1 comments about The Expatriation of Franklin Pierce: The Story of a President and the Civil War.

1. As a student of the presidency and of 19th century America I was glad to find this book about Franklin Pierce, one of the most obscure of American chief executives. While there's not much coverage of Pierce's four years in office there is a good deal of attention paid to the tumultous times in which he lived, especially the years after his presidency ended in 1857 and during which the Civil War, and then Reconstruction occurred.
   
   What I found most informative about the book were Pierce's relationship to Jefferson Davis, the Confederate President and former U.S. Secretary of War and Senator and Pierce's role as a Peace Democrat during the Civil War and the official and unofficial, but all very public, animosity that role generated. One of the surprises was realizing the extent of Davis' experience and influence; in much of the Civil War history I've read Davis is presented as a kind of compromise flunky, playing second fiddle to the great Southern Civil War Generals. But it appears he was a much more consequential figure than that.
   
   So as a descriptive portrayal of an under-recognized American President and of the civil liberty abuses and social turmoil surrounding an important period in the nation's history, I think the book works well.
   
   In my mind the book's shortcoming is its failure to provide a greater understanding of why Pierce sympathized with the South, particularly in regards to the South's decision to secede, and its decision to fire on Fort Sumpter. The book treats both of these critical developments rather superficially. The election of Lincoln, for example, did not directly threaten slavery in the South, a point Lincoln and the Republican Party took great pains to emphasize in the years leading up to the 1860 election and immediately afterward. So the question of why did the South secede, and why in particular did Pierce believe they were justified in doing so goes unexplained. Further, even if a right to secede is recognized, how did Pierce think the federal government should deal with its installations throughout the South, particularly its military ones? And finally, if Pierce believed the South had the right to secede, and the right to attack federal government military installations in the South, under what terms did Pierce think the North should have negotiated with the South or worked to bring the South back into the Union?
   
   This is to say that the book's shortcoming is a lack of analysis, which is essential to better appreciating and understanding--even if not agreeing with or condoning--the thoughts and actions of those who have contributed to the development of our nation.
   
   But I appreciate the attention of this author to a heretofore neglected person in American history and of the conflict that existed for many people as the nation warred against itself.

No comments about Essential Forensic Biology.

No comments about Operation Homecoming: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front, in the Words of U.S. Troops and Their Families, Updated Edition (Research Division Report / National Endowment for the Arts).

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

1. Vo Nguyen Giap's story is a remarkable one. This is a man that, with no formal military training, built a crack Army from scratch. He also led that same Army to victory over two major World Powers, namely, France and the USA. The author of this book succeeded in writing one of the best biographies I have read. The author is impartial and fair. You will be delighted by the artful writing of the author. Overall, this is a very entertaining and informative book.



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



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



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



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

2 comments about Girl Captives of the Cheyennes: A True Story of the Capture and Rescue of Four Pioneer Girls, 1874 (Frontier Classics).

1. Zane Grey called his copy of this book "one of the prized volumes of my Western library" and it is almost unique. On 9/11 in 1874, a lone wagon with a family of nine was ambushed in western Kansas, the parents and three of the older children were killed, and a massive manhunt that mobilized armies across the west was put into action. The two youngest girls were rescued in a daring attack that earned the commander a Congressional Medal of Honor. The older girls were surrendered the following spring.
   
   The story is told from the perspective of the oldest surviving daughter by her niece. I appreciated it because I like to go to the source (I read 19th century books as a hobby) and this gives a first-person account of what it was really like to live in the Cheyenne culture in the mid 1870's. It is balanced in the sense that it is honest and not written to incite hostility or revenge. I have other manuscript reports of this incident and this is consistent with them.
   
   The new introduction by Peter Cozzens is very helpful in filling in some facts--not all of them very pleasant. He also broadens the perspective to include events and movements that are beyond the scope of the original book.
   
   One of the most worthwhile parts of the book is just the amazing resiliancy of the German (the "Ger" is pronounced hard as in "Grape") girls. Despite amazing trauma, they grew up to live relatively normal, happy, long lives. It's worth reading, even if you are not primarily a historian.



