5 comments about The Reluctant Admiral: Yamamoto and the Imperial Navy.

1. If you don't know Japanese Culture, History, and specifically Social Practice at the time, I suggest refraining from using and imposing YOUR OWN PERSONAL VALUES to judge a Foreigner in his own Culture and Situation. That is just your own personal opinion, and should be so stated as such. Actually, all it does is prove just how ignorant you are of the subject matter, and is quite frankly, laughable (and you know who you are).
   
   This book is a very rare example of an excellent "fly-on-the-wall" eyewitness account of Admiral Yamamoto's life, one that is very seldom shared with outsiders (non-Japanese), so I suggest you get a copy and read it while you still can (it's kind of old, but still available).
   
   In it, you will learn what a unhappy private life he had, from the time he was given away by his parents and adopted into the Yamamoto Family, to his "Arranged Marriage" (this was a very common practice in Japan at the time, and neither party either met or had any contact with each other prior to their wedding... resulting in many unhappy marriages... and divorce not being an option, men usually found other women they did like to replace the one they did NOT... but still provided financial support for them anyway "for the sake of the children". Under the circumstance, I don't see anything wrong with that. Calling it "womanizing" is insulting (and just proves the person's ignorance), as Admiral Yamamoto kept the same one for many years, providing her a place to live and money to pay the bills... she was more like his 2nd (and REAL) wife, who he actually enjoyed the company of... unlike his 1st wife, who hated him.
   
   Anyway, enough of that.
   
   The book is a great way to learn Admiral Yamamoto's life story, from his early years, to how his brilliance in the IJN (Imperial Japanese Navy) was recognized early on, and he was sent to the US, eventually becoming a HARVARD Graduate... a very unusual and accomplished fact for anyone at that time, let alone a Foreigner from Japan. As a result, Admiral Yamamoto was completely literate and fluent in American English, AND understood American Culture, History, and the US People like few outsiders ever did. He even used his own money to tour the US to see for himself the INDUSTRIAL MIGHT of America, and knew the US Capabilities in so many ways better than most Americans did.
   
   I like the selected times extreme detail is provided for events in his life, from what was on the Ship's Menu while at Sea, to the actual shoot-down of his Betty Bomber by the P-38's, and the recovery of his body by the IJA (Imperial Japanese Army) afterwards.
   
   Highly recommended Read.
   Be prepared to do so non-stop, as it becomes that riveting (took me about 6 hours).



2. This is an excellent study of a complex and contradictory man. Understandably vilified in the heat of war, a more interesting image has appeared over time. One cannot help but admire the daring and gambler quality of a man ordered to start a war he did not agree with and risked his life to prevent. Yamamoto certainly deserves to be remembered as a grand naval commander. It's unlikely any more authoritatve work will ever emerge as the author when directly to people who knew Yamamoto in life



3. The original Japanese title of this book was simply Yamamoto Isoroku. I suppose renaming it The Reluctant Admiral with the implication that Isoroku was indecisive is comforting to american psychology. But otherwise it's the same book, and one of the few books I know about WW II Japan that isn't clichéd propaganda of either a rightist or leftist american persuasion.

   Samurai! The biography of Saburo Sakai is also recommended although the ibook edition has an opinioned, and inaccurate forward by the new editor not Martin Caidin.




4. Admiral Yamamoto did not want to go to war with the United States; a naval war he felt could be sustained for at most 18 months. But go to war he did and it cost him his life. This is an easy to read history of Yamamoto's life, rich in personal details. He turns out to have been an avid womanizer, with one and perhaps two mistresses throughout most of his career. A man who lost interest in his marriage fairly early and was merely a financial contributor for most of his married life. Most of the personal correspondence quoted and many of his poems were written to his number one mistress, with nothing of substance regarding his wife and children.

   Yamamoto seems to have come up with the strategy for the attack on Pearl Harbor, but the detailed tactical planning was the work of his staff. Somehow the debacle of Midway, which occurred under his command and which was planned by his staff, did not result in his immediate replacement. This apparently was due to the Imperial Japanese Forces being in full denial mode and not wanting to high light the disaster by removing the hero of Pearl Harbor.

   Yamamoto seems to have been something of a figurehead for most of his career after Pearl harbor and until his death. This could be misleading since the author focuses so much of his attention on Yamamoto's personal life and not so much on his naval leadership.

   It is particularly interesting to learn that with the many signs pointing to the fact that the Japanese codes had been broken, they denied this possibility and continued to send the "coded" messages which resulted in Yamamoto's plane being shot down by United States P-38s. There is an excellent book on that subject, "Get Yamamoto" but it seems to be out of print ...




5. This was a wonderful book which went into alot of detail about the life of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. He was a much more complex person than most people think. He was no ranting imperialistic flunky. In fact, he held most of those types in contempt. So much so, that he had to maintain constant vigilance because of death threats. However, he did his duty, as he was ordered to do, even though he knew the futility of it. He was also totally against the building of the Yamato and Musashi battleships. Utter "folly" he called them and a waste of time and money. He truly believed that the future of war would be aviation. He was proved right. Its really too bad that he was killed, he would have been of great benefit to the restructuring of the new Japanese government. Anyone interested in a more "personal" look of one of the greatest Admirals in the world, will love this book, like I did.

5 comments about My Detachment: A Memoir.

