“Times will come when a man of peace must go to war to secure the peace.”
The Second World War remains the biggest conflict in human history, and its ramifications continue to shape the world to this day. As we slowly start to lose the last generation of people to have lived through the war, history books have become increasingly valuable resources in keeping a tether on history and ensuring we continue to remember the lessons from the past. Which is why we here at What We Reading have pulled together some of our favourite World War Two books from 2023. From feuding royals and secret humanitarian struggles to technological innovations, these WW2 books take readers from Singapore and Sicily to Stalingrad!
The Windsors At War: The King, His Brother And A Family Divided – Alexander Larman
Kicking off our list of the best WW2 books from 2023, Alexander Larman continues his history of the Windsor family in The Windsors At War. One of the most fascinating recent books on the Royal Family, the author of The Crown in Crisis shines the spotlight on Britain and the United States during the Second World War and the dysfunctional family that was forced to go to war with Adolf Hitler, and with each other.
Larman documents how the abdication of King Edward VIII rocked the royals, and how his increased interest in the expansionist policies of Hitler may have led him to betray his country. He chronicles how few at home thought his brother Bertie could ever live up to the job of being king, leading him to the one man in politics he could trust: Winston Churchill. The Windsors At War documents the conflicted relationship of Edward and George VI, and how the family was able to put their differences aside long enough to win the biggest conflict of their time.
The Savage Storm: The Battle For Italy 1943 – James Holland
Renowned historian James Holland delves into the controversial Italian campaign and redefines how retelling war should be done in his 2023 WW2 book, The Savage Storm. Beginning with the Allied victory in Sicily and their invasion of southern Italy in September 1943, Holland documents how the hopes for a quickfire campaign quickly descended into one of the most challenging and arduous battles of the entire war.
Delivered with unflinching detail, Holland utilises a combination of ground-level insights with letters, diaries, and documents from all perspectives of the battle – Allies, Axis, and civilians alike. Whisking over mountainous terrain and through the hearts of shattered villages, The Savage Storm is undoubtedly one of the finest resources for understanding the Italian campaign and one of the best military history books from 2023.
Men At War: Loving, Lusting, Fighting, Remembering 1939-1945 – Luke Turner
In Men At War, Luke Turner presents one of the most refreshingly honest and unique takes on the fascination with the Second World War. Assembling a cast of colourful characters ranging from writers, filmmakers, poets, artists, and even ordinary folk from his own family, this 2023 World War Two book is a powerful reminder that the only way of understanding the conflict is through getting to grips with the complex lives and identities of those who lived through it.
Some of the characters readers meet throughout the book include a transgender RAF pilot, a Japanese POW prisoner who became an LGBT+ activist later in life, a bisexual Commando, and a pacifist poet who took to the skies for Bomber Command.
Eject! Eject! – John Nichol
Sunday Times bestselling author of Spitfire, Lancaster, and Tornado John Nichol unearths the astonishing story of the invention of the ejection seat. This mechanism has saved thousands of lives, including his own.
Fuelled by the immense loss of life in the accidents and battles of the conflict, the ejection seat was first conceived during World War Two. Nichol explores the technological innovations that led to its implementation, the brave men who risked their lives testing it, and even interviews the first British pilot to eject from an aircraft. Not only one of the best World War Two books from 2023 for understanding the pace at which new technologies were conceived and invented, Eject! Eject! is a thrilling account of what happens when one ‘bangs out’ for both those involved and those already on the ground.
The Forgers: The Forgotten Story Of The Holocaust’s Most Audacious Rescue Operation – Roger Moorhouse
Roger Moorhouse masterfully brings to life one of the largest – albeit least known – rescue operations from the Second World War in his 2023 book, The Forgers.
Between 1940 and 1943, a group of Polish diplomats in Switzerland engaged in a remarkable humanitarian mission. Working alongside Jewish activists, they engineered a program of forging identity documents and false passports for Latin American countries. Smuggled into German-controlled Europe, the operation saved thousands of lives for those facing extermination during the Holocaust. The Forgers marks the first instance of this incredible feat being told in the rich detail it deserves, from the desperate bids for freedom to heroism from a group of ordinary men who decided to do something rather than nothing.
November 1942: An Intimate History Of The Turning Point Of The Second World War – Peter Englund
In November 1942, Swedish historian and author Peter Englund documents the most important month of the Second World War through the lives of the people who experienced it via their letters, diaries, and memoirs.
Based solely on the writings of soldiers and citizens alike, Englund’s intimate history of November 1942 chronicles how the Axis powers went from a position of still being able to win the war to the whole world realizing it was only a matter of time before their defeat came. Meeting forty incredible characters ranging from a university student in Paris to a shipwrecked Chinese sailor, November 1942 takes readers from El Alamein, New Guinea, Guadalcanal, and the streets of Stalingrad to showcase how the war was turned, and what it was like to live through it.
Forgotten Warriors: The Long History Of Women In Combat – Sarah Percy
Forgotten Warriors is Sarah Percy’s definitive history of women during the war, illuminating exactly how essential they have always been.
From Boudicca’s rebellion to the war-torn streets of Ukraine, battlegrounds have always featured a surprising number of females. International relations expert Percy unearths some of the most fascinating stories from these forgotten warriors across her 2023 book, setting the record straight on how integral they have been in nations’ armed forces. From the Dahomey Mino to the Soviet flying aces known as the Night Witches, Percy’s Forgotten Warriors is sharply researched and wonderfully told as it places women in their rightful place at the frontlines of history.
Cinderella Boys: The Forgotten RAF Force That Won The Battle Of The Atlantic – Leo McKinstry
While the squadrons that took to the skies during the Battle of Britain have gone down in history as the dashing poster boys of air resistance against the Axis, Leo McKinstry lifts the lid on the unsung wing that took on Hitler’s U-boats and made Allied victory possible in his 2023 World War Two book, Cinderella Boys.
Known as ‘The Cinderella Service,’ McKinstry introduces readers to the Coastal Command of the RAF’s maritime wing and their remarkable transformation from an underfunded ramshackle organization into an elite force providing one of the defining turning points in the entire war. Equipped with new technologies ranging from depth charges, radar equipment, and rocket projectiles, Cinderella Boys draws on a wealth of new sources to finally give this outfit the recognition it deserves.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
