FIVE DAYS THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD eyewitness accounts from Europe at the end of World War II

by Nicholas Best

A GRIPPING ACCOUNT OF THE LAST DAYS OF WORLD WAR II FROM THE FAMOUS FACES WHO WITNESSED IT.

‘Riveting.’ Daily Mail

‘Fascinating.’ The Times

‘Beguiling . . . a good story well told.’ BBC History Magazine

On 28 April 1945, Benito Mussolini was dragged from his mistress’s bed and executed. Two days later, as the Soviet Army surrounded Berlin, Adolf Hitler put a gun to his head.

But this is not the traditional account of victory in Europe.

Drawing on first-hand accounts from individuals including John F. Kennedy, working in San Francisco, and Bob Dole recuperating in an Italian hospital, Nicholas Best provides a unique insight into ordinary American lives.

He recounts how Spike Milligan swigged stolen champagne. Audrey Hepburn starved in Holland. And a future Pope walked home, terrified of being shot for deserting the Wehrmacht.

Told by individuals, some of whom would go on to be the most recognised faces on the planet, Five Days that Shocked the World gives a remarkable insight into the most dramatic 120 hours in history.

PRAISE FOR FIVE DAYS THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I found it utterly engrossing . . . one can almost taste the dust of crumbling Berlin.’ Don B.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A really unusual and original way to view a series of historical events that most know well from school.’ Kindler

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Nicholas Best has succeeded in putting together a riveting page turner . . . if you know nothing about WWII this is as good a place to start as any.’ Amazon Customer

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A book hard to put down, it filled many of the gaps left by history.’ David N.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I have read many accounts of the final days of World War 2 . . . none have been so carefully put together and presented in such an easy way for the reader to absorb.’ Mike

Genres: History, World War II

314 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 5, 2024

About the author

Nicholas Best grew up in Kenya and was educated there, in England and at Trinity College, Dublin. He served in the Grenadier Guards and worked as a journalist in London before becoming a full time author.
His first novel ('As a satire on military bigotry and shambling officialdom, Where were you at Waterloo? is in places as sharp as Waugh and sometimes better' - Times Literary Supplement) was written at Harvard. His second, Tennis and the Masai ('The funniest book of the year - Daily Telegraph) was serialized on BBC Radio 4.
He has since written many other books, including Happy Valley: the Story of the English in Kenya, The Greatest Day in History, about the Armistice of 1918, and Five Days that shocked the World, about the end of the Second World War.
Best was the Financial Times's fiction critic for ten years. In 2010, he was long-listed for the Sunday Times-EFG Bank award of £30,000, the biggest short story prize in the world. He lives in Cambridge.
For more information, visit www.nicholasbest.co.uk

Reviews

[Robert B Balder · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author meticulously details the ultimate fate of a wrong-thinking egotist who surrounds himself with likeminded villains and self-serving sycophants to control and destroy and emerging democracy and a longstanding national culture. Committing unspeakably wrongful deeds and illegal acts that go uncontested, they eventually show their cowardice. The people and nation they so deceived for so long are left to suffer.
We read history in order to learn from the past. This story should be a lesson for today.

[Jimmy Quintana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but confusing

Good book and not bad but jumped around a lot with many characters made it hard to immerse yourself in a particular storyline.

[GaP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meticulously researched. There was a lot packed into five days. The brutal abduction and execution of Mussolini and his mistress while his wife and children fled for safety, the liberation of at least two concentration camps, Hitler's last days in his bunker until he took his own life and was subsequently cremated, and the collapse and surrender of the German army as commanding officers scrambled for the exits and hedged their bets. The advancing Russians were feared because of their reputation for rape and pillage, revenge for what the Reich did to them in Stalingrad. The book was just plain harrowing and unvarnished in its depiction of bombed out wartime violence in the Berlin Streets as the Russians closed in. A great companion book to SEVEN DAYS OF INFAMY.

[T A FERRIS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark days BUT? are they really over forever?

A fascinating world about the end of Nazi Germany but is it I ask myself? TWO world wars... Germany have been allowed to kill millions of people and still they run Europe this day because of the weakness of other European countries .think goodness I'm on a island not connected to Europe it's a question I ask myself could it happen again yes only takes a few loonies to get in charge and there you go again already happened twice remember?

