Global Contacts

One of the great benefits of our world of instant communication and worldwide reach is serendipitously finding people half-way across the globe who have similar interests.  Dr. McLaughlin just recently made contact with Peter Harmsen, author of

Shanghai 1937

Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze.

One of the most crucial and dramatic battles of the 20th century took place in  Shanghai, in the autumn months of 1937.   China’s largest city was engulfed in a deadly clash between Japanese invaders and forces commanded by the supreme Chinese leader of the time, Chiang Kai-shek. The battle, which involved hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides, marked the opening chapter in what was to become a protracted Sino-Japanese War. Therefore, it was also indirectly one of the main causes of America’s eventual entry into World War II.

Despite its enormous importance, the battle of Shanghai has been largely ignored in the west – until now. Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze, the first book-length treatment in any language other than Chinese, will be published in April by Casemate. The author is Peter Harmsen, who has been a foreign correspondent in East Asia for the past 20 years and is currently bureau chief for the French news agency AFP in Taiwan. In his spare time, Peter runs a blog, www.shanghai1937.com, which is dedicated to not just various aspects of the Shanghai battle, but also the overall 1937-45 Sino-Japanese War in all its complexity and diversity. “In western historiography, China is the last major remaining unexplored area of World War II, undeservedly so. China was a pivotal player, for example by tying up enough Japanese soldiers to prevent the Japanese empire from ever seriously considering an attack on the Soviet Union from the east,” Peter says. “However, with the growing profile of China in contemporary affairs, the western public is gradually beginning to nurture an interest in the country’s role as a combatant in World War II. I hope my book will make a modest contribution to satisfying some of this emerging curiosity about what actually happened in this key theater.”

Peter is in the privileged position of being able to read Mandarin and also has access to important archival sources in Taiwan, the successor state of Nationalist China, which did much of the fighting against Japan. If there are certain aspects of the Sino-Japanese War that members of the New Jersey World War II Book Club would like to see covered on his blog, he would be very interested to hear from them. They can contact him either via his website www.shanghai1937.com or directly by email chinawwii@gmail.com. While he cannot guarantee that any request will result in a blog post, each email will receive a personal reply.

Agent Garbo Author at next Meeting

The next meeting of the NJ World War II Book Club will be on Tuesday, March 19, 7 p.m., as usual  at the Millburn Library.

Our speaker will be Stephan Talty, who will discuss his recently published book Agent Garbo, the extraordinary story of the brilliant, eccentric secret agent who tricked Hitler and saved D-Day. Agent Garbo is the astonishing story of Juan Pujol, a nobody, a Barcelona poultry farmer  a self-made secret agent who matched wits with the best minds of the Third Reich--and won. The manner in which Pujol managed to gain the confidence of the British, and then convince his Nazi contacts that he had access into the top levels of British Secret Service is a remarkable story.  Most remarkable is the fact that the story is true. It is no exaggeration that Pujol's wit, cunning, and steely nerves made the Allied victory in World War II possible by convincing Hitler that the main invasion force would be at  Pas de Calais, not Normandy.

Talty is the author of five non-fiction books. He lives outside New York City with his wife and  two children.

Members are reminded to check our web site: http://ww2bookclub.blogspot.com/ and view the many photos that our talented photographer Sharon Austin has posted on the site. These photos are available for sale. Contact Sharon Austin at: sharonannaustin@hotmail.com, for more information.

February 2013 Meeting

The next meeting of the NJ World War II Book Club will be on Tuesday, February 19, 7 p.m., at the Millburn Library. William B. Rogers, Ph.D., Associate Dean of the Casperson School of Graduate Studies at Drew University will be our guest lecturer. Dr. Rogers will lecture on the Conflict in the Pacific during World War II. Dr. Rogers was John McLaughlin's dissertation advisor at Drew and inspired John to expand his dissertation into a book length biography of General Wedemeyer. Dr. Rogers and John are currently working on a day long seminar on China in World War II which which will be jointly sponsored by Drew University and the World War II Book Club. The conference will take place in November 2013. More details will be provided when the date is selected and the  speakers are named.

 

January 2013 Meeting

Next Meeting Tuesday January 15, 2013

The next meeting of the World War II Book Club will be Tuesday January 15, 2013, as usual at the Millburn Library commencing at 7PM. Our speaker will John W. Lanza,  author of the acclaimed Shot Down Over Italy-A True Story of Courage and Survival in Nazi-occupied Italy during World War II.

The stories of the fate of the airmen remained a mystery for many years. Lanza, after a long search in an effort  to locate relatives of the survivors of the crash,  and a trip to the crash site in Italy, was able to piece together a captivating true story with many fascinating aspects, including a pilot who put his crew's safety above his own, airmen who trusted partisans with their lives and airmen who as prisoners of war survived inhumane conditions.

