2 comments about Survival: Diary of an American Pow in World War II (Memories Series).

1. I have read thousands of pages of POW narrative and interviewed many ex-POWs in an effort to discover my Dad's time in the stalags of Germany during WWII. If I were to recommend a single account to someone who wants to understand what these men went through -- THIS IS IT! In reading Higgins's work, goose bumps never left my arms. Once started, you will not put this book down.



2. This is an eye-opening, gut-wrenching, account of what the situation was really like for the POWs in Germany during the closing months of WWII. The author's conditions were a lot worse than an account of a POW in Germany during the first years of the war, which I had read about some years ago. That fellow got some real food and had a bunk to sleep in! This book gives a huge dash of reality for Hogan's Heros fans.

3 comments about Broadcasts from the Blitz: How Edward R. Murrow Helped Lead America into War.

1. BROADCASTS FROM THE BLITZ: HOW EDWARD R MURROW HELPED LEAD AMERICA INTO WAR is for any who would understand early broadcast journalism's effect on war and peace. Murrow's 'This is London' opening brought the blitz home to Americans who would've otherwise been distanced by war events: he told why Americans wouldn't be able to avoid involvement, and he prepared the country with his moment-by-moment broadcasts of events. His agenda was to bring America into the war - and more than any politician, he alone helped prepare the American public for such involvement. This far-reaching story will interest a wide audience, from students of broadcast journalism to those interested in military history and social issues alike. Highly recommended indeed.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



2. The difference between reporting the news and leading the country has never been clear, and Edward R. Murrow was a master at both.
   
   While reading this book on his broadcasting from London during the early days of the war, don't forget his broadcast that ended the career of Joseph McCarthy. Murrow understood that his reporting influenced American public opinion.
   
   There are those who rail against his sense of ethics in combining reporting the news with what you might call propaganda. Perahps he should be judged instead by the result. He helped prepare the US for a war that we could probably not avoid.
   
   This is the story of a strange time, and what one key player did.



3. ...hearing Murrow's "This is London." The first time was while visiting my grandparents. My grandfather took me into the kitchen and closed the door before turning on the radio because my grandmother didn't want to hear it. I was only 10 years old, and I'm sure I didn't understand the full significance of what I heard until much later. Nevertheless, it has stuck with me. It was one of the nights when Murrow was outside and we could hear the air raid siren in the background. (If I stop to think about it for a moment, I can still hear the siren's distinctive wail in my "mind's ear.") Seib's book is a superb addition to the shelves of books about the beginning of World War II because it deals with an aspect of how U.S. involvement came about that I do not recall reading elsewhere. The focus is on Murrow because he was so influential in forming Americans' opinions about the importance of sustaining England as it fought the Nazi menace alone, but the work of other journalists is also cited. (I have a small nit to pick here: the name of The New Yorker writer is Mollie Panter-Downes, not Painter-Downes.) Seib writes well, and his narrative moves quickly and to the point. There are no wasted words. Anyone with an interest in the early days of the war should read this book.

5 comments about Jack in the Box: A Shadow War Thriller.

1. This was the first time I had read John Weisman's work and I would recommend "Jack in the Box" to anyone who wants a three dimensional chess match to solve. The characters are very well developed and have their flaws,but without the "super-human" characteristics of some other kinds of espionage novels. I would place this book alongside "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold", only for its informative and highly interesting look at the tradecraft used in the world of spies. The plot is well established from the first page, and there are no "grey areas" to lose your interest. I highly recommend this book.



2. This was a decent story, but it was so real that it was boring. I'm sure it was an accurate representation of spycraft, but who wants to read about the mundane aspects of it?



3. As usual John Weisman has delivered a thriller with the punch that only someone loaded with inside knowledge as well as a fine writing style could do.



4. I picked this book up on the strength of the author's earlier book, SOAR. That was a terrific read and I hoped for a similar treat from Jack in the Box. I was not disappointed. The tradecraft, twists and turns, doubles and redoubles, exciting action and interesting characters kept me up waaay past my bedtime. Another reviewer has suggested that the plot reworks the major themes that structured George Smiley's campaigns against Moscow Center. I'll concede that Weisman did not invent the "traitors in high places" plotline but he has decisively proven that he is a master of the genre. He acknowledges his debt gracefully in Jack in the Box by having several characters make contextually correct references to LeCarre's work.
   
   If you enjoyed LeCarre's Smiley books then run, don't walk, to get your hands on Jack in the Box. Even if you haven't read LeCarre's books, grab Jack in the Box for gripping espionage entertainment.



