2 comments about A Brush With Death : An Artist in the Death Camps (Suny Series in Modern Jewish Literature and Culture).

1. As a fellow survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto and the Budzyn concentration camp, I can attest the accuracy of the author's harrowing descriptions of his experiences.

   I am amazed at the author's ability to recall so many details. He writes from the heart, without artifice. His spare drawings provide haunting illustrations of what words can't always describe on their own.

   Read this book. You will be moved.




2. This review is hardly unbiased. The author, Morris Wysogrod, a commerical artist by trade, is my cousin and quite truly, a hero of mine. Whenever I visit my Cousin Morris' apartment, I am greeted as soon as I step off the elevator with genuine warmth and enthusiasm. His smile,unbreaking and his conversation,always scintillating, I am amazed at his sincerity and good nature despite what he has witnessed and experienced as a Holocaust survivor.

   His warmth and love for his fellow man is evident throughout his memoir. Morris provides a vivid look at pre-war Poland and the lives that were stolen from our families. And, much as he greets his guests with genuine warmth and affection today, he treats each character in his book with similar respect and reverence.

   His memory is outstanding as he remembers the many personalities and every day people of his Warsaw youth, and later in the death camps. His descriptions are detailed and he suceeds in bringing out the special qualities of each character. This is so important because more often than not, the people he describes with such affection will soon be dead at the hands of the Nazis. Much of Holocaust literature refers to the millions who were massacred. Morris didn't know the millions but he pays beautiful homage to the hundreds who crossed his path.

   From homage to carnage, Morris's story takes us into the Nazi occupation and his incarceration in several death camps. Similar to his skills in painting a picture of his pre-war youth, he is equally and shockingly vivid in his memories of the camps. The brutality, anguish, and sheer inhumanity he witnessed is brought to life as only a man of his artistic talents can do.

   And in the midst of the brutality, there is the friendships, the shared moments, and the appreciation for his fellow prisoners that is necessary for the reader to grasp onto so that he or she may continue with the chilling chronicle of Morris' survival.

   A Brush With Death has warmth, beauty and brutality. It is one of the many stories of the Holocaust experience, and one which I am confident will provide a unique perspective to the most horrific period in recorded history.

2 comments about Charles Sumner and the Coming of the Civil War.

1. The author focuses his attention on Sumner's pre-Civil War years when his influence on behalf of the Union and the antislavery cause reached its zenith.

   David Donald is renowned for his meticulous research and well written books. He used diaries, manuscripts, scrapbooks, family histories, letters, newspaper files, and valued secondary sources to flesh out his subject. Donald spent ten years on this book and during that time had to absorb the arcane knowledge of the 19th century in such subjects as medicine, law, politics, etc. His scholarship is impeccable. Though forty years have elapsed since the original publication of this book it still satisfies both the casual and serious reader.

   If a theme can be assigned to this very good book, it would be, "Sumner was a man who wouldn't compromise his principles no matter the cost." Sumner believed, "...to sanction the enslaving of a single human being was an act which cannot be called small, unless the whole moral law which it overturns or ignores is small." He was convinced that the appeasement of slave holders was impossible; that the various compromises enacted by the Senate were abdications of Northern principle in order to placate the South and to forestall an inevitable constitutional crisis. Sumner pointed out that supporters of the Compromise of 1850 were in fact extreme sectionalists, while antislavery agitators were the true nationalists.

   The author points out that slavery was the one great issue beginning in the late 1840s and continuing through the Civil War. Sumner battled the "peculiar institution" for years and made the abolition of slavery paramount. He became the chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, a post which he made more important than that of any Ambassador and more influential than that of the Secretary of State of the United States. By 1851, Sumner was one of the most powerful men on the North American continent and was known throughout Europe.