2. Peter Cozzens' introduction is equally as enthralling as the actual story written by the niece of one of the captive daughters. He fills in much information that would not have been included in an account from nearly 80 years ago.
   The German sisters, their brother, and parents, attempted to move from Georgia to Colorado over a period of several years. Along the way, they had to stop to earn money and gather provisions to continue. The whole family except the father wanted to remain in Missouri, but Mr. German had his way, and they continued on to Colorado. They were travelling alone, and were attacked by Indians September 11, 1874. Only four of the sisters survived.
   One of the most fascinating things is how they eventually had fairly normal lives after they were rescued and rehabilitated.

5 comments about American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964.

1. Manchester is unequalled as a biographer. He is clear, detailed, thorough and readable. It is difficult to determined whethor or not he liked, admired, or respected MacArthur; he presents all sides of MacArthur's personality and deeds and leaves it to the reader to judge the merits.



2. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Manchester's biography of the great General. Manchester writes in great detail about Mac's early history of West Point and his great successes in WWI. He covers Mac's early marriage to his first wife and how he tried to hide his affairs from his mother. Very interesting.
   
   Then, we are treated to his great island-hopping tactics in the Pacific during WWII, and then it's on to Korea.
   
   I enjoyed the book even though many consider it too praise-worthy of Mac. That was one of things I enjoyed...that it was praise-worthy of the general, but that it did cover some interesting points (some not so good) about the general...like his hero-worship of his mother; his obstinancy at wanting to do this his way (his arrogance...but that it most always seemed to work out); his infighting with President Truman and more. With respect to the Korean conflict, Manchester did not go into specific details with respect to the war itself, but dealt more with Mac's fighting with Truman and some of his disrepect for his civilian boss.
   
   I think it unfortunate that we do not have more generals of his caliber. This book makes you appreciate the generals we did have that brought us through a terrible global conflict. His comments about Vietnam and fighting wars to win are most appropriate even today, especially considering the threat we have from terrorists today.
   
   An excellent book and worthy as an addition to any library.



3. One of the first Military leader bio's I read - back in high school - and still one of the finest.



4. William Manchester is one of the greatest biographers to have put pen to paper, and his portrait of Douglas MacArthur is another fine example. The Second World War was replete with genius, many were said to have it; Churchill, Roosevelt, Patton, Marshall, Rommel, Eisenhower, the list goes on. William Manchester has written biographies of the two most unique men from amongst the many that period produced, Douglas MacArthur being one, and his more well known two-volume work on Churchill.
   
   It is still debated today, was MacArthur the real deal, or some kind of media hype? Manchester ably fills in the blanks, from MacArthur's service in WW I, to his time at West Point, the Philippines, and on from Australia through to his stewardship of occupied Japan, and later the Korean War. Manchester leaves no doubt that MacArthur was the real deal, he was of all commanders during the Second World War the most economic in terms of casualties. Rather than go straight at 'em like Patton, MacArthur out-maneuvered and flanked his opponents in the Pacific, utilizing combinations of amphibious and aerial tactics that others soon copied. As successful as the Normandy invasion turned out to be, several military historians instead cite MacArthur's amphibious assault on Inchon to be the finest of its kind, as an assault on a fortified harbor was reckoned impossible after Dieppe. Like many great men MacArthur had his flaws, but it is notable how many who were under his command also rose to greatness, Eisenhower amongst them. Many of the innovations that MacArthur introduced are still in use today, the Katusa program in Korea (Korean augmentee to the US Army) or the physical education program at West Point. There is no more thorough or readable account of one of the most interesting American military leaders.



5. William Manchester mentioned in the acknowledgements that Jean MacArthur was a contributor, but did not see the manuscript before publication. There was a good reason for this: he didn't want people to think she agreed with his criticisms of General MacArthur, her husband. The book, as a matter of fact, was equally unflinching in its criticisms of the great general as it was in its praise of his outstanding work as probably our greatest soldier ever.
   
