Book Description
On June 22, 1941, Hitler launched a massive three-pronged attack on the Soviet Union, and in days his troops were within reach of Moscow. The attack was stunning, but Stalin's response was even more astonishing. During the invasion, the mighty Soviet military stood in place while its soldiers were slaughtered by the hundreds of thousands. Drawing on a wealth of newly available documents, from classified Politburo papers and diaries of key generals to diplomatic cables and secret police memos, the Russian historian Constantine Pleshakov paints a startling portrait of Stalin, one of history's most feared despots, as a vulnerable and paralyzed leader. Refusing to believe that the Germans would strike first, despite repeated warnings, he continued to supply them with war materials in the days before the attack, then tied his generals" hands in the crucial first hours of the invasion. For more than a week, while Hitler rolled over Soviet territory, Stalin cowered in his dacha, leaving the country rudderless and as Pleshakov reveals here nearly losing power. The Red Army's effort to regain the territory lost in those first ten days cost more than 10 million Soviet lives. Stalin's Folly is a dramatic hour-by-hour account that sheds light on an enigmatic and ruthless figure while providing a new and far deeper understanding of Russian history.
Customer Reviews:
A good but not flawless account of those first ten days.......2007-06-13
Pleshakov has written a very detailed and lively account of those tragic first ten days, and the events leading up to them. His style is easy to enjoy, while his knowledge of the topic is extensive.
I only have two complaints:
(1) I think the endnotes should have been flagged by numbers so that it would have been easier to follow them.
(2) His theory that Stalin wanted to attack Germany by early July 1941 is not widely accepted, and there is no hard evidence whatsoever supporting it. It is just one possible explanation of Stalin's actions (or the lack of them) before Barbarossa, and (in my point of view) not even the most likely. Still Pleshakov regards it to be fact, and although he admits the lack of evidence, some readers may believe that what they're reading is the only (or at least by far the most likely) explanation of the known facts. Well, it is not.
Still, I recommend this book for anyone who's interested in the history (and the Soviet side) of the German Eastern Front.
Stalin's Folly.......2007-03-06
Just finished reading this book, interesting theory, that Stalin was going to preempt Hitler's attack on the USSR. What does Pleshakov think?, that Stalin is George Bush Jr? Clearly this theory is part of the revisionist interpretation of the facts. Stalin was a basket case and not a cunning foe of Hitler as being depicted. His commentary on the situation in Ukraine,the Ukrainian people and their representatives, the OUN, was stupid. Let me explain when the Nazis turned on the Ukrainians he called the OUN terrorists and then when the OUN fought the Soviets at the same time as they were fighting the Nazis-lo and behold-he also called them terrorists again. What?? Get your facts straight. He also called the Ukrainian trident an agressive symbol-what????? The trident is the national symbol of the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian nation-nothing more and nothing less. His commentary on Ukraine, clearly tells me that he is speaking as a Russian imperialist who has not gotten use to the reality that Ukraine is a independent nation and no longer a part of the Russian empire. I guess he is having withdrawal pains-lets give him a shot of vodka-might help him. In conclusion, this book is a revisionist study of a truly dark period in European history-a good read but you have to be selective in what you believe.
No cigar.......2006-04-25
The book is a description of the first ten days of the German invasion of Russia in 1941. The interest of the book is the suggestion that Stalin had decided on a pre-emptive assault on Germany and this was foiled. The notion of Stalin's folly being organising his troops in such a way that they were vulnerable to a German attack. The notion of a Soviet pre-emptive attack is mostly popular with right wing or pro Nazi historians who try to justify Hitler by the suggestion of Bolshevik expansionism. The writer of this book is far from being a Nazi sympathiser and although anti-communist is more of a Russian nationalist.
The writer however concedes that there is simply no evidence at all to support his assertion that Stalin was going to attack Germany. He advances his thesis and suggests that evidence will turn up in the future. The preponderance of opinion is of course against him. In fact if Stalin wanted to attack Germany it is the sort of thing that would have turned up in someone's memoirs by now. If Stalin wanted to attack Germany it is the sort of thing which requires enormous organisation. It is not just the matter of him giving an order for armies to move west. Rather the various armies have to be given enough ammunition to wage a campaign, transport has to be arranged to support the needs of the armies once they advance maps supplied to the troops and so on. No Russian figure has ever suggested that Stalin ordered preparation for an attack and there is no suggestion that the Russian armies were actively preparing for an attack in 1941. Part of the reason for the initial success of the German operation was the poor state of Russian preparedness.
After the discussion around the proposed attack by Stalin the book breaks down into a largely anecdotal account of the first days of the Barbarossa campaign. The approach is descriptive rather than looking quantitatively about what happened and there is only one map. There are much better books about this phase of the campaign by Glantz and others. In short a disappointing book that does not come up with the goods that it promised.
