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.

Seven Days in January: With the 6th SS-Mountain Division in Operation NORDWIND

Average customer rating:

Well Researched and Written History by Participant in Operation Nordwind
Excellent Account of Operation NORDWIND
Reads like an after action report
Credit where credit is due
Great World War 2 History

Seven Days in January: With the 6th SS-Mountain Division in Operation NORDWIND
Wolf T. Zoepf
Manufacturer: The Aberjona Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Switzerland | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0966638956

Book Description

The first book-length account of the initial phase of Operation NORDWIND, the last German offensive on the Western Front in World War II, Seven Days in January is also a personal memoir by a key participant. For perspective, the author includes a detailed, yet concise, summary of his division's operations during three years of combat against the Soviets on the Arctic Front near Murmansk, and its epic 1,000-mile fighting withdrawal across Finland and Norway after the Finns concluded a separate armistice with the USSR in 1944. With this as background, the author focuses on a day-by-day description and analysis of Operation NORDWIND, based on not only his personal experience in the campaign, but on extensive use of both German and American archival sources and dozens of interviews with the combatants of both sides. A gripping and detailed account of an important, yet until now obscure unit's participation in the last critical contest on the Western Front in WWII. Includes 36 highly-detailed maps, including eight textured 3-D maps derived from satellite imagery to facilitate the reader's fullest possible understanding of the terrain's effects on operations. 6" x 9" format; photos; index.

Customer Reviews:

Well Researched and Written History by Participant in Operation Nordwind.......2007-06-06

At the tender age of 22, the author was the senior staff officer and second in command of the 3d Battalion, SS-Mountain Infantry Regiment 12, 6th SS-Mountain Division NORD. This book is his story.

It begins with an amazing account of how he was captured hiding in a foxhole with two American soldiers that he declared were his prisoners of war. One of the soldiers in the foxhole had shot at the author, hitting him from about 30 meters away. The author instinctively charged right at the foxhole. The surprised soldier got off one more round before the author jumped in the foxhole, hit the soldier on the head with his fist, and declared him to be his prisoner as he unbuckled his pistol. He then discovered that there was yet another soldier in the foxhole who had slept through all this. The author declared him to be his prisoner too. The author was eventually captured when a GI sergeant became upset that one of the men would not leave the foxhole and grabbed the soldier's blanket, uncovering the author as well.

The author then recounts in a very absorbing way his introduction to life as a German soldier where he became a member of the division of German mountain troops that eventually (in 1943, when Waffen-SS Divisions were officially numbered, based on seniority) became the sixth Waffen-SS division, the 6th SS-Mountain Division NORD. In so doing, he also provides a fascinating history of the training, experience, and development of this division, which, after an inauspicious beginning, obtained a well-deserved reputation for being a skilled and respected fighting force. This division spent almost the entire war fighting in the rugged, mountainous terrain of Finland with the Finns against the Soviets until the Finns and Soviets achieved an rapprochement, part of which included that the Finns capture, disarm, and turn over to the Soviets any German soldiers left in Finland after a 10-day allowance for their withdrawal. (The German wihdrawal was designated Operation BIRKE ("Birch").)

After the division's withdrawal from Finland, at the end of 1944, the Germans decided to utilize it (as well as other troops) in Operation NORDWIND ("Northwind"), an adjunct to Operation WACHT AM RHEIN ("Watch on the Rhein"), the offensive launched in Decermber 1944 through the Ardennes forest, better known in the West as the Battle of the Bulge.

The vast majority of the book describes in great detail, not only day by day, but hour by hour, the 7 days of fighting by the author's battalion and other elements of the 6th SS Division ("Combat Group Wingen") in January 1945 in and around the mountain town of Wingen-sur-Moder, in the Low Vosges in Northeastern France, primarily against forces of the U.S. 70th Infantry Division.

Drawing upon a wide array of sources from both sides of the battle, American and German, including numerous personal recollections by participants on both sides, the author not only describes what happened in an engaging writing style but objectively analyzes and criticizes the strategies and tactics of each side, giving credit where credit is due, during each stage of the fighting. The book is an invaluable addition to the history of this battle, mountain fighting, World War II, and warfare in general.

The entire book is enhanced by the use of about 3 dozen well-drawn and clearly stated maps of the fighting in Finland, the withdrawal, and Operation NORDWIND, including the daily battles around Winger-sur-Moden. There are no photos to speak of (the cover photo is not that of the author).

Excellent Account of Operation NORDWIND.......2007-04-22

The author was the adjutant of a German SS mountain infantry battalion that successfully infiltrated through the mountains and American lines before seizing its objective, a small village where most of these highly trained and well led soldiers were surrounded and killed in action while awaiting a relief force to link up with them that never came. The combat performance of this superb unit, and its strict adherence to the rules that govern modern warfare, so impressed their American opponents that both sides routinely met at annual reunions after the war. Parts of the book read like poetry, particularly the all too brief description of the German retreat across Finland and into Norway where the soldiers embarked on rusty transport ships that would transport these doomed soldiers to the shrinking perimeter of the Thousand Year Reich where they would be sacrificed on the fields of Mars during the last operational level German counteroffensive in the west.

Reads like an after action report.......2007-02-26

Yes, it is a great commentary on a unit as it progressed through WW2 and a particular action. However if you were looking for a more personal account of Wolf's experiences you will be disappointed. As my title states it reads like an after action report, NOT A NOVEL, not engrossing, just the facts, I found it pretty dry in fact. What is of great value is the dissection of the problems and how they contributed to the failure of the SS-Mountain to prevail against the US forces. "Those that don't read history are doomed to repeat it". If this is what you are looking for then you will not be disappointed. I give it five stars in that regard.

Credit where credit is due.......2006-03-04

It would take a German to give credit where credit is due.
Nordwind was a German offensive made at the same time as the more famous Ardennes offensive. It was of a slightly smaller scale, but no less fiercly fought and could potentially have had devastating consequences had it succeeeded.
Wolf Zoepf was a veteran from the war with Soviet Union north of the Arctic cirlce and gives a clear and concise description of the development of the Sixth Waffen SS Mountain Division, of its tactics and organisation, and of its heroic part in the failed Nordwind offensive.
The book not only describes in detail the course of the battle, but also - which is even more important - the strengths and weaknesses of the opposing military organisations.
It is not enough to say that the US army had superior manpower and superior firepower - history is full of examples where the inferior side carries the day, take for example the early German and Japanese victories in the second world war, or the Macedonian victories against the Persians.
The German strengths lay in superior tacical skill, initiative, off-road mobility, and tactical organisation (up to, say, regimental level). Usually, these factors would be enough to carry the day in any battle, but the US army had a superior organisation on the army level: not only did they have the manpower and the firepower, they could see to it that it got where it was needed! What played a role was also the superior US communications technology, and that they had one sole Commander who knew how to utilise his advantages and whose orders were obeyed. I get the impression that by this stage of the war the US army had developed a military organisation that was almost fool-proof; even mediocre army or divisional commanders could succeed by just following the rules. The German commander had to co-operate with other army commanders, including Himmler! and had cope with meddling superiors, including Hitler! He could not give orders to other units than the ones under his direct command, and then the communications were often so faulty that orders were not always received.
This book gives the reader so much more than just a first-hand account of the battle (which is interesting enough), and it is a valuable addition to any second world war or military history collection.
Let us not forget that the blood on the snow and the unmarked graves are no less real just becuase they are written on paper and happened over sixty years ago. This kind of madness continues, and shows no will to stop.