   Here was a man that was much bigger than life. He was always on stage, completely fearless, a military genius, winner of almost a dozen medals including the Medal of Honor, and an entrancing speaker with the poetic style and the presence of the great actor John Barrymore. (By the way, he and his father are the only father/son to win Medals of Honor. His father won his at age 18 in the Civil War.) He was all but worshipped in Japan as he led their astonishing reconstruction after WWII, and earlier in the Philippines as he freed them from Japanese occupation. In fact, even today in the Philippines, some barracks still call his name for roll call and he is declared as 'present in spirit'. His conduct of the Pacific War in WWII was nothing short of amazing, as he dazzled with his daring courage, speed, and knowledge of the terrain. But after 14 years abroad, he was relieved of command because of battles with the Truman Administration over the scope and goals of the Korean War; the Administration was understandably alarmed at his proposals of starting a nuclear war, or of utilizing nuclear waste as a line of defense, with the Communist Chinese. On his return to the US, he was lionized everywhere as he took his victory lap and millions lined the streets just to get a glimpse of him.
   
   It's hard to get know the real MacArthur, but you can't help admiring the man despite his gigantic ego. He was one of a kind in American history, and maybe even world history. This book does a great job of giving you the straight, unflinching dope on him, both good and bad.

5 comments about Douglass and Lincoln: How a Revolutionary Black Leader and a Reluctant Liberator Struggled to End Slavery and Save the Union.

1. Douglass and Lincoln is an exceptionally researched and well-written book on the relationship between these two important men. Most of the book focuses on Douglass rather than Lincoln, perhaps necessarily so. The Kendricks do a superb job of tracing Lincoln's slow transformation from a leader reluctant to press the emancipation issue to one who eventually embraced it, all within the context of Douglass's lifelong struggle not only for emancipation, but for equality. Douglass and Lincoln met only a few times, but it's evident in this book that they held a mutual respect for each other due to each man's struggle against adversity in their early lives. I recommend this book not only because it is well-researched, but because it's well-written. It's quite a page turner. I couldn't put it down.



2. As the Kendrick's stated at a recent book talk on their new work: 'we often approach this war [Civil War] through the lens of its ending...but it wasn't like this at all at the time.' This book chronicles, in a very enjoyable novel-like way, the constantly shifting dynamics of the War as reflected in the personal relationship of two great men. Not afraid to tackle the folklore that surrounds each man, Paul and Stephen Kendrick provide helpful insight into a profound relationship.



3. Having read both Oakes' Radical and the Republican and the Kendrick's new book on Lincoln and Douglass (the Abolishionist, not the rival Senator), it seems to me that this recent book gives a much fuller human dimension to the relationship. Though this is an amazing political story (one Americans should know more about), Douglass and Lincoln offers a more vivid, personal insight into these very complicated, indeed enigmatic, men. All told, I enjoyed the book, and have no hesitancy in giving it the full five star treatment. In the current deluge of Lincoln books leading up to the 200th anniversery, this is one book that truly has a fresh angle on a well-worn topic. To see the struggle of the Civil War through Frederick Douglass' eyes makes it all seem new, even surprising. A wonderful read even for people tired of the Civil War.



4. As a student of history, I found this a compelling look at two towering figures and a cogent study of their rarely-explored relationship through the Civil War. Approaching the subject with subtlety and sensitivity, Kendrick and Kendrick make a case for the mutual influence of their dialogue. It was this force that ultimately cemented Lincoln's conviction to continue the war, not just his aversion to breaking the Union. Through new primary sources--unpublished letters, black abolitionist papers--the book provides critical background which gives abolition new resonance.



5. This is a truly fascinating book and an exciting story.
   The Kendricks' use letters, articles and mountains of other research to bring these men and their struggles to life. I found myself seeing them not as icons, but as people. It is an exciting story to follow Douglass' mission to make the Civil War about freedom, his son's perilous experiences as soldiers and the Kendricks' interesting take on Lincoln's evolution.
   Watching Lincoln through Douglass' gave me a Lincoln I had never seen before. While they do not hold back with aspects of Lincoln on race that may surprise you, he emerges as great because he is not paralyzed by his prejudices as he rises to monumental deeds.
   I cannot recommend this book highly enough. These two have a true gift for making history interesting and inspiring.

