Engineers of Victory:

The Problem Solvers Who Turned The Tide in the Second World War

Hardcover (464 pages), kindle

The story of WWII is often told as a grand narrative, as if it were fought by supermen or decided by fate. But the real heroes of the war were the brilliant engineers whose creative strategies, tactics, and organizational decisions made the lofty Allied objectives into a successful reality.

Invasion, 1940:

The Truth About the Battle of Britain and What Stopped Hitler

Hardcover (320 pages), paperback, kindle

The Battle of Britain ended and Hitler's planned invasion died. One followed the other, so the first must have caused the second, right? Well, this book challenges that assumption.

Fuel to the Troops:

A Memoir of the 698th Engineer Petroleum Distribution Company 1943-1945

Hardcover (330 pages), paperback

Although more of a series of anecdotes, than a regular narrative, this book nevertheless manages to inform the reader about a side of war that no one ever seems to think about: supply and engineering.

Spread Spectrum:

Hedy Lamarr and the mobile phone

Paperback (256 pages), kindle

She was labelled "the most beautiful girl in the world" and her partner "the bad boy of music" yet way back in 1942 they took out a patent covering the vital radio technique that we now call spread spectrum.

Hibakusha:

Survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Paperback (206 pages)

Recollections of activities, emotions, and devastation experienced by real people on and since August 6, 1945. They tell their heart-breaking stories to make a point... that it must never happen again!

Embracing Defeat:

Japan in the Wake of World War II

Hardcover (688 pages), paperback, kindle, audiobook

Where America's war against Japan lasted less than 4 years, Japan had been fighting for 15 and was left in ruins. The collapse of Japan's authoritarian state enabled America's six-year occupation to set Japan in entirely new directions.

Colossus:

The secrets of Bletchley Park's code-breaking computers

Paperback (480 pages), kindle

The American ENIAC is customarily regarded as the first electronic computer, but this fascinating book argues that in reality Colossus - the giant computer built in Bletchley Park by the British secret service during WWII - predates ENIAC by two years.

Out of the Shadows:

Canada in the Second World War

Paperback (304 pages), kindle

A general overview of Canada's contribution to the Second World War and of the war's effect on Canada's evolution.

The Baltimore Principles

by Carl Douglas

Paperback (84 pages), kindle, Amazon Prime members can borrow for free

This is not a World War II book. But it was published by the Arnett Institute, the same people behind this Scanning WWII website. And that's why you should read it. Not to mention you just might find it to be an enlightening eye opener.

Bonhoeffer:

Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy

Hardcover (624 pages), paperback, kindle, audiobook

As Hitler and the Nazis seduced a nation, bullied a continent, and attempted to exterminate the Jews of Europe, a small number of dissidents and saboteurs worked to dismantle the Third Reich from the inside. One of these was Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a humble man of faith.

Cracking the Zero Mystery:

How the US Learned to Beat Japan's Vaunted WWII Fighter Plane

Paperback (128 pages)

A Zero crashed on tiny Akutan Island in the Aleutians on June 4, 1942. It lay there for five weeks until spotted by an American plane. Hauled back to California, the Zero revealed its secrets in a series of tests and analyses.

The Tragic Fate of the USS Indianapolis:

The US Navy's Worst Disaster at Sea

Paperback (336 pages), kindle

Four days after delivering the atomic bomb destined for Hiroshima, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed and sunk. Of the 1,199 men on board, 883 perished. Of the 800 men who safely abandoned the ship, only a small fraction would survive the ordeal of being left adrift in shark-infested waters for 4 days.

33 Months as a POW in Stalag Luft III

Paperback (224 pages)

The first combat airman captured in US uniform by the Germans was Lt Col Albert P Clark, who then spent 33 months in the infamous Stalag Luft III where he was "Big S" in planning the Great Escape.

For the Good of Mankind:

A History of the People of Bikini and their Islands

Hardcover (216 pages), kindle

An insider's look at the people of Bikini Atoll, site of 23 U.S. nuclear weapons tests from 1946-54; a view of history from the islanders' perspective.

Making for Sweden...

The Story of the Allied Airmen Who Took Sanctuary in Neutral Sweden

Paperback (350 pages), kindle

Sweden maintained its neutrality throughout WWII, yet played a vital role as the war unfolded. This unique volume explores the relationship between the USAAF and Sweden during WWII.

France:

The Dark Years, 1940-1944

Paperback (688 pages), kindle

The first comprehensive study of the German occupation of France between 1940 and 1944, examining the nature and extent of collaboration and resistance, different experiences of Occupation, the persecution of the Jews, intellectual and cultural life under Occupation, and the purge trials that followed.

A Measureless Peril:

America in the Fight for the Atlantic, the Longest Battle of World War II

Paperback (368 pages), kindle, audiobook

In that global conflagration, only one battle — the struggle for the Atlantic — lasted from the very first hours of the conflict to its final day. Hitler knew that victory depended on controlling the sea-lanes where American food and fuel and weapons flowed to the Allies.

Flames in the Field:

The Story of Four SOE Agents in Occupied France

Paperback (368 pages), kindle

Intrigue and heroism, adventure and betrayal figure in this true story of women agents of the secret WWII Special Operations Executive, mandated by Winston Churchill to "set Europe ablaze" by organizing resistance in occupied Europe during the prelude to D-Day.

Secret Germany:

Stauffenberg and the True Story of Operation Valkyrie

Paperback (432 pages), kindle, audiobook

An exhilarating and definitive portrait of the anti-Nazi movement (called "Secret Germany") that almost killed Hitler, thus prolonging a further pointless year of war and the deaths of millions more.

Night Witches:

The Amazing Story Of Russia's Women Pilots in World War II

Hardcover (272 pages), paperback

Despite the occasional misinformation and the journalistic embellishment in novelizing these true historical events, this is still a terrific book which gives recognition to the courage and sacrifices of female Soviet pilots in the "Great Patriotic War."