5 comments about An Ace of the Eighth: An American Fighter Pilot's Air War in Europe.

1. This is one of the finest memoirs of combat I have ever read, from any era. It is well written, insightful, and a great addition to any library. Fortier's descriptions of combat in the air and boredom on the ground ring true, and provide a first-hand view of the air war over Europe from 1943 through 1945.



2. Ditto the comments and observations by Mezza. I picked this up at a book store to kill time on the plane while I was travelling. It far exceeded my expectations. Even the content attributed to other sources provides a reader with a real 1st person feel for the whole WWII European theater figher pilot experience. An excellent mix of in the air/ on the ground exploits. The author's stories and comments directly echo what I have heard from other WWII aviators and paint a much more complete picture of their lives overseas (ground and air) than what you might have concluded on the basis of Hollywood movies and historical accounts of air battles alone.



3. This gives an excellent inside look at the workings of the Army Air Corp in Europe in WW II.



4. A real surprise. Written in 2002, I did not imagine that a biography about WW II air war written so late would be so good.
   
   Highly recommended.



5. This book has some of the most memorable quotes, images, and sayings of any other book that I've ever read! The most humurous part of this book is when someone's radio mic got stuck in the on position and the pilot of the Mustang was talking to himself about the mission, the bomber crew, and one of the other Mustang pilots of his squadron. A memorable quote from this part of the book was, "I was laughing so hard, the flak didn't even bother me!"
   
   This book is very detailed in every way! Mr. Fortier takes you on a journey back in time in the way he describes his experience as a combat fighter pilot. He briefly describes his training experience to where it's not bogged down and yet is very interesting and then moves on to the types of aircraft he flew from P-39's, P-47's, and ultimately P-51's. Get this book! You will want to read it over and over again!

5 comments about George C. Marshall: Soldier-Statesman of the American Century (Twayne's Twentieth-Century American Biography Series).

1. Before reading this book I did not have a very high opinion of George Marshall. You never heard much of anything he did. The Battle Field Generals of WW2 took much of the show. However after reading another book about Ike where he talked a little about Marshall I decided to give him another look and I am glad I did. Marshall was a truly outstanding general and patriot of the highest kind. But so humble that he would not even accept awards or leave his own story written by him. Getting back to the book, it was written very well. One of those books you just cannot put down. Naturally it takes you through his early years, West Point, the lean years of the army. But it also goes through the most difficult times of WW2. Without Marshall we would not have been prepared for WW2 and many of the command and control items are still used today. But just when you think it was over and Marshall would fad into history the President called him back on the civilian side and he was wonderful. If the book told you nothing else about Marshall it would be that he could not say no! You have to read it and I promise you will never be bored of regret it.



2. This is a good biography of the general. If you want more in depth read the masterpiece four volume biography by Forrest Pogue.



3. This is a perfectly unobjectionable book outlining Gen. Marshall's life and military and political careers. It did strike me as being rather cursory in a number of areas and does not go very far in terms of the motivations and character of its subject. Undoubtedly this is in part because Marshall left very little in the way of written reminiscences of his own and kept a studied distance from those with whom he worked. As such, it leaves a bit to be desired as an in-depth biography. Nonetheless, it is well written, fair in its viewpoint and can be read within a couple of evenings. It is certainly a fine introduction to Marshall, but a reader looking for a comprehensive treatment of his life might well select one of the longer alternatives.



4. Mark Stoler writes a concise account of the life and accomplishments of George C. Marshall, one of the greatest soldiers and statesmen in U.S. history. The opening lines in chapter one describe how Marshall was the only professional soldier to receive the Nobel Peace prize. Stoler's work provides inspiration to not only those in uniform, but also diplomats and others interested in leadership in general. I found the book highly readable, succinct, yet having the detailed notes that provide guidance for further reading. It is well worth the read.

   Stoler's work comes in at just under two hundred pages, but adds depth with extensive notes for the reader who wishes to pursue more details on the life and accomplishments of General Marshall. The author leans heavily on Forrest C. Pogue, Marshall's official biography, and others who have written extensively on the leader and World War II. The book also features a chronology of Marshall's life, two sets of photos, a bibliographic essay, and an index.

   I found the chapter on Marshall's time as Secretary of State to be extremely interesting. He not only garnered passage of the European Recovery Plan ("Marshall Plan") during his tenure, but he also helped negotiate the Rio Pact and Organization of American States, witnessed Tito's Communist coup in Czechoslovakia, opposed the Soviet blockade of Berlin, and supported the creation of NATO. Marshall's immense impact on world affairs can still be felt in Western Europe and elsewhere, as his military and diplomatic efforts set the stage for international relations for the remainder of the 20th century.

   As a military leader, I found this to be great reading and a good source for future reading on General Marshall. Read Stoler's work if you are a student of history or enjoy reading about leadership. Highly recommended!




5. The book by Stoler is an excellent,albeit somewhat abbreviated account of the life of Marshall. The format, which discusses a time period and its relevance in US History and the life of Marshall was an excellent choice by the author. The only place it falls short, in my opinion, is in that its not really a critical review - the author never really analyzed Marshall's actions and took him to task for anything, and I find it hard to believe that, while a great man, Marshall never did anything wrong. Nonetheless, anyone who wishes to understand US military and foreign policy in the 20th century needs to read this book.

3 comments about Spartacus and the Slave Wars: A Brief History with Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture).

1. In the last two centuries of the Roman Republic, three major slave wars shook the Roman yoke. The first two servile wars were on the important island of Sicily and left thousands dead. The final servile conflict was to go down in history as the rebellion of a gladiator named Spartacus (though he really became the supreme leader later in the struggle). Shaw has presented us with a very interesting book in which he presents ancient Roman sources describing the rebellions. While this is generally a one sided view, it is the best we really have in terms of documents on the conflicts. While some of the numbers of dead and combatants may be exaggerated by the Roman authors at times, their accounts give us insite into a fascinating and horrifically brutal period of turmoil. The author himself adds some commentary that is useful to the reader and assists in forming a better ideal of the struggles. Overall, I recommend this book to those interested in the history of pre-Imperial Rome or interested in the Spartacus Revolt.



