History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

Excellent account of the Russian Front
A tale from his soul
A book difficult to forget
The Forgotten Soldier
Fine Book on Terrible War

The Forgotten Soldier
Guy Sajer
Manufacturer: Potomac Books Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Military & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1574882864

Book Description

This book recountsthe horror of World War II on the eastern front, as seen through the eyes of a teenaged German soldier. At first an exciting adventure, young Guy Sajerâ€™s war becomes, as the German invasion falters in the icy vastness of the Ukraine, a simple, desperate struggle for survival against cold, hunger, and above all the terrifying Soviet artillery. As a member of the elite Gross Deutschland Division, he fought in all the great battles from Kursk to Kharkov.

His German footsoldierâ€™s perspective makes The Forgotten Soldier a unique war memoir, the book that the Christian Science Monitor said "may well be the book about World War II which has been so long awaited." Now it has been handsomely republished as a hardcover containing fifty rare German combat photos of life and death at the eastern front. The photos of troops battling through snow, mud, burned villages, and rubble-strewn cities depict the hardships and destructiveness of war. Many are originally from the private collections of German soldiers and have never been published before. This volume is a deluxe edition of a true classic.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent account of the Russian Front.......2007-10-17

I really enjoyed this book and I could not put it down. I finished it in a few days and I was there, vicariously, with Guy Sajer in those foxholes, with the artillery blasting, bodies blown into the air, and the smell of death all around. Mr. Sajer was just a teenager and was thrust into such a brutal war at such an early age, to be so exposed to all of this death and trajedy, is a crime unto itself. It is so important that books like this need to be printed so future generations can see, and feel, vicariously, the senseless and needless atrocities of war. This book is more compelling evidence that wars need to be outlawed on planet Earth. But I personally feel that more wars are coming in the near future. Humans will never learn...

A tale from his soul.......2007-09-22

I first read this story twenty years ago on the recommendation of a friend. To put it simply, I was blown away by the book. To ensure my review was meaningful to those who are thinking of reading this book I recently re-read it. What follows is my review of The Forgotten Soldier (current version) with some input from external analysis.

The Forgotten Soldier is Guy Sajer's autobiographical tale of his time in the German Army. In telling his tale, we're taken from initial training, thru his deployment on the Eastern Front in a transportation unit, his volunteering to join Gross Deutschland and following training, and his experiences thru the rest of the war as a member of Gross Deutschland as an infantryman. In each of the major sections, Mr. Sajer is the humble simple soldier that's just trying to survive. What capture you the most is Mr. Sajer's writing style. While most WWII personal account books are exact with their memories, Mr. Sajer is exact with telling us his feelings and not afraid to say he was a coward (personally I doubt this very much. Any person who lived thru the Russian Front from 1942 thru 1945 has to have been extremely brave). Other things that are notable when reading this book is that at several points, Mr. Sajer is wrong about weapons and other items. We're given the wrong caliber, tank type, and even told the wrong arm sleeve his Gross Deutschland armband was on. Does this make it not historical? No, it means that Mr. Sajer was not focused on those things like most historians are. What he focused on was his personal survival and the survival of his friends. Their survival and continuation was more important than anything else around them.

Rating wise, this book was extremely easy for me. 5 Stars! Why, this book was from his soul! All throughout the book, Mr. Sajer tells us about being the man on the outside looking in. When he enlists, he's a "foreigner" (his mother was German, his father French) that some Germans have a hard time trusting. By the end of the book, he's now a German soldier who must serve in the French Army to make himself a good Frenchman; while in the French Army he's now the seasoned soldier with a different background than any of the others. Other reasons for making this a 5 star book include excellent presentation and an excellent description of what it feels like to be in a hopeless situation and trying to survive. Is this book history, from a personal account - yes. Accurate, no. I question the dialog from different people (do we really remember what they said to the degree people will put their words in quotes, no...). Does he have some things reversed, yes, but then given the environment he was in (Hell...) I think I can understand it and believe this book. For those that claim this is total fiction, I suggest the following page: http://members.shaw.ca/grossdeutschland/sajer.htm

A book difficult to forget.......2007-08-31

While I read this marvelous book, I felt a landser my self; fighting side by side with Sajer and his comrades in arms. I felt my heart accelerating in every encounter with the red army, and felt in love when he met Paula. In the midst of the turmoil of World War Two, comradeship played a crucial role that kept the landsers effective up to the last stages of the conflict. At the very end of the book, Sajer tries to forget all the horrors he've been through, to forget everything, to be forgotten...
Thak you, Guy. I won't forget you.

