I am going to be honest this book did not hold my attention and what I did read I don't really remember now, after the fact. I can see how other people might be really into this, but it wasn't for me.

I remain confused about who this is for. It reminded me of kids history books (like horrible histories but less funny) in some ways but some of the topics covered are not really in that sort of territory. I know it's meant to be quirky facts and humorous and the author said at the start that there weren't going to be sources and citations, but the omission even of a bibliography or a further reading list meant that I felt it lacked factual heft - particularly as the author has a habit of throwing in a big assertion or key fact right at the end of an entry and then just leaving it hanging. Also I think this might have been better served by being grouped by theme rather than alphabetically because it lead to some weird tonal shifts - going from quirkier things (weird ideas for bombs that didn't come off) to the grim (concentration camps) at the turn of a page. I think there's a good idea here - and other people have clearly enjoyed it - I just think it fails in the execution. Also could have used better proof reading and less use of exclamation marks for bad things.

I think the best description of this book would be adult Horrible Histories. It was pretty good, and it really was weird.

This is the perfect book to read and learn new and lesser-known facts about the second world war.
Most facts are relatively short and quick to read, meaning you can easily pick it up and read a fact here or there.
There is a small chronology of the main events at the beginning of the book, allowing the reader to quickly go back and understand when that particular anecdote took place.

I definitely recommend this book to history lovers and world war aficionados, since they may enjoy discovering these hidden/weird gems.

The publisher invited me to review this book and I relented six months ago despite a towering review pile. Now that I’m reviewing again after a hiatus, so glad I agreed because this book lives up to its title and more. I learned so many bizarre facts about this conflict that has always drawn my attention, as it seemed the epitome of good vs. evil. If you love history as I do, or just want to “snack” on off-the-wall WWII tidbits, WIERD WAR TWO is definitely for you! 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine. Pub Date 06 Sep 2018. #WeirdWarTwo #NetGalley

If you love history and strange stories that aren't told in regular history books then this is for you! Well written and interesting, I enjoyed Weird War Two. I love the title and the cover too.

This makes for a very interesting read. There's a concise summary of the main events of the Second World War to set the scene, and then the author shares his discoveries about the oddities and weirdnesses that emerged during that time - inventions that didn't quite work, ideas that misfired, peculiar personalities. By poking a bit of fun here and there the author isn't denigrating this cataclysmic event that took so many millions of lives and destroyed families, homes and entire nations. It gives a glimpse of the human side, the indomitable spirit, the inventiveness and originality that are always there.
As the author himself says when discussing the Blitz, 'humour of course came to the rescue'. Looking at the lighter side of a world at war makes the whole conflict approachable. Too often we shy away from reading about horrific things that we know we should educate ourselves about but are reluctant to do so because of the upset it will cause. By focussing on the quirky and bizarre, the author encourages us to find out more about this epoch-changing event.
It's fascinating and very entertaining.

When I first saw the title of this book, I was intrigued to find out what I may learn about the second world war. Having read the introduction I was informed that "many of the facts you are about to read are by no means certain. Some of the facts aren't necessarily what actually happened". So, here was my dilemma, for what reason am I reading the book? To learn facts that were not readily available elsewhere or for pure entertainment?
In reality, the author can provide interesting reading, although I would question the rationale for doing so in alphabetical order. If you want anything more than an entertaining read, you will need to do your own research to separate fact from fiction.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am not sure how I feel about this book. I received this book as an ARC for my honest review. It was hard to get through in parts, there were parts that were just fascinating. Felt very jumbled

<i>Weird War Two</i> is a collection of anecdotes about the Second World War. They are sorted in alphabetical order and above each story you can find a representation of the weirdness factor, from one to three exclamation points.
Personally, I would have sorted the stories by this weirdness factor; ending the book with the most bizarre story the writer could find, but this was a pleasant way to read them and it will be easy to find a specific story when you want or need to.

History is a subject that I have always enjoyed, so this was right up my alley. Most of the stories were new to me and they all highlighted how we, as people living in a peaceful time, have no clue what living during a war and surviving during a war entails.
I especially liked the stories about deception. Trying to deceive your enemies seems like a difficult task, but some people clearly succeeded and had some spectacular stories to tell afterwards.

As a reader for Netgalley, I was able to get a complimentary copy. However, I wish to provide an unbiased review of Richard Denham’s strange, unusual, but entertaining book on the 2nd World War.

