Download or read book Unsung Heroes of World War II written by Deanne Durrett and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2022-01-21 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On February 23, 1945, U.S. Marines claimed victory in the battle of Iwo Jima, one of the most important battles in the Pacific islands during World War II. Instrumental to this defeat of Japanese forces was a group of specialized Marines involved in a secret program. Throughout the war, Japanese intelligence agencies were able to intercept and break nearly every battlefield code the United States created. The Navajo Code Talkers, however, devised a complex code based on their native language and perfected it so that messages could be coded, transmitted, and decoded in minutes. The Navajo Code was the only battlefield code that Japan never deciphered. Unsung Heroes of World War II details the history of the men who created this secret code and used it on the battlefield to help the United States win World War II in the Pacific.

Download or read book War Animals written by Robin Hutton and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-09-18 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book will delight both animal lovers and military buffs!" — Elizabeth Letts, bestselling author of The Eighty Dollar Champion Millions rallied to the cause of freedom against Nazism and the menace of Imperial Japan. But did you know that some of those heroes had fur, or feathers? War animals guarded American coasts against submarine attack, dug out Londoners trapped in bomb wreckage, and carried vital messages under heavy fire on Pacific islands. They kept up morale, rushed machine gun nests, and even sacrificed themselves picking up live grenades. Now Robin Hutton, the bestselling author of Sgt. Reckless: America’s War Horse, tells the heart-warming stories of the dogs, horses, mules, pigeons—and even one cat—who did their bit for the war effort. American and British families volunteered beloved family pets and farm dogs to aid in the war effort; Americans, including President Roosevelt, bought honorary commissions in the reserves for lapdogs and other pets not suitable for military duties to “exempt” them from war service and raise money to defeat Hitler and Tojo. Many of these gallant animals are recipients of the prestigious PDSA Dickin Medal, the “Animals’ Victoria Cross.” In War Animals: The Unsung Heroes of World War II you’ll meet: -Judy, the POW dog who helped her beloved human survive brutal Japanese prison camps -Cher Ami, the pigeon who nearly died delivering a message that saved American troops from death by friendly fire -Beauty, the “digging dog” who sniffed out Londoners buried in the wreckage of the Blitz—along with pets, including one goldfish still in its bowl! -Olga, the horse who braved shattering glass to do her duty in London bombings -Smoky, the Yorkshire terrier who did parachute jumps, laid communications wire through a pipe so small only she could navigate it, became the first therapy dog—and starred on a weekly TV show after the War -Simon, the war cat whose campaign against the “Mao Tse Tung” of the rat world saved food supplies and his ship’s crew -Chips, who guarded Roosevelt and Churchill during the Casablanca Conference, and the only dog to earn a Silver Star for his heroics The shining loyalty and courage of these heroes is a testimony to the enduring bond between us and the animals we love.

Download or read book The Unsung Hero of Birdsong USA written by Brenda Woods and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2020-01-07 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author tells the moving story of the friendship between a young white boy and a Black WWII veteran who has recently returned to the unwelcoming Jim Crow South. For Gabriel Haberlin, life seems pretty close to perfect in the small southern town of Birdsong, USA. But on his twelfth birthday, his point of view begins to change. It all starts when he comes face-to-face with one of the worst drivers in town while riding his new bicycle--an accident that would have been tragic if Mr. Meriwether Hunter hadn't been around to push him out of harm's way. After the accident, Gabriel and Meriwether become friends when they both start working at Gabriel's dad's auto shop, and Meriwether lets a secret slip: He served in the army's all-black 761st Tank Battalion in World War II. Soon Gabriel learns why it's so dangerous for Meriwether to talk about his heroism in front of white people, and Gabriel's eyes are finally opened to the hard truth about Birdsong--and his understanding of what it means to be a hero will never be the same.

Download or read book Unsung Sailors written by Justin F. Gleichauf and published by US Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 1990 with total page 470 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of a critical but relatively unknown branch of the navy involving some 144,000 men who served in the US Naval Armed Guard. There are 150 first-hand accounts from former guardsmen, as well as historical data telling how the US Naval Armed Guard's 6000 merchant ships transported supplies.