Great Reading, Informative and Passionate.......2006-03-31
Pleshakov is a young historian that deserves to be considered as a nascent star by any history buff and so taken into acount seriously in any endeavour he can or could undertake. This book about the first 10 days of war in the Eastern front is not only full of information, much of it new, but well written and with passion. Perhaps this last feature could seem a defect by some that believes science -if ever history is a science at all- requires a diet-kind of style, dry and deprived of life, but in fact, on the contrary, just to begin to grasp the sense of so colossal events as those told by Plashakov, passion is a neccesary element or you simple lose the scent of those awful days and the kind of society and polity that made them possible.
a must read, but be careful.......2006-01-04
First, why it is a must read. This is the first book that (in my opinion) provides a non-conflicting with known facts version of the war preparations made by USSR, as opposed to both the official Soviet version and the revisionist version spelled out by V.Suvorov.
This is the first book that pays attention to the important dynamics of personal relationships between Zukov, Timoshenko and Stalin. This book as no other one highlights the truly critical role played by Zukov and to lesser extent by Timoshenko before the war and on its outbreak.
It has a very good grip on the events in the Soviet corridors of power, among other things it has the best description of the purge of generals that started right before the war.
Second, what is not so good. A big part of the book repeats tired (and not so true) official narrative about what was happening on the ground during the first 10 days of the war. There are way better books on this very interesting subject by M.Solonin and V.Beshanov (unfortunately, not available in English translations).
Third, there are few not so important but truly ridiculous claims. For example, the author goes to the great lengths describing a conflict between "cavalrymen" (Budennyi, Voroshilov, Kulik) on one side and Timoshenko with Zukov on another side. Strictly speaking Timoshenko and Zukov (and Rokossovsky) are cavalrymen themselves and the author should pick up a better term. There is a claim that Rokossovsky was a second marshal after Zukov, clearly the second by significance marshal was Konev.
There is another ridiculous claim that Rokossovsky used military force against Polish students in 1956 because he was once a gulag prisoner. Rokossovsky was a committed Communist and he did not hesitate to use military force against civilians during the Civil War in Russia, long before going to gulag.
To sum it up: this is an important work but do not get carried away.
Book Description
"A very powerful account of a significant aspect of recent American military history."
--Journal of Military History
"Westheider has researched very thoroughly-an effort including extensive interviews with Vietnam veterans-and he possesses a rare gift for narrative that makes the result of all this research eminently readable. A highly desirable addition for both African American studies and military affairs collections. . . . [an] invaluable history."
--Booklist
"Highly recommended."
--Library Journal
"James E. Westheider persuasively argues that black soldiers were the key factor in bringing about a more egalitarian military. This book significantly advances our understanding of both race relations and armed forces."
--Charles Moskos, Northwestern University
"With this meticulous investigation of how institutional racism operated in the military of the 1960s and 70s, James Westheider provides us with a model for making sense of institutional sexism in the Tailhook-era military."
--Cynthia Enloe, author of The Morning After: Sexual Politics at the End of the Cold War
The racial tensions that have long plagued American society exist to a much lesser extent in the military where the bond of common pursuit and shared experience renders race less relevant. Or so conventional wisdom has long held.
In this dramatic history of race relations during the Vietnam war, James E. Westheider illustrates how American soldiers in Vietnam grappled with many of the same racial conflicts that were tearing apart their homeland thousands of miles away. Over seven years in the making,
Fighting on Two Fronts draws on interviews with dozens of Vietnam veterans--black and white--and official Pentagon documents to paint the first complete picture of the African American experience in Vietnam.
Westheider reveals how preconceptions and petty misunderstandings often exacerbated racial anxieties during the conflict. Military barbers, for instance, were often inexperienced with black hair, leading black soldiers to cut each other's hair, an act perceived as separatist by their white counterparts. Similarly, black soldiers often greeted one another with a ritualized handshake, or dap, as a sign of solidarity, the unfamiliarity of which threatened many white soldiers and was a source of resentment until it was banned in 1973.
Despite ample evidence of institutional racism in the armed forces, the military elite responded only when outbreaks of racial violence became disruptive enough to threaten military discipline and attract negative attention from the civilian world. A crucial addition to our understanding of Vietnam,
Fighting on Two Fronts is a compelling example of the new military history at its finest.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Overview.......2004-11-23
The book is an excellent overview of the issues facing African Americans in Viet Nam. Westheider views the racism facing African Americans in the military at that time as being the result of both personal racism, primarily from a military heavily populated by whites from the southern US, and institutional racism, both deliberate and unintentional, from the military hierarchy. Westheider shows an interesting evolution of the attitude that African Americans toward the military. Before the Viet Nam war, African Americans held a generally positive attitude about the military and viewed the military as less racist than society in general. By the end of the war, African Americans viewed the military as more racist than society in general and suspected that the military was, in fact, a tool used by society to persecute African-Americans. He uses a number of statistics to make his case. For example, in 1964, thirty percent of the population of Alabama was African American and yet there was not a single African American on any Draft Board in Alabama. There is information on racial violence in the military, racially motivated "fragging" of officers and political and ethnic oriented organizations in the military. The book is an excellent overview and is a good introduction to the subject. I enjoyed the book but I finished the book thinking that there is much more of this story to be told
Customer Reviews:
A Tribute To Heroes.......2004-07-22
Liberators is a great documentary that became a political football, because it challenged the idea of WWII as a white man's war (the Japanese alone would disagree) and showed the undisputed fact that segregated Black units, which were supposed not to have fought, not only did well, and participated in the Battle Of The Bulge, but liberated several concentration camps on their way to Berlin.