   When first viewing slaves Sumner said, "They appear to be nothing more than moving masses of flesh, unendowed with anything of intelligence above the brutes." This book clearly illustrates why his opinion changed and why this complex man fought the lonely fight to remove all legal barriers that sustained racial discrimination. Sumner believed such discrimination fostered racial inferiority and was psychologically harmful to Blacks. He believed the pledge in the Declaration of Independence for universal equality was as much a part of the public law of the land as the Constitution.

   In this regard, Sumner continually excoriated the public to reform slavery and eventually influenced hundreds of thousands of Northern voters. When read today, his fiery speeches seem ponderous and stilted. Further, Sumner often used illogical reasoning and had a tendency to extend a principle to its utmost limits - he could be irritating and obtuse at time. Regardless, he was a powerful spokesman for the antislavery movement and his speeches solidified Northern opinion in the "great crusade."

   In reading this book, its clear Sumner was insensitive to the power of his words. He really didn't care as he had a remarkable power of rationalization and convinced himself that expediency and justice coincided where the abolition of slavery was concerned. The author hasn't overlooked the part that fortuitous circumstances played in the selection of Sumner as one of the most powerful and enduring forces in the pre-Civil War government. (He led the Radical Republicans during the Civil War) While the borderline between myth and history is often blurred, the author proves that the myth in Sumner's life more often than not matched the real Charles Sumner.

   Sumner's involvement in the slavery issue seems compulsive to 21st century readers but it was an outgrowth of his life and times. The humanity of a society can be measured by the quality of its compassion and its ability to feel the anguish of others. In contrast, the inability to feel the lash that strikes another's back is the most destructive trait a society can possess.

   Sumner's moral compassion wouldn't allow him to act otherwise when it came to slavery. Sumner believed the issue was simple: Slavery was evil, stamp it out!

   This is superb Americana.




2. This book takes up the story of Charles Sumner from the beginnning of his involvement with the anti-slavery cause and up to the beginning of the Civil War. This and the companion book, Charles Sumner and the Rights of Man are landmark books in a way since they served to alter fundamentally the way we see the great anti slavery figures of the abolitionist cause. Sumner's career was set as a brilliant, if at times, tactless representative of the anti-slavery cause.
   
   Sumner began early, studying at the feet of John Quincy Adams and formulating notions of the law and human rights that led to his pre-war prominance. Until the Civil War, Sumner was the most prominent figure for anti-slavery. The senate proved a bully pulpit when most other national figures tried to wish away the controvery of slavery, Sumner gloried in denouncing the practice. It was because of this that he was savagely beaten by Preston Brooks on the Senate floor and returned by the people of Mass. even though he spent two years attempting to recover.
   
   This book captures the man and shows how he was great not in spite of his faults, but because of them.

5 comments about Victory at Any Cost: The Genius of Viet Nam's Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap (The Warriors).

1. Currey obviously fawns on Giap. Currey has shown no criticil analysis at all in either confirming or refutting Giap's claims. He simply passes them on. At times one cannot tell whether one is reading Currey or Giap.



2. Giap cannot be considered but a genius of war, capable of hurting the great American superpower by using small war tactics and a resolve to stay the course. I found the research compelling even thogh this is indeed a pro-Giap study. I highly recommend this book for being sympathetic to a non-western and anti-American (militarily anyway) figure. It is easy to read, altrhough somewhat lacking in concrete biography. And it is good at explaining tactics.



3. General Giap a military genius?
   
   Hardly.
   
   The North Vietnames won at Diebienphu in 1954 because of a massive supply of armaments, particularly artillery supplied by the Chinese and the USSR,laboriously trekked through the jungle and set in tunnels after the Chinese fashion. Not to speak of French rigidity and the U.S. refusal, wholly justified, to drop an atomic bomb on the North Vietnamese.
   
   The North Vietnamese conducted a decades long ""guerrila struggle," beginning in 1955, that consumed the lives of tens of thousands of their fighters, finally to conquer in 1975 by a massive conventional attack mounted by 400 tanks and powerful artillery concentrations--after antagonistic press coverage had forced the US withdrawal.
   
