Military Books

I have 3 favorite novels which I reread every couple of years. Like old friends, I know that I can always turn to them and be sure of several hours of deep pleasure. This is one of those novels. PASTORAL was written during World War 2 and concerns two young people who are serving in the military, but as the title indicates, this is not your typical war novel. Peter Marshall is a veteran pilot of an RAF Wellington bomber, even though he is still a very young man. The flying scenes are excellent, filled with suspenseful atmosphere and excitement. But when he is not in the air, he is the kind of person who takes delight in the simple pleasures of life, rambling over the countryside and fishing with his crew. And after he meets a lovely WAAF officer, Gervase Robertson, who has just joined the signals staff at his airbase, it doesn't take him long to fall in love for the first time. The love story of these two rather innocent and ordinary young people is as real as you'll find in literature, perfectly tracing the progress of their attraction and growing feeling for each other, all intensified by the immense conflict in which they play their small part. True to that time, this does not mean that they are in bed by the second date--no, these are typical, decent youngsters who accept the idea that that sort of thing must wait until marriage. Gervase does not want to give up her part in the war effort to get married, and the tension begins to affect Peter's flying and his relationship with his crew. As one of the senior officers complains exasperatedly, "The great adventure on this station isn't bombing Germany. They don't think anything of that. Falling in love is the big business here." Eventually we see that maybe falling in love is the big business after all, as the young people come to exemplify all that is best, all that is worth fighting to preserve. Nevil Shute wrote several excellent novels, but I believe that this is his best. It is a shame that it is so hard to find, but used copies are available--and well worth the hunt.

Nevil Shute seems to be a very underrated author. After his On the Beach and A Town Like Alice, the rest of his works are almost totally ignored by both the critics and the public, which is a pity as almost all of his works are finely written and have something worthwhile to say.

Pastoral was written during WWII, and from a purely British viewpoint, unlike so many of the war books that were written long after the conflict by so many Americans. As such there is a totally different atmosphere to this book, a quietness, an acceptance of the conditions and requirements of the war as just something that is there, part of the daily routine. And it is within this atmosphere that Neville constructs a fine love story between the very experienced bomber pilot Peter Marshal (at age 22!) and a W.A.A.F signals officer, Gervase Robertson.

As perhaps is typical for war-time love stories, the war itself provides the conflict, the friction between the lovers, as Peter is duty-bound to continue flying bombing missions, and Gervase believes her own duties are important to the course of the war, and should not be given up merely to get married. Her decline of Peter's offer of marriage sends Peter into a mental tail-spin, seriously impacting his efficiency as a flyer. How this conflict is resolved and the events that happen because of this conflict form the main portion of this book. Before reaching that point, however, we are treated to a view of English morality and customs of the day, a code that says one mustn't go off alone with a member of the opposite sex, that married woman are expected to keep house, not have jobs, where the woman must defer to the man. A view that might seem dreadfully stifling and old-fashioned to a reader of today's world, but it shown in such a non-obtrusive way that the reader can accept it without question. Until, that is, the reader finishes the book, and realizes that Neville has been quietly showing (and mildly satirizing) both the good and bad qualities of such a code. This is typical of Nevil's writing - his points are made far more by showing, rather than telling, always a mark of a fine writer. Also noteworthy is the attitude towards the war that is displayed by all the characters here - that death is an everyday happening, but it won't happen to me, it only happens to someone else. An attitude that seems to belong to every young person.

Nevil's prose style tends towards the descriptive, especially of the countryside and everyday actions. His dialogue in this book is loaded with English slang, very typical of actual speech patterns of the day, but this does at times make it somewhat hard for the poor modern American reader to decode what is being said. And some of Nevil's expertise as an avionics engineer shows in his descriptions of the aircraft and the functioning of various parts of these machines, at times obviously assuming that reader knows more about aircraft than is normally the case. These, however, are very minor negatives, almost totally subsumed by the engagement of the reader in the story of these two very well realized characters.

One decided negative that has nothing to do with Nevil's writing ability is the production quality of the hardbound reprint edition. The typeface used is very close to an old typewriter font, with thin serifs and a fairly small point size, and the printing press seemed to have severe difficulty with maintaining an even ink flow - at places the print fades to near illegibility. This all makes for a very rough impact on your eyes. A pity that this fine work has such a botched job of production.

Regardless of the quality of the printing, however, this book deserves a look, if nothing else just to see how a romance really should be written, as opposed to the material that passes for 'romance' on the book racks of today.

What is most remarkable about Pastoral is the way it manages to blend love and tragedy in an almost seamless manner. What would have been a rather conventional love story is transformed into something very different by the ever-present risk of death. RAF pilot Peter Marshall and WAAF signals officer Gervase Robinson go through an awkward and sometimes amusing courtship seemingly unconcerned about the fact that each one of his bomber missions over Germany could very easily be his last - indeed, some of the characters we meet during the story are lost over Germany. That they are able to function in a reasonably normal manner in the most terrifyingly abnormal of circusmstances is a tribute to the strength of the human spirit. In a way, this foreshadows Nevil Shute's much later book On the Beach, in which people are able to function day-to-day despite knowing that the world is soon coming to an end. A lesser writer than Shute probably would have made Pastoral heavy-handed and preachy, but there is almost none of that. All in all, a superb book, a truly timeless story despite its setting.
As an aside, the last few paragraphs of the story make me wonder whether it is based on true events.

