A fascinating memoir of the authors experiences in the years leading up to, and during, the Second World War.
Taking us first through his childhood exA fascinating memoir of the authors experiences in the years leading up to, and during, the Second World War.
Taking us first through his childhood experiences of the vagiaries of Polish political and military life pre-war, his experiences during the German and Russian invasions of Poland and live under occupation proved to be the most interesting parts of the book for me. Russian occupation proving to be relatively benign - unless you were one of the intelligentsia - and consisting mainly of being forced to learn the Internationale when compared to the murderous tendencies of German occupation.
The real focus of the book, however, is Andrew's experiences as a boy soldier during the Warsaw Rising of mid 1944 and he is profoundly unsparing is his description of the brutality of the German response to this action, as well add grateful for the small help provided by the British and Americans and mildly critical of the Soviet response.
It's a fascinating perspective on a terrible time in history, witty and well written and deserving of a look from anyone interested in the period or the country. ...more
Yet another foray into military science fiction, this time from the slightly more tongue in cheek side of the Black Library. The eponymous Comissar (yYet another foray into military science fiction, this time from the slightly more tongue in cheek side of the Black Library. The eponymous Comissar (yes, think those cheery Stalinist types, although our hero's own sense of self preservation steers him wrote resolutely away from any such excesses) fumbles his way through three novels and an equal number of short, backstory filing short stories. Aided and abetted by his ever loyal, rarely thinking and terminally malodorous aide Jurgen, with occasional aid from the Imperial Inquisition, it's a light-hearted sci-fi homage to George McDonald Fraser's Flashman series, well written with enough of a sense of irony regarding its setting to be entertaining, although I do have my doubts as to the ongoing longevity of the series....more
A dense, detailed examination of the British and Polish stand on the North bank of the Rhine and the factors leading to the operation's ultimate failuA dense, detailed examination of the British and Polish stand on the North bank of the Rhine and the factors leading to the operation's ultimate failure; other actions in the Airborne Corridor are examined, but only where they impact on the battles in Arnhem and Oosterbeek -follow the title, not the strapline!
Given the outcome of the operation, rounds of the blame game are inevitable, and Mr Buckingham's arguments on this are well thought through and supported, as well as being interesting and persuasive. His final conclusion is also satisfying and similarly well written.
Also satisfying, from a personal point of view, is the degree of myth busting which is undertaken - on both Allied and German sides of the fence- and the degree of detail in both research and writing is breathtaking. No misgivings with this book that the tale has been told so many times before!
An excellent example of how to write a full narrative history. At times it was all too easy to picture the exhausted, battered Paras in their foxholes under unanswerable German artillery fire giving their all....more
On a late summer night in 1943, RAF Bomber Command launched an unprecedented attack on a small target on Germany's north eastern coast. The target wasOn a late summer night in 1943, RAF Bomber Command launched an unprecedented attack on a small target on Germany's north eastern coast. The target was considered so important that, if the attack failed, repeat attacks would have to be made, regardless of casualties.
The target was the Wehrmacht research station at Peenemunde, where Werner von Braun and his team were putting the V-2 missile into production. Mr Middlebrook has produced an account of the raid which encompasses a brief overview of the Nazi rocket programme, the story of the detection of the facility and Britain's reaction to this (easily the most interesting part of the book), as well as an examination of the raid from the viewpoint of the raiders, the defenders and the people on the ground, under the bombs.
Some interesting points arise from the account, such as a number of innovations trialled by Bomber Command, such as the use of a Master Bomber to control the raid, and an attempt by part of the force to bomb using timed releases from an offset navigational point (potentially useful as the target enjoyed smoke generators in their defence).
Also of particular interest was the near failure of the Luftwaffe night fighter force, which responded to a diversionary attack on Berlin by a small force if Mosquitos and spent much of the night waiting for a Main Force raid on the capital which never arrived. That any fighters at all opposed the raid was the result of independent action on the part of individual crews.
