Sicily 43 – James Holland 
James Holland is simply a master historian and storyteller. This account of the Allies landing and taking Sicily, as seen from both sides, makes gripping reading. It is almost un-put-downable… even though we already know how the story ends! It’s also a good antidote to the view of the Sicily campaign as portrayed in the movie ‘Patton’.
Hitler’s Spyplane over Normandy 44 – Philippe Bauduin 
So, it goes like this: at the beginning of Aug 1944, Luftwaffe pilot Erich Sommers was regularly flying undetected over the beaches of Normandy at 29,500ft (900 m) in his Arado 234 jet, snapping away with his photo-reconnaissance cameras. I didn’t know this till I stumbled across this book – well, I’m sure not many people did, after all he was ‘undetected’!
This book is photo-rich and fascinating. It covers the development of the Arado 234, its operations, its pilots, its main base at Juvincourt, and the post-war efforts of the Americans to get the German jets back to the USA to study them. There are many photos taken by the pilots themselves at their airbases, and many of the reconnaissance photos they took.
I do take minor issue with the book’s sub-title: ‘The world’s first jet’. It wasn’t. The world’s first jet to fly was the Heinkel HE 178 . The world’s first operational jet was the Messerschmitt ME 262. The Arado 234 was the world’s first operational jet bomber.
The Man Who Broke Napoleon’s Codes: The Story of George Scovell
I stumbled across this book by Mark Urban (yes, that Mark Urban – the Diplomatic Editor for BBC 2’s Newsnight), and found myself absolutely engrossed in it.
George Scovell turns out to be a 19th century version of Alan Turing. By cracking and part-cracking the codes that Napoleon and his generals used to communicate during the Peninsula War, he was able to steer his boss Arthur Wellesley, the Earl (at that point in his career) of Wellington, towards victory in such crucial engagements as the Battle of Salamanca 1812.
It has made me want to re-visit parts of Portugal & Spain to ‘walk the history’.
Flying Bombs over England – HE Bates
I think this is an amazing non-fiction WW2 book because unlike most, it is not a dispassionate scholarly treatment of the subject. It is both detailed and informative, while being eloquent and evocative. Take this passage for example, talking about the role of London’s firemen and what they were dealing with in the ‘Doodlebug Blitz’.“Even the live victims came out of their bomb traps wearing a grey dusty mask of desolation and always after the fall of the bomb there was the high tower of dark smoke dust and then, in the summer air, the dead sick stench of high explosive strong as corruption and sour as tombs. How many boyhood romantic fire-fighting ambitions are buried under the dust of London with the broken limbs of children and the disintegrated life of centuries? Ask a fireman.” See what I mean!
French Eagles, Soviet Heroes – John D. Clarke
This is a part of WW2 not often covered. In 1942, General de Gaulle agreed to send French pilots to fight alongside the Red Air Force against the Germans on the Eastern Front. The pilots of the “Normandie-Niemen” Squadrons (originally called the Normandie squadrons, then awarded the name Niemen by Stalin as a battle honour for their role in forcing a crossing of the River Niemen) became the most highly decorated fighter unit ever to fly for France, and the second highest scoring fighter air group of the Soviet Air Force. The book is easy to read and full of fascinating tales from the formation of the group and their journey to Russia, to their triumphant return to Le Bourget accompanied by top ranking Soviet officials to sing their praises. There is a dedicated hall to the Normandie-Niemen squadrons at the Air & Space Museum, Le Bourget with one of their Yak-3 aircraft in it.
Cochrane the Dauntless: The Life and Adventures of Admiral Thomas Cochrane, 1775-1860 – David Cordingly
Think of the greatest nautical heroes in fiction eg. Master & Commander, Jack Aubrey or Hornblower… well Thomas Cochrane is the real deal and the man who inspired those characters! Recklessly heroic at sea and on land, he was brave, ambitious, determined and flawed. He was at various times in his busy life, an inspired sea captain, an MP, a convict and a scientist/engineer. Oh, and like Jack Aubrey, his lifelong best friend was a surgeon. I found this book both inspiring and astonishing.