View Pictures of Our Meetings

As usual our hard working photographer Sharon Austin has done an outstanding job of taking pictures at our Holiday Party, and at our meetings. The pictures can be seen by going to the following web site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68954241@N03/sets/

Special Announcement-Tour of Italy Battlefields

World War II Book Club Members John McLaughlin, Miller Bugliari, and Richard Schonberg have arranged a tour of the main battlefields of Italy during World War II, including, but not limited to Sicily, Cassino, Salerno and Anzio. The tour will be 12 days from April 24 to May 6, 2013. Any member of the Book Club who is interested in joining the tour can visit World War II Tours web site: www.worldwar2tours.com, or contact John McLaughlin for further details. We would love to have some of our members join us.

Looking ahead to 2013

The next meeting of the World War II Book Club will be Tuesday January 15, 2013, as usual at the Millburn Library commencing at 7PM. Our speaker will John W. Lanza,  author of the acclaimed Shot Down Over Italy-A True Story of Courage and Survival in Nazi-occupied Italy during World War II. 

John is a resident of Caldwell. After graduating from Bates College he was a banker in New York City for almost 40 years, retiring from JPMorgan Chase in 2008. He has an MBA from Baruch College and has taught undergraduate courses for over twenty-five years.

About John's Book: On May 26, 1944, a B-25 bomber with a seven-man crew was shot down over Nazi-occupied Italy. At the time, Italy was a battleground in a complex, controversial, drawn-out and bloody war of attrition. When disaster struck, the fate of each crew member rested, first, on the ability of the pilot to control the ship so they could bail out; and, second, on who reached them first when they hit the ground-Mussolini's Fascists, Hitler's Nazis, or the partisans that formed the Italian Resistance.

The stories of the fate of the airmen remained a mystery for many years. Lanza, after a long search in an effort  to locate relatives of the survivors of the crash,  and a trip to the crash site in Italy, was able to piece together a captivating true story with many fascinating aspects, including a pilot who put his crew's safety above his own, airmen who trusted partisans with their lives and airmen who as prisoners of war survived inhumane conditions. It is a riveting story and the event  promises to be another outstanding evening.

Future Programs

• Tuesday, February 19, 2013: William B. Rogers, Ph.D. and Associate Dean of the Casperson School at Drew University will lecture on the campaign in the Pacific Theatre during World War II.  
• Tuesday, March 19, 2013: Stephan Talty will provide a lecture on his book Agent Garbo - The Brilliant, Eccentric Secret Agent  Who Tricked Hitler & Saved D-Day.

Dues for The World War II Book Club

Some of our members may have forgotten to pay their dues.   Dues are $25.00 a year for a single membership and $30.00  for an entire family. We now follow the custom of many other organizations and charge dues commencing with the start of each new season which is September. Accordingly, we ask all members who have not yet done so  to pay their dues now. Please send a check to John J. McLaughlin 10 Farmstead Road Short Hills, NJ 07078 or pay at the next meeting. Please, if possible pay by check to assist our bookkeeping. Anyone with questions can call Dr. McLaughlin at 973-467-3313.

Happy Holidays - See you in 2013!

 The New Jersey World War II Book Club held its last meeting of 2012 at Pal's Cabin on December 6, where the holiday atmosphere was enhanced by great food and interesting conversations.   In order to spread the holiday cheer to our service men and women abroad, members were encouraged to write out holiday greetings on cards that would be collected and sent to our military personnel abroad.

• A full description of the Red Cross program can be found here.
• To view YouTube videos of the cards being delivered, click here.

In addition, Paul E. Zigo's presentation served as an important reminder as to the raison d'etre of Brookdale College's Center of World War II Studies, of which he is the founder and director.

Finally, thanks to Sharon Austin, here are pictures from our Holiday Party.  We also extend thanks to Sharon's husband Peter for providing us with wonderful key board Christmas music at the party.

 The first meeting of 2013 will take place on January 15, at 7 p.m. at Millburn Public Library.

Meeting Reminder

The next meeting of the World War II Book Club will be Tuesday, November 20, 2012, as usual at the Millburn Library commencing at 7PM. Our speaker will be Gregory J. W. Urwin, author of Victory in Defeat-The Wake Island Defenders in Captivity, 1941-1945.

           

Victory in Defeat is the detailed account of the defenders of Wake Island following their surrender to the Japanese on December 23, 1941. John McLaughlin heard Dr. Urwin at Brookdale College and was so impressed he immediately booked him for the World War II Book Club.

Annual Holiday Party - Thursday December 6. 

Our Annual Holiday Party will be held  at Pal's Cabin West Orange. The cost will be $50.00 per person. The dinner will be a fabulous buffet consisting of sirloin of beef, fish, chicken, vegetables and desert. Complimentary white and red wine will be supplied by the World War II Book Club. Soft drinks will be complimentary. Mixed drinks or cordials' will  be a cash bar. This dinner is open only to dues paid members.

Our Guest speaker will be Paul E. Zigo, Founder and Director of the Brookdale College Center of World War II Studies.

Please make your reservations early. Make checks payable to the World War II Book Club and mail to John McLaughlin, 10 Farmstead Road Short Hills, NJ 07078.

Note: The Book Club has been without e-mail for almost 2 weeks courtesy of Sandy and Comcast. Just restored this AM.