These units faced hardships not encountered by White units, in that they were subject to the discrimination of the day, and were denied time away from the front until the end of the war.
One of the unfair, but vicious, attacks are that this documentary is "a hoax", or "exaggerated". Well let us see.
Benjamin Bender, who certainly believed he was imprisoned in Dachau concentration camp, saw Black tankers and troopers when he was liberated. This is pretty hard to explain away.
Then, there is the charge that the units in question were "too far away". Well, according to the CO of the 183 Combat Engineers, Lt. Colonel Lawrence J. Fuller, at any time, his troops were dispersed over an area of 100 miles. The same for the 761st, who had units attached to whatever unit needed them. This was the result of a conscious decision to keep them apart as much as possible. Being headquartered within 60 miles of Dachau, the 761st's Sherman M4 tanks had a cruising range of 120 miles - you do the math on that one.
In the end, to be extremely charitable, maybe the camp they liberated went by another name (Gunskirchen has been mentioned) than Dachau. That does not make this documentary "a hoax". Even if the tankers who went back with Benjamin Bender to pay their respects in the documentary, were merely in the same unit and were not the ones who actually helped liberate the camp or him, that doesn't make them anything less than heroes.
The real question is: what is the fuss all about? Why the hatred and vehemence? Only the lowest form of racist would deny these heroes their achievements.
I believe mr. Bender.
This book demeans its subject.......2003-09-15
How do you give no stars?
This book is the worst form of racist patronization.
Among combat veterans, your deeds speak for you. The deeds of this TD Battalion - and many other units, both "colored" and all white - have gone too long unacknowledged. But to shamelessly manufacture "exploits" is the lowest form of boasting, and simple demeans these men's true accomplishments.
To paraphrase (only because I cannot recall the exact words) the words of one of the unit veterans who decried this book, "What we did speaks for itself". I don't think anything else need be said about this bogus history.
Its a Hoax! No "all-black units" Liberated Buchenwald........2000-07-31
I have read "Liberators: Fighting On Two Fronts in World War II" and although I fully agree with its authors' criticism of the scandalous manner in which the African-American GIs were treated during World War II, I violently disagee with their concoction of a hoax according to which two so-called "all-black units" would have liberated Buchenwald and Dachau.
I am particularly familiar with that subject considering that, in addition to the fact that I am a Buchenwald survivor who was there on April 11, 1945... the day of that camp's liberation... I have also been researching the history of the concentration camps since 1969.
First of all, as far as Buchenwald is concerned, it was not liberated by a unit of the U,S. Army but by the 900 members of that camp's underground organization and was subsequently discovered by a four-man patrol of the 6th Armored Division.
The two "all-black units" involved could not possibly have been there considering that, according to the Morning Reports obtained from the Army Reference Branch of the National Personnel Center, the locations of these units were as follows:
(1) 183RD ENGINEER COMBAT BATALION.-
On April 11, 1945, the locations of the sub-units of the above battalion were: (a) Mommenheim (192 miles from Buchenwald)for the Headquarters and Service Company; (b)Hocheim am Main (183 miles from Buchenwald) for Company A; (c) Loerzweiler (192 and 1/2 miles from Buchenwald) for Company B and (d) Boppard (284 miles from Buchenwald) for Company C.
(2) 761ST TANK BATTALION.-
On the day of Buchenwald's self-liberation, the sub-units of the 761st were stationed at: (a) Hildburghausen (70) mles from Buchenwald) for the Headquarters Company, the Service Company and Companies A and D; (b) Oeslau (79 miles from Buchenwald)for Company B and (c) Rottenbach (69 and 1/2 miles from Buchenwald) for Company C.
Now,as far as Dachau is concerned, some of the veterans of the 761st Tank Battalion have made the ludicrous claim that they liberated both Buchenwald and Dachau, however, the latter camp was liberated on April 29, 1945 by the 42nd and 45th Infantry Divisions.
On the day of Dachau's liberation, the sub-units of the 761st Tank Battalion were located at (A) Straubing (78 miles from Dachau) for the Headquarters Company, the Service Company and Company D; (B)Eltheim (83 miles from Dachau) for Companies A and B and (C) Salching (73 miles from Dachau) for Company C.
