Germany Books

This is, of course, the definitive reference on DTCs. I have had my own personal copy for some time now and call it my 'blue book'. (No mystery there, that is the colour of the dust jacket! :). As the previous reviewer wrote, it has been with me for quite some time & I hope it (or a newer edition) will remain with me for a long time to come.

This is one work which should be within an arm's length (!) of a lot of us who are involved in DTCs, but it is a sad fact that there are many offices of many firms that do not have a single copy of this book (or, for that matter, any equivalent commentary)...

Very highly recommended! I turn to it again and again, just to see whether the 'blue book' can cast any light on the new questions which an issue raises or the new twists in an otherwise familiar problem.

It is beginning to show its age somewhat. The latest English edition was published almost 10 years ago (in 1997). There have been some changes in the commentary since then, and it would be nice to have a new edition which casts some light on, for example, the notorious example of the painter! But until that new edition comes (and I hope it will be published soon) this blue edition should remain firmly next to one's desk!

I read in the acknowledgments that the original translation from the German was made possible by a grant from Dresdner Bank AG. Thank you to Dresdner Bank & Dr. Paul Franken for making this work available to a much wider audience.

I am doing a doctoral thesis about national(Spanish)and international tax law. In this book I have read the best commentary about interpretation and the "qualification problem", at the Introduction and at the Commentary to the Art. 3(2)of the OECD MC. I agree entirely with the author's point of view. The exposition about the general concepts in double taxation conventions is really understandable. The literature, decisions and law (acts...) cited is amazing. I have spent a lot of time reading this book. It has more than 1600 pages! But I am completely satisfied. At this moment I have the book on my right and I'll have it for many time

Of the estimated 13-15 million men who served in the German Armed Forces in World War II only 27 were awarded the Knight's Cross with Diamonds, formally known as the Knight's Cross with Oak-leaves, Swords, and Diamonds. (Some accounts refer to 28 winners of this award but that is due to mistakenly counting one recipient, renowned fighter pilot Hans Ulrich Rudel, twice because he was awarded not only the Knight's Cross with Diamonds but also the Knight's Cross with Diamonds in Gold, a separate award specifically limited to be given only 12 times. Rudel became the only recipient of the Knight's Cross with Diamonds in Gold.)

In order for a person to receive the Knight's Cross with Diamonds, he had to first receive the the Iron Cross, Second Class; the Iron Cross, First, Class; the Knight's Cross to the Iron Cross; the Knight's Cross with Oak-leaves; and finally the Knight's Cross with Oak-leaves and Swords, of which there were only 160 recipients. (The German Cross in Gold, although its requirements were similiar, was not officially part of this hierarchy of awards. The German Cross in Gold was given for acts of individual valor or leadership that surpassed the Iron Cross, First Class, but were not quite sufficient to qualify for the Knight's Cross.) In this respect the Knight's Cross with Diamonds was not awarded so much for a single act or action of extreme bravery (like the U.S. Medal of Honor) or successful leadership in battle but was more often the result of a series of acts, although occasionally one act could qualify a person for receiving more than one of the lower grades simultaneously, with each level requiring a higher standard of accomplishment.

Gordon Williamson's book on the winners of the Knight's Cross with Diamonds does an outstanding job in providing an overview of each of the winners of this award. Each recipient is given his own 1-3 page biography, including the events or actions that led to being awarded each level of the Knight's Cross, culminating in the Knight's Cross with Diamonds. Each entry is thorough, objective, and well-written. At least one picture is provided of each recipient, sometimes even three or four, to put a face to the story. Outstanding full-page color illustrations are also provided for seven of the recipients.

Given the page limitations set by the publisher, the book has few faults. One is that the color pictures of the award itself are not that clear and do not show how dazzling these awards really were. (The awards were in platinum and over 50 diamonds were set into the oak-leave cluster and on the handles and hilt of the swords. As this was too gaudy to wear in the field, after the first few presentations winners were also given a copy of the award in silver, with fake diamonds, for everyday wear. At the same time the actual award was slightly increased in size, and brilliance.)

Altogether the book is an excellent introduction to the award and each of its winners.

If you want a quick reference to every single Diamonds winner of the Wehrmacht, this is the finest book you can get. With the exception of just a few mistakes (like that of the 28 total awards, when they were clearly 27), the short biographies of the holders of this prestigious award are excellent and very comprehensive. Mr Williamson has a nice writing style as was evident in his older books "Aces of the Reich" and "Infantry Aces of the Reich" and the book can be read in a single day. There are also photographs (sometimes more than one) of every person discussed. A very nice addition to the WW II literature.

After reading this book to my children i realized what a great book this is. If you want to teach your children about the war this is a very simple but powerful way to do it. This book should be read by children and adults of all ages. If this story is not passed on from generation to generation

This book is amazing, I learned so much from reading it. It is a great documentary of a childs version of the war.