5 comments about Command Of Honor: General Lucian Truscott's Path to Victory in World War II.

1. As mentioned by others, this is an absolute fluff piece. This fine commander deserves better. Perhaps this is what you get when a journalist tries to turn a buck by becoming -ahem-a historian. Please avoid, or wait until you see it for $2.99 in an Hamilton BookSellers' flyer.



2. "COMMAND of HONOR" could not have been more appropriately nor accurately TITLED.
   This book SHOULD BE A MUST READ by anyone who holds themselves to be a serious, honest and truly informed student of MILITARY HISTORY, certainly, BUT ALSO by those who seek insights into the very soul of a TRUE WARRIOR-HUMAN BEING- ALWAYS- and LEADER of Armies. It is a true, indescribably so, and candid insight into the heart and mind of a RARE and GREAT LEADER of men who NEVER lost his focus on a NOBLE GOAL nor the VALUE or UNSHAKABLE understanding and belief in, the NOBILITY of MANKIND, be he soldier or simply private citizen.
   
   General Truscott stands 2nd to NO GENERAL, certainly of WWII, if not, indeed of any conflict. His genius NEVER clouded this great man's overwhelming and sincere humility, regardless the heights of responsibility to which such genius brought to him. He surly was at least the equal, if not the singular superior General of the Allies and even the Axis forces of that WAR. Others so passionately sought GLORY, HONOR and ACCOLADES as they exercised their Military prowess but Truscott sought NONE of that; he just focused on bringing the horror of WAR to an end as quickly as possible with the least loss of human life.
   
   I can't recall EVER, being able to recommend as 'MUST READING' of a book for every person who values honor, integrity, unshakable courage, humility, honesty and enviable character, along with superior gifts of GENIUS! This is so much more than a book of MILITARY HISTORY; it is a REMARKABLE study of a truly GREAT HUMAN BEING who can stand as a model for all to emulate.
   
   Jim Girzone



3. I agree completely with the comments of the two previous reviewers, but would like to record some additional observations.
   
   Jeffers appears to have done little original research for his biography. Most of the book draws heavily from Truscott's two memoirs, "Command Missions" and "Twilight of the US Cavalry," and the author lists secondary sources almost exclusively in his short biography. The only primary sources other than the memoirs that he has utilized to any extent appear to be the diaries of his wartime aides and the wartime letters of Truscott to his wife, both located in the Truscott Papers at the George C. Marshall Research Library in Lexington, VA. Jeffers apparently never visited the National Archives or the US Army Military History Institute, where abundant primary source materials pertaining to Truscott's career may be found. He also apparently never interviewed Truscott' son, James, or his grandson, Lucian IV. Further, Jeffers did not attempt to obtain a copy of or review Truscott's Official Military Personnel File located in the National Personnel Records Center, nor did he attempt to obtain from the CIA under provisions of the FOIA records of Truscott's eight-year career with that agency or attempt to contact any CIA operatives with whom Truscott worked.
   
   There are many errors throughout the book. A few examples follow:
   
   1. Jeffers avers that Truscott, as Allen Dulles's deputy, was directly involved in the overthrow of Iranian Premier Mohammad Mossadegh and Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz. My review of the heavily redacted materials I received from the CIA reveals no evidence of Truscott's involvement in the Iranian operation and only very peripheral involvement in the Guatemalan operation. In fact, Truscott never served as Deputy Director of the CIA, as Jeffers's account seems to suggest, but as the Deputy Director for Coordination, a position with considerably less power and influence. Brig. Gen. Charles Cabell served as Dulles's deputy director.
   
   2. Jeffers implies that there was a close relationship beteen Dulles and Truscott. Thomas Polgar, a retired CIA operative who worked closely with Truscott in Germany, informed me that Dulles was reluctant to assign Truscott to any position of responsibility within CIA headquarters in Washington after the latter's return from Germany, and relented only after pressure from President Eisenhower to name Truscott as Deputy Director for Coordination.
   