... and bringing it to the flight station marks the unusual beginning of an exquisite and delicate love story between RAF pilot Peter Marshall and flight officer Gervase Robertson.

The story takes place in the midst of world war II terror and describes, in spellbinding detail, the flight missions over Germany, the dangers of cross fire and courage, during times when others have fear.

Peter's cockiness (not always at the right times), competence (in dodging enemy fire and bringing his crew home), and courage (in face of danger) win the reader's heart and make him a hero at his home station, even though he comes very close to losing is all: his aircraft, his crew and Gervase.

A marvelous story, despite its unusual start: catching a fish!

Perhaps this is Nevil Shute's best; his detail about the cold technicalities of cockpit war activity, set against the depths of an unforgettable love story makes "Pastoral" stand out above anything to be imagined. He just never ceases to surprise his readers!

This is, in my opinion, Nevil Shute's best book, surpassing even such justifiably popular titles as "On the Beach" and "A Town like Alice". With restraint and a simple, moving style Nevil Shute brings out the best in human spirit by telling this story of young people rising to the dangers and challenges of war and prevailing through dedication, comradeship and love. Why is a book like this out of print when bookstore shelves are full of stories about addicts, perverts and criminals? We desperately need more people like Nevil Shte's characters to serve as role models.

This is a wonderful book. Mary Kingley was a typical Victorian woman in many ways, but what makes this book great is the way her character was not typical. She formed a relationship with the British Museum and collected fresh water fish to bring back to them, but the real point of her trip was to see things and feel things she could not experience in her drawing room. Her account of a meeting with a crocodile that nearly capsized her canoe (she merely remarks that the croc was "a pushing young creature") is worth the price of the book all by itself. She traveled with cannibals, climbed Mount Cameroon, and enjoyed herself, referring to any brush with fatality as "a knockabout farce with King Death". Her writing is lovely and straightforward. Watching an African sunset she says, "Providence saw that we had everything but beauty, and so gave us some." The tragedy is that she died at the age of 30, and that there were not many more books like this one.

Single and independent, with a small allowance after the death of her parents, Mary Kingsley decides to explore Africa. She sets off to the Congo, with no entourage nor special clothing and with no knowledge of the local lingo, knowing that this area was renowned for cannibals. Considering that Richard Burton set off to find the centre of Africa with an entourage of 600 bearers puts Ms.Kingsley's trip into perspective.
This is not just a wishful fantasy, she has an agenda to research the fetish cults of the natives and collect animal specimens, as well as fulfil the wanderlust that she had bottled up while looking after her parents.
She takes everything in her stride, beating off crocodiles - 'he was only a pushing young creature', wading through fetid swamps, falling into a staked animal trap and attributing her salvation to the benefits of a good thick woollen skirt!
She has a wonderful way with words; that dry, laconic humour that starts one into fits of giggling; the page-long description of 'Hubbards' sent out by well-meaning, misguided women in Europe for the use of the natives is absolutely wonderful.
She has excellent communication skills, getting what she wants from any native by offering him exactly what he wants - tobacco (reminding us of Xabicheh in 'Dead Man') - and if he doesn't want that, then he must need a hairpin to clean out his pipe!
I am awed by the determination, bravery, guts and chutzpah of this young woman; even more awed by her writing skills - which are definitely not in the Victorian mold, would that there were more of her books than the two she wrote (the other is 'West African Studies'), sadly this was not to be, as she died of typhoid in Capetown in 1900.
A book to savour - highly recommended! *****

In 1893 Mary Kingsley, a single Victorian woman, traveled alone to Africa. The sources of her interest in Africa are obscure. Possibly the tales her father brought back to England of his extensive travels lie at the root of her own interest. In any case her account of her travels in west and west-central Africa are a remarkable addition to our knowledge of the region during the early years of the colonial period. Kingsley wrote with a very outward focus. We hear little of her inner feelings, her comfort or lack thereof. Rather, she is consumed with a desire to know the land and its human and natural inhabitants.

We begin to taste the real flavor of Kingsley's experience in Chapter 2 in her account of the island of Fernando Po and its prominent people group, the Bubis. She then voyages down the coast, describing the lonely beauty of the great mangrove swamps that border the Bight of Benin.

Kingsley developed great respect, admiration, and even affection for the traders, black and white, whom she met in her journey. She traveled in their company and relied on them in what would otherwise have been impossible circumstances. Her views of other white colonials were less sanguine. She expressed mixed feelings about white missionaries, acknowledging the uplifting effects of their moral teaching while disdaining their confusion of cultural with spiritual messages.

One of Kingsley's central adventures was her trip from the Ogowe River to the Rembwe River. On this journey, she visited a series of villages each of which was reputed to be more dangerous and depraved than the one before. Her accounts of her lodging in these places are priceless. The difficulties of traveling through swamps and jungles, and across the great rivers of this region, were daunting. Kingsley's accounts of her determination to master the piloting of the native canoes are both funny and insightful. It took a lot for anyone to travel overland, and her perseverance marked her grit, her commitment to finish what she started.

The last third of the book consists of three long chapters on fetish customs. Although she lacks a systematic view of the role of fetishes and other spiritual tokens in the cultures she met, her depiction of their impact on everyday life and on funeral customs is enlightening. She delves into the afterlife beliefs of the peoples she encountered; in many of these cultures today, the beliefs she relates are still expressed in a form of syncretistic Christianity.