Great World War 2 History.......2005-09-29

This is a great history of the 6th SS-Mountain Division. I enjoyed the play by play of Operation NORDWIND and the research that was put in to getting the facts of the battle right. Read Black Edelweiss: A Memoir of Combat and Conscience by a Soldier of the Waffen-SS first to get a really good look at what is was like fighting in Finland and in Operation NORDWIND. They compliment themselves very well.

Boeing B-29 Superfortress: The Ultimate Look : from Drawing Board to Vj-day (Schiffer Military History)

Average customer rating:

In Defense of a Labor of Love and Years of Research (See BillH review)
A lot of material, poorly presented
The awesome result of complete research!

Boeing B-29 Superfortress: The Ultimate Look : from Drawing Board to Vj-day (Schiffer Military History)
William Wolf
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0764322575

Book Description

Although many books have been published about the B-29, none has been an in-depth look, with most being either superficial pictorials or focusing on the bombing campaigns, particularly the incendiary attacks and atomic bombings. This book, using rare, previously unexplored sources, intends to provide the definitive look at the bomber and crew, detailing every facet for the air enthusiast, historian and modeler. The author was granted rare access to the Pima Air & Space Museum's restored B-29 "Sentimental Journey" for inspection and photography, resulting in the most extensive photographic documentation of the B-29 ever published. The Pima Museum's archives, filled with B-29 technical and crew manuals also gave the author extensive information that had not been previously published. These sources, the author's extensive personal library, and microfilm resources enabled the author to produce this comprehensive look at the bomber and its crew in the context of the bomber's development and operational use. It is truly monumental in scope, both in words and photos.

Customer Reviews:

In Defense of a Labor of Love and Years of Research (See BillH review).......2007-08-28

Like many of my fellow aviation writers, this B-29 book and my seven other books (amateurs write one book for a vanity press) were done as a labor of love and the many years of research and writing certainly are not equally remunerated monetarily. So when reading a review such as that by BillH that does not comment on the quality and quantity of the text but focuses on the quality of hundreds of B&W and original color photos and on the rare original B-29 drawings and charts; it is much like saying that someone's baby is ugly.

The B&W photos originally showed their 60 years as did the drawings and charts from yellowed manuals. Many of the photos and drawings were actually enhanced from the originals. One manual had a bullet hole through it! As for using a professional photographer, this was not allowed by Pima and would be exceeding expensive (as I found when engaging a professional photographer for my daughter's wedding!). Access to the aircraft was only allowed for a very short period of time during closing hours. With the bomber's limited interior space, lighting considerations, framing, and focusing were very difficult. The quality of the drawings and photos in this book certainly equals or exceeds that of the only other available B-29 books (e.g. Crowood (200 pages), Warbird Tech (96 pages), and B-29 Combat Photo Diary (160 pages, paperback).

Portions of the text, are paraphrased from original B-29 manuals and official publications and documents, and put into layman's terms as that method best explains the various too technical aspects and components of the bomber. From what other sources besides these rare materials could an "ultimate look" be written? There is some repetition only to clarify and maintain continuity of the overlapping components being discussed in different sections of the book. As the bibliography shows, the book used literally 100's of sources from my collection of 16,000 WW-2 books and magazines and 15,000 feet of official WW-2 aviation microfilm.

Since the book was so detailed it was difficult to write captions that would add any new information. Many readers do not read a book of this size from cover to cover but use it as a reference. They thumb though it, looking at photos and reading captions first to find subjects of interest in the text.

The book is meticulously organized and contains an extensive index. At 360 pages and 500+ drawings and photos from many rare sources; this book is by far the most comprehensive, detailed "Ultimate Look" on the B-29 to date.

A lot of material, poorly presented.......2007-07-14

Wiliam Wolf's "Boeing B-29 Superfortress" is awash in detail covering every aspect of the bomber from earliest development to the final missions at the end of WWII in the Pacific.

That said, the book was a great disappointment to me. The author has clearly researched every detail of the bomber's history and has an impressive bibliography at the end of the book. Nevertheless, the entire presentation seems amaturish. The book badly needs an editor. The text, often parphrased from or quoted from manuals and government publications of the day is sometimes repetitive. Occasionally, directions to the printer to insert pictures in particular locations are left in.

Perhaps the biggest problem with the book is the illustrations and photographs. The graphic content is crucial for a book like this; every reader wants to see the wealth of pictoral detail the author tries to present. Unfortunately, most of the black and white photos and reproductions of drawings and charts are muddy and indistict. Even worse, while the author was allowed complete access to the B-29 in the collection of the Pima Air Museum, he failed to engage a professional photographer or even to learn basic lighting techniques himself. The result is that nearly all the color pictures of the B-29 interior and exterior details are glaringly lighted by the single flash on his camera, leaving some detail washed out and over-exposed and other components lost in shadow. A simple bounce flash or two-flash technique would have produced much better results. A couple of pictures are even blurry because of camera movement or poor focus. This was a unique opportunity to illustrate a rare aircraft wasted.

Picture captions, usually used to impart information that supplements the text of a book and to describe some unique features of the illustration, are, in this book, simply a sentence or two lifted from the nearby text without modification.

In a history and reference book such as this, a comprehensive index is essential. The index in this book is scanty.

Anyone with an interest in the B-29 will want to read this book. Because of its poor quality, I suggest borrowing a copy or buying it used.

The awesome result of complete research!.......2006-05-19

This is book that every famous plane deserves.Every aspect of the plane is covered.That is an understatement!It is all here.Great photos of the plane from Pima Air Museum(another must see).This is definitely a technical book that delves deep into the design,opearation,and logistics of a plane that has remained elusive though known by almost everybody because of its place in history.This book will give all the aviation lovers something to savor for hours on end.