The Forgotten Soldier.......2007-07-05

Written with a very interesting viewpoint,a Frenchman in the German army. War is hell! You will have more respect for the common foot soldier after reading this. If you want to know what it was like to fight the Russians read this.

Fine Book on Terrible War.......2007-07-03

Book arrived promptly in new condition. Writer gives first hand account of years spent in German Army in Russia, with awful horror. First account I have read of that war by an enlisted infantryman who experienced the worst imaginable. No polemics -- just his history. Bought it because I wanted to know why the German infantryman was the most effective soldier in WW II. Answers: The most rigorous training backed by iron discipline and camraderie w/ fellow soldiers.

Ghost Soldiers: The Forgotten Epic Story of World War II's Most Dramatic Mission

Average customer rating:

gripping, heroic WWII tale
Worth the read, but not perfect.
Very well written
More than just a flight to freedom...
A gruesome POW journey and the great raid that liberated those that survived.

Ghost Soldiers: The Forgotten Epic Story of World War II's Most Dramatic Mission
Hampton Sides
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Philippines | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0385495641
Release Date: 2001-05-15

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

The Bataan Death March was just the beginning of the woes American soldiers captured by the Japanese army in the Philippines had to endure. The survivors of the march faced not only their captors' regular brutality (having surrendered, they were considered to be less than honorable foes), but also a host of illnesses such as dysentery and malaria. For three years these "ghost soldiers" lived in misery, suffering terrible losses.

When Army Rangers among Douglas MacArthur's forces arrived in the Philippines, they hatched a daring plan to liberate their captured comrades, a mission that, if successful, would prove to be a tremendous morale booster at the front and at home. Led by a young officer named Henry Mucci (called "Little MacArthur" for his constant pipe as well as his brilliance as a strategist), a combined Ranger and Filipino guerrilla force penetrated far behind enemy lines, attacked Japanese forces guarding Allied prisoners at a jungle outpost called Cabanatuan, and shepherded hundreds of prisoners to safety, with an angry Japanese army in hot pursuit. Amazingly, they suffered only light casualties.

In Ghost Soldiers, journalist Hampton Sides recounts that daring rescue, once known to every American schoolchild but now long forgotten. A gifted storyteller, Sides packs his narrative with detailed descriptions of the principal actors on both sides of the struggle and with moments of danger and exhilaration. Thrilling from start to finish, his book celebrates the heroism of hundreds of warriors and brings renewed attention to one of the Rangers' finest hours. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

A tense, powerful, grand account of one of the most daring exploits of World War II.

On January 28, 1945, 121 hand-selected troops from the elite U.S. Army 6th Ranger Battalion slipped behind enemy lines in the Philippines. Their mission: March thirty miles in an attempt to rescue 513 American and British POWs who had spent three years in a surreally hellish camp near the city of Cabanatuan. The prisoners included the last survivors of the Bataan Death March left in the camp, and their extraordinary will to live might soon count for nothing—elsewhere in the Philippines, the Japanese Army had already executed American prisoners as it retreated from the advancing U.S. Army. As the Rangers stealthily moved through enemy-occupied territory, they learned that Cabanatuan had become a major transshipment point for the Japanese retreat, and instead of facing the few dozen prison guards, they could possibly confront as many as 8,000 battle-hardened enemy troops.

Hampton Sides's vivid minute-by-minute narration of the raid and his chronicle of the prisoners' wrenching experiences are masterful. But Ghost Soldiers is far more than a thrilling battle saga. Hampton Sides explores the mystery of human behavior under extreme duress—the resilience of the prisoners, who defied the Japanese authorities even as they endured starvation, tropical diseases, and unspeakable tortures; the violent cultural clashes with Japanese guards and soldiers steeped in the warrior ethic of Bushido; the remarkable heroism of the Rangers and Filipino guerrillas; the complex motivations of the U.S. high command, some of whom could justly be charged with abandoning the men of Bataan in 1942; and the nearly suicidal bravado of several spies, including priests and a cabaret owner, who risked their lives to help the prisoners during their long ordeal.

At once a gripping depiction of men at war and a compelling story of redemption, Ghost Soldiers joins such landmark books as Flags of Our Fathers, The Greatest Generation, The Rape of Nanking, and D-Day in preserving the legacy of World War II for future generations.

