Strange and Obscure Stories of World War II: Little-Known Tales about the Second World War

by Don Aines

Here are overlooked or forgotten tales from the world's greatest conflict. These are stories of courage, daring, and stupidity, some of which would challenge the imaginations of Hollywood scriptwriters. Some of the many true tales that author Donald Aines recounts • He would never be cast as a dashing war hero, but a cast member of "The Addams Family"  television show volunteered for one of the most dangerous jobs the Army Air Force had to offer. • The US Navy's deadliest submarine claimed an unexpected victim with its last torpedo, and led to one of the war's most harrowing tales of survival. • Bob Hoover's escape from a German stalag would have made a great movie. • British commando "Mad Jack" Churchill earned his nickname, arming himself to fight a 20th century war with a 15th century attitude and weapons. • The Germans and Japanese wasted precious resources developing weapons more dangerous to the users than their enemies. • The GI who stole the voices of his victims, and other Allied and Axis serial killers. Within the pages of Strange and Obscure Stories of World War II,the reality of war trumps fiction.  

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical, Reference, Audiobook, Ebooks, Military Fiction

191 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 6, 2020

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

“An officer who goes into combat without his sword is improperly dressed.” Jack Churchill (credited with killing enemy with as bow and arrow)

Excellent compendium of World War Two details and statistics. Topically organized and presented.
“Most people have seen a lot more World War II movies than have read books on the war.”

Compared to The World War 2 Trivia Book: Interesting Stories and Random Facts from the Second World War by Bill O’Neill, Strange and Obscure has more factual data and numbers. Trivia has more gossipy trivia (and a lot more opinion). Quirky anecdotes abound in both books.

“The more desperate a nation’s straits, the more effort and resources it wastes chasing a miracle weapon."

Statistics abound. More Army were killed in the Pacific theater than Marines. USAAF Eighth Air Force (heavy bombers flying from the United Kingdom) lost 26,000 airmen, more than the total number of Marines killed in all theaters of the war. The M-4 Sherman tank had a bad reputation in combat, but we produced over 50,00 of them while Germany built fewer than 1,900 Tigers.

“I will always been the political prisoner of my father’s name.” Svetlana Alliluyeva (Stalin’s daughter)

[John Rudolph · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very poor research. Blatant errors that are so minor that one simply can’t trust the rest of the book. Light entertainment for the person that doesn’t read much and isn’t interested in accuracy.

No, the British did not discover Sulfanomide. This example is the tip of the Iceberg.

The editor and publisher allowed this amateurish work to escape from the corral. Shame on them. These are formula publishers, not a serious house with quality editing.

Oh… and the author made a point of insulting the bagpipes. Sir.. you may not like them, your book was written to tell true stories, not to offer your uncultured opinion of a revered musical instrument. Shame on you.

I didn’t finish this book. I am trying to get a refund from Apple.

[Mary Kirby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping to learn little know facts about WW2. Most of the material I already knew.

[John McNair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the 3 stars I rated this book, I did quite enjoy it. Possibly the best part was reading of the author's relatives' wartime experience in the forward. The little known tales described in the book are those I would call "rabbit hole" finds. I have fallen down many rabbit holes like this over the past years, researching one item and then progressively peeling back the layers of the story in different directions. Likely you have done so as well. In fact, in my tumble I have uncovered many of these tales covered in the book (not so little known to me then). It is easy to do when one uses the "Google" method of research. To give the author credit, he packages up some tales quite nicely, saving the reader unnecessary rabbit-holing. For likely personal reasons, the author seemed to focus heavily on cinematic connections to many of the tales, describing Hollywood's (for the most part, plus some British film) attempts to emulate real-life. This wasn't a bad thing but I did have to check the cover to see if that theme was at all mentioned as a focal point - it wasn't. So, the reader gets a slim slice of little-known tales, often with a movie-related connection, leaving one to wonder about the many other untold tales that are either uncovered or written up elsewhere. There being no maps and few photos, this is a perfect Kindle fit, at a reduced price if you can find it.

[Bob Cantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

More light on World War 2

I don't know how strange and obscure these tales are, but they are interesting to say the least. This book was hard to put down once I got started reading it. The information in it was fairly new to me and believe me when I say that. I have read a bit on World War Two over the years so there isn't much I haven't read about it. The thing that I enjoyed most was it was just a bunch of facts and figures about the War it was about people in that conflict. So if you want to discover more about World War Two then read and enjoy this one.

[Malcolm Padgham · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strong American bias.

There were some events in this book I was aware of, but of the others I found most quite interesting. However as I have noted there is a strong American bias, which is a pity. I am sure that there are many more "Strange and Obscure" stories to be told in all the theatre's of WW ll.

[Warren Childers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think about World War II

Great synopsis of World War II facts. The further we get away from this event the more we are inclined to forget what actually happened. We can't let history repeat due to ignorance and forgetfulness. Now we are in a battle with more casualties than WW II and many of those casualties are/were preventable.

[Dean Krebs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curiosity

I have been eager to learn any discernable facts about the war my father served in as a field medic during the North African, Sisilian , and Italian invasions. I'm surprised by the efforts to ID the remains of our Fallen Heroes. War is an ugly business and these efforts are proof someone wants things done correctly.

[Ron Wilcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not All Numbers

The author begins his book with a warning that there are a lot of numbers / statistics in the book. While the author's warning is accurate and appreciated, it should not deter the reader from continuing to the bulk of the book which is filled with very interesting stories about WE II.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting tales and quirky personalities, but it doesn't all hang together as well as his stories of the Civil War did.

[Brooke S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really quick and fascinating read if you’re interested in WW2 but want to learn about lesser known facts and stories from the war.

[Mark A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was Interesting

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting something different then what we got here. I read/watch a lot about WWII and this just seemed like a regurgitation of stats and frankly, not that entertaining.

[Martin Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title and cover should tell you what to expect. This is a collection of odd facts gathered together according to the author’s tastes. Some are interesting enough, but the author seems to be more interested in movies and celebrities than in warfare. If you expect to learn about strategic decision making, the course of campaigns, the life of the ordinary soldier or the great generals - you would be disappointed.