5. The author does a great job moving into the covert world of spy's. The CIA has been taken over by the new type of non-risk takers, The Romanoff's. Sam Waterman,age 49, has been put out to pasture because he was a member of the old-style action oriented agency. The reader is taken thru some very interesting twists and turns as Waterman who was brought back in for a mission,looks for a highly placed mole in our government. The plot moves along realistically which is a pleasure since many action books these days seem to go over the top.One disconcerting thing though is that parts of some pages are blacked out as though having been censored. This is unnecessary.

2 comments about China Marine.

1. I just finished this book...once I picked it up I couldnt put it down. I really dont think there is enough written out there about this subject and what these guys went thru there.



2. E. B. Sledge's "With the Old Breed" is by common consent one of the finest -- if not the finest -- account of the life of a combat infantryman in World War II. At Pelieu and Okinawa, Sledge was one of only 10 men in his Marine company of 240 to escape being wounded or killed. "China Marine" is the follow-up to "With the Old Breed," a lesser work but one that tells of what happened to Sledge after the war.
   
   With Sledge's experience, one would have thought that he would have been among the first among the military to be demobilized after the end of the war with Japan -- but no, he and his colleagues were sent to China to disarm the Japanese soldiers there and to maintain order in several northern Chinese cities. This is Sledge's account of the six months he spent in China. His view is that of a Private First Class -- but an educated and sophisticated PFC, the son of a medical doctor from Mobile, Alabama, and an outstanding writer. He delighted in Peking, fresh food, a clean bunk, light duties, and friendship with the sophisticated Soong family -- but the danger from attack by communist armies was always there.
   
   Sledge goes on to tell of the trauma of his discharge from the Marines and homecoming to Mobile and, very briefly, his long years of struggle with what we call today Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It's a brief book, only 160 pages, and am interesting, beautifully written, account of the decompression of a combat soldier and his return home.
   
   Sledge died in 2001 but he was often quoted in Ken Burn's recent PBS series on World War II. Sledge is a true American hero.
   
   Smallchief

3 comments about Worthy Opponents: William T. Sherman and Joseph E. Johnston: Antagonists in War-Friends in Peace.

1. Once again, Mr. Longacre has done a magnificent job of profiling two important leaders of the American Civil War. In his highly readable style, he follows the parallel careers of these two military leaders focusing on the periods where their paths converge. I highly recommend this book for even the casual reader of military history or biographies of important American leaders.



2. This book is an interesting dual biography picking two generals from the American Civil War that were not the most famous, but well known enough to make interesting biographical subjects.
   
   The two generals had much in common. Both were professional soldiers that understood the advantages the defense had over the offense during the war. They understood that it was better to out flank, out guess, and approach indirectly than bloody attacks against dug in defenders. The two generals seemed to admire each other, even while they were enemies.
   
   This book gives an excellent history of the battles where the two generals were involved as well as the 'on again, off again' nature of Johnston's relationship with Jefferson Davis. This is a well written and easy reading book, although it covers little new ground.



3. Good read. I'm partial to good U S Civil War Historical books. Longacre certainly did his homework. The research was very in-depth. The details and story telling were excellent. I enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it.

5 comments about Hitler's Commander: Field Marshal Walther Model--Hitler's Favorite General.

1. Exhaustive research gives us an intriguing account of one of Hitler's most trusted commanders
   
   Walther Model was the German commander thrown by Adolph Hitler into so many of World War II's worst crises that contemporaries nicknamed him the `Fuhrer's fireman.'
   
   The son of a music teacher, he sported a monocle and a field marshal's baton. He also stood up to Hitler in a way that hardly anyone else dared.
   
   Newton dispels rumors and myths that discount Model's intellectual prowess and tactical acumen. Model's motivation was patriotism, but more likely he `internalized almost an eighteenth-century model of the professional soldier...one who served primarily for the glory of the fight...(with) single-minded focus on his own military success.'
   
   Newton suggests that Model's suicide had less to do with honor than his inability to face his own future in defeat. Copious notes and bibliography show the extensive research the author did in both German and American archives and in German war diaries and memoirs. A treasure for history buffs!



2. This book offers 365 pages of reading material and a few photos sprinkled throughout. The only book available in english about Walther Model unfortunately. It offers a mere glimpse at one of the most extraordinary commanders in the annals of modern warfare.
   
