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.

The Fall of Rome: And the End of Civilization

Average customer rating:

Decline and Fall
One Man's Civilisation Is Another Man's Third Reich
Probably not the Best Book on This Topic to Start With
The Roman empire wasn't "transformed"; it fell, hard
clear explanation of why western roman empire went down!

The Fall of Rome: And the End of Civilization
Bryan Ward-Perkins
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Rome | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians
Europe after Rome: A New Cultural History 500-1000
Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor
The World of Late Antiquity AD 150-750: AD 150-750 (Library of World Civilization)
Caesar: Life of a Colossus

ASIN: 0192807285

Book Description

Why did Rome fall? Vicious barbarian invasions during the fifth century resulted in the cataclysmic end of the world's most powerful civilization, and a 'dark age' for its conquered peoples. Or did it? The dominant view of this period today is that the 'fall of Rome' was a largely peaceful transition to Germanic rule, and the start of a positive cultural transformation. Bryan Ward-Perkins encourages every reader to think again by reclaiming the drama and violence of the last days of the Roman world, and reminding us of the very real horrors of barbarian occupation. Attacking new sources with relish and making use of a range of contemporary archaeological evidence, he looks at both the wider explanations for the disintegration of the Roman world and also the consequences for the lives of everyday Romans, in a world of economic collapse, marauding barbarians, and the rise of a new religious orthodoxy. He also looks at how and why successive generations have understood this period differently, and why the story is still so significant today.

Customer Reviews:

Decline and Fall.......2007-10-01

I thought this was a good little book that presents archaeological evidence for the old fashion "decline and fall of western civilization" viewpoint. He makes the interesting observation that the decline did not occur uniformly over the whole empire, and in the east, it did not really occur at all. It also seems from his evidence that the loss of technology in the west happened over 50-100 years, which depending on how you look at it, is or is not a collapse. I would recommend this book, and a more critical reading of books focusing on the whole empire(in most cases the more literary eastern empire).

One Man's Civilisation Is Another Man's Third Reich.......2007-08-16

Professor Ward-Perkins has done an interesting, if short, book on a majestic theme - the fall of one of history's greatest empires, and its aftermath.

His main concern is to debunk a notion, apparently fashionable among historians, which I'm not sure many other people ever shared - the idea that the Fall of Rome wasn't such a big deal. Apparently, there is an historical school which regards the whole business as a mostly peaceful transition from the tail end of the Ancient World into the beginning of Medieval Europe. He collects an impressive pile of evidence that it was far from peaceful, and was indeed pretty catastrophic for many of those who had to live through it. Roman civilisation did not die of natural causes. It was killed, and mainly by the military force of the Barbarians.

Well, so far, so good. I doubt if the inhabitants of Italy, Gaul and Spain, who spent most of the years from 405 to 420 having one set of barbarians after another marching and counter-marching all over their homelands, would have any trouble agreeing with Ward-Perkins. Over the next couple of centuries many others would have cause to feel the same way. Nor was this temporary. For several centuries more, comforts that the Romans took for granted would become available only to a tiny few, and sometimes not at all. Pottery making virtually died out in Britain until about 700, tiled roofs, previously common, were little-known in the Middle Ages, and even coinage gave way to barter over wide areas. In short, standards of living, as usually measured, took a prolonged nosedive.

And yet - -. This is all very well, but if the Empire's fall was such a terrible loss to those who lived in it, how come it was never restored? The Chinese Empire "fell" lots of times, but was always rebuilt. When Rome fell, it stayed fallen, and its people seem to have soon become reconciled to doing without it.

Nor can the Barbarians be held solely responsible for what happened. In Asia Minor, which was virtually untouched by barbarian invasion, Colin McEvedy's "New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History" shows four cities - Ephesus, Miletus, Sardis, Smyrna - of between 15,000 and 50,000 people in AD 528. On the map for AD737, not one of them remains. Here at least, the Barbarians were not to blame for the decline, and other factors need to be considered.

At times, Ward-Perkins himself gives significant hints at this. He quotes ancient sources to the effect that, during Alaric's siege of Rome in 408/9, "almost all the slaves that were in Rome poured out of the city to join the Barbarians". And nine years earlier, when the rebel general Tribigild marched across Asia Minor, then a peaceful and prosperous region, his force was soon swelled by "such a mass of slaves and outcasts that the whole of Asia was in great danger, while Lydia was in utter confusion, with almost everyone fleeing to the coast and sailing across to the islands or elsewhere with their whole families". Clearly not all the Empire's subjects loved it.

But perhaps the most revealing incident is from 393, when "the Roman aristocrat Symmachus brought a group of Saxon prisoners to Rome, intending them to slaughter each other in gladiatorial games in honour of his son. However, before they were publicly exhibited twenty-nine of them committed suicide by the only means available to them - by strangling each other with their bare hands! For us, their terrible death represents a courageous act of defiance, but Symmachus viewed their suicide as the action of "a group of men viler than Spartacus", which had been sent to test him. With the self-satisfaction of which only Roman aristocrats were capable, he compared his own philosophical response to the event to the calm of Socrates when faced with adversity."

If Symmachus was at all representative of its ruling class, one can easily get an inkling of why the Empire failed, and see why not only the Barbarians, but many of its own less privileged subjects, might not have been sorry to see it go. One man's civilisation can all too easily be another man's "Third Reich", and one may suspect that many were ready enough to try and get along without the Roman State, even if it did mean having to make their own pottery.

Probably not the Best Book on This Topic to Start With.......2007-07-15

First let me disclose that I know very little about this topic; that's why I picked up the book. If, like me, you are looking for a good introduction to the topic, this is not the best book to start with. The author is writing for an informed audience.

That said, I did learn a lot by reading it. I was amazed to learn how much archeologist can determine with little more than old pottery, coins and graffitti. I was surprised to learn that the empire was far more complex and fragmented than I had previously believed. I also got a good picture of how little we know about the Roman Empire, how many questions there still are, and how much debate continues. It seems the question, "Did Rome FALL?" is still unanswered.

Ultimately, I learned that "The Fall of the Roman Empire" has become one of the great myths of the modern era. We interpret and teach it in the way that best reinforces our own values.

The Roman empire wasn't "transformed"; it fell, hard.......2007-07-04

I was surprised to read in the introduction to this book that it is currently somewhat fashionable to believe that the end of the western Roman empire was a gentle transition to a new form of government, without too much disruption. The main point of this book is that this is utter B.S. (and also that the proponents of this view have ulterior political motives). The author's arguments are convincing and are based on extensive archaeological evidence. Apparently when the Roman empire fell, the economy collapsed to levels not seen since long before the Roman empire, and took many centuries to recover. Items such as coins, roof tiles, and good quality pottery virtually disappear from the archaeological record. Entire industries were forgotten in some places, and literacy plunged to the point where most people of status could not even sign their own name. It is also likely that there was a massive depopulation, although this is harder to prove conclusively.