2. I'm a big fan of sourse books for students and scholars both because they enable us to focus on a particular topic in some detail and to discuss the problems in using primary and ancient sources. I think that Brent Shaw's introduction and commentary throughout are excellent but I have one big question: is this all the evidence he could find out about agricultural slaves and gladiators? Having read the 'handbooks' some of the passages are drawn from, I think there is more out there. Likewise I think there is more evidence for how gladiators lived and were viewed/treated by freepeople that could shed further light on the causes and reactions to the three biggest slave wars in Rome's history.



3. This was a textbook for Prof. Shaw's Slavery & Society in Ancient Rome class, which I took.
   
   Other reviewers have praised the introduction, and rightly so. It includes a great introduction to the political, social, and economic forces behind agrarian slavery; a summary of the servile wars themselves; an exploration of various artistic representations of Spartacus; and raises questions about historical accuracy and the ancient authors' representation of Spartacus.
   
   The translations in this book are wonderful. We also used Thomas Wiedemann's "Greek and Roman Slavery," but Shaw's translations are easier and more interesting to read--engaging, concise, and lucid. The selections, at least for the section on the Spartacus war itself, are quite comprehensive in scope. The documents for the other sections provide a sense of how various factors played into the slave wars. The information in this book is very "digestable," without being inadequate or excessive.
   
   The bibliography is also excellent, and proved to be VERY useful for further research. The sources are categorized by subject. Subjects range from the general ("Slaves & Slavery", "Slave Wars: General") to the two wars themselves ("The Sicilian Slave Wars", "The Spartacus War"). There are also sources for comparative slavery, Spartacus in historical writing and fiction, and various artistic representations (i.e. Spartacus in film).
   
   This book is accessible for students' use as a textbook, but I also recommend it as a valuable resource for people interested in the slave wars, slave resistance in general, and agrarian slavery.

5 comments about Heydrich: The Face of Evil.

1. Sincerely, I expected more about a so complicated and mythical personage.
   
   Short book, short biography, short investigation. I know more details about Heydrich that what appears written in this book. The death of the author must be the main reason for an incomplete work like this. I would prefered not to publish it... but money is a powerful dude.
   
   Let's wait for a more complete biography.



2. Mario Dederich traces Heydrich's life from his early years in the Nazi Party, through his views on resettlement of Jews (p. 100) which evolved into extermination of the same, his assassination by Czech partisans, the ghastly German reprisals, and postwar issues. Heydrich is described as a man who was ruthless even by Nazi standards. Certain neo-Nazis have hailed him as "the Naziest of the Nazis." (p. 177)
   
   Was Heydrich of Jewish ancestry? Dederich shows that he was commonly regarded, in Nazi circles, in that light (p. 37, 54-55). The evidence itself is inconclusive. The ancestral list, used by the SS to prove Aryan ancestry at least as far back as 1648, was "very superficial". (p. 54). The Suss (Suess) lineage, according to the ancestral list, was Lutheran (p. 37). But does this eliminate the possibility of conversion from Judaism? Furthermore, one of Heydrich's great-great grandmothers, Johanna Birnbaum, may have been Jewish, and, significantly, her name doesn't appear in the documentation (p. 56).
   
   Heydrich held very strong anti-Christian views (p. 72, 74-75). "As did Heydrich, [Professor Alfred] Six identified the main enemies of the Reich as being the freemasonry, the Jews, and the Churches." (p. 99). In addition, Dederich notes: "...Himmler's allegation that medieval witchcraft trials were actually an attack by Roman Catholicism on German womanhood." (p. 100). Interestingly, some modern feminists have followed in Himmler's footsteps by leveling a similar accusation against the Church and calling it gynocide.
   
   Not only the Einsatzgruppen but also the Wehrmacht had been involved in shootings of large numbers of civilians (p. 111). Dederich puts the subsequent Wannsee conference in perspective: "The Wannsee conference was not the beginning of the genocide; Heydrich had initiated that with the Einsatzgruppen in Poland in 1939 and in the Soviet Union in 1941. The death camps...had been in existence for some time." (p. 134)
   
   As for the postwar war-crimes trials in West Germany, Dederich discusses how Pole-killers and Jew-killers such as Werner Best and Bruno Streckenbach escaped justice through various medical-related technicalities. Furthermore, he adds: "Not a single head of the RSHA Polish Division IVD2 ever came before a court." (p. 183)
   
   Finally, Dederich concludes: "It is clear that of all the direct Heydrich descendants, not one has ever uttered publicly a word of regret about the crimes committed by their ancestor. Never have they furnished a gesture towards the Jews, Poles, or the survivors of Lidice." (p. 189).



3. This is without a question a very good book even if lacking in detail. Heydrich was such a complicated man that one would expect a book on his life to be more detailed, include more photos and even more authors speculations on this brutal character. 4 stars.



4. I am a huge collector of books on the Third Reich and I found this one very interesting Heydrich definately was a complicated personality who did more harm than good for his country well mostly to the average citizen in his country, I often wonder what would have happened had he not been assassinated now thats a scary thought!! But all in all a really great book very detailed although very short and no photos in it thats why Im only giving it 3 stars, I understand that the auther died while writng it thats probably why it came out the way it did, but for those who want an intimate look into Heydrich's life this is the book to read.



5. 
   
   
   
   While his face was not attractive, though many a woman found him so, it is the eyes that truly reveal Reinhard Heydrich. Piercing and cold, evil itself looks out forever in the extant photographs: Hitler's man with the iron heart, nothing seemed too much for Heydrich. He was the worst of the worst, more ruthless than all the others. And that is quite a statement.
   