Crosley: Two Brothers and a Business Empire That Transformed the Nation

Average customer rating:

a msut read for radio fans
The Crosley Empire
Crosley: Two Brothers and a Business Empire That Transformed the Nation
Industrial pioneers
Crosley

Crosley: Two Brothers and a Business Empire That Transformed the Nation
David Stern , Michael A. Banks , and Rusty McClure
Manufacturer: Emmis Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Business | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1578602912

Book Description

Set in the vibrant Industrial Age and filigreed with family drama and epic ambition, Crosley chronicles one of the great untold tales of the twentieth century. Born in the late 1800s into a humble world of dirt roads and telegraphs, Powel and Lewis Crosley were opposites in many ways but shared drive, talent, and an unerring knack for knowing what Americans wanted. Their pioneering inventions — from the first mass-produced economy car to the push-button radio — and breakthroughs in broadcasting and advertising made them both wealthy and famous, as did their ownership of the Cincinnati Reds. But as their fortunes grew, so did Powel’s massive ego, which demanded he own eight mansions and seven yachts at the height of the Great Depression. Rich with detailed reminiscences from surviving family members, Crosley is both a powerful saga of a heady time in American history and an intimate tale of two brilliant brothers navigating triumph and tragedy.

Customer Reviews:

a msut read for radio fans.......2007-08-27

Great read for a radio fan or anyone interested in early 20th century business moguls.

The Crosley Empire.......2007-08-23

I bought this book for my brother who owned a Crosley years ago, but I read it before I gave it to him. Great book! One of the best I have read in a long time.

It was a great history lesson and you do not have to be a Crosley buff to enjoy it.

Would highly recommend.

Richard Flory

Crosley: Two Brothers and a Business Empire That Transformed the Nation.......2007-08-11

The person for whom I purchased the book absolutely loves it!! It's the story, the pictures and presentation that just makes reading it so enjoyable. I'm very glad that I made this purchase.

Industrial pioneers.......2007-07-23

I'm sitting in a home full of computers, MP3 players, dvd recorders and players, a satellite TV box, and scores of electric appliances that are smarter than I am. Reading of a time when consumer electronics were unknown, and the primary electric appliance was a lightbulb, is like looking into the dark ages. Well, not quite. But you know what I mean.

The Crosley name is one that I've heard around my home throughout my life, but with the exception of a Crosley radio on a shelf, my knowledge of the company or the men that founded the firm was fuzzy at best. The authors have done an outstanding job at fleshing out Powel and Lewis Crosley and the world they lived in and revolutionized.

Many a novel I've read non-stop, but this is the first biography that I've done an "all-nighter" with.

The authors had no axe to grind, the times were well fleshed out, and one's faith in the ability of someone to think it up and do it, is reaffirmed. It was chock full of interesting information and facts, and I found myself checking Google satellite maps for locations mentioned in the book (Yes, the Arlington St. location still exisits and the satellite pic catches the executive tower, one-time home of WLW).

There is some bumpy writing, as noted in a few other reviews. I blame not the authors, but the editor. The boys really like their cliches. Lawyers are always "Sharpening their pencils," people come and go "Exit Stage right/left, Enter stage right/left;" and so many variations of "Masses not the classes" permeated the text, I wondered if they had some sort of Bolshevik thing going on.

That aside, this guy will be giving several copies of this book for Christmas this year - and I can't think of a better testimonial to the book.

Crosley.......2007-05-31

This was one of the most intersting biog. I have read in a long time. It is hard to believe the brothers could jam that much into just one lifetime and then it was all gone. I heartly recommend this book if you have an interest in one of our most exciting periods.

The Longest Day: The Classic Epic of D-Day

Average customer rating:

Still the Best
great
Riveting. You can't put it down.
Should Make Everyone's Top 10 List
Excellent .... left me wanting to read more ...

The Longest Day: The Classic Epic of D-Day
Cornelius Ryan
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0671890913

Amazon.com

A true classic of World War II history, The Longest Day tells the story of the massive Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. Journalist Cornelius Ryan began working on the book in the mid-1950s, while the memories of the D-day participants were still fresh, and he spent three years interviewing D-day survivors in the United States and Europe. When his book was first published in 1959, it was tremendously successful, establishing many of the legends of D-day that endure in the public's mind. Ryan was enormously skillful at weaving small personal stories into the overall narrative, and he would later use the same technique to depict the airborne invasion of Holland in A Bridge Too Far. Not only is The Longest Day a pleasure to read, but subsequent historians, dutifully noting its accuracy, have relied heavily on Ryan's research for their own accounts. In short, the book is a "must read" for anyone interested in the D-day invasion. --Robert McNamara

Book Description

THE CLASSIC ACCOUNT OF THE ALLIED INVASION OF NORMANDY

The Longest Day is Cornelius Ryan's unsurpassed account of D-Day, a book that endures as a masterpiece of military history. In this compelling tale of courage and heroism, glory and tragedy, Ryan painstakingly recreates the fateful hours that preceded and followed the massive invasion of Normandy to retell the story of an epic battle that would turn the tide against world fascism and free Europe from the grip of Nazi Germany.

This book, first published in 1959, is a must for anyone who loves history, as well as for anyone who wants to better understand how free nations prevailed at a time when darkness enshrouded the earth.

Customer Reviews:

Still the Best.......2007-10-13

I reread this classic account after watching the Ken Burns PBS documentary,"The War". While Burns' work is magnificent and spans the entire war effort on both fronts, Ryan'streatment of the Normandy invasion is still the best ever on this most remarkable of all military undertakings. Much like Burn, Ryan's writing is filled with poignant personal; accounts expertly interwoven into the broad scope of this climactic event. Its worth a reread.

great.......2007-06-13

very fast delivery, quality product, would do business again

Riveting. You can't put it down........2007-05-08

It's impossible to fail to recommend "The Longest Day" by Cornelius Ryan. It makes makes all of the uncertainties of war vivid and, in describing what would ultimately be a decisive victory, it shows the real (and tragic) results of errors in judgement, planning, and analysis ("Eisenhower 'lied' us into war," they'd say...). Most importantly, it shows a fighting spirit in the American and British military man that is unconquerable.

It is motivating, sobering, humbling, and a superb reminder of the greatness that we are capable of when our leadership is as resolved as our soldiers and when we are willing to cast ourselves into the midst of uncertainty with the intent of creating certainty in its place.

Should Make Everyone's Top 10 List.......2007-04-08

I originally read The Longest Day as a required military book several years ago. It looked like a quick easy read. After reading Stephen Ambrose's D-Day Book and watching Saving Private Ryan and the original Longest Day movie from the 60s, I didn't think I would get much more from the book. I was wrong about that.

