Rommel’s Afrika Korps in Colour: rare German photographs from the Second World War
Ian Spring developed a fascination for historical imagery from a young age, amassing hundreds of thousands of colour photographs from World War II – all of which have since been shared online as part of his creation: the PIXPAST Archive. Now more than 250 of the best of these images – of weapons, soldiers, and civilians – have been brought together in a new book. Accompanied by text from military historian Anthony Tucker-Jones (author of The Devil’s Bridge and other titles), Rommel’s Afrika Korps in Colour offers a vivid, detailed insight into the enthralling history of the long North African Campaign.
Rommel’s Afrika Korps in Colour: rare German photographs from the Second World War, Ian Spring and Anthony Tucker-Jones Greenhill Books, hbk (£28) ISBN 978-1784388799
Road to Surrender: three men and the countdown to the end of World War II
Three men were at the centre of the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan in 1945: Henry Stimson, the US Secretary of War; General Carl Spaatz, head of strategic bombing in the Pacific; and Shigenori Togo, the Japanese Foreign Minister. With new access to each of their diaries, Evan Thomas explores the backdrop to an event that changed the course of history.
Road to Surrender: three men and the countdown to the end of World War II, Evan Thomas, Elliott & Thompson, hbk (£20), ISBN 978-1783967292
Selected Letters of Wilfred Owen
With his poem ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’, Wilfred Owen established himself as one of the greatest and most tragic voices of the First World War. But, as well as being an accomplished poet, Owen was a prodigious letter writer. Including new material, this edition of his correspondence provides fresh insight into a life that ended just a week before the Armistice.
Selected Letters of Wilfred Owen, Jane Potter (ed.), Oxford University Press, hbk (£25), ISBN 978-0199689507
Agincourt: battle of the scarred king
The English victory over the French at Agincourt in 1415 is one of the most famous battles in history. But here historian Michael Livingston takes a fresh look at the event, including in his research a re-examination of the French battle plan, which survives to this day. The result is a bold and thought-provoking book that challenges traditional interpretations of Henry V’s great victory.
Agincourt: battle of the scarred king, Michael Livingston, Osprey Publishing, hbk (£20), ISBN 978-1472855206
Cinderella Boys: the forgotten RAF force that won the Battle of the Atlantic
In early 1943, Britain’s Atlantic convoys were under merciless attack from German U-boats. In desperation, Churchill turned to the RAF’s maritime wing, an overlooked and underfunded force known as the ‘Cinderella Service’. In this new history, Leo McKinstry shines new light on the courageous force who helped turn the tide of the defence of the Atlantic.
Cinderella Boys: the forgotten RAF force that won the Battle of the Atlantic, Leo McKinstry, John Murray, hbk (£23), ISBN 978-1529319361
Rome’s Empire: how the Romans acquired and lost their provinces
The Roman Empire was forged by war and defended by military might. But it also endured because of the Roman ability to assimilate the different peoples within their provinces, and to build alliances with those beyond them. As Patricia Southern suggests, this made the history of the empire more complex and impressive than is often remembered.
Rome’s Empire: how the Romans acquired and lost their provinces, Patricia Southern, Amberley Publishing, hbk (£35), ISBN 978-1445694320