   
   
   On page 23 a partial explanation for the flaw in Heydrich may have been something biological: "To what extent the encephalitis damaged the mind and soul of the young Heydrich it is impossible to know." Could his evil truly have its roots in this such illness?
   
   
   
   It has been some time since a biography of Heydrich has appeared and this book, finished by a friend due the author's death, is a well composed work, and an interesting, revealing study of a totally evil man, but a man of whom neither his wife or blood kin would ever say or write a bad thing. And to top it all off, though he led the group that wanted to kill all Jews, the one thing always troubling him, keeping him humbled before both Himmler and Hitler, was Hydrich's deep-seated fear that he himself had Jewish blood.
   
   
   
   While I have Charles Whiting's study of Heydrich on my library shelf, I find this an up-to-date study and a worthy one. Even The Military Book Club chose it as selection. If you have stomach to face evil head on, then this WWII study will no doubt interest you.
   
   
   
   Semper Fi.

5 comments about Beyond Glory: Medal of Honor Heroes in Their Own Words.

1. This is the story of men who won the Congressional Medal of Honor. If you ever wondered what kind of men they were, this is the book for you. Each man's life is profiled, up to and beyond the event that defined their military life. The book ends with the actual words used when they were presented with the Medal. If you don't shed a few tears while reading this book, you don't have an ounce of patriotism.
   
   I thought it couldn't get better than the Medic who wouldn't bear arms, yet saved over 100 men single handedly in WWII, then I read the stories of ordinary men and real foul ups, who showed moments of profound bravery in the frozen Chosin Reservoir in Korea. I read the story of the longest held prisoner of war in Vietnam, horribly tortured, and of his wife, who led the crusade to finally get the men released. This is just an awesome book. You owe it to yourself and to your children, to read about the kind of people who have upheld this country against those who would destroy us.



2. Beyond Glory is a book full of the memoirs of Veterans. The Veterans are Medal of Honor recipients who are telling their stories from WWII to Vietnam. This is a book for anyone interested in war related things. Since I like that sort of thing, I found this book to be excellent and worthwhile. The genre of this book is Non- fiction since it is real stories from real people. The author, Larry Smith, went to many living recipients and personally interviewed them to get their stories literally in their own words. That is another thing that makes this book so good. He also used great detail and seemed like he was really there telling you the story. I thought this book was excellently written and very interesting. I would rate it 5 stars out of 5 stars. This, in truth, was one of the best books I have ever read and recommend it to everyone, especially if you are a history buff and like to read about War.



3. Larry Smith's book brings you the reality of true heroes in their own words, just ordinary folks doing their jobs. Actor/writer/director Stephen Lang's theatrical production of "Beyond Glory" may bring you to tears as you join these men "just doing their jobs" in a most extraordinary way. Lang's transition from character to character is as fascinating as each character's endearing story. The play is currently running in Arlington, VA, at the Women's Memorial Theater now, but Lang hopes to take it on the road to colleges and community theaters across the country.



4. The book is wonderful...especially if you want to read about just people who through circumstances become- whether they want to or not---heros.

   If you want to see some of these stories brought to life---from now through May 2, 2004 you can see Stephen Lang (Stonewall Jackson "Gods and Generals") portray eight Recipients interviewed for this book at the Women's Armed Forces Memorial at Arlington Cemetery. (go to www.beyondglory.org) You will witness a performance that will leave quite an impression




5. The interviews are ace and remarkable in their clarity and insight. These are let down by the lack of context as to the battle within the wider campaign and a map or two would have enabled the reader to see the landscape and the positions, both would have added to the understanding of the action taken by each of the medal winners. Another example is the cover photo, listed as US Army coming ashore on Tinian Island in the Pacific Islands, which is sort of correct but Tinian is one of the northern Mariana islands (next to Sapian which was a major Marine victory) and was the home of the 509th Bomb Group which lead the atomic raids on Japan, a small detail yet one that would context this good book even better.

5 comments about Once A Fighter Pilot.

1. Awesome book. All I ever wanted to do was fly an F-4 and this book brought me as close as I'll ever get. Written in a down-to-earth manner that was easily understandable; thanks Jerry Cook!



2. This book is a must read for all military pilots and those seeking such status. Gen Cook tells it like it was and reminds me of a bunch of pilots sitting around the table discussing their careers. Most of us have always believed his basic tenet that could not believe that we were being paid to fly for the service. He also reminded me that your primary instructor had the biggest impact on your approach to training other pilots. Thank you !



3. Jerry Cook's "Once A Fighter Pilot" is one of the books that occupies a small section of my shelf reserved for truly extraordinary books written by pilots. Many fighter jocks are good at BFM, formation, gunnery, instrument flying, and other skills, but the ones who can evoke strong emotion through the written word are scarce. My military flying career is past, but this book takes me right back into the cockpit, in a way few books do.
   
   This book is the real deal, folks.



4. I first saw this book in a local bookstore and saw the cover. I didnt really now what it was about, but when I read it it was the best book yet. It is on my Absolute Favorite list.Since I bought the book I have read it over 5 times, and find something new each time. It has also made me want to be a fighter pilot in our Air Force. A must read for anyone.



5. I've read "Once a Fighter Pilot" more than once, and greatly enjoyed it each time. It's an intriguing mix of stories about flying in Vietnam, flying at MacDill AFB while the F-4 was just becoming available, and many flight instructor tales. (And sometimes the flight instructor stories are scarier than the ones about flying in Vietnam!) He's opinionated, open, honest, and to the point.
   
   I consider this to be in the top 5% of its genre because it covers such a broad area and does it well. There are perhaps better and/or more detailed autobiographies specifically about flying in Vietnam, but this one is one of the few which really covers Air Force life during the 60s. I also like the overall style, it's a series of short tales in chronological order rather than a more continuous work.
   
   It's a fun read--you won't regret it.

5 comments about At the Going Down of the Sun.....

