Enigma: The Battle for the Code

Book Description

ACCLAIM FOR ENIGMA

“CRACKING STUFF…VIVID AND HITHERTO UNKNOWN DETAILS.” – Sunday Times (London)

“IN A CROWD OF BOOKS DEALING WITH THE ALLIED BREAKING OF THE WORLD WAR II CIPHER MACHINE ENIGMA, HUGH SEBAG-MONTEFIORE HAS SCORED A SCOOP.” – Washington Post

Winston Churchill called the cracking of the German Enigma Code “the secret weapon that won the war.” Now, for the first time, noted British journalist Hugh-Sebag-Montefiore reveals the complete story of the breaking of the code by the Allies—the breaking that played a crucial role in the outcome of World War II.

This fascinating account relates the never-before-told, hair-raising stories of the heroic British and American sailors, spies, and secret agents who faced death in order to capture vital codebooks from sinking ships and snatch them from under the noses of Nazi officials. Sebag-Montefiore also relates new details about the genesis of the code, little-known facts about how the Poles first cracked the Luftwaffe’s version of the code (and then passed it along to the British), and the feverish activities at Bletchley Park, Based in part on documents recently unearthed from American and British archives—including previously confidential government files—and in part on unforgettable, firsthand accounts of surviving witnesses, Enigma unearths the stunning truth about the brilliant piece of decryption that changed history.

Download Description

Most histories of the cracking of the Enigma code focus on the work done by the codebreakers at Bletchley Park, Britain's famous counterintelligence station. In addition to providing new details about the genesis of the code and the activities at Bletchley, Enigma tells, for the first time, the hair-raising stories of those who put their lives on the line to give the codebreakers the materials they needed. While researching the book, noted British journalist Hugh Sebag-Montefiore tracked down many of the surviving players in the Enigma drama. These witnesses-some of them speaking on the record for the first time-provide unforgettable firsthand accounts, including gripping stories of the secret agents, naval officers, and ordinary seamen who faced death in order to snatch vital codebooks from under the noses of Nazi officials and from sinking ships.

Customer Reviews:

Good but not great history of cracking the naval enigma.......2007-05-06

Without a doubt the Allies' cracking the German enigma is one of the greatest, and perhaps the deciding, accomplishment of World War Two. Winston Churchill called the cryptanalysts at Bletchley Park the geese who consistently laid golden eggs, without ever cackling.

This history of the battle to break the naval enigma is a good book; thorough, well-researched, not excessively tedious (because the technical details are relegated to appendices.) All the same, I found the book to be akin to reading a corporate history; the capture of U-boats and other boats with code books, the sinking of ships, and betrayal of secrets becomes repetitive. If this really interests you, you'll really like the book. Alas, I think that a good book could have been a great book if it had also gone into further detail than to simply mention that the Germans had also cracked some of the Allies' naval codes.

Crypto and history buffs will enjoy this book; the less enthusiastic will probably find it a slog.

Great writing, but limited mainly to Navy Enigma.......2006-04-24

Mr Sebag-Montefiore is an excellent story teller. It is diffcult to put this book aside.

In contrast to other books on Enigma the technical details of the breaking are given in Appendixes, which makes reading easier. This is a very good idea.

My only qualm is that the story is mainly that of the navy Enigma. Little is devoted to the air force and army Enigma, which is a pity.

A blow-by-blow account.......2004-08-03

The Ultra secret was kept for a long time after WWII. Recently declassified, it was the Allied code name for the Enigma ciphering system used by the Germans to coordinate U-boat attacks, to gather weather reports and intellegence, etc. This book is interesting in that the author gives ample space to the sailors and intellegence officers that gathered hard data, often from sinking U-boats, instead of focussing exclusively on the technical work performed at Bletchley Park. The result is an action-packed account that speeds through the material, while giving the reader a glimpse at the personalities and actions of the people responsible for solving the Enigma.

The book is arranged roughly chronologically, but Sebag-Montefiore divides his chapters into subject areas that span months at a time. This makes for a better flow. Therefore, the book backtracks from time-to-time, but it is never confusing, due to the skill of the author (and his editor). Oft-neglected episodes are included, much to the benefit of the book - because the U.S. and Britain were the two largest Allied powers, many books overlook contributions by other nations. Not so with this book - the Polish codebreakers that originally duplicated the Enigma and broke the peacetime ciphers are given more space than the celebrated Alan Turing. Likewise, the Canadian contribution to convoy duty (and therefore U-boat hunting and intellegence gathering from sinking U-boats) is given its rightful share of space.

The author wisely keeps the pace moving with events and doesn't allow the narrative to bog down in technical descriptions of the deciphering procedures. These procedures are gathered as appendices at the end of the book. The appendices are not great - they are descriptive without going into the mathematical detail, and therefore come across as "hand-waving." Luckily this difficulty does not detract from the main part of the book, so is not a fatal flaw, but those looking for a technical explanation should look elsewhere.

The Whole Story.......2004-04-14

"Enigma" by Hugh Sebag-Montefiore is an up-to-date look at the history of the cracking of the code, from the initial efforts in Poland through the final changes the German's made in May of 1945. The most impressive thing about this book is how comprehensive it is. The author covers all of the aspects of the code-breaking effort. Including some of the technical details involved in breaking the code, the personalities of those involved, the stories of their efforts to capture code books and equipment, and the effects that their efforts had on the war. The book is arranged in chronological order, with appendixes provided to give more of the detail of the technical aspects. The epilogue includes a wrap-up of what happened to the major participants after the war. This is a very worthwhile read for anyone interested in World War II and Enigma.