   Some genius!



4. This is a biography of General Vo Nguyen Giap, the founder and general of the North Vietnamese Army. I found his history to be interesting, especially his education and the foundation of the Vietnamese Army during the revolution against the French after World War II. The revolution against the French began before the end of World War II under the tutelage of the United States as part of the war effort against the Japanese. The United States then deserted Ho Chi Minh and Vo Nguyen Giap - as we have so many "allies" since! Will we learn or will we desert our "allies" in Afghanistan and Iraq? The author did have some difficulties with the writing of the time frame of the Vietnamese Conflict involving the United States - he couldn't decide who was the enemy.



5. Mr. Curry's prose flows easily and enjoyably through the twists and turns of General Giap's life up to 1996. Curry's emphasis on the political aspects of warfare that dominate the outlook of the communist Vietnamese military and its overseers is appropriate. Curry does not hide that he finds Giap, in many respects, a sympathetic character. Neither does he shrink from pointing out the mistakes Giap made or the blood on Giap's hands. There is also a sprinkling of Giap's own writing, which is so tortured and hackneyed it was criticized (with good reason) by his own comrades. The quotes will not disappoint commie-speak aficionados. I noticed some surprising factual errors and strange translations that somewhat undermine what otherwise seems to be a well-researched and documented book. Curry seems a bit frustrated that Giap has towed the party line so faithfully and been so unwilling to criticize it. Would that the book had been written in 2004 after Giap's supposed protection of General Tran Do when Do became openly critical of communist party rule.

5 comments about I Never Liked Those C-130's Anyway.

1. Two years ago my friend John Cahill told me he was writing a book.
   "What's it about?" I asked.
   "This guy I know, Malcolm Smith, flew in the Coast Guard. He has some great stories about his experiences."
   Instantly my mind went in two directions. First, I pictured war documentaries aired at five o'clock in the morning--hours of dull information I don't want to know. Open-minded person that I am, I quickly wrote the book off. Simultaneously, I thought of another friend, Steve Ward. Unlike me, Steve was very interested in airplanes, and any time a plane went overhead, he would identify it as a B-26 or a C-593. Actually, these may not exist, for I have just made them up; to me all the numbers were meaningless. I was also reminded of Steve's passionate idea to make a movie about the WASPs--not the insects, but a group of adventurous young women who flew planes in WWII. I knew that--though I probably had no interest in John Cahill's book--Steve Ward would. I'd buy a copy, give it to Steve, and let him tell me about it.
   "Oh, that's great," I said, trying to sound more enthusiastic than I felt. "Let me know when it's done. I'll buy a copy."
   Time passes both too quickly and not quickly enough. A year ago, in February, 2003, Steve Ward died. In September, 2003 seven months later, Malcolm Smith, with J. Wilfred Cahill, published I NEVER LIKED THOSE C-130'S ANYWAY: MEMORIES OF TWENTY YEARS IN THE U.S. COAST GUARD.
   Perhaps in a vain subconscious wish to bring Steve Ward back, I bought not one, but two copies. They lay on my desk for months. I don't have much time to sit down and read, but I spend a lot of time on the road and listen to a lot of tapes. Each time I ran into John Cahill, I'd apologize for not having got to the book yet, and then complain that if it were out on audio, I'd have listened to it already. John said they were working on the audio version, but didn't care if I read the book, so long as I had bought it.
   Finally, I couldn't take any more Cahill encounters, not having read the book. The world is unpredictable, espcially the world of literature, and you just don't always know what lies under the next unlikely looking cover. The surprise for me was a wonderfully readable and highly entertaining collection of anecdotes, masterfully told by Malcolm Smith on to tape, and transcribed by John Cahill. The stories are short, but interesting, and always involve either a prank or a screw-up. I have never encountered another book quite like it. The nearest thing I can think of is a book my mother gave me called PECK'S BAD BOY AND HIS PA. I was sick in bed at the time and I think that book helped me get better, for it celebrated, through the consecrated written word of a published book, tales of mischief and shenanigans.
   Having never had any direct experience with any branches of the military or its associated arms, my impression of the whole business has always been one of seriousness, order, discipline and drudgery. Malcolm Smith's stories humanize and humorize these stereotypes. What emerges from his book are the experiences of a man endowed with average gifts and foibles, but an extraordinary sense of humor and penchant for fun. Through his stories, Malcolm Smith reveals a Coast Guard institution big-hearted enough to allow his whole human being--one that did not necessarily fit into any particular mold--to grow within the system to his own natural potential, as an exceptional officer and pilot, much loved by his fellow "Coasties". I have never considered any branch of the services for myself, but Malcolm Smith makes me feel that I might have missed something great in not having been there.
   Steve Ward would have loved this book. Hell, I really enjoyed it and I'm not even interested in airplanes or the Coast Guard. At least, I wasn't. Now, at least I know the difference between an H-52 and a C-130.
   Thanks, Malcolm, for remembering and telling your stories, and thanks, John, for turning them into a book.
   Malcolm Smith's stories may well become widely read and enjoyed. One day we will be able to remember when they were first published and that we were among the first to hear them. Rumor has it that this first collection includes only those stories which the author felt he could tell without getting himself into trouble. If there are more as good as these, here's one reader who looks forward to hearing them.



