1 comments about Treasures In My Heart: A true WWII love story.

1. This is truly a sweet love story, filled with the history of the day-to-day life of a soldier preparing for war and trying to maintain a "real" life--in his own words. It brings to life a time of innocence that is long past. I laughed and cried and thouroughly enjoyed this read.

1 comments about Slade Cutter: Submarine Warrior.

1. This book depicts Captain Cutter's life very well. The book is not only about his heroic feats as a Captain in WWII, but in other areas of his life as well. In everything Captain Slade Cutter attempted he did it with integrity and passion.

5 comments about Wing Ding: Memories of a Tail Gunner.

1. I bought this book because of the rave reviews on Amazon.com, but I was disappointed. "Wing Ding" isn't especially well-written, and it provides little information about the air war in Europe that you couldn't learn from a mission log. The best part of the book is its description of life on the ground, especially including the author's consistent efforts to get around orders and his amazing ability to carry on a number of amorous relationships at the same time.



2. Mr. Carson's marvelous and unlikely memoir of service as a misfit baker who becomes an aerial gunner in order to follow his brother to war is exceeded only by hearing him tell the stories in person. I am fortunate to have done both, and have read this book several times since he published it, laughing out loud each time. Unlike many solemn and tragic memoirs written by other air war veterans, "Wing Ding" shares details that most aging warriors would never tell.
   
   Heavy bomber history needed this warrior-author and his memoir, and as a museum volunteer I recommended it on countless occasions. Like an episode of M.A.S.H., Lt. Col. Carson--"Wing Ding"--provides irreverent wit and levity in spite of the freezing horror that WWII bomber crews endured. He accomplishes this in a way that only one who faced it would dare attempt.
   
   A must-have for readers of heavy bomber history and for the children and grandchildren of those who served.



3. With a deep respect for my late dad's generation of WWII veterans, I recently listened as one recalled a bit of his WWII exploits as a B17 tail gunner. Time flew, the graduation party that brought us together was over, and I left to return home.
   I looked forward to hearing more in future meetings. Sad to say, that'll never happen. Louis Holmer has taken his tales with him in passing away on December 6, 2006. WING DING Memories of a Tailgunner enabled me to appreciate him even in his absence. My thanks go out to Lt. Col. Gene T. Carson RET for writing of his experiences and allowing future generations a glimpse into WWII history on a very personal level.



4. World War II is a long-ago event. In most of our minds, it's something we hear about but give little thought to. For many, all they know about this highly significant event in our past comes from literature. WING DING towers above the rest of that literature by putting a human face on the events that shaped a generation.
   
   Compelling reading and gripping drama from the first page to the last. Gene Carson is a gifted storyteller, writing in a simple style which is free of hyperbole, moralizing or melodrama. The story is the main thing, and it is a story indeed.
   
   Tragedy, humor and acts of courage are presented in a way that make for irresistible reading. We should be grateful that Carson has chosen to share his story with us, because what happened so long ago should not be forgotten.



5. ..And The Fighters Are Making Their Run. Gene Carson does an excellent job relating the fear of not knowing where the next flak round is going to burst, or on which mission his luck will run out. After their 10th. mission, the aircrews were living "on borrowed time". Death in a B-17 came either from the determined cannon of German fighter pilots, or the random blast of German Flak. It came from flying or bombing accidents or it came from walking across Poland and Germany for 75 days during the worst European Winter in a hundred years. You could bleed to death in your flying suit, pass out and die when you accidentally disconnected your oxygen supply, or ride a doomed bomber all the way down because the centrifugal force kept you pinned to the airplane a few feet away from an escape route. Some died on their first mission, and some on their 25th. Not many fought the Army bureaucracy to get BACK into combat flying after they honorably completed their first tour. Gene Carson did. He also stayed in the Army and went from "glamorflyboy" to "groundpounder" with the 82nd. Airborne Division. "Wing Ding" (and it's not the name of his airplane) gives us a look at the Carson brothers' lives from the time they were "half orphans" in a Pennsylvania trade school, to the point where Gene goes back for another tour after learning John has been shot down. After his brother was shot down, Gene Carson's war was no longer about surviving the requisite number of missions and going home. It was now about staying in the deadly game until he knew his brother was safe. Gene goes back without the slightest objective reason to believe John is alive, because they're brothers. The book has it's humerous moments, such as the manner in which Gene dealt with two different species of predator in the Florida Everglades.

