No comments about Patton: Legendary World War II Commander (Military Profiles).

No comments about The Long Walk Home: Paul Franklin's Journey from Afghanistan.

5 comments about Flights of Passage: Recollections of a World War II Aviator.

1. well written, a realistic portrayal of parts of the war that we really don't think that much about,
   
   my only substantial criticism is that it is an awfully short book for the price.



2. I didn't discover this book until around 2003, I think it was. I'd just read Hynes' other memoir, The Growing Seasons, and wanted to know what happened next. I ordered Flights of Passage and absolutely loved it! I've read it a couple more times since then and even wrote to Sam asking him what happened next? More story, please! He did tell me that he was reactivated briefly by the USMC during the Korean War, but never got to Korea. Said he thinks he may have been the only active duty marine at that time working on a dissertation in English Lit. Sam showed up as one of the principals on Ken Burns' PBS special, The War. His presence and his part of the narration added a special kind of added "class" to the production. He tells me he's been working most recently on a book about aviators from the First World War. Hope he gets it done soon. I know I'll read it. Sam Hynes makes good writing look easy. - Tim Bazzett, author of Soldier Boy and Love, War & Polio



3. Watching planes fly over his Minneapolis home, young Samuel Hynes never imagined himself flying in one, let alone being a pilot. He never saw an ocean, yet before he turned 21, he would be flying and fighting over the largest of them. World War II was a transforming conflict in many ways. For Hynes, it was his ticket to a larger world.
   
   Not that he seems too happy for the experience. Yes, Hynes writes with humor, and some nostalgia, about his experiences fighting in the Pacific Theater with the Marines air wing in the last year of the war. Yet, when he describes his feelings about his return to civilian life as "the end of something that had been good, perhaps like the breaking up of a marriage," it feels odd and wrong.
   
   Hynes didn't see a lot of combat, but he saw a lot of waste, deadly waste, pilots in training killed attempting maneuvers, or else later on, lost at sea because they were lost in the clouds. There are attacks on a Japanese-held island tucked too deep behind Allied lines to threaten anyone. There's no glory in Samuel Hynes' war; even the deaths of Japanese foes are related with bitter resignation.
   
   Hynes writes of his and his comrades' struggle less in terms of victory than simple survival, doing what the military asks them and no more. Hynes mentions the film classics "Wings" and "Dawn Patrol," but there's more here of Joseph Heller's "Catch-22," where the carnage of World War II is played as a sick joke. Even the humor has that same acidic quality. When one pilot is lost at sea, only to be rescued, his comrades disguise their relief by pretending to have gotten rid of his belongings when he returns.
   
   The book is three-fourths over before Hynes reaches the only real battle he participated in, Okinawa. As he hops from post to post stateside, the narrative sometimes gets dull. But the overall tone of "Flights Of Passage is what makes it worth reading. With most war books, the focus is naturally on battles, or individuals who made some difference in the conflict. Hynes, a self-described small cog in giant machine, writes of the other side of war, its boredom, pettiness, infidelity, and creeping ennui. Danger, too, and tragedy, but in such small doses one can never be ready for them, not ready enough.
   
   While his style is dispassionate and nonjudgmental, I get the feeling Hynes didn't care much for what he saw of the war. It's not that he was a bad Marine, just not a warrior.
   
   His best sections involve the spurts of battle he did see, his impressions of flying the different combat planes of the era. Corsairs were prized as beauties but prone to spinning out during landing approaches, while the Hellfighters were "all muscle and no guts."
   
   Hynes spends a lot of time on his comrades, but except for one hotshot he gets close to named Joe, none really stick out, not even Hynes. Carefully written, at times beautifully, the book avoids any non-factual embellishments that might make it more readable but less true, the kind that other memoirists would defend as compensation for fading memory. The result is a flat, dry read, but one you trust to tell it like it was.
   
   I'm glad for the service Hynes gave his country, more perhaps than Hynes himself. But his book makes clear why wars, even when fought for the most noble of purposes, leave scars and a sense of loss that outweighs any triumph, however worthy.



