5 comments about The Wild Blue : The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany 1944-45.

1. Not up to par with the classic Ambrose WWII books.
   
   Citizen Soldiers: The U. S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany
   Band of Brothers : E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest
   
   Ambrose seemed to mail this one in. It reads like a first draft that needs polish and upgrades.
   
   The interesting part of the book is when it centers on George McGovern, yes the ultra-liberal Democratic candidate for President who got a mere handful of votes in the 1972 election, who was a B-24 pilot in the War!



2. The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany by Stephen E. Ambrose is controversial because some scholars point out Ambrose has lifted the work of other authors without placing said work inside "quotation" marks. That is a tragic error. Is it an error of omission or commission? I do not know. I do know it is ethically wrong. The book tells the story of former US Presidential candidate and US Senator George McGovern. It tells of McGovern's upbringing, his journey to college, the outbreak of World War II, his falling in love and marriage, his joining the US Army Air Corps, his training as a pilot, and his combat deployment and action where he was based out of Italy bombing the Axis war machine. It is written in Ambrose's wonderful narrative style. It is highly readable and entertaining. Read in January 2005.



3. This book is not about the men and boys who flew the B 24 it is a book about Mc Govern. Reading the book sort of makes you feel like he was the only man in the war. I purchased the book to read about all the men. The author could have even shown some about other men that did basicaly the same that became famous: Kennedy, Jimmy Stewert and others. He focused only on McGovern and I certinaly wonder how much he paid to get Stephen to write this book or is Stephen that much in love with Mc Govern. I can not stand the man now and will not ever knowingly buy another book of his.
   Mary Jo PottsThe Wild Blue : The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany 1944-45



4. The Wild Blue is about the young men who flew the B-24 over Germany in World War 2 against all odds. Mr. Ambrose describes the heroism, courage, and skill with a lot of detail. He successfully makes you feel like you are in the great lumbering bomber in the hostile skies over Germany. He also describes how the Army Air Force (only after the war were the army and air force separate) recruited, trained and then chose those few that would undertake the most dangerous job in the war. The pilots, bombardiers, navigators and, the gunners of the B-24s suffered a 50 percent casualty rate.
   
   This book follows the lives of ten men from different towns and different backgrounds and watches them come together and form a team. The trust was important because up in the skies of Germany it was good to know that someone had your back. I believe that Mr. Ambrose captures that perfectly. He takes the reader along in the crowded, uncomfortable planes as the men aboard fought to the death through smoke and terrifying flack to reach their industrial targets in the Rhineland. Their goal was to destroy the German war machine.



5. Stephen Ambrose's The Wild Blue: the Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s over Germany tells the heroic tales of the B-24 Liberators and their crews from the 15th Army Air Force in Italy flying over Nazi Germany in World War II. The Wild Blue begins with the stories behind each crewman who will eventually fly aboard the "Dakota Queen" and a few crewmen who will fly aboard other B-24s. The stories behind the crewmen are a very nice addition to the book as it is the crewmen who make the majestic B-24s fly and fight. The reader actually gets to meet George McGovern who eventually flies the "Dakota Queen". McGovern was born on July 19, 1922, and was attending his second year at Dakota Wesleyan when he heard that Pearl Harbor had been attacked. The combat stories are complete to the detail of what it is like to fly over Nazi Germany against flak and the occasional fighter, what it is like to be shot down, and what it is like to watch a fellow B-24 get shot down. Ambrose was able to give this amount of detail because of his interviews with approximately fifty B-24 crewmen and their families. Without those interviews, this book would be bland and very unreal. But it is enjoyable and very real. The Wild Blue is a book that I would re-read and recommend to those who are interested in history, World War II, aircraft, or to those who just want to know the feeling of being taken up into a B-24 and flown over Nazi Germany.

5 comments about Stonewall Jackson: The Man, the Soldier, the Legend.

1. If it were possible, I would give this wonderful book twelve stars. Not only is it the best book on the Civil War that I have ever read, but outside of the Holy Scriptures it is the best biography I have ever read period. The work of writing a good biography requires an author of extraordinary gifts. He or she must not only be a painstaking researcher who does not mind wading through the minutia of an endless sea of details, but they must also be able to take those details and weave them into a fluid and interesting story that is vivid while not getting bogged down in the small stuff. To put it another way, the author must give enough detail to be clear and sharp, but he must not lose the forest for the trees. On all of these levels James I. Robertson's landmark work "Stonewall Jackson: The Man, The Soldier, The Legend" triumphs and succeeds marvelously. But what makes this biography so astounding is that Robertson has given us far more than a narrative set of true facts about a heroic man named Thomas Jonathan Jackson, he has given us the man himself. I knew nothing about General Jackson until I saw the film "Gods and Generals", but after viewing that movie I knew I had a new hero (Robertson himself was a historical consultant on that film, by the way). When I read Robertson's biography I realized that, like the queen of Sheba when she met King Solomon, not the half had been told. Robertson hits the nail on the head by recognizing that if you would understand Stonewall Jackson, you must discern that he was first and foremost a soldier of the cross of Jesus Christ. Robertson himself is a professing Christian and so has unique insight into Jackson that many other biographers' lack. I will never have the privilege of meeting Jackson in this present age, but as I read this book I felt that I came as close to knowing Jackson personally as I ever can in this lifetime. I saw in him a kindred spirit. Having lost an infant of my own I could relate to his pain in the loss of two infants and his first wife, but I could also relate to the grace of God and the faith in Christ that sustained him through it all. Jackson and I share the same Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Stonewall is my brother in the Lord across the sands of time. We share the same Calvinism as well. I found myself relating to his sense of social awkwardness and wanting to emulate his devotion to duty in many ways. Like all of us Jackson was a sinner, a man with large warts and gaping flaws. Forgiveness of others did not come easy to him; he placed loyalty to state above loyalty to family, sometimes not allowing men under his command to go home to bury dead wives and children. You will not find near as much of the noble patience that Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain demonstrated towards his men residing in Jackson. Yet, under his tough and well-disciplined exterior beat the heart of a man who was tender and affectionate towards his wife and baby, who loved to play with children, and whose tender prayers to his God were not soon forgotten. When I came to the chapter that describes Jackson's death following on the heels of his victory at Chancellorsville, I literally began to weep with tears spilling down my cheeks. The image of all those Confederate soldiers pulling off their hats and holding them over their hearts in honor of Jackson's widow when she first stepped away from his death bed is indelibly stamped on my mind. Why did I weep? Because through Robertson's biography, I had found a dear friend and brother in Christ. And when I read of his death, I felt that I was losing a personal friend. Thank you, Professor Robertson, for your eight and a half years of research and for all of your labors. Thank you for introducing me to a friend and hero, Thomas Jonathan Jackson. Our fourth son is named "Thomas Jackson", but we call him "Jackson". And in regards to General Jackson, we have never met, but we shall meet by and by when our Lord and Savior comes again to take His people home. Thomas Jackson, "Bud" Robertson, and myself shall spend eternity side by side with all of God's people throughout all of time worshiping our crucified and risen Savior.