1. The tone of Tracy Kidder's excellent memoir from his tour of duty in Vietnam in 1968 and 1968 is dour, full of resentment and disbelief in the value of war, and one of the stronger pacifist statements in book form. Rather than re-living the horrors of the Vietnam War and struggling to stay alive in a combat zone not marked by peripheries but rather by indistinct underground burrows where the ubiquitous 'enemy' remained hidden and disguised, Kidder's 'Detachment' was an Intelligence unit, for the most part safe from assault attack, but a unit that suffered the psychological destruction that accompanies an isolated band of men living in filthy conditions and always under the threat of 'inspection' by commanding officers seemingly more concerned with polished boots than by healthy mental states.
   
   Kidder, who never believed in the concept of the war in Vietnam, was a Lieutenant in charge of a small band of enlisted men whose job was to gather Intelligence to pass on to the war planners. His memoir unveils his own need to transmit to his family and girlfriend back home a sense of constant danger and participation in killing, and it is this disparity between his own convictions and the 'image' he felt necessary to send home that makes his memoir so frighteningly memorable. He shares his relationship to the men under his command, the multiple problems he confronted with personality types and aberrant situations, and the manner in which he grew as a man during his prolonged exposure to the underbelly of the commanding officers of the war. 'But to represent something is to command power over it. Maps are the tools of many ambitious people, of policy makers, commanders of armies, and youths who like to play at being one of those. And the problem is that the maps are easily confused with the world'.
   
   Where Kidder succeeds in his memoir about his war experience is in his brutal honesty, his fearless approach to report the reality of a war everyone is electing to forget, and the impact that Vietnam had on the mentality of the world and especially now with the youths who face another very similar war. His pacifism may annoy some readers, but his intelligence as a reporter and a writer cannot by ignored. As Kidder completed his tour, he observed a lifer, Major Great, on his way to back into Vietnam and ultimately society: 'I tried to imagine the life in front of him. Paperwork and acronyms and young men who wouldn't get dressed right. Too bad he wasn't a more prepossessing villain. But what a horrible life. Incomprehensible, really. And, of course, he probably walked off still shaking his head, thinking much the same about me.'
   
   Kidder has written a gripping book, one that would serve us all well to read - a different view of the long-term effect of Vietnam, and war in general. Grady Harp, March 08



2. My Detachment is the story of Tracy Kidder's one year tour of duty serving in Vietnam. He describes his experiences, command style, and attitude to the war and the Army in this memoir.
   
   This book has received many accolades, but I find this hard to understand. The story Kidder tells about himself doesn't inspire respect.. He portrays himself as a superficial, lying coward.. Having read the reviews others have written, I think most reviewers found these traits to be endearing. I did not. I think the acclaim this book has received has largely been from people who thought poorly of the Vietnam war and found expression of these feelings in this book. But certainly there are better, more thoughtful and intelligent anti war books than this.
   
   Kidder says he is against the war because a friend told him should be. He gives it no more depth of thought than this. By the end of the book he has become a true believer in the anti war cause, but we never see this develop.. He never gives any indication that he has given this any depth of thought.
   
   Kidder's experience in Vietnam was unremarkable. Nothing happened. He did not see any action. He did not talk to people who saw action. He never interacted with the Vietnamese. He was never exposed, even second hand, to the realities of war. He gives us nothing as a basis for why he opposes the war
   
   The only example he ever gave about something tragic was when he mentioned how the Communists had shelled innocent civilians in a refugee camp. It was the enemy who did this.
   
   The only thing I found interesting in the book was the brief description he gives of his work. His detachment's job was to use radio detection techniques to locate enemy units. The brief description of this was the most interesting.
   
   "When I'd left the United States, some people in the antiwar movement were still saying this was a war waged only between a corrupt South Vietnamese regime and valiant local insurgents. But on the part of our map that covered the brigade's AO, most of what you saw were large North Vietnamese units, and just a couple of Vietcong companies. And here was the kicker..... All of those units, including the two little VC companies, communicated directly with a giant corps headquarters across the border in Cambodia....... which in turn communicated directly with Hanoi. More than geography separated me from my principled antiwar friends back home....... He should be against the war, of course, but I'd bet he didn't know why"
   
   I was appalled when I read this. He offers us proof of North Vietnamese aggression, but this has no impact on him at all.
   
   Kidder dislikes the Army. He volunteered in hopes of avoiding being sent to Vietnam. When he finds out he is going to be sent he argues that his Harvard education made this a waste of material.
   
   Initially Kidder believes that he is too good to be sent to Vietnam. He comments that the war is for the uneducated and unsophisticated. However, once in Vietnam he starts to identify with these people in a total reversal of his attitude. He is their champion. He is an officer but has nothing but contempt for other officers no matter how good they are to him. He likes all enlisted men no matter how shameful their behavior. He doesn't like officers because he doesn't like regulations and inspections.
   
   Kidder makes a big display over how he feels he must protect "his men". But when he says protect, he means protect them from annoying inspections and regulations, But, he has little use for true protection concerns. His men are supposed to wear their helmets. He thinks this rule is ridiculous. His men are supposed to keep the sandbags maintained around their living and working areas to protect from mortars. He thinks this is just "make work" doled out by the Lifers as harassment. The real shocker is even when he hears about people getting killed by mortars in the camp, he still thinks the sandbag filling is harassment.. So much for protecting his men.
   
