Christmas World War

When World War I began in August 1914, the British confidently predicted that it would be "over by Christmas." In Berlin, Kaiser Wilhelm II told his soldiers that they would be "home before the leaves fall." But by late December, it was clear not only that the war was far from over, but also that this would be a more destructive and deadly conflict than any that had come before. On the Western Front, British troops faced the Germans across two opposing lines of trenches.

'Incredibly well sourced . . . One of the most plugged-in voices in modern warfare' - TELEGRAPH 'Truly excellent ... a gripping tour de force. Every politician and military expert needs to read this book' - Iain Dale 'Reads like a real-life geopolitical thriller . . . The fact it doesn't feel...

New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor has joined with Heather Webb to create this unforgettably romantic novel of the Great War. August 1914. England is at war. As Evie Elliott watches her brother, Will, and his best friend, Thomas Harding, depart for the front, she believes—as...

On Christmas Day 1914, amid the bloodily stalemated trenches of Flanders just five months into World War I, a memorable event dubbed the Christmas Truce occurred. In place of the rattle of gunfire and the crash of bursting artillery shells, familiar German and English Christmas carols floated through the frosty air. Officers and men on both sides emerged from their trenches to mingle, exchange Yuletide greetings, give one another small gifts and mementos, and discuss the fighting as language allowed.

In the early months of World War I, on Christmas Eve, men on both sides of the trenches laid down their arms and joined in a spontaneous celebration. Despite orders to continue shooting, the unofficial truce spread across the front lines. Even the participants found what they were doing...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Read by the author. "A fast-paced debut...Espionage buffs will savor this vibrant account." — Publishers Weekly A U.S. naval counterintelligence officer working to safeguard Pearl Harbor; a Japanese spy ordered to Hawaii to gather information on the American fleet. On...

The True Story of One Woman's Triumph of Faith Newlywed American missionary Darlene Deibler Rose survived four years in a notorious Japanese prison camp set deep in the jungles of New Guinea. Thinking she was never to see her husband again, Darlene Rose was forced to sign a false confession and...

The captivating true story of the British girl who survived a Nazi internment camp.This sweet, innocent young lady lived through the German occupation of the British Islands and her subsequent deportation to a German internment camp along with her brother, father, and her mother. One Orange For Christmas takes you through the struggles and hardships the Channel Islanders experienced for more than five years from 1940 to 1945, and the final three years when over 2000 British citizens were deported to German camps

In this detailed study, Terri Blom Crocker provides the first comprehensive analysis of both scholarly and popular portrayals of the Christmas Truce from 1914 to present. This new examination shows how a variety of works have both explored and enshrined this outbreak of peace amid overwhelming violence. The vast majority of these accounts depict the soldiers as acting in defiance of their superiors. Crocker, however, analyzes official accounts as well as private letters that reveal widespread support among officers for the détentes.

""An ingenious look at WWII.” —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) A groundbreaking new history of the role of American servicewomen in WWII, illuminating their forgotten yet essential contributions to the Allies’ victory. Valiant Women is the story of the 350,000 American women who served...

Siblings forge new paths and find love in three stories filled with the wonder of Christmas. Turn back the clock to a different time and listen to Bing Crosby sing of sleigh bells in the snow as the realities of America’s involvement in the Second World War change the lives of the Turner family in Lafayette, Indiana. The Turner family believes in God’s providence during such a tumultuous time. Can they absorb the miracle of Christ’s birth and His plan for a future?

Three evacuee orphans and the wife of a POW airman investigate a murder and bank robbery. Christmas 1940: When three London children are evacuated to the countryside during the Second World War, life at the grand Ravenley estate should be a refuge. But nothing could prepare Carol Sinclair for the shadows creeping through her household. A daring bank robbery leaves a nightwatchman dead, and the children unwittingly hold the key to identifying the gang. Meanwhile, Carol’s husband, Charles, is missing in action, presumed lost behind enemy lines, leaving her heart torn between hope and fear. ...

Discover never-before-told details of POW underground operations during the Vietnam War told through one airman's inspiring story of true love, honor, and courage. Air Force pilot Captain Carlyle "Smitty" Harris was shot down over Vietnam on April 4, 1965 and taken to the infamous Hoa Lo...

Snowed in for the holidays with a killer? It’s the most wonderful time of the year… December 1938. As storm clouds gather over Europe, a group of bright young things are spending a festive weekend at Hexham Hall, the grand Northumberland estate of the genial Colonel ‘Monty’ Talbot. Hexham Hall has all the right ingredients for a perfect holiday: roaring fires, flowing brandy, a glittering cast of guests, and a relentless blizzard cutting them off from the world. What could possibly go wrong? Plenty... There’s the Colonel’s dazzling niece, Vanessa, whose past romantic ...

Winner of the 2025 Audie Award for Multi-Voiced Performance A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Absolutely gripping.” —The Washington Post “A masterpiece of oral history…stirring, surprising, grim, joyous, moving, and always riveting.” —Evan Thomas From the New York Times...

It's 1944, and World War II is raging through Europe. Lieutenant Bradford Reimer, forced to leave his wife and ill daughter in Pennsylvania, finds himself fighting for his life and the lives of his men in the Battle of the Bulge. As they escape certain death, they end up in the Belgian Village of Ciel, where they meet a kindly old man named Nikolaas.

Rumours of war ignites both feelings of dread and excitement around New Zealand as the country prepares to follow Great Britain into what will become known as ‘the war to end all wars’. As the country empties of men, the consequences are felt on the Mokau, no more so than Middle River where those left behind are having to go back to the land to hold on to the dreams they once held so high. Richard Murphy, Theo Twentyman, and Tama Ratahi, young men who have been friends since birth, ride out to Maryville above Middle River for their final pig hunt. But it doesn’t go to plan and how ...

June 1944. Joan Foster had no way of knowing when or if fate would reunite her with the maddeningly good-looking Sgt. Dick Thimble, the tall, soft spoken soldier from Washington, D.C. They'd scarcely become engaged after knowing each other only weeks, when he had been called away. The War takes a giant step closer when the husbands and boyfriends of all of Joan's friends are suddenly deployed. Joan and her friends Helen, Annie, and Bernice pray fervently for their safety as the men disappear into the unknown world of War. When Annie's Sylvester goes MIA, only Bernice's wild surprise is ...

An American fighter pilot doomed to die in Buchenwald but determined to survive. On August 13, 1944, Joe Moser set off on his forty-fourth combat mission over occupied France. Soon, he would join almost 170 other Allied airmen as prisoners in Buchenwald, one of the most notorious and deadly of...

After 50 years of the Cold War and 25 years of the War on Terror, the world hoped for peace and prosperity but instead faced crisis after crisis: genocides in Iraq, Somalia, Rwanda, Congo, and the former Yugoslavia. Meanwhile, global militaries shrank as nations pursued a "peace dividend," relying instead on technology to act as force multipliers stealth bombers, advanced tanks, and digital systems that made small forces devastatingly effective. Yet history echoed Plato's warning: "Only the dead have seen the end of war." Every collapsed regime and ignored genocide was a signal of how ...