1. Great book. I don't know what the earlier reviewer's problem was, but I found this book excellent. I admit there were a few typos, but nothing too serious or frequent. I think this book is about as good as Chris Cocks' Fire Force. There are good pictures to aid the reader, and the writer gives alot of detail in his words. This book is a must read for anyone interested in the Rhodesian War.



2. Lately, I've gotten on a kick about the Rhodesian Bush War and have now read 5 books on the subject. This one is the best by far. Cock's Fireforce, was good, but this one takes it to a new level. The Author delves deep into his feelings about what happened once the war ended and who he felt was responsible for the war going the way it did. He tends to rant and get off subject, which at first was annoying, but it gives a good insight for someone who really doesn't know much about the Rhodesian situation. Great detail, good action. This is a book that I didn't want to put down and in the end made me angry. Some may say this book is biased, but in actuality, what book isn't. The fact is, this author is honest about his feelings and you get frustrated with him. All in all, this book was great. I highly reccomend it.



3. At the Going Down of the Sun is a military mans must read because Charlie Warren fills the pages with his emotions as well as details. As a former US Marine I was able to relate with his passion and bitterness from training to the sad, bitter end of Rhodesia. I have always been more than interested in Rhodesia's struggle for freedom and it's loss. This book really opened my eyes to what the actual fighting man had to live through.
   
   If some one wants a view down an FAL's sights of the Bush War, this book is a great place to start.



4. This is a very interesting review by Mr Williams and totally inaccurate.
   Charlie Warren tried for five years to get this book published, and when you read the original you can see why he failed.
   I volunteered to produce it for him for free, at my expense.
   I left some of the book in its original language, because it is the language of a troopie, not a sanitised version edited long after the event, and designed to glorify and excuse the author for his actions.
   There is absolutely no way that I will ever gain financially from royalties on this book because of the expenses involved.
   I did not produce it to gain anything for myself, only to give Charlie Warren, and his fellow men of the RLI a chance to have their part of the story recorded in print.
   This version has all the original admissions concerning events both on and off duty, and includes some heartfelt accusations from the men who suffered at the "front".
   So thank you Mr Williams for giving me the opportunity to explain, and in future it would be wise to acquaint yourself with the facts before you launch into print.
   Chris Higginson.



5. This is a great book and is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the Rhodesian and the RLI. If you have Chris Cocks' Fireforce you have to have Charlie's book - BUT NOT THIS VERSION. it is full of typos and poor editing - obviously it hasn't been proofed. HOWEVER, I am led to believe that this is a manuscript version which was ripped off from Charlie Warren (the author)and published behind his back - I understand that Charlie Warren will not see one cent of royalties from this edition.
   
   The proper edition will be published shortly and will be re-titled STICK LEADER RLI. Buy it. Don't support the publisher of this version

5 comments about Angel's Wing: A Year in the Skies of Vietnam.

1. American Huey 369 (americanhuey369.com) stimulated my interest in Vietnam era helicopters and the people who made it happen. I also recommend Chicken Hawk and Crew Chief.



2. I bought this book because I served in 1967 with a 1st Aviation Brigade unit that flew in basically the same AO, but usually in support of the 1st Infantry Division. I wanted to see what he said about areas I knew.
   
   Unlike many accounts that are chronological in nature, this one covers different aspects of a helicopter pilot and A/Cs responsibilities and experiences, without an attempt to lay them out in strict chronological order. I think you'll find this book highly readable and informative by a writer who is quite self-effacing about a very action-packed tour accompanied by some significant decorations (DFC and Silver Star) mentioned only at the very close of the book. Along the way you'll learn a lot about how a helicopter is flown and why.
   
   This book will sneak up on you due to the author's quiet style.



3. I do not believe that anyone who buys this book will feel cheated. It's an interesting perspective of a helicopter pilot's life and duties in Vietnam. To Finch's credit he didn't write this as a query letter hoping to attract a Hollywood producer. Frankly, I do not know why this book was mached up with my book on my page, this is a really good book.



4. It was a pleasure reading Joe Finch's memoir. It was a great anthem by one who spent those years in the trenches. I was one who was fortunate to have avoided Southeast Asia in the 60's, but was a guy probably not much different than this boy who emerged an accomplished soldier and man.
   
   Angel's Wing... is a good read. You will zoom through it feeling as though you shared a substantive experience with Joe Finch.



5. I received a copy of Joes book from my daughter. My tour in Vietnam basicly overlaped Finch's. I was tthe Company Commander of a 25th Infantry Div Infanrty Company and was a frequent passanger and satisfied customers of the "Little Bears" services. Finch accuratly portrays the chopper pilot's role in Vietnam. From my prespective God bless the pilots they not only hauled us into trouble they always came back and got us out of it.

5 comments about Spymaster: My Life in the CIA.

1. Ted Shackley was an important player for many years in CIA Operations, and there is much to be learned with respect to how one formerly could succeed in the CIA. The flip side is that Shackley carefully cherry-picked events and operations that made him seem omniscient, prescient, and squeaky-clean while burying his failures, mistakes, and political machinations. This is a book where the author uses a self-serving memoir to wash his hands in public while requesting adulation.
   
   Nonetheless, Shackley was at or close to important events in our intelligence history, and his recounting of those events is important to the historian. One would not totally discount Layton's book concerning Pearl Harbor because of its inaccuracies and distortions. One simply takes such works for what they are.
   
   One should note the extemely important impact of social graces and political adeptness required for success in the CIA. This, of course, had been established by its forerunner, the OSS (Oh, So Social), which provided vast numbers of invisible windbreakers to the Eastern Elite during World War II (One couldn't see them, but they protected you from the draft.) Membership in the OSS was even better than enlisting under the ASTP (Army Specialized Training Program) where elite whiz kids of the "Greatest Generation" were sent to college with the Army providing room, board, tuition and pay for two years, hopefully remaining there until the war was over. Robert F. Kennedy availed himself of this program as did many others of his social status.
   