The liberation of Buchenwald and Dachau by these two battalions is a fabrication of historical fiction and there is no doubt in my mind that it was concocted for the purpose of improving relations between the African-American and Jewish communities... a worthy cause which should not have been served in such an unethical way.
A particularly disgusting aspect of that charade is that the U.S Holocaust Memorial Museum has been supporting and promoting the handful of veterans of those two battalions who have been involved in publicizing that hoax.
Pierre C.T. Verheye Buchenwald Political Prisoner No. 126637 July 4, 2000
This books presents a subject that has long been ignored........1999-10-17
This book presents a subject that has long been ignored by the rest of America. The shameful events Black soldiers had to endure have been swept under the rug for to many years. This book lightly touches on the prejudice that took place during the WWII. There is still much that needs to be told. However, the records are basically kept secret. Due to again to the powers that be in DC and the monumental cost of obtaining these records.
Awesome Book a must in anyone's library.......1999-06-14
My father served in Patton's third Army and I can tell you that many of the conquests now being reported happened, many of the records stored about the campaigns these valiant men fought were lost in a warehouse fire in St Louis,MI. So the records are from the ones who had original documents before the fire and eyewitness accounts. The Book is a fantastic account of what the 761st conquered from the vantage point of the war front and their home front.. It vindicates the unjustices done to the memory of the fallen ones and it places credit where it is due; into the hands of these great men who fought with courage,honor and faith... A must in anyone's library.. Have amazon track this out of print book through their used book purveyors.. I am so glad it's in my bookshelf, I often reach for it reading parts to better understand what man like my father went through...
Average customer rating:
- Excellent.
- This book is a must have
- This is Book Three!!
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The Two Front War (Star Trek New Frontier, No 3)
Peter David
Manufacturer: Star Trek
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0671013971 |
Customer Reviews:
Excellent........2003-02-16
In this, the third book of the series, Peter David finally starts to really get moving. The plot, for the first time in the series, really seems to be going somewhere, and the characters are finally beginning to feel real and fleshed-out. This is the first book of this series that didn't leave me feeling disappointed; this is what I expect from Peter David. Really, the only thing NOT to like about this book is my continuing kvetch about the serial nature of the series; this book is only a story fragment, not a full story in itself. It has neither beginning nor end, but starts in midaction (due to the previous book leaving off in a cliffhanger) and ends with a cliffhanger itself. Two of them, actually. This is annoying enough when the story is legitimately too long to fit in one book; the first four books of this series are all 150-200 pages, and therefore could easily have fit into one large book, but marketing took precedence over art.
The only reason that this book didn't get five stars is that I will never give five stars to a story fragment.
This book is a must have.......1998-01-10
This was a great book. It had all of the qualities of a great sci-fi book and more. The favorite character of all readers would have to be Burgoyne 172. Reading about him made you realize you can feel for any character, any species
This is Book Three!!.......1997-10-06
Don't do like me. This is only 1 of 4 books. To really know what is going on, you need to read the first 2 first. Why? Because, at the end, they leave it hanging and say "To Be Continued". Instead of making one big book, they broke it up into 4 parts. Now I need to buy the first 2 parts and then the last. Other than that it was a good book.
Average customer rating:
- A Great and Original Addition to the Star Trek Universe
- Exelent Book
- Just Be Open For Change
- Star Trek New Frontier A New Ship, Crew & Mission
- Note-Perfect Pulp for new Star Trek crew
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Star Trek: New Frontier, Nos. 1-4 (House of Cards / Into the Void / The Two-Front War / End Game)
Peter David
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
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ASIN: 0671576259 |
Book Description
Sector 221-G: For the whole of Federation history, this large area of space has been controlled by the Thallonians, a cruel, militaristic race of which little is knownexcept that they rule the other races in their sector with vicious iron hand. Now the Thallonian Empire has collapsed and the systems it once ruled are in chaos. Old hatreds are surfacing. Petty tyrants control deadly weapons. World after world is descending into disorder and self-destruction. The Federation must send a starship to help where it can and report what it finds. That ship is the U.S.S. Excalibur, a newly refit Ambassador-class starship commanded by Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and manned by Starfleet's best and brightest, including some old friends from Star Trek: The Next Generation and some of the most dynamic new characters ever to crew a Federation starship. Join Captain Calhoun and the crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur as they explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no one has gone before!