Customer Reviews:

gripping, heroic WWII tale.......2007-04-26

My father had a friend who he always identified as "that guy survived the Bataan Death March". I was too young to really understand what that was but the way my dad became so reverand about it I knew it must have been bad. I now finally know just how bad it was. In a gripping, harrowing, page turner of a book follow the rescue attempt of American GI's from
Cabanatuan death camp in the Philippines. Unforgettable.

Worth the read, but not perfect........2007-03-17

This is more of the story about the prison camp and the prisoners themselves, so if you are looking for a super dramatic battle story this is not it. The raid is not an easy or boring one by any means, but it is no huge conflict. That said, it doesnt take away from the story, because while I started the book looking for a big battle, i later found myself interested in the life of the prison camp. Also, the book does tend to slow down to a halt in a few places, but it does not kill the read. Anyway, it truly is worth the read and i give it four good stars, pick it up.

Very well written.......2007-01-14

This is a fascinating, extremely well-written (an easy read) book about an interesting subject (though I hear the movie based on the book is not very good). I am giving it 4 1/2 stars rather arbitrarily, because the author does not appear to be a professional historian, does appear to make a few historical errors, and because I like to save 5 stars for professional historians. After all, they make less money than regular authors and have to teach students for a living on top of that!

More than just a flight to freedom..........2006-09-11

Ghost Soldiers is an excellent account of the liberation of the allied POW's from the Cabanatuan death camp in the Philippines. The book consists of a very large part of primary material, the authors interviews with the former prisoners and in some cases their surviving relatives.

Where most of the healthier POWs had been shipped elsewhere at the time, including to Japan, those remaining in the Cabanatuan camp towards the end of January 1945 were the "sick and the dregs, the sickest and the weakest." As the book also states "They were a special lot, a subset of a subset of bad fortune, an elite of the damned."
General Walter Kruger was General MacArthur's commander of the U.S. Sixth Army. He was tasked by MacArthur to "Go to Manila. Go around them, go through them, but go to Manila." This presented General Kruger with a problem when he received intelligence of a prison camp just over 30 miles away from his forces, that contained the remaining 500 or so allied POW's, mostly survivors from the infamous Bataan death march. The intelligence indicated that the Japanese were likely to execute all prisoners if the allies got too close to Cabanatuan.
Since they could not slow down their advance, the General quickly dispatched an outfit of 121 Rangers of the 6th Ranger Battalion. The rangers were at the time a new and largely unproven elite force of highly trained soldiers, that would work together with the local guerilla to liberate the POWs. The urgency of the mission was immense. Intelligence indicated that they had less than 3 days before the Japanese were likely to start massacring these prisoners due to the proximity of allied forces.

This book describes the events leading up to the surrender of the American forces in the Philippines and the subsequent march that has been referred to as the "Bataan death march". The book's focus switches frequently between the lives of the prisoners in the camp, and the actions of their liberators led by Colonel Henry Mucci. The book culminates with the actual prison break and the harrowing flight back to allied lines with these 513 men, many too weak to walk, with the Japanese in hot pursuit.

The book does a very good job at giving a good insight into the daily lives of the prisoners. It contains sometimes tragic but also comical accounts of how the prisoners were affected by countless infections and severe vitamin deficiency. It shows how the prisoners managed to retain a sort of normalcy in the situation they were in, and how their amazing ingenuity helped make it their "home" for three years.

I found every aspect of this book exciting, whether it was about the history leading up to Bataan march, information about the daily lives of the prisoners, or the actual rescue. It becomes obvious that the rescue could not have been undertaken without the help of the two Philippine guerilla units lead by Eduardo Joson and Juan Pajota. These are given their due credit in this book as well.

I do not hesitate to give the book 5 stars - highly recommended.

A gruesome POW journey and the great raid that liberated those that survived........2006-05-16

This is a great book that goes back and forward detailing two journeys that finally meet at the end.

The first journey was made by American troops from the battles of Battan and Corregidor that surrendered to the Japanese army in the Philippines, confronting a gruesome reality of suffering and misery that placed them face to face with the Japanese Imperial Army that at the time was brain washed by a society heavily influenced by the military and believed they were a superior race and that surrender was one of the worst disgraces a human being could do to their divine emperor, family and country. This grandiose mentality automatically categorized the newly surrender American as an insignificant race not worthy of humane treatment. As a consequence, they experienced starvation, torture and death by a variety of methods including: bad nutrition, tropical diseases, decapitation and shooting.

