The Western European and Mediterranean Theaters in World War II: An Annotated Bibliography of English-Language Sources

583 Pages·2008·2.23 MB·English

by  Donal Sexton

The Western European and Mediterranean
Theaters in World War II
The Western European and Mediterranean Theaters in World War II is a concise,
comprehensive guide for students, teachers, and history buffs of the Second
World War. With an emphasis on the American forces in these theaters, each
entry is accompanied by a brief annotation that will allow researchers to navigate
with ease through the vast amount of literature on the campaigns fought in these
regions. Focusing on all aspects surrounding the U.S. involvement in the Western
European and Mediterranean theaters, including politics, religion, biography,
strategy, intelligence, and operations, this bibliography will be a welcome addition
to the collection of any academic or research library.
Routledge Research Guides to American Military Studies provide concise, anno-
tated bibliographies to the major areas and events in American military history.
With the inclusion of brief critical annotations after each entry, the student and
researcher can easily assess the utility of each bibliographic source and evaluate
the abundance of resources available with ease and efficiency. Comprehensive,
concise, and current—Routledge Research Guides to American Military Studies
are an essential research tool for any historian.
Donal J. Sexton is Professor Emeritus of History at Tusculum College, where he
specialized in the History of World War II and Intelligence. Sexton is the author
of Signals Intelligence in World War II: A Research Guide.
Routledge Research Guides to American Military Studies
America and World War I
David R. Woodward
The War of 1812
John Grodzinski
The United States in the Vietnam War, 1954–1975
Louis A. Peake
The Western European and Mediterranean Theaters in World War II
Donal J. Sexton
The Western European and
Mediterranean Theaters
in World War II
An Annotated Bibliography of
English-Language Sources
Donal J. Sexton
First published 2009
by Routledge
270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016
Simultaneously published in the UK
by Routledge
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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Sexton, Donal J.
The Western European and Mediterranean theaters in World War II : an annotated bibliography of English-
language sources / Donal J. Sexton.
p. cm. – (Routledge research guides to American military studies)
Rev. ed. of: World War II, the European and Mediterranean theaters : an annotated bibliography / Myron J.
Smith. 1984.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 13: 978–0–415–95769–4 (hbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN 13: 978–0–203–89268–8 (ebook)
ISBN 10: 0–415–43391–6 (hbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: (invalid) 0–203–95769–9 (ebook) 1.World War, 1939–1945–Campaigns–Western Front–
Bibliography. 2.World War, 1939–1945–Campaigns–Mediterranean Area–Bibliography. 3.United States–
Armed Forces–History–World War, 1939–1945–Bibliography. I.Smith, Myron J. World War II, the European
and Mediterranean theaters. II. Title.
Z6207.W8S573 2008
[D756]
016.9405421–dc22
2008007151
ISBN 0-203-89268-2 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 10: 0–415–95769–6 (hbk)
ISBN 10: 0–203–89268–2 (ebk)
ISBN 13: 978–0–415–95769–4 (hbk)
ISBN 13: 978–0–203–89268–8 (ebk)
Contents
Introduction 1
I Reference Works 7
A. Bibliographies 7
B. Abstracts/Indexes 19
C. Encyclopedias/Handbooks/Dictionaries 23
D. Annuals/Yearbooks 33
E. Atlases/Chronologies 34
F. Collective Biography 38
G. Document/Manuscript Guides and Collections 43
H. General War Histories 50
II Special Studies 62
A. The Diplomacy, Strategy, and Economics of
Coalition Warfare 62
B. Intelligence and Related Activities 88
C. Technical Support: Medicine, Logistics,
Engineering, Communications, and Special Services 109
III The War in the Air 124
A. General Works 124
B. Biographies and Memoirs of Officers and
Enlisted Personnel 135
1. Collective Biographies 136
2. Individual Biographies and Memoirs 139
C. Campaigns and Battles 153
1. Mediterranean Theater 153
2. European Theater 159
3. Combined Bomber Offensive 168
D. Unit Histories 190
1. General Works 191
2. Air Forces 192
3. Fighter Units 195
4. Bomber Units 201
5. Other Units 207
E. Air Weapons, Uniforms, and Markings 209
1. General Works 209
2. Individual Aircraft 215
a. Bombers 215
b. Fighters 221
c. Other Aircraft 227
3. Awards, Personal Equipment, Insignia, and Markings 229
IV The War on Land 232
A. General Works 232
vi Contents
B. Biographies and Memoirs 245
a. Collective Biographies 245
b. Individual Biographies and Memoirs 251
C. Campaigns and Battles 302
1. Mediterranean Theater 302
a. General Works 302
