A Good German: Adam Von Trott Zu Solz by Giles MacDonogh

Something different to start off 2014.  This is a biography of a member of the German resistance to Hitler during world war two.  The son of German nobility educated at Oxford Adam Von Trott Zu Solz state in Germany deciding he could do more for the German resistance by becoming a member of the bureaucracy and joining the NAZI party.  Something that many of his friends in England didn't forgive him for.

What could have been a fascinating look at the intellectual side of the plotters is unfortunately hamstrung by MacDonogh's thesis mainly that the Allies have some of the responsibility for the war continuing and therefore the casualties and destruction.  Since they demanded unconditional surrender.  Curiously MacDonogh does it knowledge that the reason for the western Allies at least unwillingness to give terms involved the fear of the "stab in the back" myth after world war one repeating itself.  MacDonogh has no counter argument for this and Trott who apparently didn't either.

The book is far too detailed and too long.  Often giving hour by hour descriptions of whom he met with this isn't just world war two it covers his time at Oxford.  Occasionally with comments from one of the participants.  On one hand and impressive amount of research on the other boring and tedious.  Often having no bearing on the larger narrative.  The Oxford section spent a lot of time pointing out that yes famous people in government and academia went to Oxford in the thirties. That the same people who criticized his actions during the war [staying in Germany and joining the NAZI party] were being vindictive.

When we get to the war it doesn't get much better.  There's very little here about just what any sort of settlement would look like.  So it's hard to judge that if negotiations had taken place after a successful assassination of Hitler whether it would have worked.  The infighting between the groups as well as the inability when the time came for decisive action of the plotters suggest that even if Hitler had been killed it would not have been as smooth the transition as the plotters believed.

I think there is an interesting story in here somewhere.  It's just buried under all the backbiting and daily diary stuff.

Not recommended.

Death in the Baltic: The World War II Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff by Cathryn Prince

Death in the Baltic: The World War II Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff
by Cathryn Prince

What a mess of a book. Okay where to begin? The jacket copy trumpets eyewitness sources but they're not really long enough to fill out this short book. In many places this thing reads like a stretched magazine article. The length is padded with superficial  background material. Instead of providing context and often just got in the way.

The book is about the sinking of the  Wilhelm Gustloff Prince points out repeatedly that the loss of life was worse than the Titanic. Yes it's the largest ever maritime disaster. Curiously the actual sinking takes just one short chapter. We hear more about the individuals lives during World War II than anything else. There's also repeated statements that the history has been buried or somehow suppressed. No to my knowledge there have been at least two English-language books on the sinking although admittedly not in the last 30 years. Also the idea that the government would suppress discussion of it after the war seems strange.

The terrifying thing is that the book has some hilariously bad errors. That 5 seconds on Google should have obliterated from the text. This says something both about Prince and Palgrave Macmillan who really don't care at this point. For instance Regina is in Saskatchewan not Ontario. Contradictions between the eyewitness accounts aren't dealt with. Either pointed out or balanced. For instance just how many torpedoes hit the ship? At one point it says there were 69 people in a lifeboat but some of them fell off before they could be rescued. However several pages later it says that 70 people were rescued from the same lifeboat. So which is it? I understand this is a chaotic event that's being remembered 70 years on but at least try to deal with the contradiction. Part of the historians job is to come to a determination on these things.

The book concludes with a very abbreviated discussion of whether or not the sinking was justified. Considering that this was still during wartime where the ship was carrying at least some military personnel as well as sailing under blackout conditions. I am left completely baffled as to what exactly the Soviet submarine captain was supposed to do instead.

Not recommended avoid.

This was received through LibraryThing's early review program. Just think how much I would've hated it if I had to pay for it.

The Hunt for Hitler's Warship by Patrick Bishop

German naval history particularly in WWII often seems to me to be reduced to the U-boats and of course the sinking of the Bismarck. One storie that is usually covered in passing but had an effect on the war in the northern Atlantic is the attempts to destroy the Tirpitz. Feared for what it could do to the convoys first that's applied Britain then after its movement to Norway the Arctic route that supplied the Soviet Union.

Patrick Bishop in The Hunt for Hitler's Warship has produced in excellent narrative of the various attempts to sink the ship with naval surface ships, submarines and bombing. Even though he has a lot of ground to cover he never loses the thread down in the details. At the same time providing enough information for the reader.  I didn't spot any thing I can nitpick as far as facts go.