For someone who is concerned for the future of our present civilization, this book gives a vivid account of some of what can go wrong, and especially the vulnerabilities resulting from economic specialization. It is an unusually quick read for a history book, although I might have liked a more detailed analysis of how things fell apart and how they later recovered (to the extent that this is possible given the limited evidence). The book assumes some knowledge of the history of this period; if you don't know say the difference between a Visigoth and an Ostrogoth, you might not understand some parts (although these are not the most important parts). The chronology at the end gives a super-crash course. If you want more background, I recommend the book by Peter Heather.

clear explanation of why western roman empire went down!.......2007-05-13

there are many theories why that mighty Roman empire went down.
but after i read this book,now i have clear idea.the author explains what happened during fall of empire by both archaelogical and historical documents.also this book said when middle ages begins, everything about
what civilisation offer to people was virtually gone! after i read this book,i have fear in my mind what if this modern civilisation collapse,like the Roman empire 1600years ago...

Red Storm over the Balkans: The Failed Soviet Invasion of Romania, Spring 1944 (Modern War Studies)

Average customer rating:

Great Book for advanced readers
Glantz's Greatest Defeat
disappointing
Dreary, plodding reading
Puts It Together Nicely

Red Storm over the Balkans: The Failed Soviet Invasion of Romania, Spring 1944 (Modern War Studies)
David M. Glantz
Manufacturer: University Press of Kansas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Romania | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Russia | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Battle for the Ruhr: The German Army's Final Defeat in the West (Modern War Studies)
To the Bitter End: The Final Battles of Army Groups North Ukraine, A, Centre, Eastern Front, 1944-45
Bridgehead Kurland: The Six Epic Battles of Heeresgruppe Kurland
The Germans in Normandy
ARMAGEDDON OST: The German Defeat on the Eastern Front 1944-45

ASIN: 0700614656

Book Description

Germany's Eastern Front in World War II saw many campaigns and battles that have been "forgotten" by a Soviet Union that tried to hide its military failures. The Red Army's invasion of Romania in April and May 1944 was one such campaign, which produced nearly 200,000 casualties and tarnished the reputations of its commanders. The redoubtable David Glantz, the world's leading authority on the Soviet military in World War II, now restores this tale to its proper place in the annals of World War II.

Working from newly available Russian and long-neglected German archives-plus Red Army unit histories and commanders' memoirs-Glantz reconstructs an imposing mosaic that reveals the immense scope and ambitious intent of the first Iasi-Kishinev offensive. His re-creation shows that Stalin was not as preoccupied with a direct route to Berlin as he was with a "broad front" strategy designed to gain territory and find vulnerable points in Germany's extended lines of defense. If successful, the invasion would have also eliminated Romania as Germany's ally, cut off the vital Ploiesti oilfields, and provided a base from which to consolidate Soviet power throughout the Balkans.

Glantz discloses General Ivan Konev's strategic plan as the 2nd Ukrainian Front prepared its Iasi offensive and fought a climactic battle with the German Eighth Army and its Romanian allies in the Tirgu-Frumos region in early May, then the regrouping of General Rodion Malinovsky's 3rd Ukrainian Front for its decisive offensive toward Kishinev, which aborted in the face of a skillful counterstroke by a threadbare German Sixth Army. Glantz describes how the Wehrmacht, with a nucleus of combat veterans, was able to beat back Soviet forces hampered by spring floods, while already fragile Soviet logistical support was further undermined by the Wehrmacht's scorched-earth strategy.

Although Konev's and Malinovsky's offensives failed, the Red Army managed to inflict heavy losses on Axis forces, exacerbating the effects of Germany's defeats in the Ukraine and making it more difficult for the Wehrmacht to contain the Soviet juggernaut's ultimate advance toward Berlin.

This book is part of the Modern War Studies series.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book for advanced readers.......2007-05-10

This guy is simply the best military writer i've ever read.
At my age, i need a magnifying glass for the maps. That's my one objection, but i assume younger people will have no problem. This is another Glantz special: an utterly fantastic detailed miltary description of the initial Soviet attempt to invade Romania. These books must be a godsend for the companies that make wargames. After reading Glantz books, i feel like becoming a wargame designer myself! If you're into the movements of armies, corps, divisions, this book is heaven. The maps are great (though i wish they were bigger!)
If you want to read about the "personal" or "human interest" side of war, don't buy this book, there's nothing in it for you. It's also not for the casual military reader, it's very detailed.
I only wish some of Glantz' other publications werent so darned expensive; i'd own them all.
He's simply the best military writer i've ever read.

Glantz's Greatest Defeat.......2007-03-01

Glantz's books differ quite significantly in quality. Of the eight I have read, this was the worst. The writing is relatively poor, and features a lot of repetition, with little flow or tension. It feels rushed. The book is crying out for a good editor to really clean it up. The history, of course, is excellent as always. But I would recommend his operational studies of Mars and Kursk before this one. They are both excellent.

disappointing.......2007-02-22

Being an avid student of the Russo-German war and having a few hundred books on the subject, ranging from detailed German unit histories to books with a wide scope like those by Earl Ziemke, I eagerly anticipated the arrival of this book as it promised to fill a gap in my knowledge of the Eastern Front. I was also worried, because I have all the books by Glantz and they can be divided into three categories: boring and unreadable (whenever he focuses on Russian sources; example: The Battle for Lvov), extremely interesting and well written (because they offer new information and new insights; example: Zhukov's greatest defeat) and books that offer a bit of both (example: When Titans Clashed). This latest book, I am afraid, falls into the last category. After reading it my first impulse was to rip out the first 150 pages. Being a book lover I did not do this of course, but still... In this first third of the book Glantz describes, no sorry, lists, units, commanders (boring the reader to tears) and actually describes what is on the maps!! Any editor worth his salt should have told Glantz to stop babbling and refer the material to an appendix or (in case of the battle dispositions) refer to the maps.
On the plus side: mainly thanks to German sources, the book does offer new information about the Red Army's failed spring campaign, which in the end is why I am still glad that I bought the book. If, like me, you want to know more about the fighting around Targul Frumos or the Dnjestr bridgeheads, I am afraid you will have to buy this book. Hence three stars (just sufficient).
However, I really hope that for Glantz' next few books somebody with common sense will sift through the material and make Glantz realise that, ultimately, a book should not only contain lots of information but first and foremost be READABLE! As a writer about the war myself as well as a voracious reader I think I know what I am talking about. Glantz can give me a call any day of the week for some free advice.

Jack Didden

Dreary, plodding reading.......2007-02-14

OK, up front we all admit that David Glantz knows more about WWII on the Eastern Front than any other person alive. That said, this is operational military history at its worst. An endless barrage of corps & division numbers, grouping letters, directions of attacks & campaigns, etc., etc. The whole thing reads like an over-long after action report prepared by a junior officer who never took a liking to writing coherent narrative essays. There is no political context discussed in this book, nor is there discussion about weapons, weaponery, personalities, etc. Sure, its authoritative, but does that mean it has to be such a drudge to get through? I put this book down half-way through and read 4-5 other books before I worked up the patience to tackle this to its finish.