I've read this book twice and enjoyed it each time. It is obvious Mr. Stone knows what he is talking about when it comes to modern warfare. The battle scenes are realistic and the tactics are sound. Overall this is a great read and worth every penny.

Since I've just begun reading again, I finally decided to read Kriegspiel. I'd gotten the book, I'm embarrassed to say, nearly 6 years ago. But my past experience with military style books was that they were incredibly boring. Not this book! I couldn't set it down! I felt like I was in the middle of the battles myself. I hope Todd Stone writes more books in the future. I'll be first in line to read his next one.

I have always had a great interest in the battle of Kursk which resulted in some of the most brutal and savage fighting of the Eastern front in July 1943.
Having bought a large number of books on the armoured and ground offensives, this took my eye as something completely different than what I was used to reading.
Having never read any of Christer Bergstom's books, his offering on Kursk The Air Battle 1943 was something I knew very little about.
However once I started reading I could not put it down and showed that the sacrifice on the ground was matched by the sacrifice in the air where Soviet pilots attempted to stop the German offensive.
The book gives a fascinating look into the onboard weapons employed by both sides in the conflict, the aircraft, the men and tactics used.
It is told from both a Russian and German perspective so gives a fair account of the fighting.
Kursk saw the first use of the Henschel 129 and Ju87 cannon equipped aircraft which in the hands of men such as Hans Ulrich Rudel, were devastating on Russian armoured columns. These types of aircraft could and did in fact influence the outcome in halting a Soviet offense.
On the flip side the Russians demonstrated the lessons they had learned from the Germans in the first years of the war. New fighter tactics and the mass use of the IL 2 Shturmovik with effective fighter escort turned the tables and eventually stopped the German momentumn.
The book is broken up into various sections and deals with the battle in the North and South as well as the German retreat from the Orel Bulge between the 16th - 31 July.It was during this period that the air war took another twist with night fighting, as each side tried to gain control of the darkness to harass the enemy.
The author has gone to great pains in his research and must be commended as he not doubt waded through various propaganda figures to come up with a balanced aircraft loss chart for both sides at the conclusion of his book.
There are wonderful photos of all the main aircraft types involved, some of the leading personalities/aces and even the odd colour photo.
There are a large number of appendix, orders of battle charts, and even a chart on individual Luftwaffe losses during the battle.
At a little over 140 pages the book is printed on glossy paper and is a very easy read.
I would have no hesitation in recommending this book and I await Christer Bergstom's next offering on the final days of the air battles on the Eastern Front

This is a remarkable book as it contains extensive primary source materials to include interviews with participants---German and Soviet---and Luftwaffe and Red Air Force records. The author's analysis is first rate. The book covers not only the Kursk campaign, but also the subsequent Soviet offensive against the Orel bulge.

This is a positively wonderful book!! It was done from the museum exhibit from earlier in 1999 and 2000. It has the most wonderful close up pictures of the tent,the spoons, the saddle, the lances and I believe it also has the history of the different items also, so you can learn how important the certain items are to Poles. Before this exhibit, I had wondered where the "Silver Spoon" phrase came from. This exhibit answered this question, as does this book!! Wonderful book, and Enjoy!!!

I had the opportunity to see the beautiful exhibit - Art in Poland in 1999 at the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore, Maryland. This book is the catalogue for that exhibit. The following museums were also participants: The Art Institute of Chicago, Huntsville Museum of Art, The San Diego Museum of Art and The Philbrook Museum of Art. It was the first time that this massive work of art had ever been seen outside of Poland.

LAND OF THE WINGED HORSEMEN: ART IN POLAND, 1572-1704 is a splendid pictorial of over 150 magnificent works of art from the Baroque era when Poland ranked as the second largest country in Europe. Poland's location is at the heart of Europe and for that reason its position is at the crossroads of Eastern and Western Europe. That melting pot of nations and cultures is reflected in this outstanding collection.

This book highlights paintings of the monarchy; icons, religious depictions and an historic and magnificent painting entitled The Battle of Vienna. Also shown are rich tapestries, exotic rugs, glassware, porcelains, military regalia, weaponry, liturgical objects and the crown of King Augustus III.

The Winged Horsemen was the name given to the Polish hussars. They carried a very long lance, wore traditional metal plate armor and usually had some type of animal skin draped across the shoulder. What gave them such a distinctive look were the wings that were mounted to the back of their saddles. In 1683 the King of Poland, Jan III Sobieski led an army of combined Polish and German Imperial soldiers to fend off an attack of 100,000 Turks who had laid siege to Vienna. The Polish Winged Horsemen led the assault and smashed through the Turkish defenses. The Turks fled in panic and Vienna was saved. A Turkish tent from that siege and armor from a Winged Horsemen are both pictured.

