World War II Books for Kids

Literary Spring Clean in August

While sorting through some books that had been packed in boxes for years, I discovered some gems from my childhood. I started my interest in war early. Under age ten, this would have mainly been comics like the Commando series or the films I mentioned in earlier blogs. However, this book sorting reminded me of two things. Firstly, I began reading World War II books for kids at about ten and secondly, I am a hoarder, especially of books.

The first book I discovered is no longer in print and was, Warrior Caste by James Albany, from a series of books called The Fighting Saga of the SAS. The second book, also no longer in print, was Special Unit: Hair-raising Exploits Behind the Enemy Lines, by A H Brown. Putting most of my other reading aside, I set to Albany’s book first. I would definitely recommend Brown’s book for older children and would tentatively do the same for Albany’s too with the warning that I discuss below.

Does anyone else have any suggestions for Second World War reading for the younger enthusiast?

Warrior Caste – James Albany

The book is set in a twenty-four to thirty-six-hour period towards the end of the evacuation from Dunkirk in May 1940. Lieutenant Deacon has been sent to rescue a British scientist from behind the lines. The scientist has been injured and is being cared for and hidden by a resistance group.

On his way to St. Felice to rescue him, he meets and recruits Sergeant Buz Campbell and Corporal McNair to aid him. Deacon is a specially trained agent; Campbell is a regular soldier who dislikes authority and McNair has a somewhat shady past which has made him a cold-blooded fighter.

This is a glorious adventure book where these three take on the SS Division sent to capture the scientist. In the first chapter, there is an interrogation which probably makes it inappropriate for ten-year-old readers, but the rest is pretty much a comic book adventure in novel form.

I can remember loving this book as a youngster and still thought it was a good read thirty-odd years later. However, I know far more now than I did then about the background of the defeat of France and the establishment of the SAS, so this did tweak my ire a little despite my knowing it is just a novel. I cannot seem to turn off my historical training and knowledge or my ingrained pedantry.

There are six books in the series, but I cannot remember why I only purchased this one, maybe I was spending my pocket money on something else! I have a little more pocket money now (just) and I have found all of them on eBay so I will complete the series soon.

Special Unit – A. H. Brown

I am currently halfway through Brown’s book which is also a fictional adventure novel. I am enjoying this again too. Probably because it fits into my other Second World War niche by being set just after Operation Market Garden and in an area of the Netherlands close to Arnhem. I will write a more in-depth review as soon as it’s finished.

Date Night

I know how to treat a girl so for our first date night in ages, I took my wife to the cinema the week Oppenheimer opened. Going to see the film reminded me that I live quite close to a place I have never visited but has its own nuclear links. Yes, that’s nuclear in North Wales. A couple of years ago, I went to visit but was stopped by some imposing gates, any return visit was then curtailed by covid and my sieve-like memory.

I decided in the cinema that I would attempt to revisit Rhydymwyn as during the Second World War it was the venue for the fledgling British nuclear bomb project, which would later become subsumed by the Manhattan Project.

I turned up early the next day and was fortuitously able to tag onto a guided tour of the site by the Rhydymwyn Valley History Society. I became a member of the Society so I can return in the future whenever I like. Without this, I would not have been allowed in and would not have found out some lovely titbits of information that only a knowledgeable tour guide can teach.

Things such as rubberised pathways to limit sparks and flimsy wooden roofs on brick buildings so only the roof would need replacing after an explosion. The main use of the factory was the production of mustard gas, but there was one notable building which was used to house the British nuclear programme where both British scientists and those of other nationalities such as the spy Klaus Fuchs worked.

The building cannot be demolished due to radioactive dust and is now a sanctuary for several species of bat, with the rest of the site being a nature reserve.

Oppenheimer, the movie.

Christopher Nolan has adapted the Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin biography American Prometheus. The film was visually stunning, especially the landscape in and around Los Alamos. However, the film itself was a little confusing at times as it jumped around between Oppenheimer’s life, the development of the A-Bomb and then his later security hearing and the Senate confirmation hearing for Lewis Strauss. It also flips between colour and black and white. I went into the film not having seen any interviews or any recent research into the topic as I want to judge it for what it is. Since watching it these have both been remedied so I now know that the change between colour and black and white is to differentiate between Oppenheimer’s first-person perspective and those scenes in which he was not present.

A second viewing may be in order whilst it’s still in the cinema, this time the IMAX version will be watched. I enjoyed the film and did not have to explain anything to my viewing partner as we were both confused equally in certain parts.

What’s Next?

Coming soon will be a dual review of books by James Holland and Al Murray. Big Week: The Biggest Air Battle of World War Two from the former, and Command: How the Allies Learned to Win the Second World War by the latter. Also, will be a review of The P.I.A.T: Britain’s anti-tank weapon of World War II by Matthew Moss and also books by Paddy Ashdown, Peter Caddick-Adams, and Antony Beevor.

First, however, to get in earlier will be my personal literary Christmas list.

Keep reading

BigT