2 comments about Wolfram von Richthofen: Master of the German Air War (Modern War Studies).

1. Luftwaffe fans have been long overdue this book, and it's our good fortune that the task of writing it has gone to James S. Corum. He had not only the necessary credentials to write it, he had the Richthofen family cooperation, and the Richthofen War Diary. Wolfram von Richthofen's life and Luftwaffe career is covered in great detail as are all the operations he was involved in. Quite a career, First World War Cavalry officer to fighter pilot, post war aero engeering degree and then one of the driving forces in the Pre Nazi Luftwaffe. Also, many details I was not aware of, such as the SD2 Butterfly cluster bomb being copied and used by the U.S. Air Force into the sixties. If you've an interest in the Luftwaffe, or air war in general, don't miss putting this one on your shelf. I wish Mr. Corum would write more books than he does, but the quality of the research and attention to accuracy and detail in his books preclude that.



2. According to Corum, Richtofen succeded in the opening stages of the Second World War because he was able to develop effective air-land communications, and use captured enemy air fields close to the frontlines. In the invasion of of Poland, Corum states that the Luftwaffe was used for mainly interdiction against enemy units and there was bomb line that the Luftwaffe could not cross. In the invasion of France the German armies were able to advance without protecting their flanks, because Richtofen was able to use captured French airfields thereby bringing air support closer to the front, and Luftwaffe officers serving with ground units were able to direct air strikes against French and British units. Air support operations improved during the opening stages of the Russian campaign because instead of the bombline, the German army used flares to state their position thereby giving pilots more flexibility in attacking Soviet positions. However the air campaign in Russia faltered due to that the fact the Luftwaffe only planned for a short series of battles and not a long campaign and as a result planes stayed on the ground due to a shortage of spare parts. After the battle of Stalingrad, Richtofen was soon transfered to Italy where he took charge of a futile attempt to stop the Allied invasion and advance into Italy. Richtofen was relieved of command and later died of a brain tumor right after the end of the war in Europe. The only weakness of this book is that I wish that Corum would make more of a reference to Joel Hayward's contention that Richtofen failed to develop more of a strategic use of air power by not attacking the Russian ferries at Stalingrad more vigourously and ignoring the oilfields in the southern Soivet Union. Otherwise this book gives a detailed account of why the Luftwaffe was successful at providing the German army support during their invasions of Poland, France, and the Soviet Union.

4 comments about Ballad for Baghdad: An Ex-Hippie Chick Viet Nam War Protester's Three Years in Iraq.

1. How wonderful to hear the other side of the story for a change--the side of the story that gives hope, and an answer to "Why are we there?" It's a very enjoyable read, written from an honest heart, and well-documented.



2. As the parent of adult children who are now voting and hearing them express their views (which often come from major network news) I decided this book will be in EACH of their Christmas stockings. It is an up close and personal view of the truth as things really are, not as they are said to be by those who would spin the picture to represent a particular view. Our men & women in uniform deserve to get their stories out, and this is a rare viewpoint that accomplishes just that! Hats off to Ali for saying it like it is in an often humorous, MOSTLY inspiring, and sometimes tearful manner. Don't take my word for it...read it yourself.



3. This gal has done a fantastic job of representing America's finest - telling their story in terms people who have family serving in Iraq understand.
   
   We get so sickened by the so-called news media's biased reporting - Ballad for Baghdad is a refeshing, poignant, hilarious at times portrayal of what our US Military relatives share with us they see and experience.
   
   My hope is that those who are wanting Obama's "change" in our political system take the time to read Ballad - and then take time to thank God for the men and women who have bought their freedom and right to say whatever they want about our foreign policies.
   
   Semper Fi!



4. Don't just believe what CNN and others are saying...read true stories of soldiers and Iraqi people from an American mother's first hand account of her 3 years in Baghdad. You will be shocked and amazed, laughing and crying too!
   
   I couldn't put it down as I laughed and cried while I read of the amazing true stories of our soldiers, Iraqi soldiers and the people of Iraq! I was angry that we had not heard the whole truth! And I was delighted to hear of the wonderful and endearing true stories told by Ali. You will never hear these on the news!
   