   3. Jeffers alleges that Truscott spent his early retirement years playing golf at various courses in the vicinity of his home near Leesburg, VA. Truscott's son, James, told me that to the best of his knowledge, his father "never had a golf club in his hands" during his lifetime.
   
   4. Jeffers states that Truscott was brought out of retirement and served for a year, 1948-1949, as chairman of the Army Advisory Panel for Amphibious Operations at Fort Monroe (283). In fact, Truscott served in that capacity slightly less than three months, Nov. 3, 1948-Feb. 1, 1949.
   
   I agree that General Truscott's career deserves to be recounted, but Mr. Jeffers's effort abysmally fails in that attempt. I cannot recommend this book to any reader interested in a factual account of Truscott's life and career.



4. Little known today, Lucian K. Truscott, Jr. first joined the Army as a second lieutenant in 1917 through a war emergency program that supposedly turned raw civilians into officers for the expanding WW I AEF in just three months. Truscott was not sent into combat but performed so well as a "90 day wonder" that he was accepted as a professional soldier after hostilities ended. He went on to become one of the most effective and successful combat commanders in the US Army in World War II, ending the war as a lieutenant general and army commander
   
   In 1942 Truscott successfully commanded one of the three forces invading N. Africa. Later he took over the Third Infantry Division and led it to a brilliant combat record in Sicily, the invasion of Italy at Salerno and at Anzio. Truscott replaced Gen. Lucas as commander of VI Corps after the initial disasters at Anzio, and commanded the successful breakout and drive to Rome. He also commanded the Corps in the successful Allied invasion and clearance of southern France. Truscott then returned to Italy as head of Fifth Army and led that "forgotten army" successfully in the hard fighting from December 1944 to the end of the war. After the war he served for several years as a very senior officer of the newly fledged CIA. In 1954 he received a fourth star. He died in 1965.
   
   Despiite Truscott's brilliant combat record, arguably the best among US senior commanders in the European theater, he has apparently never been the subject of a good biography. This book is not it.
   
   The bulk of the book is about Truscott's WW II service. Yet it contains no maps of any kind. This alone is a fatal flaw in a military biography. In addition to the problems noted by the previous reviewer, The book fails to provide any useful discussion of Truscott's actual command methods and his tactical direction of the units that he led. The author does relate some basic facts about Truscott and his personal characteristics, mostly culled from a handful of secondary sources, but fails to provide real insight into the unusual success of this commander. In addition the writing style is lackluster and occasionally sloppy (e. g. he describes Mussolini as an officer who dabbled in politics when in fact Mussolini was a lifelong politician, never an officer and even fled to Switzerland to avoid military service, although he did serve briefly after Italy entered WW I and reached the rank of corporal). Truscott deserves much better than this.



5. Although Lucian Truscott, as someone who rose to army command in World War II, is a person worthy of a good biography, this one is not it. It practically defines the word "lightweight." It is unsourced and, if the bibliography is any indication, poorly researched. Unpublished primary sources seem to have been used minimally. Large sections of the book seem to be based on nothing other than Truscott's own memoirs. The text also contains numerous "space filler" diversions irrelevant to the subject and typical of authors trying to pad the length of a book.
   
   Needless to say, there is little in the way of incisive analysis or critical examination.
   
   I don't really see an audience to whom I can recommend this book.

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.

1 comments about Wolves of World War II: An East Prussian Soldier's Memoir of Combat and Captivity on the Eastern Front.

1. The Wolves of World War II: An East Prussian Soldier's Memoir of Combat and Captivity on the Eastern Front is the true-life story of author and East Prussian farmer Hans Thiel, who was conscripted into military service on September 1944, close to the end of World War II. Thiel felt a troubled resignation toward the Nazi Party, yet feared that the end of the war would result in utter destruction for his nation. Taken prisoner by Soviet forces, Thiel endured for three years as a postware prisoner, held first by the Red Army then transferred to camps under Polish control. The Wolves of World War II covers agrarian life during the war, Thiel's combat experience, and the harshness and atrocities inflicted upon postwar prisoners in retaliation for German military war crimes. A handful of black-and-white photographs and maps illustrate this stark, unflinchingly honest account.