4. Mr. Hynes work originally attracted me because, as an aviation historian, I enjoy first person accounts. My interest was drawn to the book when he mentioned that some of his training was in Florida--my state of birth. Having noticed the town Deland in his account I acquired the volume for a check of conditions in the state during the was (having 2 uncles who were naval aviators). It was an interesting picture of the US in another era--a Florida I used to know. I was by the Deland airport (it is noted as "Deland Naval Air Station--1942-46) (We fought the war, finished it and shut down the war machine.) In fact the majority of now-civilian airports were built during WWII. This was a bittersweet tale of men who were part of a much larger effort; but didn't regard their contribution as telling.
   The last chapter has the memorable line "You can go back in space, but not back in time. Lucius B. Gravely, IV



5. Samuel Hynes, professor emiterius of literature at Princeton University, went to war in 1943--there simply was no alternative as he says--and in time graduated from flight school as a Marine pilot of a TBM, a torpedo bomber used for several types of missions.

   To those who went through flight school during WWII, his accounts of the trials, and sometimes failures, of a flying officer in training ring authentic, as does the sometimes pettiness of the armed forces and the hurry-up-and-wait process that dogged us as we impatiently waited to get into action. He also details the drinking, the sexual adventures, and other less savory, perhaps, actions of men at war. When he finally arrived overseas in early 1945, the actual combat was somewhat of an anti-climax. No great aerial battles, relatively few losses, and much relatively routine patrol work. In fact, the most terrifying event was after the war when a giant typhoon hit Okinawa and his base. As is true of those in service, he seems oblivious of the war other than his own small part. He was stationed, for example, on Saipan in April for two weeks or so awaiting assignment, but makes no mention of the many B-29 operations from there or neighboring Tinian against Japan.

   A curious thing about the book is that before he went overseas, he was married. Viritually nothing is said of his wife, her letters, of the relationship. Much more is said of he and his Marine buddies trying to obtain booze and other leisure pursuits, in addition to combat.. Perhaps Hynes marriage was one of those wartime marriages that didn't last. On the other hand, maybe it's none of our business since Hynes' purpose is to try and give one a realistic view of training to go to war and the event itself. In this regard he succeeds brilliantly.

5 comments about A Ranger Born.

1. First off, let me say I admire Bob Black for what he did for his country. He served in Korea and Vietnam and fought the good fight. I will disagree with him on wheather the war was winnable or not in both places. If we had to go to the Yalu and beyond, we could have triggered WWIII. If we had invaded North Vietnam, we would have faced guerrilla war in the mountains of NVA. Black believes the military was held back and prevented from winning. All of these are disputable areas.
   
   That being said, Black related his time in service in both wars. This battle book is no different than many others out there. I enjoyed the war stories. This was an OK read about the U.S. military.



2. On page 207 of the paperback edition, Black writes about "sappers believed to have been drawn from a North Vietnamese parachute regiment." After I inquired to well over 100 Vietnam (in-country) veterans about a North Vietnamese parachute regiment, I was met with blank stares. A high percentage of these individuals served in combat units (i.e. Special Forces, 173rd, 101st, 1st Aviation Brigade). NO ONE EVER HEARD of a North Vietnamese parachute regiment. I was curious, so I contacted the author (Black) via telephone on Saturday (30 May, 2004). Black stated that he obtained the information from the military archives at Carlisle Barracks. When I checked the archives, no hits were obtained on this subject from their site, however they are now closed for the summer due to an ongoing physical location move. As a former combat Special Forces soldier and a retired homicide detective, I smell embellishment on this subject!



3. Unlike the technical, detailed Ranger books written by Col. Black, this one is from a personal standpoint and draws you into the story from page one until the last word is read. The book starts with Col. Black as a child and the desire to be a Ranger is obvious; to what it takes to qualify for Ranger training; what it takes to endure the training and what drives a Ranger to stay a Ranger. A story about being an American in the war ravaged country of Korea and Viet Nam. You read about betrayal, unrequited love, the guts and glory of war; the survival of war, and at times with a sense of humor. You laugh, you cry. It grips your heart; it grips your soul, but most of all it makes you proud to be an American; proud to have men of his calibar fighting for your freedom and that of our Country.



