This is the start of a new and exciting season for our World War 2 Book Club, and we have a great set of programs for the balance of year 2011. As always, all meetings take place at the Millburn Public Library, 200 Glen Avenue, Millburn, NJ 07041.
Tuesday, October 18:
Marilyn C. Solvay, Ph.D., Director of the Sullivan Museum and History Center at Norwich University will discuss the history of this proud military college, the first private military school in the United States, founded in 1819 from which many of our military leaders have graduated. Dr. Solvay will also discuss the current program of World War 2 studies.
Tuesday, November 15
Blaine Pardoe, author of of Lost Eagles: One Man's Mission to Find Missing Airmen in Two Wars will discuss his award winning book. Mr. Pardoe weaves together the fascinating story of one man who devoted his life to developing technology and a methodology for locating the remains of missing airmen. He established the procedure, still in place today, of imprinting the serial numbers of the aircraft on every single piece of equipment used in the aircraft so the plane can be identified even when a crash scatters the parts over a large area.
Traditional Holiday Party
Tuesday, December 13
Our annual Holiday Party will be held again this year at Pal's Cabin, West Orange on Tuesday December 13. Mark the date. Our guest speaker will be Nancy Webster who has been video taping all the lectures which are now available on the web. She will discuss the current state of technology in videotaping and show clips of the lectures that have been recorded this year including many pictures of our members.
Read the complete newsletter, Vol. 2, #9.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Tuesday, May 17th, 2011 Meeting Announcement
The next meeting of the World War 2 Book Club will be Tuesday May 17, 2011, 7PM to 9PM at our usual meeting place, Millburn Library. Ursula Pawel will discuss her extraordinary story as told in her book, My Child Is Back. Ursula's entire family, mother father and brother were imprisoned by the Nazis when they took over Germany. Her father and brother never survived,but through skill, ingenuity, and a good deal of luck Irsula survived and lived to tell her story.After her release she had heard rumors that a women who resembledher mother was seen in a distant town. Ursula setout on foot to locate her mother, and after many months miraculously encountered her mother in a distant city.
Important Announcement: We are endeavoring to video our lectures and make them available for viewing on our web site. The Watkins lecture was filmed, and Nancy Webster did a remarkable job of editing and adding music, as well as interviews. You can view the entire lecture on this site: http://vimeo.com/23141723
Monday, March 21, 2011
Meeting Announcement
Paul Watkins - Wednesday April 20, 2011 - Author, Lecturer, Historian. Professor at the Prestigious Peddie School Hightstown, New Jersey
Our program for WEDNESDAY.[Note the change in day due to scheduling conflict] will feature Paul Watkins. Mr. Watkins, an English Professor at The Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey. Watkins has published 10 novels and two non-fiction books, has lectured extensively both in the United States and abroad, including lectures at the Explorers Club in New York, the New York Public Library, and the Royal Society of Literature in London.
The subject of Watkin's lecture will be the Nazi Waffen SS on which he is a recognized authority.
Paul Watkins was educated at the Dragon School, Eton College and Yale University. The London Telegraph said "Paul Watkins has become the writer of his generation whose future course will be watched with most interest". He has been compared to Hemingway and Conrad and his books have been translated into 9 languages.
We are privileged to have the chance to hear him speak. This promises to be a wonderful evening. Don't miss it
Our program for WEDNESDAY.[Note the change in day due to scheduling conflict] will feature Paul Watkins. Mr. Watkins, an English Professor at The Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey. Watkins has published 10 novels and two non-fiction books, has lectured extensively both in the United States and abroad, including lectures at the Explorers Club in New York, the New York Public Library, and the Royal Society of Literature in London.
The subject of Watkin's lecture will be the Nazi Waffen SS on which he is a recognized authority.
Paul Watkins was educated at the Dragon School, Eton College and Yale University. The London Telegraph said "Paul Watkins has become the writer of his generation whose future course will be watched with most interest". He has been compared to Hemingway and Conrad and his books have been translated into 9 languages.
We are privileged to have the chance to hear him speak. This promises to be a wonderful evening. Don't miss it
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Jan Herman - Tuesday, March 15th - Chief Historian of The Navy Medical Department 7pm
Our Next program at the Milburn Library, Tuesday March 15th, 7 to 9 pm, will feature Jan Herman, Chief Historian of the Navy Medical Department, and editor of its prestigious journal Navy Medicine.
Prepared to heal and comfort our sailors, the medical men and women of the U.S. Navy are a critical element of our fighting force. The stories of the naval medical personnel highlight how important they are to the operation of our navy.
Jan Herman will tell the story of the role the Navy medical team played at Normandy on June 6, 1944, later at Iwo Jima, and Okinawa in the Pacific campaign, and also the latest conflicts in Iraq, and Afghanistan.
He will trace the history of the Navy Medical team and describe the latest medical advances used to treat our wounded fighting men and women.
Prepared to heal and comfort our sailors, the medical men and women of the U.S. Navy are a critical element of our fighting force. The stories of the naval medical personnel highlight how important they are to the operation of our navy.
Jan Herman will tell the story of the role the Navy medical team played at Normandy on June 6, 1944, later at Iwo Jima, and Okinawa in the Pacific campaign, and also the latest conflicts in Iraq, and Afghanistan.
He will trace the history of the Navy Medical team and describe the latest medical advances used to treat our wounded fighting men and women.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Meeting Announcement - Historian Richard Lucas, Tuesday February 15, 2011 at 7PM
Our next program will be a lecture by local historian Richard Lucas at the Millburn Library 200 Glen Avenue, Tuesday February 15, 2011 at 7PM.
