Reading up on World War II

Just imagine for a moment that you have gone back in time 60 years to

this week in 1945. Picture how extraordinary the Victory in Europe

celebrations must have been for the boys at the front, the thousands

upon thousands of people jammed into Times Square, the grannies

dancing in Piccadilly Circus with the GIs, while the bombers returned

home for the last time to their British airfields.

Though the enormous effort and sacrifice of that greatest

generation was only half spent, there also must have been a hopeful

sense that the war in the Pacific must end soon as well.

World War II may have occurred many generations ago, but its

impact is still felt around the world. There have been many books

written about its many sacrifices, and in recent years, we have seen

more and more memoirs and reexaminations of the facts as secret files

have been released.

“Countdown to Victory: The Final European Campaigns of World War

II,” by Barry Turner, reveals the true suffering of the troops during

the most bitter and bloodiest fighting on the western front, as the

Allied leaders strove to work together amid petty rivalries and

resentments.

In “The Path to Victory: The Mediterranean Theater in World War

II,” author Douglas Porch focuses on an often-neglected facet of the

war in Europe. The war effort in North Africa and Italy drew German

resources away from the western front, and the campaign eventually

led Germany into its disastrous push on Russia.

But for a sweeping overview that is at once a highly readable

account and a tome for the serious military historian, Max Hastings’

“Armageddon: The Battle for Germany, 1944-1945” makes use of recently

released Allied and Soviet documents to revisit the final months that

led to the Germans’ surrender on May 8, 1945.

Though these books are heroic in scale and grim in their accounts,

there are two recent books that focus on a little known, but

enormously important, factor in the victory in Europe. This would be

the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops.

Formed at the urging of Douglas Fairbanks Jr., the 23rd was

comprised of 1,100 men, including designer Bill Blass, painter

Ellsworth Kelly, and photographer Art Kane.

“Secret Soldiers: How a Troupe of American Artists, Designers and

Sonic Wizards Won World War II’s Battles of Deceptions Against the

Germans” by Philip Gerard, and “Ghost Army of World War II” by Jack

Kneece, each tell the story of theater designers, painters, sound

technicians and others, who were recruited expressly to deceive the

German Army. Through the use of sound effects, camouflage, fake radio

broadcasts, inflatable boats and planes, the 23rd routinely fooled

the Germans into believing misinformation about Allied troops. The

existence of this unit was classified until 1996, and now its heroic

and inventive efforts are getting their due.

For these and other books about all facets of World War II, just

contact the reference desk at the Central Library or any of its

branches.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Sara Barnicle. All titles may be

reserved from home or office computers by accessing the catalog at

https://www.newportbeach library.org. For more information on the

Central Library or any of the branch locations, please contact the

Newport Beach Public Library at (949) 717-3800, option 2.