   His men didn't respect him. He showed no leadership qualities whatsoever. The whole book is a celebration of his weaknesses. He wanted to be a good leader, but in his mind his men had to like him for him to consider himself a good leader. So, to "Protect" his men and make them like him he asks very little of them. No expectations whatsoever. They live up to these expectations. He wants his men to like him yet by the end of the book he is still hopelessly not respected by his men and he knows it. His sergeant didn't have this problem with leadership, so the men listened to and respected the sergeant. But this leadership lesson was lost on Lt. Kidder.. As if to highlight his weaknesses he even tells us that while he was on R&R in Singapore a prostitute rejected him and the madam thought he is gay.
   
   He lied in his letters to family and friends. He never got anywhere close to any danger, but in his letters he constantly suggested he was in the thick of the war, and he is a good and respected leader. He is a writer so he wrote stories about the war while he was there. He wrote stories about soldiers in the field. People with whom he had no contact whatsoever. Stories of combat, racial problems, drug problems, the raping Vietnamese girls. Yet he had no personal knowledge of any such activities nor heard anyone tell him of such things. He admits this, yet he disingenuously wrote these things anyway.
   
   Kidder paints a truly pathetic picture of himself in this book.. I found it very hard to read. Almost embarrassing to read.



3. Having read "House", I knew that I liked Kidder's writing style and was curious about this book because of my own experiences. Much like Kidder, I was attending graduate school in Boston when I was drafted into the Army and ended up doing a tour of duty in Viet Nam. Also like Kidder, I was somewhat ambivalent about serving in the Army as I did not support the war and did not believe the U S should be in Viet Nam. So we both were sent off to do something that didn't need to be done for people who didn't want it done for them. Kidder does an excellent job of describing the almost fog-like state of mind that someone in their 20s adopts while in the military in order to get through the entire process, from basic training to final discharge.
   Kidder discusses how the day you arrived in-country, you started counting off the days until you could leave. It was rare to find anyone who couldn't tell you the number of days until they could DEROS (date of estimated return from overseas) or ETS (estimate termination from service). I will never forget drunken soldiers at NCO clubs, who had been in country all of three days, singing the "Short Song" - the Animals' version of "We Gotta Get Out of this Place."
   Kidder does a marvelous job of sharing the sense of tedium you experienced as well as the sense that you were completely and totally wasting your time. For most of us, your only goal and objective in serving in Viet Nam was not to be killed and Kidder helps the reader understand how one would adopt this philosophy. It was clear that we were not out saving America for democracy. Kidder also brings parts of his failed novel on Viet Nam into this book in helping describe the fantasies of those who were serving in the rear echelons.
   Kidder does a good job of explaining that many of the people who were sent to Viet Nam were not humping through the boonies but instead were placed in mindless jobs in the rear echelon. There they had to take orders from officers and senior NCOs who were putting in their required time in a war zone because it was a box that needed to be checked off so they could get their next promotion. The constant rotation of new officers on a one year tour meant that for at least the first six months, an officer was learning his job before he became any where close to being proficient. It was almost constant OJT.
   This book resonated with me in terms of reminding me of having many of the same experiences and feelings as Kidder described in his book: misadventures on R&R (I was in Bangkok and Kidder was in Singapore but the experience was quite similar); dislike and disdain for "lifers": a sense of how unfair life could be if you received a "dear John" letter from your fiancee; frustration over the fact that most of one's college friends had been clever enough to avoid being drafted and sent to Viet Nam; the fact that your peers viewed you as a "baby killer" instead of a patriot.
   If you served in Viet Nam, particularly as a REMF, you will enjoy this book. If you have ever wondered what it was like to spend a year of your life mostly bored to death with moments of abject fear when under mortar, sapper or rocket attack, this book will help explain those sensations. It is well written, is a good read, has a good deal of humor, and takes one back to what it is like to be 23 years old, depressed over being rejected by "the one great love of your life," and totally clueless about what you are doing in a foreign country taking orders from people you do not respect and performing a function that seems completely useless. I really liked the book, but I also lived the experience. Maybe you had to be there.



4. I almost met Tracy Kidder on October 10, 2006 because he gave a free public talk as an author participating in the Creative Writing Program of the University of Minnesota. Reading the book was a snap for me because I have been reading about Nam since I bought PAPERS ON THE WAR by Daniel Ellsberg back in about 1972. Putting little pieces of that big puzzle together is one of the things that keeps my brain active as I rapidly approach the age of 60. Probably the best idea I found in the book was "creepy lifer puke." Ain't like a man, when people run for public office and ads on TV smear someone for things that you do every day and salute people when you are not in a war zone, but to hear people in the good old U. S. Of A. complain about hippie freaks is just a bunch of creepy lifer puke, as far as I am concerned. When he was questioned about Iraq after his presentation from things he wrote, Tracy Kidder said some things about the terrible nature of war. The big green machine we know so well is unlikely to solve the kind of problems that people in Iraq have after their door gets kicked in. I also liked a bit about things to do in Singapore on R & R. It did not say you have to be in the army to get away with stuff like that, but who'd want to ?



5. I read a lot of genre books and have rated novels with less merit higher than Kidders 'My Detachment'. The reason I mention this fact is that I am holding 'My Detachment' up to a higher light than I would if Kidder had written a story along the lines of James Patterson or Stephen King. Instead I think that this story cries out to be considered along with other war novels that have shaped the great American novel, from 'Red Badge of Courage', to Norman Mailers, Tim O'Brien, Hemingway, and Joseph Heller's first efforts. And if I stack what Kidder has given us against these masterpieces, it is lacking on many fronts.
   