b. North Africa 304
c. Sicily, Italy, and Southern France 313
2. European Theater 337
a. General Works 337
b. D-Day Through France 346
c. Holland, Belgium, and Germany 378
D. Unit Histories 415
1. General Works 415
2. Armies and Corps 417
3. Airborne Divisions 422
4. Armored Divisions 427
5. Infantry Divisions 432
6. Miscellaneous Units 446
E. Land Weapons, Uniforms, and Markings 450
1. General Works 451
2. Artillery 451
3. Tanks and Armored Vehicles 453
4. Infantry and Airborne Weapons 460
5. Military Vehicles 464
6. Uniforms, Insignia, Markings 465
V The War at Sea 471
A. General Works 471
B. Biographies and Memoirs 479
1. Collective Biography 479
2. Individual Biographies and Memoirs 481
C. Campaigns and Battles 485
1. Mediterranean 485
2. English Channel 493
3. Battle of the Atlantic 497
D. Sea Weapons, Uniforms, and Markings 521
1. Warships 521
2. Warplanes 528
3. Sea Weapons 532
4. Uniforms, Insignia, Markings 533
Author Index 535
Subject Index 557
Introduction
Background
World War II was a seminal event for the United States and the American people.
Pearl Harbor discredited the illusion of isolationism and propelled the nation
into a war that John Keegan has described as “the largest single event in human
history.” The war profoundly altered the international order and changed nations
and society fundamentally.
For the United States, World War II was shorter and less costly in terms
of human life, treasure, and natural resources than it was for the other major
belligerent nations. Although engaged in the war economically, politically, and
emotionally from 1939 to 1941, the United States did not enter the war as a
combatant until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and
Germany’s subsequent declaration of war against it. With the exceptions of
Hawaii and the Philippine Islands, then a territory and colony respectively,
no battles were fought on American soil; no American cities were devastated.
American military casualties of 274,000 killed exceeded those of World War I,
but were significantly smaller than those suffered by any other major belligerent.1
In a military sense, the United States fought a truly global war. American
forces were deployed around the world, from the Aleutian islands of the North
Pacific to the rain forests of Burma, in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, in North
Africa, Italy, northwest Europe, as well as numerous atolls of the vast central
Pacific. Over 16,000,000 men and women served in the American armed forces
during the course of World War II.2 When victory came in Europe and Asia in the
spring and autumn of 1945, the United States possessed unsurpassed economic
and military power, not to mention international prestige.
It would be presumptuous, or worse arrogant, to attempt to compile an
annotated bibliography dealing with all aspects of a subject as complex as World
War II. In the nearly 25 years that have elapsed since Myron J. Smith, Jr. first
completed World War II: The European and Mediterranean, which this writer has
expanded and retitled World War II: A Selective Annotated Bibliography of the
Northwest European, Central Mediterranean and Atlantic Theaters, literature con-
cerned with and interest in the war has not simply grown, it has exploded. Once
1
2 Introduction
common, books and articles by generals, admirals, and air marshals on strategy
and campaigns have given way to biographies and personal memoirs of the men
and women who experienced the war on the ground, air, and sea, or in hospitals.
African Americans have found their voices and recounted their experiences of
fighting for freedom in ironically segregated units of the American armed forces.
Veterans, particularly it seems of elite units, have written of their experiences of
combat and occupation duty in sometimes elegiac, but nearly always in reflective
terms.
The popularity of the war in the consciousness of Americans is reflected in
best sellers such as Tom Brokaw’s The Greatest Generation Speaks (New York:
Random House, 1999) and the films Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers.
Americans, however, cannot fully comprehend the events experienced by Allied
seamen, soldiers, and airmen over 60 years ago in the Atlantic, in ground combat
in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and northwest Europe, or in the skies and waters of
the Atlantic and Mediterranean without knowledge of the contributions and
achievements of peoples of other nationalities. Victory over the European Axis,
especially Germany, resulted from an Allied coalition involving the combined
efforts of the men and women of Canada, the United Kingdom and its Com-
monwealth or Empire forces, France, Poland, the Soviet Union, and many other
nations. It was, in other words, an Allied victory, not just an American, Canadian,
or British triumph.