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book gives an in-depth look at the beginning of the end of World War II in Europe with a really unique perspective by weaving together the stories of ordinary people with the decisions of powerful leaders. The death of Mussolini sparked a chain of events that led to Hitler's downfall, and the book highlights how each moment seemed to influence the next. What struct me the most was the contrast in perspective- German citizens facing defeat, American soldiers confronting the horrors of concentration camps, Nazi leaders desperate to survive, and Allied leaders balancing victory with their own losses.

I really enjoyed the book and thought it was a really powerful read that puts everyday experiences at the forefront while capturing the weight of history. You realize that these historical figures that seemed larger then life through textbooks were real people whose lives were all being influenced and shaped by the choices of others. The research and writing were excellent and showed how that the war lead to an all consuming suffering.

[Jilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicholas Best tells the story of the last days of World War 2 using the accounts of various famous faces that actually witnessed it. This was very interesting and I did learn some things that I wasn't previously aware of. It was a very difficult and emotional read. Very upsetting and unsettling.

************************************

On 28 April 1945, Benito Mussolini was dragged from his mistress’s bed and executed. Two days later, as the Soviet Army surrounded Berlin, Adolf Hitler put a gun to his head.

But this is not the traditional account of victory in Europe.

Drawing on first-hand accounts from individuals including John F. Kennedy, working in San Francisco, and Bob Dole recuperating in an Italian hospital, Nicholas Best provides a unique insight into ordinary American lives.

He recounts how Spike Milligan swigged stolen champagne. Audrey Hepburn starved in Holland. And a future Pope walked home, terrified of being shot for deserting the Wehrmacht.

Told by individuals, some of whom would go on to be the most recognised faces on the planet, Five Days that Shocked the World gives a remarkable insight into the most dramatic 120 hours in history.

[Bob Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five Days Brought An End, A Beginning And More Of The Same

At least when I was in grade school and junior high (1955-64) we extensively studied the world wars and their causes, at least from a Western perspective. This book concentrates on the end - events in the last five days that actually ended WWII in Europe.
It is detailed and disturbing, showing ordinary people - soldiers and civilians on all sides - just praying for the killing to end. But as the saying goes, “ those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.” How many more wars have been fought, how many more millions have died since those five days in 1945?
This was an interesting read for a history buff, but perhaps more important to read for those who have forgotten history.

[Martin Cuevas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast paced detailed account of the final 5 days of the Reich. Earlier this year I finished “Eight Days In May”, which chronicled the same time period, but from a much more personal perspective.

Nazis were the worst, as has been known since those days. What fascinated me about those last days in Germany was the hubris and all out delusional lunacy of the Wehrmacht and SS Leadership, all thinking that they were in a position to negotiate the military surrender. No such thing was ever in the cards for the Reich. Books like these are brutal and educational snapshots of the madness that was WW2.

Lots and lots of trigger warnings in this one involving all sorts of horribleness. A great read for military historians and the curious alike.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is great for history lovers. If you want a more in-depth look into WW2, especially the last five days in where Germany surrendered then this is the book to read. It was very in-depth as far as officers and lieutenants, the who’s-who of who made decisions in the Allied and Axis troops. I knew most of the main guys but there were a lot that I didn’t know about and it was great to read about their story and how they survived or perished in the war. Every time I read some new book about this war, it always blows my mind on how horrific it truly was for Jews and so many people.

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written like a war corespondent would write it. Straightforward and still very fascinating to read. I’ve never read about the invasion of Germany by Russian soldiers and how feared they were, with good reason apparently. I’d never read about this event through the eyes of young and old German defenders either. Nor had I read about its surrender from the viewpoint if the soldiers, nor what was transpiring within Hitler’s bunker. I’ll read more by this author and what he wrote about World War II

[Andy Blanche · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read countless books about WW2 but this was fabulous. Lots of new information, including fascinating information about well known people who were involved. ‘Killer Runcie’ a Lieutenant in the Scots’ Guards who went on to be an Archbishop, Sophia Loren, Audrey Hepburn, Spike Milligan and the revelation that Hitler’s nephew served in the US Navy!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

How did such evil exist in Europe?