4. As a child born during the Vietnam war, I was embarrassed that I knew little about it. I could not have picked a better teacher. Learning about this time in history was decorated with the amazing story of one extraordinary man. I could not have picked a better character to guide me through the US military and Asian conflicts of my childhood. As the words of Robert Black carried me into worlds of the misunderstood, I came out of the the autobiography with an educated understanding of a troubled time in our history. Robert Black is the "Dr Phil" or our US Armed Forces. He tells it like it is, whether you are ready or not. In A Ranger Born, he writes for all those who care to learn and laugh on a journey that explores an unsafe time in history escorted by a Ranger that will protect and entertain you through the entire tour.
   I hope Col. Black is deciding who will play him in the movie. I have a few suggestions...does anyone else? Read the book and you will see unforgetable characters come to life. Col. Black is the man everyone wants in their foxhole!!! Reading his book is as close as you will get!



5. This is the best book yet in Robert Black's series about the U. S. Rangers. It is the remarkable story of a young boy who knew exactly what he wanted to be when he grew up and who worked toward that goal from then on. Black has revealed in his series that he is a true soldier/scholar. This book traces his story through triumph and sadness. His love for his fellow Rangers shines from the story as does his love for his country. He writes with compassion and wit. The man who is the soldier and the soldier who is the man will live with you for a long time.

5 comments about JUMP: INTO THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW: The War Memories of Dwayne Burns Communications Sergeant-508th P.I.R..

1. After the world wide attention for the 101st this is a welcome addition to airborne warfare in WWII



2. This is a very well written book b y a man who was there. Telling the personal story of Leland Burns' travels thru F Co of the 508PIR, Jump Into the Valley of the Shadow is a fine read. Factual and well thought out, it goes thru the gritty days of fighting that only a man who has lived thru it can tell you. But it also goes over the softer, more human side of his time overseas in an in-depth and honest way.
   From his personal accounts of his courtship with his wife, to his time in England with both new and old friends, the book is made better by the fact that these are all REAL people that actually existed (and in many cases are still living) that makes this a truly special book to have.



3. This book starts out with the author staring out the open door of a C-47 on the night of June 5, 1944 and realizing that it was now too late to join the motor pool or become a cook. Like a lot of other youngsters, when he was drafted into the Army he decided that he wanted to be with America's best, and that was the paratroopers.
   
   I was glad to see this boook. There has been a lot written about the 101st in recent years and their defense at Bastogne including 'Band of Brothers,' the movie 'Battleground' and a bunch more. Much less well known is the action of the 82nd to hold the north shoulder and prevent the Germans from having more roads to use for their advance. Burns was there. He doesn't tell the big picture - there are a lot of books on the Battle of the Bulge. He tells his story from the bottom side. It looked different from a foxhole.
   
   The book is told in the form of a bunch of little stories, not a day by day diary. This makes it much more interesting, and I recommend it highly.



4. OK! This is one man's story about the "Oh Eight" the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (P.I.R.), 2nd Bn, Fox Co. Mr Burns jumped into France, Operation Neptune (D-Day) and Market-Garden (Holland) two jump stars earned the hard way. There are a lot of "soldiers stories" in the book, being with your buddies, goofing off, military life, as well as the stories about combat. Books like these put a human face on anonymous mens faces of black and white photos taken 60+ years ago. It shows they were pretty much the same as most young men, full of life and hopes and dreams, except their lives were forged in the fires of the Depression. It is a good read and a page turner, there are "flashback" type parts of the book, that may disagree with some readers. But I was most humbled and impressed by his story and the stories of other men I have met, ironically from Easy Co. 508th PIR, Mr Burns' sister Co to his own Fox Co. I am glad some of these men have told their story, because too many never have or got the chance to live long enough to. Thier story is told by rows of silent crosses in France, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Germany, and a thousand other lonely places where American boys fought and died. Read this book if you want to know the story of one man's journey through a pivotal time in human history.