I was particularly interested in the use of primary sources. He quotes extensively from eyewitness accounts. Which nicely breaks up the discussions of tactics and strategy. I was struck by the comparisons with the behavior of the Germans in WWI where after Jutland they were unwilling to challenge the Royal Navy. That being said the RN used an a ray of resources to make sure the Tirpitz was trapped. Bomber Command required eventually to be the ones to finish it off for good.

The book contains the usual academic apparatus. With extensive notes and a bibliography Bishop a journalist has put forward here a book which deservedly should take its place on the Naval warfare bookshelf.

Highly recommended!

Note: this book was provided for review by TLC.

Bringing Mulligan Home: The Other Side of the Good War by Dale Maharidge

 Bringing Mulligan Home: The Other Side of the Good War
by Dale Maharidge

This book describes the authors relationship with his father. Troubled as it was by the events of World War II. After his death he did what he could to research his unit and why he was affected. The research is pretty much the narrative of the book. We do get discussions about military actions but they are fragmentary and he doesn't bother coalescing them into one larger narrative. Since I usually read more traditional military history I found this to be frustrating.

Clearly Maharidge has quite a bit of anger most of it leveled at the decision-makers in the Pacific campaign. He finds Admiral Nimitz personally responsible for his dads PTSD. Intellectually I think this is a hard case to make. In the section on PTSD he doesn't acknowledge that the research shows that everyone has a breaking point at some point.

I found the research impressive and the writing is very good. If you treat this more as a memoir and biography that a military history then you'll get more from it.

Recommended for anyone interested in the effects of the war on the generation that followed.


This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

The Great Escape and Revisionist Drivel

So according to this article the Great Escape was militarily reckless and shouldn't have been attempted. I realize he's trying to sell his book controversy being what it is. However the argument on its face value is ridiculous.

Setting aside the obvious that the first duty of prisoners of war is to try to escape the idea of well the war was going to be over so just stay there doesn't pass the smell test. Even if it did when exactly would this sort of logic "be acceptable"? After 1943 or maybe 1942 after the Americans entered?

Admiral Nimitz: The Commander of the Pacific Ocean Theater by Brayton Harris

 Admiral Nimitz: The Commander of the Pacific Ocean Theater
by Brayton Harris

This is a short biography of the United States naval commander in the Pacific. The back copy of the book notes that this is the first full memoir to be written about him in decades and it is quickly apparent why. He did not grant interviews, write his memoirs, keep a diary or leave us a treasure trove of letters to be mined for his personal opinions. Instead we are left with descriptions of others and occasional official documents.

I give the author credit for not falling into the usual trap with subjects such as this and filling in the rest of the book with general information. Only enough general information is included to explain the narrative.
World War II takes primacy in the account as it should.  Students of the Pacific campaign will be disappointed in that there isn’t much new here, mainly a discussion of the conflicts with Macarthur.

I actually found the material on the development of naval tactics in the 30s and the pushback against the attempts to unify the armed services in the late 40s and early 50s to be the most enlightening. I can’t recommend this for the casual reader, but if you want something different, give it a look.

Recommended for someone who has a strong interest in the topic. Note:This book was provided through LibraryThing's early reviewer Program.

Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin by Timothy Snyder

 Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin
by Timothy Snyder

This book is a history of Eastern Europe, the territory that was fought over between Hitler and Stalin. The book starts with Stalin’s purges of the 1930s and ends with the doctor’s plots and Stalin’s death.

Usually a book would deal with either the crimes of Stalin’s or Hitler’s regimes’ separately. This book takes a different tact by showing that the two totalitarian states were not only in competition with each other, but fed off of each other learning ways to control their populations. There is a large amount of material here crammed into 400 pages, so much so that it occasionally seems like a summary. There is a lot of statistics.

Curiously, one of the author’s goals is to remind us that these were individuals being murdered. The book is peppered with accounts of the sufferings of individuals. This would be quite effective if it wasn’t for the mind numbing statistics.

One of the interesting parts in the conclusion is when he states that when we are told a number that rounds to zero we lose a sense of humanity about the individuals as opposed to a number that gives a definite total. For instance, 3,100,000 or 3,100,015. He is actually right. I have never thought about it like that.

Highly recommended if you can stomach 400 pages of humans’ inhumanity to each other.

