25 conspiracies, cover-ups and stories of coincidences that won and lost the war. In general the chronology of World War II is well known: the main players, the epic battles won and lost, the impact of weather, equipment and supply issues, the role of air superiority. Like all great events, there was and is much that is mysterious. Many secrets of the war remained just that until years after V-Day, as truths and facts began to emerge. Unexplained Mysteries of World War II recounts 25 of the most fascinating mysteries from the war. The murderous plots, strange disappearances, criminal activities, scandals, deceptions, and peculiar decisions are the fodder of great fiction except that they are shockingly true. Historian Jeremy Harwood describes the mysteries in authoritative narrative with authentic period photographs animating the text. The 25 unexplained mysteries include: Bomb in a beer cellar (1939) -- One man's plot to kill Hitler Europe's looted art (1940-45) -- Systematic art looting on a scale unseen since the fall of the Roman Empire Strange case of Rudolf Hess (1941) -- Why did Hitler's deputy fly to Scotland? "Battle" of Los Angeles (1941) -- Was the Los Angeles air raid a false alarm or something more sinister? Target America: The Nazi plan to bomb New York (1942-44) -- The prototype bombers intended to raze Manhattan Mystery of the murdered redhead (1943-44) -- Was the beautiful queen of Stockholm society a secret agent or a tragic victim of diplomatic power plays? Lost Liberator (1943) -- A bomber goes missing in the Libyan desert Drugs, doctors and the Fuhrer (1945) -- The closely guarded secret of Hitler's incurable illnesses Race for the A-bomb (1945) -- How close did the Nazis get to the nuclear bomb? An excellent selection for schools, libraries and the bookshelves of World War II aficionados and armchair historians, as well as anyone who just loves a great story, Unexplained Mysteries of World War II will provide hours of captivating reading.

Author Biography

Jeremy Harwood studied history at Christ Church, Oxford, where he was awarded the Sir Keith Feiling Memorial Prize. He has many books to his credit, including Hidden History and Atlas of History's Greatest Military Victories, and was contributing editor of National Geographic's award-winning Mysteries of History series. He lives in the United Kingdom.