Showing titles in Military & Wars

In the South Pacific in 1944 and 1945, military battles raged between the United States and Japan. Surrounded by rattling bullets and exploding bombs, a group of Navajo Marines sent secret messages back and forth. They used a code they had created from the Navajo language, a code the enemy was never able to crack. These young men had been recruited from their homes in the American Southwest. They brought with them incredible physical stamina and a language that had never been written down.

During World War II, the United States was battling Japan. In 1942, the president of the United States signed an executive order, forcing more than 100,000 Japanese Americans to leave their homes. These innocent people - many of them US citizens - would spend the next few years imprisoned behind barbed wire fences in what the government called internment camps. Learn more about these courageous heroes, including those who fought for justice and freedom.

On June 6, 1944, Allied bombers flew overhead as a huge naval fleet landed on the beaches of Normandy, France. Under a hail of gunfire, thousands of Allied troops fought their way onto the beaches and into the German-occupied territory. This courageous invasion became known as D-day. One of the largest military operations in history, D-day ended in Allied victory, but that victory came at a staggering price. Learn more about the brave men and women who risked and even sacrificed their lives to fight back against the Germans and help turn the tide of World War II.

Early on the morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese aircraft and ships attacked the US military base at Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii. Following the attack, the United States would officially enter World War II, and people around the country would join together to support the war effort. But for those at Pearl Harbor, the war began when the attack did. Pilots, navy officers, nurses, and civilians quickly took action. These brave heroes worked to defend Pearl Harbor. They cared for casualties and worked to repair the damage.

When Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801, America was deeply in debt and needed its economy to grow quickly, but its merchant ships were under attack. Pirates from North Africa routinely captured American sailors and held them as captives demanding ransom and tribute far beyond what the new country could afford.

From two-time Newbery Medalist and living legend Lois Lowry comes a moving account of the lives lost in two of WWII's most infamous events: Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima.

During the infamous World War II Battle of the Bulge, Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds was captured, along with his infantrymen. The Nazis took him and his men to Stalag IXA, a notorious prisoner of war camp in Germany, where he was the highest-ranking American soldier. He showed great courage in the face of danger, refusing to feed into the cruelty toward his fellow soldiers, many of whom were Jewish. Through his deep spirituality, endurance, ability to lead, and bravery, Roddie saved hundreds of US military men. And his heroism continues to impact thousands of lives today.

In the young readers’ edition of his New York Times best-selling book, Fox News anchor Bret Baier examines the historic transition and Eisenhower’s last chance to lead the country he loved through his legendary farewell address and his personal appeals to Kennedy. Baier paints a vivid picture of the contrasts between old and new at the beginning of a decisive decade in American history. Eisenhower and Kennedy were very different men.

Your little historian needs a fun and exciting adventure back in time! “Easy History for Kids: The American Revolution” gives a fascinating peek into the American Revolution—for kids and kids at heart! Are you struggling to engage your child in history lessons? Do you find it challenging to make American Revolution lessons fun and accessible? Are you looking for a comprehensive yet entertaining guide to early American history? If so, then “Easy History for Kids: The American Revolution” is your one-stop shop for engaging lessons into early American history!

What does the U.S. Coast Guard do? How does the U.S. Marine Corps work with other military branches? U.S. Armed Forces answers these questions and more, while introducing listeners to the military branches, their training, missions, and careers.

Did the spies in Word War II have gadgets like James Bond’s? This history audiobooks will show the technology used by spies to gather intel about their enemies. You will also meet some of the most popular spies, both men and women. Spies performed dangerous but very important tasks for the benefit of their homeland. Listen all about them today!

Ryan Smithson joined the Army Reserve when he was 17. Two years later, he was deployed to Iraq as an Army engineer. In this extraordinary and harrowing memoir, readers march along one GI's tour of duty. It will change the way you feel about what it means to be an American.

World War II is raging in Europe, and Tomie finds that life has changed in many ways. Now he has to wear an extra sweater to school because they're trying to conserve coal. Then tragedy brings the war home to the dePaola family, and all Tomie can do is ask "Why?"

Tomie keeps hearing the phrase, "For the duration." Gas is being rationed "for the duration." The Fourth of July fireworks will be the last show "for the duration." So many things will be different as long as the war goes on, but much of Tomie's life goes on as usual. He's excited about starring in a dance recital, taking the bus around town all by himself, and having his first Communion. But Tomie is also still getting over his cousin's death in the war, and he has to say good-bye to his uncle as he ships off to basic training.

Tomie has his own diary with a lock and a key—now he can write down all his secrets and no one will be able to read them. All through the year, exciting things happen and Tomie writes about them in his diary. Sledding down the steep hill on his new Junior Flexible Flyer, being a pirate in the dance recital, and starting second grade with real art lessons at last! Then one Sunday morning Tomie's family hears news on the radio that changes everything. Master storyteller Tomie dePaola takes us back to 1941 and lets us experience what life was like growing up in the dePaola household.

Well-loved author Tomie dePaola brings his childhood memories to audio in this collection of books 5-8 from his 26 FAIRMOUNT AVENUE series.

Soon after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, they also attacked U.S. military installations in the Philippines. For the army and navy nurses stationed there, what had been a peaceful outpost quickly turned into a raging war zone. When the U.S. and Philippine forces retreated to the Bataan Peninsula and the fortress island of Corregidor, the nurses followed them to the field hospitals to care for the wounded. Persevering through enemy assault and imprisonment, these heroic women became angels of mercy amid the war in the Pacific.

When the United States entered World War II, it had to face its own contradictions at home. Opportunities opened up for Black people and women in support of the war effort. But ideas about race and gender didn't change as swiftly. Listen to the story of the first all-Black battalion in the Women's Army Corps—the Six Triple Eight—and its leader, Major Charity Adams. These women bravely confronted the racism and sexism they experienced. And they did it while creating a system to make sure millions of letters and packages got to soldiers fighting in Europe.

During World War II, Germany’s Nazi forces stormed across Europe, committing horrific crimes against Jewish people and others. In 1942, 21-year-old Sophie Scholl formed a student-led, anti-Nazi organization called the White Rose. Their goal: distribute informational pamphlets to draw public attention to Nazi crimes—and, ultimately, stop them.

In the 1930s, Louis Zamperini was a promising Olympic track athlete. But when World War II broke out, he enlisted and served as a bombardier with the U.S. Army Air Corps. In 1943, Zamperini miraculously survived when his bomber crashed in the Pacific Ocean. But that was just the beginning of his ordeal. After surviving for more than six weeks on a raft at sea, he was captured by Japanese forces and sent to a POW camp.