5. I highly recommend this book. Dwayne Burns brings to life his memories from elite training as a paratrooper to his feelings and emotions of actually going into combat. Along the way, he shares his personal life stories and how all of this shaped the person he was to became. The incredible bond that paratroopers have which started in their training and lasts to this day is very inspiring. Reading this book reinforced my genuine thanks to these men that "Jumped Into the Valley of the Shadow" along with the rest of the "Greatest Generation" that helped bring peace back to this world in the uncertain time of WWII.

1 comments about The Complete Civil War Journal and Selected Letters of Thomas Wentworth Higginson.

1. Bravo to Christopher Looby for recognizing the importance of these diaries and bringing them to our attention. Higginson's thoughts and feelings about war and the men under his command unfold to portray a quiet hero. Against the dual backdrops of military horror and social conflict, Higginson's discussions of his men and his relationships with them are sensitive and surprising. Letters to his family offer an interesting glimpse of family roles while underscoring Higginson's essential humantity.

   Looby's notes provide thoughtful comment. Stunning job. This is an excellent book.

5 comments about The Revolutionary Career of Maximilien Robespierre.

1. This is perhaps the most really interesting biography of Robespierre yet written. It is a very fair treatment of a historical figure often misunderstood. Approaching Robespierre as a person who very consciously constructed himself is this book's strenth. Very smart and very readable.



2. BOOK REVIEW
   
   ROBESPIERRE,David Warden, Harper Books, New York 2003
   
   One of the enduring historical legends of the French Revolution is the tendency of historians and others to call the period of the reign of Robespierre, as the presiding genius of the Committee of Public Safety in 1793-94, the 'Reign of Terror'. That the domestic situation in France, and more especially its position in the bewildering status of European politics at the time, and the person of Robespierre himself were far more complex than that simple designation has only fairly recently become a decisive factor in historical studies of the revolution. The biography under review here is one example of the more reasoned approaches to the life and times of Robespierre. Although the author is clearly no admirer of Robespierre he is at least willing to give the devil his due, if only by comparison to the disastrous effects that later modern `dictators' have had on history. For those, like this reviewer, who see the work of Robespierre, Saint Just and the other workaholic members of the Committee of Public Safety as critical to the lasting effects of the French Revolution, that is, as an embryonic attempt at a 'Republic of Virtue', this is all that one can ask for.
   
   The author organizes his book around several themes and does a more than adequate job of presenting the social, economic, philosophical, literary and legal positions that influenced Robespierre over his career. Especially interesting and previously unknown to me were the possible influences of freemasonry, illuminism and rosicrucianism on the thought and actions of Robespierre in the course of his struggle for power. At this histroical distance it is, however, hard to judge the true effect of such beliefs on his judgements. Let us just leave it that in revolutionary times the odd and eccentric get a hearing that they would not get in more stable times. Including by leaders who would ordinarily dismiss such ideas and persons.
   
   Professor Warden also traces Robespierre's career into the law as one of the routes that the self-made revolutionaries of the period saw as a stepping stone to power;his early literary and philosophical proclivities, particularly his devotion to Rousseau; his rise into the revolutionary leadership as the revolution moved left; his reputation as the `incorruptible' man of personal virtue; his desire to create a reign of virtue; his personal mental and physical problems and their effect on his thoughts and actions; and, the inevitable controversy over the use of the death penalty and other repression laws to settle scores with real undying enemies and mere political opponents. This more well-rounded approach toward his life may not win Robespierre, an admittedly hard character to warm up to, more admiration. However, the approach has the virtue of at least changing the debate from one of the `axis of evil' to one of a mainly rational approach to the problems confronting French in the early 1790's not the least of which was how to deal with real internal and foreign counterrevolutionary plots and military actions. Other, lesser, men of the times broke their teeth trying to solve those problems as well.
   