   At a time when our nation is hungry for heroes, we often don't have to look any farther than the older guy living right next door. The "heroes" of my generation are too often a gratuitous, polished, packaged largely manufactured product. The heroes of Gene Carson's generaton were just glad they survived. They were indeed ordinary men who did extraordinary things. Carson's "Wing Ding" will go on my bookshelf next to my favorite first-person accounts of men in battle.

5 comments about Joseph E. Johnston: A Civil War Biography (Norton Paperback).

1. Joseph Johnston was one of the top ranking generals in the Confederate Army (at the outset, he was one of the five top ranking Generals with others such as Robert E. Lee, Albert S. Johnston, and Samuel Cooper). He is also a controversial figure. His feud with President Jefferson Davis is legendary. He was viewed by many as too timid militarily, willing to give up space rather than fight hard. On the other hand, more friendly analysts have mentioned that, unlike Robert E. Lee, he understood the value of preserving as much of his army as possible, rather than being bled to death by sanguinary battles with the larger Union forces. In that, some see him as the "anti-Lee."
   
   This biography does a good job of describing Johnston's military career, the controversies that he engendered, his accomplishments and his failures.
   
   There were certainly high moments: his role at First Manassas (or Bull Run); his skillful retreat before William T. Sherman's much larger army as he fell back on Atlanta (although critics would argue that he was far too unwilling to engage Sherman); his pulling together shattered Confederate forces for a final confrontation with Sherman at the battle at Bentonville.
   
   There were low moments: his botched generalship at Seven Pines ranks pretty high.
   
   Then, the more ambiguous examples. Was his behavior at Vicksburg visionary (as he sought to save Pemberton's army rather than the redoubt at Vicksburg)? Or disastrous, as he refused to try to fight through the far superior Union forces to relieve Vicksburg during the siege? I think the case can be made that Johnston was far wiser than others in this campaign--but it is also clear that he may not have been vigorous enough in trying to realize his vision. Did he fail in his role as supervising general in the western theater? Or was his role crippled from the outset? Questions without clear answers.
   
   In the end, there is much ambiguity about his role in the Civil War. In retrospect, I think that he was one of the more capable Confederate generals and one of the few who understood that bloody conflicts against overwhelming Union forces was suicidal for the Confederate cause. But his prickliness and inability to work with the political directorate (headed by Davis) certainly undermined his efforts.
   
   At any rate, this is a sensitive and fair biography of one of the major military leaders of the Confederacy.



2. During the Civil War, General Joseph Johnston was viewed as one of the South's three greatest Generals; today, he is essentially forgotten....he has exactly one monument [in Georgia], while Lee and Jackson have an untold number. And yet....he was never defeated on the field of battle...he won the first AND last major battles of the war...Generals Grant and Sherman each said that he was the toughest commander they faced [Lee said the same about McClellan; interesting]...maybe there was more to Joe than we realize....
   
   Like many Civil War officers, Joe Johnston was the child of a Revolutionary War officer, though he was raised with niether the vast wealth of Polk, or the crushing poverty that afflicted Lee. He followed a life pattern typical of the breed....West Point....service as an engineer. Joe resigned from the Army due to low pay and lack of promotion, but didn't stay out long....while a civilian engineer with a group of inexperienced troops in Florida, he saved the day when the unit was attacked by Seminoles. Distinguished service in Mexico....eventually he became Quartermaster General of the US Army; this fact was to cause profound problems later, as Joe was the only General Officer to follow the South. [His portrait hangs in the main auditorium at Ft. Lee, VA, along with all the other Quartermasters General].
   
   Joe Johnston could be a vain, difficult man; touchy about his dignity, he forever resented not being made the senior full General of the CSA [he was fourth]. He hated for his equals to call him "Joe", yet any of his soldiers was free to do so. The profound dislike of Joe Johnston and Jeff Davis for each other was a disaster for the South. Davis resented that Joe wouldn't communicate with him, and Joe knew that communicating a secret to the President's office was equivalent to printing it in a newspaper. After Joe was wounded at Seven Pines [Davis was properly supportive of his injured General], Lee took over the Army of Northern Virginia, and Joe was relegated to a series of assignments that involved cleaning up the messes of others...
   