The beautiful photographs in this book are accompanied by well-explained descriptions of the various works of art.

Yes, this is the best book I have ever read.

There is something addictive about this little book, filled with seemingly dull, commercial postcards from Germany. The heft and compact size of it make you want to pick it up again and again and dream about the modern Europe of the 60's and 70's. No words get in the way. The images are of autobahns, health spas, restaurants, apartment buildings...and the overall effect of seeing these tidy, newly built spaces--without people--is somehow poignant, hopeful, serene and surreal. Often, geometric shapes dominate a landscape or visual field, and the postcard becomes a reduced, abstract scene which may or may not have been photographed on earth. "Boring" postcards is strangely fascinating!

A fascinating new look at personalities associated in one way or another with Hitlers Third Reich, this
time from the perspective and expertise of Charles Hamilton, the foremost authority on handwriting (and
the man who exposed the "Hitler Diaries" as fakes).
Each entry includes an incisive biographical sketch, usually with one or more good photos (many rare),
and perhaps most importantly for our purposes here, a sample of handwriting.
The entries are expanded for the more important figures, such as Frederick the Great and Hermann
Goering, and for Hitler himself not only a thorough graphological analysis (with special attention to
forgeries) but also a most interesting assessment of his art (again with attention to forgeries).
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Volume One includes Hitler and his inner circle, the women in Hitler's life (more than one might have
thought), all the leading Gauleiters and other functionaries, and prominent refugees from the Reich.
Volume Two contains studies of Hitler's art and the "degenerate" art he despised, Nazi military and
cultural leaders, cohorts and allies, war criminals, and the brave and doomed resistance leaders.

This top-quality work is highly recommended for history readers, collectors, students, and all others
interested in that outbreak of collective madness known as the Third Reich.

Just an note for quick clarification here: there are 2 volumes in this same-named set: Vol. 1 being published in 1984, and Vol. 2 a decade later in 1996. Autograph-collecting buffs of WWII personalities will really enjoy these books that provide almost 1,000 pages of facsimile autograph examples and photographs of some 900 Hitler apparachnicks (and a few of his opponents), along with their biographies. Vol. 1 consists of autograph examples of primarially NAZI-party leaders, their political toddies and enforcing henchmen, and the Gauleiter political lords of the captured countries. Vol. 2 consists of autograph examples of primarially German WWII military personalities, along with some foreign military and political officials; has two chapters devoted to German spies and cultural leaders, and a short chapter discussing the forgeries of Hitler documents and etchings. These books are printed on choice glossy paper, which provides sharp and clear photographs and excellent facsimile reproductions of autographed documents. The author provides nice pithy comments regarding the personality shortcomings for most of these individuals. [A companion book would be "Who's Who in Nazi Germany" for more detailed biographical details.]

Mark Falzini, a noted and respected archivist with an expertise in the Lindbergh kidnapping case, has put into the public hands a valuable look at life in post-WWII Germany. "Letters Home" brings to view the lives of Americans living overseas during the years following the war, a glimpse of life rarely seen in other historical books and documents written about the era.

For any American who has lived in there, these letters home will bring back vivid memories of Germany, and a fresh outlook on what families of military members went through simply to create a life of normalcy.

Few books provide the slice of America Overseas that "Letters Home" does. For any history buff, this book is a must-have, providing eye witness accounts of a significant time in history.

Letters Home will be of interest to the history buff and especially to anyone who lived overseas in the years immediately after World War II.

The military family of the title is the Kales, stationed in Würzburg, four of whose seven children attended the Nürnberg (Area) American High School, located at 19 Tannenstrasse in Fürth. "Barby" Kale was one of four seniors in the first NHS graduating class, 1948. Don and Dick Kale were underclassmen. Herbert "Bub" Kale, graduated in the NHS class of 1949. The parents were Major Samuel S. Kale, the Displaced Persons Officer for the Unterfranken area, and Julia Kale.

All of the Kales wrote letters to their relatives back in New Jersey. Dad and Mom's letters are short, mostly personal, dealing with family matters. Barbie, Don, and Dick wrote only obligatory letters to their grandparents. Bub is the prolific letter writer. His letters are lengthy, filled with details, and reflect his many interests. His letters make this book historically significant.

Mark Falzini, son of Barbara (Kale) Falzini and a professional archivist, summarizes the historical backdrop for the letters in Part I of the book. His ten-page account of those first school days in a dependent school will be of interest to any Military Brat, whether from those early days or from the last days in the 90s.

He explains how the Kale children commuted between the town their parents lived in and the town where they went to high school, as did most of the high schoolers. Barby remembers her first dorm room in Erlangen. "There were two other girls that shared my room, and at about six o'clock in the morning, this little German man would come into our room and fix our stove--you know, stoke the coal so that it gets warmer. He used to bump my bed all the time. We had army cots with metal at the end." The families paid $2.00 per month for dormitory expenses. There was a monthly charge for meals, $1.00 per day. In Erlangen the boys ate Sunday dinner at the Kaiserhof. During dinner, a German would stroll among all the tables playing his violin. Some of the boys would put Jello on their spoons and flip them up, trying to get the jello into the chandeliers.