This edition of Kingsley's travel accounts is an abridgement of a much longer, multi-volume original that does not seem to be in print today. Since Kingsley herself prepared the abridgement, we can read it with confidence that it expresses both the details as she recorded them and the priority events or images that best characterize her travel experiences.

Gabon, Cameroon, and the areas around them continue today to rank among the wildest, best preserved areas of Africa, both naturally and anthropologically. Whether you visit these regions or not, there is no better introduction to them than these accounts by a Victorian original.

Mary Kingsley's "Travels in West Africa" has become a classic, and deservedly so. Her story is remarkable. In the 1890s, unmarried and no longer having to care for her parents, Kingsley decides she should travel in "the tropics" and sets off for "West Africa" (i.e., the West coast of Central Africa). She travels as a scientist, collecting fish specimens, and finances her travels by trading along the way--but mostly she travels for the love of adventure and to satisfy an appetite for the unknown.

Kingsley's book is a treasure trove of information about Atlantic-coast Central Africa in the late 1800s. But beyond its historic and sociological value, the book is just wonderful. Her descriptions are vivid, her insights interesting, and her understated humor is a joy. Anyone with a love of exploration and a good story would enjoy this book. Unabridged versions are highly recommended.

Readers with a particular interest in Gabon should also see the works of Robert Nassau, an American missionary who was in Gabon when Kingsley traveled there. Evidently they met and discussed all things African at length, though Kingsley makes little mention of him. Nassau wrote "Fetichism in West Africa", "In an Elephant Corral" and "My Ogowe", but doesn't get the credit he deserves. Also of interest is "One Dry Season: In the Footsteps of Mary Kingsley" by Caroline Alexander. Alexander visited Gabon in the 1980s and compared what she saw then to what Kingsley had seen a century earlier.

I bought this book because it was supposed to be one of the 100 greatest adventure books of all time. While it does have narrow escapes and Mary Kingsley was very brave, there is too much discussion of "the African mind". I found the constant reference to the superiority of the European colonists very offputting. Of course it was written in the 1890's!

The Photograph, by Virginia Ellis, was such an amazing story! I hardly put it down until I was finished with it. The story had so many twists and turns; most books you can predict the outcome so early on. I always would think that I knew what was coming next and then found myself shocked. It also seemed kind of realistic for the time period, with all the women supporting the war and the conservativeness of society. At the same time it was really difficult to accept everything that happened to Maddy, and I felt really sorry for her to have to go through all of that.

I really enjoyed this book! I finished it quickly (2 days). It dealt with some pretty heavy subjects such as war and rape, but I thought that Ellis kept it very "readable". It wasn't depressing like a lot of books written about those subjects can be. I read her previous book The Wedding Dress and enjoyed that as well. The way Ellis writes makes you believe that you are really in the era that she is writing about. This takes place during World War II, and although I wasn't alive at the time, I certainly could envision the world at that time through her writings. She really draws you in with the characters, and you feel as if you really know them and have a vested interest in what happens to them. I thought that this was well written and definately worth reading.

On the advice of a friend I read this book. I was very glad I did. The story takes place during WWII when Maddie and her sister-in-law Ruth move to Miami to be closer to Ruth's husband before he departs for war. Although they intend to be in Miami for just a short period of time, a tragedy happens and they continue to live there until after the war.

The author is very gifted at developing people who you genuinely grow to love. Ruth and Maddie are finely drawn characters, as are Tully, Jack, Davey, the Silers, and even Maddie's mother. Ellis also does a great job at telling a good story. This one has it all: heartbreak, loss, fear, motherhood, love, friendship and family.

She also does a very credible job of making us feel that we are present during WWII and we can understand the hardships, uncertainties and deprivations that the main characters are going through. I also found it interesting how close Maddie and Ruth became and how loyal they were to each other.

Whatever your reading interests are, I am sure you will be charmed by this sweet and unassuming book.

December 7, 1941. The day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and the day Maddy Marshall turned seventeen. Maddy had lived a relatively quiet small town life in Radley, Pennsylvania, until now. Suddenly her fiancé has announced that he has joined the Navy and is leaving. Her brother Davey had joined the Marines previously and is getting ready for Paris Island. So all within one week Maddy is left with her mother, Davey's wife (Ruth), and heartache ... until that fateful letter arrives and Maddy's life changes forever.

Miami brings a whole new world to Maddy and Ruth. It also changes their lives. As these two sisters of the heart find themselves in trials they never dreamed of, their bong grows stronger. But will one fateful night, down at the pier, and the photograph be too much for the sisters as they wait for their men to come home?

***** Romance, intrigue, and heartfelt bonds set the stage for this wonderful saga that brought me into the world of these two women. Author Virginia Ellis has a way of bringing a time long gone to life again. I definitely loved this book. If you are looking for a good heartfelt book to help pass the winter away, then pick this one! *****

Reviewed by K. Blair

After just recently finishing 'The Wedding Dress' and being only somewhat pleased with it, I was a little reluctant to pick this up, but I'm soooo glad I did. This is an excellent story of two girls and their struggles with life, war, and family.