   Johnston was a General loved by his troops...they knew he wouldn't waste their lives. He had the "common touch"...Symonds relates an incident where Joe jumps down in the mud to help free a stuck cannon...reminds me of the scene in "Patton" where Patton plays traffic cop, getting jeeps out of the mud. He was criticized as being too "defensive", and was replaced in command of the Army of Tennessee by John Bell Hood [whom I consider a great General]...US Grant later said that the South might have won the war by leaving Joe in place, as he would have simply outlasted the North's desire to fight. Sort of like the US in Viet Nam; we could have nuked the North Vietnamese into submission anytime, but.......
   
   After the war, Joe served one term in Congress [he headed the committee that cleared the name of Fitz John Porter], and was a US Railroad Commissioner. He and Davis continued to hate each other, and put their bile into print.
   
   Craig Symonds has written a superb book about a great man and General who still doesn't get the respect he deserves. This is the finest book about Joe, and one of the finest about any General. Yes, Robert E. Lee was a great man, and so was Jeff Davis...a series of tragic circumstances deprived the South of the full service of a great officer. It's time you knew....



3. Whatever your opinion of Joseph Johnston, in my humble opinion, Craig Symonds has written a fabulous biography that is easy to read and seems to be fair in its treatment of Johnston.
   
   Symonds comprehensively covers several areas of Johnston's life:
   
   1. Early life in Virginia.
   2. Years at West Point.
   3. Service in Mexican War.
   4. Army service between the Mexican War and the Civil War.
   5. Civil War service - First Bull Run, early part of the Peninsula Campaign, Vicksburg, Atlanta Campaign, Bentonville, and surrender to Sherman.
   6. Relationships with various Civil War generals and politicians.
   7. Family life.
   8. Post-Civil War years and death.
   
   Symonds is fair and objective by pointing out Johnston's weaknesses (temper, sometimes a little touchy, prone to fight a defensive war), and his strengths (cared deeply for his troops, managed to win some battles while not suffering major defeats, ability to get along with Robert E. Lee, etc.). The writing style is fine and flows freely throughout the book.
   
   After reading this title and the biography of Patrick Cleburne, I have concluded that Symonds is one of the best Civil War biographers around.
   
   Read and enjoy the book and form your own opinion of one of the most controversial Civil War generals. Highly recommended!



4. I like Joe! I really like Joe. And this is a great biography of the man. Too many folks bring all the world's troubles down on him. His was a rough role to play. I mean, he was head quartermaster in the US Army. That meant that caring for the soldier's welfare was first and foremost in his mind..hence the later Civil War cautiousness. Joe's cool. Don't be too hard on Joe. Read this book.



5. Joseph E. Johnston was my great-great grand uncle. This book has become required reading for everyone in my family, and I will have my children read it as well. Craig Symonds recounts Johnston's life accurately, and for this our family is proud. A must read for all people interested in the civil war, or the life of an old world general!

2 comments about Alexander the Great: A Reader.

1. Everything you could want to know about the problems and controversies affecting Alexander will be found in this book. A gem of a book, a must for anyone interested in Greek history.



2. This volume contains some interesting articles. Some submissions (Brunt pages 45-51; Narain pages 161-167) are truly rewarding and interesting. But others (Worthington pages 303-316) are just a waste of paper and ink. In general, the editor of this compilation of academic articles seems to lack empathy with the Ancient world to truly understand what he is dealing with. So the whole collection is unbalanced - in quality, perspective, scientific approach. Only readers who are already very familiar with academic studies about Alexander should be able to make a sharp distinction between the worthwile articles and the rubbish.

   What annoys me is that of all the published articles, no single one is has a proper date. There is a long article by J.F.C. Fuller, who died in 1966. Fuller was born in 1878 (!), took up interest in Alexander in 1917 (!) and wrote his major works about Alexander around 1957. But Fuller's article in Worthington's reader is published without any proper dating, confusing readers to expect that it might be especially written for Worthington's 2003 edition of "A Reader". That can't be true. Mister Fuller would have been 125 years old!

   So Worthington's edition - to me - seems like a hoax.

   That doesn't mean that 'some' of the articles aren't truly worthwile. That's why there are still 2 stars in my rating. But in general: I fear that books like this tend to downgrade the overall reputation of a scientist / editor in the long run.

1 comments about Rogue Warrior Of The SAS.

1. This book was recommended by a friend, who lives in Australia. It was history to him, as it was to my husband. My husband enjoyed it, said it was hard to put down. He was in the British Forces.
   
   The book was in excellent condition, clean - looked new!
   
   Fast service.

No comments about William Tecumseh Sherman - Attila of the American Continent (Biography).