Puts It Together Nicely.......2007-01-19

Glantz was not well-served by his editors here; they chose the provocative title and Glantz throughout maintains this as some sort of 'lost' campaign that 'he found'. As the prior reviewer from Vienna stated, it's not so 'lost'. Targul-Frumos has been the subject of lectures and papers at US military academies and in technical journals from both sides since the late 1940's. So Glantz does overstate that point.
What Glantz does achieve is a unique synthesis of the diverse sources and he analyzes them skillfully. He puts it all together and gives it context that no other Eastern Front historian had yet done, just as he did with 'Operation Mars'. Unfortunately, the reviewer from Vienna is right about the small number of mistakes and, indeed, there are a few more than he cited. Editors let Glantz down there as well. They exist to pick up those little typos or tiny mis-statements. Like Glantz's other books, it reads a little dry, but I overlook that and give him five stars for the skill and value of his presentation and analysis. Not perfect but VERY needed.

Meeting the Fox: The Allied Invasion of Africa, from Operation Torch to Kasserine Pass to Victory in Tunisia

Average customer rating:

Competent and well-written history of WW2 in Tunisia
A good military history
The U.S. Army's Baptism of Fire
An Excellent Summary of the African campaign
Meeting the Fox is a quality read.

Meeting the Fox: The Allied Invasion of Africa, from Operation Torch to Kasserine Pass to Victory in Tunisia
Orr Kelly
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

Tunisia | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

History | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Desert War: The North African Campaign 1940-1943
An Army at Dawn : The War in Africa, 1942-1943, Volume One of the Liberation Trilogy (The Liberation Trilogy, Vol 1)
Pendulum of War: The Three Battles of El Alamein
The Path to Victory: The Mediterranean Theater in World War II
Kasserine Pass 1943: Rommel's last victory (Campaign)

ASIN: 0471414298

Book Description

Praise for Meeting the Fox

"Orr Kelly has dramatically brought to life the desert war by masterfully weaving the view of higher headquarters with the pathos of the foxhole. Meeting the Fox takes the reader on a gripping journey from North Africa's beaches and drop zones, the practically forgotten disaster at Sidi bou Zid, to the final battles in Tunisia. Meeting the Fox is destined to rank among the best narrative histories on the American experience in North Africa."
-- Patrick O'Donnell, author of Beyond Valor and Into the Rising Sun

"An almost bullet-by-bullet, shell-by-shell account, Meeting the Fox offers riveting personal experiences from those who fought the Axis forces during the desperate campaign for North Africa."
--Gerald Astor, historian and author of A Blood-Dimmed Tide and The Greatest War, Vols. I—III

As their unproven commanders struggled to match wits with the wily Desert Fox, 100,000 poorly equipped, undertrained, and inexperienced GIs battled their way across North Africa. Hobbled by inferior weaponry and an inexperienced officer corps, these green but courageous citizen soldiers clashed head-on with the fabled German Afrika Korps and its legendary commander, Erwin Rommel. Meeting the Fox tells the unforgettable tale of the men who transformed themselves, in the heat of battle, from a poorly organized army of convenience into a relentless and unstoppable fighting force.

Customer Reviews:

Competent and well-written history of WW2 in Tunisia.......2007-05-14

This is a very well-writen military history of WW2 in Tunisia, from late 1942 to May 1943. Although the "Fox" in the title refer to German general Rommel, Rommel figures in only a small part of the book because he is largely involved in his famous retreat across North Africa while much of the action in the book takes place. Once Rommel finally arrives on the scene, he makes some inspections of the military situation at hand, issues orders, then soon departs for Germany, never to return. Other German commanders, notably von Arnim, direct most of the Axis movements. The author interweaves the stories of ground and air units, large and small, and includes the experiences of many individual soldiers as well. My only complaint was that the maps were not very good and made it difficult to follow the movements of the ground units. With as much detail as was provided in the text, good maps would have made the battles much easier to visualize.

A good military history.......2006-12-15

This is an excellent military history of the African invasion. If you are looking for a book that will tell you about the importance of the invasion and how it influenced the war this is not for you. This is strictly a military account and while it is well done it offers little else. The prose is very clear and conventional like most military histories. Overall it is a great analysis of the war and provides an essential report on what happened in Africa.

The U.S. Army's Baptism of Fire .......2005-11-14

Some in the Allied Command structure during WWII wanted to bypass the North African campaign and strike directly at Normandy as early as late 1942 / early 1943. This book shows clearly how much of a disaster that would have been.

The North African campaign was the testing ground of the Allied war machine, where the U.S. Army raised the officer corps and developed the tactics which would lead to ultimate victory on the fields and in the cities of Europe.

This book was written on a very interesting topic and is an excellent history. I sort of painstakingly only gave it four stars rather than five, because the book is mostly history and can sometimes be a little bit dry since there's no single group of soldiers or unit that it follows and that you can connect with. Of course, this is impossible for a history of an entire campaign in the largest war ever fought, so it really is five star history, just four star reading for me.

It lets you know all the strategic reasoning behind both sides moves, delves into the technological capabilities of the allies, explains the political wrangling between the U.S., England, and the French who joined the allies. As it progresses it tells the story of smaller units in the myriad string of battles that made up the campaign, expertly navigating back and forth between the tactical scene and the big picture, and between the telling of events and the analysis that gives them meaning and puts them into context. The history is chronological, comprehensive, and complete. One can imagine the fear, drama, suspense, sting of defeat, and adrenaline of going into combat for the first time against one of the most vaunted armies ever assembled on completely foreign land.

The North African campaign shows the U.S. military's somewhat painful growth process which was extremely interesting. Working with allies became sorted out, but not without major frictions such as the falling out between Patton and Air Marshall Cunningham. Tanks, artillery, infantry and air power were mixed and matched many different ways until the combination that worked was found, the price for that secret paid dearly in blood. Political, too old, or just sadly not competent officers were shaken out, and a solid, in-depth leadership core of middle and lower level officers were minted with experience.

One of the things I liked best about the book was how the author occasionally spiced it up with the sort of amazing fact is stranger than fiction moments that can only happen in war. U-boats torpedo supply ships on the invasion beaches, and guys jumping off ship get sucked back inside the hole the torpedo ripped in the side of the ship, forcing them to abandon ship twice. Soldiers trying to retreat are run over by tank treads, and simply pushed into the mud so that after the tank passes they get right back up and keep running, only a lot dirtier than before. Units surrounded on Djebels wait for nightfall and literally WALK through enemy lines, feet away from sleeping German soldiers and 88mm guns.

Recommended for anyone with an interest in military history, the U.S. Army, North African History, or how the start of great endeavors can be difficult learning experiences.

