Ballantines
Almost thirty years ago Ballantine Books began publishing a series of handy little softcover volumes covering nearly every aspect of WWII in a standardized, heavily illustrated format. With Barrie Pitt as editor-in-chief, Sir Basil Liddell Hart as "Military Consultant", and a stable of competent historians and writers (some already well-known, others just beginning illustrious careers), these somewhat primitive-looking books continued to roll off the presses for years and eventually numbered 154 titles.
Volumes originally sold for $1.00, then $1.50, and finally $2.00 but they remain in such demand that used copies of some of the less common Ballantines nowadays command $25.00 or more.
With the assistance of several booksellers and generous website visitors -- foremost among them Rick Savel of Torpedo Junction and John Whitty, who has collected them all -- we've put together the following checklist of all 154 volumes of Ballantine's Illustrated History of World War II.
Battle 1 D-Day R. W. Thompson
Battle 2 Their Finest Hour Edward Bishop
Battle 3 Stalingrad Geoffrey Jukes
Battle 4 Bastogne Peter Elstob
Battle 5 The Siege of Leningrad Alan Wykes
Battle 6 Battle for Berlin Earl F. Ziemke
Battle 7 Kursk Geoffrey Jukes
Battle 8 Tarawa Henry I. Shaw Jr.
Battle 9 Airborne Carpet A. Farrar-Hockley
Battle 10 Pearl Harbor A. J. Barker
Battle 11 Leyte Gulf Donald McIntyre
Battle 12 Okinawa Benis M. Frank
Battle 13 The Defense of Moscow Geoffrey Jukes
Battle 14 Raid on St. Nazaire David Mason
Battle 15 Anzio Christopher Hibbert
Battle 16 Cassino Dominick Graham
Battle 17 London's Burning C. Fitzgibbon
Battle 18 Kasserine Ward Rutherford
Battle 19 Battle of the Reichswald Peter Elstob
Battle 20 Midway A. J. Barker
Battle 21 Battle of the Ruhr Pocket Charles Whiting
Battle 22 Beda Fomm Kenneth Macksey
Battle 23 Bir Hakim Richard Holmes
Battle 24 Salerno David Mason
Battle 25 Armored Onslaught Douglas Orgill
Battle 26 Vimy Ridge Kenneth Macksey
Battle 27 Rhine Crossing James W. Stock
Battle 28 Argonne 1918 Barry Gregory
Battle 29 Rotterdam W. Steenbeek
Battle 30 Ploesti John Sweetman
Battle 31 Zeebrugge James W. Stock
Battle 32 Iwo Jima Michael Russell
Battle 33 Dien Bien Phu John Keegan
Campaign 1 Afrika Korps K. J. Macksey
Campaign 2 The Raiders Arthur Swinson
Campaign 3 Sicily Martin Blumenson
Campaign 4 Breakout David Mason
Campaign 5 Defeat in Malaya Arthur Swinson
Campaign 6 France John Williams
Campaign 7 Bomber Offensive Noble Frankland
Campaign 8 The Nuremberg Rallies Alan Wykes
Campaign 9 Japan Alvin Coox
Campaign 10 Liberation of the Philippines Stanley Falk (two different 10's were published)
Campaign 10 Normandy Bridgehead H. Essame (two different 10's were published)
Campaign 11 Barbarossa John Keegan
Campaign 12 --- not published ---
Campaign 13 New Guinea John Vader
Campaign 14 Guadalcanal Graeme Kent
Campaign 15 New Georgia D. C. Horton
Campaign 16 Fall of the Philippines Ward Rutherford
Campaign 17 Schweinfurt Raids John Sweetman
Campaign 18 Carpathian Disaster Geoffrey Jukes
Campaign 19 Opening Moves - Aug. 1914 John Keegan
Campaign 20 Tanganyikan Guerrila Maj. J. R. Sibley
Campaign 21 Pacific Onslaught Paul Kennedy
Campaign 22 Operation Torch Vincent Jones
Campaign 23 Over the Hump William Koenig
Campaign 24 The Winter War Richard W. Condon
Campaign 25 Pacific Victory Paul Kennedy
Campaign 26 Tobruk James W. Stock
Campaign 27 Six Day War A. J. Barker
Campaign 28 Palaus Stanley Falk
Campaign 29 The Yom Kippur War A. J. Barker
Human Conf 1 Olympiad 1936 Judith Holmes