Taking place during WWII, Maddy and Ruth (Maddy's brother Davey's wife) head down to Miami to spend what little time they have left with Davey before he ships out. He sets them up at a friends parents house, the Silers. There are a bunch of great characters in this book, too many to name, but in short, a terrible thing happens to Maddy, and her and Ruth must stick together to sooth each others fears and concerns. And there is of course the photograph, a picture of a group of them taken the night before the boys depart. Only Ruth can see it, but it shows whats happening to each person in it, so the girls cling to it as their only hope to know the truth behind what the war's doing to the one's they love

Told from the alternating view point of both girls, this book is very hard to put down. I very highly recommend this read, especially if you like war period romantic type books. Don't get me wrong, this is NOT a romance novel, but the whole story has a romantic feel about it. I was very pleased, and feel much better about picking up another one of this authors books in the future.

Excellent book, it gives a good account of one of the British irregular army units in action in Italy and Germany during the later states of WWII.

Peniakoff tells a interesting tale of WWII, but I was struck by his continually contradictory behaviour.

In one sentence he'll say that the purpose of a mission was reconnaissance only, and his unit was not to engage the enemy unless escape was not possible and they were attacked. In the next paragraph, he'll tell how they attacked a convoy of enemy vehicles simply because they felt the need for some action before heading back to base.

He complains about the Italian gentry exploiting the peasantry and the next minute, he's eating a seven course meal with them.
That's just a couple of examples; the book is loaded with similar incidents.

Still, it's a good read, and shows how intelligence is gathered during wartime (sometimes you just get on the phone and call ahead!).

There are books on your shelf you should never loan out if you ever hope to see them again. This is one of those books. The WW2 British unit known as Popski's Private Army (PPA) operated in North Africa and Italy. Written by its founder, Vladimir Peniakoff (Popski), the book covers the units contributuion to the war effort. Using machinegun armed Jeeps like the later fictional TV Rat Patrol, this small united operated behind the German and Italian lines. The PPA did not beat Nazi Germany by itself, but its contribution far exceeded its small size. If the grand sweep of armies leaves you hungering for the individual courage found in small units, then this is the book for you. I also recommend "Fighting with Popski's Private Army" by fellow PPA member Park Yunnie.

This book is hard to find but well worth the effort. Peniakoff led a facinating life and this book is a must for anybody interested in World War II special operations.

On the 6th of May 1945 men in wheeled vehicles crossed the mosaic floor of the Piazza San Marco in Venice for the very first time in history. They drove around the square seven times in the small, heavily armoured vehicles in which they'd fought their way across North Africa, Italy, and were to travel on to Austria. At the head of this curious band was a man who sported a hook for a hand, and a nom de guerre which was similarly incongruous for a 48 year old Major in the British army. Vladimir Peniakoff, or "Popski" as he became known, was the enigmatic Belgian born son of White Russian emigres, who had until recent years "pursued the ordinary activities of industry" as a discontented sugar refiner in Egypt. Having tutored himself, alone in the Sand Sea but for the navigational instruments of antiquity, he emerged from the wilderness to train the men who accompanied him through the years of turmoil to this long dreamt of moment of victory. "Private Army" is one of the finest military memoirs I have read, and ranks alongside Fitzroy McLean's "Eastern Approaches" and TE Lawrence's "The Mint". This is the authoritative work on Popski's Private Army, but is much more than a Regimental history. This is a superb piece of literature which you will not quickly forget. Read also "With Popski's Private Army" by Ben Owen, a superb companion book to the above.

Dan Fesperman has a way of getting into all the characters in his books. The people all feel real. If you want to find out about Guantanamo, this is the book to read.

Fesperman does not disappoint with this one! It is timely, fast moving and exciting. Weaving some current events into a slightly different setting, he has writtern a real thriller! I recommend it highly!

It goes without saying that a good thriller should be thrilling, and a good mystery should be clever, and this book is both. But so are a lot of other books. The most important thing to me in a mystery or thriller is that it has to have good verisimilitude (realism). This book has it. People behave in realistic ways. The locations are authentic. The plot seems plausible. Even technical things like nautical facts seem well-researched.

I found the book very hard to put down, and was extremely happy to have found a book of this genre that would be exciting but wouldn't ask me to suspend disbelief too much.

The ending was good, although I must admit that I would have to go over the book again to figure out how everything fits together--it does get a bit complicated toward the end and the author could have done a slightly better job explaining. Mercifully, the ending is not far-fetched like those of so many other books of this genre.

This author's style is like that of Le Carre in many ways.

This book was very interesting to me, having worked in the Middle East. So, I liked some of the author's story-telling that centered on Islam. Of course, there were some flaws (thus the 4 stars).

The ending was far-fetched. However, the discription of Guantanamo and the personnel who worked there was good. I liked it.

Remember, it was a story. I wonder how much of it is true?

Newly available in trade paper, Fesperman's chilling tale of murder and skullduggery at the insular, claustrophobic detainee facility at Guantanamo Bay remains timely.

A sense of foreboding hangs over the narrative from its start: "On the first day of his transition from captor to captive, Revere Falk stood barefoot on a starlit lawn at 4 a.m., still naively confident of his place among those who asked the questions and hoarded the secrets."

FBI interrogator Falk, an Arabic speaker, has just come from a nearly break-through session with his primary prisoner, a young Yemeni who has been slowly opening up to him. Furious after a CIA officer thoughtlessly interrupted the session, Falk is pacing his lawn when the MPs arrive to enlist his help in tracking down a missing sergeant.

Come morning, the young man's body washes ashore on the Cuban side of the fence, which, given the beach position of his neatly stacked belongings and the normal course of currents, is impossible. The military writes it off as an accident but Falk persists, sure the man was murdered.