The other story of the breaking of Enigma.......2003-10-05

Whereas many other books concerned with Enigma have concentrated on the work of the cryptanalysts of Bletchley Park this deals with those other people crucial to the effort. The seamen of the Royal Navy, secret agents, Polish cryptanalysts and ironically the Germans.

If you are after the technical details of how Enigma worked and how it was cracked then don't get this book. But if you are interested in reading a gripping account of the events surrounding the Battle for the Code and the consequences thereof then this is a must.

Book Description

Wednesday 22 January 1879 was one of the most dramatic days in the annals of military history. In the morning, a modern British army was swept aside by the onset of a seemingly unstoppable Zulu host at Isandlwana. Nearby, at a remote border outpost on the Buffalo River, a single company of the 24th Regiment and a few dozen recuperating hospital patients were passing another hot, monotonous day. News of the disaster across the river came like a bolt from the blue. Retreat was not an option. It seemed certain that the Rorke's Drift detachment would share the terrible fate of their comrades. Following on from How Can Man Die Better, Colonel Snook brings the insights of a military professional to bear in this strikingly original account. It is an extraordinary tale a victory largely achieved by the sheer bloody-mindedness in adversity of the British infantryman, fighting at the remarkable odds of over thirty to one. The heroics of all eleven VC winners are recounted in detail, and we are offered new insights into how the Zulu attack unfolded and how 150 men achieved their improbable victory. The author describes the remainder of the war, from the recovery of the lost Queen's Colour of the 24th to the climactic charge of the 17th Lancers at Ulundi. We return to Isandlwana to consider culpability, and learn of the often tragic fates of many of the war's participants. Like Wolves is a remarkable work, and the author's unbridled respect for the fighting qualities of British soldier and his abiding affection for the Zulu people shines through.

Customer Reviews:

You Mean They Didn't Really Sing 'Men of Harlech'?.......2007-08-08

Rorke's Drift was a heroically fought but pointless battle in a savagely waged but peripheral war, the ill-conceived invasion in 1879 of Zululand by a small British Army under Lord Chelmsford, known to history as the Anglo-Zulu War. Snook, a serving officer in the modern regiment descended from the 1st / 24th regiment that defended Rorke's Drift, provides an exhaustive and detailed monograph on the battle.

Though as a general reader I would not know if Snook made factual or interpretive errors, his study seems impressively and meticulously researched and he writes well, sometimes stirringly. Indeed, the middle third of the book, which tells the almost incredible story of how a group of 139+ British soldiers, a quarter of them sick, successfully fought off repeated attacks by approximately 3,000 - 4,500 Zulus, makes for compelling and absorbing reading. Although writing exclusively from the British viewpoint (there are no Zulu written sources, after all), he tells a little about the Zulu command structure and commanders and shows admiration for the fighting qualities of Zulu warriors. I also liked that he decries war rather than glorifies it: ultimately, this tribute to the bravery of the heroes of Rorke's Drift concludes by making the timely point that their story 'epitomise[s] the folly of waging war except as a genuine measure of last resort.' I agree.

The book has lovely color plates, and good maps of the Rorke's Drift mission itself. One other great feature of the book is its extensive appendices, which include rosters of the soldiers who fought at Rorke's Drift and some firsthand accounts, as well as Chard's report to Queen Victoria, and an analysis of the battlefield. Good stuff for the research historian.

The main reason I even knew anything, prior to reading this book, about Rorke's Drift was Stanley Baker's great 1964 movie about it, which of course contains numerous instances of artistic license (e.g., sadly there was no inspiring rendition of 'Men of Harlech,' no 'saluting of fellow braves,' etc.); indeed I was surprised to learn that the movie gets a few things quite wrong (Harry Hook was not a dissolute malingerer, but a clean-living teetotaler, for instance). In contrast to the film which depicts mass charges of Zulu impis wielding assegais and cowhide shields, Snook shows that many of the Zulus had muskets, though they didn't know how to sight them well, and jumped from cover to cover. In addition, the movie shows the British soldiers often using mass volleys of rifle fire, which Snook argues was ahistorical.

Why not 5 stars? I found it a little irritating that, despite the subtitle, much of the book focuses on the Battle of Isandlwana, the disaster that took place earlier on Jan.22 of which Rorke's Drift was the aftermath. Snook even devotes much of his post-mortem discussion to allocating blame for the Isandlwana debacle.

I also found the discussion of blame somewhat beside the point: Chelmsford was not even at Isandlwana, and the subsequent imperial government inquiry that fixed blame on him obviously needed a scapegoat for the disaster. Ultimately, Chelmsford's error was to have a mindset -- underestimating the Zulus' fighting abilities -- that was probably shared by much of the British leadership. Moreover, Chelmsford was the victor at the battle (Ulundi) that ended the war, and neither his peers nor Snook give him much credit for this achievement. Steeped as he is in the ethos of the British military establishment, Snook agrees with the verdict of the government inquiry. I think there is some room at least for disagreement.

I made the mistake of tackling this book without reading Snook's earlier volume on Isandlwana, How Can Men Die Better, and consequently found the substantial portion of this book that treats Isandlwana and its aftermath difficult to follow. I believe I would have enjoyed and understood more if I had read that volume first, so I would recommend doing that before reading this book if you are not already knowledgeable about the Battle of Isandlwana.