   One of the major points that I have tried to emphasize in my study of the French Revolution is the formation of the initial `popular front' nature of the uprising and the subsequent breakup into its basic class components that has lessons for the situation in France and Western society today. For those who are unfamilar with the term- 'popular front', it is a poltical strategy that assumes the bulk of society have the same social and class interests. It is counterposed to the Marxian notion that the working class, independently, must lead society out of the morass that capitalism has put it in. In the France of 2007 that 'popular front' strategy is the favored one of the Socilist Party as it seeks the presidency of the Republic.
   
   The French Revolution as it moved left, a phenomena witnessed in all great revolutions, became less and less of a 'popular front', as we know it. Robespierre, it is clear, consciously made a decision to find support for his politics in the sans culottes masses of Paris. Others like Marat, the Hebertists and Babeuf also worked that same political vein. What makes Robespierre different from latter day revolutionaries like Marx, Lenin and Trotsky who like Robespierre were also not from the working classes was that he was driven by the revolution itself into his position in defense of the lower classes whereas the later mentioned revolutionaries were won to working class politics well before hand. That, among other things, may help explain why when Robespierre and his supporters were overthrown his support literally evaporated and the denigration of his reputation as a `terrorist' began.
   Read this book for more insights on this question.



3. Even if this biography of Robespierre is more nuanced than many, it is still written in the critical tradition of studies on the man. While Jordan writes in a manner that does rely on facts (unlike many other, especially past, historians), he tends to put the worst construction on any actions of Robespierre's, and doesn't give him a chance. As I have found to be the case with most English-language biographies of Robespierre, his view of Robespierre and the other revolutionaries can only properly be described as condescending; refusing to seriously consider the circumstances of the times, he judges the actions of the revolutionaries not in context, but with the hindsight of the 20th century.
   
   Jordan clearly brings his prejudices with him in the writing of the book; despite having looked at the facts he still remains mired in the close-minded Anglo-American mindset in which works like the Scarlet Pimpernel have long thrived. Perhaps his views may best be described by the first paragraph of his essay from the collection of essays, Robespierre, edited by Colin Haydon and William Doyle, in which he describes Robespierre as "unworldly, resentful, vain, egotistical, susceptible to flattery, contemptuous of or indifferent to all the social pleasures except conversation, guarded and suspicious... inflexible, unforgiving, ill at ease in public, secretive, stiff and pedantic as a speaker (with an unpleasing and not very powerful voice), lacking the common touch, preoccupied... annoyingly fastidious, adroit and closely focused rather than original, prone to substitute Jacobin rhetorical formulae for logical steps, obsessively self-regarding... etc." He refuses to give credit where credit is due (but for a passage in which he grudgingly admits that Robespierre was not bloodthirsty, but takes every possible opportunity to snipe at the historical figure's character.
   
   That said, The Revolutionary Career of Maximilien Robespierre is well-written and an interesting and informative read. Just don't mistake it for a neutral account.



4. This book is the best political biography book I have ever read. When you read this book you feel that you listen and talk to Robesspirre the incorruptable. For any one interested in this great man and the French Revolution this book is the way to start.



5. For all those who consider Robespierre the embodiment of "The Terror" and the personification of all the evils of the French Revolution, this book is not for you. David Jordan presents quite a different take on the self-styled "Incorruptible" and although he presents his case well, it's a familiar technique to make a bad guy look good. There's no doubt that the Thermidorians who were responsible for Robespierre's fall from power were as bad as he was and their hands were assuredly covered in blood. However, that certainly doesn't exonerate Robespierre for the outragous excesses that he and his committee were responible for. Robespierre was a man who's idealism ran amok and who lost sight of the reasons to have those ideas in the first place. His "ends justifying the means" mentality purposely and with great malice led France into the abyss in 1794 and the only way to reverse the trend was for his own quick and ruthless demise.
   The false historians who made Robespierre into the only monster of this time are certainly misleading and inaccurate. His contemporaries such as Danton, Hebert, Desmoulins and the rest were hypocrites and deservedly suffered the same fate as most in those days: the guillotine. Nonetheless, their devious behavior shouldn't cloud the fact that Robespierre was as guilty as the rest of them and responsible for many innocent deaths all in the name of his so-called virtue. David Jordan may be somewhat correct in his assessment that, at least early on, Robespierre acted merely for the people and was not interested in his own personal power. Unfortunately, as the Terror continued, Robespierre's magnanimous attitude diminished and was replaced by his ever-growing ego and paranoia. For all of Jordan's arguments regarding this man, one simple fact eludes him totally: the Great Terror ended with the execution of Robespierre and his followers. And it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

