept in a copy of the New Testament&comma; With the Old Breed captures with utter simplicity and searing honesty the experience of a soldier in the fierce Pacific Theater&period; Here is what saved&comma; threatened&comma; and changed his life&period; Here&comma; too&comma; is the story of how he learned to hate and kill—and came to love—his fellow man&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;8695" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-8695" style&equals;"width&colon; 600px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-8695" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;12&sol;With-The-Old-Breed&period;jpg" alt&equals;"book cover of With the Old Breed by E&period; B&period; Sledge" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"899" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-8695" class&equals;"wp-caption-text"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;Old-Breed-At-Peleliu-Okinawa&sol;dp&sol;0891419063&quest;&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;ll1&amp&semi;tag&equals;thedaiext-20&amp&semi;linkId&equals;3bf65fd92421a993b23d00ae0dd08439&amp&semi;language&equals;en&lowbar;US&amp&semi;ref&lowbar;&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;ss&lowbar;tl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">BUY THIS BOOK<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<h3>8&period; Ordinary Men&colon; Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland by Christopher R&period; Browning<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;While this book discusses a specific Reserve Unit during WWII&comma; the general argument Browning makes is that most people succumb to the pressures of a group setting and commit actions they would never do of their own volition&period; Ordinary Men is a powerful&comma; chilling&comma; and important work with themes and arguments that continue to resonate today&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;8696" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-8696" style&equals;"width&colon; 600px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-8696" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;12&sol;Ordinary-Men&period;jpg" alt&equals;"book cover of Ordinary Men&colon; Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland by Christopher R&period; Browning" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"904" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-8696" class&equals;"wp-caption-text"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;Ordinary-Men-Reserve-Battalion-Solution&sol;dp&sol;0062303023&quest;&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;ll1&amp&semi;tag&equals;thedaiext-20&amp&semi;linkId&equals;bd51734053f64bc38205d0f982cf1682&amp&semi;language&equals;en&lowbar;US&amp&semi;ref&lowbar;&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;ss&lowbar;tl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">BUY THIS BOOK<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<h3>9&period; The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;In The Woman Who Smashed Codes&comma; Jason Fagone chronicles the life of this extraordinary woman&comma; who played an integral role in our nation’s history for forty years&period; After World War I&comma; Smith used her talents to catch gangsters and smugglers during Prohibition&comma; then accepted a covert mission to discover and expose Nazi spy rings that were spreading like wildfire across South America&comma; advancing ever closer to the United States&period; As World War II raged&comma; Elizebeth fought a highly classified battle of wits against Hitler’s Reich&comma; cracking multiple versions of the Enigma machine used by German spies&period; Meanwhile&comma; inside an Army vault in Washington&comma; William worked furiously to break Purple&comma; the Japanese version of Enigma—and eventually succeeded&comma; at a terrible cost to his personal life&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;8697" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-8697" style&equals;"width&colon; 600px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-8697" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;12&sol;The-Woman-Who-Smashed-Codes&period;jpg" alt&equals;"book cover of The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"903" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-8697" class&equals;"wp-caption-text"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;Woman-Who-Smashed-Codes-Outwitted&sol;dp&sol;0062430483&quest;&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;ll1&amp&semi;tag&equals;thedaiext-20&amp&semi;linkId&equals;39a640ad4b0d6f168668c05b38767eb6&amp&semi;language&equals;en&lowbar;US&amp&semi;ref&lowbar;&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;ss&lowbar;tl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">BUY THIS BOOK<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<h3>10&period; The Guns at Last Light&colon; The War in Western Europe&comma; 1944-1945 by Rick Atkinson<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;D-Day marked the commencement of the European war&&num;8217&semi;s final campaign&comma; and Atkinson&&num;8217&semi;s riveting account of that bold gamble sets the pace for the masterly narrative that follows&period; The brutal fight in Normandy&comma; the liberation of Paris&comma; the disaster that was Operation Market Garden&comma; the horrific Battle of the Bulge&comma; and finally the thrust to the heart of the Third Reich&horbar;all these historic events and more come alive with a wealth of new material and a mesmerizing cast of characters&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;3 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad5670 " id&equals;"quads-ad5670" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;text-align&colon;center&semi;padding&colon;0px 0 0px 0&semi;" data-lazydelay&equals;"0">&NewLine;<script async src&equals;"&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block&semi; text-align&colon;center&semi;" &NewLine; data-ad-layout&equals;"in-article" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"fluid" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-9266290638607128" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"8337030220"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;8698" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-8698" style&equals;"width&colon; 