Overall, though, there is no denying that Snook has written an essential book for anyone who wants to understand this sanguinary episode in the history of British arms. Snook's study is probably destined to be a definitive treatment of Rorke's Drift.

a nice follow-up...........2007-07-04

This book proves to be a nice follow-up to Snook's previous effort, How Can Man Die Better which covers the Battle of Isandlwana. This book covers the Defense of Rorke's Defense where a single company of the 24th Regiment held off the Zulu forces many times their strength.

Rorke's Drift is one of these battles of which many books have already been written about and this one proves to be quite readable, very well researched and in a typical style of the author, you feel at times that you are in there with the troops. It doesn't say anything truly new here but it does add fresh perception to the battle and the author enjoyed on few occasions to compared the real account with the film account, Zulu, starring Stanley Baker and Michael Caine. The book also gives a great insight into the soldiers who fought with such desperation. The narrative was often "hero oriented" in telling. Zulu side was also present but limited in form. The heart and soul of this book lies in the retelling of the Rorke's Drift from the Anglo-centric point of view. Although the account of the battle proves to be bit on the short side, it was clearly written and easy to follow. Unlike one of the previous reviewers, I thought the author's prose was quite good and passage flows very nicely.

The book come well illustrated with diagrams of Rorke's Drift that reflects very nicely on the battle. There are quite a few photographs and color paintings that also proves to be quite good.

But in all honesty, if I had to choose one book on Rorke's Drift, it probably won't be this one. I would choose Adrian Greaves' Rorke's Drift book which is far more detailed, superior in-depth book on the subject. Snook's book is good and worthy of the four stars but it been done before. I think one of the main weaknesses of the book lies with the fact that Snook didn't spend that much on battle itself. There are considerable amount of material in the book that dealt with Isandlwana, rest of the Zulu Wars and so forth. Personally, I would prefer a book about Rorke's Drift to be about Rorke's Drift.

In conclusion, I would recommended this book to any reader interested in the early stages of the Zulu War even if it may not be the best book on the subject.

Excellent book...highly recommended.......2007-05-16

This book should be required reading for anyone interested in the Anglo-Zulu War. Not only does Lt. Col. Snook explain in great detail the events of the defense of Rorke's Drift in great detail but he also brings to life the men who were involved in this climactic battle. This is a ground breaking book which sheds light on a little known yet amazing occurence in military history. Unlike the other historians who have written on this battle Lt. Col. Snook has researched The Battle of Rorke's Drift in depth and his work over the years shows itself on every page. 'Like Wolves on the Fold' builds upon Snook's other book 'How Can Man Die Better' and both when read one after the other form an excellent and essential history on the AZW. As a military historian I highly recommend them both.

Not for the general reader.......2007-02-17

LWotF is an almost minute-by-minute account of the battle of Rorke's Drift. While militarily insignificant, the story of this small battle was much popularized by the 1964 movie "Zulu" (which is still pretty good, even in light of the special effects of today's big-battle productions).

The extent of the research is impressive but the book is a dry read. I suppose one can only do so much with so narrow a topic. I believe the author is the official historian of the particular British regiment involved, so he has a pretty targeted audience. Personally, I would have prefered a more complete discussion, placing the battle in its wider historical context.

If you're looking to understand the Zulu Wars or British colonial history in Africa, look elsewhere. If, for some reason, you have a particularized interest in this specific historical footnote of an event (or if you're interested in knowing how accurate the movie was), then this is the book for you.

Custer should have been so lucky.......2007-01-27

On Wednesday morning, January 22, 1879, the 1st Battalion and most of the 2nd of the British 24th Regiment of Foot was wiped about by a Zulu army at Isandlwana in South Africa. (This battle is covered in Lieutenant Colonel Mike Snook's book, HOW CAN MAN DIE BETTER.)

After Isandlwana, the victorious tribesmen swarmed on several miles to the missionary compound, comprising a residence/hospital and storehouse, at Rorke's Drift. Here, for five hours in the late afternoon and evening of January 22nd, 154 remnant troops of the 2nd/24th successfully held off a siege by some 4,500 assailants. This stalwart defense, the crowning glory in the history of the 24th (now the Royal Regiment of Wales), is the subject of LIKE WOLVES ON THE FOLD, also by Snook.

I'm no expert on such narratives, but this book seems to me to be as exemplary an account of a small unit defensive action as one can find anywhere. Based on after-action reports and participants' memoirs, it's of the sort I would have expected from Custer and his 7th Cavalry troopers, or the Alamo defenders, or the 300 Spartans of Thermopylae, had any of these heroic bands had the good fortune to survive. But at Rorke's Drift, luck had little to do with it - just gritty determination, an adequate supply of ammo, inspired leadership from Lieutenants John Chard and Gonville Bromhead, and not just a little desperation; they were surrounded.

The volume includes a commendable 33-page section of photographs and painting reproductions. There are also several excellent drawings of the Rorke's Drift compound at various stages of the battle, each showing the direction of the Zulu attacks against a defense wall hastily constructed of 200-lb mealie-bags and 100-lb cases of hardtack and tinned bully beef - a perimeter that contracted and changed shape several times during the course of the siege as Chard and Bromhead found it necessary to withdraw and regroup their men in the face of ferocious assaults. Indeed, about halfway through the ordeal, the hospital was set aflame and had to be evacuated under fire.

The narrative of the 24th's gallant stand comprises the first half the book and is the most riveting part. The remaining, more staid chapters concern themselves with the outcome of the Anglo-Zulu War, the assignment of responsibility for the Isandlwana debacle, and the post-war careers of the principle British and Zulu combatants, particularly the eleven British defenders of Rorke's Drift who were honored with the Empire's highest award for valor, the Victoria Cross - the most ever awarded in British military history for a single action.