This really is an amazing read, meticulously researched by Ryan, yet also so well written, you'll find yourself flying through the pages. May I also say, it's informative, yet also an entertaining and enjoyable read, despite the subject matter.

Ryan doesn't demonize the Germans, but instead writes about them as professional, albeit ruthless soldiers defending Fortress Europe. Likewise, he write about the allied forces with clarity and humanity.

The books has just enough detail to inform without slowing down the fast pace of the book. Hardcore military historians will consider this a general overview of the entire operation.

This book should be on the top 10 list of anyone who reads to develop a better historical understanding of American military operations. Also, the information about Hitler and Rommel's actions before and during the operation will dispel many commonly held myths.

Excellent .... left me wanting to read more ..........2006-11-27

I preface this review with the fact that I am NOT a historian ... and I'm not even that knowledgeable about WWII history. However, I do like to read non-fiction, especially history, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The book is truly a page-turner and puts perspective on what my grandfather's generation went through not only during the Normandy invasion but also during WWII overall (not that the book discusses much outside D-Day, but does give perspective).

The only problem I had with the book is that because it was so immersive, I actually had a hard time sleeping after reading any of the pages. The images painted by it were going through my head ... (and I have not had similar issues with other books that I can remember).

The book was so good that I'm now seeking out other WWII books (currently reading 'Flags of our Fathers') to help satiate my hunger for a better understanding of WWII.

800 Days on the Eastern Front: A Russian Soldier Remembers World War II (Modern War Studies)

Average customer rating:

It is What it is
Patchy
disappointing narrative
Great Memoir

800 Days on the Eastern Front: A Russian Soldier Remembers World War II (Modern War Studies)
Nikolai Litvin
Manufacturer: University Press of Kansas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0700615172

Book Description

During his 800 days of war, Nikolai Litvin fought at the front lines in the ferocious tank battles at Kursk, was wounded three times, and witnessed unspeakable brutalities against prisoners and civilians. But he survived to pen this brief but powerful memoir of his wartime experiences.

Barely out of his teens, Litvin served for three years in the Red Army on the killing fields of the Eastern Front. His memoir presents an unadorned, candid narrative of the common soldier's lot in Stalin's army. Unlike the memoirs of Russian officers-usually preoccupied with large military operations and political concerns-this narrative offers a true ground-level view of World War II's deadliest theater. It puts a begrimed human face on the enormous toll of casualties and provides a rare perspective on battles that were instrumental in the defeat of the German army.

Litvin's varied roles, ranging from antitank gunner at Kursk to heavy machine gunner in a penal battalion to staff driver for the 352nd Rifle Division, offer unique per-spectives on the Red Army in World War II as it fought from the Ukraine deep into the German heartland. Litvin documents such significant battles as Operation Kutuzov, Operation Bagration, and the German counterattack on the Narev, while also providing unique personal observations on fording the Dnepr River under enemy fire, the rape of German women by Russian troops, and literally seeing his life pass before his eyes as he watched a Stuka's bomb fall directly on his position.

Originally written in 1962, with events still fresh in his mind, Litvin's memoir lay unpublished and unseen until translator Stuart Britton and a Russian colleague approached him about publishing it in English. Britton interviewed Litvin to flesh out the details of his original recollection and annotated the resulting work to provide historical context for the campaigns and battles in which he participated. Remarkably free of Soviet-era propaganda, this gem of a memoir provides a view of the war never seen by western readers, including photographs from Litvin's personal collection.

An invaluable historical document, as well as a remarkable testament of survival, Litvin's memoir offers unique and penetrating insights into the Soviet wartime experience unavailable in any other source.

This book is part of the Modern War Studies series.

Customer Reviews:

It is What it is.......2007-07-10

Although the negative reviewers might of had valid points, I am not sure the critism is really relevant. I knew two WWII veterans very well, one of whom wrote a brief memoir. Using them as a reference, I do not believe the author was trying to create an exciting, flowing, historically, geographically precise docudrama (if it was I would be very suspect of the motivations and validity of the document and would not have found it near as valuable). I am not sure the author was even trying to educate us although I certainly was. I believe the author was trying to set down in print a brief personal history of WWII obviously, largely from his point of view. What was added by the tranlator was an aid which allowed us to go back in time and perspective without disturbing the author's account. What the author (and the other veterans I know) think is important based on his experiences obviously doesn't always match readers expectations. With this in mind and in response to specific criticism, I found the author's references to various vehicles he encountered interesting and important. Maybe not exciting but, again, that wasn't the point. I thought the historical and geographical descriptions to be adequate in and of themselves. The author's accounts and stories flowed well enough with help from the translator's added descriptions and foot notes.

I bought the book based on a recent description in the WSJ. I had read a book some time ago called "The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier." I thought it would be interesting to compare what sounded like a similar story told by two men of similar rank who fought wars in the same basic geographic area a century apart. The similarities were remarkable and reading both books contributed much to my persective of war and this region. Beyond the obvious basics of survival, what was important to these two men is very much the same. And I think what was important to these two men from their personal perspective in these two "histories" is what the authors and their "helpers" were trying to convey. Both documents succeeded in this respect and did so well enough to, dare I say it, be entertaining. I would give "The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier" 5 stars however. I thought it was a better read. If you must be constantly thrilled and excited by a book to enjoy or be informed by it, subtract one star from each rating. And if you are looking for graphic descriptions of blood, sex and gore, don't bother with either of these reads. A rating of two stars however misses both the point and the mark in my opinion. And thus ends my critique of the critics.

Patchy.......2007-05-31

The author tries to present a coherent depiction of activities - but the result is difficult to follow and requires additional materiel to track the flow of battle.

disappointing narrative.......2007-05-09

I purchased and read this book because it was mentioned in the May, 2007, Atlantic as a "harrowing grunt's-eye view of the war" on the Eastern Front. Litvin's war seemed to consist mainly of his jeep and his book neither informed nor harrowed me. Anyone interested in a much deeper, complete, and moving description of experience in that war should read "The Forgotten Soldier" by Guy Sajer instead.

Great Memoir.......2007-04-17

Definitely one of the more interesting memoirs from the Eastern Front of WWII. While there isn't as much information in terms of actual combat, at least not as much as I would have liked to read, I was quite impressed with the other stories that the author was able to talk about.

The entire book is quite short, 143 pages, and took me two days of casual reading to finish. The translator helps along in the translation by explaining Russian phrases and words which those not familiar with Russian would be a bit lost without but he also helps the narrative by giving context to the authors stories.

