A few of our more eagle-eyed readers noticed a new book suddenly appear on our website a few weeks ago - dropping on to the upcoming titles page for November.
Well, we are all pretty excited about it, because we have finally been able to reveal that we are publishing the companion book to a major Channel 4 documentary series which starts this weekend.
World War II: The Last War Heroes is out in the first week of November (in all good book shops, various online retailers and of course from right here) and is written by veteran Osprey author Stephen Bull, who actually worked as historical adviser on the TV project.
The book tells the story of the physical, emotional and psychological journey of Allied soldiers from the beaches of Normandy through to the final push towards Berlin. Using accounts collected during the making of the television documentary, we hear what it was really like to face the bullets, bombs, mortars, mines and artillery shells of Nazi Germany.
The TV documentary has been put together by the brilliant team at Impossible Pictures (if the name rings a bell it is probably because they created Blitz Street and have been heavily involved in the Dino-filled Primeval). One of the most impressive aspects of the TV series is the use of super slow-mo cameras to document the explosive forces of the various weapons deployed during the war - revealing the effect that these weapons had. The book takes this new research and weaves it into the overall narrative - examining how Allied soldiers came to fear certain weapons more than others, and the psychology behind some of these fears.
The first episode of the TV show World War II: The Last Heroes airs on Channel 4 this Saturday at 8.45pm (providing a welcome escape from all things dancing/singing/talent show/ reality TV related!
For more information on the TV series (and some preview clips) visit the Channel 4 site. Check back here later for some additional clips from the show.
Our book World War II: The Last War Heroes is out in early November, and is ready to pre-order now.