   On the other hand this is an enjoyable little book in its own rights. It follows the time line of Kidders early years, from his college days to his time in Vietnam. The story repeatedly brings up Kidders first foray into writing... a story that he wrote just after coming home from Nam. This story is portrayed loosely, but I felt as though it were along the lines of John Wayne's Green Berets. Kidder mentions this book often and contrasts the story he wrote to his actual experience which is what he is writing in My Detachment. He looks back at this story as a bit of young foolishness, and he looks back at himself as an ignorant self centered young man.
   
   Part of the problem with My Detachment, or maybe it is what makes it appealing, is that Kidder really pulls no punches when dealing with who he was at that time. He is a wholly self engrossed person, and the character that Kidder presents us with is both loathsome as well as fascinating. Its hard to find an affinity for the young Kidder, the novel gives you little in the way to latch on to personality wise, and you are left removed from events. Also, the story itself is an almost minimalist war story. Not too much happens, and this is kind of the point of this book.
   
   Kidder is a fine writer. I don't think that this story will be remembered as his best. It almost felt as though Kidder were going for a Nicholson Baker effect. Baker is a writer who is at his best when writing about the inconsequential. He wrote an entire novel about a trip up an escalator. It would have been interesting if Kidder had investigated his time with a different edge, by this I think that Kidder approached his time as if he were Hemingway crossed with a bit of our post modern culture, and not himself. I think he wrote for what others were expecting and not for originality's sake.

1 comments about General James B. McPherson: The Star-Crossed Knight Of the Union.

1. I had the privilege of purchasing this book from the Author at the Civil War Show in Mansfield, Ohio. I am a fan of General James Birdseye McPherson and could not believe that prior to this book being published; there was only one other book written about him. I could not put the book down. It was so well written and the references to General McPherson's correspondence, and from diaries written by the soldies he commanded put you right there. I feel like I can see inside the heart and mind of this wonderful man. This is an overdue tribute to a very important vital contributor to an important part of our American History. Thank you Mr. Waldsmith. Civil War Readers this is a must for your libraries.

2 comments about The Final Hours: The Luftwaffe Plot Against Göring (Aviation Classics).

1. "The Final Hours" by Johannes Steinhoff is a gripping account of the final months of the Luftwaffe, told by one of Germany's top fighter aces. This translation retains the very readable style Steinhoff used to recall his emotional roller-coaster ride from the highs of leading a group of Me-109's in combat; his frustrations with Hermann Goering, which were shared by other fighter aces; the lows of his punishment for his participation in this mutiny; the joys of redemption as he led the only Me-262 group in the Luftwaffe; and the mixed emotions of spending his final days of World War II as a prisoner of war.
   
   Steinhoff begins the tale in the hospital as a guest of the Ami's (German slang for Americans) , following the crash of an Me-262 which left him permanently scarred. Readers immediately relate to Steinhoff, by feeling a sense of intense sorrow for this proud fighter pilot as he begins his recovery from horrific wounds. Along with two colleagues, these once-proud German soldiers, now feeling doubly depressed as both patients and prisoners, plan a bold breakout across the knee-high picket fence surrounding the hospital to go recover a type-writer to begin writing Steinhoff's memoirs. While sounding like a trivial excursion, this trek saved an incredible tale of the mutineers who tried to stop Hermann Goering.
   
   Upon receipt of orders directing "Fighter Group 77 to proceed immediately to Schoenwald airfield where it will be engaged in Reich Defense," Steinhoff moved high fighter group from Transylvania, Romania to an area near Berlin in October 1944. The allies are enjoying near air supremacy over the Reich, and former allies such as the Romanians, are now flying Me-109's against the Luftwaffe. With the Reich collapsing, Steinhoff recalls the words of Hermann Goering from the Areopagus, where he blamed the Luftwaffe commander's failure to espouse the ideals of National Socialism as the cause of the failure to protect the Reich. The Luftwaffe commanders thought they knew better - the proper use of the Me-262, the first operational jet aircraft in combat, could help turn the tide of war.
   
   Subsequent chapters recall the various paths the fighter pilots use to promote this taboo topic. The mutineers first try through the General of Fighter Pilots, General Galland; then through the SS; and finally through Hermann Goering himself. Surprisingly, rather than being executed, the mutineers are exiled to the four corners of the rapidly shrinking Reich. Finally faced with a dearth of experienced fighter pilots, Goering is forced to make Steinhoff's dream of leading the only group of Me-262 jet fighters into combat.
   
   The fluid writing style accurately describes the love affair between pilot and aircraft, as he steps through his pre-flight inspection and through the thrills of combat. Steinhoff also recalls some of the operational testing of new equipment, like an electric gunsight that leads enemy aircraft (didn't work) and rockets that sometimes worked. The chapter tragically ends with the catastrophic crash of Steinhoff's Me-262, and his subsequent trip to the hospital.
   
   "The Final Hours" is a truly engrossing book capturing the exhilaration of flying combat. Combined with the incredible plot to remove Goering as head of the Luftwaffe, you will be hard pressed to find a more interesting book on World War 2 aviation.



