WWII
Pen and Sword Books have an impressive and comprehensive range of World War Two books. Far from waning, interest in the global land, sea and air conflict grows with every successive generation. Our list has something for everyone, whether it be from memoirs, biographies, pictorial histories, studies of campaigns and a superb selection of guidebooks, covering many of the Battlefields of the Second World War.
Quizzes
VE Day – 70 Years On
Do you know your Goering from your Goebbels? Test your knowledge on the days and events surrounding VE Day with this quiz!
On 7 May 1945, Germany's unconditional surrender was signed in Reims by General Alfred Jodl. The following day, Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced the end of the war on the radio from the Cabinet Room and 8 May continues to be celebrated as Victory in Europe Day.
Start the Quiz
VE Day – 70 Years On
Do you know your Goering from your Goebbels? Test your knowledge on the days and events surrounding VE Day with this quiz! On 7 May 1945, Germany's unconditional surrender was signed in Reims by General Alfred Jodl. The following day, Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced the end of the war on the radio from the Cabinet Room and 8 May continues to be celebrated as Victory in Europe Day.
Start the QuizBorn of the Desert
Born of the Desert is a classic account of the early years of the SAS. The Special Air Service was formed in 1941 and quickly earned a reputation for stealth, daring and audacity in the Western Desert Campaign. This elite force utilised the endless expanse of the desert to carry out surprise attacks and hit and run raids behind the Afrika Korps' lines,… Read more...
Battleships: WWII Evolution of the Big Guns
Beginning with a pictorial essay on battleship construction in the 1930s and 1940s, this new book looks at the various design facets of the last great capital ships of the world's navies. Kaplan offers us a glimpse into those massive American and German navy yards and construction facilities that were put to use during this time, acquainting us with… Read more...
Hitler's Boy Soldiers
Founded in 1922, the Hitler Youth movement, or Hitlerjugend, was comprised of male youths aged 14 – 18 and, by December 1936, membership stood at over 5,000,000. During the Second World War its role evolved from assisting with the postal, train and fire services into full war fighting. Recruits went into units such as the elite 12th SS Panzer-Division… Read more...
The Pegasus and Orne Bridges
The glider-borne operation to capture Pegasus Bridge has an established place in the annals of warfare. Conducted by Major John Howard and his company of Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry it was a superbly daring, brilliantly executed 'coup de main' assault. Equally brave was the seizure of the Orne bridges by airborne forces and the defence… Read more...
The Waffen SS in Combat
This is the photographic history of the Waffen-SS in combat on all fronts. The short six year history of the Waffen SS spanned triumph and disaster, and their story can be traced through these powerful images, which clearly document the reality of combat from 1940 to 1945. These rare images span the combat history of the Waffen-SS from the optimism… Read more...
Carve Her Name With Pride
Carve Her Name With Pride is the inspiring story of the half-French Violette Szabo who was born in Paris Iin 1921 to an English motor-car dealer, and a French Mother. She met and married Etienne Szabo, a Captain in the French Foreign Legion in 1940. Shortly after the birth of her daughter, Tania, her husband died at El Alamein. She became a FANY (First… Read more...
How To Undertake Surveillance and Reconnaissance
How to Undertake Surveillance and Reconnaissance offers you a systemic way to learn about these fascinating subjects—what they are and what they are not. In doing so, it will teach you how to employ the unique tradecraft associated with these interesting occupation in order to help you plan and carry out your own recon missions. In a world of growing… Read more...
RAF at the Crossroads
The events of 1942 marked a pivotal year in the history of British air power. For more than two decades the theory that long-range bombing could win wars had dominated British defence policy. The vast majority of warplanes ordered for the RAF were designed either to bomb enemy cities or stop the enemy from bombing British cites. Conventional armies… Read more...
Till Victory
From the mountains of Italy to the beaches of Normandy, and from the deserts of North Africa to the ruined cities of Germany, experience the history of the Second World War in Western Europe from 1939-1945 in an entirely different way. Using unpublished letters and diaries, follow the journeys of some fifty Allied soldiers (American, British, French,… Read more...
Empty Sky
One moment the sky would be full of aircraft wheeling and positioning for the best shot at the enemy; a sky full of danger and menace. The next instant there would just be a clear blue empty sky with the sun shining down on a calm and beautiful landscape. Such was the phenomenon experienced by pilots who fought in the key battles of France and Britain… Read more...
Death March Escape
Hersch effectively uses his father’s unusual story to convey the horrors of the Holocaust. A valuable addition to Holocaust literature. - Publishers Weekly Hersch's amazing tale is told for the first time by his son Jack who has retraced his footsteps for his new book. - The Daily Mail In a warm and emotionally engaging story, Jack digs deeply into… Read more...
Red Road From Stalingrad
Mansur Abdulin fought in the front ranks of the Soviet infantry against the German invaders at Stalingrad, Kursk and on the banks of the Dnieper. This is his extraordinary story. His vivid inside view of a ruthless war on the Eastern Front gives a rare insight into the reality of the fighting and into the tactics and mentality of the Red Army's soldiers… Read more...