An Excellent Summary of the African campaign.......2005-07-19

Meeting the Fox turned out to be the book I was looking for - one which would give a detailed, but not confusing, history of the Allied campaign in Africa during WW II. It helps me and my late husband's grandsons appreciate and understand his part in that war.

Meeting the Fox is a quality read........2004-01-09

Orr Kelly did an excellent job recounting the history of Operation Torch and the battle for Tunisia. He brought it alive by documenting and re-telling the personal stories of some real American heroes (Major Siglin, Captain Bill Tuck, Colonel Waters, etc.) This is a very enjoyable read that flows without losing the detail. Thank you Mr. Kelly.

Rome's Gothic Wars: From the Third Century to Alaric (Key Conflicts of Classical Antiquity)

Average customer rating:

a needed addition to the subject of the Goths and the Roman Empire
Historiography at its best
Evalualtion of Sources
Provocative, but Unconvincing
"Deeds of the Goths"

Rome's Gothic Wars: From the Third Century to Alaric (Key Conflicts of Classical Antiquity)
Michael Kulikowski
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Rome | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians
The Day of the Barbarians: The Battle That Led to the Fall of the Roman Empire
Barbarian Tides: The Migration Age and the Later Roman Empire (Middle Ages Series)
Mark Antony's Heroes: How the Third Gallica Legion Saved an Apostle and Created an Emperor
A History of the Later Roman Empire, AD 284-641: The Transformation of the Ancient World (Blackwell History of the Ancient World)

ASIN: 0521846331

Amazon.com

From the Prologue:

Before the Gates of Rome

Late in august 410, a large troop of soldiers bore down on the city of Rome. At their head rode the general Alaric, in the full insignia of a magister militum. It was the highest command in the Roman army, won after years of politicking and military success. But Alaric was more than a Roman general. He was also a Gothic chieftain, some might have said a king. As far as contemporaries were concerned, the soldiers who followed him were Goths. Sometimes, to be sure, Alaric had put his followers at the service of the Roman emperor. When he did so, they became a unit in the Roman army. But their loyalty was to Alaric, not to the emperor or the empire, and everyone knew it. Alaric might be a Roman general, but no one ever mistook his followers for Roman soldiers. They were the Goths, and Alaric had led them against regular imperial armies more than once. In the early fifth century, the line between Roman regiment and barbarian horde was a fine one, and Alaric straddled it as best he could. But no one was quite taken in by appearances, and Alaric never succeeded in turning himself into the legitimate Roman commander he so desperately wanted to be.

Want more? Read the prologue in its entirety.

Book Description

Late in August 410, Rome was starving, its residents were turning on one another, and, to make matters worse, the Gothic army camped at Rome's gates was restless. The Gothic commander was Alaric, a Roman general and barbarian chieftain. Leading an army that was short of food and potentially mutinous, sacking Rome was his only way forward. The old heart of Rome's empire fell to a conqueror's sword for the first time in eight hundred years. For three days, Alaric's Goths sacked the eternal city. In the words of a contemporary, the mother of the world had been murdered. Alaric's story is the culmination of a long historical journey by which the Goths came to be a part of the Roman world. Whether as friends or foes of the Roman empire, the Goths and their history are entwined with the larger history of Rome in the third and fourth centuries. Rome's Gothic Wars explains how the Goths came into existence on the margins of the Roman world, how different Gothic groups dealt with the enormous power of Rome just beyond their lands, and how, in two traumatic years, thousands of Goths entered the imperial provinces and destroyed the army that was sent to suppress them, leaving the emperor of the eternal city dead on the field of battle. Unlike other histories of the barbarians, Rome's Gothic Wars shows exactly how and why modern historians understand the Goths the way they do Â- and why our understanding is so controversial. Michael Kulikowski is associate professor of history at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. A recipient of the Solmsen Fellowship at the Institute for Research in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, he is the author of Late Roman Spain and Its Cities, which was awarded an Honorable Mention in Classics and Archaeology from the Association of American University Presses. His scholarly articles have appeared in Early Medieval Europe, Britannia, Phoenix, and Byzantium, and he has appeared on the History Channel's Barbarians series.

Customer Reviews:

a needed addition to the subject of the Goths and the Roman Empire.......2007-09-14

Rome's Gothic Wars: From the Third Century to Alaric (Key Conflicts of Classical Antiquity) by Michael Kulikowski is a needed addition to the subject of the Goths and the Roman Empire. It's a must-read for all interested in this era of history and hopefully encourages readers to further exploration.

The book may appear controversial to some: Aside from presenting the history of the Goths from the 3rd century CE to Alaric, the author looks at modern views on Gothic history, a touchy subject among modern scholars, who "support their own positions with an intensity that most people reserve for their favourite football team or rock band ... I am no exception." (He certainly isn't...)

That discussion revolves around the trustworthiness - or lack thereof - of the ancient writer Jordanes, whose Getica is the predominantly accepted source for the origin and migration of the Goths. The author lays out in great detail why he has concluded that Jordanes is not only unreliable but "deeply misleading." He states that the Getica underpins nearly every modern treatment of the Goths, consciously or not. He sees the narrative as so pervasive because the idea of northern Gothic roots has played an over-arching role in conceptualizing the northern European past.

The story of the Goths and Mr. Kulikowski's arguments are well laid out. The time period he discusses reaches from a brief chapter The Goths before Constantine (with a discourse on the "Scythians") to the sack of Rome by Alaric and its aftermath, in sequence titled The Roman Empire and and the Barbarian Society, Imperial Politics and the Rise of Gothic Power, Goths and Romans, The Battle of Adrianople, Theodosius and the Goths, Alaric and The Sack of Rome, and The Aftermath of Alaric.

The chapters are divided in sub-chapters with bolded titles which makes it easy to go back to individual sections. The book has two helpful glossaries, a Glossary of Ancient Sources and a Biographical Glossary, as well as a chapter "Further Readings," and there are four excellent maps.

Historiography at its best.......2007-09-10

Michael Kulikowski's book is one of the best works on Gothic history. The author achievs a clarity and elegance of language that is very rarely found in history books. The argumentation and conclusions are original and cutting edge. The scope of the book exceeds the boundaries suggested by the title. In short, this is an excellent book and that I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of late antiquity.

Evalualtion of Sources.......2007-05-09

This the first book I have read that evaluates the ancient sources and puts comtemporary research in perspective. I was particularly interested in the uses to which the NAZIS used ideas on germanic migrations to further their racial ideas.

Provocative, but Unconvincing.......2006-12-24

After acknowledging "the historian has a duty to make history intelligible" (p. xi), Professor Kulikowski proceeds to further obscure the already obscure subject of Romano-Gothic relations. Rather than "help those who are just beginning the advanced study of late antiquity," he abandons serious scholarship and builds a house of cards which admits little scrutiny.