The book is a real crime story, not fiction, just the bare facts.
Today it’s hard to believe such evil existed, but it did and is well described.
Recommended to everyone under thirty - be prepared to be really shocked.
The research is excellent and makes one wonder what will happen when the war is over in Ukraine?

[Andres Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterful narrative

A remarkable telling of events occurring in five days at the later stages of World War II. The description of the horrors during the conquer of Berlin by the Soviets is not for the faint of heart. The execution of Mussolini and his mistress is powerful and barbarous, although it's easy to understand why. A worthwhile read.

[Bryan Clagett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five Days That Shocked the World deserves high praise—not just for its historical value but for how it humanizes history. If you’re drawn to compelling, well-crafted narratives that place real people at the heart of monumental events, this book is a must-read. It’s history seen not just through the lens of strategy or politics, but through human hearts and voices.

[James McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

insightful and informative

Well written book tying together the events and personal struggles of those involved in the last days of WWII. Relates some well known for later works to their lives during the war and its last days. Intense descriptions of the end of Hitler and Mussolini.

[SonixDB · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of the book is compelling and full of promise, and I enjoyed reading the story. However, the writing is a challenge. Whether the sentence structure or over use of the word “had”, the writing is certainly not polished. “Had” or “had had” occurred so often it was literally distracting. If you can get past that it is an interesting and clever read.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing I liked the most about this book was its stories about ordinary people as well as what happened to well-known people who were ordinary soldiers or otherwise directly affected in the last days of the war. It is a very interesting book and I really enjoyed reading it. My one complaint is that in the Kindle edition the information on the pictures at the end of the book are unreadable.

[Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that should be required reading in every high school and on every college campus. Showing how often history hangs by a thread, and with unsettling graphic details - for the horror of war should never be watered down, it is a must read to understand how we arrived at a Post War Europe, and why the Nuremberg trials were essential.

[Michael Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've emailed myself 1000 passages ...

Ok. That might be an exaggeration. But the point is true. This is the type of book one reads all night knowing the alarm clock will be screaming soon but....

[Mr Michael R Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard To Put Down

A ‘Who’s Who’ of politicians, celebrities and criminals cross the pages of this book which tells the last five days of WWII in Europe.
A fascinating and gripping storey.

[George Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential piece of helping to put the history of our time into life rather than just in books. I appreciated the end confirming what I knew of what many of the people accomplished after the war and also gave me surprises as to what others did.

[Jeff Alcott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read

Very well read, hard to understand the communication and travel amongst some of the high officials etc. How they traveled from one place to another so quickly. It is fascinating that some of America's famous stars went through such horrors.

[Ralph Sampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read. Very informative. Gives a good sense of what was going on during those last days . I learned a number of facts not revealed in my other WWII studies. If you like this book, you can also read The Last Battle by Cornelius Ryan.

[Gloria Reeves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

I really enjoyed reading this book as there so is much information i had no knowledge of. This book will definitely leave me with a lasting impression. Absolutely horrendous what was happening during ww2.

[Anne Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the history

The only thing I wish had been different, with the title being 5 days that shocked the world, I wish the chapters would’ve remained in chronological order, rather than bouncing between locations.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with very interesting insights from famous and recognizable people. The whole of WWII is tragic and almost unbelievable until you look around and realize that we seem destined to repeat it in a west versus jihad battle. So scary.

[Mike Bajorek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and meticulously researched book recounting the last 5 days of WW II in Europe. Reading of the heinous crimes of Hitler and his Nazi henchmen makes me sad/mad of how easily people throw around those names today.

[Nick Morton · Rating 3 out of 5]

different take on the subject

An interesting account that emphasises how war doesn’t simply end with an announcement. Well documented using the perspective of well known individuals.

[Robertjruttenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

sensational

This may have been the best book I’ve read on the history of world war 2. A must read. WOW~

[Mike O’Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am just amazed how Nicholas took the lives of all these individuals over a period of five days and created a fascinating story.