   You will be shocked and saddened as you read how Terri Schiavo's story affected our soldiers and the Iraqi people! You will be thrilled to hear the stories of courage and love! It is a must read! Buy a copy for your friends and send one to a soldier too! Karen Snyder

3 comments about Gunbird Driver: A Marine Huey Pilot's War in Vietnam (Blue Jacket Bks).

1. Hollywood tends to portray conflicts by making an icon of the weapon involved. Think of the Colt Peacemaker of the Western gunslinger. Or the Tommy gun of the Thirties gangster. Or the Huey helicopter gunbird that has dominated our vision of American wars starting in Vietnam and continuing right on through this evening's news broadcast. Talk about your icons.
   Yet until now not a lot has been written about the UH-1E, the Bell helcopter with its Lycoming engine and with its side-mounted M-60 machine guns and its nose-aimed rockets. Less still is known about the people who wielded them for the first time as a serious weapon of war in Vietnam. Author David A. Ballentine's book is noteworth because it can be read on several levels. it is a memoir to be sure, but unlike the standard issue series of anecdotes that come from military retirees. What it is, instead, is a back porch conversation, with plenty of saltiness and lots of appropriate expletives such as what one might get listening to the man himself.
   The story line covers Ballentine's time as a young Marine lieutenant pilot flying a Huey with an observation squadron during 1966-1967, a year before the Tet Offensive. The book is an easy read for the ordinary civilian despite the military acronyms and technical idiosyncrasies of the Huey as a piece of machinery. Ballentine gives the aircraft its own personality, one with plenty of foibles and flaws, but also with a certain workmanlike solidness that makes both machine and the men it carried understandable and admirable.
   The more military oriented reader can find plenty of action and adventure to his taste. Ballentine and his unit provided suppressing fire when troops went into operations and when they came out again. It covered for medical evacuation helicpoters that took out the casulaties. Counter-fire was a constant hazard and Ballentine's craft caught its share. One of the more interesting facets of this book is that even if you've never ridden in a helicopter, his portrayal of the Huey makes the reader confident he could sit in the second seat and know right where the dials and pedals were located, perhaps even to take the stick if hostile gunfire equired. This is no mean feat of writing.
   This is a book worth reading and pondering. Vietnam may have been a long time ago but the story is still going on.
   James Srodes, author, Washington, DC



2. David Ballentine's book brought home to me the reality of the life of a Viet Nam Marine in the mid '60s. The "non-PC" language gives it relevance, and thanks for that. I am amazed at the dedication he and those he wrote about have for the job they did. To go to work with the knowledge that it may end badly made me question every complaint I ever had during my professional life. He says that after one has been the target in a life and death challenge, ordinary life is rather ordinary. If you ever wanted to experience a true "realty show", this is a must read. Thanks, David, for writing this extraordinaty personal history of a true American Hero.



3. [[ASIN:1591140196 Gunbird Driver: Gunbird Driver is a remarkable autobiography. Former Marine Corps helicopter pilot, David Ballentine, looks back on his 1966-67 tour of duty in Vietnam, flying the UH-1E (Huey) on a variety of missions, from supporting drops of ground troops into hostile territory, evacuating wounded and dead Marines, to flying high ranking officers around on inspection tours. On one mission, enemy gunfire severs his oil lines and he is forced down. On another, he watches with fascination as a stunningly accurate rocket fired from his ship explodes within a foot of its target-- a luckless man in black-pajamas running for his life through a rice paddy. Lt. Ballentine sees the fellow wobble to his feet and disappear into the underbrush. Ballentine doesn't stop there. He also lays bare the ordinary and wacky details of military life, such as the use of makeshift urinals called "piss tubes" and the hazard of splash-back, "hooch rats" nesting in his helmet, and the stress of finding himself laboring to make small-talk alongside a high-ranking officer inside a crude latrine. Reading this, I often found myself smiling, and occasionally, laughing out loud. This account could not have been authentically written without use of the Marine Corps' incomparable array of four-letter words, and it is not for the faint of heart. No subject is overlooked. Ballentine, who after the war earned a PhD in history, is both sensitive and introspective but understandably proud of his air crewmembers. No macho here. His story is one of a humble young officer's adaptability to the demanding circumstances of war and his emergence as a man. This is a perfect gift for any ex-Marine or anyone, civilian or military, man or woman, who has wondered what it was like to be in combat.

5 comments about Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut.