The story told by LIKE WOLVES ON THE FOLD illustrates the British "stiff upper lip" at its stiffest. The Empire and the Queen Empress were privileged to have such men in their service.

Tail-End Charlies: The Last Battles of the Bomber War, 1944--45

Average customer rating:

Tail End Charlies
Very Good Account of RAF in WWII
Good Information Poorly Ordered and Edited
Splendid Book on World War II Strategic Bombing.
Excellent

Tail-End Charlies: The Last Battles of the Bomber War, 1944--45
John Nichol , and Tony Rennell
Manufacturer: Thomas Dunne Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0312349874
Release Date: 2006-05-16

Book Description

Night after night they stifled their fears and flew through flak and packs of enemy fighters to drop the bombs that would demolish the Third Reich. The airmen of the United States 8th Army Air ForceAmerican and British Bomber Command were among the greatest heroes of the Second World War, defying Hitler in the darkest early days of the war and taking the battle to the German homeland when no one else would.
Toward the end of the conflict, too, they continued to sacrifice their lives to shatter an enemy sworn never to surrender. Blasted out of the sky in an instant or bailing out from burning aircraft to drop helplessly into hostile hands, they would die in their tens of thousands to ensure the enemy’s defeat. Especially vulnerable were the “tail-end Charlies”---for the Americans, which meant two things: the gunners who flew countless missions in a plexiglass bubble at the back of the bomber, and the last bomber in the formation who ended up flying through the most hell, and for the British, the rear-gunners who flew operations in a Plexiglas bubble at the back of the bomber.
Following their groundbreaking revelations about the ordeals suffered by Allied prisoners of war in their bestselling book, The Last Escape, John Nichol and Tony Rennell tell the astonishing and deeply moving story of the controversial last battles in the skies of Germany through the eyes of the forgotten heroes who fought them.

“This is the best account that has been written of the heroic American and British bomber crews . . . the best of its kind.”
---George McGovern

“Rivaling the best of Stephen Ambrose’s work, Tail-End Charlies gives a breathtakingly intimate look at the lives, loves, and deaths of the brave airmen of the greatest generation. This fascinating book is as valuable for its stories of joyous life on the ground as it is for its sobering tales of death in the air. You see the whole picture of the war here from the eyes of the strong young men who fought it.”
---Walter J. Boyne, bestselling author of Beyond the Wild Blue

“Adds new dimensions to the saga of the air war in Europe. The eyewitness accounts, reported within the context of the battle against Nazi Germany, provide a sense of the ordeals, the terror, the gore, and the heroism of ordinary men thrust into the savagery of aerial combat.”
---Gerald Astor, author of The Mighty Eighth

Customer Reviews:

Tail End Charlies.......2007-02-18

Great read. My son is reading now. You get a new appreciation for what these young men did in WW II.
The author relates so many great previously untold stories. As this generation of people passes, this book will become more important to tell their story.

Very Good Account of RAF in WWII.......2007-01-09

I bought this book for my dad who was a tail-gunner in WWII, stationed in England. He really enjoyed this account but thought it focused more on the Royal Air Force, RAF, than the US Army Air Corp. He enjoyed learning about what went on prior to him being stationed in England and could easily relate to the stories.

Good Information Poorly Ordered and Edited.......2007-01-08

While I enjoyed most of the stories in this book, the order in which they were presented was confusing, and detracted being able to form a cohesive picture of the message the author was trying to convey.

Splendid Book on World War II Strategic Bombing........2006-08-20

The best book on the history of World War II that I've read in a long time.

The title has three meanings:

1. It can refer to the gunner at the back of a bomber. The Brits called these people 'Rear Gunners.' The Yanks used the term 'Tail Gunner.' It's the most dangerous position in the plane.

2. The last plane in the formation. This was more true in the American Combat Box than in British usage. This position is difficult to hold because it is at the end of a string and every move by the lead ship propagates irregularily through the formation. It is also more dangerous as enemy fighters can attack this ship more easily since there aren't so many guns pointing that direction.

3. It can refer to the bombing missions near the end of the war.

This splendid book covers all three of these meanings. In addition it does an excellent job of discussing the power and importance of air power in the defeat of Germany.

Excellent.......2006-07-27

This is an excellent book covering the bomber war over Europe in the final two years of World War II. It is authored by two more recent RAF veterans and the book is simply outstanding.

The first part of the book talks about the experience of being in the bombers as they raided Nazi occupied Europe. It relies heavily on first person accounts, which make the reading fascinating. Everything is woven together to give a sense of training, flying, and dying in the bombers of Bomber Command and the Eighth Air Force.

The first part is based more on selected topics - on the experience itself. The second part of the book turns to operations from D-Day to the end of the war, including an excellent treatment on the controversy surrounding the decision to bomb Dresden.

The book tries to discuss both the British and American experience of the bomber war and while it relates experiences that both nationalities would probably share, it does focus more on Bomber Command than it does on the Eighth. This is in itself though is interesting as I knew little of the British experience and have been impressed by their resolve in prosecuting the war for so many years.

This is a great book to read - hard to put it down. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about the final years of the strategic bombing of Germany and are interested in the experiences of the average Allied airman.