2. This may be the best book I have ever read. It's detailed, thorough, yet very readable. You will know virtually everything there is to know about Stonewall Jackson by the time you finish reading this book.



3. I have several relatives who fought under Jackson and was a bit reluctant to read this book. Robertson is the premier historian of the Army of Northern Virginia and I thought this would be deification of Jackson. I was so wrong. Robertson has written THE definative work on Stonewall Jackson. Going back in his family history had my interest from the start.
   Robertson does a wonderful job of looking at Jackson-warts and all. He brings out all of Jackson and explains so many aspects of him and is certaintly not an apoligist. Without a doubt, Jackson was one of the most complex people to don an American uniform, next to Patton. When he was one his game he was briliant-such as The Valley Campaign, Second Bull Run or Chancellorsville. But When he was cold he was horrible-such was First Kernstown or the Pennicula Campaign. Robertson tells the story as it was, without excuses. If you want to really know the great Stonewall-read Robertsons book.



4. This is a great book that helps its readers understand how a poor orphan from Virginia became arguably the greatest general in American history.



5. It is clear that this book was a labor of love to its author. Robertson presents Jackson in a fair light that draws out all his eccentricities and quirks while also presenting his military genius and moral fortitude. The book is well written and thoroughly researched. Upon completion of reading this book you will feel that you knew the man.

5 comments about Geronimo: His Own Story: The Autobiography of a Great Patriot Warrior.

1. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO REMEMBER THAT ALL THE COMMENTS ATTRIBUTED TO GERONIMO'S "DIPLOMACY" AND LACK OF ANIMUS TOWARDS WHITE PEOPLE EXPRESSED IN THE BOOK AND BY REVIEWERS HAD MORE TO DO WITH THE WORDS A MAN WHO EXPECTED TO BE ASSASINATED AT ANY MOMENT BY HIS CAPTORS. AS SUCH, HIS ANTIPATHY FOR THE WHITE MAN IS ATTENUATED BY A MAN LOOKING DEATH IN THE FACE FROM A CULTURAL TRADITION THAT ONE'S LAST MOMENTS SHOULD BE FREE OF HOSTITLITY.



2. This was a good book, but it said it was in a "like new" condition and it showed up with half the cover missing. But that's alright. Who needs covers, right?



3. If you understand that Geronimo ( correctly pronounced "Herr-ON-EE-Mo") was a prisoner of war who expected to be shot or hung at any time while he was dictating this autobiography, it is well worth reading. To get the REAL STORY behind Geronimo's motivations for providing Barrett with what he did, read the excellent book "Indeh, An Apache Odyssey" by Eve Ball. Indeh, along with his autobiography, allows Geronimo to become a real person in many respects - especially in terms of being qualified as a highly intelligent, astute, exceptionally "powerful" individual and probably the most outstanding warrior/leader the Apaches ever had bar none.
   This said, I urge the reader to reject any and all works done by Politically Correct Story Telling cranks such as Dan L. Thrapp, Edwin Sweeney, and ilk. Read this autobiography of Geronimo's along with Ball's "Indeh" and THEN read my reviews of Thrapp's preposterous drivel and nonsense and Sweeney's garbage on various Apache leaders. You'll then have a real idea of the difference between historically valuable information and mere fantasy-filled, sky-pie jibberish churned out by love-sick buffoons who neither lived at the time of the people they write about or have any intention of offering their readers ACCURATE information on anything.
   These days there is far too much insane and inacurate literature available on the American Indian of yesteryear, but this book and Ball's "Indeh" certainly deserve to be considered as far above and beyond the fiction-as-fact PC rubbish which comprises a trecherous information swamp that anyone interested in Frontier history must wade through to get to the truth and facts.
   If you want some truth about Apaches from Apaches, avoid books by Thrapp, Sweeney, Roberts, and ilk like the plague. Purchase this book and Ball's "Indeh". You won't be sorry you did.



4. Geronimo: His Own Story is an endlessly fascinating autobiography that belongs in the pantheon of other great American works of autobiography and memoir. This book should take its place alonside other great works of personal non-fiction such as The Autobiography of Malcom X, A Moveable Feast, The Autobiography of Mark Twain, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and (arguably the best of the bunch) The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas. This is a strong statement, but after reading this short autobiography it's at least an idea that should be entertained. I found things in this book that I was not expecting, and it ended up being a far more complex and intriguing portrait of Geronimo than I had previously entertained. The most fascinating side of Geronimo that comes across in these two-hundred pages is not Geronimo the warrior but Geronimo the diplomat.
   
   S. M. Barrett's introduction tells us that after Geronimo finished what he wanted to say he would not take questions or add anything more, but merely stated "`Write what I have spoken.'" These are the actions of a man who has a very specific purpose he is pursuing. After reading Geronimo's story I believe his purpose in publishing his tale was to accomplish in peace what he was unable to in war--he wanted to deliver his people back to Arizona.
   
   Geronimo dedicates his story to Theodore Roosevelt, because, in his words, he "knows I speak the truth;...he is fair minded and will cause my people to receive justice in the future; and because he is chief of a great people." Even before his story has started Geronimo strikes a cordial tone. Not only are Geronimo's words flowing with accolades, but they are also giving Roosevelt something to live up to. By stating that Roosevelt is "fair minded and will cause my people to receive justice in the future" he is almost challenging Roosevelt to live up to this description.
   
   Much of the fighting in Geronimo occurs between the Apache's and the Mexicans. Geronimo doesn't try and hide his feelings about the Mexicans, stating not only that he as "no love for the Mexicans," but also that if he was younger, "and followed the warpath," he would "lead into Old Mexico." In fact, his battles with the Mexicans take up a slight majority of the book. He does not make any similarly broad statements when speaking about Americans. Whenever Geronimo criticizes American policy he makes certain that he focuses his criticism on the officer in charge rather than American policy as a whole. Geronimo realizes that merely lashing out at an unfair, but time honored, practice of breaking U.S. treaties would alienate his audience and hurt his cause.
   