1. I could not put it down...Mike provides a great combination of his experiences, history about NASA, personal history, impact on him and his family, stories of his close friends and the emotions he felt throughout his whole experience. It's worth it...



2. Hilarious. Not just for guys who like space stuff. Our son read it and bought it as a father's day gift. My husband has been reading it and howling so he's reading it to me. Mike Mullane is absolutely candid about himself and the era he is describing, Loads of fun.



3. This book is an insider account of NASA and the shuttle program. It was hard to put this book down, for several reasons. First the writing is witty and interesting; Mike has a real gift with words and a humorous way of expressing his thoughts. Second, its a real peak into a world most of us no nothing about except for the "Right Stuff" kind of pronouncements we see at the press conferences. This book is searingly honest; I don't know if most of us would tell our best friends the details about our thoughts and history that Mike reveals in this book, but he holds nothing back.



4. Surprisingly good book about the real NASA. I would recommend it to anyone with even a small interest in the space program.



5. This was a surprising read. I loved this book, but it has two very distinct sides. One is funny, self-confident, brash, accomplished. The other is grim, unsure, depressing, an expose of institutional politics and culture at it's soul (and life) destroying worst. It's not all photo ops and champange. This is why I like it and yet sometimes found it hard to read. From childhood to semi-retirement, this is about a person, the flaws he honestly admits to, and the not so 'Leave it to Beaver' world he lives in. The first part was very entertaining and anecdotal- very funny. The second was more interesting and down to the nitty gritty: an inside account of what NASA was like, and still may be like. It also exposes how the media, and having to deal with the media, changes how people respond and behave. The true stresses of this kind of life and career are huge. It wasn't the book I thought it would be, but I am very glad to have read it.

5 comments about Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat.

1. In 1991, I had the privilege of being a student at the School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth under the direction of then Col James McDonough. A man of deep reflection, he was also passionate about soldiers and ensured that everything we did as students in teh study of warfare and campaign design kept them in mind.
   
   Now I am a university professor offering courses in US military history. Part of what I do is to expose my students to leadership and battle at the small unit level. There is no better book for that purpose concerning Vietnam than McDonough.
   
   Every student takes something different away from this book because, unlike many assigned books, they read it. The book captures you right from the beginning. You really can't put it down. And, it contains more lessons about life and leadership than I can express here.
   
   Knowing the author personally in 1991-1992 is special, for I saw in him then the character that had developed from his time in Vietnam. He tells it like it is, he means what he says, and he stands by his word. His book is more than just a memoir, it is therapy for a man who must live with the past, both for better and for worse.



2. Platoon Leader was an excellent read, and one I would recommend for all those enjoy military reading. I would especially suggest it to all junior military leaders. Entertaining and well written, the author discusses at length his role as a leader, and what he views as good and bad leaders. The aspect of the book I enjoyed the most was it allowed the reader to see leadership, on a small-unit level, working in real-world combat conditions. Unlike many books leaders read for professional development, it shows how leadership works when employed and doesn't just philosophize about leadership principles.



3. As a junior officer I have an entire list of professional reading that I am trudging my way through, but so far McDonough has been by far the most enjoyable and has made the biggest impact on my own leadership style. Both Platoon Leader and Defense of Hill 781 are great books, but Platoon Leader is so far the best military memoir I have read. It has been over a year since I read this book, but the three things that have stuck with me are:
   1. Do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason.
   2. Death in a combat zone is more about just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sooner or later your luck runs out, but you have the duty to your fellow soldiers to do everything in your power to protect them.
   3. The stealing of a bottle of soda from a grandmother leads slowly but inevitable to the rape of her granddaughter. If you let your soldiers steal at all you are setting the stage for what atrocities they will commit later. You must always be vigilant in your discipline.
   
   While I do not have combat experience, I am currently serving in Iraq and know second handedly that these concepts still hold true.
   
   Other than the leadership aspect of the book, Mcdonough is just a great story teller and is able to make the book engaging and addicting.



4. James McDonough provides an in-depth look at infantry platoon operations in Vietnam. This is a must read for anyone who intends to pursue a military career. The book is very graphic, but also very succint and to the point. McDonough doesn't waste time with superfluous details, every word is well chosen and critical to the telling of the story. Once you begin reading, you will not want to stop. It is a quick read, and well worth the time it takes.