Download Description
The ancient Thallonian Empire has collapsed, throwing an entire sector of the galaxy into chaos and unrest. Billions of sentient beings are faced with starvation, warfare, and worse. Faced with a tragedy of interstellar proportions, Starfleet assembles a new, handpicked crew to help where it can and report what it finds. Captain Mackenzie Calhoun, recommended by Jean-Luc Picard himself, takes command of the U.S.S. Excalibur, which is manned by Starfleet's best and brightest, including some old friends from Star TreK: The Next Generation and some of the most dynamic new characters ever to boldly go where no one has gone before! This special hardcover edition contains the first thrilling adventure that launched Star Trek into a new frontier. It also contains a pull-out full-color print of all of the characters and a special "minipedia" guide to the people, places, and things that make up the New Frontier universe!
Customer Reviews:
A Great and Original Addition to the Star Trek Universe.......2004-12-28
Peter David is perhaps the best writer of Star Trek fiction out there -- he has written many of absolute favorite Star Trek novels, Imzadi among them. In creating the New Frontier series, David breathes new life into a stale series that has been tied to the vision of Gene Roddenberry or the producers of the television shows. Not the case here. David mixes old and new characters to create an exciting story that is both original and true to Gene Roddenberry's vision. Among the new characters introduced Captain Calhoun is probably the best captain to sit a starship since Captain Kirk. He has many of Kirk's qualities, but also the leadership skills of Picard and Sisko. Peter David surrounds Calhoun with some old ST:TNG characters and new faces like Bourgoyne-172, a Hermat (hermaphrodite). Burgoyne-172 is the kind of charactes the TV producers would have been too scared to tackle. Overall, this book is a great new addition to the Star Trek universe.
Exelent Book.......2003-08-25
This Book is a combanation of books 1-4 in Star Trek New Frontier. I just finish reading it and I enjoyed it. It has everything you want in a star trek soy. The plot get you intrested It introduces the caraters it is also aborut relationships. It also has camo by Spock Capitan Pecard and former Capatn now Admral Jelaco. Read this book .
Just Be Open For Change.......2003-08-21
Usually I think of Star Trek as what mankind can do if it put it's mind to it. A utopia where anything is possible... If you are any of the following you might want to reconsider your those views and put them on the side before reading this series.
Peter David, has introduced a Hermaphrodite main crew character named Lieutenant Commander Burgoyne 172, she is the Cheif Engineer of an old Ambassador class vessel.. (Enterprise 1701-C was the same vessel class.) So far he/she has the hots for Dr. Selar... but I won't say more. If you can't tolerate this kind of writing in a story this novel is not for you.
Than there is the new Captain a brave Kirk-Sisko like character.
Mackenzie Calhoun. This man does not follow the tradition Starfleet by the book approach when you get into book 3 of this book, you will see why. I like this Captain only because he has a willingness to fight and or do the very unexpected when the odds are impossible.
I do not wish to go into the rest of the characters. I will say this... Peter David is a master Sci-Fi, writer, when he writes you can almost tell when he's having fun and when he's just writing... I like the inside jokes that Peter David writes.
If you are a TNG fan... You will like this novel. If you are a TOS fan you will like this novel. I have just ordered the rest of the series... I hope you all consider this a good novel.
Star Trek New Frontier A New Ship, Crew & Mission.......2002-11-23
This review is in reference to the turtleback, ISBN: 0671019783 and the four paperbacks.
Book One: House of Cards
Book Two: Into the Void
Book Three: The Two Front War
Book Four: Endgame
Peter David being one of the best Star Trek authors throughout its history is rewarded with his very own series. I can only imagine how honored he must've been to be able to create a whole new series. Tasked with this, he stepped up to the challenge and exceeded even his own high standards. One of the main things I love about the whole New Frontier series is that Peter David is allowed more freedom with what he can do in the New Frontier series as opposed to one of the other lines. The only question I have about the first four books of this series is why is the series started off with four small books, when this clearly could've been accomplished with two books or one large hardcover? Either way, who cares, they're all four of them absolutely fantastic!
Just like Star Trek The Next Generation's "Encounter at Farpoint," Deep Space Nine's "Emissary," Voyager's "Caretaker" and Enterprise's "Broken Bow," the four book set or the turtleback containing all four is Peter David's introduction to this great new series! "House of Cards" starts off with the introductions to several of the primary characters. It also includes some great cameo appearances as well. Captain Jean Luc Picard from the USS Stargazer inspiring M'k'n'zy of Calhoun (Mackenzie Calhoun) to join Starfleet. Lieutenant Soleta is introduced to the series through a chance meeting with Ambassador Spock, consequently saving her life. And finally, the ever dreary Admiral Jellico makes his first of many appearances. Commander Elizabeth Paula Shelby from STNG's "Best of Both Worlds" is given a first name, a nickname and a history with the new captain. Ensign Robin Lefler and Dr. Selar are brought over from STNG as well. Dr. Selar's introduction is extremely interesting.