Lucas will talk about his recently published book Axis Sally The American Voice of Nazi Germany. This is the fascinating story of a notorious failed American actress turned radio announcer, better known to the American GI's who served in the European theatre of war during World War II as "Axis Sally". Her name was Mildred Gillars.
In the early 1930's she struggled as an actress in New York City, appearing occasionally with stock companies, but was unable to establish a theatrical career. After several trips to Europe looking for employment, she finally in 1940 obtained work as an announcer with the German State Radio.
When war broke out she had the opportunity to return home, but elected to stay in Germany. She signed a written oath of allegiance to Germany and broadcast throughout the war. She acquired a number of names from her GI listeners including "Berlin Bitch" and "Berlin Babe" but the one that stuck and for which she is known is "Axis Sally". Her program was titled "Home Sweet Home Hour". The main thrust of her broadcasts was directed toward making the American forces in Europe homesick. A constant theme of hers was the infidelity of wives and sweethearts broadcast regularly to the soldiers in Europe and North Africa.
Her most famous, or infamous, broadcast was just prior to the D-Day invasion of France in 1944 when the Germans knew that an invasion was imminent. She played the leading part in a play as an Ohio mother who dreams that her son died a horrific death on a ship in the English Channel during an attempted [and failed] invasion of France.
She was arrested immediately after the war in Berlin, returned to the United States and tried for Treason. Convicted, she was sentenced to 10-30 years in prison. She actually served 12 years and spent the remainder of her life in partial seclusion teaching in a small Catholic school in Ohio.
Her conviction raised some interesting and controversial legal issues, and many legal scholars attribute her conviction to the hysteria of the times.
Copies of Lucas' book will be available for purchase and signing.
Lucas will talk about his recently published book Axis Sally The American Voice of Nazi Germany. This is the fascinating story of a notorious failed American actress turned radio announcer, better known to the American GI's who served in the European theatre of war during World War II as "Axis Sally". Her name was Mildred Gillars.
In the early 1930's she struggled as an actress in New York City, appearing occasionally with stock companies, but was unable to establish a theatrical career. After several trips to Europe looking for employment, she finally in 1940 obtained work as an announcer with the German State Radio.
When war broke out she had the opportunity to return home, but elected to stay in Germany. She signed a written oath of allegiance to Germany and broadcast throughout the war. She acquired a number of names from her GI listeners including "Berlin Bitch" and "Berlin Babe" but the one that stuck and for which she is known is "Axis Sally". Her program was titled "Home Sweet Home Hour". The main thrust of her broadcasts was directed toward making the American forces in Europe homesick. A constant theme of hers was the infidelity of wives and sweethearts broadcast regularly to the soldiers in Europe and North Africa.
Her most famous, or infamous, broadcast was just prior to the D-Day invasion of France in 1944 when the Germans knew that an invasion was imminent. She played the leading part in a play as an Ohio mother who dreams that her son died a horrific death on a ship in the English Channel during an attempted [and failed] invasion of France.
She was arrested immediately after the war in Berlin, returned to the United States and tried for Treason. Convicted, she was sentenced to 10-30 years in prison. She actually served 12 years and spent the remainder of her life in partial seclusion teaching in a small Catholic school in Ohio.
Her conviction raised some interesting and controversial legal issues, and many legal scholars attribute her conviction to the hysteria of the times.
Copies of Lucas' book will be available for purchase and signing.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Next Lecture: January 18, 2011 Terry Golway
There is no lecture scheduled for December. On Tuesday January 18, 2011 we will have a lecture by Terry Golway on his recently published book Together We Cannot Fail. Terry is a professor of History at Kean University. The book is a compilation of essays on the major Fireside Chats delivered by President Franklin Roosevelt during the War years. His radio addresses were heard by millions of Americans whose only source or news in those days was the newspaper and radio. Americans would huddle around the single radio they owned in those days, usually in the living room, and listed to his golden voice. Whatever your politics, no one can deny Roosevelt's gift for oratory!
Terry delivered a lecture on his book at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library a few months ago and Drs. McLaughlin and Lomazow were in the audience and immediately engaged him for a lecture for our Book Club. One delightful feature of Terry's book is that it comes with a CD of the major radio talks. When Professor Gumz delivered a lecture on D-Day a few months ago we played Roosevelt's famous "D-Day Prayer" speech that he delivered to the nation the evening of the D-Day invasion. It is a remarkable speech with heavy religious overtones, not likely to be ever heard in contemporary political addresses again. The sound quality of the speeches on the Disk are remarkable. Please don't miss this lecture.
Terry delivered a lecture on his book at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library a few months ago and Drs. McLaughlin and Lomazow were in the audience and immediately engaged him for a lecture for our Book Club. One delightful feature of Terry's book is that it comes with a CD of the major radio talks. When Professor Gumz delivered a lecture on D-Day a few months ago we played Roosevelt's famous "D-Day Prayer" speech that he delivered to the nation the evening of the D-Day invasion. It is a remarkable speech with heavy religious overtones, not likely to be ever heard in contemporary political addresses again. The sound quality of the speeches on the Disk are remarkable. Please don't miss this lecture.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Next Lecture October 19, 2010
Thomas Fleming, author of over 40 books has written only one devoted to World War 2, but it is an outstanding award winning contribution, The New Dealers' War-F.D.R. and the War Within World War II. Mr. Fleming will appear at the Book Club on Tuesday October 19, same time and place. We urge you to read this book before the lecture to obtain the most pleasure from the lecture. Most libraries have it, and it can be purchased for under five dollars on the web. Anyone wishing to purchase the book, we recommend you look at AbeBooks.com which has a substantial number available. This book relates in fascinating detail all the behind the scenes dealings in the Roosevelt administration during the war, and the political and military decisions which had a critical impact on the course of the war.
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