No comments about Men of the Rifles: The Reminiscences of Thomas Knight of the 95th (Rifles) by Thomas Knight; Henry Curling's Anecdotes by Henry Curling & The Field Services ... its Formation to Waterloo by Jonathan Leach.

2 comments about Through Ordinary Eyes: The Civil War Correspondence of Rufus Robbins, Private, 7th Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers.

1. The composure of the novel breathes life into such a dramatic event of U.S. History. 'Through Ordinary Eyes' makes not only the war itself, but the surrounding aspects of family life and personal hardships, understandable and reachable to its readers. Throughout history, war has been battlegrounds for the ordinary persons. This historical recap speaks from the life of not a highly positioned general, but only an average private. As a reader, we are allowed into the personal battle of one private while gaining an overall appreciation for the time and all that it encompasses. Wonderful depth and insight!



2. I have read many books dealing with the Civil War. This book is reminiscent of James MacPhearson's book Why We Fought.

   The book is most revealing because not only does it provide primary sources (letters from a soldier to his family over a fifteen-month time span), but also it has response letters from his family, revealing the concerns, sacrifices and dedication of both those at the battles and those at home. It provides us with a window on military history and mid-nineteenth century society.

2 comments about Inside the Battle of the Bulge: A Private Comes of Age.

1. Inside the Battle of the Bulge is a must read for any one interested in personal accounts of WWII veterans. Blunt provides an honest first hand account of his days as a front line soldier fighting in the final months of the war. His recollections are vivid and touching. He is able to relate relative highs and unimaginable lows in a very, very impressive fashion. His accounts of passing through Belgian cities once occupied by Nazi forces are breathtaking. His memoirs of passing through the Nazi deathcamps is gut wrenching. This is really just a terrific read of a momentous and historical event.



2. "Inside The Battle Of The Bulge", by Roscoe C. Blunt, Jr. Westport, CT, Praeger, 1994.

   If you are looking for a book that tells the story of the Battle of the Bulge, (Dec, 1944), without listing a lot of movements of this numbered division against that Panzer group, and if you are looking for a more personal and human history of the battle, then Private Blount's memoirs are for you. The sub-title of this book is, "A Private Comes Of Age". The author traces not only his march across Europe, from the logistical landing at Normandy (after the battle) up to the 84th Infantry Division's reaching the Elbe River, but also the lessons he learned about man's inhumanity to man. He grew up in the European campaign.

   Unlike similar personal history books, the author presents an extra added attraction: records of the reactions of German soldiers and civilians. Young Blount had learned German in high school, so this personal memoir, written from notes he had made fifty years ago, is filled with comments from German soldiers and civilians. For example, there are some entertaining memories such as a short and chubby German woman who berated the advancing American troops, until Blount smacked her on the behind with the stock of his M-1. On the serious side, Private Blount describes in vivid detail the wounds suffered by both American and German soldiers, and how it was possible to become insensitive to such suffering. His description, however, of the concentration camp victims at "Nord Stalag III, Ohrdruf, is heart rending, on pages 173-174.

   The author pulls no punches in describing the officers of the American army. In fact, his account of some incidents, such as the lieutenant being awarded a Bronze Star, while not even mentioning the efforts of Pvt. Blount in destroying an enemy tank , makes you wonder if the country should shut down West Point. Further, his narrative of his court martial for fraternization with the Germans (since he was able to speak German) makes you wonder about the commonsense of some of the officers of the time.

   Over the last fifty or so years, Roscoe Blount has been "an award winning investigative journalist", (according to the back flap of the book cover), so the writing in this book is excellent. I would recommend this book to any one seeking a glimpse of how it was in the American army in Europe during the last crucial year of the war.