New to the world of Star Trek we're introduced to: Captain Mackenzie Calhoun formerly M'k'n'zy of Calhoun from the planet Xenex. Captain Calhoun is certainly one of the best new characters added to the world of Star Trek. Zak Kebron, who is the USS Excalibur's Chief Security Officer. He is a Brikar, a race of beings who are basically built like large, moving landmasses. Lord and later, Ambassador Si Cwan, one of two remaining members of the ruling family of the Thallonian Empire, which has collapsed. Which is the cause for Starfleet sending the USS Excalibur into Sector 221-G. Commander Burgoyne 172, the Excalibur's Chief Engineer. Burgoyne is a Hermat, which is a species where each individual is pretty much made up of both sides of the battle of the sexes. An particularly interesting character to say the least. Lieutenant Mark McHenry, the Excalibur's primary helmsmen, an exceedingly intelligent and of course, eccentric human.
Mix all of these extremely interesting characters together with Peter David's well thought out villains and what we have here is an enormously great line of Star Trek novels. The only downside, they are more or less in episodic format and have a tendency to end with To be continued...., and they're not a regular line coming out with several per year. The upside, with one exception, they typically come out two or three books at a time. If you purchase the turtleback containing all four stories, it includes a Star Trek New Frontier Minipedia. Overall this is a great series that will make a fine addition to your Star Trek collection!
Note-Perfect Pulp for new Star Trek crew.......2002-07-11
If you like Star Trek, and you like Peter David, you can't go wrong with the first four books of "The New Frontier", his introduction to Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and the rest of the crew of the Excalibur. I was hooked on David's writing through his classic "Grey Hulk" series of Marvel Comics. I find his prose and wit stands out from the crowd (though they did bring in some good writers for the original Trek book series).
These first books in the ongoing "New Frontier" series are classically organized, developing the characters in their individual threads and then bringing them together on the Excalibur for a unifying adventure in their new territory. There's very nice balance between characters and a breezy pace. The Star Trek comics, er books, have a little more leeway with asides that you don't get in the TV shows or movies. With Peter David writing, the often serious tone is punctuated with comic relief. The time and place is set around the time of the Next Generation, with Jean-Luc Picard and even Spock putting in an appearance.
Just to be clear -- these books read like comic books, or like a Star Trek episode. It's pure pulp, but pulp of the highest order. One word of warning: these "books" are barely novella length; it takes about an hour to read each, and that's if you read the funny parts twice. All in all, just as Star Trek should be.
Book Description
Completing the most comprehensive and authoritative study ever written of the Soviet-German war, John Erickson in this volume tells the vivid and compelling story of the Red Army`s epic struggle to drive the Germans from Russian soil. Beginning with the destruction of the German Army at Stalingrad, he describes a campaign of almost unimaginable hardship and fighting that led to the Soviet invasion of the Reich and the triumphant capture of Berlin.
Customer Reviews:
Easily the best book on the topic.......2007-06-08
John Erickson's 2-part history of the Soviet-German war in 1941-1945 is the definitive English-language publication on the topic. Because the Second World War was basically won and lost on the Eastern Front, and because conquest of the Soviet Union and the rest of Eastern Europe was Hitler's primary motivation for going to war in the first place, this book is a must-read for anyone truly interested in military history or the history of the 20th Century in general.
There is a lack of maps in the book, so I would suggest to the reader that they invest in a WWII atlas of some sort if they really want to follow what is happening. And the book is mostly told form the Soviet perspective, but that is not such a bad thing as there are far more English-language books about the Third Reich anyway. But there is nothing else written in English that comes close to Erickson's history in terms of overall balance and exhaustive, well-documented research.
lacks maps.......2007-01-07
Erickson's narrative is thoroughly researched from original Russian/Soviet sources. These include both documents and many surviving commanders. He wrote this book in 1973, just 30 years after the events chronicled, and several senior Soviet military men were still alive and willing to help him. Remember that the Cold War was still unfolding. The amount of cooperation he got in the Soviet Union was quite an achievement in itself. Something that might be unappreciated by a current reader, some 17 years after the Cold War ended.
That is really the distinguishing property of this book and its sequel. Many other texts on World War 2 that you might read were by American and British authors. Who had limited access to Soviet sources and might, unwittingly or otherwise, have failed to properly describe the heroic and dreadful sacrifices made by the Soviets.
But this book has a remarkable flaw. Not a single map. Which is really strange for a book on any war. Especially if the reader is unfamiliar with the geography of the Soviet Union. Erickson has a professional military background, so he would certainly have understood the need for maps. The sequel does have some maps.
Here's a suggestion to the author, if there will be a subsequent update to this book. No need to change a word in the narrative. But several maps are highly needed.
It really is a masterpiece!.......2006-04-24
Very good. Highly recommend to everyone who wants to know the truth. John Erickson is a true historian. Bravo!