Professor Kulikowski starts with the humble-sounding premise that "even the most basic facts are either unknown or else uncertain because of contradictory evidence" (p. 12), then proceeds to savage his our sources.

Even more startling is his thesis that "the Roman empire create[d] the Goths as we know them." (p. 13) Time and again throughout the first half of Wars, Kulikowski tells us "as we will see", then spends the second half saying "as we have seen" never having supported his intriguing thesis. In the end the reader is left with an assertion--a plausible scenario, but not the only plausible scenario.

The key chapter is "The Search for Gothic Origins" in which Kulikowski deconstructs ancient and modern theories that the Goths or their prehistoric antecedents came from the region of modern Scandinavia and/or Poland. Then he examines archeological evidence in the region from which the Goths first came to the attention of classical cultures. While he acknowledges that the Alans and Sarmatians lived as a horse culture on top of an agricultural substrata, he avows that the remains uncovered in the Sântana-de-Mureº/Èernjachov cultural zone support his assertion "that there was no Gothic history before the third century. The Goths are a product of the Roman frontier, just like the Franks and the Alamanni who appear at the same time." (p. 67)

In addition to needing a refresher in logic, the good professor should have sought grammar assistance from his school's English department. The text is replete with participles and passive constructions, which will not help those beginning students he proclaimed as his target audience. While Professor Kulikowski tends to cite (and analyze the reliability of) ancient sources, he rarely quotes those sources, leaving the reader to accept his analysis of what the source did nor did not report.

Maps in Wars are woefully inadequate, both in number and detail. Kulikowski's statement on page xii that the Department of History "produced [them] at short notice" implies that all the maps were an afterthought.

Make no mistake, Professor Kulikowski's theory is a provocative and insightful one. But the norm for historical writing these days is provocative new theories. Modern historians are not content to stand on the shoulders of their predecessors for a slightly better view. Modern historians feel compelled to tear down everything before them and start anew--even if it means they are writing fiction. Kulikowski explains his new theory well enough; he just never proves it.

Despite its shortfalls, Rome's Gothic Wars offers a good review of the current state of knowledge about Romano-Gothic relations between A. D. 376 and 410. Professor Kulikowski offers insights to Rome's degeneration from an externally invincible empire to a shadow of its former self--the "eternal city" sacked and independent barbarian kingdoms established within its borders.

Guardedly recommended.

"Deeds of the Goths".......2006-11-17

This is a short book and easy to read but is packed with eye openers, it is valuable both for a hobbiest like myself and the professional. I recently read Peter Heather's "The Fall of the Roman Empire" (2005), as well as other survey accounts of the Goths including Gibbon and Bury (and of course the History Channel "Barbarians") - Kulikowski's writing style is great, it's difficult to tire of such an incredible story, everyone tells it a little differently adding new ideas and perspectives.

More than a survey, Kulikowski makes a bold (and convincing) case about the origins of the Goths and what motivated them (or not) to cross the Danube in 376. In addition we learn about the latest approach to barbarian ethnicity (called "ethnogenesis") which is applicable to all the ancient peoples and important to understand in the face of so much racist and nationalistic scholarship out there; an excellent historiography of Gothic studies which reveals some interesting connections to modern educational institutions; a general overview of the barbarians and the Roman Empire; a "Further Reading" where we get the authors recommendations on the best books available for specific topics; a list of key names with short descriptions (about 150 names).

This is the first in a series which is described in the opening matter: "This series is composed of introductory-level texts that provide an essential foundation for the study of important wars and conflicts of classical antiquity. Each volume provides a synopsis of the main events and key characters, the consequences of the conflict, and its reception over time. An important feature is the critical overview of the textual and archaeological sources for the conflict, which is designed to teach both historiography and the methods that historians use to reconstruct events of the past."

The Roman Empire and Its Germanic Peoples

Average customer rating:

Worthy Topic.
Not easy reading, but worth the effort
A very interesting yet complex read
Quite Lovely
Dryest Read ever Written

The Roman Empire and Its Germanic Peoples
Herwig Wolfram
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Rome | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Historiography | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Origins of Modern Germany
Early Germans (Peoples of Europe)
History of the Goths
Invasion of Europe by the Barbarians
The Barbarians Speak: How the Conquered Peoples Shaped Roman Europe.

ASIN: 0520085116

Book Description

The names of early Germanic warrior tribes and leaders resound in songs and legends; the real story of the part they played in reshaping the ancient world is no less gripping. Herwig Wolfram's panoramic history spans the great migrations of the Germanic peoples and the rise and fall of their kingdoms between the third and eighth centuries, as they invaded, settled in, and ultimately transformed the Roman Empire.
As Germanic military kings and their fighting bands created kingdoms, and won political and military recognition from imperial governments through alternating confrontation and accommodation, the "tribes" lost their shared culture and social structure, and became sharply differentiated. They acquired their own regions and their own histories, which blended with the history of the empire. In Wolfram's words, "the Germanic peoples neither destroyed the Roman world nor restored it; instead, they made a home for themselves within it."
This story is far from the "decline and fall" interpretation that held sway until recent decades. Wolfram's narrative, based on his sweeping grasp of documentary and archaeological evidence, brings new clarity to a poorly understood period of Western history.

Customer Reviews:

Worthy Topic. .......2006-02-24

After a brief narrative of early German history, he gives thorough details on the individual peoples or tribal confederations. Actually, you could read ch.15 first and then go to the Introduction. The main emphasis is on the Danubian Goths. He gives a good structural analysis of their institutions and how they blended with Roman culture. His thesis that the majority of Germanic peoples wanted to become part of the Roman World does seem to be valid to this ancient history buff. The German Kings do appear to have tried to maintain both the socio-economic conditions and Administration. It is a vivid picture of an often neglected subject. There is a good bibliography and a plethora of footnotes to research further. The omission of the Franks, who arguably were the most influential is why I'm deducting one star.

Not easy reading, but worth the effort.......2003-11-08

My reason for reading this book is that I wanted to know more about Roman Germany after visiting several sites in West Germany. I've had a lifelong interest in the Roman Empire and loved my Latin classes in high school. Since then I've occasionally read books about the Roman Empire. I am certainly not an expert in this field. This particular book is not easy reading. It is a serious, scholarly work in a solemn translation from the German. However, if one has the patience to plow through, it can be quite rewarding and provocative. I felt I was tracing the roots of our own culture when the author showed that so many of the tribes had a religion around a sacred sword. The author didn't mention Excalibur, but it immediately came to mind.

Roman Germany turned out to be far different than I had simplistically imagined. It was not a matter of conquering and occupying. There was a lot of wheeling and dealing going on. One system simply evolved into another over time. This book was tremendously informative to me. I feel that my understanding of the so-called "Dark Ages" is radically improved. As I said, this is not an easy read. It takes time and concentration. But I felt it was worth it.