Collapse of the Third Republic: An Inquiry into the Fall of France in 1940 by WilliamL. Shirer

Collapse of the Third Republic: An Inquiry into the Fall of France in 1940
by WilliamL. Shirer

Why did the French Third Republic collapse in 1940?  This book tries to give an answer to that. Unfortunately it doesn’t quite get there. It is 1000 pages of mistakes, disasters, lost opportunities and conflicts, but never quite gets at the central issue.  Oh, there were many reasons why the French state came apart, everything from the conflict between right and left in the 30s, the unwillingness of the upper classes to pay their fair share to, at its end, strategic and tactical failures in the campaign of 1940.  But there never is a central reason given.

The book is based on a parliamentary report done after the war as well as interviews with those who were alive in the 1960s.  The author, a journalist, does tend to wander into hyperbole on occasion. There are many ominous statements about how this will be key in the collapse of 1940. The problem is: many of them really aren’t, or only partial.  If the French military had had better command and control as well as deployment of tanks, all of the left right debates of the 1930s would have been irrelevant.

I did like that the book dealt with the interwar period from Paris as opposed to most books on this topic which come at it from Berlin, London or Moscow. There are also some interesting character sketches of the major figures.

Mildly recommended, interesting if it never actually answers its own question.

Dancing with Colonels: A Young Woman's Adventures in Wartime Turkey by Marjorie Havreberg

Dancing with Colonels: A Young Woman's Adventures in Wartime Turkey
by Marjorie Havreberg

This book is excellently described by the subtitle with one minor quibble, Turkey was never actually at war. It was neutral, which gave the Allies and Axis ample opportunities for espionage and the like. Unfortunately, we don’t hear about any of that in this book. The letters are those that the author sent home, first, from her job working for a United States Senator, later as a civilian working for the war department as a secretary for the military attaché in Turkey.

As the substantial introduction points out, she didn’t talk much about her job which is understandable. There is a comment in one of the letters that they passed through a government censor. However, there is little here about the wider war either. The book is interesting in that it describes just what was served at a cocktail party in the 1940s, but beyond that I found myself not caring who was a good dancer or who was funny over dinner. A few of the people mentioned are relatively famous. Luckily, there are end notes that give short biographies for those that I had not heard of. The book concludes with a biographical note on her later life and a remembrance from one of her relatives.

So who is this book aimed at? Honestly, I am not really sure. There is not enough here for someone looking for an in depth look at the diplomatic service in Turkey. The writing in and of itself is decent enough, more geared towards travel writing than anything else. They took a few memorable trips into the mountains, for instance. Possibly if the introduction had not been so thorough, I would be more forgiving towards the text.

Strangely, this is one case where there is too much academic apparatus, at least for me. I felt that I could have simply read the introduction and that would have been enough, making the next 180 pages or so almost superfluous.

Not recommended.

 Note:This book was provided through Librarything's early reviewer Program.

303 Squadron: The Legendary Battle of Britain Fighter Squadron by Arkady Fiedler

303 Squadron: The Legendary Battle of Britain Fighter Squadron by Arkady Fiedler this is a new translation of a book first published during WWII. It covers the experiences of a squadron of Polish fighter pilots in the Battle of Britain. It tells a few accounts of combat as well as chapters describing the bravery of the other personnel. Apparently the book is taught in schools back in Poland and I can understand why. This new edition contains new photos, appendices and explanatory notes from the translator. Not exactly a book you would want to use in a scholarly paper but a good read.

Recommended.

Note:This book was provided through Librarything's early reviewer Program.

To hell with it

I don't give up on books. There are ones sitting in my "currently reading collection" that have been there for years. In the last month I completed a book I had been working on for 4 years. That being said I'm giving up on Why the Allies Won by Richard Overy. I knew it was bad. I tried reading it for the argument. Then I tried reading it for the humor value but I can't. I don't know if it gets better after page 63 and I don't care.

Long road it's been

I'm always looking for material on the Winter War.  Back in 07 I came across info on Amazon for a title TANKS IN THE WINTER WAR: 1939 - 1940 by Maxim Komolyets.  I tried ordering it using a coupon.  The publication passed without any sign of the book.  Then the description changed and eventually listed the book is being unavailable.  Over the years I came across references to it on Ebay but they were always expensive around $50 Canadian.  Recently I came across one nearly at list price.  So I purchased it.  Much to my chagrin it arrived yesterday.  I have to say I'm disappointed so far looking through it.  Looks like it's more pictures then text.  Will comment more when I actually get a chance to read through it.