   Professor Newton has created a book out of thin air and it shows. Not meaning to belittle his herculean efforts in putting this book together from a maze of other individual accounts and offical records, for unfortunately Walther Model took all his knowledge to his grave and made sure nothing survived upon which an author could build an accurate picture of the man and the soldier. For this reason the book lacks cohesion and the one predominant task at hand seems to be the discrediting of one Walther Model. Professor Newton's evaluations seem prejudiced and if anything I am now more confused as refers to Model, the man and the soldier than before reading the book. R. Hinze's fine book, East Front Drama 1944 describes in full detail the impossible task Model had to tackle to rebuild a new and cohesive front after operation Bagrattion tore army group center up in mid 1944. The loss of 50 german divisions (most a mere shadow of their former selves) would have spelled total disaster for any commander. Model arrived well after disaster struck finding himself in the midst of a situation which if not checked would have spelled the end of the war in east. His daunting achievement alone of rebuilding the front should suffice to secure his place in the annals of warfare as one of it's most capable tacticians, yet professor Newton merely skims over this and other of Model's incredible military deeds while dwelling on his failures, specially at Kursk.
   
   Professor Newton spends an inordinately high number of pages at the beginning of the book trying to link Model to war crimes (war crimes as a whole are treated throughout the work as usual, the germans were criminals the allies represented a wholesome mixture of goodness), at this point the writing swerves in a totally different direction for too long and when he finally returns and tries to focus back on Model he does so without conviction basing his evaluation solely on the opinions of men who despised Model for his national socialist stance. There are no interviews of rank and file soldiers who served under Model who idolized him for the most part.
   
   Like I once said, while an author has all the elements for judgment at his disposal and 20/20 hindsight, a soldier does not. Walther Model's field decisions must be judged out of the rationale that he was thrust into situations that were not of his own making, with very little knowledge about them and yet he was expected to find a viable solution for them. I dare say that 90% of the time he managed the impossible and snatched his armies from certain defeat. I fail to envision any allied commander endowed with Model's extraordinary abilities of organization and tactical leadership specially on the defensive, I must agree he was not a grand strategist like von Manstein, but who was? Had Walther Model lived and been interrogated by the allies I have no doubt his contributions would have set the standard for years to come, as is I think a deeper look at his individual campaigns should be made and the man judged accordingly by his achievements on this account, until this happens and he receives his just niche amongst the great commanders of all time, Walther Model will remain as enigmatic as the sphynx. A commander's uttermost obligation should always be to the rank and file, for it is the individual soldier who bears the brunt of his decisions for better or worse and in this respect no one can say Walther Model failed.



3. This is a very interesting and informative account of Walther Model as a military commander.
   
   There seems to be a paucity of material relating directly to Model (he destroyed his personal papers at the end of the war), and the author has done a very good job of piecing together this well-written narrative. There is not much in it about his personal life - a few lines about his upbringing, and the odd allusion to things like his drinking. He seems to have had only one period of leave, 3 months at the end of 1943. It does not gloss over his character, especially his treatment of his fellow officers and superiors, and suggests why they mostly disliked him, whilst the ordinary soldier may have felt somewhat differently. (When he left one of his commands he had been disliked so much that only one office escorted him away, and after Model had taken off in th eplane phoned to tell the others `Schweinfurt' - not a reference to the town, but `the pig has flow'!).
   
   The book is really about his military career, from before WW1 to his suicide in 1945. I found the author to be fair in his opinions - praise where due, criticism where not, though there was no hindsight judgements. It made clear why Model was supreme in defence. There is quite a bit of information about some of the lesser know battles on the Eastern Front, for instance the defence of the Orel salient during the Kursk battle. The scale of the fighting, and casualties, is made apparent. His relationship to Hitler is explored, and suggests reasons why he was one of Hitler's favourite Generals in spite of - or perhaps because of - Model standing up to him. The half-truths of some of the postwar Generals' accounts is also made apparent. All in all a very informative read. The one major criticism I had was the lack of maps, so it was often hard to follow the battles. There is no map of Poland in 1939 for instance, so it is impossible to follow any of the fighting there. I always feel that in works of military history where possible every place name should figure on a map, and this book falls badly short in that respect. There also seem to be a few unnecessary digressions, for instance a longer than needed account of the German atrocities in WW1 and the reasons for them. However all in all a very informative account, and the author does well in trying to flesh out the details of Model's military career.



4. Much needed and overdue biography. FM Model served on both the Eastern and Western fronts and commanded all kinds and sizes of German Army units. Professor Newton gives a fair, balanced and thorough description of the man and the commander. This book is for both those who specialize in the German Army and those who will like a good biography.