   A second nugget was that anyone who could speak a foreign language immediately came in with a leg up. Shackley spoke Polish, and although I could not find where he had do so, apparently learned German over the years. That gave him his start as a case officer, but he rapidly progressed to supervisory positions that widened his horizons. Shackley mentions the importance of paper work and his talent in writing cables and keeping headquarters well-informed. For a case officer, paper work consumes more than 50% of his time, but at managerial levels, paper work, meetings and social obligations can reach 90% of the individual's activities. As always, literary ability is crucial to career success, not action on the ground or successful operations. Remember, the "Cold" (courtesy of LeCarre's "The Spy That Came In From The Cold") is not East Germany -- it is the field as compared to the warmth of headquarters.
   
   Shackley would have us believe that the CIA was the primary US intelligence agency in Germany from World War II until he left for Miami in 1962. This is hardly accurate, as the vast majority of intelligence such as that which Shackley contributed was being supplied by the CIC and Army Intelligence during that period. Until 1959, Army Intelligence's influence in the DDR was so great that it could control all movements on the East German railways. More often than not, the Agency acted as an umbrella organization although it did select certain high profile operations and take them away from other agencies. The Army's focus on Vietnam ended much of AI's positive intelligence gathering in Europe by 1965, and one result was the gross intelligence failure by any agency to detect the Soviet moves on Czechoslovakia in 1968.
   
   Shackley's activity to provide early warning by radio of Soviet aggression in Europe was actually antedated by several years by an US Army intelligence operation penetrating East Germany, Poland and the Soviet Union. Possibly Shackley was unaware of that operation, but that operation also provided ground photos of Soviet SAM sites and supporting installations that were later used to good effect to analyze the placement of Soviet missiles in Cuba. It is difficult to believe that Shackley never learned of its existence, and more likely, he chose to ignore it to receive credit when none was due.
   
   A third important disclosure by Shackley is the extremely debilitating effect of "turf wars" on intelligence activity and overall operations success. Ambassador Sullivan almost single-handedly insured that the US would not be able to interdict the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and has to go down in history as one of the US's most inept State Department officials (and there have been many, including wacky Madeleine Albright who ignored terrorism almost religiously.) Sullivan's canard of maintaining Laos's "neutrality" which the North Vietnamese freely ignored by making use of Laos's territory to make war on Laos and South Vietnam was silly and stupid in the extreme.
   
   There is much to criticize Shackley about, but he glosses over or omits those situations in this book. He used the Hmongs to fight the Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese almost to the last Hmong (like the British have done throughout history (they fought the French to the last German or Spaniard, and then the Germans to the last Frenchman (now they'll fight anyone to the last American). One can say that they were all the resources he possessed, but there were other options like fighting for the removal of Sullivan. And, of course, the whole discussion of the CIA and opium is absent.
   
   Shackley's criticism of Angleton was much too muted and he tended to save his criticisms for those in lower ranks than himself or in other organizations like the Special Forces. Apparently his life-long political skills were simply too ingrained to overcome in producing good analysis. His recounting of operations against Castro and Cuba leaves the reader feeling that he told only a very small percentage of the story, but one must give the author some slack here since much of this may still be classified.
   
   I enjoyed his proof that the CIA was not involved in the killing of a Vietnamese agent by the Special Forces by dwelling on the term "termination with extreme prejudice." Then he himself uses the term "mole" discussing operations in the 1950s although that term would not be coined by John LeCarre until the late 1960s. Who's reading too many spy novels now? "Termination with extreme prejudice" was used by most intelligence agencies by the early 1960s.
   
   And lastly, Shackley makes a good case not to trust American politicians as the example of Senator Symington shows most clearly. As the Congressional hearings in 1945 over why the US had produced such an inferior battle tank (the Sherman) proved, Congress does little more than shoot the wounded. All intelligence agent handlers (CIA case officers) must continually bear that in mind. Unfortunately, this has now been taken to an extreme, with the CIA becoming increasingly inept through risk-aversion and it's reliance on self-important Eastern Liberals (epitomized by Valerie Plame) to fill out its ranks. It is possible that today the CIA has more case officers in the US itself serving in some capacity, sometimes in training (& playing at training), than on station in foreign countries. In addition, almost all CIA case officers today are operating under diplomatic cover which greatly limits the scope of their activities but provides them with safety and security. Human intelligence gathering suffers greatly as a result.
   
   In short, this is a valuable book that must be read carefully by the historian and compared to a number of other works, some still coming out. In no respect is it the last word or even fully accurate in what it covers.



2. The first few chapters are good. Shackley, via Finley, does provide a nice outline for understanding the various traditional missions CIA is tasked with. Ted provides a much better view of Bill Harvey than I had ever read before.
   
   The book falls short when Ted writes about the Vietnam War. First, Ted claims to have known nothing about CIA involvement in world heroin distribution. Mr. Shackley claims that it was those awful USAID guys who were the cowboys running drugs in concert with some rogue Laotian's. Anyone who has investigated this mess knows that Edgar "Pop" Buell was in charge of this "assistance" program along with his sidekick alleged CIA Sky operative George Cosgrove. They reported to CIA because they handled the military logistics for the entire Laotian area of operation.
   
   A second area of the book, which I found ingenuous was Ted's alleged hatred for the Phong Hoa or "Pheonix Project." Clean Ted claims that he and all of the good CIA staff found Phoenix "repugnant." Shackley looses sight of the fact that Phoenix was the most successful CIA operation of that war. In contrast, Ted's own Sky operations failed miserably by settling for the establishment of listening posts along the Ho Chi Mihn Trail. If Ted had demanded that NVA convoys be interdicted by ground forces from the Mu Gia Pass to Tchepone, the South Vietnamese might have won that sorry war. If you think I am wrong, ask yourself did Shackley fail to become the director because he wasn't one of the skull and bones or was it because Colby outperformed him during the Vietnam era?
   