2. In the final hours (well really months) of World War II, the German military was still fighting to hope against hope taht something could turn the tied of Allied victory. This was the time when in Hitler's bunker the synchopants were still trying to durry Hitler's favor. This was the time when the Americans, British and Russian armies were reducing the amount of Germany that was left under Nazi control on a daily basis. During this time, units like that of Gen. Steinhoff were still fighting against all odds to try to turn things around.
   
   By then, the Luftwaffe had better equipment in the rocket armed ME-262 jets than they had ever had before. But it was a time when a handfull of these superior planes were attacking thousands of bombers escorted by more thousands of fighters.
   
   Mr. Steinhoff continued to fly in defense of Germany until his 262 crashed on take off and he was horribly burned.
   
   This is a book about a war time hero (176 kills) watching his country fall apart. Then it becomes a story of a man, horribly burned struggling through months in hospitals getting his face put back into something not too horrible.

3 comments about Churchill at War 1940-45.

1. I don't think anyone with an interest in Winston Churchill can afford to pass this book by. It's a warts-n-all portrait (a very thorough and fair one), and certainly is a breath of fresh, unsentimental air when it comes to trying to pin down the character of Churchill and his conduct as a leader during WWII.
   
   I especially admired the author's almost conversational, easy writing style, which just flows across the pages, and, the way he reveals much about himself, as well as Winston Churchill (but without thrusting himself or his POV on the reader).
   
   I found this book fascinating and am looking for a copy of its sequel, which takes Churchill from 1945 to 1965.



2. This book is a reprinted excerpt of Lord Moran's diary who was Churchill's personal physician from May 1940 to his death. As his doctor Moran accompanied him to all major conferences. The diaries provide, therefore, fascinating glimpses into the lives of the people who have shaped the twentieth century. Although only the war years are covered here the interested reader might want to look up the complete diaries in libraries because they are no longer in print.
   Nevertheless, even the book under discussion shows that the Churchill who is so admired today also had his darker side and that by 1943 the Atlantic Alliance was no longer as firm as we are led to believe. At the time of the Teheran and Yalta conferences, which shaped the post-war world, Churchill had lost all influence over Roosevelt, who had gravitated instead to Stalin. Lord Moran also shows clearly that Roosevelt was no longer capable of understanding what he was up against and at Yalta it was apparent that the man was dying. He should never have run for re-election in 1944.
   The insights which Lord Moran brings to our understanding of the tragic twentieth century should be seriously considered because the fate of the world hangs on the physical and mental health of a handful of leading politicans.



3. Those who share my high regard for Martin Gilbert's and then Roy Jenkins' comprehensive biographies as well as John Keegan's brief but insightful biography of Winston Churchill (within the "Penguin Lives" series) will gratefully welcome Lord Moran's discussion of Churchill during World War Two. His access was direct and unlimited, serving as Churchill's personal physician until his death on January 24, 1965. According to Lord Moran, shortly after the war ended, G.M. Trevelyan strongly encouraged him to record his thoughts and feelings about Churchill as well as anecdotes which otherwise would have been lost. Thus began a process which continued until 1966, a year after Churchill's death, when Lord Moran published an 850-page memoir. Much of that volume has been reprinted in this new edition.

   Having read and then re-read the three previously cited biographies, I already knew a great deal about Churchill's life and career. Of greatest interest to me in this volume are the anecdotes, dozens and dozens of them, which reveal Churchill the man in ways and to an extent not previously indicated by other authors. Many of these anecdotes suggest that the Churchill was an especially "difficult" patient, one almost totally lacking in patience. Over time, he had several health problems which even his epic will power could not overcome: a number of heart attacks, three pneumonias, two strokes, one abdominal operation, a hernia, deafness, and a virulent skin disease as well as countless minor ailments. Refusing to reduce (much less eliminate) his daily consumption of cigars and alcohol certainly didn't help, nor did the quick cures of quacks whom Churchill insisted on retaining. Because of quite legitimate concerns about Churchill's health, therefore, Lord Moran accompanied him on numerous trips, recording his own opinions of dozens of contemporaries such as Roosevelt, Stalin, Atlee, Eden, and Truman. These comments leave no doubt that Lord Moran was a keen observer and a shrewd judge of other people.

   Alistair Cooke once said of Churchill that he "told a listless nation it was heroic, and it became so." Perhaps you are already familiar with Churchill the public figure. In this lively and informative volume, Lord Moran enables you to take Churchill's measure as (in Cooke's words) a "magnetic, monstrous, oddly lovable man."

No comments about Behind Enemy Lines: An Australian SAS Solider in Vietnam.

5 comments about Boy Soldier: Coming of Age During World War II.

1. Very rarely do you find a "history" book that sneaks the history in before you even know it. Russ McLogan does just that in "Boy Soldier." You find yourself caught up in the wonderful narrative of the life of the young boy-turned-soldier. The humor, the violence, the hasty training, are all described within the background of WWII. The historical, social, and political accounts are dead-on accurate--being told by someone who was actually there and has the scar to prove it. This is truly one history book that you will not be able to put down...written by a boy-turned-soldier-turned-historian.



2. A very interesting and well presented book about the liberation of the Philippine Islands and the history of the American 6th Infantry Division. The author does a very nice job of integrating daily life a soldier's story to produce a book that covers a lot of ground easily. I really enjoyed this book as there are not many first person accounts of the Pacific Theater, particularly, from men who where in the Army rather than the Marines. Also has nice description of the events of the war that paralleled the author's experiences.