Average customer rating:

The Very Sharp Point
The Very Sharp Point
A Major Disappointment
The Commonwealth Omaha Beach......
The Toughest Fighting in Normandy

The Bloody Battle for Tilly
Ken Tout
Manufacturer: Sutton Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

World War I | Military | History | Subjects | Books

A Fine Night for Tanks

ASIN: 0750924756

Book Description

This sequel to A Fine Night for Tanks focuses on the bitter infantry travail around the fortified villages south of Caen. The Canadians made five attempts to capture Tilly before the Scottish Seaforths eventually fought their way in.

Customer Reviews:

The Very Sharp Point.......2002-07-26

While the Americans were engaging in a War of movement to envelop the bulk of the German forces in Normandy at Falaise the Canadians and the British were tasked with engaging the main German strength in Normandy. To keep the majority, and the best, fighting units of the German army from turning to block the American advance. Montgomery therefore had to push hard enough to keep German strategic minds on the area south of Caen. In the battle that followed hardened Panzer Grenadier, and SS Divisions lead by the most seasoned, battle-trained officers in the history of warfare fought against fresh-faced Canadian volunteer regiments getting their first taste of battle. In some units the casualties approached those their father's regiments had suffered in World War I.

Although the allies had superlative artillery support and control of the air, they faced an amazing disparity in other equipment: German arms were simply better and fired more quickly, more accurately and with a hitting power that could not be equalled in the immediate Normandy arsenal of the allies. The Tiger tank and the 88mm anti-aircraft-[gun]-anti-tank gun riegned supreme. In commanding positions, direct assaults on German postions around Tilly-la-Campagne garnered a frightfull harvest of death. Whole regiments were wiped out and Tout describes it with the eye of a survivor (Tout served in the Royal Armoured Corps during the Normandy battles).

He gives a good account of the Canadian action and recounts the battle honours of some of the oldest Canadian Highland and French-Canadian Regiments. He describes the relentless charge into Hell across Norman wheatfields of the Canadian Black Watch Regiment and its sudsequent annihilation. The unsuccessful and confusing night attack on Tilly by the North Nova Scotia Highlanders and the deadly game of cat and mouse played in abandoned iron mines between French Canadian Regiments and the 12 SS Hitler Youth.

As a previous reviewer points out this fighting was messy and confused. It was messy and like some WWI battles it just degenerated into a series of local actions until the Anglo-Canadian forces cracked the line. There were no massive flanking maneuovres; this was the anvil battle with the American hammer squeezing the forces. Equally important, and necessarily different.

But the task was achieved and the bulk of the enemy forces especially armour, never faced the Americans and were therefore unable to save themselves from eventual envelopment, it was a success in inter-allied cooperation between Anglo-Canadian and American forces.

As with most military history books, there never seems to be enough maps. Tout uses aerial photos taken during the battle and these are helpful but difficult to read. His writing style is easy and he really gives you a feel of what it was like to be on the cutting edge of the offensive facing an enemy better trained and armed.

It is also a little short on detail as to where and what the Americans were doing during this time. This is important because timing for all of the crucial operations in Tilly revolved around American movements. This would allow us to get a better feeling of the pressure on the Brits and Canadians to keep pushing, even at times when it was clear that frontal attacks against the well fortified villages, farm houses, orchards and hedges around Tilly were bound to have only a slight chance of success.

If you like military history narratives, this is a very good one.

The Very Sharp Point.......2002-07-26

Although the allies had superlative artillery support and control of the air, they faced an amazing disparity in other equipment: German arms were simply better and fired more quickly, more accurately and with a hitting power that could not be equalled in the immediate Normandy arsenal of the allies. The Tiger tank and the 88mm anti-aircraft-cum-anti-tank gun riegned supreme. In commanding positions, direct assaults on German postions around Tilly-la-Campagne garnered a frightfull harvest of death. Whole regiments were wiped out and Tout describes it with the eye of a survivor (Tout served in the Royal Armoured Corps during the Normandy battles).

If you like military history narratives, this is a very good one.

A Major Disappointment.......2002-03-17

With regret, I must conclude that this book misses the mark ... and by a considerable distance. I have a major interest in Canadian military history and was looking for a book that would tell the whole story of the unique Canadian divisions' breakout from Normandy. What I got was a long string of extracts from offical records combined with personal accounts ... lots of trees and no forest.

There is only one map in my text, located right after the table of contents. It is amateurish and confusing. This story begs for maps that picture the many detailed accounts of the Canadian actions, but there are none. Thus, this book repeats a common weakness of military accounts -- describing movement over complicated terrain in words only.

On the other hand, the photographs are interesting and valuable.

I do not challenge the other reviewers' reviews, but we clearly were not reading the same book. Had the accounts in the book been placed in the context of other Normandy actions, had the broader operational and strategic picture been painted, had the individual unit actions been organized and grouped to illustrate the major thrusts of the action, I might have enjoyed the book more. To be fair, the overall Canadian action involved straightforward slugging through an endless sucession of German defenses and that is a difficult story to tell. Unfortunately, the author apporached the story by slugging through an endless sucession of sometimes indistinguishable actions and he did not do it well.

I'm sorry to submit this review, but I think that there are other and better ways and books than this one to understand the Canandian contribution to the Normandy breakout.

The Commonwealth Omaha Beach.............2001-05-08

This book should be a top choice of most readers who are interested in the Normandy Campaign. The book vividly describes the "hell" of this little know battle. The first person accounts, while common in the book, really describe the problems and bravery of the Canadians during this crucial period. The author also ties in the larger picture as well as writes about the weapons used. This book is a great follow on to Blanford's "Both Sides of the Beach", as well as "Steel Inferno" by Michael Reynolds. One of the better first person accounts around.