In the much longer Part II of the book, Falzini prints the actual letters, edited only for relevance. In an early letter, Bub gives us a candid portrait of his English teacher: "Miss Leamer is a whopper. She's pretty (etc) but her looks deceive you and she's bowlegged. She laid her cards on the table the first class she had. . . . [S]he told us her pet peeves--1) using pencil sharpeners, 2) forgetting anything, 3) not doing lessons and on and on. . . . She told us that she works all weeks always but on Fri & Sat she quits and goes out and has a swell time--no matter what. She scared us to death right away--but maybe we'll learn something."

In other letters, Bub tells of his bird watching (he later got a Ph.D. in orinthology), his work with the Boy Scouts in the displaced persons camps (he arranged for used Scout uniforms to be sent from the States for the Lithuanian Scouts), three family sightseeing trips (one to Belgium and the Netherlands, a second to Southern Germany and Austria, and a third to France), and much more.

After returning from Holland in the summer of 1947, Bub writes, "It [was] a relief to be out of Germany. You never know how much you dislike Germany until you leave it and go see one of its neighbors! In Holland you do not feel that depressing condition that prevails in Germany, where the people are just plain poor. They have virtually nothing and they stare at you all the time no matter how many times they have seen you. . . . The Germans pity themselves, they wonder why they are starving--and are almost always angry." No, the Germany the Kales experienced was not the Germany that many later residents and visitors remember.

Scholars will find Letters Home a valuable primary source. Many will find it valuable as validation of their time overseas as a Military Brat.

Lie in the Dark and Listen: The Remarkable Exploits of a WWII Bomber Pilot and Great Escaper gives a first hand view of the Second World War as described by Wing Commander Ken Rees. Rees describes his experiences from the time he joined up to become a pilot, through his training, to his efforts as a bomber pilot in the war. Rees also describes life as a POW and his part in the Great Escape.

This book contains two parts. The first section of this book, describes Rees' early years with the military. In this section, the author candidly describes how a Welsh farm boy managed to claim a spot as a pilot; his training trials and triumphs; and his many missions in Europe and Africa. The second section of this book, describes Rees' experiences as a POW. In these chapters, Rees describes daily life in POW camps and the various escape efforts. Rees also participated in the Great Escape and describes both the preparation for and the aftermath of this famous event.

Lie in the Dark and Listen: The Remarkable Exploits of a WWII Bomber Pilot and Great Escaper is an extremely valuable work. The stories contained in this book range from comical through heroic to bone chilling. The author has done an amazing job at sharing a complete three dimensional representation of these events allowing the reader insight into the both the silly and the serious aspects of these experiences. Beyond the amazing insight into the lives of those serving in the World War II, this book entertains, rivets, and terrifies the reader from start to finish.

Almost everyone has heard of "The Great Escape,"the massive effort to tunnel out of the German POW camp formally known as Stalag Luft III. The brave and amazing operation was made famous around the world when it was made into the hit movie of the same name starring Steve McQueen. Author Ken Rees is one of the few living British airmen involved in the escape operation from Stalag Luft III. Lie in the Dark and Listen is the remarkable story of his life.

Co-written by Karen Arrandale, Commander Rees recounts the four years he spent (from the young age of 17 to the ripe old age of 21) in the RAF. His resume is amazing. Rees trained as a bomber pilot in Wellington, dropped bombs on the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisnau, fought in the bloody actions in the skies over Malta, and flew a remarkable 56 nighttime bombing missions over Germany. On his last mission he was shot down over Norway and captured by the Gestapo. Rees was interned in Stalag III and played an active role in tunneling out of the complex-a feat that so aggravated the Germans that Hitler ordered 50 of the men executed.

Lie in the Dark and Listen recounts with vivid clarity the excitement, drama, trauma, and danger of flying a heavy bomber in flak-filled skies at such a young age, being responsible for the lives of your men, and watching in helpless terror as comrades are shot from the sky before your eyes. While all of this is fascinating, most readers will be anxiously turning pages to discover what he has written about his experience as one of the "Great Escapers." Readers will not be disappointed. Rees recalls the events as if they were yesterday, describing in detail his life in the prison camp, his active role in digging tunnels and serving on the "escape committee," and his reaction when he learned of the murder of his 50 comrades.

Rees returned home after the war and played rugby for several English and RAF clubs as he continued serving in the RAF. He retired in 1968, bought a pub, and established himself as a successful and sought-after speaker.

Recommended for both serious students and readers of popular history, all general libraries.