3. I was at the mall during Christmastime and he was sitting in front of the Border's Express. He seemed a little lonely, so I stopped by and talked to him. It was very interesting listening to him talk, especially as he looked up and noticed I was wearing a USS Enterprise Hat (CV-6, not the other) and he started to talk about the Battle of Leyte. After listening to him, I bought a copy of the book and he signed it.
   
   When I picked it up and started to read it, I wasn't disappointed. It was a story I could relate to since he's from this area. He put stuff in comparison to stuff around Detroit and that made it seem more realistic to me. It was a very well written book and very well researched (because he put the bigger perspective with his story).



4. I enjoyed this book immensely, and strongly recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in WWII. I'm a bit of a military history buff, and so have read a good deal on the subject. But I enjoyed Mr. McLogan's book the most, by far. Other soldiers' biographies I've read have covered simply the individuals' combat experiences. While these are always highly interesting, the author of "Boy Soldier" discusses not only his time in battle, but also the experiences he went through both before and after his time on the front lines. I found especially interesting his descriptions of his arduous infantry training, and the details he provided of the lengthy medical treatment he received after being wounding in Luzon. Of interest also were the behind-the-lines duties he had to perform when he first arrived in the Philippines. He also recounts, in detail, the sea voyage he had to endure en route to the Pacific theater and, after hostilities with Japan ended, his voyage to Korea. I learned a lot from this book. For example, I had always believed that all seriously wounded American soldiers in WWII were eventually returned back to the U.S. for hospitalization and rehabilitation. Not true, as it turns out. There are many other lessons in this book. As it is with watching a good movie, you don't want this story to end. It's one of the most entertaining and informative works I've ever had the pleasure of reading.



5. I had the honor of meeting Mr. McLogan at a book signing where his reading honestly convinced me to buy this book. I now cherish the signed copy I own. This book is exceptionally well written which honestly surprised me, Mr. McLogan is an engineer by trade (so am I). The writing is dynamic, captivating, vivid and sensory. This is an exceptional autobiography combining memories and official documents. This is a phenomenally written book about the life of a young man caught up in the turbulent 40's. That being said, this is not a war book, this is a book about a man's life. Mr. McLogan does not dwell on the time he spent in combat, but does cover that period as well. This book details his life before he was drafted, what training and traveling with the army was like, his wounding, recovery, and as an occupational soldier in Korea after the war and finally going home again. Mr. McLogan does not try to make himself a hero, and in my opinion, he doesn't have to, he simply is.
   I have found no better written personal account of a young American's life during the war. This book took my breath away literally; especially the parts where the author reminisces about walking hand in hand with a high school sweetheart while sitting in a foxhole in the Philippines. Mr. McLogan was lucky enough to survive the ordeal and went on to be truly one of the heroes I have always looked up to. Not a war monger or a violent person, but simply a young man who answered his countries call, did his duty, stood his ground and came back and built a life for himself. I only wish my grandfather had written this book!

5 comments about Under the Wire: The World War II Adventures of a Legendary Escape Artist and "Cooler King".

1. This is a hero. Really. Anybody that can come through all he did-and laugh about it-MUST be a hero. I rather expected to be bored when I saw how long it was going to take him to actually get to the prison camp. Uh uh. Not at all.
   
   As a member of the younger generation, I take off my hat (if I wore one) to Bill Ash. He has a brilliant sense of humor-and yet doesn't belittle or diminish the severity of his situation. Something that could very accurately be called a fire, despite the clichedness (word?) of that phrase, is conveyed, very modestly, as burning inside of him. Somehow he gives some of it to the reader-that calmness, that strength. If he can go through all of that-and not be bitter-surely I won't complain about all the little molehills bothering me. Right?
   
   However, even all of this might not be enough to commend a book, some books that should by all rights be amazing aren't. But Bill Ash and Brendan Foley together make something magnificent.
   
   In summation:
   Amazing book. Couldn't put it down. Don't miss it.



2. I was ill and needed some light reading and found this on the cheap rack at my local bookstore. As one who's best memory growing up was reading The Great Escape I'd read most accounts of those involved. I didn't think a peripheral player in that drama would have anything new or give much insight but I was wrong. His strength was escaping but you read where he probably lacked a bit on the other side of the wire. It's to the readers' benefit.
   
   Ash doesn't waste the readers time with unnecessary personal history but that which he shares is interesting - especially the parts about riding the rails as a college graduated hobo. He was one of the earliest Americans to go to Canada and volunteer. His perspective of his training is unique and you get an Americans perspective of what life was like living in England during the darkest days of WWII. When he finally gets shot down he gets very lucky then unlucky. His account of his interrogation/torture is more detailed than what I've read in most other POW stories.
   
   His time as a POW though is the real meat and potatoes of the story. What's truly insightful and interesting are his profiles of the early escapers. I was fascinated with his description of the original Big X (Pre-Roger Bushell), Jimmy Buckley who was unfortunately killed - it's touched on in the Great Escape. Getting the idea that escape would be easier from an NCO POW camp, he made the switch and his account there provides some original and amazing stories. I thought the NCO's would not have been as resourceful as the officers but this book proved me wrong. The NCO's were some of the most colorful and inventive escapers of the war. Certainly more needs to be written on their experience. Particularly the story of the incredibly heroic George Grimson was worth the book alone. I've had to re-read his story in the book a few times.
   
