Customer Reviews

World War II Sites in the United States: A Tour Guide & Directory

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Every time I pick up this book, I just marvel at the amount of information Richard Osborne has compiled. There are thousands and thousands of entries, not just on well-known bases but on everything from German P.O.W. camps to ammunition plants. Many of the entries have pictures (both historic and modern) and the writing is concise and clear. The book is organized state-by-state, which makes it a great travelling companion.

Needless to say, this is a special-purpose book for extreme WW II buffs and historians, but if someone who fits one of those descriptions is on your gift list, they will be very appreciative.

This softbound book is a quasi-tour guide containing information and short histories on major World War Two bases and camps in the United States. Previously this book was advertised in the backs of military history and VFW magazines, which did not quite do justice to sales of the book. Though bound in a flimsy softcover and printed on less than high quality paper stock, this edition is by no means a cheap basement-published affair. WORLD WAR II SITES IN THE UNITED STATES does a fairly good job telling the story of existing facilities and long abandoned sites during the Second World War. From active naval bases to deserted desert Enemy Prisoner of War camps, this reference covers well known places and lesser known oddities in each state. Other reviews have correctly pointed out that the reference does indeed skip dozens of sites. Additionally, some of the current status descriptions are inaccurate. Several of the listings would have you believe that a good many of the military bases and posts are no longer in use, when in reality they house thriving active duty military communities. On the whole though, this book is worth having as it does cover a lot of ground, locate museums, and otherwise plug the gap in our Nation's North American military heritage.

This is a book I have always wanted to have, a book that is geographically-focused so that a World War II armchair historian can identify the role and purpose of World War II sites across the country. It is a bold, all-inclusive effort in a single volume, enriched with a number of period photographs which a reader is unlikely to encounter anywhere else.

The first or primary sort is by state. Within each state, the town or city is named and a description of location of each site is provided. Where appropriate, the date of de-activation of the site is provided. If the WWII-era use of the site was converted to another use, an update of its latter use is described, along with any name change that may have occurred.

The main shortcoming of "World War II Sites in the U.S." is that this most recent update must have been done at or about the peak of the "Cold War" era (mid-1980's). BRAC (Base Readjustment and Closure Act) events that occurred in the 1990's and later are missing. An updated version would be welcome. There are some misspellings and typos but these are of minor scale.

There are many unexpected and interesting facts that emerge from the descriptions of the WWII era sites. Here is one example: Internment camps at Moab, Utah and at Leupp, Arizona were home to Japanese-American internees identified as "trouble-makers" or "renunciants," Japanese-Americans who had renounced their American citizenship. Revisionist history has led to the belief that interned West-coast Japanese-Americans were "compliant" with their internment and forced relocation during the War years. The existence of these camps for "trouble-makers" tells a different story.

Another example of an unexpected story was the entry for Trinidad, Colorado. The squib describes a situation where two trusted German POWs (men), allowed to leave their camp for daily farm chores at a nearby farm, were befriended by two Japanese-American internees (women), also working at the same farm. As Axis allies, this particular juxtaposition of Germans and Japanese-Americans could not have happened very often. The two women assisted the two German POWs in their escape.

Some time later, the two Germans were caught and punished for their escape according to the protocols of the Geneva Convention. However, the two Japanese-American women,(because they were American citizens), were punished more harshly for aiding and abetting the enemy than were the two German POWs (the actual enemy). Such are the strange things that happen in war.

Sure you can search the web but this realy is faster to search all 50 states and give you a background on what you find. There are pictures to some sites as well. We keep this handy in a our museum(general patton memorial museum in Chiriaco summit, ca). Great to have for travel or for history buff.

While this book contained a lot of information, there were no sources cited so there was no way to follow-up on the information or to determine its accuracy.

I have copies of this book in both of our cars. I use it often as we travel and learn a tremendous amount by using it. I have found few errors or even omissions. It is simply a great book.

A great reference for years ago. Unfortunately so much has been established over the past ten years regarding WWII history. This volume provides some interesting sites, however is very outdated. The some of the most major sites are not included, some should be even if they're not completed construction yet. Examples abound (these are only some): D-Day Museum New Orleans, WWII Memorial Washington DC, D-Day Memorial Bedford, VA, Bunkers Delaware Beaches, Bunkers at San Deigo, Goleta CA Japaneese Shelling site, Oregon Japaneese Bombing Site, North Carolina U-Boat Sites.

Would be a great volume if updated.

Although I was born after World War II, I lived on military bases throughout the U.S. My Osborne's book covers these long forgotten establishments - many of which had wartime populations exceeding 10,000 to 25,000 men and women. To the World War II historian, this book fills an extremely important niche.