   The rhetorical technique Geronimo uses in telling his story is rather matter of fact. This is in stark contrast to some of the more melodramatic works that were popular around the turn of the century. Certainly this highlights a difference in two cultures, but it is also indicative of how Geronimo goes about trying to achieve his goal. Instead of histrionically telling his story he presents it in what seems to be an objective and reasonable voice. When Geronimo gave himself up to the U.S. Army one of the conditions was that his band of Apaches would be sent to Florida with the rest of their families. When the U.S. breaks this condition Geronimo flatly states that this "treatment was in direct violation of our treaty made at Skeleton Canon." He lets the action speak for itself. If he railed against the injustice committed then he would have turned off a mostly white audience. After all, it was their government who was responsible for breaking the treaty.
   
   I won't make this into a thesis (although I probably could). Geronimo: His Own Story is a wonderful portrait of one of American History's most courageous heroes. In the book I was surprised to find out just as much about Geronimo the diplomat as I did about Geronimo the warrior. I'll end this with Geronimo's words: "There is no climate or soil which, to my mind, is equal to that of Arizona. We could have plenty of good cultivating land, plenty of grass, plenty of timber and plenty of minerals in that land which the Almighty created for the Apaches. It is my land, my home, my fathers' land, to which I now ask to be allowed to return. I want to spend my last days there, and be buried among those mountains. If this could be I might die in peace, feeling that my people , placed in their native homes, would increase in numbers, rather than diminish as at present, and that our name would not become extinct."



5. "Geronimo: His Own Story" has been revised and edited, with an introduction and notes, by Frederick Turner. This book is the autobiography of the legendary Apache warrior, as told to S. M. Barrett. The copyright page notes that the main text was originally published as "Geronimo's Story of His Life" in 1906.
   
   The revised edition includes the 1906 preface by Barrett; a 33 page introduction by Turner; a "Note on the Text," which describes the genesis of the book; a map, "Apache Country, 1865-1886"; a bibliography; and a generous collection of photographs showing both Geronimo at various stages in his life, and other people of his times. Barrett's introduction tells how the text was delivered orally by Geronimo, and how translator Asa Daklugie helped Barrett turn it into book form. Indeed, in his introduction Turner notes that Geronimo's story is "a preliterate and essentially a prewhite narrative." Altogether the text and supplemental features are about 200 pages long.
   
   Geronimo's fascinating story begins with an Apache creation myth. He discusses his early life, his family, his battles against the Mexicans, his conflict with United States forces, and his life as a prisoner-of-war under U.S. military control. I was especially interested by his descriptions of the military tactics he used. Geronimo also discusses Apache life: religion, hunting, cultural taboos, etc. The book includes some really remarkable accounts, such as Geronimo's visit to the St. Louis World's Fair. The text is quite poignant when Geronimo reflects upon his hope for the survival of his people and their culture.
   
   I would recommend this book to all who are interested in Native American studies, 19th century American history, military autobiography, and the relationship between oral and written literature. But above all, this book is an encounter with an extraordinary human being whose voice remains passionate and compelling after all these decades.

5 comments about Mengele: The Complete Story.

1. Excellent book.Couldn't put it down.A touchy subject that most won't write about but if no one does then we will never learn from our past.The author tackles the subject of his life,evils and in the end his loneliness.



2. 
   That's the feeling one -regretably- obtains after going thru all the pages of this book. One quarter of it is dedicated to his ignominious "works", so it's the only chance we get to know about this criminal; because the other three quarters are about the his wherabouts since the war ended.
   
   There are no first hand testimonies or interviews to peersons who knew him. It all sounds like third person stories, and this is not to question his atrocities at all: there's more than proof to have had him executed many times. I am not looking for necrophilic detail or sadistic descriptions. What I wanted is to know the man closer, his way of thinking, his circumstance, his motivations. The book deals with this very, very, superficially.
   
   The hunt can't be called exactly a hunt, not by far as interesting as the The House on Garibaldi Street (Classics of Espionage) on Eichmann, one of the most exciting books I've read of any subject.
   
   Posner's book lacks substance, grip, interest. A subject like this guy is almost hard not to make it interesting.



3. A very helpful, scholarly bio with information about Mengele's entire life. A great book for those seeking more than just an overview of Mengele. If you want to know more about Mengele's work, visit the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's website for "Deadly Medicine" exhibition, now at Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta this summer (2007).



4. Was hard to stay interested in this book. I found it very boring to read.



5. First of all: A damned good book! Bonechilling material!! Furthermore:
   What kind of punishment do you give a man like Mengele?
   Deathpenalty? Life in prison? The first one is over too quick and the second one is too easy. No, I think Mengele has got the best punishment he could have. He was 34 years on the run. Never had a moment of peace in his entire life after the ending of WW2. The stress it brought him, even gave him a shorter span of life. He developed a lot of stress related sickness. Always had to look over his shoulder. Did they recognize him? Was this his last day of "freedom"? If he had been sentenced for life in prison he could have reached, like Hess, a respectable age well over 80 years old. Now he died 68 years of age. Alone and forgotten in some Godforsaken place in Brazil. He sticked, untill his dead, to his beliefs about the Nazi's and the Jews. A rigid and untolereant character of a man.
   He never got the chance to fullfill a job on his intelectuel level, always lowpaid workman's labour. Never could socialise with people of his intelect. That hurt him like hell. So, in fact, life in "freedom" was in fact life in hell. Never the hell he created for the people who died through his hands or command. But even we, as normal people, couldn't give him, if he had be captured, the torments he gave all those other innocent people. For that, we are to civilised. No, I think it has been for the best that he stayed on the run. He punished himself with it. More then we ever could give to him. I feel sorry for his son Rolf. You only get one biological father in your life and he got this one.

5 comments about General of the Army: George C. Marshall, Soldier and Statesman.

1. Here is an honorable man. He was born in Victorian America at Uniontown Pennsylvania in 1880. George Marshall was a descendent of Chief Justice John Marshall. He was a graduate of VMI and was commissioned an Officer in 1902. Ed Cray has done an exhaustive study of Mr. Marshall. He portrays his experiences in the Philippines and later his staff work during World War I for General Pershing. Mr. Cray goes into great detail in describing General Marshall as a correct modern 20th Century General during the late 1930's.
   George Marshall was given the responsibility of Chief of Staff when the total Armed Forces stood at 200,000 strong. At full force in 1945, General Marshall commanded the largest Armed Service in U. S. History.
   Mr. Marshall transitoned from his Military Command to the President's Cabinet after World War II. He assisted President Truman through extremely turbulent times. His demeanor was ever professional. His brainstorm of the Marshall Plan was his epiphany toward World stabilization in Europe. He further distinguished himself later as Secretary of Defense during the Korean Conflict. Mr. Truman could't do without him.
   When he died in 1959 Winston Churchill grieved deeply. General George C. Marshall stands only with George Washington as a true Soldier Statesman.