   One mass escape at the NCO camp was amusing. The POW's fooled the Germans into believing none had escaped, then only those caught were missing and so on until the Germans became thoroughly confused. The POW's even fooled the Gestapo many times without serious recrimination.
   
   Ash's final days as a POW are some of the best, most descriptive I've read and he ends to book perfectly. I enjoyed the easy prose and his is a story that deserves all the acclaim it gets.



3. The subject matter for this book sounds grim: Ash starts off talking about life in the Great Depression, and ends up talking about his experiences being thrown into (and escaping out of) German POW camps. In fact, though, this is one of the most thrilling, funny, suspenseful and inspiring books I've read in some time. Ash's optimism, indomitable spirit, and wonderful sense of humor got him through the war, and they're all on display on just about every page.
   
   Ash is also a keen observer--a trait that no doubt helped him pull off his daring escapes, and one that enables him to bring the characters he met along the way to vivid life.
   
   In short, "Under The Wire" reads like a great thriller. The fact that it's all true makes it all the more gripping and inspiring.



4. "Under The Wire" by William Ash (with Brendan Foley). Sub-titled, "The World War II Adventures Of A Legendary Escape Artist And `Cooler King'". St. Martin's Press, New York 2005.
   
   William Ash was raised in Depression-Era Texas, where he learned the hard way that life is rough. Those lessons stood him in good stead when he became an expert escape artist from the POW camps of Nazi Germany. As he said, on page 22, his "twilight actives" prepared him by: "...being an unwelcome nonpaying passenger, learning how to avoid the attention of guard dogs or the authorities, sharing food and political discussions with men just as badly off as myself , and sometimes just learning to laugh in the face of everything the world could throw at me." He calls his younger days as "An Apprenticeship In Escapology".
   
   Building on the first two chapters, he then relates the story of his decision to fly for the RAF, his aviation training, first in Canada, and then in the actual combat zone in England during the Blitz. Because of his flying for the RAF, he had to renounce his American citizenship. There are vivid descriptions of London under the bombs, with destruction and fire seemingly everywhere. Then comes the chapter that changes everything: "The Day Of Reckoning". (page 85): "I cut my engine, since it was clearly full of holes and not doing much good".
   
   Shot down over occupied France, William Ash is helped by some French farmers, who struggle with his high school French but help him to find the underground resistance. He is, however, captured in Paris in June 1942, but not before he was able to enjoy the city of Paris as any tourist would do. The bulk of the book, from page 101 (the capture) to page 307 (his return to London) deals with his experiences with German Prisoner Of War system. The Gestapo threatens to shot him as a spy, as he is in civilian clothes, etc. He is "rescued" from the Gestapo by the Luftwaffe, as the German Air Force claimed all air force type POWs as their responsibility. Ash then relates his travels from camp to camp, through bombed out German cities, and finally arriving in a POW camp about as far East as the Reich went. His escape attempts are recorded in detail and his punishments, each time he was re-captured, made him, as the book flap recounts, the "real-life `cooler king'". This book documents a real-life "Great Escape" story.



5. When I began reading UNDER THE WIRE, I expected a story of heroic "derring-do", recalled with a sort of misty, stiff-upper lipped nostalgia by a Grand Lion in the winter of his remarkable life.
   
   Instead, I got so, so much more.
   
   Bill Ash's life is remarkable by anyone's yardstick. From his earliest childhood in Depression-era Texas, he was a hero, ready and eager to take on any bully. While America watched as Europe fell to a maniacal Hitler, he made a decision to personally take on the biggest bully in modern history.
   
   Remarkable? Brave? Courageous? Yes, all of these adjectives describe the heroic life of Bill Ash.
   
   But his life, and his story -- told so extraordinarily well by Ash and his co-writer, Brendan Foley -- is also funny, human and a lesson in living one's life with heart and a true moral compass.
   
   There is as much Huck Finn and Jack Kerouac in Ash's war stories, as there is John Wayne.
   
   Like all great tales of history, UNDER THE WIRE does more than offer adventure after adventure (and WOW, what adventures Bill had!)
   
   The book offers a sense of the times, a sense of the politics, insights into the dangers, the choices, the cat-and-mouse existence of a Prisoner of War.
   
   Bill played cat-and-mouse with the Third Reich, and did it brilliantly.
   
   And I have never read an adventure story with so much genuine humor!
   
   UNDER THE WIRE is a glorious tribute to the sort of person we long for, but never really see anymore: a true hero.
   
   And it's a great, entertaining read.

2 comments about Warrior Healers: The Untold Story of the Special Forces Medic.

1. I bought this book to learn some medical tips for myself before going to Iraq as a contractor medic. I'd read books before of recent 18D's as well as Navy Surgeons in combat but this book focused on Vietnam only. And more about the life in the day of a SF Medic then his actions in combat. It was an ok read but not what I was looking for.



2. A truly fascinating history of the origin, development, training and deployment of Green Beret medical sergeants are chronicled in the book "Warrior Healers: The Untold Story of the Special Forces Medic - Book 1: The Beginning". Author Leonard D. Blessing Jr delivers a manifesto of well researched information and actual comments from those who served in that capacity in the field. The book is loaded with everything you could possibly ever want to know about these men and their teams. The training alone shows what these men were and are made of. This is a profession of brave warriors who also have medical training to treat injuries, wounds and disease. They also can train others to deliver fundamental medical treatments and first aid. There is no other group like these enlisted men. They are not doctors but at times function in areas of the world where they are the only thing between life and death. They perform everything from amputations and operations to even dental work when called for.
   