5. While not recognized in the Pantheon of higher acclaimed German World War II generals (Rommel, von Manstein, et. al., , Newton attempt to shed some light on the enigmatic Walther Model. The problem is, as Newton himself suggests, there 'ain't' much to work with. Model's papers were destroyed near wars' end and much of the 'story' is second/third hand accounts from mostly rivals of the exaggerated-termed 'Hitler's Favorite General'. Granted, Newton give his best effort - his text on the Bulge and Ruhr pocket are grand. Sadly, tho', no one can possibly give us a true biography of this defensive minded FeldMarshal. If I may also note: this book is available thru Hamiliton Books discount service - I paid -oh- $7.99 perhaps. Best to all...Charles C. DiVincenti Jr.

4 comments about Whispering Death "Tuag Nco Ntsoov": ...Our Journey with the Hmong in the Secret War for Laos . . . Lub caij peb thiab Hmoob koom tes ua ntsug rog ntsiag to nyob Los Tsuas teb.

1. I spent two tours doing what this book is all about, and over the years there are alot of time gaps, dates, buddies, and names that just fadded over the years. This book put me back in the right seat, same planes, and on the same missions. From Phu Bai, to Udorn, and Thuay Hue, Bob Curry tells it as it was being an enlisted man in an officers world! A great book that placed me right over the PDJ 35 years ago, to returning home to the same welcomeing that so many of us recieved. Well worth your reading time!



2. I read it and couldn't put it down. I cried, I laughed. I understood for the first time what the Hmong did for this country and how we left them to die alone. Are we doing this to our allies today?



3. I am having trouble getting into this book. Not at all because of the topic, which is very interesting, but because the American author (not the Hmong author) complains about how hard he had it. When he was aircrew and slept in a bed every night with clean clothes to wear. I'm sorry, he did just not suffer 1/100 th physically and emotionally the way the that grunts (in any war) did.
   
   He explains his thousand yard stare started after one of his buddies didn't make it back. After reading memoirs of infantry, whose diarrhea was so bad that their pants were soaked with their own waste, freezing cold, their friends shot and brains splattered on their buddies face , not sleeping or eating for days, I just can't stand that part of this book where he whines. If I can ignore that and I may be able to finish this book. It has other parts that are very informative and new to me.



4. A great book about enlisted flyers in Vietnam. Not the usual I'm a pilot and your not type of book. Good detail about daily life. Well worth the purchase

5 comments about Luftwaffe Fighter Ace.

1. Norbert Hannig's account of his experiences as a Luftwaffe `Jagdflieger' (fighter pilot) on the Eastern Front from 1943-45 provides an interesting insight into the experiences of one of the "mid-war" Luftwaffe pilots. From Hannig's days with the Jungvolk (a youth organization in Germany similar to the Boy Scouts - in contrast to the Hitler Youth) in 1940 to his flight training experiences and subsequent posting to the "Green Hearts" Fighter Wing in Russia, the book is easy to read. The narrative flows and is not at all boring. You get a sense of the man himself and the effects of the daily grind of operations over an ever changing front.
   
   (John Weal, who translated Mr. Hannig's book, is in his own right an expert on the Luftwaffe fighter arm. Check out any of his books in the "Aircraft of the Aces" series, which are published by Osprey Publishing.)
   
   For any reader who is keenly interested in reading about the lives of obscure Second World War aces, this book will make a welcome addition to your library. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.



2. This is a great book!!! I couldn't put it down once I picked it up. Mr. Hanning tells his story with great interest and zeale. I recommend this book to all aviation biography lovers, you will not be dissapointed!



3. Pretty good. He did not talk about all of his air kills but went through his life too quickly. Book was too short.



4. After reading this book I was left with an impression of the author as someone I would enjoy meeting. His story left me with a feeling that I got to know this guy and that he left me in a state of re-analysing my pre concieved ideas about the men and women who fought for Germany. The author was no different that our fathers and grandfathers who fought for the allies.
   This book is an eye opener to everyday life in wartime Germany.



5. I have studied the Luftwaffe and WWII for more than forty years. I enjoyed this work thoroughly and highly recommend it. I do not disagree that I would have enjoyed more details of the author's 50+ kills, but his humor and his experiences on both the Eastern and Western fronts were very interesting. Books of this sort are rarely available for long, and this one should not be missed. COL (ret) Tom Pool

5 comments about At the Right Hand of Longstreet: Recollections of a Confederate Staff Officer.