Human Conf 2 Lidice John Bradley
Human Conf 3 Death Railway Clifford Kinvig
Human Conf 4 Genocide Ward Rutherford
Human Conf 5 Bloody Ulster A. J. Barker
Politics 1 The Conspirators Roger Manvell
Politics 2 Blackshirts David Shermer
Politics 3 Reichstag Fire R. John Pritchard
Politics 4 Rape of Ethiopia A. J. Barker
Politics 5 Warsaw Rising Gunther Deschner
Politics 6 Hitler Youth H. W. Koch
Politics 7 Night of the Long Knives Nikolai Tolstoy
Politics 8 Nuremberg Trials Leo Kahn
Politics 9 Freedom for Women Rose Tremain
Politics 10 Berlin Blockade John Man
War Leader 1 Patton Charles Whiting
War Leader 2 MacArthur Sydney L. Mayer
War Leader 3 Hitler Alan Wykes
War Leader 4 Stilwell D. D. Rooney
War Leader 5 Bradley Charles Whiting
War Leader 6 Mountbatten Arthur Swinson
War Leader 7 De Gaulle Phillipe Masson
War Leader 8 Goring Roger Manvell
War Leader 9 Eisenhower Martin Blumenson
War Leader 10 Tito Phyllis Auty
War Leader 11 Skorzeny Charles Whiting
War Leader 12 Slim Michael Calvert
War Leader 13 Mussolini Christopher Hibbert
War Leader 14 Himmler Alan Wykes
War Leader 15 Student A. H. Farrar-Hockley
War Leader 16 Churchill David Mason
War Leader 17 Goebbels Alan Wykes
War Leader 18 Lawrence of Arabia Douglas Orgill
War Leader 19 MacArthur in Japan Sydney L. Mayer
War Leader 20 Guderian John Keegan
War Leader 21 Stauffenberg G. S. Graber
War Leader 22 Heydrich Alan Wykes
War Leader 23 Churchill 1914-1918 David Mason
War Leader 24 Yamashita A. J. Barker
War Leader 25 Rundstedt John Keegan
War Leader 26 Halsey Benis M. Frank
War Leader 27 Rommel R. Sibley/ M. Fry
War Leader 28 Zhukov Otto Preston Chaney
War Leader 29 Montgomery R. W. Thompson
War Leader 30 Tojo Alvin D. Coox
War Leader 31 Stalin Rose Tremain
Weapons 1 U-Boat David Mason
Weapons 2 Panzer Division Kenneth Macksey
Weapons 3 Aircraft Carrier Donald Macintyre
Weapons 4 Me 109 Martin Caidin
Weapons 5 German Secret Weapons Brian Ford
Weapons 6 Spitfire John Vader
Weapons 7 Commando Peter Young
Weapons 8 SS and Gestapo Roger Manvell
Weapons 9 Zero Fighter Martin Caidin
Weapons 10 Luftwaffe Alfred Price
Weapons 11 The Guns 1939-45 Ian V. Hogg
Weapons 12 Airborne Charles MacDonald
Weapons 13 PT Boats Bryan Cooper
Weapons 14 Pacific Hawk (P-40) John Vader
Weapons 15 Tank Force (Allied Armor) Kenneth Macksey
Weapons 16 Waffen SS John Keegan
Weapons 17 B29 Carl Berger
Weapons 18 Barrage Ian V. Hogg
Weapons 19 Allied Secret Weapons Brian J. Ford
Weapons 20 Rocket Fighter William Green
Weapons 21 Russian Armor (T 34) Douglas Orgill
Weapons 22 Suicide Weapon A. J. Barker
Weapons 23 Hitler's High Seas Fleet Richard Humble
Weapons 24 Mosquito Edward Bishop
Weapons 25 Infantry Weapons John Weeks
Weapons 26 P-51 Mustang William Hess
Weapons 27 The Guns 1914-18 Ian V. Hogg
Weapons 28 Trench Fighting 1914-18 Charles Messenger
Weapons 29 Flying Tigers Ron Heiferman
Weapons 30 Lancaster Bomber D. B. Tubbs
Weapons 31 Merrill's Marauders Alan Baker
Weapons 32 German General Staff Barry Leach
Weapons 33 Japanese High Seas Fleet Richard Humble
Weapons 34 Chindits Michael Calvert
Weapons 35 Condor Legion Peter Elstob
Weapons 36 Jeep D. Denfeld/M. Fry
Weapons 37 Grenades & Mortars Ian Hogg
Weapons 38 Wellington Bomber Edward Bishop
Weapons 39 Hitler's Bodyguards Alan Wykes
Weapons 40 B-17 Flying Fortress William Hess
Weapons 41 German Armor
Weapons 42 Midget Submarine J. Gleason/T. Waldron
Weapons 43 Gas Ian V. Hogg
Weapons 44 DC-3 Arthur Pearcy
Full Color 1 Nazi Regalia Jack Pia
Full Color 2 SS Regalia Jack Pia