The second journey is the preparation and execution of a courageous raid by the 6th Ranger Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Henry Mucci and their assault commander Capitan Robert Prince and supported by equally courage's Philippines' guerrillas, that finally ended with the liberation of POW's of the Cabanatuan camp and their slow and dangerous trip back to the American lines with the help of brave Philippines' civilians.

This is one of those well written amazing true stories, which everyone should read.

The Forgotten Heroes: The Story Of The Buffalo Soldiers

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The Forgotten Heroes: The Story of the Buffalo Soldiers
the story of the buffalo soldiers

The Forgotten Heroes: The Story Of The Buffalo Soldiers
Clinton Cox
Manufacturer: Scholastic Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0590451227

Customer Reviews:

The Forgotten Heroes: The Story of the Buffalo Soldiers.......2007-02-14

The Forgotten Heroes: The Story of the Buffalo Soldiers is about black calvarymen who went to fight the Native Americans out West in the late 1800's, and to make it safe for settlers. They fought battles against Native Americans led by Geronimo and other famous Native Americans. By joining the army, the soldiers hoped to find freedom, but to make the land safe for settlers, they had to take the Native American's freedom away.

the story of the buffalo soldiers.......2004-03-10

this story is bout some black organisation of black soldiersfrom Buffalo in new york city .tis soldiers foughtin the civil war for the north.thes soldiers gave their lives for the union .they were the brave lions of the union during the civil war.they were likre the 54th massachussets reginment.they were also different from the 54th massachussets reginmentbecause only a few people new the magnitude of what they did. and there was where this novel got its name.

Forgotten Soldier : The Classic WWII Autobiography (Brassey's Commemorative Series WWII) (Brassey's Commemorative Series Wwii)

Average customer rating:

Best War Book
Sobbering and Balanced
A Good Novel, but Fiction, Not History
I'd put SIX stars if I could ******!!!
Chillingly Clear Account of War on the Eastern Front

Forgotten Soldier : The Classic WWII Autobiography (Brassey's Commemorative Series WWII) (Brassey's Commemorative Series Wwii)
Guy Sajer
Manufacturer: Brassey's (UK) Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Russia | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0080374379

Book Description

War on the Eastern Front, seen through the eyes of a young German soldier.

Customer Reviews:

Best War Book.......2007-01-22

Best War Book
This is not an anti-war book.
It is an eye witness account of war.
Read this book whether you hate or love war.

Sobbering and Balanced.......2006-01-17

Echos of Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front" - this book's actual accounts will leave the reader mentally drained. The graphic reality of combat on the Eastern front are jaw dropping. Combat experiences are conveyed expertly without self-praise nor self-loathing - just the facts and the struggle. Politics are abscent. The story shows a man's journey and his witness to the horrors of war in depths that could never be duplicated in other forms of media. If done in film it would be "Saving Private Ryan" to the factor of ten.

A prize book in my personal collection.

A Good Novel, but Fiction, Not History.......2005-12-24

This work of fiction has fooled too many 'historians" to mention here. Proof? Just double-check Sajer's facts. For example, Sager claims to have witnessed a daylight Allied air raid against Berlin in the spring of 1943, before the Battle of Kursk. Sorry, Sager, but the first Allied daylight raid against Berlin was flown in March 1944. Then Sager claims to have seen Hitler Youth lads fighting alongside his panzergrenadier unit at Kursk. No Hitler Youth fought at Kursk, and Germany never clothed its grenadiers in HJ uniforms. After Kursk, Sager claims to have fought at Konotop, but the history of the German 183th Infantry Division [Weg und Schicksal der 183rd Infanterie-Division] , which defended Konotop in September 1943, makes it clear that no German armored or panzergrenadier units supported its efforts and the detailed situation map (a copy of an original) in the book does not depict the Grossdeutschland Division anywhere near the town. Similarly, Sager makes no mention of the Grossdeutschland Division's epic battles fought at Kirowograd, Rownoje, Cornesti, or even Targul Frumos. Instead, he claims to have spent much of this period of the war with his panzergrenadier company fighting Soviet partisan bands, a mission not typically assigned to elite panzergrenadier formations and one not mentioned in the Grossdeutschland Division's three-volume detailed factual history, by Helmuth Spaeter. Spaeter by the way went to his grave believing Sager was a fraud. Unfortunately, so many lazy historians (mostly American) have quoted Sager's bull as fact in their own manuscripts that they have a vested interest in perpetuating the myth of the Forgotten Soldier. Read Sager's book for fun; enjoy the novel. But even as a novel, the Forgotten Soldier can't hold a candle to either "The Cross of Iron" (Willi Heinrich) or "If This Be Glory" (Hasso G. Stachow), two of the very best novels on the German experience on the Eastern Front in WWII. Of course, Heinrich and Stachow fought on the Eastern Front; Sager didn't, and that makes a world of difference in terms of authenticity and accuracy.

