Historic Photos of World War II: North Africa to Germany

This new release from Turner Publishing Company delivers an honest, unflinching portrait of World War II. With many never-before-published photographs (all in black and white), Historic Photos of World War II is a terrific find.

From the destruction of London to military cemeteries overlooking Omaha Beach, historian Bob Duncan reveals a collection of photographs so powerful, so vivid, that the war ceases to become a historical event and instead becomes a human tragedy.

The last sentence of the preface states it best: "As you turn these pages, you have a through-the-lens view of things just as they were, on the seas and in the air, in thh sand and the mud and the snow where victory and liberation were won."

Black Book

World War II was so vast that it's impossible to know everything that happened in every country. That's why I love "foreign" films that give us a different perspective of the war.

Black Book is an amazing film. It's not for the faint of heart - there are graphic scenes of violence and nudity. But it doesn't detract from the film's power.

Rachel Stein, (played by Carice van Houten) a Jew in hiding in German-occupied Holland. When her family is killed, Rachel joins the Resistance and assumes the identity of the blonde Ellis de Vries. She infiltrates the Nazi headquarters and becomes the mistress of the head of the Gestapo, Ludwig Muntze (Sebastian Koch). Ellis becomes a secretary for Muntze and becomes involved in the partying lifestyle of the Germans while simultaneously working with the Resistance.

But there is a traitor in the midst of the Resistance and Ellis is determined to find out who it is. The culprit will surprise you.

Even though this is subtitled, I barely noticed because I was so caught up in the story. It's a bit Hollywood-ized, but it also shows the courage of those willing to stand up against the enemy. Ellis's fiesty personality is riveting and her curious relationship with Muntze brings out the human side of the war, the conflicting emotions between two people on opposite sides who suddenly question the definition of "enemy."

High drama, gut-wrenching emotion, and a wonderful cast make Black Book well worth your time.

Ken Burns' The War: A Documentary of World War II

This is a must-see television event. Ken Burns is a master at the art of documentary. His past works include The Civil War, JAZZ, and Baseball.

Now, he tackles one of the most important events in history: World War II.

PBS will broadcast the seven-episode special, entitled The War, beginning on September 23, 2007.

Check out PBS for more information, including an interactive Web site that will go live on the 23rd. The War will also be available to order on DVD and as a companion book. A soundtrack will also be available.

Mark your calendars! You won't want to miss this!

World War 2 Memorial - Washington, D.C.

Photos courtesy of my father who traveled to Washington D.C. in June. If you've been to the World War II Memorial, I'd love to hear what you thought of it. It's on my list of "must see's."

The Kommandant's Girl

While the concept of this novel is quite good - a Polish Jew whose husband works for the Resistance dons a new identity and works as a secretary to the German Kommandant in Krakow - the writing itself falls flat.

Yes, it's simplistic. Yes, it's very easy to read. But I found that the cliches and other rather mundane details didn't quite draw me into this world of danger and intrigue. It's written in first-person and thus, offers a limited view of the world of nineteen-year-old Emma, a.k.a. Anna.

Since the author, Pam Jenoff, spent time in Poland and studied the Jewish Resistance in that country, I thought perhaps there would be a plethora of great historic detail. While there is some, I still had a hard time "picturing" the setting. Since setting is so important to a story - especially this particular one - I never quite connected with the sense of place.

That being said, this book has a great story to tell. The curious relationship between Emma and the Kommandant is riveting. Jenoff manages to keep you turning the pages to find out if Emma is going to get caught spying for the Resistance while she works at one of the most important Nazi strongholds in Krakow.

Worth a read. If you're a fan of the simplistic style of writing, you'll enjoy this novel of heroism and danger.

June 6, 1944: Day-Day

Today is the 63rd anniversary of the Normandy Invasion.

Although no one can ever completely recreate what the experience was really like, Hollywood has produced a few movies that will give you an idea of the bloodshed that summer day in France.

Saving Private Ryan

The Longest Day

Band of Brothers

And if you're anywhere near the New Orleans area, this is a must see: D-Day Museum.

Downfall

April, 1945. Germany stands on the brink of defeat. And their leader stands on the brink of insanity.

Downfall portrays the last days of Hitler. It's gritty, realistic, stunning, and appalling to watch. Even though the Russians surrounded Berlin, Hitler refused to surrender, and in his madness believed that his armies would somehow miraculously deliver them.

Hitler's inner circle is all here in the relative safety of his bunker - Goebbels, Speer, Eva Braun, and his generals. But it is his secretary that captures our attention. She is a fervent admirer of the Fuhrer and it is not until his suicide and her escape from the bunker that she begins to see the other side.