The Toughest Fighting in Normandy.......2001-04-11

Although the allies had superlative artillery support and control of the air, they faced an amazing disparity in other equipment: German arms were simply better and fired more quickly, more accurately and with a hitting power that could not be equalled in the immediate Normandy arsenal of the allies. The Tiger tank and the 88mm anti-aircraft-cum-anti-tank gun riegned supreme. In commanding positions, direct assaults on German postions around Tilly-la-Campagne garnered a frightfull harvest of death. Whole regiments were wiped out and Tout describes it with the eye of a survivor (Tout served in the Royal Armoured Corps during the Normandy battles).

But the task was achieved and the bulk of the enemy forces never faced the Americans and were therefore unable to save themselves from eventual envelopment, it was a success in inter-allied cooperation between Anglo-Canadian and American forces.

Book Description

Martin Middlebrook has written some of the greatest classics in military history, covering major turning points in the two World Wars. Here, using extensive primary research, he follows the Battle of the Atlantic from the perspective of two convoys eastbound from the U.S. in 1942. A detailed blow-by-blow record of the perilous crossing captures the danger as the vital convoys face U-Boat wolf packs. On-board accounts reveal what it was like as torpedoes hit, boats sank, men were rescued, and submarines went on the hunt.

Customer Reviews:

ENGAGING AND WELL DOCUMENTED.......2005-05-20

Martin Middlebrook's World War II books are very much alike - and that is to say engaging, well-written, balanced, and original work. This book is a little slow at times, but that reflects the swings of the Atlantic War, whether during a single convoy or an entire "campaign".

Middlebrook uses a lot of narratives that he copies and pastes into his books. These unfortunately substitute, to some extent, for good analysis and rigorous reviews of archives; and it is not certain that these recollections are accurate or representative. However, they add a great first-person perspective, help keep the story moving, and I do not doubt that they were selected as best as possible.

One fundamental problem I have with this book is that though it might have been the largest U-Boat engagement of the war, it was not necessarily decisive or critical. Indeed, it could be seen as just another day in the Atlantic War, but just a little larger. In this sense, Black May by Michael Gannon may be better in that it has a "thesis" or theme - the point at which the Battle of the Atlantic shifted to the Allied advantage. This "Black May" was sort of the El Alamein for U-Boats.

Similarly, Gannon's Operation Drumbeat book is a fascinating demonstration of American unpreparedness and poor tactics and resource allocation.

In conclusion, this is not *THE* U-boat book to read, but it is well done and is a good balance between a fixed period of time or single operation and the much less useful, broader, books about "the U-Boats in WWII" or something else similarly vague.

The Isle of Battle (The Swans' War, Book 2)

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Good, but not great.
This excellent fantasy continues
Slipping Away
Uncommonly Good For A Sequel
Hits the ground running!

The Isle of Battle (The Swans' War, Book 2)
Sean Russell
Manufacturer: Eos
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0380793229
Release Date: 2003-05-27

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With The Isle of Battle, the second book of the high- fantasy Swan's War trilogy, acclaimed novelist Sean Russell returns to the world of the Wynnd, a great river that does not always follow the maps and has tributaries in other worlds. The Isle of Battle continues the story of the archer Tam, his fellow Valemen Fynnol and Baore, and several other characters from The One Kingdom. The Valemen gain mysterious new allies and enemies as they search through otherworldly swamps and mountains for their fallen friend, the demigodlike Alaan, and seek to elude Alaan's more-than-mortal enemy and brother, the powerful and ruthless warrior-wizard, Hafydd.

Readers should not start the Swans' War with The Isle of Battle. It suffers the common trilogy malady of middle-book-itis: it doesn't greatly advance the overall plotline, and though it spends some time bringing readers up to speed on the backstory, it still swamps newcomers with multiple plotlines and characters. Also, the big cast means characterizations are often sketchy; the Valemen become almost interchangeable, and the powerful and intriguing Alaan rarely demonstrates these virtues, since he spends much of his time senseless from critical wounds. Furthermore, many readers will not be pleased that the book's vast cast includes only four women, with only two of them spending much time onstage (in the same body!). --Cynthia Ward

Book Description

Treachery and deceit run rampant throughout a devastated land, spawning dark alliances in the terrible war ignited by the enmity of two families. But unbeknownst to all, there are others who truly control the beleaguered kingdom's destiny—combatants emerging from eons of restless sleep to renew the bloody terror of a battle older than time.

Customer Reviews:

Good, but not great........2007-01-26

The reviews of this book may sound like a broken record. I loved The One Kingdom. I liked The Isle of Battle. The One Kingdom felt as though it was a breath of life into a overworn genre. The Isle of Battle feels like a reasonable bog standard entry in the same genre. Too bad, but it left me feeling quite a bit of regret for what could have been.

Most of the focus in this book is not on the Valemen, but instead shifts to be much more about the war between the Avatars. I found that I cared much less about the Avatars-- they were mostly interesting in the last book because of the impact that they had on the main characters. Great powers are a lot less interesting than people as characters in and of themselves.

The biggest shame is that The Isle of Battle makes me almost forget exactly what I found so fresh and wonderful about The One Kingdom. If things don't improve by book three, then most of the good momentum of the series will be wasted.

Fingers crossed.

This excellent fantasy continues.......2006-09-08

A decent 2nd book in this trilogy.

While I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first, I'd still recommend this series to any serious fantasy genre lover. Plenty of intrigue, betrayals, magical happenings and unexpected twists and turns.