5. "Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat," by James R. McDonough, chronicles the author's experiences as an officer in the Vietnam War from 1970-71. His platoon is charged with manning an outpost next to the village of Truong Lam.
   
   This is a fascinating, well-written account. McDonough fills his narrative with vivid details that really made his story come alive in my mind. He doesn't flinch at describing the goriest and most horrific images of war. There are also moments of irony and bitter humor. Also noteworthy is the informative material about tactics used in Vietnam. And the author humanizes the story by touching on such "down-and-dirty" issues as the latrine his platoon used.
   
   McDonough's story is populated with a compelling cast of characters. Particularly intriguing is his exploration of relationships among the various groups he encountered in the war zone--U.S. enlisted men, his fellow Army officers, Vietnamese military allies, enemy forces, and the many civilians caught up in the conflict.
   
   While rich in scenes of combat, "Platoon Leader" goes beyond being just an action-packed war yarn. The book explores the ethics and morals of war. McDonough deals directly with the danger a soldier faces in becoming dehumanized by the brutality of war. He vividly portrays the struggle of a leader to remain wise and humane, yet also tough and resolute, under the most trying of circumstances. This book is both a profound meditation on wartime leadership and a powerful work of American literature.

5 comments about The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell: An Accidental Soldier's Account of the War in Iraq.

1. I was forced to read this book for two of my college classes this year, and this is by far the most repugnant and pointless reading assignment I've ever had to endure. Perhaps Crawford accurately described the conditions of war; I'm not a soldier and I don't know much about it, so I can't argue with that. It may be a very informative book in that respect. However, if that atrocity passes for literature these days, we are in a world of trouble. The book is very poorly written, with an incoherent story line, and mainly consists of short stories highlighting the narrator's criminal or simply immoral actions in Iraq, interspersed with copious amounts of profanity. Throughout the entire book, Crawford complains about being sent to Iraq and seems incapable of accepting the consequences of his actions. Rather than claiming that the book is about his experiences in Iraq, Crawford should state that the book is about his constant, implacable gripes and laments. His reprehensible personality and rather childish writing style are bad enough to ruin the book, but the page after page of disgusting swearwords and obscenities are the maggots on the corpse. Towards the end of the novel, Crawford promises that "this is the last true story I'll ever tell." Would to God he had spared himself the endeavor!



2. I am very grateful to all the men and women who have fought our nation's wars. However, I hated this book and threw it disgustedly into the trash. I have read hundreds of books, but I have only destroyed three: this one, one by demented "comedian" Lewis Black, and a book by that creepy bounty hunter Duane Chapman.
   I understand that soldiers use profanity, especially those in combat. I was in the U.S. Army in the Vietnam era. Excessive and incessant profanity in print is tedious at best and, in fact, repugnant.
   Crawford tries to use clever literary devices but they just don't work. His gear changes are abrupt and grinding, leaving the reader puzzled and confused. Frankly, I could not tell when the author was trying to tell the truth. I found the book extremely disturbing. Perhaps that was Crawford's objective.



3. Well, 140+ reviews are already in, but I'll throw my two cents in. Let me preface this by saying I'm not a soldier and never will be, don't support the Iraq war, but would support a well-managed war on terrorists who actually threaten our safety. I suppose that makes me reasonably unbiased. i started this book not knowing a thing about its contents or the attitudes of the author.
   
   It's a collection of possibly quasi-fictive vignettes and memories of the author's tour patrolling the streets of Baghdad for over a year. Crawford is an extremely bitter man, and I was struck by how entitled and selfish he paints himself, how little empathy he shows. Even the subtitle, "an accidental soldier," is misleading: he wasn't drafted, he signed up for the National Guard. If he didn't think that made him a soldier, then I pity his ignorance.
   
   But much worse, throughout the book, his behavior and attitudes are shocking. He knows and cares nothing for the culture, history or people of Iraq: this from an anthropology major (one who was, he informs the reader several times, "just two credits away from graduation," as if that makes a difference). His stories are straight out of Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket: these are not patriotic soldiers, or even the devil-may-care kids out for violence and glory depicted in Generation Kill. They're drug-taking, food-stealing, rule-breaking, apathetic clowns.
   