   The CIA Laotian operations ended up getting generations of Hmong males killed. By the end of the war, CIA was employing boys so young that they could not operate in the field. CIA called them "Hill Sitters" because they were restricted to defensive positions at base camps. There were so few men that Thai mercenaries were utilized to defend these camps from being overrun. How is that for being repugnant?
   
   Anyway, Only real historians need read this book because only someone with prior knowledge will be able to sift fact from congressional testimony. Read "The Blood Road" by John Prados and "The Politics of Heroin" by Alfred McCoy before you read this book.



3. I would normally have given this book only three stars for its incompleteness and deception (outlined below), but Ted Shackley was arguably a giant in the clandestine world, and whatever his crimes of omission or commission might have been, I consider this a "must read" for anyone who wishes to move beyond the entry level in the clandestine service. I note with respect that B. Hugh Tovar, himself an accomplished officer, writes the Foreword.
   
   Shackley's career covered all the hotspots, from attempting regime change in Cuba to Berlin Cold War operations to Laos where he excelled while killing tens of thousands, to Viet-Nam where he helped cook the books and ramp up the "report count" (the CIA equivalent of the body count), to Chile to Iran Contra in his afterlife. I pay particular deference to the author's discovery that the combination of US air power for surveillance, mobility, and fire support, with indigenous irregulars, constituted a new form of warfare, one CIA executed well in Afghanistan.
   
   This personal account is grotesquely incomplete. The author has essentially provided a "CIA Lite" account that is not as much fun as Mile Copeland's "Without Cloak or Dagger," not nearly as revelatory as "Blond Ghost" by David Corn, which clearly rankled the author and perhaps drove him to devise this account; and not nearly as detailed as any of the books on Viet-Nam including those by Snepp, De Forest, and of course Allen, whose "None So Blind" is the definitive work. There is no mention of Sam Adams or the author's acquiescence in false force reports demanded by General Westmoreland and the politically-motivated Ambassador. There is also no mention of his role as a recruiter and funder of Zbigniew Brzezinski when the latter was a student here in the USA and Shackley was a Polish-speaking case officer trolling for influentials. The book is yet to be written on the triangle between Shackley, Breziznski, and the mandarins of the extreme right like Dick Cheney, all of whom agreed that the capture of the Caspian Sea energy and the Eurasian region was a priority for the 21st Century.
   
   This personal account is also extremely deceptive. The naive reader who is not widely read or is lacking in professional experience will not be familiar with the very deep literature on drug running and money laundering that was pioneered by CIA officers working out of Laos in the Viet-Nam era, and its subsequent evolution into the Nugen Hand and BCCI money laundering bank activities. Nor is there mention here of the Safari Club or other notorious alliances by select elements of the CIA with South Africa, Argentina, or Saudi Arabia. The account also ignores any reference to the alleged activities of Ted Shackley in running arms to the Contras and bringing drugs back into America via Southern Air Transport, going onwards to Europe to convert the drugs into money and the money into more arms for the Contras (against the will of Congress).
   
   Within this book, the author is at pains to document that he forbade any drug activity to be associated with Air America or any of his operations in Laos, that he conducted spot checks, and on one occasion intercepted and then publicly burned a case of high-grade opium.
   
   He concludes the book with some moderate recommendations for change, but most interestingly for me, as the international proponent for Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), he states on page 282 that the world has changed to such an extent (i.e. commercial access to Russia and China and other previously denied areas) that fully 80% of any secret wish list from 1991 can today be satisfied with overt means, including overt human legal travelers. We agree on this important point, which most of the U.S. Intelligence Community continues to deny.
   
   I read this book with care, in part because as resident in Viet-Nam from 1963-1967, and as a clandestine case officer in Central America during very ugly times, I feel I have walked in this ghost's shadow.
   
   I have three bottom lines:
   
   1) By any standard, this was an extraordinary officer who performed at the very top of the profession as it was then defined. He earned the respect of his Laotian counterparts, and I have absolutely no doubt that those whom he was charged with impressing or serving, were impressed and served.
   
   2) Much of what he did was covert action of questionable legality and value, such as the pin prick sabotage attacks against Cuba, but this was not his fault, it was the fault of an extraordinarily stupid political system in America (Bobby Kennedy exceeded Ollie North on the idiot standard in our world).
   
   3) Finally, we have the question mark. I have no direct knowledge, but I venture to suggest that Ted Shackley, according to multiple accounts in the published literature, was at least indirectly if not directly associated with a number of criminal or extra-legal adventures. I do not believe he profited personally--I believe he felt that whatever he was doing was in the service of his government, but like so many others, I do wonder if he did not confuse loyalty to the system with integrity in preserving the Constitution.
   
   Hence, I believe this book, and the author's life, were one third heroic, one third mundane, and one third highly questionable--not because he lacked honor, but because the system that he served lacked honor.



4. Shackley tells his tale of a career in the CIA. This is not a biography of everything he did and is not intended to be. There are no secrets revealed here. Instead, is an honest look at what life in the CIA was like for Shackley. In the foreword it is suggest that the word 'My' could have been left out of the title. This is a fair assessment of the book.
   
   The book does not read like a novel, but neither it is a dry retelling of historical events. Instead, Shackley uses many different stories to explain different topics such as the use of Air America, Public Relations and Counterintelligence. Details are left to a minimum. Anecdotes such as having to leave behind his daughter's rocking horse because it was too big for the moving allowance or getting overly drunk at a ritual going away party in Laos show the human side of the job.
   
   Why 4 Stars?:
   Shackley and Finney tell some good stories and show a lot about what it is like to have a career in the CIA. The book is not meant to be a tell-all of CIA operations and it does not attempt to do so; it fits with the no-nonsense manner that Shackley was known for. Unfortunately, about 50 pages in the middle were just plain boring; my advice to readers is to just barrel through them becuase it gets better and there are a few good pieces of CIA life in there. At times, the book follows chronologically, but there is also quite a bit of jumping around. This weak timeline makes it hard to use as a reference. All in all, it does give an account of a CIA Officer's career and what it was like to be involved in those events.