However, I have a couple of complaints for this book.

1.)Most annoying, there is no map: this story covers a huge geographic area and a map would have added so much to the overall quality of this epic fantasy. Hard to believe that the author didn't include one.

2.)Without giving spoilers, there was one locale in this book that seemed to take an inordinate amount of time to get through.

All in all, a good second book in this interesting and well written fantasy series. Recommended. 4-4 1/2 Stars.

Slipping Away.......2006-07-09

The first novel was so much better than this one. Like others, I was very disappointed. The plot was set up so well for an Elise versus Hafydd blood match, leading armies and kicking butt all over the place, one with the Wills, one with the Renne, while Alaan is working the middle of the game trying to bring them both down. Maybe its base of me to want that plot line. Very male at the least. But how much more would it have rocked than what we got? Especially with metaphor and stories exploding all over the place.

Instead, this book plods along slowly, unveiling another layer of the past that isn't exactly needed. The Renne and Wills battle royal is pointless without the main characters involved, and the main characters are stuck behind a wall, cut off from the huge battle that has been set up. In fact, most of this novel is just our main group asking if they are close to Alaan and if Hafydd is closer, over and over and over. It was like reading the famous car ride with the children asking if you are there yet. If it wasn't for how interesting the three river children were, then it would have been pretty horrible. Alaan, Elise, and Hafydd actually save the novel, though they are underused. Also a high point are the Carrel and Llyn scenes.

The famous Russell, "this way and that" pops up a lot here as well, so often that it gets annoying every time. "All about" would have even been better, especially if they were mixed together. I just don't understand how as an author or an editor you read that and flags don't pop up, maybe not just at the wording but how often.

What really hurts more than anything, however, is that characters just disappear within the group. Unlike David Eddings, who is famous for making a party of ten people interesting, the wit and banter flowing, Russell is just unable to manage it. It would have been better if some characters had just died out right than die the slow death of the forgotten...poor poor forgotten Cynddl. Not only could their deaths have been emotional, but it could have stimulated plot among the characters that weren't sacrificed to the writer's lack of ability in that area.

Final Thought: The first novel was great, I loved it. I only liked this one. The Swans War is a song of unrealized potential.

Uncommonly Good For A Sequel.......2006-03-24

SEquels are notoriously disappointing in the Fantasy Genre but this one dodged the bullet. It did so by meticulously continuing where the first one left off and not a great refresher curve required.
The mystery of what lies in the water and the growing focus on this makes one wonder at the title of the 'One Kingdom" because we are headed for at least one more.
I enjoy the continuation of the first book in that the "magic" and it's practitioners do not involve the main characters.
There are few books where the main charecters are also not the focal practitioners of the sorcery, off hand I can think of only one author who writes that way and that is Guy Favrel Kay and in particular his stand alone novel of Tigana.
All in all, Russell did well in this, not as well as the first novel of the series but better than the average sequel, and still delivered an interesting read.
That is the bottom line is it not?

Hits the ground running!.......2004-10-07

Wow...this is another great book. Alliances formed and broken, romances budding, sorcery and treachery about. Lots of action and great character moments make this a great read. All the familiar faces are back, and some not so familiar but just as interesting.

I can't wait for the third installment to be published. It can't come out soon enough!

The Flower of Chivalry: Bertrand du Guesclin and the Hundred Years War

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The Flower of Chivalry: Bertrand du Guesclin and the Hundred Years War
Richard Vernier
Manufacturer: Boydell Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 184383006X

Book Description

The rise of Bertrand du Guesclin ranks as one of the most spectacular adventures in a fourteenth century rich in heroic tales. A poor Breton squire, ungainly and unlettered, he came of age at the onset of the Hundred Years War. He spent two decades engaged in irregular warfare in his native province before he became a knight, and was recognised by Charles V as the captain France needed. Du Guesclin fought on campaign from Normandy to Andalusia, tasted victory, was taken captive - and was finally victorious again, over such famed adversaries as Sir John Chandos and the Black Prince. He won a dukedom in Spain, but it was as Constable of France that he spearheaded the reconquest of French provinces lost after the defeat at Poitiers.His body was laid to rest among kings in the royal basilica of Saint-Denis, enshrined as the Tenth Worthy, hero of the last Old French epic, but Du Guesclin's spirit lives on in literature and folk memory, as flower of chivalry, soldier's soldier, patriot, and liberator of his country. RICHARD VERNIER is Professor Emeritus, Romance Languages and Literatures, Wayne State University.

Unfinest Hour: Britain and the Destruction of Bosnia

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Brilliant book
Britain's Unfinest Hour

Unfinest Hour: Britain and the Destruction of Bosnia
Brendan Simms
Manufacturer: Penguin Global
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

A polemical account of Britain's disruptive and damaging role in the break-up of Yugoslavia.

For most of 1992-1995, Britain stood aside while an internationally recognised state was attacked by externally-sponsored rebels bent on a campaign of territorial aggression and ethnic cleansing. It was her unfinest hour since 1938. Based on interviews with many of the chief participants, parliamentary debates, and a wide range of sources, Brendan Simm's brilliant study traces the roots of British policy and the highly sophisticated way in which the government sought to minimise the crisis and defuse popular and American pressure for action. We all continue to live with the results of these shameful actions to this day.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant book.......2007-02-19

Excellent overview of the treacharous position of the British government towards Bosnia during agression on this country.

Highly recommended and great research material for anyone interested in international affairs and politics.