600px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-8698" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;12&sol;The-Guns-at-Last-Light&period;jpg" alt&equals;"book cover of The Guns at Last Light&colon; The War in Western Europe&comma; 1944-1945 by Rick Atkinson" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"913" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-8698" class&equals;"wp-caption-text"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;Guns-Last-Light-1944-1945-Liberation&sol;dp&sol;1250037816&quest;&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;ll1&amp&semi;tag&equals;thedaiext-20&amp&semi;linkId&equals;68d1cb321d0fbf1044b0f5a69d7d40f1&amp&semi;language&equals;en&lowbar;US&amp&semi;ref&lowbar;&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;ss&lowbar;tl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">BUY THIS BOOK<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<h3>11&period; Hiroshima by John Hersey<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;On August 6&comma; 1945&comma; Hiroshima was destroyed by the first atom bomb ever dropped on a city&period; This book&comma; John Hersey&&num;8217&semi;s journalistic masterpiece&comma; tells what happened on that day&period; Told through the memories of survivors&comma; this timeless&comma; powerful and compassionate document has become a classic &&num;8220&semi;that stirs the conscience of humanity&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;8699" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-8699" style&equals;"width&colon; 600px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-8699" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;12&sol;Hiroshima&period;jpg" alt&equals;"book cover of Hiroshima by John Hersey" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"996" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-8699" class&equals;"wp-caption-text"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;Hiroshima-John-Hersey&sol;dp&sol;0679721037&quest;&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;ll1&amp&semi;tag&equals;thedaiext-20&amp&semi;linkId&equals;5146e06149d56448c5edde053e5797ec&amp&semi;language&equals;en&lowbar;US&amp&semi;ref&lowbar;&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;ss&lowbar;tl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">BUY THIS BOOK<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<h3>12&period; The Rape Of Nanking&colon; The Forgotten Holocaust Of World War II by Iris Chang<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;In December 1937&comma; one of the most horrific atrocities in the long annals of wartime barbarity occurred&period; The Japanese army swept into the ancient city of Nanking &lpar;what was then the capital of China&rpar;&comma; and within weeks&comma; more than 300&comma;000 Chinese civilians and soldiers were systematically raped&comma; tortured&comma; and murdered&period; In this seminal work&comma; Iris Chang&comma; whose own grandparents barely escaped the massacre&comma; tells this history from three perspectives&colon; that of the Japanese soldiers&comma; that of the Chinese&comma; and that of a group of Westerners who refused to abandon the city and created a safety zone&comma; which saved almost 300&comma;000 Chinese&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;8700" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-8700" style&equals;"width&colon; 600px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-8700" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;12&sol;The-Rape-of-Nanking&period;jpg" alt&equals;"book cover of The Rape Of Nanking&colon; The Forgotten Holocaust Of World War II by Iris Chang" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"905" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-8700" class&equals;"wp-caption-text"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;Rape-Nanking-Forgotten-Holocaust-World&sol;dp&sol;0465068367&quest;&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;ll1&amp&semi;tag&equals;thedaiext-20&amp&semi;linkId&equals;a7a7f9491359df7bee1ed93d42320d0a&amp&semi;language&equals;en&lowbar;US&amp&semi;ref&lowbar;&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;ss&lowbar;tl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">BUY THIS BOOK<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<h3>13&period; Stalingrad&colon; The Fateful Siege&colon; 1942-1943 by Antony Beevor<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;In August 1942&comma; Hitler&&num;8217&semi;s huge Sixth Army reached the city that bore Stalin&&num;8217&semi;s name&period; In the five-month siege that followed&comma; the Russians fought to hold Stalingrad at any cost&semi; then&comma; in an astonishing reversal&comma; encircled and trapped their Nazi enemy&period; This battle for the ruins of a city cost more than a million lives&period; Stalingrad conveys the experience of soldiers on both sides&comma; fighting in inhuman conditions&comma; and of civilians trapped on an urban battlefield&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;8701" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-8701" style&equals;"width&colon; 600px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-8701" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;12&sol;Stalingrad&period;jpg" alt&equals;"book cover of Stalingrad&colon; The Fateful Siege&colon; 1942-1943 by Antony Beevor" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"920" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-8701" class&equals;"wp-caption-text"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;Stalingrad-Fateful-1942-1943-Antony-Beevor&sol;dp&sol;0140284583&quest;&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;ll1&amp&semi;tag&equals;thedaiext-20&amp&semi;linkId&equals;63cc69ccb4ffb9ce0497b39643b44f9e&amp&semi;language&equals;en&lowbar;US&amp&semi;ref&lowbar;&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;ss&lowbar;tl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">BUY