The Liri Valley: Canada's World War II Breakthrough to Rome by Mark Zuehlke

The Liri Valley: Canada's World War II Breakthrough to Rome by Mark Zuehlke this is a detailed soldier's eye view account of the breaking of the German defensive system in Italy by the Canadiens.  Zuehlke has written several books on Canadian campaigns in WWII.  He is to be commended for finding witnesses and bringing to light sources that have never been used.  The only weakness here is that the account of the strategic background is confused at times.

Recommended.

Warsaw 1944: Poland's bid for freedom by Robert Forczyk

Warsaw 1944: Poland's bid for freedom by Robert Forczyk is an Osprey campaign title on this failed attempt of Poland's resistance to seize control of Warsaw. Forczyk's spends much of his time discussing the run up to the launch as well as the political background in London and Moscow. Both the British and Russians are criticized but he also acknowledges some baffling strategic decisions on the part of the resistance. They don't seem to have done any sort of basic strategic planning. Like for instance attempting to seize the telephone exchange. The book is rounded out with the usual information on uniforms and weapons.

Recommended.

In Search of Churchill: A Historian's Journey by Martin Gilbert

In Search of Churchill: A Historian's Journey by Martin Gilbert covers in vignettes the authors work on the official biography of Churchill that ran to an astonishing 8 volumes. Gilbert writes engagingly if occasionally he seems to be a little too impressed with his abilities and contacts. I found the most interesting section to be on Churchill's secretaries the often anonymous women who took transcription. I've read a lot on Churchill so it's hard for me to say whether if someone new to him would get much out of this. But if you do have an interest in him don't pass this up.

Highly recommended!

Churchill at War 1940-45 by Sir Charles Watson

Churchill at War 1940-45 by Sir Charles Watson [aka Lord Moran] a recent reprint of the medical doctors experiences taking care of Churchill. Lots on different personalities British, American and Russian including all the big ones. An introduction by Watson's offspring tries to deflect the criticism put forward by Martin Gilbert and others about its accuracy. Pointing out that the "diary" that doesn't actually exist was more of a literary device than anything else.

Recommended.

The Battle for North Africa by John Strawson

The Battle for North Africa by John Strawson describes the north African campaign from 1940 through the final collapse of the German and Italian forces. Strawson tries to keep his level of analysis on the troops themselves which is unusual most histories of this campaign focusing on the high command arrangements. He does share some unusual perspectives he thinks very highly of Wavell and Auchinleck. I think there's definitely some hyperbole there particularly his statement that Wavell is one of the great captains of history. Discussion of the battles are clear and easy to follow.

Recommended.

And No Birds Sang by Farley Mowat

And No Birds Sang by Farley Mowat is the author's memoirs of his WWII experiences. Mowat deservedly has a reputation of being an elegant writer with many colorful expressions. Unfortunately there's a artificiality to the work particularly in the dialog. I just can't believe WWII Canadian soldiers would say anything remotely like this. This does cover the Sicily and Italian campaigns which is unusual enough to be interesting.

Recommended as literature not as history.

Battle of Wits: The Complete Story of Codebreaking in World War II by Stephen Budiansky

Battle of Wits: The Complete Story of Codebreaking in World War II by Stephen Budiansky I really hate sales departments that put the word "complete" in the titles of their history books because history is never complete. That complaint out of the way this is an excellent book that describes the breaking of German and Japanese military codes in WWII. There's a nice balance between anecdotes about the personalities and highly technical accounts of the decryption. Not surprisingly the story mostly revolves around Enigma and Purple there's also a fascinating section on American attempts to break Russian codes. Finished off with some notes onwhat the Germans were reading. There are a few general history errors he brings up the old canard about Polish cavalry charging tanks and mistakenly refers to the MKVD as the KGB.

Highly recommended.

El Alamein, 1942: The Turning of the Tide by Ken Ford

El Alamein, 1942: The Turning of the Tide by Ken Ford standard Osprey treatment of this key battle in the desert campaign. Made sense of the sometimes confusing different operations. Lots of pictures and maps. Frequent discussion of the different commanders, not just Montgomery and Rommel.

Recommended.