A very interesting yet complex read.......2003-08-03

This book, a survey of the histories of the various so-called Germanic tribes that eventually assumed control of Europe, spanning the years from roughly 250AD to somewhere around 800AD. One of Wolfram's main theses is that the actual barbarian "invasions" were events that were much more complicated than a simple onslaught of Germanic hordes. He does a relatively good job in describing how exactly the migrations took place. Along the way, he gives the reader some good ideas about how the Germanic tribes functioned as societies.

This is an enormously complicated subject. I'm sure no two people agree on everything involved, but I must take issue to some of the criticisms that has been written here. First, this is no easy book to read. It's a history book written by and for specialists. So, it's not simply a narrative of events that happened; there's a great deal of analysis and moving back and forth in time in order to make comparisons. He does provide a time-line, though. Nevertheless, it's going to be rough-going for someone looking for a quick scan of the topic.

As for Wolfram's sources, most of them are Roman texts or in German (the book itself is a translation from the German). There's nothing quoted here that's any more spurious than any other history book I've read. In fact, Wolfram spends a lot of time weeding out what's reliable in the Roman sources and what isn't.

Lastly, it should be pointed out that another of Wolfram's big points is to distinguish the Germanic tribes as political units as opposed to ethnic units (and thus somehow "related" to modern Germans). He's very effective at convincing me at least that most of these tribes were ethnically polyglots that subsumed various "races" according to political and economic need.

Quite Lovely.......2003-06-05

The author presents a truly enlightening study of how the Empire absorbed the Germanic tribes, as well as the ultimate effect of the powerful Roman cultural hegemony on outlying provinces. As an Ancient Rome buff, I find this a necessary counterweight to Gibbon's "Decline and Fall..."

Dryest Read ever Written.......2002-11-26

Only read this book if you are forced to. Not a casual read. Author bounces around dates with wreckless abandon. Accuracy is highly questionable.

Brassey's D-Day Encyclopedia: The Normandy Invasion A-Z

Average customer rating:

One-stop Shopping

Brassey's D-Day Encyclopedia: The Normandy Invasion A-Z
Barrett Tillman
Manufacturer: Potomac Books Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books

History | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books

Military | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy, June 6, 1944
D-Day: The Strategy, the Men, the Equipment
D-Day Fortifications in Normandy (Fortress)
The D-Day Atlas: Anatomy of the Normandy Campaign
A Traveler's Guide to D-Day and the Battle for Normandy

ASIN: 1574887602

Book Description

This unique encyclopedia provides detailed entries for everything you ever wanted to know about D-Day, the invasion of Normandy. Organized alpha-betically, the entries give detailed descriptions of weapons, equipment, divisions, air and naval units, geography, terminology, personalities, and more. Every Allied division that crossed the English Channel on June 6, 1944 has its own listing as do the major Axis divisions that fought them. Brief biographies of major military and political leaders on both sides provide a handy â€œwhoâ€™s whoâ€ of the campaign. The book also includes entries for related popular culture: GI slang, the best movies about D-Day, and major writers such as Stephen Ambrose and Cornelius Ryan. Cross-references make the book easy to use. With hundreds of entries, Brasseyâ€™s D-Day Encyclopedia is an indispensable reference tool for history buffs and interesting browsing for readers who want to know more about World War II.

Customer Reviews:

One-stop Shopping.......2006-07-06

How did this little gem go unreviewed for so long? If you want a "one stop shopping" place for Operation Overlord, this book is the choice. The organization, content, and execution are all excellent. My only suggestion would be more illustrations but that's a small complaint in a book that contains a tremendous variety of subject matter and presents it in comprehensible, readable form. There's even examples of D-Day movies with favorite lines from each. Altogether a top-notch effort.

Before Stalingrad: Barbarossa, Hitler's Invasion of Russia 1941 (Battles & Campaigns)

Average customer rating:

Concise summary of Barbarossa to the Soviet Winter Offensive
A must read on the initial phase of the German-Soviet war
Excellent, but very dry history
A Tough Read, But Rewarding
Soviet reasons for failure of Barbarossa

Before Stalingrad: Barbarossa, Hitler's Invasion of Russia 1941 (Battles & Campaigns)
David M. Glantz
Manufacturer: Tempus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Russia | History | Subjects | Books

Slaughterhouse: The Handbook of the Eastern Front
When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler (Modern War Studies)
The Battle of Kursk
Colossus Reborn: The Red Army At War, 1941-1943 (Modern War Studies)
Zhukov's Greatest Defeat: The Red Army's Epic Disaster in Operation Mars, 1942 (Modern War Studies)

ASIN: 0752426923

Book Description

Operation Barbarossa—as this campaign is famously called—was arguably the greatest land campaign mankind has ever fought. Hitler named his assault after the 12th-century Frederick I Barbarossa, an emperor of the First Reich. Although he succeeded in capturing almost 40 percent of European Russia, Hitler was defeated there. Exploiting newly available Soviet archives, David M. Glantz challenges the time-honored explanation that poor weather, bad terrain, and Hitler’s faulty strategic judgement produced the German defeat. He reveals how and why the Red Army thwarted Hitler’s seemingly inexorable progress.

Customer Reviews:

Concise summary of Barbarossa to the Soviet Winter Offensive.......2007-10-18

This is a concise, strategic overview of the Barbarossa campaign. Unlike many other works by David Glantz, this is a relatively light tome that can easily be read in 2-3 sittings and is more of a popular work and not a scholarly work. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of detail, and the text is well-documented and footnoted, but as you can devine from some of the other reviews, this work is more readable compared with some of Glantz's denser tomes. This book has many of the same strengths and weaknesses of Glantz other works. There is an incrdible amount of detail packed tightly into well-worded prose. On the other hand, Glantz is so pro-Soviet that you wonder how the Germans advanced 10 miles into the Soviet Union with all the hyperbole.

Beyond the purely historical details, Glantz weighs in on the question of whether Barbarossa was winnable from the German perspective, and whether Guderian's right turn to Kiev was strategically necessary or a fatal loss of time and dissipation of strength as many have argued that it was. Glantz concludes that the Germans could not have marched on Moscow without the destruction of the Soviet armies in and around Kiev for two reasons. First, it would not have been possible for Army Group Center to advance on Moscow with such a strong force on it's right flank. Second, and more importantly, the Soviet armies covering Moscow uselessly dissipated their strength in foolish counterattacks trying to save their comrades trapped in Kiev. The Germans would not have been able to advance so easily to the gates of Moscow had this force (of roughly equal size to the armies annihilated in Kiev) not destroyed itself. Thus Glantz concludes that the right turn by Guderian was critical, the Germans could not have taken Moscow even if they simply bypassed the armies in Kiev.

Was Barbarossa winnable in one campaign? The German General Staff and Hitler thought so. Glantz says no. The strategic depth of the Soviet Union and the ability to replace destroyed armies one after the other meant that the Soviet Union could only be defeated in a long campaign. I think that Glantz arguments are compelling. The lessons of Poland and France did not necessarily appy to the Soviet Union. My personal view is that the war was won or lost in 1942 with the success or failure of Operation Edelweiss.