2. This is your father's coast guard; but not the one I had envisioned! This book is hard to put down. There are chuckles galore. I keep it bedside now and open it to random pages for a quick mood lift. Haven't done that in a while! The Coast Guard is one of our nations best kept secrets.



3. I read this book cover to cover in about 2 days because it was so funny and I couldn't put it down. My husband is a pilot and hearing these stories just crack me up! I sent one to my brother hoping it would provide many hours of entertainment, and it did... great book!



4. 
   I decided to write this because I am at this link anyway to buy another copy of the book. I had a copy but trusted my old boss(a week-end pilot) to return it upon finishing, instead he forwarded it on to a relative in Alaska who is some big shot at one of the Air Force bases. I had previously stopped my brother-in-law (a Coast Guard Vet.also a week-end pilot)from lifting my copy a year earlier.The point being any pilot or anyone who has had the desire to fly will love this book, if you are or have been in the US Military I think it would add to the enjoyment. Watching the "Deadliest Catch" on the Discovery Channel and seeing video of Malcolm describe a rescue he was involved with in Alaska waters lent a face to attach to his personality. The book is well written and Smith and Cahill should present us with the sequel.



5. I rarely get a laugh from books but this one had me with tears in my eyes from laughing. It was very funny and the best part reminded me of some of my antics in the Air Force. Well worth the read.

No comments about Abe Lincoln Loved Animals.

5 comments about German Fighter Ace: Erich Hartmann : The Life Story of the World's Highest Scoring Ace.

1. Erich Alfred Hartmann (1922-1993) is the top-scoring fighter pilot in the annals of aerial combat. He flew for Germany during the Second World War and scored the vast majority of his astounding 352 aerial victories against the Soviets on the Eastern Front. Nicknamed "Bubi" (German for 'boy') because of his youthful countenance, Hartmann was a member of Jagdgeschwader (Fighter Wing) 52 from Novemeber 1942 until the end of the war in May of 1945. On one spectacular mission, Erich shot down four American P-51 Mustangs over the oil fields at Ploesti, Rumania. After the war, Hartmann, who won the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Crossed Swords, and Diamonds, was unceremoniously handed over to the USSR by his American captors. From May 1945 until October of 1955, Erich Hartmann was confined in Soviet prisons and branded a "war criminal" by the vengeful Stalin and his henchmen. While in the gulags, Erich's father and his infant son, whom he had never held, died in Germany. Released in 1955 after the death of Stalin, Hartmann returned to active duty in the new Luftwaffe and was key in training the next generation of German flyers in the ways of aerial combat. Erich retired from active service in 1970 and enjoyed a peaceful life until his passing in September of 1993.