Colossal conflict.......2005-12-10
The Road to Stalingrad:
The last 2 chapters of this book are by far the best (they constitute over 120 pages). Prior, I feel, the author has a hard time distinguishing the trees in the forest and the forest from the trees. These chapters are filled with endless sentences like "the 4th Airborne corps to use his 7th and 8th Brigades..", "the escape eastwards for 3rd, 10th and now 13th Army was.." and on and on. This approach makes for a very dry dissertation of the largest military conflict in recent history. Nevertheless Erickson does not glorify and glamourize the Red Army. Stalin's Russia was not only unprepared for this colossal conflict with the German armies, it was incompetently led. Stalin had killed off his officer corps by the end of the 1930's and was self-quarantined in the Kremlin listening only to advisors who told him what he wanted to hear. Erickson is correct when he describes Stalin as the `top' leader in the Soviet Union. Erickson's description of Stalin and the decision-making process is interesting if concise. It is only in the last 2 chapters that battle scenes are well painted by Erickson and one feels the horror and Dante's inferno that existed in Stalingrad. Why the German armies became entrapped in this cauldron of total destructiveness is unknowable, but it lead to their first major defeat in the Second World War (aside from their aborted invasion of Britain).
Also do not read this book for a picture of life for civilians either in the German or Soviet zone. There is no mention of the Einsazt-gruppen killing squads who butchered entire villages and Jewish life through-out German-occupied Soviet territory. This is `military history', but when it does step out of that zone it is interesting and Erickson offers insights into both protagonists. Some maps would have been helpful (there were none in my edition). This book does not have the `Soviet patriotism' of Alexander Werth's `Russia at War' and is better for it.
The Road to Berlin:
`The Road to Berlin' is much like the first volume - The Road to Stalingrad; but the events, if possible, even over-shadow those of the first book - like the battle of Kursk, the annexation of Eastern Europe under the Soviet yoke and the fall off Berlin. Orchestrating all of this is the figure of Stalin.
But much like the first volume there is a blur of details - military groupings and geographical minutiae. Is it necessary to list all the Guard units, divisions, battalions... that took forth on the assault on the Baltic States? Words like `hammer', `break through' abound.
Yet there are many rewards, Erickson writes entirely from the Soviet perspective with no glorification of their overall role in the defeat of Nazi Germany. There are gems of dialogue between Stalin and his generals vividly illustrating the brutality of the regime. Once it became apparent that the Nazis were to be expunged from the Soviet Union the next step was to occupy as much land as possible in Eastern Europe. With production in full swing by 1944 and an army numbering some 5 million entering Eastern Europe - never mind the agreements at Yalta promising free elections in Poland or democratic self-determination for the countries liberated from Nazi domination. Erickson discusses this country-by-country. He also brings up the notorious Soviet stand-still in front Warsaw while the Nazis methodically routed and slaughtered Polish partisans. The Soviet army may have had to re-group, but they never told this to the Polish partisans.
Do not read this book for details of the liberation of the concentration and death camps - it merits only a few sentences and there is even less on the treatment of Soviet citizens in areas occupied by Germany. Also very little is said on the barbaric treatment meted out by Soviet troops once they entered `liberated zones'.
There are three classics on Stalingrad. This IS one of them!.......2003-06-08
If you're studying Stalingrad or building up a credible military library, you really need this book, which stands alongside Antony Beevor's best-selling "Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege" and Joel Hayward's definitive "Stopped at Stalingrad: The Luftwaffe and Hitlers Defeat in the East 1942 - 1943". Make sure you have all three.
Erickson's book explains Soviet grand strategy, operational art, and tactics, and does so during a narrative that is gripping and informative. Yes, it is true that you need maps to help you locate the place names but check out the good maps in Hayward's book while you are reading Erickson's.
Erickson cut a trail with his meticulous use of Soviet russian-language archival documents. This gives the book real strenth and reliabilty.
Soviet sacrifices were as great as Soviet suffering. I would like to shake the hand of every Soviet commander Erickson mentions. Thank God for them is all I can say. THEY won World War II.
The books I mention in this book review are so far ahead of the rest that I would give them all six stars. You must get them. Erickson's companion volume, by the way, is about the period from Stalingrad to Berlin. It is also magnificent.
By the way, I once met Professor Erickson and I can affirm that he is a thoroughly nice gentleman. He signed his book for me and happily answered my dumb questions. Isn't it nice that at least some of our paramount scholars aren't ivory-tower types?
Customer Reviews:
A fitting end to a magnificent series of original histories.......1997-12-27
With "Above the War Fronts," Norman Franks and his associates conclude a magnificent series of WW I aviation histories. The books contain virtually everything the serious researcher will ever need on the ever-popular subject of the first fighter aces, and ATWF rounds out the set with British gunner aces as well as all aces of Belgium, Italy, Russia, and Austria-Hungary. I published the first edition of the late Dr. Martin O'Connor's seminal work on the latter topic, and Franks' format does justice to all the combatants. Great War aviation, contrary to popular opinion, not only ain't dead--it ain't dyin' either.