The tense, murky atmosphere of turf battles, paranoia, rivalries and distrust heightens as a shadowy trio from Washington arrives (including an old buddy of Falk's). An Arabic-speaking interrogator - the Arabic speakers are universally mistrusted - is arrested and rumors begin to fly.

Falk's attitude toward the place, like his attitude to so much else, is clear-sighted but ambivalent. He vehemently disagrees with harsh interrogation tactics - mostly because he sees them as useless - and had complained about them to the mainland brass, but when nothing was done he backed off.

A loner with secrets of his own, Falk knows what it's like to be bullied and manipulated. He thinks his lover Pam, a fellow interrogator, might be the real thing, but also knows it might also just be proximity. Though he left his Deer Isle, Maine, home years before and never looked back, Falk has kept his love of the sea and relaxes best in a boat, which is also the only safe place to have a private conversation.

Fesperman, a journalist who reported on Gitmo for the "Baltimore Sun," captures the feel of a military base on foreign, hostile soil; a place contained by water and fencing, a prison enclosing a prison, a toe of an island bathed in stultifying heat and humidity, with too little to do, no place to go, too few women, and too many secrets.

Though the novel builds to a fabulous crescendo of action at the end, Fesperman relies more on crafty maneuverings, dirty tricks and political double-dealing for suspense. He immerses the reader in this sick, dull and dangerous place and fully allies us with Falk as he picks his way through a growing minefield; eyes wide open in the murk.

Masterfully written, timely and wholly absorbing, this is another winner from a writer who has been delivering thoughtful, insightful, suspenseful novels since he first immersed readers in war torn Sarajevo with homicide detective Vlado Petric in "Lie in the Dark."

A very exact and daily account of the EIGHT years of our war for independence. I have seen Morristown and Jockey Hollow and bought this book there and so can place myself into the actual scene of some of this story.
A great book that answers the question of why people fight for freedom in spite of opposition and nay sayers. Perhaps the military understand best what is at stake because it is so clear and simple when you are doing the fighting and encountering the foe and friend alike, the hunger and fatigue. It is a wonder we won the war but thankfully there were a lot of private Yankee Doodles out there who knew the score.
I am glad they did not change the language and left it as it was written with minimal footnotes. Much more enriching that way. Buy it and you'll love it.
M Smith

Written a lifetime later by a man who had spent his teenage years fighting the British from New England to Virginia, this is the most fascinating and well-written account of the Revolution I've read. Mr. Martin's narrative voice is so matter-of-fact and wryly humorous that it's hard to believe it's coming to you from the distant past.

There is as much social history as military here, as Mr. Martin describes his inoculation with smallpox, his shock at being introduced to a white Connecticut farmwoman's black husband, and the ubiquity of alcohol.

One is struck, in Mr. Martin's account, by how seldom the British /Hessians and American/French ever bothered to shoot each other. There seems to have been a consciousness of the enemy as a human being which made shooting him difficult. This could be hindsight on Mr. Martin's part, but it does jibe with the fact that the total combat death toll for the war (excluding disease and starvation) was around 5,000 on both sides.

Mr. Martin himself seems to have spent much of the war starving. He was only paid twice-- once when he signed up in 1776, and once in 1781 by French officers who dipped into their own pockets to give him a month's salary. Nor was he ever paid anything after the war by a grateful nation. Then again, given that American troops were fed by commandeering groceries, liquor and livestock from local farms, much of the nation may not have been that grateful.

You might be, though, after reading this book. I was. And it's good to remember that fighting for our nation's freedom, once upon a time, meant fighting on our own land instead of other people's.

A fascinating low-level perspective from the eyes of a soldier. Mr. Martin has a terrific sense of humor and shows how much in common modern day people have with our Revolutionary ancestors. The Editor George Scheer provides a high level view of the same events through footnotes. The dialog can take a little getting use to but the reader will find themselves comfortable with it in short order.

I was looking for a soldier's account of the Revolutionary War and came across this rare memoir in the Jamestown, Virgina Nationa Park Service bookstore. I sure was glad I did.
I have read many soldier's memiors from from all periods of time but never during the Revolutionary War. We have heard about the sufferings of our country's first soldiers but Martin tells us like it was as he lived it. There is not a lot of battle descriptions but he is a master story teller who will take you back in time to the days of the colonies and George Washington's army during America's struggle for independence.
If you love good personal history narratives and want to learn about the Revolutionary War then get this book. This would be an excellent book for classroom study or home school.

Private Yankee Doodle, the diary of Joseph Plumb Martin, is an excellent account of the Revolutionary War told from the soldier's view.

Martin campaigned almost continuously from the beginning of the War through Yorktown (with the exception of the first winter after his initial three month service). He lived much of what have become the hallowed tales of our epic struggle for nationhood. He was at the Battles of Brooklyn, Harlem Heights and White Plains, endured Valley Forge (though for most of that winter stationed away from the camp as a forager), Monmouth, the other terrible winter encampments and Yorktown to name a few. Through it all, Martin marched, froze, starved and suffered for his service. It is remarkable that he kept at it for most of the war. (One reads of the constant lack of food (often for two or days) and is amazed that more soldiers didn't simply just quit.) It is more remarkable that he kept at it in fairly good humor - though he did parade with the Connecticut troops who conducted a minor mutiny over the lack of provisions. (An incident that Washington reported to Congress as more worrisome to the cause than the British force occupying New York.)

