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many faced defeat, but one would have had a hard time telling that by reading Signal. The magazine continued as if the nation were not in mortal peril. Early in the war readers would peruse articles and imagery showing the seem- ingly inexorable advance of the Wehrmacht. Later, when there were no victories to exhibit, the tone changed. While there were still no admissions of defeat, readers were now seeing patriotic exhortations to fight heroically. Arti- cles showed pictures of life at home, wives, mothers and children who were worth fighting for and protecting. The last edition of the mag- azine was published in March 1945, shortly before the war ended.
Signal is widely known as a propaganda tool,
but now a reader can see, translated into Eng- lish, exactly how it was used to shape opinion and knowledge of the war for the average Ger- man soldier and civilian. The author has cho- sen a range of articles from the magazine’s pages which provide insight, from photo essays of action-packed air attacks by Stuka dive bombers to a racially charged article showing Arab and African soldiers labeled as “Defend- ers of French Culture.” This book shows the evolution of the magazine and places it in con- text with the rest of the War in Europe.
The Cover-up at Omaha Beach: D-Day, the US Rangers, and the Untold Story of Maisy Battery (Gary Sterne, Skyhorse Publishing, New York, 2014, 336 pp., maps, pho- tographs, index, $24.95, hardcover)
One of the controversies of the D-Day inva- sion was the attack on Pointe du Hoc. A select force of U.S. Army Rangers was to scale the cliffs leading up to a German artillery battery and silence the guns so they could not be used against either the invasion fleet or the landing beaches. In the event, the Americans stormed up to cliffs in a perilous assault that proved ini- tially pointless. The gun emplacements were empty. The Rangers pushed on and three days later captured another German battery near the village of Maisy. This well-built position included bunkers, trenches, and even a hospi- tal. Few people today know of it.
The author, a collector of military memora- bilia, only learned of it when he bought a pair of American uniform trousers. In the pocket was a map showing the location of the battery no one knew was there. He went to it and found an overgrown field. Searching it, he found the entrance to a bunker. From there, Mr. Sterne
eventually bought the property and began exca- vating it until he had unearthed the entire com- plex. Eventually, he restored it complete with German howitzers and opened it as a historical site. During this time he researched the battery, curious as to why it was unknown and unmen- tioned in most histories of the Normandy fight- ing. Using records from numerous sources and interviews with surviving veterans, Mr. Sterne pieced together what he believes happened and why he thinks the Rangers were sent to Pointe du Hoc and not told about Maisy. While one might worry the book is little more than a way to draw attention to the author’s years long project, he makes his arguments forcefully and includes extensive detail in making his case. Even if one does not agree with the assertions made in this work, it is a fascinating account of a largely unknown battle.
Into the Dark Water: The Story of Three Officers and PT-109 (John J. Domagal- ski, Casemate Publishing, Havertown, PA, 2014, 280 pp., maps, photographs, notes, bibliography, index, $29.95, hardcover) Despite its diminutive size, PT-109 is one of the most famous vessels in U.S. Navy history. This patrol torpedo boat was the one that car- ried future President John F. Kennedy to fame when it was sunk in action, cut in half by a Japanese destroyer. An expert swimmer, Kennedy was left to rescue his shipmates. Their ordeal and rescue, well known as it is, deserves to be told again, and it is recounted here in detail along with Kennedy’s time as PT-109’s commander before its date with destiny.
There is more to PT-109 than Kennedy, how- ever. Before his arrival, two other men cap- tained the torpedo boat, Bryant Larson and Rollin Westholm. They led the crew through numerous fights in the waters near Guadal- canal. Most missions were carried out at night, darkness providing a modicum of protection for the tiny craft. The PT boats dueled with the Japanese destroyers that prowled the area. As the enemy learned how to fight the PTs, it used aircraft to spot the luminescence of their wakes at night and positioned artillery-toting barges to ambush them. It was a game of hide-and- seek with the highest stakes.
The author is a Pacific War historian spe- cializing in the Guadalcanal fighting. His account of one ship and its three commanding officers not only sheds light on PT-109, but also on the service of torpedo boat crews in general. It took daring and initiative to command such
a tiny warship aggressively, and this book con- veys their audacity in full measure.
Forgotten Fifteenth: The Daring Airmen Who Crip- pled Hitler’s War Machine (Barrett Tillman, Regnery History Publishing, Wash- ington, D.C., 2014, 336 pp., notes, bibliography, index, $29.95, hardcover) The U.S. Fifteenth Air Force fought in south- eastern Europe, in many ways the backwater of the European Theater. While the Eighth Air Force hit Germany, the Fifteenth took the bat- tle to the factories and oil refineries out of range of the England-based bombers. These targets were vital to the Axis war effort, and the Ger- mans knew it, covering them with a thick layer of defenses including both fighters and antiair- craft guns. The pilots and aircrews of the Fif- teenth fought through these defenses to hit the Nazi war machine where it could least afford it. Author Barrett Tillman is well known for his writing on military aviation. Fans of his prior books and new readers alike will enjoy what they find here. The writing is clear and easy to follow, creating a vivid account of a hard work- ing yet often ignored unit that contributed much to the Allied victory.
Alex’s Wake: A Voyage of Betrayal and a Journey of Remembrance (Martin Goldsmith, Da Capo Press, Philadelphia, PA, 2014, 352 pp., photographs, bib- liography, index, $25.99, hardcover)
One of the saddest tales of World War II is the voyage of the ship St. Louis. In May 1939, the liner set sail across the Atlantic with 937 Jews fleeing persecution in Germany and East- ern Europe. They hoped to disembark first in Cuba before eventually moving on to the United States and elsewhere. Unfortunately, a changing political situation in Cuba resulted in their being barred from setting foot there. The ship then turned toward the United States and Canada, but each time was refused permission to land its passengers. Finally the St. Louis returned to France. During the war many of the refugees died in concentration camps.
Two of these passengers were Alex and Hel- mut Goldschmidt. Alex’s grandson, the author, retraced their voyage recently in an effort to understand and deal with the unjust fate of his ancestors. This book recounts both their expe- riences and his personal journey.
DECEMBER 2014 WWII HISTORY 83
12 Inch Action Figure Museum Quality Detail (Arrives Dec 2014 )
$149.99