   The author adds a rich element to his historical accounting by including quotes from actual Special Forces veterans. This gives each chapter a real world view on what it was like in the field. The stories are remarkable and showcase a dedicated group of men that have not been fully understood over the years. This book will do much to educate the public on the services that these men gave and continue to give. These are not some wild "Rambo" types out there carrying out random acts of needless violence against some enemy; but a highly disciplined, well educated and thoroughly organized self-sufficient group of men who are an integral part of the teams they are on. These men are part of a well oiled military machine. There are no better trained and motivated men in the world! The author pays them high tribute with his book and honors their fine traditions.
   
   There are photos, and personal comments from actual veterans that make this a more than just a cold history book. Blessing ties it altogether with a good use of narrative and makes the whole reading experience both entertaining as well as educational. The book contains a vast amount of information and one is amazed that there is much more to be told in the next volume in this series. This is Book number #1. But it reads like a complete accounting and you are not left hanging like some soap opera story. The author plans on taking the readers into later years of history but for now, this look at the past is basically focused on Southeast Asia. As good as "Volume One" is, I can only wonder how great the second installment will be. Suffice to say, this book is a great read all by itself. It is a product of meticulous research and interviews and it shows! I fully recommend this book for all history buffs or those interested in military's Special Forces.

5 comments about Mary Queen of Scots.

1. This is the book that got me started reading about history in the first place, 10 years ago. It must be pretty good, at the time I was partying my butt off in SF and reading wasn't the first thing on my mind. I picked it up, couldn't put it down and haven't put down a book since. Read it, it rocks.



2. Overall, this is a well-written and well-researched biography, although not objective enough about its subject. I appreciated the beautiful writing and the thorough scholarship of this book, although in the end I could not share the author's unqualified admiration for Mary Queen of Scots.
   
   Ms. Fraser presents enough evidence to convince me that Mary probably was not involved beforehand in her second husband Darnley's murder, and that the infamous Casket Letters were probably forgeries or interpolations of other letters. She was certainly not prepared by her French upbringing to deal with the problems she found in Scotland, and was very ill-served by the brutal Scottish lords there, including her own half-brother.
   
   However, Mary apparently did willingly marry her husband's murderer, which cost her the love of her subjects; willingly fled to England even though she knew she was seen as a rival to Queen Elizabeth's throne; and later on became involved in conspiracies in England to overthrow Elizabeth, which virtually forced Elizabeth to have her executed. Even Ms. Fraser cannot explain away these naive and reckless actions, although she tries. Her bias towards her subject is rather obvious. I also shared other readers' frustration with the many untranslated French and Latin phrases, which slows down the reading for those of us not fluent in those languages.



3. amazing book makes you feel as if you want to be in that world most touching and amazingly well written with no bias and no dodgy facts very good choice of language



4. Before this book, I'd only just gotten started on my Mary Stuart research, having only read two "semi-biographies"(Mary and Elizabeth by Jane Dunn & Mary Queen of Scots and the Murder of Darnley) of her. I was hesitant about buying the book because I read the reviews of it on here and it sounded ugly. But I'm very glad I did buy it, because now I am much, much better informed on the subject of Mary than before.
   
   I'm an Antonia Fraser fan, and this book is written in her usual poetic and heart-warming style. She is, I'd have to say, among my favorite historical biographers. She is clearly very passionate about her subject and I was able to sympathize with Mary throughout. Likewise, she is very good about referencing unlike her counterpart Alison Weir.
   
   I'd have to disagree with the reviewers who said this book made Mary out to be saintly. She is portrayed, in my opinion, as sweet and strong, but by no means perfect. There were times in the bio when I thought she was extremely foolish, and often times I was out and out annoyed by her. I agreed with Fraser's conclusion that Mary probably did not try kill her second husband, Henry Darnley and that it was a political set-up. I also agree with her about the Casket Letters. I'm on the fence about Bothwell. I think many of his actions are not at odds with a rapist and abductor. Likewise, I don't see how or why he would proceed to murder Darnley and just hope that Mary would marry him, which could mean prompt execution or life imprisonment. But I didn't mark this against Fraser, because I'm still trying to figure out what I feel on the subject, and also because she convincingly argued her side.
   
   
   I do take issue with a few slender things in the book. For one, I love Fraser's style, but I did find her constant use of footnotes distracting*. And I definitely agree with the reviewers who said it was biased against Elizabeth. Some of the commentary, such as sharp jabs at Elizabeth's beauty and lifestyle, were entirely editorial and completely uncalled for. Fraser degraded Elizabeth so hard at times that I felt her case for Mary might have been a little too weak. I've read several books on Elizabeth and none so far have made petty, out of place remarks about Mary and rightly so. Both were interesting, incredible women and one need not be knocked down at the expense of the other. This bio would have gotten five stars had there been a little more objectivity.
   
   
   
   
   
   *Most of them I felt could have been worked conveniently into the narrative.



5. Antonia Fraser's book, Mary Queen of Scots, is very readable and entertaining. However, the author's "hero-worship" of Mary and low opinion of English Queen Elizabeth I rings out loud and clear. Fraser makes history come alive; just be aware that this is her version of history.