Martin is a good storyteller and raconteur. The reader will not find detailed accounts of battle here. In fact, battle is mentioned rather matter-of-factly. What is delightful to find is an account of the day in and day out hardships of life in Washington's army. Stories abound of camp life, foraging, marching, guard duty, scrapes with Torries, the hunt for clothing and the other ever-present challenges that soldiers had to endure and perform to simply survive between battles.

This is a wonderful book that I highly recommend.

Fortunately collaborator Barrett Tillman was a personal friend of General Carl and therefore able to deliver a fine insight into the character, actions, and attitude of a tactiturn, one of a kind, Marine fighter pilot.The Marine's first ace and, all things considered, probably the Marine's greatest pilot, he was one of a small group of fighter pilots available when the war started. The odds facing him and his fellows against the superbly trained and experienced Japanese were incredible. Their actions using the terminally obsolete Wildcat fighter, above all else, started the decline and demise of Japanese fighter aviation.In this group and in those times the verification of victories by the then honorable Marines was demanding and quite accurate compared to all others.(Carl points out that the Japanese claimed forty kills against his squadrons twenty-five that took off and thirteen of these returned plus one pilot who made it back without his airaplane.Even the venerated Winston Churchill had the termidity to question the number of kills claimed during the Battle of Britain by the RAF).
Shortly after the Guadalcanal show, the grevious lack of operational training for Marine pilots was corrected,the flying machines sharply up-graded, and hordes of new pilots trained.Meanwhile the Japanese were headed in the opposite direction and soon became more target than worthy foe while the verifiction of kills became a great deal more casual.
Making a career of the Marines after the war, Carl was part of that magnificent group of test pilots who improved aircraft so greatly that very soon a man will not be required to operate them. This will effectively end the short glamorous history of fighter pilots.
Unfortunately there are too many self appointed "historians" who continue to repeat and embellish the distorions of Marine aviation history while all too often the accurate and well researched work of authors like Barrett Tillman and Robert Dorr are ignored.This results in lesser men being vociferously venerated by a large and pitiable cadre who identify with the mythical heroes purveyed by the mendacious TV, movies and publications. At least this helps them meet the requirement to fill their own often empty lives. After all John Wayne was a fine actor but never did serve in his country's uniform while Carl and others of his outstandingly patriotic contemporaries are almost unknown now.
It can be truely said that the exaggerations (polite word) associated with fighter aviation live on while the truth is oft interred with its bones. (Without apology to William Shakespeare)

As usual Tillman does a masterful job in covering his subject, but this time it was almost a "no brainer". Marion Carl's life was like a nearly unbelievable movie. The man was a true hero. His story from combat pilot, to test pilot and even his tragic heroic death at the hands of a low-life in his own home makes a person regret that he never had the opportunity to meet the man.

Great career of Marion Carl. He's the real right stuff. From WW2 to present jets, he has done it all. Great read for anyone who enjoys a rags to riches story.

Marion Carl is another hero with an exempliary record as were Butch Voris Jimmy Flatley and many others. A very interesting and informative book.

I live in Oregon and had the honor of visiting with Marion Carl on several occasions. During an airshow, I was escorting him around the aircraft and he spotted several Marine aircraft with there pilots standing near their aircraft. Marion spent a good deal of time speaking with them. Later I stopped by the pilots Marion had been talking with and to say the least these young men were impressed. The book is easy to read. Barrett did a great job of writing. I would recommend this book to any aviation buff.

Wow, what a book!! I wish all engines had this much technical data and pictures.

This book is incredibly detailed, with many rare illustrations.
Graham White has done a thorough and interesting history of this
fabulously complex engine. Plus, his history of Allied Aircaft
Engines of WW2 is highly recommended.

I would recommend this book unreservedly. If you are at all interested in the history, development, production and usage of these amazing engines and the aircraft they powered, this is an investment you won't regret. I'm on my second read through and still being amazed at the info.

Graham White's book on P&W's R-4360 is a fine and thorough study of one of the greatest aeronautical piston engines ever produced. If you are at all interested in the general subject of aircraft engines, or even engines generally, you should obtain a copy to read and enjoy studying and savoring it slowly over the months after you first go through it. The text is clear and it is well illustrated, all that a book on an aircraft engine should be. My only quibble, and it is a quibble, is that the down-draught inlet ports, a distinct feature of the R-4360, have a much longer history than Mr. White seems to indicate, having been used by BMW in sportscar engines in the 1930s and by Miller in racing engines even earlier; however, since these examples are drawn from outside his field of study, Mr White may be excused, and even were this not the case, the general quality of this work would win him praise not criticism.

Graham White's monumental "R-4360: Pratt & Whitney's Major Miracle" is a comprehensive history of the largest, most powerful, most complex and most sophisticated aircraft piston engine ever built. The 28-cylinder, 3,500-horsepower-plus "Wasp Major" was truly the epitome of aircraft piston engine development. The big four-row radial pushed the engineering state-of-the-art in materials, cooling systems, ignition technology, manufacturing processes and many other areas. But, to the dismay of round-engine fans everywhere, it was also a dead-end. By the time P&W's famous "corncob" engine reached its full potential in the early 1950s, the new jet engines had taken both military and civilian aircraft markets by storm. There was no longer a need for big, heavy, noisy, temperamental piston engines.