Download or read book Unsung Heroes of World War II written by Deanne Durret and published by Everbind. This book was released on 2011-04-01 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Indomitable Florence Finch written by Robert J. Mrazek and published by Hachette Books. This book was released on 2020-07-21 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New York Times bestselling author of Fly Girls shares the riveting story of an unsung World War II hero who saved countless American lives in the Philippines. When Florence Finch died at the age of 101, few of her Ithaca, NY neighbors knew that this unassuming Filipina native was a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, whose courage and sacrifice were unsurpassed in the Pacific War against Japan. Long accustomed to keeping her secrets close in service of the Allies, she waited fifty years to reveal the story of those dramatic and harrowing days to her own children. Florence was an unlikely warrior. She relied on her own intelligence and fortitude to survive on her own from the age of seven, facing bigotry as a mixed-race mestiza with the dual heritage of her American serviceman father and Filipina mother. As the war drew ever closer to the Philippines, Florence fell in love with a dashing American naval intelligence agent, Charles "Bing" Smith. In the wake of Bing's sudden death in battle, Florence transformed from a mild-mannered young wife into a fervent resistance fighter. She conceived a bold plan to divert tons of precious fuel from the Japanese army, which was then sold on the black market to provide desperately needed medicine and food for hundreds of American POWs. In constant peril of arrest and execution, Florence fought to save others, even as the Japanese police closed in. With a wealth of original sources including taped interviews, personal journals, and unpublished memoirs, The Indomitable Florence Finch unfolds against the Bataan Death March, the fall of Corregidor, and the daily struggle to survive a brutal occupying force. Award-winning military historian and former Congressman Robert J. Mrazek brings to light this long-hidden American patriot. The Indomitable Florence Finch is the story of the transcendent bravery of a woman who belongs in America's pantheon of war heroes.

Download or read book Unsung Heroes of World War II written by Lynne Olson and published by . This book was released on 2020-09-02 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Fighting for America written by Christopher Paul Moore and published by One World. This book was released on 2007-12-18 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The African-American contribution to winning World War II has never been celebrated as profoundly as in Fighting for America. In this inspirational and uniquely personal tribute, the essential part played by black servicemen and -women in that cataclysmic conflict is brought home. Here are letters, photographs, oral histories, and rare documents, collected by historian Christopher Moore, the son of two black WWII veterans. Weaving his family history with that of his people and nation, Moore has created an unforgettable tapestry of sacrifice, fortitude, and courage. From the 1,800 black soldiers who landed at Normandy Beach on D-Day, and the legendary Tuskegee Airmen who won ninety-five Distinguished Flying Crosses, to the 761st Tank Battalion who, under General Patton, helped liberate Nazi death camps, the invaluable effort of black Americans to defend democracy is captured in word and image. Readers will be introduced to many unheralded heroes who helped America win the war, including Dorie Miller, the messman who manned a machine gun and downed four Japanese planes; Robert Brooks, the first American to die in armored battle; Lt. Jackie Robinson, the future baseball legend who faced court-martial for refusing to sit in the back of a military bus; an until now forgotten African-American philosopher who helped save many lives at a Japanese POW camp; even the author’s own parents: his mother, Kay, a WAC when she met his father, Bill, who was part of the celebrated Red Ball Express. Yet Fighting for America is more than a testimonial; it is also a troubling story of profound contradictions, of a country still in the throes of segregation, of a domestic battleground where arrests and riots occurred simultaneously with foreign service–and of how the war helped spotlight this disparity and galvanize the need for civil rights. Featuring a unique perspective on black soldiers, Fighting for America will move any reader: all who, like the author, owe their lives to those who served.

Download or read book Never Call Me a Hero written by N. Jack Kleiss and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2017-05-23 with total page 405 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hailed as "the single most effective pilot at Midway" (World War II magazine), Dusty Kleiss struck and sank three Japanese warships at the Battle of Midway, including two aircraft carriers, helping turn the tide of the Second World War. This is his extraordinary memoir. NATIONAL BESTSELLER • "AN INSTANT CLASSIC" —Dallas Morning News On the morning of June 4, 1942, high above the tiny Pacific atoll of Midway, Lt. (j.g.) "Dusty" Kleiss burst out of the clouds and piloted his SBD Dauntless into a near-vertical dive aimed at the heart of Japan’s Imperial Navy, which six months earlier had ruthlessly struck Pearl Harbor. The greatest naval battle in history raged around him, its outcome hanging in the balance as the U.S. desperately searched for its first major victory of the Second World War. Then, in a matter of seconds, Dusty Kleiss’s daring 20,000-foot dive helped forever alter the war’s trajectory. Plummeting through the air at 240 knots amid blistering anti-aircraft fire, the twenty-six-year-old pilot from USS Enterprise’s elite Scouting Squadron Six fixed on an invaluable target—the aircraft carrier Kaga, one of Japan’s most important capital ships. He released three bombs at the last possible instant, then desperately pulled out of his gut-wrenching 9-g dive. As his plane leveled out just above the roiling Pacific Ocean, Dusty’s perfectly placed bombs struck the carrier’s deck, and Kaga erupted into an inferno from which it would never recover. Arriving safely back at Enterprise, Dusty was met with heartbreaking news: his best friend was missing and presumed dead along with two dozen of their fellow naval aviators. Unbowed, Dusty returned to the air that same afternoon and, remarkably, would fatally strike another enemy carrier, Hiryu. Two days later, his deadeye aim contributed to the destruction of a third Japanese warship, the cruiser Mikuma, thereby making Dusty the only pilot from either side to land hits on three different ships, all of which sank—losses that crippled the once-fearsome Japanese fleet. By battle’s end, the humble young sailor from Kansas had earned his place in history—and yet he stayed silent for decades, living quietly with his children and his wife, Jean, whom he married less than a month after Midway. Now his extraordinary and long-awaited memoir, Never Call Me a Hero, tells the Navy Cross recipient’s full story for the first time, offering an unprecedentedly intimate look at the "the decisive contest for control of the Pacific in World War II" (New York Times)—and one man’s essential role in helping secure its outcome. Dusty worked on this book for years with naval historians Timothy and Laura Orr, aiming to publish Never Call Me a Hero for Midway’s seventy-fifth anniversary in June 2017. Sadly, as the book neared completion in 2016, Dusty Kleiss passed away at age 100, one of the last surviving dive-bomber pilots to have fought at Midway. And yet the publication of Never Call Me a Hero is a cause for celebration: these pages are Dusty’s remarkable legacy, providing a riveting eyewitness account of the Battle of Midway, and an inspiring testimony to the brave men who fought, died, and shaped history during those four extraordinary days in June, seventy-five years ago.