   Crawford's stories condemn him again and again: he steals food from Iraqi refugee packets; he steals an Iraqi's motorbike; he flirts with Iraqi women, getting one possibly thrown into the street as a whore; he befriends but does not protect a loyal Iraqi shopkeeper; he watches with glee a small boy about to be beaten by a gang. In short, he depicts himself as a terrible person, which makes his stories of incompetence, clueless superiors, and failure throughout the Army, even if true, less moving.
   
   My dislike of the man doesn't color the literary side of the review, however, and Crawford gets three stars for several powerful stories, and a stirring, provocative argument that certainly makes you think.



4. This is the book I hoped JARHEAD would be, but wasn't: a tough, terse, horror-packed memior from a man with no chip on his shoulder, just as desire to unload the truckload of baggage he's been carrying around ever since he returned from Iraq. And my, does he unload. This is a short book, the type you can read in a couple of days, but it doesn't spare the reader for a second. If there was any fat on THE LAST TRUE STORY, it's sawdust somewhere on the editing-room floor.
   
   John Crawford was like hundreds of thousands of other Americans back in 2003 - a regular guy who happened to have an obligation to the United States military. In this case, the Florida National Guard. In fact, he was a newlywed, just two credits short of graduating from college, when the call came to gear up and head to Saddam Hussein's penitentiary state on a task of "democracy building" or "finding weapons of mass destruction" or whatever the hell the reason was at the time.
   
   Crawford, I hasten to add, was "just" a National Guardsman. Not a Special Forces guy, Ranger, Marine - not even a regular Army infantryman. And yet he repeatedly points out that his unit more than held its own in the field and gave nothing away to any of the above, despite conditions which were appalling even by wartime standards. (I hasten to add here that it was the 29th Infantry which was in the first wave at D-Day...and it was a National Guard outfit). First, his unit was equpped not merely with "soft" (unarmored) Humvees, they were carrying flak vests and M-16s which were of Vietnam vintage and had so few spare parts that their night vision gear was paperweight material after a few weeks in-country. Second, Crawford felt as if most of the NG officers were skulking careerists who didn't give a damn about their men and were interested mainly in earning points towards promotion. Third, his outfit was not deployed in its own right but stuck like a band-aid and "attached" (subordinated) to other units, who naturally used it to absorb the punishment they themselves were taking. The orphans of the Army, the men of Crawford's outfit quickly learned that if they wanted to survive, they were going to have to take care of themselves.
   
   Crawford takes a certain pleasure in shoving the reader, face-first, through the superheated, gasoline-drenched, feces-crusted streets of Baghdad, where every rooftop can contain a sniper and every yard of road a bomb. Where every CNN reporter is trying his hardest to get the ordinary soldier court-martialed and most of the officers care more about paperwork than the lives of their men. Where nearly everyone you see wants you dead and even the people you depend on the most can be your worst enemies. And where every minute of the tension-filled, boredom-suffocated, sweat-soaked days and nights you wonder what your wife or sweetheart is doing back home...and who she's doing it with. Swafford's book, JARHEAD, was really about the psychological strain that accompanies waiting endlessly in a miserable environment for a fight that never comes; THE LAST TRUE STORY is about the fight itself. About losing close friends, about dealing with the fear of death on an hourly basis, about physical misery - stench, filth, sweat, exhaustion, dehydration, heat, scorpions in your boots, sand in your eyeballs and no relief in sight - not tomorrow, not next month, and maybe never if the next bomb has your name on it. And as for the Why of it - who knows? It's not your war. You're just fighting it.
   
   In sum, every American, regardless of political opinion or feelings about the war, regardless of military experience or lack of it, should read this book. Because it's the closest thing to being there, and we owe it to the hundreds of thousands of John Crawfords in this country to have at least a paper understanding of what they went through.



5. For the most part, I've been avoiding the deluge of books coming out of the Iraq War. I've had family serve there, and it's one part of modern history that's simply too depressing for me to dig into. Nonetheless, this personal account looked more appealing than most, and its bite-sized vignettes seemed more likely to contain truth than some of the massive tomes seeking to make particular points.
   
   It's important to acknowledge right from the start that the book is burdened the unwise use of "an accidental soldier" in the book's subtitle. The general consensus is that if you sign up to take the National Guard money for school, you can't complain if you get called into action. Some reviewers seem to find Crawford's take on his unit's call-up overly whiny, however it seemed to me that his main gripe was with his unit's continued indefinite deployment following multiple assurances of being sent home. His unit was repeatedly attached to "regular" Army units that got rotated back home, while he and his fellow Guardsmen stayed. Whatever one's position on this, throughout history it has been the privilege and solace of soldiers everywhere to gripe about their lot -- and this memoir is firmly part of that tradition.
   
