• The fate of millions depends on them. douglaswjacobson.com • McBooks Press • www.mcbooks.com ISBN 978-1-59013-572-3 • Hardcover • $24.95
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• “Jacobson follows his debut, Night of Flames, with another solid WWII thriller. The author makes the bloody fight for Warsaw both exciting and suspenseful.” —Publishers Weekly
• “Compelling authenticity and evocatively rendered detail will captivate history buffs and thriller fans alike.”—Library Journal
• “A heart-stopping love story set against the grotesque reality of the Warsaw Rising. A knockout.” —James Conroyd Martin, author of Push Not the River
• “Jacobson brings an important but widely unknown chapter of the second world war to vivid life.” —John Shors, author of Beneath a Marble Sky
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The award-winning novel of love and courage is now available in paperback on-line and wherever books are sold.

The Library Journal said, “Compelling authenticity and evocative detail will captivate history buffs and thriller fans alike.”

Publisher’s Weekly said, “Jacobson follows his debut, Night of Flames, with another solid WW2 Thriller.”

Booklist said, “A galvanizing WW2 thriller combining a moving love story with a detail-rich recreation of the resistance fighter’s world. Don’t miss this one!”

THE POLISH 2ND CORPS AT MONTE CASSINO

After three failed attempts by British and American forces, the Polish 2nd Corps volunteered to attack the heavily fortified monastery at Monte Cassino which stood in the way of the Allied drive to Rome. Read the story of this pivotal battle of the Italian campaign during World War Two. Click on the “Articles” page and scroll down to Article 27.

THE OFFICER’S WIFE . . . An Extraordinary Film

Piotr Uzarowicz’s film about the Katyn massacre is more than a documentary – it is a powerful, heart-wrenching account of a young man’s search for the truth about what happened to his grandfather – a polish army officer – during WW2. Following his father’s death, Uzarowicz discovers a manuscript written by his grandmother which sets him on a journey of discovery leading to the massacre of 20,000 polish officers at the hands of the Soviets in 1940. Artfully blending personal testimony with powerful visual images and riveting narrative, The Officer’s Wife tells the story of a family torn apart by one of history’s most heinous war crimes. It is an unforgettable experience and very highly recommended.

POLISH 1^ST ARMORED DIVISION IN WW2

On May 6, 1945, two days before the end of World War Two in Europe, the German commander of the Kreigsmarine base at Wilhelmshaven, Germany surrendered ten infantry divisions and more than two hundred German warships to the officer commanding the Allied forces that had captured the city. The officer was General Stanislaw Maczek, and the Allied division he commanded was the Polish 1^st Armored Division. This incredible fighting force landed in Normandy in the summer of 1944 and fought through France, Belgium and Holland on their way to Germany, liberating hundreds of towns and tens of thousands of civilians along the way. Their story, in four parts, can be found by clicking on the “Articles” section and scrolling down to Articles 23-26.

THIS WEEK IN WW2 – ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR

December 7, 1941 . . . Timeline of Events

0100…US Intelligence decodes Japanese message indicating Sunday morning as deadline for some type of action. Information not forwarded to Pearl harbor until after attack

0340…US Minesweeper Condor sights periscope off Honolulu Harbor…notifies Destroyer Ward to investigate

0600…200 miles south of Oahu, US aircraft carrier Enterprise launches 18 aircraft to scout ahead then to land at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor

0630…Destroyer Ward again notified of submarine sighting this time by supply ship Antares off Pearl Harbor entrance…Navy patrol plane dispatched to scene

0645…Destroyer Ward opens fire on target hitting conning tower then closes in dropping depth charges

0700…Japanese commander Fuchida flying toward Oahu directs pilots to home in on local radio stations

0702…US Army Privates Lockhard and Elliott of Opana radar station pick up flight of unidentified aircraft bearing in 130 miles north of Oahu

0706…Private Elliott phones switchboard operator at Information Center, Fort Shafter advising of large formation of aircraft approaching the island

0720…Lt. Tyler in Information Center is patched through to Private Elliott who describes large formation of aircraft picked up on radar. Lt Tyler tells him “not to worry about it”

0739…Opana radar station loses aircraft on radar 20 miles off coast of Oahu due to “dead zone” caused by surrounding hills

0749…Japanese commander Fuchida orders attack…all pilots to begin assault on military bases on Oahu

0753…Fuchida radios code to entire Japanese Navy, “TORA TORA TORA” indicating maximum strategic surprise…Pearl Harbor caught unaware

0755…Island wide attack begins…Japanese dive bombers attack US airfields, aerial torpedo planes attack ships in Peal Harbor

The Japanese attack lasts for two hours, twenty minutes. When its over, 2400 Americans are dead and 1200 wounded, eighteen ships have been sunk or damaged, and more than 300 aircraft destroyed. The next day, President Roosevelt addresses Congress and asks for declaration of war against Japan, which he receives.

THIS WEEK IN WORLD WAR TWO – 70 YEARS AGO

Britain give ultimatum to Finland to cease all offensive operations against USSR or face war with Allies

Germany abandons attack on Moscow

US Intelligence is able to read Japanese diplomatic (but not naval) codes and knows that war is strong possibility. Japan’s new Prime Minister, Hideki, informs Japanese diplomats in Washington that November 30 is deadline for negotiations with US.

US Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, sends proposal to Japanese negotiators to withdraw all forces from China and Indochina in exchange for purchasing all the oil they need.

The UWM Libraries will host a panel discussion on Wednesday, November 9, 2011 in conjunction with the grand opening of the national traveling exhibit, “Katyn: Massacre, Politics, Morality.

I will be participating in the panel discussion along with UWM Professors, Michael Mikos, Neal Pease, and Donald Pienkos. Following the panel discussion, the audience will be invited to attend the grand opening of this widely acclaimed exhibit, which made its US debut last May in Washington DC. The panel discussion is at 7:00PM on November 9, in the 4th Floor Conference Room at the Golda Meir Library, 2311 E. Hartford Ave, Milwaukee.

The exhibit recounts the secret execution of more than 22,000 Polish army officers and civilians at the hands of the Soviet NKVD during WW2 and the decades-long suppression of the truth about this atrocity.

The panel discussion and the exhibit are free and open to the public.

THIS WEEK IN WW2 – 70 YEARS AGO

First US casulaties of the war as Destroyer Kearny is torpedoed

115 RAF bombers attack Hamburg, Germany in overnight raid

Nazis test a van designed to murder occupants with exhaust fumes

German Einsatzkommandos murder 9000 Lituanian Jews, hald of which are children

Roosevelt extends $1 Billion loan to Soviet Union under Lend-Lease Act

KATYN ORDER TO BE FEATURED AT WISCONSIN BOOK FESTIVAL

The KATYN ORDER will be featured at the Wisconsin Book Festival on October 22. Here are the details:

Date: Saturday, October 22, 2011

Time: 12:30 – 2:00 PM

Location: Wisconsin Veterans Museum (on the Capitol Square) Madison, WI

Event: Reading, discussion, reception

Host: Polish Heritage Club Madison

I will be signing books following the reception. I look forward to seeing you there.

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