Bibliotek i Västmanland

On 9 April 1940, the German Armed Forces seized Norway and Denmark in an operation remarkable for its precision and boldness. The Chamberlain War Cabinet was caught on the hop an ...

Using official records from the National Archives personal accounts from the Imperial War Museum and other sources, Coastal Convoys 1939 – 1945: The Indestructible Highway describe ...

One of only two survivors of the famous Cockleshell Hero raid, Bill Sparks' war and postwar career has never before been told in full. In this gripping book, he describes not only ...

The authors of 'Combat Codes' have painstakingly researched the codes used by the RAF to replace unit markings during World War II in order to attempt to confuse the enemy.

Formed from members of Free Forces who had escaped from German occupation, 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando was one of the most unusual units in WW2. All members had to pass the Green B ...

Bernard Paget enjoyed a hugely successful military career which culminated in his top level appointments in WW2. As C-in-C Home Forces and the C-in-C 21st Army Group he was respon ...

Hitler’s decision to invade Poland in August 1939 triggered the start of the Second World War. It was also the first demonstration of Blitzkrieg tactics – the ruthless use of armo ...

On September 25, 1939 Melvin Young reported to No. 1 Initial Training Unit. He was selected as a bomber pilot and promoted to Flying Officer. Having undertaken a Lancaster conver ...

In Part 1 of his book the author describes his life as a young officer in the Somaliland Scouts in the (then) British Protectorate of Somaliland. At that time tribal quarrels, gen ...

The first hours and days following the Allied invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944 have a strong claim to be amongst the most crucial in world history. Spearheading this vast undert ...

Frank Broome was a 15 year old schoolboy when he experienced the three major blitzes in his home city of Coventry and at the age of 17 volunteered for the Royal Air Force Volunteer ...

During the last stages of the Republic, Rome suffered its greatest military disaster since Hannibal’s invasion of Italy over 150 years earlier, though this defeat had more far-reac ...

This is a first-hand account of the author’s grandfather, Guy Mainwaring Knocker and his experiences as a pilot in the R.F.C. in the First World War written as a series of letters ...

Douglas Bader was a legend in his lifetime and remains one today 100 years after his birth. A charismatic leader and fearless pilot, he refused to let his severe disability (loss o ...

For centuries the south coast of Kent – in particular the ports of Dover and Folkestone - have been England’s front line, as her enemies have planned invasions and launched attacks ...

Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh – later Lord – Dowding was one of the greatest Englishmen of the 20th century. He created Fighter Command with its unique early warning system (radar) f ...

Air-dropped supplies were a vital part of the Allied campaign in Burma during World War II. The transportation of munitions, food and medical supplies was undertaken in the most d ...

On 15 May 1957 Vickers Valiant V-Bomber X.D.818 under the command of Wg. Cdr. Kenneth Hubbard, O.C. 49 Squadron R.A.F., dropped Britain’s first live thermonuclear bomb. The success ...

For sixty years the dramatic story of the Dunkirk evacuation and the defeat of France - the story of the German conquest of northwest Europe - has been the focus of historical stud ...

David James was in Motor Gunboats (with Robert Hichens of Gunboat Command.) Captured in February 1943 after abandoning ship as a result of a fierce engagement with three German arm ...

The destruction of the trapped German forces in the Falaise pocket in August 1944 is one of the most famous episodes of the Normandy campaign. But myths have grown up around accoun ...

Fighting With The Commandos tells what the Second World War was like for a fighting soldier. After enlisting underage, he was 'found out', joined the Home Guard and then a Young S ...

Britain under German bombardment is a topic associated with World War II, but in fact the Germans launched major bombing raids against populated areas of the United Kingdom in Worl ...

On 27 August 1939, Flugkapitan Erich Warsitz became the first man to fly a jet aircraft, the Heinkel He 178 and in June of the same year he flew the first liquid-fuel rocket aircra ...

Alois Siska was born in Czechoslovakia and learnt to fly. He escaped to the UK after the German invasion and joined the R.A.F. He describes his experiences flying Wellington bomber ...