   The eighteen pieces are all more or less all vignettes linked only by Crawford's presence and desire to be elsewhere. They run the gamut: the boredom of guarding a gas station and bouncing line-jumpers, dealing with corpses cut in half by .50 caliber rounds, botched ambushes, the lure of morphine, spending Christmas at a traffic control point, a beer heist, the consequences of befriending a local homeless kid and flirting with a local girl, broken or inadequate equipment, serving under bad officers, and so on. On the plus side, Crawford writes with apparent candor and conviction. On the minus side, his generally plain-spoken naturalistic prose sometimes drifts into pretension and cliche. Also, some of his episodes have a familiar feel to them, which is probably a function of the basic similarity of war throughout time.
   
   Several reviewers seem to have misread a paragraph in the final part of the book, interpreting it as some kind of statement that the memoir is a work of fiction. What the passage actually says is that the initial item he wrote for the book (and which does not appear in it) was a work of fiction -- not that the pieces included in the book are fiction. For confirmation, check out the review posted by a soldier from his unit, affirming the veracity of Crawford's stories. And to a certain extent, it doesn't even matter -- he was there, I wasn't, and his writing made the war quite real and alive, in all it's banal and surreal ingloriousness.

5 comments about SAVE THE LAST BULLET FOR YOURSELF: A Soldier of Fortune in the Balkans and Somalia.

1. I had the great privilege of being one of Rob Krott's students during an escape and evade course. Mr. Krott was one of the most highly qualified to teach the course and a constant professional. Being an Army aviator, I paid close attention to his teachings knowing that the possibility exists that I might have to utilize those skills. So when I heard about his new book, I immediately placed myself on the waiting list. It was well worth the wait!
   
   Like many of the other reviews, I had some long days and even longer nights. Mr. Krott is a gifted writer and a great storyteller. The first paragraph drew me in and kept my attention until the last paragraph. Mr. Krott is truly the epitome of a professional soldier and mercenary.
   
   I look forward to more of his writings and will be the first on the waiting list.



2. This is the best book I have read in the last twenty years! I did not want to put it down once I started! If you ever wanted to TRULY know the mercenary life, absolutely down and dirty, through the experiences of a REAL warrior, then get this book!



3. I just received the book from Amazon and was pleasantly surprised by the level of veracity and insight within this book. I'd highly recommend it to all who are interested in freelance military operations, both from a historical and operational view. Rob Krott is a man among men, a true warrior for the American way of democracy and freedom upon this planet. With men like this the future demise of Western civilization may not be so likely, much akin to the brave Spartans who held off the Persian Army at the Battle of Thermopylae. This book is a must read!



4. Awhile back I interviewed Rob Krott for a magazine article I was writing about the strange and (as I would learn) the very strange world of the mercenary business. As a result I came away realizing that here was someone who is quite literally the Sir Richard Burton of his day (the 19th century adventurer/author and no, not the 20th century actor). Rob Krott is a bright and articulate professional soldier/military adventurer who is equally at ease with the small unit tactics and weapons of the world as he is with the province of academia. He is well-versed in world history, can rattle off its various political impacts and strategies, and can tell you how it relates to the history that is being made today.
   He speaks a smattering of languages, including- and I'm not making this up- Northern Ma'a. He has traveled to many of the world's most dangerous places and conflict areas where few- and I mean- FEW, ever dare to tread, let alone stay to get a more indepth look or understanding.
   While there may those who will question his politics or profession they won't be able to question his courage or commitment when it comes to putting it all on the proverbial line for his beliefs. SAVE THE LAST BULLET FOR YOURSELF walks the talk with a page turning testament to that commitment and those beliefs.
   Finally, one word of caution: don't ask him for an interview. I did and found myself jumping out of a perfectly good Russian airplane with a British military parachute over a very small island with him to get it.
   I got my article but all of these years later I'm still picking foilage and debris out of my ears, nose and %$#@&% hind quarters.



5. Combat officers are not made on graduation from OCS or the academy. It occurs from experiencing one mission at a time. The pages of Rob's book vividly depicts this shaping process.
   