   This gorgeous photo album, composed by his loving wife Ursula and introduced by Manfred Jager, chronicles Hartmann's life from his childhood in pre-war Germany, his military training and combat, his inspiring and enduring romance with Ursula Paetsch, and ends with his rebirth in Richthofen Geschwader 71.

   I simply cannot recommend this book enough. It is an excellent companion to Toliver & Constable's "The Blonde Knight of Germany", an in-depth biography of Hartmann's life. One does not have to necessarily be an aviation buff to enjoy these titles as Hartmann's story is much, much more than just his accomplishments in the air. His was a life of courage, love, dedication, honor, and perseverance that can serve as an inspiration for all.




2. For those familiar with Erich Hartmann and would rather see him than read about his life, this is your book. Text is limited.



3. I readed it the same way I can look at a family album. The illustrations Ursula choosed to represent her husband, are surprisingly intimate.Throught out the book, I felt very close to Erich Hartmann. I can only admire that man who fought all is life for Germany against the Soviet Union. It's also amasing to think that just before he died, he saw the downfall of the soviet regime and the reunification of Germany. So until the end, he is a true winner! There is only one edition of that book and it's getting hard to find. I strongly advise anibody who's passionate about history and the german military aviation to purchase this precious and unique book.



4. If you are wanting to read about the life of Erich Hartmann, then this book isn't for your. If you want to SEE an intimate, historic look into his life presented by the one person who knew him best, then this book definitely is for you. "The Blonde Knife of Germany" remains the best history of the World's Top Ace, so this is where to learn more of Hartmann's life. However, I think Ursula's book is a must have and fantastic companion book with "The Blonde Knight". The two belong together on your bookshelf, and you won't be disappointed. Hey, another fine product of Schiffer Publishing!



5. Erich Hartmann was so much more than the world's highest scoring fighter pilot. He was a man of great strength and character who was not in the least afraid to stand up for what he believed was right. This excellent book is filled with pictures and commentary from fellow pilots and a loving wife about an amazing individual. A must-read for any WW II aviation enthusiast. I couldn't put it down, so read it cover to cover in a day. This was easy due to the many high quality photographs with captions.

5 comments about The Young Ones: American Airmen of WW II.

1. The Young Ones is not really a book. As you start to read the stories you feel almost immediately that you are having a conversation with the individuals while learning about their experiences and quickly seeing that the price of freedom comes high. This book crosses generation lines and offers inspriation to the young and old alike.

   The spoken language has been put on the pages and makes reading fun, interesting and relaxing. You do not want to put the book down. The size and scope of the book really is the story of WW11 Avaition.

   This book belongs in schools and libraries. Teenagers, especially should be exposed to the book and learn the lessons passed on by many brave young fliers.




2. The Young Ones is a very interesting but a sobering read. These individual experiences truly make you realize the sacrifices our airmen made during WWII. Surely, in most cases, to remember and relay those harrowing days was difficult for the veteran. I feel much gratitude toward these men for their service to our country and also for having their stories recorded for history.

   The impact the years in the service had on these men is evident by the details they were able to recall and describe. The recording of these experiences was made many years after WWII.

   This truly is a classic collection of some very brave and courageous young Americans.




3. Erik, the author, presented an opportunity to those who survived the ravages of war with a way to be a part of his compendium of experiences of the Air War of WWII. I feel that by drawing on these individual segments of history that for the most part, were not widely disseminated or documented, he has provided the public a glimpse of what is a patch quilt of the happenings of that era. Those contributing their experiences dug deep in their memories of events that most had been stifling for years to avoid reliving the pain they and their fellow crew members experienced in combat. This book reflects only the stories of the few who wished to honor comrades who couldn't or wouldn't share their role in the fatal game called war. Many have died or will soon die without describing what they found out in their first hand experiences during a terrible time in history when millions of people died, some good, some bad, in the name of patriotism or loyalty to their country's cause. A common thread throughout this book is seen in what some call Luck, and how seconds separated the losers and survivors in the Air War. I believe the primary goal of the author is to show the need for an alternative to war as a means of solving the world's problems. Another important goal is to stimulate those readers who have important contributions yet to be documented, to understand that unless they share their experiences, thery will be lost forever at their death. (See page 319 for my story).
   Frank J Finklang, Lt.Col., USAF Retired