The author definitely had an interesting 'career' throughout the Second World War on the Eastern Front. He was involved in the fighting at Kursk, where he was wounded, as well as operation Bagration, and many other battles with the 354th Rifle Division, and an airborne guards division before that. The 354th belonged to Rokossovsky's front and the 65th Army under Batov, which was involved in many battles throughout the last year of the war.

Some of the more interesting stories were about how the author was sent to a penal company, he left his post without a written order. He was sentenced to three months and served at least one, hard to tell the exact date he was assigned to it. What was interesting about this account was that he explained penal units after a battle would receive a few days of rest, which the regular army units did not even receive. Although penal formations were sent to some of the most dangerous sectors they were treated like a regular unit and supplied like one as well, no one rifle for two men here. Eventually he was discharged on account of his actions in battle and sent to a regular unit.

Another incident had two scouts being accused of rape. They had confessed and the woman who complained about the fact that they raped her daughter and daughter-in-law was shocked to hear that their punishment would be execution. Instead she asked if there was any other way they could amend for their crimes. The only other alternative had the two scouts marry the women they raped. The daughter-in-law already had a husband and so she simply forgave her attacker, while the daughter agreed to the marriage. An interesting story, to say the least!

Other recollections include the author, while being in a penal company, running into two soldiers from the 'blocking detachment' which had to watch out for soldiers retreating without orders. When asked what he was doing, as he was retreating, he was able to convince them that without ammunition for his machine gun there was nothing more he could do, especially since the rest of his crew had already left for the rear. They let him go on his way, it was the first and last encounter he had with any soldiers from a blocking detachment.

The author candidly talks about German POWs and what happened to a few of them when they were captured. Six of them he helped execute with a friend, although as soon as he pulled the trigger he fainted, so how many he killed, if any, will never be known. Another POW proved to have been a Russian who joined the Germans years ago, he was executed. Still another German soldier was witnessed killing an old man, he was given to the local population to do with as they please.

Overall an interesting account of the Eastern Front with many stories you just won't find in a general history of the war between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Well worth the money and I'm glad that more and more memoirs are coming out from Soviet veterans, it is about time they had a chance to tell their stories!

Parachute Infantry: An American Paratrooper's Memoir of D-Day and the Fall of the Third Reich

Average customer rating:

Very Honest Depiction of an Infantry Soldier
Parachute Infantry
An up and down affair...
Great book
Wonderful account of American paratrooper's experiences

Parachute Infantry: An American Paratrooper's Memoir of D-Day and the Fall of the Third Reich
David Kenyon Webster , and Stephen E. Ambrose
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0385336497
Release Date: 2002-10-29

Book Description

David Kenyon Webster’s memoir is a clear-eyed, emotionally charged chronicle of youth, camaraderie, and the chaos of war. Relying on his own letters home and recollections he penned just after his discharge, Webster gives a first hand account of life in E Company, 101st Airborne Division, crafting a memoir that resonates with the immediacy of a gripping novel.

From the beaches of Normandy to the blood-dimmed battlefields of Holland, here are acts of courage and cowardice, moments of irritating boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror, and pitched urban warfare. Offering a remarkable snapshot of what it was like to enter Germany in the last days of World War II, Webster presents a vivid, varied cast of young paratroopers from all walks of life, and unforgettable glimpses of enemy soldiers and hapless civilians caught up in the melee. Parachute Infantry is at once harsh and moving, boisterous and tragic, and stands today as an unsurpassed chronicle of war--how men fight it, survive it, and remember it.

Customer Reviews:

Very Honest Depiction of an Infantry Soldier.......2007-08-07

I'm not going to repeat what has already been said. I read the book recently and I wasn't disappointed. I will say that it is very interesting to compare Maj. Winter's perspective as an officer (Beyond Band of Brothers) to David Webster's as an enlisted man. David Websters book is particularly good because, he was a talented writer, and captured his perspective in such a natural way. It's good and worth the $14 list price.

Parachute Infantry.......2007-03-21

Cold hard facts as seen by someone who was there,and came back. The names are all the same,the blood is all red,ordinary people who gave their all and won!

An up and down affair..........2007-02-21

First off, I approached this book with expectations that were too high and at times I found felt disappointed. As a big fan of the mini series, "Band of Brothers", in which his character is clearly portrayed, I expected his account of the war to be smartly written with better insight and descriptions, making it into a page-turner. At times this held true, with his accounts of the the first plane ride on D-Day, directly following the drop and later in the war. In between were a lot of moments that dragged.

It's important to know right away that his portrayal in " Band Of Brothers" was not very accurate, nor were some of the battle scenes, according to Mr. Webster, who I tend to believe. He was actually wounded twice and the first time happened shortly after D-Day. So early into the book, the momentum shifts when he takes us back to a memorial service for fallen servicemen that he attended, by order, while healing. It was described in detail, dragged and took me out of the momentum of the story that he built up through D-Day.

Once he returned to the front lines, the book gathered momentum and got into some type of rhythm. Many of the details regarding who he was friendly with, their personalties, chain of command issues and problems, and his feelings and approach to battles were interesting. I did find myself lost, however, regarding two main issues. One was the description of the directions they were traveling. I felt lost and had trouble getting a mental picture of the battle sites, which leads to the second issue. Assuming that the reader will understand many of the terms he used, either military or geographic. A brief one-time explanation of terms that he used over and over in the story would have helped me, but perhaps be as much of a problem for others. Particularly the geographic ones like the difference between a berm, ditch, trench, slit trench as well as others, and hedges, raised road, dikes and many others. Particularly the relationship to how the soldiers used them to their advantage or disadvantage. Again, I was confused directionally and geographically and therefore had trouble imagining the battle scenes.

Eventually, the book improved a great deal. Lots of great stuff about being in the forward position as scouts and the "real" story of what is called, "Operation Pegasus" in BOB. The actual operation was different in many ways from it's portrayal in the mini series. Definitely be prepared and look forward to what really happened, instead what looks good. The truth is much more interesting. In fact, try to forget all about what BOB portrays before reading this book, if in fact you are looking for a connection. Just them them happen naturally. I love his honesty regarding his personal approach to and feelings about this war and their operations. I suppose the dull moments of the book reflect the war in a more realistic fashion, it's just not what I expected.

I found myself even more engrossed as the war was winding down, from his perspective, which of course is very specific. I learned a lot about what really went on with soldiers as they moved across Germany and Austria kicking people out of their homes at each stop, which there is a term for that I cannot think of at the moment. He described many fascinating stories about the soldiers and how they dealt with the aftermath of the war when they were suddenly "regular" human beings again and not soldiers in the horrors of battle.