This book is definitely not for everyone. If you are not of a technical persuasion, and if you don't enjoy poring over engineering drawings with literally nuts-and-bolts details of complicated pieces of machinery, then you should probably pass on this volume. If you're not interested in learning about the intricacies of intake and exhaust valve timing, turbosupercharger plumbing and carburetor design for this big radial engine, then you should probably look elsewhere for reading material. But if you are a confirmed technophile, and if incredibly detailed cutaway and exploded-view drawings make you salivate, then look no further--"R-4360: Pratt & Whitney's Major Miracle" is the book for you.

In addition to the R-4360's development history, Mr. White includes exhaustive descriptions of all the aircraft that used the engine--aircraft such as the Martin AM-1 "Mauler," the Convair B-36 "Peacemaker," the Northrop XB-35 "Flying Wing" and Howard Hughes' infamous "Hercules" seaplane, better known as the "Spruce Goose." The information is all here, sometimes in overwhelming detail. For example, there are 80 pages of specification sheets covering each and every version of the R-4360 ever designed or produced. With its hundreds of clear, sharp photographs and drawings, this book is a veritable gold mine of esoteric but interesting information.

It's big, it's thick, it's heavy, it's a little intimidating and it's not to be absorbed in a single sitting, but "R-4360: Pratt & Whitney's Major Miracle" is a valuable work of great significance and unique depth. I recommend it without reservation as the definitive chronicle of American aviation's largest, most powerful piston engine.

Much has been written about the CIA's secret proxy war in Laos, but the detailed interviews and background research not only into the lives of the pilots, but of Laos itself, makes this an engrossing story.

Robbins incorporates the slang of the time (REMFs, Alternate, Cricket) to give a much more textured feel to the narratives of various missions, ongoing conflicts w/ their CIA handlers, and life in the field.

The level of dedication and commitment these indivduals displayed to 1) thier mission and 2) the Mon army who they supported is truly unbelievable.

This text does not glorify war or combat (indeed, the Ravens' mission was not direct combat engagement). Like, "A Bright Shining Lie", it describes the lives of driven individuals, with their own flaws, who found themselves and thier sympathies pulled in many directions by the wide variety of policies being implemented at the time.

The Ravens would be an eye opener to virtually 99% of Americans who knew nothing about the secret war in Laos. The pilots who flew as FACS , volunteered for a program that was called "the Steve Canyon Program". With it, the turned in all their identity of being a USAF pilot , and together with the CIA they directed with an extrememly high level of bravado and skill, other USAF air assets such as F-4's , T-28, f-105 and other A/C to bomb targets on the Ho Chi Minh trail and othe rplaces where the NVA were infiltrating into Laos , bringing tons of supplies to reinforce their agression. They also bombed and destroyed sites whenever they could also. THey were not the garden vairiety of USAF officers and were shunned by the REMFS' and suits that may have visited Long Thien (sp) their main secret base, generally referrred to as "Alternate" in an attempt to thro off the enemy that is was their primary base. They flew with "Hmong" backseaters and trained other Hmong to fly T-28, one of whom had flow many 1000's of missions before he was shot down and killed, and became a national hero. THe Hmong , were a fearless bunch , unlike the regular Lsaotians , who often ran at the mere sight of the enemy. The Ravens in their secret war accomplished an awful lot of good when you consider that the tonnage of bombs dropped elsewhere were often inneffective ( mostly becasue of the very restrictive ROE rather than pilots who couldn;t do the job). THe Ravens flew sometines 200 hours a month and I am sure some did more. It was common for them to be in the air 6-7 hours a day directing fire upon targets. They flew there small O-1's into fire ranging from small arms to large AAA, and many of them died but they did the job that has to be done with valor. Air America also had some of the most gutsy pilots flying rescue missions as well, often going in to rescue a Raven when the USAF choppers begged off because of enemy fire.
I'd love to meet some of these guys at their annual reunions.
I hope that someone makes a movie about these guys because their story needs to get out. The Ravens ROCK!

Hollywood should have made a movie of this book instead of Robbins' earlier book "Air America". "The Ravens" is truly a great book about the unsung heroes of a war that "never happened".

"The Ravens" is a fast-reading, fascinating, pedal-to-the-metal account of the young airforce pilots who were forward air controllers in Laos assisting the Hmong army that fought on the side of the United States. The Ravens flew tinny obsolete planes in a war that never really happened if one is to believe the official histories. There were about one hundred of them during the course of the war and they were a bold, brave, and wildly individualistic group. A goodly number came home in pieces or in body bags.

One of the Ravens set a record for crashing or being shot down eleven times -- but he pointed out that all eleven planes he crashed weren't worth the price of one fighter jet. There are amazing characters scattered all though this Land of Oz story. One Hmong pilot is estimated to have flown the incredible total of 5,000 missions before the fates caught up with him. General Vang Pao of the Hmong presides over the Ravens and he, like Afghan warlord Ahmad Shah Massoud, is a character of legend.

The author focuses on about a dozen of the Ravens and the bulk of the book concerns their exploits in the air supporting the Hmong army and leading American bombers and fighters to targets. There is also much here of the stupidity of the American military machine and the REMF's -- look up that acronym in the book if you aren't familiar with it -- that were a burden to the men on the front lines. The tale of Laos and the secret war is an epic of derring-do, tragedy, and abandonment. "The Ravens" tells one important chapter in the story.