I'd put SIX stars if I could ******!!!.......2005-09-23

The best "ground" WWII book I have ever read. I'll never forget this book as long as I live.
You'll discover a whole new world if this is your first German/Russian WWII book.

Chillingly Clear Account of War on the Eastern Front .......2005-08-17

Awsome - the one word I use to describe this book.

Debates exist whether this book is non-fiction or fiction mainly due to the inaccuracies regarding specific details, some minor such as uniform markings. However, after researching this topic I came across a letter to the Editor of "Military Review", printed in the March-April 1997 edition, by a Douglas E. Nash. Nash eventually located Sajer and brought up some critical points that skeptics thought up regarding Sajer's inaccurracies. Sajer basically replied that what he wrote was concerned with what he experienced first-hand, and that he did not intend to write a tatical, encyclopedia-type war book.

After learning about this, my anxiety was gone - since I was concerned that the graphic, lucid, and gripping battle descriptions in this book may be all imaginary. But they are all true. It is amazing that anyone could survive a major battle on the Eastern Front after reading what Sajer and his fellow soldiers encountered. A must read.

Forgotten Heroes of World War II: Personal Accounts of Ordinary Soldiers

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The Ordinary Soldier In An Unforgettable Way
Fourteen intensely personal perspectives

Forgotten Heroes of World War II: Personal Accounts of Ordinary Soldiers

Manufacturer: Cumberland House Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Japanese | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Japan | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1581823215

Book Description

World War II was the defining event of the twentieth century. For everyone it was a time of confusion and fear, destruction and death on a scale never before seen. Much has been written of the generals, campaigns, and battles of the war, but it was young, ordinary American kids who held our freedom in their hands as they fought for liberty across the globe. Forgotten Heroes of World War II offers a personal understanding of what was demanded of these young heroes through the stories of rank-and-file individuals who served in the navy, marines, army, air corps, and merchant marine in all theaters of the war. Their tales are told without pretense or apology. At the time, each thought himself no different from those around him, for they were all young, scared, and miserable. They were the ordinary, the extraordinary, the forgotten. Multiply their stories by hundreds of thousands, and you begin to understand the words of war correspondent Martha Gellhorn: "There are! those who received brief, poor, or no recognition, all those history leaves unmentioned, not because they are lesser but because they are too many." Recorded more than fifty years after the war, the stories in Forgotten Heroes of World War II were shared quietly, shyly, honestly, and often painfully by these extraordinary ordinary Americans. All of them begin with similar statements—"There's really not much to tell. I was just there like everyone else. All I wanted to do was get home…" Each was uncomfortable for being singled out to speak of experiences he felt were common to so many others. None of these heroes see themselves as heroes. Indeed, the word seems to embarrass them. Yet they and thousands like them stood their watch and did their duty in spite of fear and danger. One by one they are leaving us. It will soon be too late to thank them. It will never be too late to remember what they did.

Customer Reviews:

The Ordinary Soldier In An Unforgettable Way.......2003-10-08

A quick search of books about World War II on Amazon.com lists 11,982 titles. ''Forgotten Heroes of World War II - Personal Accounts of Ordinary Soldiers'' by Thomas E. Simmons is the one book you should not miss.

As someone who never served in the military - or in war, to me, these personal accounts by a dozen 'ordinary soldiers' many times make the ordinary seem surreal.

Simmons captures the mundane routines and retells the edge-of-your-seat dramatic tension that makes you stop reading, look up and say to yourself, 'I'm glad I'm only reading this.'

Sometimes these scenes trigger your willing suspension of disbelief and you simply credit Simmons with craftily bringing the ordinary soldier into the big picture with a well-told scene-painting or technical description (such as a battleship refueling a destroyer in rough seas), or by weaving facts of
the outside war into the events at hand.

Each story is more engrossing than the last, pulling you in deeper and deeper to these nearly lost accounts of 'ordinary soldiers'

Bruce Creekmur at Pearl Harbor - tapping to locate survivors of USS Oklahoma, a ''turned turtle.'' He first cut a small hole into the hull and pumped in fresh air ... hauled eight men out.