Mr. Webster had quite and experience and reading about it was at times dull but at many other times thrilling. Most of all it was the real thing and he wrote about it in a very human and honest fashion. I really recommend this book. I would suggest, however, to approach his accounts without any preconceived notions of what World War II was like, especially for the soldiers and most of all his view. In the end, it is the truths about the heroism and horrors of war from the soldiers perspective that is the most important. They are risking their lives for us and we should listen to what they have to say, above all others.

Great book.......2007-02-01

An American Paratrooper's Memoir of D-Day and the Fall of the Third Reich
by David Kenyon Webster
Is a great book, you relly feel the inside presence of the author it's if he's taken you back to WW 2 living the all experience from his personal view.

Wonderful account of American paratrooper's experiences.......2006-12-31

This book is one of the best memoirs from the Second World War. It comes from an American's (David Webster) point of view. He was a paratrooper in the famous 101st Airborne Division and fought through Normandy, Market Garden, Germany, and to Berchtesgaden (Hitler's Eagle's Nest). He was one of the original Toccoa men and his writing is that of a professional (writer). He was very educated, went to Harvard, and this book shows that. I would recommend this book to anyone interseted in the 101st, the E.T.O., or WWII. A highly fascinating account.

Average customer rating:

Great World War II Book
A Great Story Poorly Told
The Mortarmen
a reader from Louisiana
A really greaat subject told very badly

The Mortarmen
Michael Connelly
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1412049024
Release Date: 2006-07-06

Product Description

A heroic and heretofore untold story of the men of the 87th Chemical Mortar Battalion and their 326 days of combat in Europe during World War II.

Customer Reviews:

Great World War II Book.......2007-09-27

This is one of the best World War II books I have ever read. It mixes the well written history of the battles with the personal stories of the men who fought them. It does a great job of bringing the heroism of the greatest generation to life.

A Great Story Poorly Told.......2007-05-14

This book tells an interesting story. One of my college classmates was a member of the 87th Chemical Mortar Battalion - the subject of this book - and found the information to be accurate. However, it is a self-published book and suffers from the major shortcoming of that genre: a lack of copyediting and proofreading. The very first paragraph of Chapter 1 contains a typographical error, a punctuation error, and a grammatical error. Because of errors like these, the book is sometimes difficult for a person like me -- a retired editor -- to read. Nevertheless, I found it worth the effort.

The Mortarmen.......2006-12-22

For years I have always wanted to study the basics of World War II, but just never found the time. In reading this book, I have received such a personal, up front view of World War II - more than I think I could have gotten elsewhere, and in much less time!!! It seems to be a "magnifying glass" of that spot in history. Thanks, Michael Connelly!!!!

Wanda K. Perry

a reader from Louisiana.......2006-09-07

This is a fantastic book about World War II. At times I felt like I was right there with the men of the 87th who fought their way across Europe. The book is full of history, but more importantly it is full of the stories of the men who fought the war. It tells you their story and you can't help but get caught up in this great tale. Michael Connelly is a master story teller.

A really greaat subject told very badly.......2006-09-06

I was looking forward to this book to arrive. Having read several other books about the Battle of the Bulge and related topics. This is a great story about very heroic men just doing their job. Unfortunately it is written so poorly that I must caution you here. If you have not reward any other WWII book, I suggest reading any of the following first

- Anything by Donald R. Burgett, Especially 7 Roads to Hell
- Band of Brothers (although 7 roads I felt was even better)
- Black Devil Brigade

The thing about these books mentioned is that they deal with the battles and they let you meet, and get to know, the men that fought. When reading Mortarmen I felt like it went like this, " Then the major ran up to the bunker and gave his orders to the leader in the bunker. Then the bunker leader fired his mortar and killed a bunch of Nazi's". I am not kidding. In the 7 Roads to Hell, there was the description of a black mortar team and how well they worked. I got more out of those 3-4 pages than I did with this book.

I love this topic, to the author I offer the following:

1. Please let us know about the soldiers personally
2. Describe in depth how these mortars, and the other weapon work. People that buy these books really want to know this.

I wish you all the best in the next revision

Average customer rating:

Informative, Readable, Superb
the 900 days;
Superb example of how history should be written
Surviving the Deadliest Battle in Human History
Good, but something missing

The 900 Days: The Siege of Leningrad
Harrison E. Salisbury
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0306812983
Release Date: 2003-09-16

Customer Reviews:

Informative, Readable, Superb.......2007-02-26

This gripping narrative looks at the horrific siege of Leningrad from 1941-1944. Author Harrison Salisbury opens by examining Soviet Russia on the eve of the June, 1941 invasion - when commanders that suspected a German attack dared not prepare and risk the wrath of Stalin. Then the author describes the invasion, the approach of Nazi tank columns, and the surrounding of Leningrad's 2.5 million residents (and 500,000 defenders) at the end of August, 1941. Readers learn of the city's leadership, its battered but defiant defenders, and Stalin's machinations. The author devotes many chapters to the horrific winter of 1941-1942, when the besieged city ran out of food and coal. Imagine trying to survive on daily food rations of a few ounces of bread, in a frozen city with no heat or electricity, and with German bombs and shells falling daily. Dogs, cats, and birds disappeared into frying pans, and brave truckers brought in some supplies over a frozen Lake Lagoda, but over 250,000 civilians died of starvation during that first winter. After describing that horrific first winter, the author bascially fast forwards to the massive Russian offensive in January of 1944 that ended the siege. Then he concludes with a brief post-war epilogue that mentions survivors, rebuilding, and Stalin's brutal purge of the city's leadership.

Journalist Harrison Salisbury (1908-1993) wrote readable prose that almost makes us feel as if we're inside Leningrad during the siege. His book does need better maps - even with a handy atlas I couldn't locate every town and river mentioned. Still this is gripping history, considered by some as definitive, and well worth your time. Readers might also enjoy many of the author's other works on Russia, China, etc.

the 900 days; .......2006-11-14

Having made 2 trips to
St. Petersburg in the past 3 years, both guides highly recommended this book. It is incredibly well written, both the background leading up to the atack as well as the hardships over the next 2+ years. The fortitude and heroism portrayed give a much better understanding of the Russian people and what they endured.