5. Shackley could have chosen to enlighten us about what he learned as head of CIA's Miami office in the months before and after the JFK assassination. He chose not to do so. There is no mention of many issues raised in other books that he could have discussed to make a major contribution to history. He never mentions Operation 40, or operations against the Fair Play for Cuba Committee (which Oswald made famous by his association with it), or the efforts of anti-Castro operatives to blame Castro for JFK's murder (which he would have known a lot about), or his testimony to the House Assassinations Committee, or his knowledge of operatives, or alleged operatives, accused over the years of complicity in the events preceding JFK's murder. On the other hand, there is ample coverage, with many pictures, of the award ceremonies in his honor, if you are interested in that sort of thing. I wonder why this self-named "Spymaster" bothered to write this book.

4 comments about From Stalingrad to Pillau: A Red Army Artillery Officer Remembers the Great Patriotic War (Modern War Studies).

1. At last, memoirs from the Soviet side of the Eastern Front of WWII are appearing in English. From Stalingrad To Pillau is the second such Soviet memoir I've read, and several things took me aback before I barely had this book's spine bent. First Isaak K. is a Jew who fought the Soviet war. It apparently wasn't a horrid experience--something like being a black soldier in the U.S. Army at that time--simply distasteful.
   
   The second eye-opener had to do with men and women fighting side by side almost from the start in this conflict. Lest you swoon at the egalitarianism of this revelation (and there is much to consider in that regard, given the years) be advised that the women soldiers often felt it wise to quickly pair off with the first decent men they met, lest they be sexual fodder for the rest.
   
   And the third revelation has to do with the tone of this memoir: much vodka drinking, dancing, and general all-round emoting by Soviet soldiers. If you're now picturing these Soviets as a large, gun-bearing band of Gypsies, rub your eyes. The Soviet soldiers as portrayed here were dedicated, clever, inventive, and persistent while living lives as austere as the vaunted Wehrmacht soldiers. I wonder whether such emotive displays might have given impetus to their ability to re-tool their own war machine in the midst of a horrendous German occupation and conflict.
   
   Mr. K goes to great lengths to present the most basic details of the war, from daily hygiene to smoking materials (tobacco or a local weed called machorka). It seems he remembers more of this sort of thing than the battles, the tactics and various implements of destruction.
   
   Kobylyanskiy was married to his childhood sweetheart during the war. After the war, and as the nation sought to rebuild and restore electricity, sanitation etc., (this is something few consider, I think, in contemplating that Soviet "victory"), the couple lived in a one room apartment with his parents while he sought work and completion of his education as an engineer. One would think a grateful nation would bend over backwards to accommodate those such as Isaak, but this wasn't the case; he was turned down for work and had to fight for re-entry to school. Only through persistence did good things happen for him.
   He emigrated to the U.S. in 1994. The great mystery to this memoir is why. Maybe he'll tell us more in a second, equally compelling book.



2. FROM STALINGRAD TO PILLAU
   A Red Army Artillery Officer Remembers The great Patriotic War
   Isaak Kobylyanskiy
   
   (University of Kansas Press 2008)
   
   Isaak Kobylyanskiy was an18 year old student, a Jew, in his hometown of Kiev when he joined the Red Army in October 1942. For the next three plus years (until his discharge in the spring of 1946) he was an artilleryman, first a noncom and then an officer. He was in a battery of 76 mm short barreled field guns which gave the infantry close support (many times they were within 100 meters of the line) in the fighting from Stalingad to Pillau; and this is his story. And it is a story that I respect - as I respect the author.
   This is not your usual "war story". While I am as suspicious as any of you about any kind of "war story" this one comes across as true to me. This man writes with a voice of sincerity. I believe he probably had access to regimental records to record the names of his comrades in so many different circumstances and so many different places where they marched to do battle; but taking taking the book by its four corners this is the story of a decent soldier who was - and is - proud of his country and of what he did in its defense. (He emigrated to this country ten years ago after a successful career in electronics.) There's not much blood and gore. No heroics Just a real story about how it was to be a fighting man on the move day and night, a story of companionship and pride. I recommend it to you without reservation; and I know everyone of you who has the privilege of reading this would like to sit down and talk with the author . He's a good man. Maybe a bit matter of fact. Not much blood and gore. But a true story and a good one.



3. A VERY GOOD READ, TRUTHFUL, INFORMATIVE AND ENTERTAINING*
   By Vadim Brevdo (Brooklyn, NY USA)
   
   As a son of a veteran of the Great Patriotic War (GPW), I have been interested in the topic of the WW-II during most of my mature life. Particularly, I have read plenty of books and memoirs about the WW-II, especially about the GPW (1941-1945).
   
   After reading this book I express my unbiased opinion to all readers who have genuine interest in the GPW's history and its dramatic but little known details: this book is the best war memoirs I have ever read. The author's complete truthfulness, openness, sincerity, and living language make the book unique. It is also evident that the book is perfectly edited by Stuart Britton.
   
   In my opinion, the most valuable features of Isaak Kobylyanskiy's book become apparent and attract the reader when the author describes:
   - his brothers-in-arms' and his own feelings while in combat;
   - soldiers' interrelations in his multiethnic detachment;
   - several characters (most but not all positive) of his brothers-in-arms. (Especially, Boris Glotov's portrait is so vivid!);
   - his different reflections on the life in the USSR before, during, and after the war;
   - loves and fates of several women who served in the same rifle regiment as the author did;
   - his reflections on the anti-Semitism and how Kobylyanskiy being an ethnic Jew "fought" at the front with this phenomenon;
   - his feelings and encounters with the Germans, both civilians and soldiers;
   - his own one and only love.
   I must stop this list - it's too long. Let the reader learn the features completely on his/her own.
   
   Finally, I urge everyone:
   MUST BUY, MUST READ, WILL NOT REGRET
   
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   * The Military Book Club named Isaak Kobylyanskiy's FROM STALINGRAD TO PILLAU the main selection of March 2008.