As the title suggests this is a weird set of tales, exploring some of the myths and humorous tales from the war. Whilst we know “Johnny hates Jazz”, we now know that “Adolf hate’s Jazz as well!”, with over three hundred Swing Kids throughout Germany being arrested in 1941 for the privilege. Their punishments ranging from having their hair cropped to being sent to concentration camps!

So Richard’s book is certain to provide titbit’s of information that you will probably know nothing about, and some you will find hard to believe. The humour provided in this book would make it an ideal stocking filler or birthday present for a friend….Well recommended.

When I saw this title I just knew I had to pick it up, I already knew of some weird facts about WWII (a couple of which were in this book), but I was perfectly happy to add to my mental collection of odd facts. There were so many odd, and frankly unbelievable, rumours that spread around during this time, along with some very weird tactics used by both sides!

It's a very short book, and I don't want to spoil the oddities within, so there's not much that I can talk about here. However, I will say that it is an interesting and easy read. There are weird facts from multiple different countries from within both the Allies and Axis, some are sad, some are silly and some are just interesting. If you at all care about WWII or want to widen your knowledge about it then this would be a good one to pick up.

I gave this book 3/5 stars, thank you to NetGalley for an ecopy of this book in return for an unbiased and honest review.

Weird War Two is a fascinating collection of mini stories about World War 2. Find out all about how the war started, what Hitler was attempting to do, the minds of some his Officers, which animals took part, spies, secret projects; combined with some funny stories in the mix. For example Britain had invented radar during the war but they did not want to tell the Germans as they could take them by surprise. Instead we told them that we ate lots of carrots, which helped us see in the dark and you know what? They bought it!

Hitler wanted to create an 'Aryan' race, where everyone was blonde hair and blue eyed. He hated Jews and planned to get rid of them all, by creating concentration camps, cities were bombed both sides, as well as strange ideas. Although the war was tragic, Richard brings to life the strangeness of World War 2, at time they had some really weird ideas that they thought would work, for example dogs and animals were used as suicide bombers. Of course they tried to train them to run back after they had set the bomb off but it was a hard thing to do.

The novel is not in any kind of order and  the chapters are short but sweet, however that is ok as it flows very well with the book.  It also means that if you want to take a break you can and it doesn't matter where you are as you can dip in and out easily. The book itself is very well written and it is obvious that the author Richard has done a lot of extensive research. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Weird World 2, as I have a fascination about the war and it was all very interesting.

If you love history or you are just interested in the second world war, then consider reading this book. Richard has bought this book to life with his intriguing stories and some may surprise you of course like this one  - Hitler actually saved a Jew and one soldier could have stopped the war by killing Hitler, however he didn't know it was Hitler at the time.

A brilliant book- full of facts (dubious on some!) and weird stories from the war- from the Nazi party and the war they brought about. Fast paced I whizzed through it.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Thistle Publishing, and the authors, Richard Denham and M J Trow for the opportunity to read a digital copy of Weird War Two in exchange for and honest, unbiased opinion.
I thought the authors have written an intriguing and highly entertaining book pertaining to the second World War. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. If you are a history buff, I think you will too.

As someone who will be studying the Second World War in the next few months, I can tell you there are so many books on the subject, I will never get around to reading at least ten per cent of what is available. [book:Weird War Two: Strange Facts and Tales from the World's Weirdest Conflict|39709834] offers a different type of book for those readers who love strange little facts and anecdotes. At the beginning of the novel, the author makes it clear that all facts may not correct but I loved reading the book, I could not put it down.

A very one sided pro-allies book about war yet again. I was the wrong person to be chosen to read rhis book for review.
I grew up in the USSR. My grandparents survived this war... I am utterly disgusted at the author's portrayal of Soviets and their part in WW2.
What a load of...
Very sorry to have wasted my time
Please do your research properly...
You talk about rapes - how many Soviet girls and women were raped and killed?
Forest brothers? Do you even know how cruel and vicious they were? Or how many deaths camps there were on the Soviet territory?
Shame on you!!

Interesting read if not a little odd, if you have an interest in history and are not bothered about the entire factual elements then this is for you.

Facts and figures combine for a learned read that clearly demonstrates an author who takes his time and does his homework. Readable and informative, engaging and well-organized.

World War II was unwanted and unwelcome, as well as filled with strange coincidences and general weirdness that plagued soldiers and their families back home. With so much going on, rumors of strange goings on traveled quickly though the soldiers. Richard Denham has taken these strange occurrences and gathered them together in one place.