   In Central America, I had the pleasure of making chancy jumps from weary C47s with then Captain Krott. During those days, his reputation of daring as well as his accomplishments with the local ladies was legendary among fellow paratroopers of the El Salvadoran and Honduran military.
   
   Colonel Herbert Holeman,
   United States Army (Retired)
   Switcheroo

5 comments about If You Survive: From Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge to the End of World War II, One American Officer's Riveting True Story.

1. I enjoyed this book. It is a quick read and keeps you thinking the whole time. It was on the Army Chief of Staffs reading list, otherwise I most likely would not have read it. It gives an interresting perspective from a combat leaders point of view. He was an over used and abused lieutenant in an Infantry division that just seemed to never get a break. Makes you think about how to better take care of your Soldiers.



2. One of my favorite books about WW2 of all time next to With the old Breed and Helmut for my Pillow. If you liked those book then this is a must read for you. I couldn't put this book down, often staying up well past 2 in the morning just to finish certain chapters. And more than a few times I found myself choking back tears. How anyone gave this less than 5 stars is beyond me, they must have been looking for Shakespeare.



3. George Wilson doesn't waste words on pretty details, he just describes what happened, clear and real, and what his thoughts and feelings were. So, perhaps not the most elegant of autobiographical books, but certainly compelling, realistic and very, very informative. And able to touch you.
   A little hesitant in the beginning, after a few chapters the books start rolling, and never stops, but gets better and better all the time. I couldn't put it down.
   Excellent book!



4. This is an excellent and vivid narrative of the war from the critically important perspective of a junior lieutenant platoon commander. War stories necessarily require a grain of salt, but Wilson's detailed recounting of tactics and conditions of the war in France after D-Day convince me that he was a good commander. The tactical choices facing the commander and the limited preparation provided by training are fascinating and are very well conveyed.
   
   On the whole, though, the book is not well written. The language is stilted, and Wilson can only superficially relate the war on an emotional level. Of course, one's heart goes out to the man given what he experienced in combat. At one level, the book glorifies war in its portrayal of the courage and tactical shrewdness on both sides. But, on balance, this is an anti-war book. While Wilson can not really let you under his skin, he does compellingly portray the horror of combat.
   
   This is a good read, and I would recommend the book to the general reader as well as to WWII aficionados.



5. I have read several non-fiction books on WWII, and I think this may be my favorite. Not only is it fascinating to hear everything from a first person account, but it was nice for once to not have to cringe every few minutes over four letter words. Yes, I realize that such language was quite common (and still is) in the military, but 95% of the time quoting such language does nothing to communicate the story. Don't misunderstand, he tells it like he saw it, including the horrors of war.
   
   I strongly recommend this book to any and all who want to get a taste of what war in general, and WWII specifically, is really like.

5 comments about The Coldest War: A Memoir of Korea.

1. I have read many books on the Korean war and I found this one the most difficult to read. Many grammatical errors and sentences with entire words missing.
   
   I appreciate the authors effort but feel this work should have been finely tuned by a qualified editor before publishing.



2. This book was just ok. What bothers me is that Brady gives intricate details of his life during the war, but that was almost 40 YEARS before the book was written. How could anyone remember the mundane details of life 40 years prior? It just strikes me as unrealistic.



3. I first read, "The Coldest War" when I was in the military myself.
   
   My training and duty seemed hard and long to me, but compared to what the guys in the Korean War went through, it was a cake walk.
   
   This book reads smoothly, transitioning from his training to his war time in Korea. There are several pictures of his family, himself at home and in battle, letting you really get a feel for what your reading.
   
   Good book..



4. The author recounts his time in Korea where he served as a Marine rifle platoon leader during the "Forgotten War". A very intriguing narrative about a war which claimed in 3 years almost as many American lives as the Vietnam war did in ten years.



5. I found this book to a fine novel of the Korean War.Written from the perspective of a young Marine Lt.It had grit and also some light moments.I recommend it.

5 comments about The Devil Soldier: The American Soldier of Fortune Who Became a God in China.