4. "The Young Ones"by Erik Dyreborg

   The Young Ones is filled with some of the most exciting and memorable notes of escapes during WW II. The stamina and courage of these young men is almost unbelieveable. The exploitskeep you virtually on the edge of your seat throughout the entire read.

   I makes you proud to know that this caliber of young men represented our nation ... So very young and heroic.

   It is a well coordinated documentation of the exploits of young AMericans who risked so much and have been unable to share their experiences to any great extent.

   Thanks to Erik Dyreborg for keeping their experiences alive and thus enabling others to share in an relatively unexplored area of WW II.

   Sincerely,

   Lois Eveland




5. You really get a sense of what our pilots and crews went through during WWII. I really appreciate the sacrifices they made. The 3 star rating is due to my feeling that the editing could have been better. Perhaps it wasn't because Erik is Danish.

5 comments about The Man Who Flew the Memphis Belle: Memoir of a WWII Bomber Pilot.

1. Leaving aside the question of historical accuracy (this has been touched on ably by another reviewer) except for one comment - I was a little unconvinced by Morgan's soliloquy's on WW II grand strategy, such as his explanations of how the war in Russia was fought, and other things that he as a 23-25 year old bomber pilot would have known little about and perhaps cared even less. These parts of the book come across as forced.

   Having said that, however, I have no doubt Morgan felt them necessary to put the overall story into context, and they do that well. This makes the book perfect for youngsters or those with no understanding of the larger picture of WW II history, and thus provide this with a broader appeal.

   But the meat of the story is Morgan himself. This is not "just" a story of a WW II bomber pilot, this is a wonderfully told story of Bob Morgan, the man, and a blushingly honest discussion of his many demons - his relationship with his departed mother, his father and siblings, his girlfriends, fiancees and wives, his crew (many of whom were fast friends), his superiors, and a terrific look at how he grew up, trained for war, matured as a commander, lived as a returning veteran, and overcame the evils of a pampered upbringing, and learned the value of hard work.

   The details about his tour with the 8th Bomber Command were especially interesting, and his revelations about the WW II documentary about his aircraft will answer many questions for ardent Memphis Belle fans who always wondered how much of the 1943 documentary was real (apparently, not much), and also records what Morgan thought of the 1990 film with Matthew Modine (apparently, not much).

   His tour in B-29s is also well discussed. This is very much a terrific human interest story which just happens to take place in flak-filled skies. It's certainly more Twelve O'Clock High, with its introspection, than it is Monte Merrick's Memphis Belle, with its cartoon heroics.

   Colonel Morgan is to be commended for his bravery in baring his soul to the rest of us, for trying to make sense of his life in a way that we can all learn, for admitting to the hurt he has caused others, and allowing us to relate to his own hurts. He was a courageous man at 23 - he had to be - but now, of his own accord, I think he is even braver in his 80s for writing this thoroughly inspirational book.




2. This is a grand story of a B-17 Flying Fortress in the 8th Air Corps early days bombing France and Germany in WW II. More than that, it is the autobiography of one of the most interesting men I have ever encountered. The MEMPHIS BELLE was one of the first planes and crews to complete 25 missions and come home to thank Americans for their home front efforts.