A detail of the ''rainbow colored tears'' makes these men stand out, but it could be the editor's interpretation.

Edward Anderson, who ended up in the Navy as part of an April Fools' joke, commands Tugboat LT-430, the first of several that are shot out from under him in the South Pacific.

Anderson's mission is simple: to rescue shipwrecked seamen and downed Allied pilots, and put coast-watchers on ''certain islands.'' He learned by doing whether or not the islands were occupied.

You have Oswald Smith the merchant marine stranded in one of Stalin's labor camps somewhere above the Arctic Circle. And his perilous return across 900 miles of hostile territory.

The tales are well told of Fred Koval the B-17 pilot, Fred Moyce the D-Day artillery spotter and pilot Mike Kelly towing gliders on D-Day.

Ensign Owen Palmer is aboard the ship that rescues pilot George Bush; then refuels (or tries to) in a typhoon. Even big ships such as destroyers are susceptible to the weather, as 800 perish in the storm.

Harry Bell and Knox White live through different sagas at the Battle of the Bulge. Bell survives a Nazi prison camp at Bad Orb returning to humanity at 90 pounds. White's recon unit helped defend Saint-Vith which delayed the Germans' attack on Bastogne.

Bomber pilot Amos Pollard's shot up plane survives to fight another day saved by the timely appearance of the RedTails - Tuskeegee Airmen, ''We gonna take care of Fritz.'' And they do.

Marines ''Dee'' Hamilton and Joseph Urby fight their way across the South Pacific islands.

And for effect, and a different view of the fighting, Simmons includes excerpts from the diary of a Jap medic Tarao Kawaguch who picks up a gun for defense.

These soldiers' tales - and all the services (even the Merchant Marines) are covered - easily absorb the reader into the action. You sense a closeness with the teller of the tale, as he's revealing unspoken memories to you alone.

Simmons brings you close up to this war. Maybe closer than you've ever wanted to be, but you remember ''Forgotten Heroes,'' long after you've put away the book.

Fourteen intensely personal perspectives.......2003-01-06

Compiled and edited by Thomas E. Simmons, Forgotten Heroes Of World War II: Personal Accounts Of Ordinary Soldiers offers contemporary readers with fourteen intensely personal perspectives of individual rank-and-file soldiers, aviators, and seamen who were quite ordinary people thrown into the extraordinary and often horrific demands of World War II combat. Of special interest is "The Diary Of Tarao Kawaguchi" which relates the perspective of a Japanese soldier stationed in Saipan during 1944. Also of interest is concluding chapter "The Home Front". Their strength and valor are commemorated in this moving, compelling, informative, and highly recommended contribution to the growing library of World War II military histories.

Irish Confederates: The Civil War's Forgotten Soldiers

Average customer rating:

Eye opener!
A welcome and much needed addition to Irish-American history and reference shelves.
Dixie Gaels

Irish Confederates: The Civil War's Forgotten Soldiers
Phillip Thomas Tucker
Manufacturer: McWhiney Foundation Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1893114538

Book Description

THE CIVIL WAR CONTINUES TO FASCINATE HISTORIANS AND GENERAL READERS.

Contemporary Civil War scholarship has brought to light the important roles certain ethnic groups played during that tumultuous time in our nation's history. Two new books, focusing on the participation of Irish immigrants in both the Union and Confederate armies, add to this growing area of knowledge.

While the famed fighting prowess of the Irish Brigade at Antietam and Gettysburg is well known, in God Help the Irish! historian Phillip T. Tucker emphasizes the lives and experiences of the individual Irish soldiers fighting in the ranks of the Brigade, supplying a better understanding of the Irish Brigade and why it became one of the elite combat units of the Civil War.

The axiom that the winners of wars write the histories is especially valid in regard to the story of the Irish who fought for the Confederacy from 1861-1865. Throughout the course of the Civil War, Irish Confederates made invaluable contributions to all aspects of the war effort. Yet, the Irish have largely been the forgotten soldiers of the South. In Irish Confederates: The Civil War's Forgotten Soldiers, Tucker illuminates these overlooked participants.

Together, the two books provide a full picture of the roles Irish soldiers played in the Civil War.