2. Reading this book gave me the insight (which I guess already had subconsiously) that war is not (just) about the best generals on the battlefield, but maybe even more about those generals organising the campaigns and (grand) strategy.
   Untill reading this book I had no idea that the US was so unprepared for WWII as it was. The 28th army in the world in 1939! And Marshall being responsible for making it the efficient warmachine it became, running on trucks, Jeeps, USO, icecream and welltrained units.
   Could the Germans and Japanese have won the war had Marshall not been Chief of Staff? Maybe not, but I wouldn't stake my life on that assumption! The way Marshall convinced Roosevelt on may 14th 1940 that a balanced army was needed to win the coming war makes you shiver had Roosevelt NOT listened to Marshall and Hopkins.
   
   Cray writes a very clear story, weaving in and out history on a world scale and back to Marshall pruning his trees in his gardens as almost his only hobby during the war.
   A great read and compulsory reading for every soldier and/or statesman.
   
   B. Kreuger, Haarlem, the Netherlands



3. This is not a bad biography. The facts are there as well as a reasonably complete account of a very complicated part of history. But the people and groups that Marshall dealt with are simplified to the point of caricature. Similarly, matters of grand strategy and the new tactics stemming from technological advance are treated merely as things that Marshall had views on. It's not clear from the book that the author understands anything about war as fought in the mid-20th century above the cartoon level. Of course there were many people; of course things were complicated, and a great deal happened; but in over 700 pages we are entitled to some subtlety and insight, which aren't there. General Marshall, one of the truly great mean, deserves better than this.



4. For those of you who like their reviews to be direct and to the point: Ed Cray, a professor of journalism at the University of Southern California, has written the single best one volume life of George C. Marshall. The book is 15 years old and is unlikely to be surpassed for another 15-20 years. It is the kind of book that will still be in print 70 years after its initial publication.
   
   Why? Well, it is well-written and a pleasure to read. More importantly, Cray does an excellent job of giving his readers a character portrait of the great general that brings the man alive. Not an easy thing to do with a subject as taciturn as Marshall. The man that emerges is one of real character. He became a protégé of General of the Armies John J. Pershing only after Marshall stood up to him as an overage captain, yelling at the general telling him he was wrong when Pershing had criticized Marshall's division. As Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, Marshall was the critical figure in building the military that defeated the axis powers. He selected the commanders, who often went on to greater fame than he enjoyed. He was the leader of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the war and often had to battle with his naval counterpart Admiral Ernest J. King. In the realm of allied strategy, he faced off against the head of the British Army, Field-Marshal Sir Alan Brooke. In both cases healthy mutual respect kept from making their differences and disputes personal. In running the army during the war, Marshall's administrative style was highly effective and can provide a model for many in other fields to follow. He also suffered. His stepson, who he had done a good deal to raise, was killed in Italy. It says a good deal about the man that he made no effort to protect one his family from dangerous assignments.
   
   After the war, Marshall served as Secretary of State and then later as Secretary of Defense. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for the plan the State Department developed to rebuild Europe after the devastation of the war. He was twice "Time" magazine's "Man of the Year."
   
   Marshall was the first five-star general in U.S. history and that was no accident. In this fine book Cray makes that clear.



5. This is a fantastic biography of an incredible leader. Marshall is usually associated with the European Recovery Act and as the Chief of Staff of the Army during World War II. He influenced so much more during his long Army career. A true gentlemen and scholar, his long career and dedication to service is an inspiration for all of us today.

2 comments about Terror of the Autumn Skies: The True Story of Frank Luke, America's Rogue Ace of World War I.

1. This book is a wonderful read. Mr. Pardoe does a great job providing the reader a glimpse into the entire life of Frank Luke. Not only does he do a masterful job of describing the battles fought by Frank Luke in the Great War, but he also provides an insight into his life and the people who he knew and held dear. Mr. Pardoe shows how the events of Frank Luke's life and the people in it helped to make him the man that he was.
   
   The new information regarding Frank's fiance was fascinating as well. It showed a different dimension to the "ungallant loner". I also enjoyed the way that Mr. Pardoe presented and explained the background for the many myths and legends surrounding Frank Luke. I felt that he did a good job presenting the facts and leaving it up to the reader to decide what he/she believes.
   
   All in all I feel that this is a great read for anyone, whether you enjoy military history or not. Probably more so if you do.



2. Blaine Pardoe does a credible job telling the story of WW I Ace, Frank Luke, Jr. New information about his fiancé is interesting, but he spends too much time trying to refute other writer's claims about this Ace from Arizona's ultimate demise.
   
   The book moved along at a novel-like pace, but if it goes to a re-print, needs more careful editing. I found so many sentences with structure problems; enough to give an English teacher heartburn. Subject-predicate and pronoun problems abound. This detracted from a great story.
   
   I also disagree with his underlying assumption that Luke didn't have PTSD, which was so apparent with other Aces at the front, including Luke. Pardoe mentions some of Luke's personal problems, while glossing over others.
   
   I also found his attempt to lower Luke's number of "kills," even with data to the contrary. Let's face it, Luke doesn't need to have his reputation rehabilitated like that of Billy Bishop, the controversial Canadian Ace who's "kill" record is more than he's entitled to. Bishop was a known liar, who inflated his "kill rate" and his morals and ethics are still hotly defended/debated to this day.
   
   The Pardoe book is a great read, but needs some serious editing.

5 comments about Spitfires, Thunderbolts, and Warm Beer: An American Fighter Pilot Over Europe (The Warriors).