2 comments about Winfield Scott: The Quest for Military Glory.

1. This is a superlative bio of Scott, a man who spanned a considerable amount of time in the formulative years of the United States and its army. The events of the Civil War, and all its eccentric generals and characters have tended to overlook Scott, but his overall influence on the period can not be denied. Often eccentric, and certainly arrogant, Scott virtually created the modern US army. His regulations and drill manuels professionalized this nations army after its embarrassing and ameteur performance in the War of 1812. Scott, who fought prominently in that conflict at both Chipawa and Lundy's Lane drilled his brigade to a standard that no other American units reached in that war. He saw the need first hand to improve the army's standards and drill. Heavily influenced by French and European models, he standardized the US army and paved the ground for its development and vast improvement.

   Scott was a vain and arrogant individual, he was not called Old Fuss and Feathers for nothing. Found of gaudy uniforms, and pomp and ceremony these outward ego trips belied his inner genius. Many US Presidents disliked Scotts arrogance and his virtual control of the army. Scott in turn looked upon the likes of Jackson, Harrison and Tyler as the Dark Ages in American politics!

   Scott was an elitest, he was aristocratic in his outlook, and it is perhasps for this reason that he has often been overlooked in US History. To better understand the emergence of the US and the professionalism of its army, the need to understand Scott's contributions in that regard is paramount. The army he painstakingly created all through the first half of the 19th Century saw final fruition in the Mexican war of 1846. Here Scott's brilliant generalship and strategic outlook ensured his success against the Mexicans. The army he created not only could outmaneaver the enemy, but could outfight them as well. In every major action, the US Army inflicted two or three times the losses on the Mexicans, even while the latter were often defending in fixed positions. All the future greats of the Civil War, Grant, Lee, etc. acknowledged Scotts genius. The Mexican campaign was a model for all to follow. Sherman's march to the sea was certainly inspired by it. In order to have a greater undertanding of the Civil War, and antebellum American in general, we should not neglect the contributions of Winfield Scott.

   Timothy Johnson's biography is probably one of the most satisfying bios one can ever read. Unlike most bios it does not get bogged down with excessive details pertaining to an individuals life. Johnson keeps Scotts life and career moving at a comfortable pace, with ample time for reflection on the times he lived in. We see the great general in all his strengths and weaknesses. Johnson accomplishes this in a leisurely 240 odd pages, far more satisfying than many bios we encounter today which feel the need to be twice this length most of the time. In short, I cannot recommend this work highly enough for its depiction of the man, and the times he lived in.




2. It's ironic that after 60 years, two biographies of Winfield Scott appeared almost simultaneously. John Eisenhower's Agent of Destinyattracted more attention, but Johnson's book is by far the more satisfying of the two. A professional historian, Johnson places Scott within the context of his time, giving the reader a better appreciation of the general and his place in 19th century American history. I read both books, and I have to say I was surpised to be disappointed with the Eisenhower book as much as I was. I liked his book on the Mexican-American War "So Far From God", but I think he overreached with this one. He focuses on the man, while Johnson focuses on the man and his times. In doing so, it gives a more complete and ultimately more satisfying account. Highly recommended!

1 comments about TROOP, HORSE & TRENCH - THE EXPERIENCES OF A BRITISH LIFEGUARDSMAN OF THE HOUSEHOLD CAVALRY FIGHTING ON THE WESTERN FRONT DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR 1914-18.

1. This is a human and well-written memoir of the Great War by a young Irishman serving with the Household Cavalry. Mr. Lloyd recounts his pre-war entry into the Army, his training as a cavalryman, and barracks life in general sprinkling it with humorous anecdotes. When the war begins, he's assigned as orderly room sergeant, to be part of the cadre to train and assemble another squadron (battalion) from reservists and volunteers. All his mates have departed and, although he longs to be with them, he completes the task he's been given. In 1915 this squadron reaches the Western Front and he serves in various capacities as Quartermaster and staff NCO, all the time longing to do nothing but be a "simple troop Sergeant", in his words. Lloyd soldiers through the misery of the Western Front always seeming to do his best in difficult and even impossible situations.
   
   Lloyd's memoir is not that of a hero. He definitely does not see himself as such. He is a serving soldier, with a deep respect for the Army and an abiding warm feeling of comradeship for his Regiment.
   
   An excellent memoir and I highly recommend it.

No comments about Jan Smuts - British South African Statesman (Biography).