The effectiveness of the raid is also examined and, while attack is thought to have delayed the deployment of the V-2 by some eight weeks, this was a significant period of time in terms of events - V-2 strikes on forces assembling four the invasion of Europe could have had wide ranging effects.
An interesting look at a unique raid and two opposing forces in the middle of the night air war. Recommended for anyone interested in World War Two aviation....more
Much criticism has been poured on to the Allied efforts in Normandy, but this has often been made by armchair historians too quick to be dazzled by raMuch criticism has been poured on to the Allied efforts in Normandy, but this has often been made by armchair historians too quick to be dazzled by rapid-firing machine guns, big tanks, fiendish anti-tank guns and the supposed tactical acuity of the Germans. The British and Canadians have been blamed for being too stodgy, too ponderous and too scared to take risks. Even the Americans have come under the cosh for unimaginative tactics and for being too slow in the hedgerows. This criticism is, however, both misplaced and unfair. For all the Allies’ fire-power and incredible logistics arm, it was the infantry and the armour who had to take most of the ground and no one can justifiably criticize these men – mostly conscripts from democratic countries rather than from totalitarian militaristic states – for being slow. The risks were simply enormous, the sacrifice immense. The Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry, for example, lost 44 officers even though the full establishment was only 36. A further 175 men of other ranks were lost from 200 in tanks in the regiment during the Normandy campaign. The 116th Infantry lost 100 per cent of its fighting strength. The incredible conveyor belt of replacements kept them going, but these units in the front line in Normandy suffered appallingly. Of course mistakes were made, and different decisions might have made a difference, but, on the whole, these citizen armies performed incredibly well.
James Holland's "warts and all" examination of D-Day and the subsequent Normandy Campaign expands on the themes applied in the first two books of his War In The West series, and his examination of the air war, Big Week; namely that a proper examination of a campaign needs to look beyond the purely personal history (which has a tenancy to promote the "cult of the ace" and the primacy of certain weapons systems) and examine the operational level of warfare, which means that this book goes beyond Paratroops, tanks and 88's and includes testimony from medical staff, and examinations of strategy and how this has coloured popular perception of the campaign.
While all the usual incidents of the campaign are present, from Montgomery's "interesting" personality to the oft-told incident in Villers-Bocage, but are viewed through a prism of grand strategy; hence there is a degree of myth-busting (and not before time) in amongst the tale of German forces battering themselves to oblivion against the brick wall of British and U.S. forces. Innovations in tactics and logistics are also discussed, and their implications in both long and short terms.
This is an important text, recommended to anyone interested in World War Two in general, or the Normandy Campaign in particular. It is extremely readable, has a interesting message and will certainly provoke thought and, hopefully, some debate, as well as going a long way to setting the record straight on the Allies' performance 75 years ago. Highly recommended.
The following day, Thursday, 13 July, the New York Times reporter Hanson Baldwin arrived at Bradley’s headquarters and proceeded to lecture Chet Hansen and other staff, making little effort to conceal his contempt for the Allies’ limited progress inland. ‘Disregarding the bocage country we fight in,’ noted Hansen, ‘and the terrain which hinders our movements, the swamps which canalize our advance, the lack of space in which to maneuver and the necessity for build-up before we break out, he asks why we haven’t gone more quickly.’ Hansen was quite right to feel indignant. Baldwin was doing what others back in England were doing: looking at a two-dimensional map and comparing the Normandy battle with that raging on the Eastern Front, where the rapid Soviet advances had already cost the Red Army hundreds of thousands of casualties – the kind of losses that could only be absorbed by a totalitarian regime like that of Stalin’s, where the lives of his men counted for nothing. The democratic Allies, with their conscript armies, were simply not going to squander the lives of their young boys so recklessly, and their commanders and war leaders were better people for taking this approach. Huge materiel support was the way to go, with ever-improving technology and tactics. For all Baldwin’s contemptible and arrogant lecturing, the Allied way was working. If Eisenhower, Montgomery, Bradley and others could have been flies on the walls within the HQs and command posts of their adversaries, they would have taken great heart. The dam had not broken yet, and there were still disappointments to come over the course of the next week, but they were close....more