The bottom line is that this is about the best concise history of Barbarossa around, and if you can ignore Glantz's favoritism, definitely worth the money. Finally, do not be mislead by the title of the book. I initially thought that this volume covered the first two years of the war in the East (i.e. up to Stalingrad), it does not. The narrative ends as the Soviet Winter offensive of 1941-42 peters out.

A must read on the initial phase of the German-Soviet war.......2007-06-17

Of the three books I have so far read from Glantz, this one is for sure the best and easiest to read. (OK, also the shortest.) I personally very much enjoyed this book, and also found a lot of new information in it.

Excellent, but very dry history.......2006-12-08

Like all of Glantz' books, this one also tells its story with authority. However, the focus is on the large scale, strategic operations and the high command, and therefore does not make for interesting reading.

A Tough Read, But Rewarding.......2006-09-28

This is not a book that goes into great detail about individual battles or skirmishes. It does, however, provide an extremely detailed account of the horrendously, seemingly impossible task Stavka faced in dealing with the German onslaught. Glantz provides readers with mind-numbinlgy detailed summaries of armies created on paper only to be slaughtered on the field, of Fronts being designated by desperate planners only to be shattered, and of Generals placed at the heads of armies only to be sacked, or worse, when they, almost, inevitably failed to win victories.

The huge amount of data Glantz provides is almost impossible to keep track of. This book was slow going for me. More maps, higher quality maps, and more charts and tables would have been welcome. The nearly frequent typographical errors were annoying. The excellent endnotes were sometimes hard to locate. I would have preferred footnotes.

Soviet reasons for failure of Barbarossa.......2006-01-08

David M. Glantz's book, Before Stalingrad rewrite the operational history of the German invasion of Soviet Union between June to December of 1941. Glantz's approach is to informed the reader that it took more then German's missteps and mother nature that determined the outcome of the 1941 campaign but the Soviet's efforts and mobilization of fresh units that also had a major hand. One of the major factors of German failure according to Glantz was the appearance of fresh Soviet reserves units that defied the German intelligence service. One point Glantz really wanted to make was that the German efforts toward Kiev wasn't an error by Hitler but an necessary objective to ensure any chance of German victory in Moscow if there was to be one. He cites the huge amount of Soviet troops trapped around Kiev, wide open flanks that the Germans will be exposing and fresh Soviet units waiting for the Germans in front of Moscow before many of them were expended in premature Soviet offensives that allowed Germans to advanced toward Moscow. I believed there is many merits to his line of arguement if we looked at German's efforts at Rostov and its consequences.

The main angle of study seem to be centered around central operation of the campaign, Soviet responses to Army Group Center seem to highlights the book's main theme. I think the author chooses this approach since this was where the campaign of 1941 was ultimately decided.

The book appears to be well written and well researched with plenty of Soviet material. Its an operational study of the 1941 campaign and looked closely from the Soviet point of view as all of Glantz's books. Its a short book and far more simply written then many of Glantz's other works. It could have used more maps and a more clearer order of battle table.

The book come highly recommended to those interested in this subject matter.

Barbarian Tides: The Migration Age and the Later Roman Empire (Middle Ages Series)

Average customer rating:

Barbarian Tides: The Migration Age and the Later Roman Empire (Middle Ages Series)
Walter Goffart
Manufacturer: University of Pennsylvania Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Rome | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Rome's Gothic Wars: From the Third Century to Alaric (Key Conflicts of Classical Antiquity)
From Roman Provinces to Medieval Kingdoms (Rewriting Histories)
A History of the Later Roman Empire, AD 284-641: The Transformation of the Ancient World (Blackwell History of the Ancient World)
Framing the Early Middle Ages: Europe and the Mediterranean, 400-800
A Greek Roman Empire: Power and Belief under Theodosius II (408-450) (Sather Classical Lectures)

ASIN: 0812239393

Book Description

The Migration Age is still envisioned as an onrush of expansionary "Germans" pouring unwanted into the Roman Empire and subjecting it to pressures so great that its western parts collapsed under the weight. Further developing the themes set forth in his classic Barbarians and Romans, Walter Goffart dismantles this grand narrative, shaking the barbarians of late antiquity out of this "Germanic" setting and reimagining the role of foreigners in the Later Roman Empire. The Empire was not swamped by a migratory Germanic flood for the simple reason that there was no single ancient Germanic civilization to be transplanted onto ex-Roman soil. Since the sixteenth century, the belief that purposeful Germans existed in parallel with the Romans has been a fixed point in European history. Goffart uncovers the origins of this historical untruth and argues that any projection of a modern Germany out of an ancient one is illusory. Rather, the multiplicity of northern peoples once living on the edges of the Empire participated with the Romans in the larger stirrings of late antiquity. Most relevant among these was the long militarization that gripped late Roman society concurrently with its Christianization. If the fragmented foreign peoples with which the Empire dealt gave Rome an advantage in maintaining its ascendancy, the readiness to admit military talents of any social origin to positions of leadership opened the door of imperial service to immigrants from beyond its frontiers. Many barbarians were settled in the provinces without dislodging the Roman residents or destabilizing landownership; some were even incorporated into the ruling families of the Empire. The outcome of this process, Goffart argues, was a society headed by elites of soldiers and Christian clergy--one we have come to call medieval. Walter Goffart is Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Toronto and Senior Research Scholar and Lecturer at Yale University.

The Fall of France: The Nazi Invasion of 1940

Average customer rating:

Excellent but misses effects of Anti-Semitism
EXCELLENT ANALYSIS
Best of its kind
First-rate history, exceptionally clear analysis.
The final Fall of the Third Republic

The Fall of France: The Nazi Invasion of 1940
Julian Jackson
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Western | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

France: The Dark Years, 1940-1944
Marianne in Chains: Daily Life in the Heart of France During the German Occupation
Strange Victory: Hitler's Conquest of France
Strange Defeat
Lightning War: Blitzkrieg in the West, 1940

ASIN: 0192805509

Book Description

On 16 May 1940 an emergency meeting of the French High Command was called at the Quai d'Orsay in Paris. The German army had broken through the French lines on the River Meuse at Sedan and elsewhere, only five days after launching their attack. Churchill, who had been telephoned by Prime Minister Reynaud the previous evening to be told that the French were beaten, rushed to Paris to meet the French leaders. The mood in the meeting was one of panic and despair; there was talk of evacuating Paris. Churchill asked Gamelin, the French Commander in Chief, 'Where is the strategic reserve?' 'There is none,' replied Gamelin. This exciting book by Julian Jackson, a leading historian of twentieth-century France, charts the breathtakingly rapid events that led to the defeat and surrender of one of the greatest bastions of the Western Allies, and thus to a dramatic new phase of the Second World War. The search for scapegoats for the most humiliating military disaster in French history began almost at once: were miscalculations by military leaders to blame, or was this an indictment of an entire nation? Using eyewitness accounts, memoirs, and diaries, Julian Jackson recreates, in gripping detail, the intense atmosphere and dramatic events of these six weeks in 1940, unravelling the historical evidence to produce a fresh answer to the perennial question of whether the fall of France was inevitable.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent but misses effects of Anti-Semitism.......2007-06-18

Most histories I have read treat the Fall of France with little examination--Hitler invaded through the Ardennes, the French didn't expect them there, the line broke, Dunkirk happened, Paris fell, there you have it.