Customer Reviews:

Eye opener!.......2007-05-27

This is a long overdue pen-picture of those from the Irish diaspora who found themselves, as always, involved (by choice) in other people's wars. The Mitchel family is an example of what I mean. Tucker does a good job and I look forward to reading his "God Help the Irish". I have heard it said of that expression (God help the Irish), that if He doesn't, we help ourselves anyway - and thank Him afterward!.

A welcome and much needed addition to Irish-American history and reference shelves........2007-04-14

Historian Phillip Thomas Tucker presents Irish Confederates: The Civil War's Forgotten Soldiers, an examination of some of the South's most overlooked fighting men. Chapters focus upon the Irish-Americans in specific regiments and brigades, such as the Irishmen who served in the First Missouri Confederate Brigade at the Battle of Champion Hill, and the Celtic-Gaelic rebels of the Tenth Tennessee Infantry Regiment of Volunteers. Black-and-white photographs, a bibliography, and an index round out this brief but illuminating collection of true stories of Irish Confederate ferocity and battlefield valor. A welcome and much needed addition to Irish-American history and reference shelves.

Dixie Gaels.......2007-03-04

This slim volume (about 100 pages of text) is best described as an inexpensive brief introduction to Irishmen who fought for the Confederacy. About a third of the book gives an overview of Irish in the South, their participation in the war and their motivations, and how some other Southerners viewed them. The balance consists of 8 brief chapters, each about various units with large numbers of Irishmen enrolled, usually describing an action in which they fought, and including some brief information on a few individuals in the unit.

A fair amount of the book's ink is spent arguing that, despite their outstanding war record, the CS Irish have been swept under the rug and are just now being recognized. While the publisher claims it's due to the tired old cliche about Northern control of publishing houses, thankfully Mr. Tucker himself does not, attributing it instead largely to a low rate of literacy among surviving Irish vets. Tucker's contention has some validity, but the main reason this occurred is Lost Cause-ism, which attempted to portray Confederates as the "real" (read WASP) Americans fighting against immigrant hordes forced to fight for the "stay-at-home Yankee cowards". Once this claim was made, it would not do to have Irish seen around the CSA pantheon, so the Lost Cause advocates airbrushed them out of the picture. Although Ella Lonn demolished this almost 70 years ago, myths die hard.

All in all, the book is okay for the casual student; there's just not a lot of meat if you're something more. It's not the in-depth study I'm hoping for, but to be fair I doubt Mr. Tucker was trying to produce one here. A lot of the units and personalities he describes are covered in greater detail in other works, including some of his own. If you're really interested in Irish in the ACW, I'd opt for them instead.

Soldiers of Ice (Forgotten Realms - the Harpers, No 7)

Average customer rating:

Something Different
Not another run-off-the-mill FR novel
NOT THE BEST!
Wonderful Breakaway from plot architypes
Awe inspiring cover art... little to be found inside.

Soldiers of Ice (Forgotten Realms - the Harpers, No 7)
David Cook
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1560766417

Customer Reviews:

Something Different.......2007-07-10

This is the only Forgotten Realms novel I own or have thus far read from "the Harpers" series. I wasn't really sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised.

The story is fairly straight forward. The main character is a ranger trying to gain membership to the Harpers and is thus sent on basic reconnaissance mission as a test. As expected, the whole mission falls apart.

She has to use her wits and quickly forge alliances between different races which include a Gnoll shaman, a clan of hardy Gnomes, and a Human fighter living as a hermit.

I thought the story was very well written that was quite enjoyable with a straightforward plot that is easy enough to follow.

I would suggest this title if you want to read a Forgotten Realms story that is straight forward and a little different.

Not another run-off-the-mill FR novel.......2005-01-26

While the language, the storyline, and the characters in this novel are mediocre at best, there was something that caught my attention as truly unique. For a welcome change, there are no epic battles, no world-shattering magic, no mighty kings or ancient dragons, and no scorching romance stories. It is a tale of small-water heroics and mere survival. And yet, it carries a strong question: are we truly different from those we fight, no matter how bestial they look?

NOT THE BEST!.......2004-07-26

Unfortunately Soldiers of Ice was a quite a disappointment! The title is a bit misleading if you are expecting epic battles/wars. There are encounters with ice mephits and elementals (one of each...) and gnolls, but the book lacks that extra something needed to push it over the top. Both the plot and the writing are average. Instead, I recommend other books from the Series such as Red Magic or Parched Sea to mention a few, all the while keeping in mind the "heavy artillery" Forgotten Realms novels that have been written by RA Salvatore, Elaine Cunningham, Ed Greenwood etc My advice, read the Soldiers of Ice only after you're done reading most of the other Forgotten Realms books and you are still in need of more Toril related material.