1. I found this book interesting for about the first half. It is interesting to hear how Leroy Grover got into the RAF will no military training. The book is disappointing though in the lack of in depth combat action. I was reading the book waiting for Leroy's first combat and he doesn't even include his first kill in his diary. The author has to tell us about it after the diary entry for the day of Leroy's first kill. I expected something much more descriptive about Leroy's first combat. I just didn't get the feeling that Leroy was an agressive fighter pilot. He encounters a HE III on a training flight. He is flying a fully armed Spitfire and meets a single unescorted German bomber. Leroy says he didn't feel experienced enough yet to tackle the German bomber yet he had 800 flying hours, although none of that was combat time. Leroy was also in England and flying either for the RAF or the U.S. for two years, yet his score was only 4 victories. It just didn't seem like Leroy had the fighter pilot persona to meet the enemy and shoot him down, at least not the way this book is written. Most of the book covers going into London or some town or village and socializing. Leroy Grover was alive when this book was written. I can't understand why this book wasn't written as a first person account since the author could talk to Mr. Grover and verify and update any events that had taken place. I think there is more to the story of Leroy Grover's involement in WWII but this book doesn't reveal that very well. I would recommend, Fly for Your Life, Reach for the Sky, The First and the Last, Thunderbolt, and Gunther Rall's book, I can't remember the title. I found these books much more interesting.



2. A friend who was reading this book told me about it and rather than wait for him to finish, I was fortunate enough to find a hard cover edition available on Amazon a week or so ago. Being fascinated with stories such as this and flying in general I decided I wanted a copy for my own. I'm glad I did.
   
   LeRoy Gover is an authentic American hero who, in his early twenties decided he wanted to become a military fighter pilot. It is May of 1941. Gover has been a pilot of his own and other aircraft for nearly seven years and has accumulated 800 hours of flying time. He lacked any college education however, which was a requirement to join the Army or Navy pilot training. The RAF had no such requirement. If you had two hundred hours as pilot in command and could pass a physical, the RAF was interested in training American and Canadian pilots to bolster the RAF which was involved with the Battle of Britain at the time.
   
   Gover and a few friends are accepted, receive basic training in Canada and eventually ship to England in a convoy which may have been as harrowing as many of the experiences he would eventually have as an RAF and US fighter pilot.
   
   His story is told from letters and dairies as well as some interviews as Grover was alive at the time the book was published and from them we get a glimpse of three fascinating years in the history of WW2 and the air war in Europe.
   
   These young men lived constantly with the pressure of combat flying and the dangers of being in wartime England, yet Gover's telling of the experience makes it sound like the old joke about what it is like to be an airline pilot...hours and hours of sheer boredom interrupted by moments of sheer terror. He describes more than the flying. There is also the comradship, being assimilated into the life and culture of wartime England and the carefree way they sought release with parties, alcohol, movies and some very friendly English women.
   
   Almost casually as one reads of the experiences it starts to dawn on the reader than young Grover is an exceptional pilot and exceptionally fortunate, as well. Thirteen men graduated with him in his training class. He and another are the only survivors. After one hundred and fifty three missions, he had acquired the Silver Star, three DFC's and eight air medals. He shot down four Germans for sure, had three probables and damaged seven others.
   
   After finally returning to the US after three years in combat he remained in the Air Force until 1961, retiring with the rank of Colonel. He continued to fly following retirement and it is reported that as of the writing of the book he had twenty eight thousand hours of flying time and probably more time in fighter aircraft than any person alive.
   
   But this books charm is not in the accomplishments of this remarkable individual. It is in the landscape of the time painted by Gover's words.
   They span the years and one can hear the sound of the Merlin engines and feel the concussions of the German bombs falling on the English countryside. If this appeals to you...you need to find a copy.



3. It's not often you get to read the very inner thoughts of a fighter pilot but this book allows the reader just that. Leroy Gover, whose combat career of 159 missions is the subject of this book, habitually kept a diary and this, coupled with excerpts from his letters home and candid interviews with the author, really makes this memoir feel as though you're relaxing in the mess while Gover talks to you.
   
   A California kid, Gover learnt to fly before he could drive and was an experienced flyer at the time he decided to volunteer for service in the RAF. This was before the US entered the war and is an early indication of the type of person Gover is. After training, where his enthusiasm for flying new aircraft is evident, he and his classmates embarked on a long, sometimes hazardous journey to Canada and then by convoy (the hazardous bit!) to England. Within days, perhaps hours, of landing in England, Gover is amazed and humbled by the spirit and resilience of the English civilians and this is a theme that continues throughout the book. We follow him through OTU (Operational Training Unit) where he finally gets to fly his dream aircraft - the Spitfire. He is then posted to 66 Sqn and comences flying fighter sweeps, convoy escort etc.
   
   Gover, although aware of his abilities as a flyer, knows he has to be good at what he does to have a greater chance of survival. Through his writings and the author's clarifications and additional information, Gover comes across as a humble, yet ambitious fighter pilot. He knows he isn't invincible and more than once he doubts if he'll ever return home. He never ceases to be amazed at the situations he gets into and his love affair with the Spitfire, and the city of London and girls when on leave, is very evident.
   
   America's entry into the war eventually sees Gover joining the US Army Air Force and eventually converting to P-47s with the newly formed 4th Fighter Group which was destined to become one of the most famous of all American fighter groups. Here, I believe, is where his personality and combat experience come to the fore. He quickly becomes an excellent leader who keeps an eye on the men who fly behind him on formation. He feels their loss greatly, as he does throughout his time in England when friends are killed.
   
   Reading this book is like talking to an old friend who has been away for a few years. It is a candid, sometimes amusing, always eye-opening look at how these men made it through day-by-day. Once a day was over, they were always ready to put it all on the line the next.



4. This book gives you a good balance of what life was like. The fighting and living before and after America arrived on mass. It also compares the strength's and weakness of both planes and how they completed similar jobs but were built on completly different theories. Good book reccommend to people who enjoyed first light or spitfire offensive.



5. Although history and aviation buffs will definitely enjoy this book, there was so much more to it. This book really makes you think about the value of life. Many, many people died in this book, from training accidents, falling off boats in the ocean, getting hit by "friendly fire", as well as getting hit in combat. Yet nobody complained. Lives were expendable for the cause. And for some pilots, just the act of flying was worth dieing for. The act of living seemed to become more important, and people seemed to live life to the fullest in spite of the troubling times.

   Don't get me wrong, this wasn't some deep, intense book. It was also very entertaining. I learned a lot about early aviation, and the early part of the war between England and Germany. But at the end of it I got a much better inside view about what it was like to live during World War II, and to enjoy the life we're given.

5 comments about My Two Wars.

1. Had to force myself to finish this clunker; ordinarily, I wouldn't have bothered, but I thought it would eventually get good; it was Moritz Thomsen, after all, and I'd thought that "Living Poor," his first book, was excellent and that parts of "The Saddest Pleasure" were just as good.
   
   I guess I just don't have much patience for old men who haven't gotten over their fathers (Pat Conroy's "My Losing Season" recently annoyed me to no end), and if I'd been the father of the self-indulgent and humorless young man depicted in this book I too would have been sorely tempted to smack him upside the head a time or two.
   