3. For those who may not know: In the early days of World War II the United States had no long range fighters capable of protecting our bombers all the way to their European targets. Even so, and unlike the British who flew only night bombing raids which were much safer but largely ineffective, the American fliers were tasked to continue flying higher precision yet much more dangerous daylight missions. As a consequence, the attrition rate for American bombers and their crews was grimly and almost unacceptably high. To bolster morale, a policy was initiated such that any bomber crewman completing twenty-five missions without being shot down and captured or killed would be relieved of duty and returned to the United States. The "Memphis Belle" was the first bomber to successfully achieve that milestone.
   
   Having heard about the Memphis Belle for most of my life, I was curious to read the real story of that famed B-17 and its equally famous 25th mission, particularly from the standpoint of the bomber's pilot. I wasn't disappointed. In fact, the story went far beyond that bomber and its mission and was much more interesting. For through the eyes of the book's author you could almost sense what it was like to experience his life and times and know what it was REALLY like to actually pilot a B-17 into combat. . . Ignore the German fighters. Don't drift. Ignore the flack. Don't let your mind wander. Keep your eyes fixed straight ahead. Keep your plane in formation. Try to relax. Don't let your wings touch. Bomber pilots apparently had a very narrow view of the war.
   
   The remarkable thing to me about the book, however, was that Robert Morgan wrote it quite late in his life. To me, that broadened his perspective, lending much more insight to the story. In fact, I don't think a young Captain Morgan could have written a book with such clarity, honesty, perspective and sensitivity. Bottom line: This is a very good book and not just from a historical point of view.



4. Bob Morgan was a friend of mine. His lovely wife urged him for years to write a book, yet he always seemed to sluff it off. At speaking engagements, he always pointed out that he was no hero, giving full credit to the other members of his crew, and the many other crews that flew the skies of Europe. Very typical of his generation, and traits that later ones seem to have lost. The crew of the Memphis Belle was thrust into fame by accident, circumstance, chance, or whatever fate chose, much like the flag raisers of Iwo Jima. It forever changed their lives to some extent. Bob almost waited too long to write this, and he couldn't have found a better co-author than award winning Ron Powers. Bob wasn't your average pilot in the air, there was this unruly side of him that was able to express itself somewhat before the bond tours, but certainly was turned loose afterwards. I remember once when he came by to see me and handed me a picture of him flying a B-17 at Oshkosh when he was well into his 70's. He'd run the plane down the runway in front of the crowd, then turned it on it's side, leaving the wing tip only slightly off the ground. Some things never changed. The book would be a great read just for his WWII and war bond experiences, but Bob was a unique individual, no actually a complex individual, and much to my surprise, he held nothing back in his book. Perhaps this is why he waited so late in life to do it, but I'm glad he did. This is probably the most honest and personal WWII memoir that you will ever read, and nothing was held back. The complexity and struggles of Bob as a man would have made this a fascinating book had he never sat at the controls of the Memphis Belle. But he did, and as a result, you get the unique insight into a very unique, and complex man, and this is the treat that you will come away with in this book, long after the story of the Memphis Belle.



5. This is by far the best autobiography I've read. So many times autobiographies are full of technical data but lack the emotion of what the author was thinking. But this book stands above the rest, yes it has the technical data that we all crave but it has the emotions as well. You feel as if you are the pilot as you read the book, as if you are Col. Robert Morgan, flying your B-17 on bombing missions over Germany and France and later flying a B-29 over Japan. Every time he mentions a friend being killed in front of him you feel his pain, his sadness at losing a close friend, almost as if you lost a close friend. Everytime he talks about the sites and sounds and smells of war, it's as if you can actually feel and smell them. It's as if you're actually there.
   
   This book has a very natural quality to it which makes it very easy to read, it almost feels as if you and Bob are having lunch as he's telling you all about his war time and post war experiences.
   
   I would recomend this book to anyone who loves history, anyone who has an intrest in a war that defined our nation, or anyone who is just looking for a great read. You will not be disappointed, I guarantee that.

3 comments about Behind Hitler's Lines: The True Story of the Only Soldier to Fight for both America and the Soviet Union in World War II.