Smallchief

Hard to put this book down. Who were these mysterious folks who wore cut-off jeans, cowboy hats, and sunglasses? A very interesting documentary about this secret operation. If a pilot was shot down they were to take shellfish poison and commit suicide, because officially, they didn't exist. What country is the most-bombed per capita in history of the world? Vietnam? No, Laos. There are frequent insights and descriptions into the personalities of this small group of daring people who took part in this widely unknown conflict and series of secret missions. It lasted 10 years. Military terminology, procedures, strategies, and informalities (the way things got done), are explained well in this book. The personalities, internal politics and military strategies within Laos of the U.S. military and political bureaucracy, and Viet Minh, are broken down in an easy-to-read and free-flowing way, that makes it interesting and enjoyable for the reader. Some battles were examined that most of the American public is still not aware of today.

There is a lot of information and real-life examples about endless catch-22-like SOPs and regulations that bound those who served in the Vietnam and the "other theater," (Laos).

Common expressions explained throughout the book explain what it meant when someone "went bamboo," or took a hit from the "golden BB." What is a "FAC" or a "REMF." Vets will be impressed when a civilian mentions these acronyms.

Like in Vietnam, the American military bureaucrats (suits) in downtown Vientiene offices were unaware and out-of-touch, yet, they were the ones creating and enforcing the rules and regulations, but not participating in the conflict. Therefore, they really didn't know what was going, and couldn't relate to the folks who put their life on the line every time they hopped in their officially non-existent jalopy. What is it like to realistically know that today may be your last day? Every day?

The picturesque and mystical description of Laos and its' people make one want to go there and see it for their own eyes. Thoses interested in history, foreign policy, and South East Asia in general will learn from and enjoy this book, which should be more well-known.

When I received this book I was immediatly mesmerized by the cover photo and the overall appearance. I was quickly alerted that although small in size it was going to be a long journey. Red Plateau is unique and extremely deep, as I began to read, it wasted no time in pulling me well into its depths.
The story is heartbreaking, two former enemies meet by chance, a friendship developes and in time they become dependant upon one another in dealing with the past and one tells the story of the other.
I could write many pages about this work but I am still exploring, it can not be digested in one reading as each sentense is filled to capacity with color, emotion, vivid description, spiritual awareness. This is very good literature and personally I would love to see it released in hardcover form. As mentioned by another reviewer it is well written and belongs in libraries as well as on the desks of politicians.

Out of adversity comes creativity. Occasionally throughout recorded history, some former warriors who have lived through the horrors of war have come out of that experience with a gift for humanity. Having read a few of John Delezen's books, I would definitely place him in that category. In "Red Plateau," he has given us that gift by eloquently portraying in very human terms the war experience and its hardships on his former adversary.

John Delezen has taken that experience and has shared it with us through his gifted writing abilities. He brilliantly relays to the reader that his former enemy was an equally worthy warrior who suffered even more than he did. After reading this book, you will discover that the frontline soldiers on both sides of the conflict had more in common than not and in most cases the North Vietnamese soldiers had it much worse. They for instance when wounded, did not have the opportunity to be medevaced out by helicopter but if they could survive the journey from the battlefield, were brought to damp, foul tunnels for medical treatment. They had to endure the constant threat of overwhelming air strikes and had to deal with survival in the brutal jungle environment which was as alien to most of them as it was to the American soldier. Grunts on both sides did not make policy. They just suffered together as a consequence of their government's policies.

As a Marine who served with Third Reconnaissance Battalion on the DMZ in 1967-68, I found this book very insightful, thoughtful and personally healing. I can now not only have respect for my enemy as a worthy opponent but also have empathy for him as well. I would highly recommend "Red Plateau" to any combat Vietnam vet who wants a deeper understanding of that historical event that none of us who survived it will ever forget. I also recommend this book to all others who want to know what war is really like.

John Edmund Delezen, a twice wounded malaria plagued Marine who served in Vietnam with a Recon unit behind the lines, later returns frequently to Vietnam in a search for an unfulfilled part of himself. He slowly learns the language (he also learned to speak French fluently) and one day in the ancient holy city of Hue accidently meets Nguyen Van Tung who fought for years as a soldier with the NVA Army in the area where the author had served in Northern I Corps.
They slowly and hesitantly develop a close frienship through letters and Delezen's numerous visits back to the village where Nguyen Van Tung lives. As their friendship deepens, and Van Tung, from old wounds and lung problems, is dying, Tung gives Delezen his old battered diary and asks him to tell his story. Delezen hesitates, then promises that he will.
This diary with its long suffering and endurance of pain emerging from Ngugen Van Tuan's deep gently Buddhist spiritualiy is the heart of the RED PLATEAU story. A story that in the end contributes to deepening and guiding the author's own spiritual anguished search.
For me, the beauty and dignity of the story is this quiet self exposure of the struggling and growing faith, and love, of both battered veterans.
Nguyen Van Tuan died in his village a few months before this story was published.

As a Marine veteran of the Viet Nam war I always respected the enemy (NVA/ VC) we fought. This book tells what they did during the war. They were just young men like us going about their lives who were drafted into the communist cause. The book seems to show that most of them were more concerned with each other than with the communist propaganda officers that were attached to each unit. They had a hard life against a technologically superior enemy. Few made it home after the war. They were a band of brothers just like us. It is a great book.

A perfect companion to 'Eye of the Tiger', 'Red Plateau'shows war from the other side. As always, Mr. Delezen's style of writing puts the reader right in the trenches. A must read for veterans, military and history buffs, and should be mandatory reading for anyone with political ambitions. 'Red Plateau' gives new perspective to the 'enemy', and we find that those who share the trenches, on both sides, aren't that much different. Great reading.