This work is excellent in that it uses multiple perspectives to illustrate Why this happened. This includes a cogent analysis of the military situation and choices--tanks scattered about as infantry support and not in armored divisions, sending the reserves very far north to link up with the Belgians etc. But it goes beyond this to look at the effect of intense political infighting between the left and the right in pre-war France; the weaknesses of the French leaders of the time; the inter-war pacifism of French society. Jackson weaves together a multi-threaded explanation in an easy to read work.

I feel there is one level of analysis he may have missed. Jackson points out the intense anti-Semitism of some of the French leaders (Marshal Petain) and of the society in general. The French people and leaders were being asked to fight the most anti-Semitic regime in history in Hitler's Germany. I have to wonder how much of the military and political leadership of the Army and the Government just didn't want to be fighting people they agreed with in many ways, and how much of this filtered down to the troops. I would have liked to see Jackson deal with this rather than tip-toe up to it and then not attend to it in any meaningful way.

EXCELLENT ANALYSIS.......2006-11-09

I won't attempt to repeat information outlined in the exceptional previous reviews. This book provides a good companion to Ernest R. May's STANGE VICTORY Hill & Wang 2000. Although of the two, I find this book more interesting in that the author covers all aspects of French society as well as the impact of the defeat and how it was handled. He points out both the French and the British anticipated a long war, but they expected to have two years to complete gearing up for it.
Part of the German success he attributes to a handfull of aggressive tactical commanders who outran the conservative wishes of the German senior command. He highlights the abysmal command and control problems of the French. Where properly led and handled, he believes the French infantry were formidible although there was a desperate shortage of artillary and especially antitank weapons. Except for the poor management of the aircraft situation, French industry by May 1940 was producing weapons at a respectable rate.
This original work provides considerable insight into the factors leading to the German dramatic victory. He also points out there were significant people around the leadership who didn't want a war with Germany, although none of them had the levers of power in their hands at that time. I believe this work makes an important contribution to understanding that time and its legacy. Its purchase is recommended to anyone interested in history or France as well as those who follow military affairs.

Best of its kind.......2006-05-11

Both scholarly and entertaining, this is one really really fun read.

The final chapter alone is worth the price of the book. As though in answer to the questions, "Why is the collapse of France in 1940 important, and why do we keep reading and writing about it?", Jackson weaves a fascinating tale of the aftereffects of June 1940. He argues convincingly that the fall of France began a chain-reaction that turned a rather circumscribed European conflict into a world war. (Briefly: France's collapse brought Italy into the war; which meant Britain had to focus on the Mediterranean at the expense of the Far East; thus Japan was able to see its advantage in Singapore, etc.) Even better, Jackson delineates the long-term ramifications of 1940 on French outlook and politics for the next four or five decades.

Postscript: The only bad thing about the book is its subtitle, which was probably added by the publisher. The 'Nazis' did not invade France in 1940. The German army did, as it had twice before in the previous seventy years. Had the 'Nazis' been fighting the French army, France would not have fallen.

First-rate history, exceptionally clear analysis........2005-05-14

This is an unusually good, short, very readable history of a difficult and contentious event, to which justice has not previously been done. I have read the usual accounts in the general histories (Churchill, Liddell Hart, Keegan and others) of the Second World War, as well as Shirer's "The Collapse of the Third Republic: An Inquiry into the Fall of France in 1940", and none of them compare with Jackson's book. He has a very clear and precise writing style and tells the story in a well-organized manner. His citations of French, British, and German sources are very complete and to the point. His conclusions and the evidence he bases them on are very clear, leaving one free to agree or disagree as one wishes. He seems to have no agenda other than the desire to fulfill the historian's first obligation, which is to tell us WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED. He also gives a rather complete discussion, for such a short book, of previous accounts and interpretations of The Fall of France.

After carefully considering the various previous explanations that have been put forth, he in the end attributes the French defeat primarily to a miscalculation by the French High Command as to where the Germans would attack, namely through the Ardennes Forest. It should be noted that the Allied High Command - Eisenhower, Bradley, Montgomery - made the same mistake only four years later, in November, 1944. They also assumed that the Germans could not mount an armored attack through that same Ardennes Forest, with near disastrous results for the Allies. Such an attack had been predicted as early as 1933 by B.H. Liddell Hart. His warnings of course were ignored in both 1940 and 1944.

Even so, the key factor in the German victory, which surprised the Germans themselves, seems to have been the speed of the German attack. Guderian in fact was ordered to slow down and even halt after crossing the Meuse because the German High Command feared a French flanking attack from the south. Guderian offered his resignation to Kleist, who relented, and so the attack went on. The French in fact did finally attack the German flank, but too slowly and too late. They were just not prepared for the speed with which aggressive armored operations could be conducted. Jackson demonstrates clearly that the margin of German victory over France was much closer than it later seemed in retrospect, after the collapse of French morale and the ascendency of Vichy.

Jackson's analysis of the long-term political effects of 1940 on the subsequent course of events of the twentieth century in France, Europe, and the world is quite illuminating, one of the best sections of the book. He uses the quite different responses to 1940 of two men, Charles de Gaulle and Francois Mitterand, very effectively to illustrate his points.

The story of the Fall of France demonstrates, I believe, one unfortunate disadvantage of consensual, democratic government as opposed to tyranny, and that is that democracies are slow to mobilize for war and reluctant to throw the first punch. This gives the single-minded aggressor the opportunity to make that first punch a knock-out blow, which is what seems to have happened to France in 1940, from which France may not yet have fully recovered.

Related reading:

B.H. Liddell Hart - "History of the Second World War" (L.H. says
"I told you so" repeatedly.)
John Keegan - "Six Armies in Normandy" (How to stop a
blitzkrieg.)

Highly recommended.

The final Fall of the Third Republic.......2004-07-18

The collapse of France in 1940 was the last in the chain of political and military defeats. First it was lost "the battle of Czechoslovakia" (politicaly) and then the campaign in Poland. Unfortunately, the author don't give a fair evaluation of this events. On the contrary. He quoted Marshall Petain (and agree with him), who after the disaster in 1940 maintained that one of the reasons of the collapse were "too few allies". Sorry, but the reality was completely "the other way round". It were French, who let down first Czechoslovakia in Munich and then, one year later, Poland.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books