Britain's Unfinest Hour.......2003-12-12

The years of Conservative rule in the 1990s were in some ways unhappy times for Britain. The Major administrations appeared to lack any sense of purpose, and there were serious policy failures: the disastrous membership of the European exchange rate mechanism, the hugely misconceived rail privatisation.

And there was Bosnia. The Governments headed by John Major, with Douglas Hurd as Foreign Secretary, constructed a policy on the break-up of Yugoslavia which, stripped of diplomatic frippery, amounted to appeasement; and on a scale not seen since Neville Chamberlain's return from Nazi Germany in 1938. Instead of recognising the true and essentially simple nature of the conflict - the wave of Serbian expansionism following Slobodan Milosevic's stoking of Serbian nationalism - the official British line was that the conflict was too complicated to resolve, and the best the West could do was apply a half hearted humanitarian mission. Worse still, Britain doggedly prevented any other country from taking the war to the Serbs. This was a shameful period in British history. Even the French come out better.

In Unfinest Hour, Brendan Simms deconstructs the British official position, and while the book can hardly be described as entertaining (especially if you are British), it is utterly compelling, and presents a lucidly-argued case. In the exhilarating last chapter, the log-jam at last breaks, apparently due to a series of co-incidences: pressure in the U.S. (well done Americans!) causes Clinton to arm-twist the British; and a new British general in Bosnia, with a firmer grip than his predecessor, takes advantage of an absence of his French boss and authorises a devastating air strike. The Bosnian Serb cause collapses, and along with it the credibility of the entire British posture on Bosnia. It is fair to record that not all British politicians went along with the government's line; Margaret Thatcher emerges with credit, as does the Northern Ireland Unionist leader David Trimble, unlike his predecessor. Interestingly, the nationalist politicians in Northern Ireland remained silent on the issue - perhaps they did not want to draw attention to their own side's record on ethnic cleansing. Unfinest Hour is not always an easy read: here and there the subject matter can be a little dense and hard going (the acronym VOPP - Vance-Owen Peace Plan - kept reverberating around my head), but this is a trivial criticism.

Unfinest Hour is a fine book, by a justifiably angry man. Keep on trucking Dr Simms.

Spitfire Pilot: A Personal Account of the Battle of Britain

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Spitfire Pilot
The Best British Air Force Memoir of World War II

Spitfire Pilot: A Personal Account of the Battle of Britain
David Crook
Manufacturer: Greenhill Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1853677140

Book Description

Spitfire Pilot is the exhilarating and moving memoir of D. M. Crook, an airman in the legendary 609 Squadron--one of the most successful RAF units in the Battle of Britain. Beginning with his fond recollections of his halcyon days in training--acrobatics, night flying, and languorous days spent playing sport--Crook goes on to recount in thrilling detail the dogfights, remarkable victories, and tragic losses which formed the daily routine of Britain's heroic aerial defenders in that long summer of 1940. Often hopelessly outnumbered, the men of 609 Squadron in their state-of-the-art Spitfires committed acts of unimaginable bravery against the Messerschmitts and Junkers of Germany's formidable Luftwaffe. Many of Crook's fellow airmen did not make it back alive, and the absence they leave in the close-knit community of the squadron is described with great poignancy. Spitfire Pilot offers a unique and personal insight into one of the most critical moments of British history, when a handful of men stood up against the might of the German Air Force in defense of their country.

Customer Reviews:

Spitfire Pilot.......2007-09-03

The English have had a history riddled with war and bloodshed. In a war to end oppression and evil, one British pilot, David Crook recorded his memoirs of day to day life and illustrated the hardships of life during an era of uncertainty in a journal now published as Spitfire Pilot during World War II. This recollection of memories was some of the harshest battles the modern world has ever witnessed. From the famous Battle of Britain to the numerous long painstaking escort bomber missions over Germany, this pilot and others alike were the last obstacle Hitler had to overcome before a German invasion of England. Crook understands this and quickly learns that everyday might be his last. Overall this one mans experiences in the darkest times of humanity are both breathtaking and horrifying for any military buff.

The Best British Air Force Memoir of World War II.......2007-05-08

"Spitfire Pilot" remains the best British Air Force memoirs of World War II.

Flight Lieutenant David Crook tells the story of the British Auxiliary Air Force's 609 Squadron, which shot down 100 German aircraft during the Battle of Britain, killing some 800 Luftwaffe pilots and crewmen while losing only 13. It was units like these, from the Royal and Auxiliary Air Forces, manned with young pilots like David Crook that won the Battle of Britain, devastating the Luftwaffe.

Crook's first hand accounts of the lives and deaths of British fighter pilots in World War II are both insightful and powerful. The author, who won Britain's Distinguished Flying Cross, survived the Battle of Britain only to die in a training accident in December 1944.

Last Man Standing: The Memoirs of a Seaforth Highlander during the Great War

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Last Man Standing: The Memoirs of a Seaforth Highlander during the Great War
Norman Collins
Manufacturer: Pen and Sword
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0850528631

Book Description

While researching his excellent earlier book: Veterans of World War I, author Richard Van Emden encountered a fascinating personality of that long-ago conflict. After witnessing German naval attacks on British civilians, Norman Collins enlisted in the Seaforth Highlanders of the 51st Highland Division, even though he was under age. Collins fought at the battles of Beaumont Hamel, Arras, and Passchendaele, and was wounded several times.

Collins lived to be 100 and had an unusually detailed collection of letters, documents, illustrations and photographs. Richard Van Emden has written a moving biography of a unique personality at war, and his long life after the dramatic events of his youth.

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