1. It seems fitting that one of the most implausible films ever made should be based "loosely" on a book about one of the most implausible real-life figures of history. Frederick Townsend Ward, the Devil Soldier, had nothing to do with the civil war in Japan; neither did any other American officer. But Ward did play a huge role in the defense of the Manchu imperial government against the forces of Chun Wang, the syncretic Sino-Christian rebel, in the Taiping civil war, supposedly the bloodiest conflict of the 19th Century. My five-star rating of this book is contingent upon also reading Jonathan Spence's book about the Taipings, God's Chinese Son. Otherwise you will have less than half the story. Caleb Carr writes very well, but this is not a novel, and as a history it is far too partial.
   
   In his prologue, Carr declares: "No man's life can be truly understood out of context, but in Ward's case the context is especially vital." No kidding, Caleb! In Ward's case, the context is virtually all we have, since nothing of Ward's own letters or thoughts has survived. Thus Carr is writing a biography so much as a social history of a moment in time, that moment when the vast culture of China first "discovered" the West. Carr's short moment of importance was his organization and training of the "Ever Victorious Army" of Chinese soldiers using Western military training and tactics. For better or worse, Ward's model army became the nucleus of the forces that destroyed the Taipings, though the man who replaced Ward as commander after Ward was killed, the scoundrel known as Chinese Gordon, has replaced him in historical memory also.
   
   More novelist than historian, Caleb Carr might fairly be criticized for overdrawing his sources, or for not maintaining sufficient academic reserve. It would be wrong to ignore this book, however, if you have any interest in the history of modern China, in which FT Ward was a meteor in the sky, an omen of things to come.



2. Slow starting off but if the subjects (China, military history, adventure) interest you it is worth sticking to it. The pace of the writing picks up after a bit and the last 2/3 are enjoyable. I do wish there had been more historical pictures and maps.



3. In 1859 a 28 year-old sailing officer from Salem Massachusetts took service under the Chinese Empire to defend it from mortal danger. When this young man died in battle in 1863 he had put down the largest and bloodiest civil war in human history (the American Civil War raging at the same time pales in comparison), he had been made a general and a mandarin, he had married a Chinese princess, and he was interred in his own temple. Perhaps most impressively was the fact that he did all of this while retaining the reputation among his friends and foes of being a man of decency, fairness, honor and incorruptibility. And yet for all this, he is nearly forgotten in both his native and adopted country.
   
   Frederick Townsend Ward's history was erased largely because he was feared by both his Manchu masters and by the European powers that were seeking to dismember China for their own mercenary ends. The author speculates that due to his contempt for the cruelty and corruption of the Manchu's, that had he survived, he might have turned the instrument of his "Ever Victorious Army" against them in order to restore the Ming Dynasty. Had that happened, the history of China could have far different in the century that followed. It is clear that Ward found the concept of ending the Empire as unthinkable- which is why the later republic never honored his memory.
   
   One other thing struck me while reading this book: Ward wanted to attend West Point but was not able to obtain an appointment because he lacked "connections." In the long run this didn't seem to hurt him too much....
   
   If this story were fiction it would surely be dismissed as too far-fetched to ever be believed.



4. A very enjoyable tale of a colorful historical character. Carr has a real flair for bringing such a strange time to life, and making it feel familiar. He talks about the Taiping rebellion as if it only happened yesterday, which adds to the sense of reportage and realism. I'm looking forward to the reputed John Woo movie adaptation, although someone should have checked the illustrations before they were finalised. My copy prints Ward's battle-flag upside down -- doubly embarrassing since it is the right way up on the book's cover.



5. In this involving and well-written account, Carr strains to elevate the importance of Ward, a historical footnote, a mercenary of questionable repute and eventual Qing dynasty functionary whose prime contribution was the cobbling together of the use of "superior and modern" Western weapons against backwards sword and spear carrying Taiping rebels. And by Carr's own account, Ward was only partially successful. To thank him for his assistance (which ultimately helped maintain both Western imperial domination of China, the opium trade, and the extension of the corrupt and weak Qing empire), in a relationship of dual purpose, the Manchu Qing regime (not the Chinese people)gave him an official title and a Chinese wife. Carr's pro-Western bias is strong, as is his strange love of the Ward myth, which he does his best to overblow. Carr's sourcing is spotty, and in too many places, he speculates---typically in ways that favor Ward. This book, and indeed the Ward story itself, presents a very enlightening model of how violent rogue mercenaries, terrorists, and intelligence cutouts are used to assist governments in "counter-insurgency" wars throughout history, such as the Phoenix Program.