Wonderful Breakaway from plot architypes.......2000-05-12

A stand-alone novel in the FR Harper series. I loved thedescriptions of the frozen environment; some of the best I've read inany novel (this coming from someone who lives in the snow). The book breaks away from conventional "good vs. evil", blurring the lines, showing both sides of the battle with intriguing characters. Don't expect a cliff-hanging plotline, but do expect a fresh look and new take on the way characters and the overall book is portrayed as compared ot other FR novels. My only complaint is that there hasn't been a sequel written (yet - knock on wood).

Awe inspiring cover art... little to be found inside........1998-12-24

I read this book some years ago now and I remember not being overly thrilled with it. I don't think that I was happy with the way the story went. The book was purely medicocre, especially in the character development. its a shame, The cover art was awe inspiring, too bad the story wasn't.

Average customer rating:

Another Generation Almost Forgotten: A Review
Life altering and captivating read!!
Life altering and captivating read!!
Life altering and captivating read!

Another Generation Almost Forgotten
Jefferson Wiggins
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 141340412X

Book Description

The principle that no child should be left behind is now codified in the laws of the United States, but Jefferson Wiggins grew up in a different United States, under a very different set of laws. From the night the Ku Klux Klan came to hang his father to the afternoon he received an honorary doctorate in recognition of his life's work, Jeff's memoir is a story of human triumph over adversity, a story of individuals who can and do make a difference in the lives of others. Most of all, his memoir reminds us of the extraordinary stories that often lie below the surface of seemingly ordinary lives. No reader can help but be moved to tears by this compelling, inspirational work.

Customer Reviews:

Another Generation Almost Forgotten: A Review.......2003-09-15

This is a tale, elegant in its simplicity, that has the capacity to speak to every American about the core issues of what it truly means to be an American.

Jefferson Wiggins escaped from the horrors of the Ku Klux Klan and the pervasive poverty of rural Alabama to forge an extraordinary life as a decorated Army officer and noted educator.

Dr. Wiggins has endured experiences that others can only point to in history books. What sets this book apart is its ability to directly engage the reader on an emotional level. It is more than inspirational. It is meaningful.

It is meaningful for us to be reminded that hope is the beacon that lights the eternal path. And that young Jeff Wiggins overcame poverty, discrimination and ignorance only with the emotional and practical support of the human "angels" in his life.

Do I have a criticism? The book is too short. At less than 240 pages there aren't enough pages to turn quickly. I would have wanted to learn more about Jeff's experiences in Korea, for example, and known sommething more about Jeff the person, his friendships, habits, even his foibles during his Army and university days. I guess I will have to wait for a sequel.

A Generation Almost Forgotten is about a cause we can never forget, especially in today's troubled world. Every human being has the inalienable right to live up to his or her potential. That's Jeff's story and ours, as well.

Life altering and captivating read!!.......2003-08-26

"Another Generation, Almost Forgotten" is the type of book that stops you clear in your tracks and transforms you into another time where you become a witness to a man's struggles and triumphs. The struggles and triumphs are so poignant and shocking at times there is no way any human cannot be taken by the fluidity and the descriptions of the author's words. I am privileged to say that I not only know the author personally, but I know him a mentor. He has kept his promise to Mrs. Merrill and dramatically altered my life by becoming my mentor, and continuing as my friend. Jeff has been a source of insight, advice, compassion, and inspiration for me and so many others locally whom he has touched. Anyone who reads his book, which now finally is capable of reaching a global audience will forever remember, and hopefully resolve to change their behaviors because of. Jeff has spent his life trying to instill values of social integrity, and tolerance into all those he meets, and his book is a way for each and every person who considers themselves a human, to not begin if they have not already, to act like one. Take with you his guidance, and walk across a bridge that you begin to build with the strength, and the insight of his words. As Jeff has proven throughout his life, one person truly can make a difference, and in my life he really has.

Life altering and captivating read!!.......2003-08-26

Life altering and captivating read!.......2003-08-26

Forgotten Soldiers: History of the 2nd Tennessee Volunteer Infantry Regiment (USA), 1861-1865

Average customer rating:

Forgotten Soldiers: History of the 2nd Tennessee Volunteer Infantry Regiment (USA), 1861-1865
Eddie M. Nikazy
Manufacturer: Heritage Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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