There are scenes that are extremely difficult to watch, made even more so because they really happened - Magda Goebbels poisoning her children because she didn't want them to grow up in a world without National Socialism; Hitler's mad insinuations that the German people were to blame for their fall; the Hitler Youth bravely defending the city when there was no more hope.

This film makes you think. It makes you see the ugliness of blind fanatacism. Unwavering loyalty. The willingness to die for a lost and horrific cause. The disregard for human life.

And it makes you ask, Why? Why did this happen? Why did a western European nation, one steeped in culture, take such a path?

This, then, is why we study history, why we continue to study the roots of World War II. We have the human need to understand this atrocity, to keep it from happening again. But have we learned from history? Are we living the old saying, "Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it"?

It is something we must all consider.

But we must also consider the reasoning behind the making of this film - which, by the way, is not entirely historically accurate. For an in depth review, read this fascinating article by David Cesarani and Peter Longerich.

Memorial Day 2007

Remember...

Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley

One word to describe this book: amazing.

Flags of Our Fathers is a stunning, gripping, and utterly realistic story of the Battle of Iwo Jima and of the six flag raisers who were forever immortalized in a photograph that captured the world's imagination.

James Bradley's father, Jack Bradley, was a naval corpsman - a medic - during the battle. Even though James knew his father participated at Iwo and was one of the flag raisers, he never knew the full story. In fact, he didn't discover that his father had earned the Navy Cross until after his death.

Bradley set out to research his father's life, as well as the lives of the five other flag raisers. The result is one of the best books on World War II. This is a story not about great generals or battle maneuvers, but about the men and women who participated in this monumental war. It is a deeply personal story, a story that reaches into your heart and grabs hold, never letting go, even after the last page has been turned.

These were ordinary men doing their jobs. But the flagraising photo elevated them to hero status, a label they were never comfortable with. Of the six who were in the photo, only three survived Iwo: Jack Bradley, Ira Hayes, and Rene Gagnon. After the war, their lives took drastically different paths. But they will always be bound by what came to be known as The Photograph.

Dear Enemy by Jack Cavanaugh

During the final German push in the Battle of the Bulge, nurse Annie Mitchell must evacuate the hospital where she works. But when she discovers that her husband, Keith, may be wounded in the Ardennes Forest only a few miles from the hospital, she and her best friend steal an ambulance and race toward the forest.

Keith is alive, but their situation is perilous. With her best friend killed from the fighting around them, Annie has no time to mourn. But things take a decided downturn when Keith exchanges fire with two patrolling German soldiers. To her utter horror, Keith is killed and Annie is taken prisoner by the one German soldier left alive. Can she escape or will this German soldier prove to be her worst nightmare?

What follows is a compelling story about compassion, forgiveness, and trust. Jack Cavanaugh blends the harsh reality of war with the beauty of the human soul in Dear Enemy.

Thanks for the Memories

"Thanks For The Memories: Love, Sex, and World War II is the true story of how the World War II generation responded to the passions of war and how their lives and the relationships between the sexes were forever changed." - From the Introduction

Jane Leder pens a truly groundbreaking work with Thanks for the Memories. While works on World War II continue to emerge each and every day, this particular title touches on a subject not often studied. Sexuality during World War II was a topic often relegated to the whispers of society and often contradicted itself. For example, even though the U.S. Army forbid soldiers to fraternize with prostitutes or loose women, they provided condoms.

Divided into nine chapters, Leder explores subjects including sexual harassment of women in the workplace, government "educational programs," illegitimate births on the home front, dating, and love.

Well-written and highly-readable, Thanks for the Memories is sure to become the definitive book on the subject of sexuality during World War II.

Coming Soon: Thanks for the Memories

Watch for a review of Thanks for the Memories: Love, Sex, and World War II by Jane Mersky Leder coming soon!

Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan has already become a classic World War II movie. Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, and Edward Burns, this movie tells the haunting story of an eight-man patrol sent out to rescue Private Ryan whose other three brothers have been killed.

Spielberg manages to portray the gritty reality of war in a myriad of ways - the storming of the beaches at Normandy, the emotions of losing a comrade, the friendship and comraderie between soldiers. As the commanding officer, Hanks brings a very human aspect to the role. Burns is his opposite, challenging authority and wondering why they are risking the lives of eight to save one.

But it is Hanks' final words that manage to sum up the entire movie - Earn it. If you haven't watched the movie, I won't disappoint you by revealing that scene or the ending. But hopefully, it will be enough to entice you to rent the DVD and immerse yourself in the reality of war.

A Woman in Berlin

Although the name of the woman who wrote this book has never been revealed, it doesn't diminish the power of her story.

Set in Berlin just as the Russians invaded the city, A Woman in Berlin is one woman's diary of the events surrounding the fall of Berlin in 1945.