1. A very well-written account of one gentleman who served with the 101st Airborne. His adventures are so twisting and turning, it must be a true account! If it were fiction, the reader would say -- couldn't be done! The book reads like fiction, i.e., it is easy to read. Recommended by this reader.



2. This is a great book. this is a story about joe from the 101st airbourne. it shows his triumphs and let downs through world war two. from his first mission to his last. i am a junior in high school and am not that big of a reader. this was honestly the first book i couldnt put down. every page interested me more than i thought a book ever could. a very good bokk for someone my age or above. his intelligance and will to survive made this story one of the best.



3. I am very suprised this book is not as popular as others. It reads like a movie. The things this man went through were unthinkable. I was on the edge of my seat anxious to get to the next page the whole time.
   I am not very good at giving reviews as others but I have read many other war memoirs. Its very hard for me to find a World war 2 one that I have not read and this one ranks towards the top. If your reading this review and considering the book- please get it. You will not be sorry. Its an easy read, the chapters are not that long and the story is just simply amazing.
   
   This guy did not recieve the commeroation he deserves for what he went through.

4 comments about With the German Guns: Four Years on the Western Front (Pen & Sword Military Classics).

1. Herbert Sulzbach's diary is a vivid recollection of his life on the Western Front from August 1914 through the armistice of November 1918. Sulzbach enters the war as a member of an artillery battery. Due to his abilities, he advances steadily; especially given the attrition of army officers on the Western Front. He writes of his times in the firing line and of his several leaves back home in Germany. The diary is full of poignant and telling detail. Containing the necessary specifics of the war's terrors, the diary dwells on the human and humane incidents as well. The author's descriptions of his journeys by train, horse, and foot across the several different sectors where he served, are memorable. Sulzbach's writing is never dry and his abilities are neither primative nor academic. Though always a patriot, Sulzbach is affected by the failing German cause. His experiences are of the major battles from the Somme to the last German offensives. Sulzbach has the distinction of becoming a British officer in WWII and his work to reunite Germany and England has earned him a place of honor in both countries. Readers of this book might also like Vaughan's SOME DESPERATE GLORY; Graves's GOOD-BYE TO ALL THAT; and Sassoon's THE MEMOIRS OF A FOX-HUNTING MAN. This book would be a good way to enter the history of WWI from the vantage point of a single individual's service.



2. I am not sure if Herbert Sulzbach had ever intended on having his diary pubilshed for the world to read, which is precisely why I believe this book to be so intriguing. Any WWI history guru will most likely not be surprised by the dramatic events to unfold within the pages, but that is certainly not the point of this book. Its fascinating to read the day-by-day accounts of a young man fighting for the love of his life, The Fatherland.

   It was incredibly interesting to sit back and read about the heroism and the tragedies suffered by Sulzbach. The disappointments he felt when friends fell, and when the tides turned. I almost felt sad when I could see the excitement he had to learn that it looked as if America was going to join the war and fight alongside Germany!

   In short, this book is highly reccomended! Not your typical read by any means. Would love to see his WWII diaries (if he kept them at that time) published, as he joined the British Army to help rid Germany of Nazi rule. A true patriot, and a true hero!




3. Fascinating account of the German soldier who stood firm throughout the war only to find that his nation had crumbled behind the front. Even at the war's end he had been able to travel to travel by train to see his parents while his unit was still in France and Belgium slowly retreating toward their Seigfried Line. His attitudes toward the righteousness of the German cause are clearly expressed as is his confidence in ultimate victory. Defeat came hard.



4. 'With the German Guns' is the English version of a book originally published in German. It has the major strength that few other memoirs by German soldiers of the period are availiable in English. It contains fascinating passages describing bombardments (from the perspective of those doing the shooting !) Its coverage may be criticised as uneven - but then as an accurate memoir of real war service this is almost inevitable. A 'top twenty' book for anyone interested in WW1 memoirs, or the German army of 1914-1918.