1. General Gilbert Moxley Sorrell's memoir of the War Between the States is a must-read for any serious student of the War and a fascinating historical account of soldierly life and experiences. Sorrell served in Longstreet's Brigade beginning at Manassas and as his staff officer until his promotion to Brigadier-General in 1864. He paints a vivid picture of camp life and of the political climate of the times that is often overlooked in military accounts. Highly recommend



2. This late memoir seems to have been one of the most heavily used sources for scholars of Lee, Longstreet and other generals and the Gettysburg campaign in particular.
   
   As a memoir, it's not very personable, with the author's personal experiences and even his serious injury told in a distant manner, which is not uncommon for works of this kind. It is interesting as an account of Longstreet and others around him, although it shouldn't be taken as absolute gospel; Sorrel's opinion on the Gettysburg campaign in particular seems calculated to deflect any possible criticism from his erstwhile chief.
   
   There are some interesting and unexpected tidbits here -- for one, the role of the spy Harrison, whose very existence has been questioned by some writers. Far from appearing only once on the eve of Gettysburg, he appears in Sorrel's memoir as a regular contact of Longstreet's and one who was still living when the memoir was written. This would seem to strengthen the argument that Harrison's information about Federal activities in the Gettysburg campaign would have been useful to the Confederate command.
   
   It's also interesting (and refreshing) to see how non-teetotal Sorrel's Army of Northern Virginia is -- whiskey everywhere, and even a priceless scene of Longstreet and other officers singing arias while standing on a table.



3. VERY GOOD BOOK, I ENJOYED IT VERY MUCH, WROTE VERY WELL



4. maybe it was because Longstreet wasn't a very talkable sort I don't know but this book does provide some interesting insights and seldom bogs down.



5. Moxley Sorrel was one of the best staff officers in the Confederate army. He served as one of the key staff officers in the service of Gen. James Longstreet's First Corps. This book, in his own words, is one of the more insightful books by an "insider" from the Civil War.
   
   The book provides some brief background, prior to Sorrel joining Longstreet's staff (which, by the way, appears to have been one of the better corps staffs on the Confederate side--east or west or trans-Mississippi).
   
   His career was distinguished and he had a rare opportunity to observe Longstreet and other major Confederate officers. The book portrays Sorrel's views on major battles of the war--from the Peninsula to Seven Pines to the Seven Days to Second Manassas and on to Gettysburg. Then, an examination of the First Corps' movement to the western theatre, where it played a key role at Chickamauga.
   
   Sorrel became a battlefield figure at the Wilderness, as he led a flanking attack on Union General Winfield Scott Hancock. He finished the war as a battlefield commander rather than a staff officer.
   
   What is best about this book, though, is his careful and thoughtful analysis of events and officers. A very nice work indeed.

5 comments about Railway Man.

1. I read this book when it was first published about ten years ago and the moving experience has remained with me since I finished the final sentence. It is an incredibly vivid book that you will not be able to put down.
   What Eric Lomax went through as a POW, and his eventual reconciliation with one of his torturers 50 years later displays a depth of humanity that is deeply moving.



2. What an incredible book I was not able to put down. I am a big military history buff and found the early pacific theater defeats very disturbing especially the battles in and around Malaya.
   
   The treatment of Mr. Lomax was not surprising as the Japanese were ruthless. Putting this experience into such a personal and riveting ordeal makes this book a must read. Eric Lomax puts personal vivid perspective on the years after his ordeal that is often left out of most military history accounts of battle, defeat and capture.
   
   This book is very cathartic and brought tears to my eyes. Forgiveness is a more powerful emotion and triumphs over anger and revenge.



3. i also read this when it first appeared, was deeply moved and presented it to my wife's father, a ww2 veteran. i write this review today because a man george bush proposed for attorney general is about to be approved while refusing to admit that waterboarding is torture.
   
   as every reader of this book knows, this is precisely the torture that was used on the author eric lomax, which terrified and impacted him for his entire life, and made it so hard for him to forgive even the interrogator present during it.
   
   several reviewers have said this book documents how brutal was the japanese treatment of prisoners, and i agree.. how can we allow ourselves to become the same as those wartime enemies we have characterized as monsters? god help us if we do not object..



4. I was standing in a college bookstore and saw this title as the text for a class on Asian history. I typically have no interest in this genre but this book was riveting. The detail and genuine quality of the author's words are unique. One expects a POW who was tortured to seek out the torturer for revenge not forgiveness. This story has a beautiful, eternal message to the rest of us who hold grudges over much smaller offenses.



5. When I read this book 10 years ago, I couldn't understand what Lomax was talking about when he described how he was held down by Japanese soldiers, a cloth placed over his face, and water poured over him.
   
   It's now very topical.
   
   It's a very honest and informative personal story, as well