It seems as though the further removed wartime allies are from the events of
1939–1945, the more contentious discussion has become of Allied leadership,
strategy, and tactics. Indeed debate continues to swirl over the wisdom and con-
duct of the Italian campaign, especially the generalship of British and American
commanders, the bombing of Monte Cassino, and the attempt to outflank the
German forces at Anzio (Operation SHINGLE). It appears that historians will
never resolve the question of whether or not the commitment of Allied resources
in Italy was a strategically sound decision. Similarly, the trans-Atlantic debate
continues unabated concerning Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery’s conduct
of the Normandy campaign and his challenge of General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s
“broad front” strategy after the breakout from Normandy that resulted from
Operation COBRA in August 1944. Much of this debate mirrors national biases.
One can readily discover books and articles in contemporary popular or scholarly
journals in which the pros and cons of alternative strategies and the strengths
and weaknesses of British, American, Canadian and Commonwealth troops who
battled the German army are assessed.
Controversy and debate also characterize discussion of the strategic air cam-
paign against Germany and the effectiveness of Allied close air support forces.
The former debate has long been focused on the effectiveness and morality of
RAF Bomber Command’s area attacks on German cities. These attacks have
recently been likened to the Holocaust.
Consequently, in agreeing to revise Smith’s original book, the writer did so
with the thought in mind of broadening its coverage to embrace significant works
that make a substantial contribution to understanding the activities of the armed
forces and leaders of the United States’ allies or coalition partners. Good inten-
tions notwithstanding, the vastness of the available literature dictates limits. Not
all titles published since 1984 have been included in this revised and enlarged
edition. In particular, many heavily illustrated works pertaining to weapons and
equipment that are primarily of interest to enthusiasts or aficionados which offer
Introduction 3
little or nothing fundamentally new have been excluded. This may strike some as
unwise, but it is decision born from considerations of space.
The sheer volume of literature concerned with World War II raises serious
questions of bibliographic control. Although public interest in World War II
remains high, relatively little has been accomplished in the United States since
this work first appeared in 1984. There are, or course, exceptions to this. Janet
Zeigler’s World War II: Books in English, 1945–1965 (Stanford, Ca.: Hoover
Institution Press, 1971) and The American Committee on the History of the
Second World War have helped keep scholars abreast of new publications.
What has changed and will continue to alter this situation is the World Wide
Web. Whether one is an amateur or professional historian, or a passionate
enthusiast, those with a deep interest in World War II have learned to access it via
the Internet. A visit to the reference room of any large public or university library
should suffice to convince the few “doubting Thomases” that may still linger in
musty stacks somewhere that the World Wide Web has become synonymous with
research. As J. Douglas Smith and Richard Jensen observe in the 2003 edition of
World War II on the Web, in 2002 “entering the phrases ‘World War II’ or ‘World
War Two’ into Google produced 1.8 million hits”; today they yield “between 2.3
and 3 million hits.”3
One can read oral histories, official government documents, including after-
action reports, minutes of meetings, diplomatic messages, operational plans,
contemporaneous letters and diaries of military and civilian personnel, or view
photographs, and participate in discussions with veterans concerning the war and
their service via the Internet. Although occasionally difficult and time-consuming
to access, they are but “a mouse click away.” All that is required to access a
plethora of primary sources is patience and diligence—two hallmarks of serious
researchers.
The World Wide Web not only makes resources previously not easily access-
ible available without extensive travel, it also enhances bibliographic control.
One can now review library catalogs from a distance, purchase books deemed
important from specialized dealers, read scholarly journal, popular periodical,
and newspaper articles without journeying to repositories or leaving the con-
fines of one’s office. Even the official histories prepared by the U.S. Army
Center for Military History on the Normandy campaign and the Battle of the
Bulge can be found online at the Center’s website or purchased in the form of
CD-Roms.
In addition, scholarly and popular journals can be purchased online or
their contents searched for relevant materials via various databases often sub-
scribed to by major universities and public libraries. Many, such as the Center
of Research and Information on the Battle of the Bulge (http://users.skynet.be/
bulgecriba/battlebulihtm) in Belgium “provide the most comprehensive collec-
tion of online resources” in existence pertaining to that seminal December of
1944.4
Hopefully this work, although not comprehensive, will prove a useful guide
for those seeking access to print and electronic sources pertaining to the Allied air
war in Europe, the operations of Allied ground forces in the central Mediter-
ranean and western Europe, and the operations of Allied naval forces in the epic
Battle of the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the waters in or near the English
Channel.