Download or read book General Walter Krueger written by Kevin C. Holzimmer and published by Modern War Studies. This book was released on 2007 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A military biography of the general who led the U.S. Sixth Army in the Southwest Pacific in World War II, including grueling jungle campaigns in New Britain and New Guinea, and who was subsequently chosen by General MacArthur to lead the ground invasion of both the Philippines and Japan.

Download or read book Unsung Hero My Father s Life as a World War II Battalion Surgeon and Concentration Camp Liberator written by Ceil Weinstein and published by . This book was released on 2019-11-09 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through a lucky twist of fate, a Russian immigrant's son becomes a liberator, rather than a victim, of a Nazi concentration camp. In this biography, his daughter reveals startling discoveries of heroism from his unspoken past as an American medical officer who, in one week, rescued 100 prisoners who were just days from death. This story traces the arc of her father's life in light of his exemplary service as a battalion surgeon in World War II. The heart of the story includes his shocking experience at Dachau Concentration Camp and Lebenau Prison during the final days of the war.

Download or read book Heroes of World War II written by Jarret Keene and published by . This book was released on 2024-03-05 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: They've been called the Greatest Generation, and now their stories will live forever, passed on to the next generation through this new dynamic and engaging biography. From soldiers to pilots, nurses to factory workers, moms and dads to brothers and sisters, the stories in Heroes of World War II are timeless examples of courage, sacrifice, and selflessness in the face of an unprecedented world conflict. Kids will meet Martha Gellhorn, one of the first female war journalists on the front line; Rosalind P. Walter, the real-life inspiration for "Rosie the Riveter"; Guy Stern, one of the original "Ritchie Boys" who worked to gather intelligence on the front lines; Corporal Ira Hayes, Akimel O'odham Native American who was one of the six Marines to raise the flag on Iwo Jima; plus Navajo code talkers, Tuskegee airmen, and many, many more. The Heroes Remembered series brings the most exciting time periods in history to life through the stories of the heroes we often don't remember: the women, the people of color, the poor, the uneducated. These names are brought to the attention of kids everywhere - along with a few people we all remember.

Download or read book Unsung Hero written by Margaret Allyn Greene Best and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2018-01-24 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Albert V. Greene, who became a prisoner of war during World War II and re-enlisted to serve in Korea and Vietnam, is one of America's unsung heros. This book has two parts: The first is a memoir written by Greene that includes how he was captured by German forces and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Italy, where he tried to escape. The second part is written by his daughter, Margaret, who shares a biography of her father with illustrations about his military career. The book also serves as a family and cultural history, beginning with how the Greene family immigrated from Germany and Ireland to Brooklyn, New York, in the late 1800s. The narrative continues with Albert V. Greene's recollection of his father's military service during the Great War and how Albert V. Greene made a difference as a teacher at home. While Greene lost his battle with Alzheimer's disease and died in 2009, he was laid to rest with the other heroes at Arlington National Cemetery.

Download or read book Unsung Heroes written by Bryan Boyett and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2015-10-26 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: UNSUNG HEROES: Voices of World War Two Members of the World War Two generation are a rare breed. Raised during the uncertainty of The Great Depression, these men of character would rise above the economic struggles of that time and go on to serve their country gallantly during a time of global war, and do so without hesitation. There is no doubt that their combined efforts saved the world from tyranny and oppression. These are their stories. Based on personal interviews, noted military biographer Bryan Boyett brings to life tales of honor, valor and courage. From storming the beaches of tiny islands, battling through dense forests, flying into war-torn skies, or sailing on the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, come experience the everyday antics of young men as they go about the business of war, including moments of sheer terror in the heat of combat. Unsung Heroes is a truly a labor of love, with its purpose to honor the veterans of World War Two, teach others of their heroism, and preserve their stories for the generations to come.