   The book is about the author's involvement in two catastrophes, so you might think at least the war story would be good. But you'd be dead wrong. It's just dull. The whole book is just an old man venting spleen. I prefer to remember Thomsen for "Living Poor."



2. I first read Thomsen's masterpiece "The Farm on the River of Emeralds" in 1990. Subsequently I read his other two gems -- "Living Poor" and "The Saddest Pleasure" -- but it wasn't until just a few days ago that I finally got around to starting "My Two Wars". I had always supposed that this one would be a letdown, as I'd never actually heard anyone mention it until a couple of months ago. I supposed it would be a haphazard collection of odds and ends that Thomsen tossed together as his death approached, or perhaps a book tossed together afterward his death by someone else. I could not have been more wrong. This is a phenomenal work, perhaps Thomsen's best. And that is, I think, saying a lot, because in my mind there has never been a better writer anywhere. For me to try to praise this book would be a joke. There is writing, and then there is Writing, and then there is Moritz Thomsen.



3. It grieves me to know that Moritz Thomsen will never write another novel. His brutal honesty, his self-effacing style, his humility and acceptance of his human flaws, makes his story captivating. Never before has a book filled me with such feelings; rage at his father, joy for his victories, compassion for the difficult life he led, saddness for a life ended. It brought me to tears. This book is a fitting epitaph for a man of astonishing virtues and abilities.



4. This book is the story of a man who had a dominating father and lived in the dominating world of war. Moritz Thomsen was this man and he tells his own personal stories of the war with his father and the second World War. He captivates his audience with the knowledge of how rough life can be. His father was a rich man that lost all of his families money and still kept spending. He ruled everyone in his family to the point of being called a tyrant. His knowledge of the "feelings" of war are tremendous. He explains and analyzes every detail so that it is possible to believe that you experienced it along with him. It is sad to know that Moritz Thomsen will never write another story about his life. In closing I thought that this was an awesome book that I will never forget.



5. Devoted readers of the late Moritz Thomsen's first three books needn't be reminded that Moritz wrote better on a bad day than 99% of the authors, living or dead, who have tried their hand at English prose. Just like his classic Living Poor, The Farm on the River of Emeralds, and The Saddest Pleasure, My Two Wars is searingly honest, funny, heartbreaking, compelling ‹ in short, vintage Thomsen. It's more than just obligatory reading for the cognoscenti, however. It documents Thomsen's "involvement with two outrageous catastrophes," his father, and the shorter war he fought against the various forces, insanities, and outrages of WW II as a B-17 bombardier in Europe. The two wars are by no means unrelated. The longer narrative is devoted to military service that began as a draftee. Regarding the longer war, if only half of the outrages Charlie Thomsen visited upon his family are true, "catastrophe" still euphemizes the man. The wartime account is fantastic, but the final scene in which Moritz returns from hell as a decorated officer to confront Charlie, wallowing in drunken bitterness over having been robbed of the prospect of being the father of a dead war hero son, has to be read to be believed. God bless you, Moritz, for an amazing life and for your final gift to us

5 comments about Hunting the Jackal: A Special Forces and CIA Soldier's Fifty Years on the Frontlines of the War Against Terrorism.

1. Great book. The title is deceiving though there is little about Carlos. The actual capture of Carlos is also somewhat anticlimactic. Overall though, it's an exciting read about the life of a special forces warrior. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoy stories of war and espionage. One thing is for sure...Billy Waugh is a hero!



2. I found the book readable and informative. It was written in a narative that was easily followed. Information that will be of value to those that follow the current state of the world.



3. Great book....easy to read. Lacks substantial and detailed operational insight probably due to confidentiality. Overall a great book by a great American.



4. Billy Waugh is a rare kind of man. His book gives us a look behind the scenes of Special Ops and clandestine operatives.



5. Imagine that your Walter Mitty dream has come true and you are a star wide receiver playing in the 2007 Superbowl. You run to the huddle only to find a gray haired Joe Namath calling the signals and leading the team on a scoring drive. A dream, but for small teams of young Special Forces soldiers leading the anti-Taliban forces in southern Afghanistan is was very real. A soldier and operator who was a legend in their father's and grandfather's days is there in the middle of the fight.
   
   Waugh, at age 72 is the middle of early days of the fight in Afghanistan, fighting not only the Taliban, but bone chilling cold in the thin air while hauling his share of gear. More than 50 years older than the young fellow soldiers, Waugh was a living, fighting legend. Few understand the impact made by mixed teams of Seals, Delta, Rangers, Air Force and CIA operators on the overthrow of the Taliban.
   
   Understand that the literary review of this book was written by one of the testosterone deficient, panties all in a wad folks whose concept of self sacrifice is only cheating a little on their taxes. They are simply unable to comprehend two foundational truths, that they can write what they want, worship their own god, and speak their mind is created by people like Waugh and protecting their freedoms is a dirty, thankless task.
   
   Do not expect to find the polished writing or the introspection of One Bullet Away, rather this is a story of doing, stripped of almost all emotion. Some of the reviewers questioned if the truth had been stretched. Most likely the bridging details were snipped by the CIA censors, in our interest. A google or amazon search for Billy Waugh normally points to many references to him, usually prefaced by "the legendary Billy Waugh."
   
   Before Afghanistan there were years of fighting terrorism in the hellholes of the world. Waugh was tracking Osama almost a decade before 9-11. Later he was with the team that finally picked up the trail that lead back through a number of steps to legendary terrorist Carlos the Jackal.
   
   Perhaps half of the book covers this lengthy search and then observation. Waugh captured the many months of frustrating waiting for the politicians in Washington to make decisions, especially when any hint that he was being tracked would have sent the Jackal on the run again to the safety of Iran or Iraq. That he was captured is a tribute to the CIA in both their ability to find Carlos and to keep the surveillance operation hidden and secret for months while the politicians fiddled, looking for a low risk way to get rid of Carlos.
   
   In a very modest way Waugh also tells of getting leave from Walter Reed Hospital, where he was receiving care for very serious wounds, only to fly to Vietnam while on leave and ask to be sent back to the field. Despite the fact that he was still limping badly he was allowed to remain after badgering many in the chain of command.
   
   The book has the feel the there was a lot more that was deleted during the CIA's review of the book. In some cases the deletion of information on methodology and technology leaves holes.
   
   One wonders where do men Waugh come from, willing to devote 50 years to the service of their country, mostly in violence torn countries looking for bad guys and protecting the good guys.
   