Superb example of how history should be written.......2006-10-17

Salisbury gave us a monumental work of history: not just in scope, but in depth. This is a book which entwines the epic story with the human story, basing both on the kind of scholarship too few writers are dedicated enough to accomplish. I wrote a well-received history on the early satellites (The First Space Race, Texas A&M, 2004) which I was proud of, but I can't resist the feeling that Salisbury did as much research for every chapter as I did for an entire book.
As always with a well-written history, there are lessons which are important for our own times. The most striking example comes at the beginning of the book, where the reader learns the German invasion of Russia was anything but the complete surprise Russan leaders claimed it was. The German preperations were too large to hide, and all kinds of intelligence, even exact dates, made it into the briefings given to the Russian leadership. But Stalin had his own view of the way things were, and anything to the contrary was ignored or disparaged. The Russians were also victimized by a system in which initiative was dangerous: military and civilian officials who read the tea leaves and tried to take some preparatory action on their own were slapped down. Salisbury shows us, in sometimes-agonizing detail, how these factors resulted in what may have been the most brutal, dehumanizing, and costly battle in history. I agree with some other reviewers that more maps and photographs would be useful, but that's a minor quibble.
This book is a breathtaking achivement.

Surviving the Deadliest Battle in Human History.......2006-09-02

If "war is hell," as General Sherman said, then at the innermost circle of hell you'll find the 900-day siege of Leningrad (now renamed St. Petersburg). It was, by all accounts, the deadliest battle in human history. More than 300,000 Soviet soldiers perished, plus uncounted thousands of Germans. Inside the blockade zone, an estimated 1.2 million civilians slowly starved to death as Hitler and Stalin used the city like a giant chess piece on the Eastern Front.

The late Harrison Salisbury captured this epic struggle better than anyone else in "The 900 Days," a book every student of 20th century history should read at least once. He begins the story with Leningrad at peace during the balmy "white nights" of June 1941. Culture is flourishing throughout the city. Composers, writers, musicians and artists are busy at work. Families are vacationing on the Baltic coast. Meanwhile, Stalin and his minions are in a massive state of denial about the coming Nazi assault, despite dozens of warnings and signs.

After the first few fascinating chapters, "The 900 Days" can be slow going as Salisbury details the military intrigue and paranoia that decimated the Soviet leadership in the years leading up to the siege, which yielded tragic consequences for Russian defenses in 1941 and 1942. If you're primarily interested in the human side of the story, skip to Part IV on page 393.

The emotional core of this book is the immense civilian catastrophe that took place during the 2.5 year siege. Despite heroic attempts by local citizens and Young Communist brigades, the city became a slow-motion killing zone without nearly enough food, fuel or even fresh water to sustain the population. People resorted to the most desperate and barbaric measures to stay alive. (Warning: Not for children or the squeamish.) Compassion and brutality roamed the streets simultaneously.

Ultimately, the siege was broken in January 1944, but not before Leningrad was largely destroyed. Stalin gets much of the blame for failing to evacuate more civilians earlier on. But the real lesson of "The 900 Days" is that human suffering has no limit in times of war. Let's not forget that before we start another one.

Final note: This book is relatively short on maps, photos and diagrams. Some courageous publisher should republish the book with a complete set of photos from the period, many of which are available at the St. Petersburg library.

Good, but something missing.......2006-02-21

The first part of the book is fantastic in its description of the time leading up to Barbarossa, the simple shock the Soviets had and the almost refusal to believe by Stalin.

The first half of the book I would give 5 stars. The detail is almost overwhelming. If one is not familiar with cyrilic and has at least a rough grasp of the Russian language, it is very difficult to keep all the names of generals, party officials, and city administrators separated. A few more maps would have been better, to help the reader get a better grasp of the situation described. I constantly found myslef going back to the maps at the beginning, trying to figure out specifics, and giving up because many of the places mentioned in the text were not on the map. However, the portrayal of the Soviet military structure is vivid and gives one a good image of what happened. The description of the Tallinn disaster was exceptionally good. The first half resembles the 25 years he spent researching the events.

The second half of the book is lacking. The description of the starvation is very gruesome and disturbing, which is accurate historically. The timeline, which is fairly orderly at the beginning, takes a nose dive about half way through. Here, it seems that Salisbary was finding new information as he wrote the book, and including it. Therefore, events are presented in random order. Then the book just stops, and says that the city was still in blockade and then the war was over.

Some of the other reviewers have accurately described the over emphasis on the plight of writers, poets, and playwrights. The ordinary citizen is not represented, nor is the average soldier given adequate attention.

The German side of the engagement is almost non-existant. Beevor's book on Stalingrad is much better at describing the events. But as for Leningrad, Salisbary's book is still the best I have read on the subject.

Day of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor

Average customer rating:

Nonsense
What is the truth?
9/11--The New Pearl Harbor
Disturbing
A Review of Someof the Reviews.

Day of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor
Robert Stinnett
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0684853396

Amazon.com

It was not long after the first Japanese bombs fell on the American naval ships at Pearl Harbor that conspiracy theories began to circulate, charging that Franklin Roosevelt and his chief military advisors knew of the impending attack well in advance. Robert Stinnett, who served in the U.S. Navy with distinction during World War II, examines recently declassified American documents and concludes that, far more than merely knowing of the Japanese plan to bomb Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt deliberately steered Japan into war with America.

Stinnett's argument draws on both circumstantial evidence--the fact, for example, that in September 1940 Roosevelt signed into law a measure providing for a two-ocean navy that would number 100 aircraft carriers--and, more importantly, on American governmental documents that offer apparently incontrovertible proof that Roosevelt knowingly sacrificed American lives in order to enter the war on the side of England. Although obviously troubled by his discovery of a systematic plan of deception on the part of the American government, Stinnett does not take deep issue with its outcome. Roosevelt, he writes, faced powerful opposition from isolationist forces, and, against them, the Pearl Harbor attack was "something that had to be endured in order to stop a greater evil--the Nazi invaders in Europe who had begun the Holocaust and were poised to invade England." Sure to excite discussion, Stinnett's book offers what may be the final word on the terrible matter of Pearl Harbor. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

Pearl Harbor was not an accident, a mere failure of American intelligence, or a brilliant Japanese military coup. It was the result of a carefully orchestrated design, initiated at the highest levels of our government. According to a key memorandum eight steps were taken to make sure we would enter the war by this means. Pearl Harbor was the only way, leading officials felt, to galvanize the reluctant American public into action.

This great question of Pearl Harbor--what did we know and when did we know it?--has been argued for years. At first, a panel created by FDR concluded that we had no advance warning and should blame only the local commanders for lack of preparedness. More recently, historians such as John Toland and Edward Beach have concluded that some intelligence was intercepted. Finally, just months ago, the Senate voted to exonerate Hawaii commanders Admiral Kimmel and Lieutenant General Short, after the Pentagon officially declared that blame should be "broadly shared." But no investigator has ever been able to prove that fore-knowledge of the attack existed at the highest levels.

