Mad About MG History: Fighting World War II--Over There by Mary Louise Sanchez

I realize now I had a romantic and one sided view of World War II growing up.

Glenn Miller exhibit - University of Colorado, Boulder
Glenn Miller's trombone and the handwritten music manuscipt to
Moonlight Serenade.

As a Baby Boomer, I enjoyed the music of Glenn Miller and the big bands, and saw my parents dance the Jitterbug. I also heard family stories of WWII and poured over high school year books from the early 40s, and family albums, with women wearing the pompadour hairstyle of the day. I knew of family members in various branches of the armed services and believed Americans were the liberators of the world because Americans worked together and sacrificed so that our armed services could end the war. But I never really thought about the sacrifices made by other countries during the war until I was in fifth grade.

That year, I specifically remember reading a couple chapters in our reading book about kids hiding gold from the Nazis in Norway. I was enthralled by the adventure story and learned about the efforts of the Norwegian people. Much later as an adult, I found that the chapters I had read were from a book called Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan. The book was published in 1942 and students would still enjoy it today.

Glenn Miller exhibit - University of Colorado, Boulder

We do need to honor the Greatest Generation of American men and women who fought the war overseas and on the home front. But we also need to remember the great sacrifices made by our allies, from the civilian ranks, as well as from the military ranks.

Below are some statistics listing the civilian and military death toll by country during WWII. They do not include wounded or missing. Figures from Switzerland, Ireland, and Sweden are not available because they were neutral during the war. It is not clear whether the statistics for WWII include those killed in the Holocaust, but the high numbers of Polish civilian dead suggest they may be included in the list.

Civilian and Military Deaths in the Second World War

Countries	Total Deaths	% of Pre-war Population	Military Deaths	Civilian Deaths
USSR	20,600,000	10.40%	13,600,000	7,000,000
China	10,000,000	2.00%	-	-
Germany	6,850,000	9.50%	3,250,000	3,600,000
Poland	6,123,000	17.20%	123,000	6,000,000
Japan	2,000,000	2.70%	-	-
Yugoslavia	1,706,000	10.90%	-	-
France	810,000	1.90%	340,000	470,000
Greece	520,000	7.20%	-	-
USA	500,000	0.40%	500,000	-
Austria	480,000	7.20%	-	-
Romania	460,000	3.40%	-	-
Hungary	420,000	3.00%	-	-
Italy	410,000	0.90%	330,000	80,000
Czechoslovakia	400,000	2.70%	-	-
Great Britain	388,000	0.80%	326,000	62,000
The Netherlands	210,000	2.40%	198,000	12,000
Belgium	88,000	1.10%	76,000	12,000
Finland	84,000	2.20%	-	-
Australia	39,000	0.30%	-	-
Canada	34,000	0.30%	-	-
Albania	28,000	2.50%	-	-
India	24,000	0.01%	-	-
Norway	10,262	0.30%	-	-
New Zealand	10,000	0.60%	-	-
Luxembourg	5,000	1.70%	-	-
TOTAL	52,199,262

http://h2g2.com/edited_entry/A2854730

Historical fiction makes it possible to put the story in history and give credit to our brothers and sisters overseas who played pivotal roles in the war. Historical fiction also illuminates time periods, integrates the curriculum, and enriches social studies by providing depth and multiple perspectives.

By reading historical fiction about the war and balancing it with non-fiction, readers are exposed to the ten thematic strands of the NCSS National Council for the Social Studies. Also, students receive a vicarious and emotional experience of what life during the war was like when they read these historical fiction books.

These are middle grade or YA historical fiction books about WWII that I've enjoyed reading with the setting—over there in Europe. I am not including books that deal specifically with the Holocaust. Those books deserve another blog post. The pictures of the books are taken from Goodreads. The captions below the book illustrations tell the setting of the country