In the darkest days of World War II, a top-secret experiment unites the toughest outdoorsmen: lumberjacks, cowboys, prospectors and hunters from across Canada and the United States. Their goal: to forge the First Special Service Force – an elite airborne commando unit designed to strike deep behind enemy lines – taking them utterly by surprise. […]
Christmas with the East End Girls by Jean Fullerton
East London, 1943. Georgina St John-Smythe – George to her friends – is usually the life and soul of any party. But as the East End of London prepares wearily for another wartime Christmas amid nightly bombings, she is finding it hard to muster her festive spirit, still hurting from a recent romantic betrayal. But […]
Generaloberst Erich Hoepner by Philip Kay-Bujak
Erich Hoepner was a talented officer during World War One and a leading panzer commander during World War Two. Rising through the traditional Prussian roots of the Imperial Army and indoctrinated by loyalty, he became a committed supporter of Guderian’s new tank strategy of the 1920s and 30’s. By 1939 he was a corps commander, […]
The Secret Society of Librarians by Kate Thompson
London, 1939. When war breaks out on librarian Joyce Kindred’s doorstep and a call for help rings out across the libraries of London, she’s determined to act. Joyce knows only the world of books can offer safety and comfort to her neighbourhood — and she will make sure no one is left behind. Joyce sets […]
The women of the Blitz (and what I learned from them)
Who were the real hero(ine)s of the Blitz? “The wartime mothers of the East End,” one former doctor, who saved many lives, told author Kate Thompson. Kate writes about the lessons she learned from interviewing East London women who’d survived the bombs: the daughters of childminders, abortionists, money-lenders; the costermonger, the butcher, the singer. These […]
Liesel’s War by Corin Burnside
In April, 1945, Hamburg is a city on the brink of collapse, and Liesel Heinemann is caught in the storm of war. Once a promising student of translation, she is now a reluctant interpreter for the Nazis, her life irrevocably altered by the horrors surrounding her. Everything changes when she saves a British soldier who […]
The Variety Girls by Betty Firth
In March, 1940, Bradford mill girl Molly Clough can hardly believe it when she successfully auditions for ENSA, the organisation that entertains the troops. Despite the much-mocked ENSA’s reputation as ‘Every Night Something Awful’, singing on stage feels like a dream come true for Molly. But as she tours with her troupe, the Forces Follies, […]
The French Spymistress by Rachel Hore
When World War Two breaks out, the courage of two women will be tested to the limit. In Occupied France, Marie-Louise, a headstrong, single woman with two young children, is recruited into a secret intelligence network. She must collect privileged information about German military activities to help the Allies liberate her country. Her skill and […]