Once you read the first page of this woman's story, it's nearly impossible to put down. The book was first published in the 1950's, but garnered criticism from many since the author frankly describes the rape of women, something not openly discussed in the '50's. She decreed that she didn't want it to be republished until after her death, and her request was honored.

Her description of life around her - from rushing to the basement bomb shelter as bombs scream overhead, to sitting around the living room talking with the "Ivans" - i.e. Russian soldiers - to scrambling for food - is so vivid and detailed that you almost feel as though you're reading a novel. But it is not - it is the truth - every painful, shattering shard. This woman wrote this diary while living through these events, and it is evident she used it to cope with the horrors around her.

65th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor

The Pearl Harbor Survivors Project offers you the chance to read (or view) stories by those who experienced and survived Pearl Harbor. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. Take a moment to remember this day that will always "live in infamy."

New Release: The Rising Tide

Noted historical novelist Jeff Shaara has just released his latest epic, The Rising Tide: A Novel of World War II. Focusing specifically on the European Theater - including North Africa, Sicily, and Italy - The Rising Tide takes you deep into the heart of Rommel, Churchill, and Eisenhower, as well as the ordinary soldier on the battlefield.

The Rising Tide is the first in a trilogy of World War II. With Shaara's excellent track record writing historical fiction, this is his latest contribution to his ongoing legacy as one of the world's premiere novelists.

Veteran's Day: Please Thank a Veteran

In the midst of the weekend activities, the sales, and the football games, don't forget who made it possible for you to enjoy all these freedoms. And make no mistake about it - they are freedoms.

Thank the veteran in your life today. Thank the veteran you see on the street. Remember those who did not return, but sacrificed their life for your freedom.

To the vets in my life: my father, my husband, my great-uncles, and all the veterans I've known throughout the years, to all the veterans I will never meet:

Thank You.

As Time Goes By

This three-CD collection captures some of the best-loved songs of World War II. Best of all, they are done by the original artists.

With such hits as Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy by the Andrews Sisters, and Sentimental Journey the the Les Brown Orchestra, you'll be swept away to the 1940's. Don't miss this collection!

Swing Shift

Starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, Swing Shift is a fun, light-hearted look at the American homefront during World War II. Goldie plays Kay, a sailor's wife who goes to work at an airplane factory in California. Along with her friends Hazel and Lucky (Kurt Russell), she begins to find there's a whole lot more to life than being a housewife.

The strongest point of this film, besides the wonderful costumes and well-acted roles, is the focus on discrimination of women in the workplace. Even though the government urged women to go to work in the factories, they faced criticism, sexual harrassment, and rudeness on the job from other men. Worse, they were forced to quit their jobs when the war was over and told to go back home where they belonged - as housewives and mothers.

At the heart of this movie, though, is also the way war plays on human emotions. Affairs were not uncommon on the homefront between married women and single men, just as they were not uncommon for men overseas with foreign women. Kay must take a good look at what she wants out of life when her husband, Jack (Ed O'Neill) finds out she's having an affair with Lucky. Will she choose Lucky, the happy-go-lucky trumpet player or Jack, her faithful and brave husband? The answer just might surprise you.

Charlotte Gray: The Movie

Starring Cate Blanchett and Billy Crudup, Charlotte Gray is based on the novel by the same name by Sebastian Faulks. Unfortunately, I tried to read the novel and didn't have much success. I found the writing stilted and the character motivations a little unbelievable.

Fortunately, the movie was none of these things. And in poking around the novel a bit further, the movie deviated from it quite a bit. But isn't that always the case? Hollywood likes to chop the pieces of the book that they like the most and form it into something much more Hollywood-ish. But in this case, I can honestly say that I liked the movie much better than the book.

En route to London, Charlotte Gray is approached by Richard Cannerly who believes her French-speaking skills and time spent in France would be a great asset for Britain. Charlotte mulls over his proposition. At a party, she meets Peter Gregory, an RAF pilot. The two fall madly in love. While Peter is away, Charlotte decides to train to become a courier in France. It is while she is in the midst of training that she learns of Peter's plane going down in France. She immediately volunteers to go on a mission into Vichy France, thinking that she might have an opportunity to rescue him.

But nothing goes right when she arrives. Her contact is arrested almost immediately and Charlotte is forced to seek help with the local Resistance fighter, Julian. Before long, she finds herself caught up in the Resistance and taking care of two Jewish boys whose parents have already been deported.

Perhaps Charlotte Gray is more Hollywood than history, but in this case, it manages to bring out a few issues pertaining to Vichy France. A scene in particular struck me. A Vichy French official said that the highest form of patriotism was collaboration. Definitely a quote to ponder.

Even though this didn't garner much attention when it was released, I certainly think Charlotte Gray is worthy of a place in your DVD collection.