Download or read book Unsung Heroes II written by Bryan Boyett and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2016-11-03 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: UNSUNG HEROES II: Voices of World War Two Members of the World War Two generation are a rare breed. Raised during the uncertainty of The Great Depression, these men of character would rise above the economic struggles of that time and go on to serve their country gallantly during a time of global war, and do so without hesitation. There is no doubt that their combined efforts saved the world from tyranny and oppression. Building on the success of the first volume, these are more of their stories. Based on personal interviews, noted military biographer Bryan Boyett brings to life tales of honor, valor and courage. From storming the beaches of tiny islands, battling through dense forests, flying into war-torn skies, or sailing on the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, come experience the everyday antics of young men as they go about the business of war, including moments of sheer terror in the heat of combat. Continuing in the tradition of the first volume, Unsung Heroes II is a truly a labor of love, with its purpose to honor the veterans of World War Two, teach others of their heroism, and preserve their stories for the generations to come.

Download or read book The Unsung Hero written by Suzanne Brockmann and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2003-06-03 with total page 453 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Suzanne Brockmann’s wildly popular Troubleshooters series showcases this master storyteller’s rare gift for blending intense adventure with sensuous romance. And it all begins with The Unsung Hero, a heart-pounding tale of love that reveals hidden truths and brings two solitary people together against all odds. BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Suzanne Brockmann’s Born to Darkness. After a near-fatal head injury, Navy SEAL lieutenant Tom Paoletti catches a glimpse of an international terrorist in his New England hometown. When he calls for help, the Navy dismisses the sighting as injury-induced imaginings. In a last-ditch effort to prevent disaster, Tom creates his own makeshift counterterrorism team, assembling his most loyal officers, two elderly war veterans, a couple of misfit teenagers, and Dr. Kelly Ashton. As the town’s infamous bad boy, Tom was always in love with Kelly, a sweet “girl next door” who has grown into a remarkable woman. Now he has one final chance for happiness, one last chance to win her heart, and one desperate chance to save the day. “Thanks to Suzanne Brockmann’s glorious pen, we all get to revel in heartstopping adventure and blistering romance.”—RT Book Reviews

Download or read book Last Hope Island written by Lynne Olson and published by Random House. This book was released on 2017-04-25 with total page 577 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A groundbreaking account of how Britain became the base of operations for the exiled leaders of Europe in their desperate struggle to reclaim their continent from Hitler, from the New York Times bestselling author of Citizens of London and Those Angry Days When the Nazi blitzkrieg rolled over continental Europe in the early days of World War II, the city of London became a refuge for the governments and armed forces of six occupied nations who escaped there to continue the fight. So, too, did General Charles de Gaulle, the self-appointed representative of free France. As the only European democracy still holding out against Hitler, Britain became known to occupied countries as “Last Hope Island.” Getting there, one young emigré declared, was “like getting to heaven.” In this epic, character-driven narrative, acclaimed historian Lynne Olson takes us back to those perilous days when the British and their European guests joined forces to combat the mightiest military force in history. Here we meet the courageous King Haakon of Norway, whose distinctive “H7” monogram became a symbol of his country’s resistance to Nazi rule, and his fiery Dutch counterpart, Queen Wilhelmina, whose antifascist radio broadcasts rallied the spirits of her defeated people. Here, too, is the Earl of Suffolk, a swashbuckling British aristocrat whose rescue of two nuclear physicists from France helped make the Manhattan Project possible. Last Hope Island also recounts some of the Europeans’ heretofore unsung exploits that helped tilt the balance against the Axis: the crucial efforts of Polish pilots during the Battle of Britain; the vital role played by French and Polish code breakers in cracking the Germans’ reputedly indecipherable Enigma code; and the flood of top-secret intelligence about German operations—gathered by spies throughout occupied Europe—that helped ensure the success of the 1944 Allied invasion. A fascinating companion to Citizens of London, Olson’s bestselling chronicle of the Anglo-American alliance, Last Hope Island recalls with vivid humanity that brief moment in time when the peoples of Europe stood together in their effort to roll back the tide of conquest and restore order to a broken continent. Praise for Last Hope Island “In Last Hope Island [Lynne Olson] argues an arresting new thesis: that the people of occupied Europe and the expatriate leaders did far more for their own liberation than historians and the public alike recognize. . . . The scale of the organization she describes is breathtaking.”—The New York Times Book Review “Last Hope Island is a book to be welcomed, both for the past it recovers and also, quite simply, for being such a pleasant tome to read.”—The Washington Post “[A] pointed volume . . . [Olson] tells a great story and has a fine eye for character.”—The Boston Globe