   My hope is that he will receive enough cooperation from the CIA to put together a few more great books.

5 comments about Grenadiers: The Story Of Waffen SS General Kurt 'Panzer' Meyer (Stackpole Military History).

1. I read this book within 3 days and found it an exceptional view from the other side of the hedgerow! If you are interested in the personal aspects of elite soldiers and the tough decisions that have to be made on the spot - this is the book for you. I gave it 4 stars because it lacked MAPS! I don't know about other readers but I read the text and maps side by side. Enjoy.



2. This Stackpole reprint/translation of Waffen SS General Kurt Meyer's memoirs can only be classified as incredible. Any serious student of WWII cannot be considered well read without having gone through this book. As some of the less favorable reviews state, Meyer gives a rose-colored view of his service, but if you accept up front the limitations of this work, it is otherwise an incredible account of hard fighting in virtually every major front of the war. For military history buffs, the book combines the best aspects of Baron Marbot's and General Lettow von Vorbeck's memoirs.
   
   For those who are reading this review who don't know who Kurt Meyer was, he was a Waffen SS officer who started the war in Poland as a company commander, fought in France and Greece, took command of the LSSAH recon battalion at the commencement of Barbarossa, was heavily involved in the fighting around Kharkov several years later, and was ultimately transfered to the 12th SS Panzer Division (the Hitler Youth), first as a regimental commander, then as the division commander when Fritz Witt was killed during a naval barrage. This book is divided into four main sections. The first covers Meyer's service prior to Barbarossa, the second his role in Russia, the third his time with the 12th SS PD fighting (primarily) the Canadians, and the fourth he recounts his trial for war crimes, his time on death row, and his subsequent emprisonment and release.
   
   This book is not a broad overview of any segment of the war. Meyer's goal is to recount his role and recollections in the various campaigns with which he fought. Throughout the book he presents the reader with a can-do, never quite attitude fired by duty. There are many remarkable insights into many major players on the German side as well as events. For example, he denounces the men who tried to assassinate Hitler as terrorists. He also has lots of interesting insights into the campaign in Russia as well as the tactical and strategic failings in Normandy. The human side of Panzer Meyer comes through in the final section as he relates his emotions at (from his viewpoint) being unjustly condemned and concern for his family.
   
   There are definitely some serious limitations to this work as legitimate history. I certainly wouldn't take Meyer's word at face value on virtually any point he discusses (he is certainly writing to justify both his and his comrades actions during the war), and he carefully omits discussion about several unpleasant realities of the war. In particular, I think his claim that the Waffen SS stands apart from the SD and Allgemeine SS to be simply ludicrous. He may or may not have personally been involved in some of the unspeakable crimes committed by the SS, but his sweeping claim that the Waffen SS represents only the best in German soldiers and that the great crimes were committed only by the other organs of the SS to be easily refutable. His rosy colored descriptions of the treatment of Soviet POWs also smacks as totally unbelievable given what the fate of most of these prisoners was if they were captured by the SS. There is also no discussion whatsoever of the general political support given to the Nazi regime by the SS of all stripes.
   
   Limitations aside though, this is a great book. Anyone with any interest in the ETO will enjoy this book. It is compelling and easy to read, I couldn't put it down.



3. Grenadiers is (mostly) the combat autobiography of Kurt 'Panzer' Meyer, one of Nazi Germany's most highly decorated soldiers. The book begins on the first day of World War II, and continues through Meyer's capture in France in 1944, his war crimes trial, his decade of imprisonment, and through his release.
   
   Up until the point of his capture, the story focuses on the mostly small unit actions Meyer commanded in Poland, France, Yugoslavia, Greece, Russia, and then again in France through the Normandy invasion, battles for Caen and the Falaise Gap. One learns about his personal life (wife and four small children, with a fifth born after his capture) and pre-war life only through asides and glancing comments; Meyer hammers relentlessly on detailed combat operations, what he saw, why he acted, and what the results were on the front. As a front-line commander he saw plenty. Meyer earned the reverence of his troops, the respect of his superiors and enemies, and the hatred of his eventual captors through dogged aggression, competence, charisma, a little luck, and a great deal of personal bravery. If one enjoys reading a sometimes hour-by-hour account of small unit exploits over 300 pages, this is a great book to read by someone who has a legitimate right to claim he saw it all.
   
   Some of these reviews suggest that Meyer's book is not expecially well written. Well, no, he's not Hemingway; he's a soldier. Nonetheless I thought Meyer made the points he wanted to make very well; his themes are respect for his men, love of country, the bonding between officers and men through shared sacrifice, the value of community (very much including family). He also demonstrates a fair knowledge of military history and culture, a feeling of sharing the military tradition with previous generations. I think that getting this clearly and unambiguously through the story of the war is not so easy. Meyer's writing is much more readable than that of a number of academics on the same subjects.
   
   More interesting, because somewhat more rare, is Meyer's retelling the story of his war crimes trial and subsequent death sentence, commuted to life, finally commuted to 14 years (10 years after good time). Meyer's respect for all of his opponents (well maybe not the French) includes the Canadians he fought at Caen; but his disdain for armchair soldiers and politicians who took over the trials after the fighting was over is also clear. He resents being put on trial at all, based on 'evidence' (clearly fabricated in this case) of refusal to take prisoners, or of having shot Canadian prisoners (done before he was commander, and of which he could not even have been aware), especially when he has seen personally the same crimes perpetrated both in Russia and by the western allies to German victims. He strongly contests the Allied fiction that only beasts fought for the Germans, and only angels on the side of the Allies. His resentment towards this kind of victor's justice, and his gratitude towards those who at great effort and expense worked to his eventual release, shows him at his most emotional (not much).
   
   To Meyer's credit, for the short time he lived after his release (Meyer died on his 51st birthday) he worked not to gripe about the past, but to push for a better (peaceful) future. It would have been interesting to see how he would have done had he lived as long as Rudel or Skorzeny (or Degrelle).
   
   Finally, there is additional material by Hubert Meyer (Divisional Chief of Staff of 12-SS PzDiv HJ), covering not only a brief summary of the story of HitlerJugend Division till the end of the war, but of much greater interest, more background on Panzermeyer's past, and his personality, motivations, and what made him the leader he was. Hubert Meyer does not write as well as Kurt Meyer, but this material is well worth reading in terms of illuminating just what made Panzermeyer tick. Add this to other sources on the subject, and compare to Kurt Meyer's descriptions of what took place; it is hard not to come away impressed by at least the military qualities of the man. Now, the politics, that is something else entirely.
   