4. I'm always thrilled when a new Soviet memoir from the Second World War is released. In practically every instance I always get to learn something new and read about a plethora of experiences the author went through which enrich my understanding of this time period and WWII as a whole. This book highlights Isaak Kobylyanskiy's experiences as a 76mm gunner (gun commander and battery commander) during the Second World War on the Eastern Front while he served in the 87th Guards Division, 2nd Guards Army. To those interested in gritty details of offensive operations that undoubtedly contain hand to hand combat and the savagery of war, you will not find much of that here. In this book you will experience war from an artillery officer's point of view, although this artilleryman was not in the rear, he was right up there with the soldiers in the front lines providing direct fire in support for their actions, etc.
   
   What I greatly appreciated about this book is that it is divided in half. The first half of the book is devoted to the author's experiences during the war and the other half to his thoughts on the war and the people he served with, the Red Army, writing letters, marches, leisure at the front, being a Jewish Red Army soldier, political workers within the Red Army, his views of the Germans (both soldiers and civilians), rear services troops, drinking alcohol, etc. Usually, one hardly ever comes across such a division within a book, most of the time all these ideas are dealt within the pages of the author's experience throughout the war, but there might be some added benefit to having chapters devoted solely to the war and then chapters devoted solely to stories which might not necessarily deal with the war. While in at least one chapter the author highlights the dubious side of some soldiers within the Red Army, he explains that the Red Army was not made up solely of such characters but these were simply people and events which he encountered throughout the war for the first time, these became lessons he learned for life. I should also like to mention that the editor, Stuart Britton, does an excellent job, a lot of contextual information is given to make the books progress and flow smoothly.
   
   To begin, the author discusses his life in Vinnitsa and Kiev before the war began. It was interesting to learn about the author's reading habits, going from children's books to a plethora of foreign works including Twain, Hemingway, Dumas, etc. The famine of 1933 that took place in Ukraine, and other Soviet areas, was witnessed by the author, although he himself, his family, and his school mates did not suffer much. Also of interest was Kobylyanskiy's description of the "Great Purge" years when his father's boss was arrested and the next day the author's father "obliterated" his boss's face in all the pictures he could find in his photo album with black ink, for fear of being arrested himself. The author himself went to such lengths with some of the certificates of merit that he had received. The author's insight into the political situation as the USSR grabbed land from Poland, the Baltics, and Romania was interesting to hear as well as his thoughts on the winter war, which he was not in agreement with.
   
   When the war began the author encountered Jewish refugees from Western territories, including Poland, streaming through Kiev. Eventually, his mother and brother, amongst many others, would be evacuated but he does recount how some Jews refused as they remembered the German occupation from WWI during which they were treated well enough by the Germans, something that is often repeated when looking for reasons why so many Jews 'stayed' behind. The majority, if not all, of those Jews who remained in Kiev would wind up being shot to death at Babi Yar.
   
   The author's story about a Red Army soldier who wandered too far from his own lines, while wanting to do some ice fishing, and then was caught by the Germans was quite interesting. After 10 days the soldier escaped from the Germans and within a half hour OO (osobyi otdel) troops had tracked him down and taken him away. Although the author says they never heard anything more about the soldier, I personally, don't think this should denote automatically that the soldier was executed. While it is a distinct possibility, it is also possible that he was sent to a Penal formation or assigned to convoy duty, etc. In another episode the author discusses a soldier who shows up after being a POW for months, SMERSH (death to spies) officers had no interest in him. As well, when going through liberated territory the Red Army often received reinforcements from the local population, in one such case it was eventually brought to the attention of SMERSH that one soldier collaborated with the Germans in locating Jews and even executing them. He was sentenced to death and hanged.
   
   A moving account is offered of how Kobylyanskiy had to make a choice of putting a gun crew in danger, by attacking a dozen or so tanks and self propelled guns, or letting them take on Red Army infantry who had yet to fully dig in. Without thinking twice Kobylyanskiy gave the order to fire, the end result was a dead gun commander, but the enemy's tanks did not advance. The author's experiences in what he dubbed "The Ravine of Death" were quite telling of the time period. While the 2nd Guards Army failed in their offensive endeavor, and the commanding officer was dismissed, it took a few days to understand that the failed offensive was in fact a huge help for other sectors of the front, namely in the Kursk area, thus the army in the end received some recognition for its actions. One of the most interesting parts of the book is when the author took it upon himself to try and stop a retreating group of soldiers by firing his pistol into the air, cursing, and threatening to shoot them. Eventually, with help from a few other officers, the retreat was stopped and the soldiers went back to their positions. I also enjoyed the rendition of a speech his divisional commander gave, where in he stressed how quickly houses, buildings, and factories could be rebuilt but how precious soldiers lives were; noting that officers should be careful with their men's lives.
   
   Descriptions of Political workers are offered in the second part of the book and prove interesting, in regards to both the good and bad. The same is true for the examples offered of what it was like being a Jewish Red Army soldier and how Kobylyanskiy dealt with the stereotypes of Jewish soldiers, at times risking his life to prove that a Jewish soldier was just as good, if not better, than any other. The author's frankness in regards to his thoughts about Germans was revealing as well as his honesty in detailing sexual crimes and the Red Army. While he himself did not witness any prosecution within his unit for violation of orders from above (which forbid such activities) he did hear from Germans themselves and through rumors about what some Red Army soldiers did and how some Germans suffered. Especially touching was the story of a German girl, Annie, who on her way back home from Pillau was stopped by numerous Red Army soldiers and made to "lie down." The author is correct that this is a part of war, he stresses, and as would I, that this is not an excuse but should be an accepted fact. War is not pretty, innocent people suffer, but their suffering should not constitute cause for hypocrisy. While Red Army soldiers raped, so did western allied soldiers and so did German soldiers, etc.
   
   While I have more than given away a good deal of what this book is about and what it contains within its pages I can guarantee that you'll find all of this and much more.