THIS BOOK<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<h3>14&period; Normandy &&num;8217&semi;44&colon; D-Day and the Epic 77-Day Battle for France by James Holland<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;D-Day&comma; June 6&comma; 1944&comma; and the seventy-six days of bitter fighting in Normandy that followed the Allied landing&comma; have become the defining episode of World War II in the west&horbar;the object of books&comma; films&comma; television series&comma; and documentaries&period; Yet as familiar as it is&comma; as James Holland makes clear in his definitive history&comma; many parts of the OVERLORD campaign&comma; as it was known&comma; are still shrouded in myth and assumed knowledge&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;8702" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-8702" style&equals;"width&colon; 600px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-8702" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;12&sol;Normandy-44&period;jpg" alt&equals;"book cover of Normandy '44&colon; D-Day and the Epic 77-Day Battle for France by James Holland" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"888" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-8702" class&equals;"wp-caption-text"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;Normandy-44-77-Day-Battle-France&sol;dp&sol;0802129420&quest;&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;ll1&amp&semi;tag&equals;thedaiext-20&amp&semi;linkId&equals;28fa8fbbf362d001da478d2ab01264d7&amp&semi;language&equals;en&lowbar;US&amp&semi;ref&lowbar;&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;ss&lowbar;tl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">BUY THIS BOOK<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<h3>15&period; The Day of Battle by Rick Atkinson<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;In An Army at Dawn&horbar;winner of the Pulitzer Prize&horbar;Rick Atkinson provided an authoritative history of the Allied triumph in North Africa during World War II&period; Now&comma; in The Day of Battle&comma; he follows the strengthening American and British armies as they invade Sicily in July 1943 and then&comma; mile by bloody mile&comma; fight their way north toward Rome&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;8703" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-8703" style&equals;"width&colon; 600px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-8703" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;12&sol;The-Day-of-Battle&period;jpg" alt&equals;"book cover of The Day of Battle by Rick Atkinson" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"895" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-8703" class&equals;"wp-caption-text"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;Day-Battle-1943-1944-Liberation-Trilogy&sol;dp&sol;080508861X&quest;&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;ll1&amp&semi;tag&equals;thedaiext-20&amp&semi;linkId&equals;4df27c3714129a7227f0a4c6222c2eb6&amp&semi;language&equals;en&lowbar;US&amp&semi;ref&lowbar;&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;ss&lowbar;tl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">BUY THIS BOOK<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<h3>16&period; Code Name&colon; Lise&comma; The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII&&num;8217&semi;s Most Highly Decorated Spy by Larry Loftis<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The year is 1942&comma; and World War II is in full swing&period; Odette Sansom decides to follow in her war hero father’s footsteps by becoming an SOE agent to aid Britain and her beloved homeland&comma; France&period; Five failed attempts and one plane crash later&comma; she finally lands in occupied France to begin her mission&period; It is here that she meets her commanding officer Captain Peter Churchill&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;8704" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-8704" style&equals;"width&colon; 600px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-8704" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;12&sol;Code-Name-Lise&period;jpg" alt&equals;"book cover of Code Name&colon; Lise&comma; The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII's Most Highly Decorated Spy by Larry Loftis" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"901" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-8704" class&equals;"wp-caption-text"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;Code-Name-Became-Highly-Decorated&sol;dp&sol;1501198653&quest;&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;ll1&amp&semi;tag&equals;thedaiext-20&amp&semi;linkId&equals;facce3747f030c0ec43943f313b58db7&amp&semi;language&equals;en&lowbar;US&amp&semi;ref&lowbar;&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;ss&lowbar;tl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">BUY THIS BOOK<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<h3>17&period; D-Day by Stephen E&period; Ambrose<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;D-Day is the epic story of men at the most demanding moment of their lives&comma; when the horrors&comma; complexities&comma; and triumphs of life are laid bare&period; Distinguished historian Stephen E&period; Ambrose portrays the faces of courage and heroism&comma; fear and determination—what Eisenhower called &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;the fury of an aroused democracy”—that shaped the victory of the citizen soldiers whom Hitler had disparaged&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;8705" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-8705" style&equals;"width&colon; 600px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-8705" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;12&sol;D-Day&period;jpg" alt&equals;"book cover of D-Day by Stephen