Until now. After decades of Freedom of Information Act requests, Robert B. Stinnett has gathered the long-hidden evidence that shatters every shibboleth of Pearl Harbor. It shows that not only was the attack expected, it was deliberately provoked through an eight-step program devised by the Navy. Whereas previous investigators have claimed that our government did not crack Japan's military codes before December 7, 1941, Stinnett offers cable after cable of decryptions. He proves that a Japanese spy on the island transmitted information--including a map of bombing targets--beginning on August 21, and that government intelligence knew all about it. He reveals that Admiral Kimmel was prevented from conducting a routine training exercise at the eleventh hour that would have uncovered the location of the oncoming Japanese fleet. And contrary to previous claims, he shows that the Japanese fleet did not maintain radio silence as it approached Hawaii. Its many coded cables were intercepted and decoded by American cryptographers in Stations on Hawaii and in Seattle.

The evidence is overwhelming. At the highest levels--on FDR's desk--America had ample warning of the pending attack. At those same levels, it was understood that the isolationist American public would not support a declaration of war unless we were attacked first. The result was a plan to anger Japan, to keep the loyal officers responsible for Pearl Harbor in the dark, and thus to drag America into the greatest war of her existence.

Yet even having found what he calls the "terrible truth," Stinnett is still inclined to forgive. "I sympathize with the agonizing dilemma faced by President Roosevelt," he writes. "He was forced to find circuitous means to persuade an isolationist America to join in a fight for freedom....It is easier to take a critical view of this policy a half century removed than to understand fully what went on in Roosevelt's mind in the year prior to Pearl Harbor."

Day of Deceit is the definitive final chapter on America's greatest secret and our worst military disaster.

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Twenty years ago Robert Stinnett set out to answer the question that the Congressional investigations of 1945 and 1995 could not: Did President Roosevelt know that the attack on Pearl Harbor was coming? Using evidence that has never been released before now, Stinnett describes Japanese activities documented by the American government that prove that FDR knew in advance about the attack, and deliberately did nothing to stop it. For decades it has been believed that the Japanese fleet maintained strict radio silence as it approached Hawaii. But Stinnett reveals that it did not -- in fact, no coordinated fleet could have done so -- and more explosively, he proves that allied listening stations intercepted and decoded dozens of the fleet's military messages, as they had been doing long before December 1941. Stinnett produces several devastating cables, tracing their path from the cryptographers who deciphered them directly to the White House. Here at last is the archival evidence that has been denied for half a century.

Customer Reviews:

Nonsense.......2007-06-27

Does anyone use plain ole common sense anymore? Are we really to believe that the president of the United States would deliberately let thousands of Americans be killed, let half of our Pacific Fleet be crippled, and leave the west coast of America open to attack, all for the sake of winning support for a war that we would eventually be dragged into anyway? And this from a president that loved the Navy? What a bunch of hogwash. There is no doubt many things things about Pearl Harbor have been left out of history, but c'mon folks, use your brains..

What is the truth?.......2007-05-21

This is a well documented history of events leading up to Pearl Harbor which gives a lot of credibility to FDR manipulating events to pull the US into WWII. I will try to find out how Mr. Stinnett is viewed by other noted WWII historians. This book presents a different light on FDR than I have heard before and I wonder if this view and Mr. Stinnett are credible rather than having an agenda to prove. It is well written and an easy read for the most part. It certainly caught my attention as it should anyone that has an interest in FDR's legacy and how his administration operated prior to WWII.

9/11--The New Pearl Harbor.......2007-02-17

See on Google Video--LOOSE CHANGE

This video does for 9-11 what this book does for Pearl Harbor.

Disturbing.......2006-09-16

Gives overwhelming proof that FDR provoked the Japanese attack primarily through denying access to natural resources in Indonesia via the Dutch government in exile, and also by giving support to Chinese resistance fighters. The motive behind the provocation was to ensure that the American people would support a war against Nazi Germany, Italy and Japan that they did not wish to be involved in prior to December 7, 1941. Instead of trying to convince the American people that war would be inevitable against Fascism; condescendingly assured of their stupidity, FDR sacrificed 2500 sailors in order to mobilize the nation for war.

The intelligence services were aware of false Japanese diplomats mapping out Pearl Harbor in preparation for the bombing. They were being monitored but allowed to operate. The secret Japanese communications codes were also cracked early on, so that military and government intelligence were aware of Japanese preparations. The `purple' diplomatic code was also cracked, so that Washington was deciphering communications between Berlin and Tokyo.

Once a military attack became inevitable, Washington hid the fact from military commanders in the Pacific to ensure the attack would be more devastating, and Pearl's base commander would take the blame for being unprepared. I find it truly troubling that only warships that were outdated were left at anchor in Pearl that morning on December 7. The Navy knew that the modern aircraft carriers would be extremely useful during modern naval war, so the USS Enterprise and USS Lexington were out to sea on maneuvers and safe from the bombing. Only ships 27 years old, relics from World War I, were left at anchor and vulnerable.

A Review of Someof the Reviews........2006-08-09

There is a strong political bit to the negative reviews. It reminds me a little of creationists reviewing an evolutionary biology work.

Historians use the concept of convergence when evaluating the truth/falsity of claims. For example, we know the holocaust happened and that the nazis ordered the killing of jews because there is an overwhelming amount of evidence. There is disagreement about certain aspects, some bits have been proved wrong (eg. the soap made out of people), but we can be as close to certain that it happened as is possible. But that hasn't stopped smart people from trying to proved it didn't. You can do some research on how their thinking is flawed in debunking books.

Another enlightening topic is how biblical literalists have attempted to create 'creation science'. Smart people actually believe things that aren't true, and there are very human reasons for it. It's quite enlightening looking at people who are 100% certain about things they cant possibly be sure about.

So who are you to believe? Believe no one. If you are interested in the topic, read the book. It is immaculately footnoted, primary source riddled, and intellectually rigorous (i.e. honest, not hard to read), although its hardly a page turner.

So why do people who cannot possibly know with 100% certainity, with no education in historiographical evaluation, with only a superficial grasp of the subject (ret navy code crackers included), etc state with absolute conviction the author is a liar, idiot, etc and that there is no way the prez knew about this? It's almost like the author is insulting their mothers. Afterall, the author spent years going over primary sources and has never been shown to be untrustworthy. Can any of these naysayers say the same? No, they just like to be prejuidiced and judgemental and pretend they know everything. People like that bug me...rant over.

So be like me, read the book, look at the arguements and evidence, and make up your own mind. And no I am not 100% sure the prez knew. But pretty sure. Afterall, buddy used a nuke when he didn't have to...

Ps, if you want some more fun looking at prejuidiced reviews, check out anything written about hillary clinton. Man that woman sends some people in to rage-goofy-land. Oh and al gore, and noam chomsky's good too (not as funny though).

pps you people who use your real names have more guts then i do!

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