   An excellent book for your military history bookshelf.



4. Like a lot of you reading this, I have read innumerable books about the Second World War, most of them from the German perspective. The majority of these were testaments by former army officers or, in the latter instances, Party-government bigwigs. GRENADIERS was the first work I had ever bought penned by a former SS man, in this case Kurt "Panzer" Meyer. I was very interested to see what an ex-member of two notorious Waffen-SS divisions, the "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" and the "Hitlerjugend", would have to say...not merely about his combat experiences but about Hitler, National Socialism, and the war in general.
   
   GRENADIERS exists on several levels simultaneously: a pure combat memior by a man who saw a hell of a lot of it, a treatise on the relationship of the Waffen-SS to its putative parent body, the Gestamt or "Total" SS, a spirited defense of the Waffen-SS against the "libels" leveled against it by the victorious Allies and by the postwar German government, and a memior of Meyer's trial for war crimes, his imprisonment (originally a death sentence) and his eventual release. On all these levels it succeeds...so much so that it permenently changed my view of the Waffen-SS. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
   
   As a combat memior, the book is highly entertaining. It begins in media res, with Meyer's antitank unit rumbling into Poland in September 1939, and continues at a steady clip through the campaigns in France (1940) the Balkans (1941), Russia (1941 - 1943) and finally Normandy (1944), during which time he served with many legendary Waffen-SS frontfighters, including Fritz Witt, Max Wünsche, Michael Wittmann, Gerd Bremer, Theodor Wisch, and Sepp Dietrich. Meyer, who finished his career as the acting commander of the 12th SS Panzer Division, offers almost no biographical information about himself, and seldom "flashes back" to his peacetime existence. For the most part he is simply recounting tales of battle at the head of an elite recon unit as it was transferred from one hotspot to another all over Europe. Because Meyer's troops were motorized, riding on motorcycles, amphibious wagons, armored cars or assault guns, his accounts tend to be like his style of fighting: straight-ahead, breathless and fast-paced (not for nothing was his original nickname "Schneller" Meyer). He's an exciting narrator, if not a very skilled one, and he manages to convey a lot about his personality and philosophy of war without lecturing the reader. His accounts of the Russian and '44 French campaigns are particularly interesting to students of those theaters; he often speaks of the physical and psychological burdens placed on the German soldier by Russia's brutal climate and vast spaces, and of similar strains imposed in the West by the Allies overwhelming superiority of material. He writes without bitterness, and with a strong sense of respect to his own troops and to their opponents, be they Poles, Russians, Canadians (the French don't compare too well).
   
   Meyer makes some very interesting points about the average Waffen-SS man in his outfit. He notes that they were very young (19 years old on average for privates), that 62% of them had been in technical or skilled trades before the war, and that very few of them had actually been members of the Allgemeine (General) SS before the war began. "These young men," he insists. "Fought for Germany and certainly did not die for a political party." Their motivations for joining the Waffen-SS were made from simpler stuff: it had the most attractive uniforms, its exploits were ballyhooed in the German press and it was regarded universally as an elite unit...all powerful motivators to young men looking for glory.
   
   Meyer, who was captured in 1944 and tried for war crimes immediately after the war, recounts his trial with some bitterness, and not merely because he was, as were most German POWs of any standing, badly mistreated in captivity. Having taken great pains to show that he fought chivalrously at all times, he regarded the trial as a humiliation and a disgrace, the moreso because most of the evidence against him was based on heresay, perjury and ex post facto jurisprudence. Having his sentence commuted from death to life imprisonment was, in fact, worse than death for him, since he was incarcerated not in a POW camp or even a place like Spandau Prison but in an ordinary Canadian hooscow - with rapists, arsonists and murderers as cellmates. The agonizing struggle to obtain his release, waged in part by the Canadian press (which righteously pointed out that Canada had violated its own laws in convicting Meyer), and his life as a spokesman for HIAG in West Germany (the Waffen-SS veterans' association, dedicated to securing military benefits for Waffen-SS veterans) close out the book on a more or less uplifting note...though the reader may find himself exhausted emotionally by the time the last page is read. Meyer's journey is truly a punishing one.
   
   It is a defense of the Waffen-SS, however, that the book is most intriguing. Meyer points out - repeatedly - that the Waffen-SS had relatively little to do with its parent body, and was merely a military organization in a slightly different uniform. The picture painted by history - of a band of murderous racial fanatics, screaming "Sieg Heil!" as they shot prisoners in the neck, is (Meyer insists) nonsense. Doubtless there were men of this type in Waffen-SS units, but as Meyer points out, nearly all of his opponents routinely shot prisoners in cold blood, bombed defenseless towns and used civilians as human shields - including, he adds pointedly, the Western Allies, who have tended throughout history to portray themselves as knights in shining armor.
   
   The book isn't perfect. Meyer touches on the murders committed by his men in Normandy only in terms of explaining, after the fact, how he was disgusted by them and ordered an investigation into their commission; he tells the reader nothing about his life before the war or why he ended up in the SS in the first place (he was transferred from a Police unit, the German Police becoming part of the SS in 1936) and his style of writing is amateurish, though not without talent. None of this, however, was a significant detraction from GRENADIERS, which in the final analysis is not so much a memior but a tribute to the 900,000 men who, whatever their motivations or war records, were collectively dubbed "criminals" in 1945...and have spent, along with their families, dealing with the fallout of this sweeping judgement. But as Meyer is quick to point out, the ultimate verdict on a soldier comes from his opponent, and as one Canadian soldier exclaimed: "The SS were a bad bunch of bastards, but were they ever soldiers!"



5. Kurt Meyer was one of the most revered, controversial military figures to come out of World War 2. He was the very epitome of the Waffen-SS officer; youthful, dynamic, fearless and ruthless. He was a member of the SS from the pre-war era till his capture in 1944. His memoirs one would hope would have shed light on the reasons he joined the SS and maybe provide his version as to what really happened at the Abbey Ardenne and the Canadian prisoners. At least some attempt at explaining why a generation of men would join an organization like the Waffen-SS. "Grenadiers" provides no such explanation. It is just a short "military" memoir which does little to explain the motivations and justifications of one of the SS' most famous personalities. It is valuable as a source of the SS in combat but as a memoir it is extremely disappointing. I felt under whelmed after reading this so-called "classic." Meyer ultimately does a disservice to the "grenadiers" he seeks to vindicate. Rather than proving that he and his men were not criminals but patriotic idealists you're provided with just another war book.