Average customer rating:
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THE BATTLE FOR MOSKOW 1941-42
Manufacturer: Almark and Podzun - Verlag
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0855241136 |
Product Description
An Illustrated record of the German attack on Soviet Russia in World War 2. This book covers the first major phase of the German attack in Russia from June 1941 until the "Inferno Moskow" period of December 41 and January 42. This book gives a vivid impression of the day-to-day experiences of the campaign as seen by the German troops in the front line and most of the 400 or so pictures were taken by German cameramen. The book is almost entirely pictorial and the captions are provided with English translations.
Book Description
Few would argue that war has been a defining experience for people born in Europe and North America in the twentieth century. The degree to which war has been instrumental in improving women's social situation remains a vexed question, however. Conventional wisdom repeats the cliche that the Great War liberated women by allowing them to demonstrate their fitness for equality by recruiting them to work in men's jobs previously considered beyond their capabilities. In fact, their patriotic enthusiasm was used against them after the war, when they were seen to have profited from the deaths of the men they replaced. As Europe prepared for the Second World War, this resentment of women's perceived war-profiteering helped to smooth their transition from sacred, protected icon to target.
In Beyond The Home Front, Yvonne M. Klein provides selections from autobiographical writing by women in the two World Wars that illustrate the richness and complexity of women's war-time lives. Although women generally did not take up arms, this collection reminds us that their war stories are neither peripheral nor secondary to the battle stories of men. This volume helps to reclaim women's experience of war as part of the universal experience of the twentieth century, different from that of men, but not as different as might be thought.
Bringing together more than forty selections from the two wars, Beyond the Home Front includes the work, much of it long out of print, of a wide array of voices including Sylvia Pankhurst, Vera Brittain, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Mary Lee Settle, Mary Borden, Gertrude Stein, and Joy Kogawa. The volume, which will appeal to the general reader as well as to the student of history and literature, includes contextual introductions as well as brief biographies of each of the writers.
Book Description
Tom Hanks introduces the rousing story of two inseparable friends and soldiers portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. William "Wild Bill" Guarnere and Edward "Babe" Heffron were among the first paratroopers of the U.S. Army, and their story is a tribute to the lasting bond forged between comrades in arms---and to all those who fought for freedom.
Customer Reviews:
Band of Brothers and Beyond.......2007-10-06
This book is a fine account of the exploits, adventures, and mishaps of two of the better known members of the "Band of Brothers" extolled in the the Stephen Ambrose book and HBO miniseries (based on the book) of the same name.
The book stems from the interviews by a journalist in 2001 of "Wild Bill" (aka "Gonorrhea" and one of the two "natural killers" in Easy Company according to Major Richard Winters in his autobiography, "Beyond Band of Brothers") and "Babe" (who joined Easy Company after D-Day and lived through Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge, and the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest at the end of the war) in connection with an article she was writing about them and the then upcoming HBO miniseries.
Each chapter contains their life stories (and those of other members) as told separately through these interviews, from both of them growing up poor in Philadelphia, to both of them ignoring their draft exemptions to volunteer, to their training and combat experiences, to their continuing post-war friendship ("Wild Bill" was shipped home after losing a leg in the Battle of the Bulge), to their belated renown as heroes.
I viewed this book with some trepidation as yet another spinoff from what is now a cottage industry of Band of Brothers material but I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting it was to learn more first-hand information from both of these warriors about their WWII experiences and lives both before and after the war. (Particularly revealing are frank admissions of certain acts that have been widely downplayed, discounted, or dismissed for generations. But without these admissions, no one will ever understand what these men went through and what war is often like no matter what side you are on. History cannot be studied or understood in a vacuum. It is these admissions that are, perhaps, their final act of heroism.)
South Philly's Finest.......2007-10-04
The real hero's of WWII didn't come home according to Babe Heffron. Well Bill and Babe have heroically told the stories of those men for 63 years. Right out of Damon Runyon these two characters, as labeled by a priest, through thick and thin have survived the Depression, Third Reich, health problems and all that life can throw at them. No sissys here, they both are giving and caring beyond the point they would admit. From foxhole to hole in the wall,the story of their loyalty, honesty and true devotion to each other is unparalleled. It is one of the greatest gifts that we have from their generation and it is a testimony that todays society can certainly use. Robyn Post's book has brought to the public the heartfelt tale of two different men who, damn the consequences, are buddies forever.
Books:
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- Tan Tien Chi Kung: Foundational Exercises for Empty Force and Perineum Power
- Thank God I Had a Gun: True Accounts of Self-Defense
- The Apocalypse Code: Find Out What the Bible REALLY Says About the End Times . . . and Why It Matters Today
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- The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot
- The Harsh Cry of the Heron: The Last Tale of the Otori (Tales of the Otori, Book 4)
- The Innate Immune Response to Infection
Books Index
Books Home
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