E&period; Ambrose" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"901" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-8705" class&equals;"wp-caption-text"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;Day-June-Climactic-Battle-World&sol;dp&sol;068480137X&quest;&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;ll1&amp&semi;tag&equals;thedaiext-20&amp&semi;linkId&equals;c2dc6f6548d202e383de51efd76532d6&amp&semi;language&equals;en&lowbar;US&amp&semi;ref&lowbar;&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;ss&lowbar;tl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">BUY THIS BOOK<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<h3>18&period; The Secret War by Max Hastings<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Spies&comma; codes&comma; and guerrillas played unprecedentedly critical roles in the Second World War&comma; exploited by every nation in the struggle to gain secret knowledge of its foes&comma; and to sow havoc behind the fronts&period; In The Secret War&comma; Max Hastings presents a worldwide cast of characters and some extraordinary sagas of intelligence and resistance&comma; to create a new perspective on the greatest conflict in history&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;8706" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-8706" style&equals;"width&colon; 600px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-8706" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;12&sol;The-Secret-War&period;jpg" alt&equals;"book cover of The Secret War by Max Hastings" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"914" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-8706" class&equals;"wp-caption-text"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;Secret-War-Ciphers-Guerrillas-1939-1945&sol;dp&sol;0062259288&quest;&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;ll1&amp&semi;tag&equals;thedaiext-20&amp&semi;linkId&equals;7b31794be2d46809b7ae39a51e95baac&amp&semi;language&equals;en&lowbar;US&amp&semi;ref&lowbar;&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;ss&lowbar;tl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">BUY THIS BOOK<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<h3>19&period; If This Is a Man&colon; The Truce by Primo Levi<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;With the moral stamina and intellectual pose of a twentieth-century Titan&comma; this slightly built&comma; dutiful&comma; unassuming chemist set out systematically to remember the German hell on earth&comma; steadfastly to think it through&comma; and then to render it comprehensible in lucid&comma; unpretentious prose&period; He was profoundly in touch with the minutest workings of the most endearing human events and with the most contemptible&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;8707" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-8707" style&equals;"width&colon; 600px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-8707" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;12&sol;If-This-Is-a-Man-The-Truce&period;jpg" alt&equals;"book cover of If This Is a Man&colon; The Truce by Primo Levi" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"955" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-8707" class&equals;"wp-caption-text"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;This-Man-Truce-Primo-Levi&sol;dp&sol;0349100136&quest;&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;ll1&amp&semi;tag&equals;thedaiext-20&amp&semi;linkId&equals;36912fa951cba36450b0103a8e8db60b&amp&semi;language&equals;en&lowbar;US&amp&semi;ref&lowbar;&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;ss&lowbar;tl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">BUY THIS BOOK<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<h3>20&period; The Fall of Japan&colon; The Final Weeks of World War II in the Pacific by William Craig<&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;From the ferocious fighting on Okinawa to the all-but-impossible mission to drop the 2nd atom bomb&comma; and from Franklin D&period; Roosevelt’s White House to the Tokyo bunker where tearful Japanese leaders first told the emperor the truth&comma; William Craig captures the pivotal events of the war with spellbinding authority&period; The Fall of Japan brings to life both celebrated and lesser-known historical figures&comma; including Admiral Takijiro Onishi&comma; the brash commander who drew up the Yamamoto plan for the attack on Pearl Harbor and inspired the death cult of kamikaze pilots&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<figure id&equals;"attachment&lowbar;8708" aria-describedby&equals;"caption-attachment-8708" style&equals;"width&colon; 600px" class&equals;"wp-caption aligncenter"><img class&equals;"wp-image-8708" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;12&sol;The-Fall-of-Japan&period;jpg" alt&equals;"book cover of The Fall of Japan&colon; The Final Weeks of World War II in the Pacific by William Craig" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"912" &sol;><figcaption id&equals;"caption-attachment-8708" class&equals;"wp-caption-text"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;amazon&period;com&sol;Fall-Japan-Final-Weeks-Pacific&sol;dp&sol;1504046897&quest;&amp&semi;linkCode&equals;ll1&amp&semi;tag&equals;thedaiext-20&amp&semi;linkId&equals;bf1c8c5e6c54fb9fb1f01f5652eb109a&amp&semi;language&equals;en&lowbar;US&amp&semi;ref&lowbar;&equals;as&lowbar;li&lowbar;ss&lowbar;tl" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">BUY THIS BOOK<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;<p><em>For the best books in American History see our list <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;historyhustle&period;com&sol;20-best-books-about-american-history&sol;">here<&sol;a>&period;<&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;3 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad5673 " id&equals;"quads-ad5673" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px 3px 3px 3px&semi;padding&colon;0px 0px 0px 0px&semi;" data-lazydelay&equals;"0">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 3&period;0&period;3 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad5669 " id&equals;"quads-ad5669" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;text-align&colon;center&semi;padding&colon;0px 0 0px 0&semi;" data-lazydelay&equals;"0">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

Joe Gillard: