Europe Books

The quality of this particular series certainly has not suffered with this offering. This work explores the world of the Vikings, their culture, times, influence on the rest of the world and life. Actual photographs of artifacts, wonderful art, photographs of reenactments are all combined with a text that is actually informative and actually interesting. It is well written and easy to understand. It is great to use to start group discussions with. This book is geared for the younger crowd, but I will promise you, that unless you are an expert, you will learn things about the Viking Culture you never knew as you read this one with your young ones. You really cannot go wrong with this work, nor any of the other books in this great series and I do highly recommend it.

You can't find this many pictures in a single book about Vikings for adults that I'm aware. Believe me I've looked. I also appreciate the fact that the book is historically accurate, such as explaining that the horned helmets are myth. I recommend this to both adults and children (I'm 28).

This provided all the information needed for a school report.

I love this series, Eyewitness Books, made for younger readers. This is another solid entry in this series, focusing on the Vikings. The introductory segment is entitled "Who were the Vikings?" and this provides a good entree to this volume. Key points: Vikings were major players from the 8th through 11th centuries; they set foot on the Americas in 1001 (Leif the Lucky landed on Labrador soil); they ranged as far east as Constantinople; their society was among the closest to any that could be termed "open and democratic" in its day.

The next two sections, fittingly enough, focus on the ships of the Vikings, pointing out key characteristics. Then, a series of segments on the warrior Vikings, including their weapons, how they dressed for warfare, and their depredations in the West (including attacking Paris).

Vikings traded a great deal, and had networks in the East and West. This book also portrays daily life among Viking communities, including meals, housing, and herds.

All in all, another strong work in the series. Younger readers would enjoy this. Even older readers will find much of the material interesting and useful (I still enjoy reading these works).

This is an excellent source for basic information about the Vikings. It provides pictures of actual artifacts from the Viking Age, as well as photos of reenactors dressed in period clothing. A very informative book, for children and adults alike!

I am not surprised that this book has unanimous 5 star reviews. John Treadway is a legendary figure in Balkan studies, and is quite rightly regarded as the world authority on the Montenegrin history of this period. He is uniquely able to make the study of Montenegro in the run up to World War One both scholarly and accessible, an all too rare feat in historical writing these days. Buy 10 copies of this book and give them to any historians you know to teach them how to write history properly. Christopher Catherwood, author of THE BALKANS IN WORLD WAR TWO (Palgrave, 2003)

John Treadway has been the most authoratative, brilliant and generally outstanding scholar of Balkan history in recent years, and this is the wonderful book that made his well deserved reputation. You simply cannot understand the Balkans without reading this magnificent book.

Brilliant study about Montenegro and its relationship with Austria-Hungary but also with Russia and Balkan countries, especially Serbia. This excelent book is based on critically confirmed facts and scientific knowledge. Professor Treadway stresses eternal wish of Montenegrins and their king Nicholas I Petrovic Njegos to restore medieval Serb Empire of Dusan Nemanjic: "Ambitious for his dynasty as well as his country and incited by the nationalism of his people, Nicholas dreamed of uniting all Serbs under his aegis and sitting upon Dusan's throne in Prizren" [page 201] I recommend this book to everybody who cares for knowledge.

Treadway has been extremely succesful in writing the dramatic history of Montenegro, its smart king and its brave people. After reading this fine historybook on the "black mountains" the reader will better understand the current trouble on the Balkans. Treadway describes in a detailed way why the two Balkan wars have taken place and what has been the political and geographical outcome of it. The Austrian-Hungarian influence on the European continent at that time as well as the Russian influence makes one see how history repeats itself today. For the current student on Balkan history, for the student on politics in the Balkan and for people who are interested in Montenegrin history this book is an absolute must! Highly recommended

I was lucky enough to have been a student of Dr. Treadway at the University of Richmond. This book was on the reading list for his class European Diplomacy from Bismarck to Hitler. Treadway's intense teaching style as well as his insightful sense of humor are seen in this work. The events leading up to World War I were both complicated, and filled with lots of "what if's..." Treadway concerns himself with the "Powder Keg" of Europe, the Balkans, and presents a unique and facinating overview of the events surrounding the Annexation Crisis, the Scutari Crisis, the two Balkan Wars, as well as the history of Montenegrin relations with Austria-Hungary, Russia, Turkey, and other Great Powers. How did this small country with virtually no resources come to play such a large role in European diplomacy and politics? Treadway answers this question, making his way to June 28th, 1914 and the assassination of Francis Ferdinand in Sarajevo at the hand of Mlada Bosnia. Anyone interested in the causes of World War I would be interested in this book, moreso because it is written from the perspective of "the mouse that roared," the small country of Montenegro.

Amy gets into many scrapes and meets lots of interesting characters in this exciting tale of the seemingly helpless overcoming adversity through teamwork and optimism. What an uplifting read!

Reviewed by Ian McCurley (age 13) for Reader Views (2/07)

Amy has a wonderful life. She lives in a rural English cottage near Burden Dell with her man and cook. She enjoys games of Shoe, and rules over the whole back yard (except cook's garden). Then, one day her man leaves in his noisy, smelly vehicle not to be seen for weeks. When Amy spots two men offering her a beautiful cut of steak, she instantly partakes. She feels drowsy and falls asleep. She has been dog-napped!

Amy awakens far from Burden Dell in a harsh and illegal dog prison where dogs are used to smuggle gems. She escapes with six other dogs before they are shipped to foreign countries, never to be seen again. Amy, Rodney, Angel, Hans, Pru, Rex and Lester travel through the streets of London. From Piccadilly Circus to Harrods Food Court, they are dodging cars and evading capture. They were being chased by the Fat Man and the Boxer, and Skull Face and Squat Lady, who are all smugglers from the kennel.

In their escape, they meet many friends, such as the Geese of Shelter Island and the Los Gatos de la Noche, or the Cats of the Night. The Cats of the Night are an underground organization of "cat burglars" who are, totally unexpectedly, cats. With the help of their new friends, the seven must make their way back to the old kennel and assisted by the strays of London, destroy the kennel and liberate the remaining captives. Can Amy free the dogs and find her master?

"Far From Burden Dell" is a good read if you like dogs, London or daring adventure stories. The author succeeds in pointing out that dogs are truly marvelous creatures and that in the face of adversity, they can persevere. I enjoyed the warm, fuzzy feeling I got when reading this book. After having been in London recently, I understand how the dogs were stunned by the sheer immensity of the city. Chris Coppel gave vivid, accurate and entertaining descriptions of London's monuments from a dog's viewpoint. This book changes the way you'll think about your dog.

This book is for ages 9 and up.

This book has a bunch of great characters, mostly dogs, but also a couple of cats and geese thrown in too. It's exciting and sometimes sad, but it's always fun to read.

The author has an uncanny way of seeing the world from the point of view of man's best friend. This book could be a challenge for some youngsters, but that will not diminish their enjoyment.

I expected to read a simple animal adventure. Instead I found one of the most imaginative insights into animal thinking and logic. Chris Coppel has somehow found a way to give an amazing array of creatures their own voice. This is not simply a book for children. This is a book for anyone who loves animals.

This guide is essential for all those traveling to Paris. I love that you can pick restaurants based on location or rating. Additionally, the essays describing the authors' trips were enjoyable to read. I found the ratings to be consistent and easy to follow, and would recommend this book to anyone planning a trip!

My husband and I just returned from a wonderful week in Paris. We set out to hit as many bistros as possible and this guide was a great help. We hit the following top picks and loved them all: Allard - probably the best frisee and lardons salad anywhere; Chardenoux - the raspberry gratin was heaven; Chez Georges - perfect in every way, one of our favorites - loved the lentil salad, sole georges and profiteroles; La Grille - the overall best experience, doesn't get any better, turbot for two was divine and the family atmosphere and personal attenion were icing on the cake; Le Voltaire - wonderfully clubby and the food was killer; and our last meal at La Petit Marguery was divine - the rabbit pate and grilled mushrooms for starters and the grand marnier souffle for finishers - wow. This book was the perfect fit for us - small, easy to use and absolutely accurate.

Just amazing. My wife and I visit Paris for ten days yearly... and this book is our dining directory. Absolutely reliable and accurate. Over the last two weeks, we visited six of the twelve Top Picks. And then seven of the Highly Recommended. We indulged in fois gras at least once and most often twice a day. Two additions to the book: Under new management, Benoit is much better, and more wonderful, than the last two years, but still as "Parisian", so be sure to insist on the main dining area instead of the back room. Reservations far in advance are important. Also, the most wonderful La Grille, the off-the-beaten-path home of the Turbot of the Century, is an absolute must. Retirement can't be too far off for Yves and the gracious Genevieve Cullerre. Get there while you can. If you love traditional French fare, this book is essential. I hope the Twenty First Century Edition will be updated often. We are counting on it.

An accurate assessment of many Paris bistros and small restaurants throughout the city. Amusing personal anecdotes and helpful hints on places to dine in all arrondissements drawn from years of experience. This guide is essential planning for the first-time as well as the seasoned traveler.

This book was sent as a gift last summer before three of my friends and I went to Paris last fall. It was one of the most helpful, concise tools for selecting eating places in Paris. It is so well organized, fits in one's handbag, and was helpful in selecting eating places that didn't "bust the budget" but were delightful. I think it is a must for the Paris traveler of many times(like me) or the first time visitor. Dom't leave home without it!

     "Fearsome Battle tells the story of a young American who enlisted in the Canadian Army before America went to war. The writing of Mr. Robert Rogge unceremoniously grabs the reader from the onset. An unusual aspect of Fearsome Battle is that this account has been written in the third person. Mr. Rogge had considerable difficulty writing of the horrors of war he had experienced first hand, from the first person or as seen through his eyes. However, he manages to capture the mind and attention of the reader by describing each account in the short memoir as if from a disinterested bystander reporting the chilling events as they unfolded.

     This World War II personal account narrates small snippets of horrific battlefield action as witnessed firsthand by Mr. Rogge. It delivers a masterful portrayal of a young man's innocent entry into combat and the fulfillment of his coming to age as a seasoned veteran. The war finally ends with his felling a German soldier just prior to hearing that the war has finally ended. The soldier was but a boy, maybe fourteen years of age, but one who would have killed his adversary had he been given the chance.

     Fearsome Battle keeps the reader on the edge of anticipation from the first page to the last.

     I highly recommend this book for any person interested in reading what is in the mind of a combat soldier who fully expects that the next moment in time will be his last.

     Mr. Rogge, Thank You, for an excellent observer's narrative of the brutality of war."

     Joe Richard, web master, World War II Stories -- In Their Own Words.

Using his considerable skills as a writer, Rogge drops the reader into the cage of war and unleashes its terrors and hardships on us. This book is the real deal. Its images linger and affect me still. I read it with horrible fascination and a growing appreciation for what these men endured to win the war.

Fearsome Battle: With The Canadian Army In World War II Europe is the gripping true memoir of Robert Rogge, a 22-year-old American volunteer who served with the Canadian Army during the perilous era of the second world war. Robert personally participated in the assault on Normandy on D-Day, and survived eleven months in the thick of battle until the war's end. Vividly graphic (almost to the point of disturbing) in portraying hand-to-hand combat, artillery bombardment, and the sad, sometimes gruesome job of picking up the dead after the fighting settled, Fearsome Battle is a candid and informative picture of the horrors the Greatest Generation endured to protect the world against Nazi ambitions and fascist intentions. Highly recommended reading and a welcome addition to the growing library of World War II memoirs and autobiographies.

This author tell his story in third person in order to keep the haunting reality of war at a manageable distance, yet he takes the reader into battle with his poignant tellng of it. Told in vignettes, the reader is not fettered by the minutia of a soldiers life, but feels it, tastes it, smells it nonetheless. Rogge exposes the poetic, celestial soul of humanity in the mundane savagery of war through the experiences of one weary, intrepid man who understands that the horrific and the sublime are complementary.

A realistic and grabbing account of war in the European Theater. As the Editor of the newsletter of the National Museum of the Pacific War, I read many accounts of combat on both the European and Pacific fronts. This extremely well written book gives an unflinching view into the shattering of boyhood ideals and the horrors and sacrifices of war. The book is notable because it gives the unique view of an American volunteer serving with the Canadian Army in Europe; in addition, the author's use of the third person allows him to talk about things that otherwise might have been too painful to share openly with others. I highly recommend this narrative which goes a long way to dispell any of the so-called glories and glamour associated with the waging of war.

Festive Ukrainian Cooking has easy to follow recipes. While all of our grandmothers had their own variations, this is a good starting point to get back to our beginnings.

Used to drive me crazy when my mother cooked Ukrainian foods and never had a recipe. Well, with this book all that has changed. I use it for those recipes where "a little of this and a little of that and then you mix it together" mean little to me. Also has excellent explanations of the different holidays and foods appropriate for the holiday.

If you enjoy Ukrainian food, this is the book to get. Most repipes use easy-to-get ingridients. The meals pleased many a Ukrainian homesick for native food.

Looking for a modern version of your grandmother's ethnic meals? This one will help you carry on the tradition of the meals she once made for you. A definite must have.

For any Ukrainian food/holiday tradition enthusiast tired of struggling through encoded recipes from "babtsia," this is the book for you!!! It provides simple recipes and introductions to the mysterious art of Ukrainian cooking -- "borshcht kvas," "pravdyviy hryby," et. al. -- as well as modern versions of the old traditions. Makes a traditional Ukrainian Christmas a reality.

This book offers a collection of summarized stories of those who survived World War II concentration camps. In one story, it covers a man who survived POW camp after an extended time "on the lam" with the assistance of Italian partisans who took enormous risks of reprisal from the Germans for their assistance.

The stories are collected in chapters which group like experiences together. In itself, this book is very moving and informative about the German solution in WW II. I learned a great deal about the treatment that the Jews and others received from the master race that is gone over lightly in general books on the subject.

The primary benefit of this book for me was to introduce me to several full length personal accounts written by the people featured. The story of Joseph Bau (he was put on Schindler's list), Wladyslaw Szpilman (the Pianist), Solly Ganor (a central figure in the Mr. Jablonksi story listed in another review) and others are introduced and their works found in the blbliography. I obtained 5 or 6 and have read them to get a deeper understanding and appreciation of what they endured and how the Holocaust affected them and continued to do so in later life. I highly recommend this book in its own right as well as using it as a pointer to further study.

We all have nightmares, but this one was real. In Fiet's Vase we gallop through horror after horror in Europe between 1939 and 1945. There is a thread of hope weaving its way through the book, reminding us of the immeasurable human spirit and of its infinite capacity to survive against the depths of human depravity. This book gives a powerful look, taste and feel of some of those special spirits and the conditions they survived. I am grateful for and inspired by Fiet's Vase, thank you Alison Leslie Gold. Now I must weep for humanity.

I am 14 years old and I am really enjoying this book. It teaches me alot and at times I can't put it down. I reccomend this book highly and encourage children to read it.

Alison Leslie Gold has given us both truth and connection through the women's lives that she shares with us. In their stories, we find answers to the mystery of survival within that inexplicable fabric of love and spirituality. These are tales that have not been told before, not this entirely.

It is time for the public to honor the women of the Holocaust. "Any consistent Nazi plan had to target Jewish women specifically as women, for they were the only ones who would finally be able to ensure the continuity of Jewish life. In deed, although statistical data about the Holocaust will never be exact, there is sound evidence that the odds for surviving the Holocaust were worse for Jewish women than for Jewish men" (Rittner and Roth, Different Voices)

Gold, honors these women whose stories have been ignored for so long, so that we may now we honor their struggles and memory with our own lives. Thank you for the service you do for womankind.
Shalom, Heather Dune Macadam (co-author, Rena's Promise: A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz -- part of Rena's story is cited in this wonderful book.)

I've read dozens of Holocaust testimonials, but this collection is certainly one of the most gripping. Though they are survivor tales, they do not make for light reading (they do make for important reading). I'm still haunted by one story in particular about a young boy who escapes being buried alive -- I challenge you to read this book and not be plagued by the image of his teacher, Jablonski. The author does a fabulous job of culling together incredible stories of how dumb luck, random chance or connections play a role in saving people from unspeakable evil. An important collection that should not be missed.

My grandfather is pictured on the cover with Sgt. Bowen, at the bottom left. The vivid details in Sgt. Bowen's book make you feel like you are in 1944, watching all of the action! His book brought to life my grandfather's experiences. I still cannot comprehend what these soldiers endured, and I am so grateful that my grandfather made it back to Maine to start a family and a new life, after seeing so many friends perish. So, I am pestering him to write a book about his experiences now!

Sgt Bowen's account of his time in the 101st during WWII is excellently written and includes much of what is missing in other 101st Airborne histories/memoirs. Veterans recollections of war are those of a war fought locally next to your closest friends; Sgt Bowen's is very much in this vein. Sgt Bowen is an astute observer and reporter of his wartime activity in Normandy, Holland, and Germany. His inclusion of being wounded, captured and subsequent interment in medical units, POW camps, and release provide a unique glimpse into this aspect of WWII veterans.
Sgt Bowen has produced a book which is a thoughtful addition to the 101st Airborne's WWII history; definitely one not to be missed.

Bowen writes in his book about a private named Harold Zimburg. If you were to search the national archieves for this name nothing will come up. The name doesnt exist. But,he is a real person...the man in the book called Harold Zimburg is my grandfather, Bowen just got his name wrong.I know this based on my grandfather's POW records, the stories he told while he was alive and the fact that his picture is in the book. Although Bowen got his name incorrect...it was very nice getting to read about my grandfather in World War 2 since he is now deceased. I am very excited there is a book out there that talks about the 401st!

Robert Bowen, who lived in Maryland, in 1943 went down to Florida to have basics (if he finishes he would join the 104 infantry division). As fate had it Bowen and a couple other of his 104th friends would be transferred to Fort Bragg where they would join the 401st regiment of the screaming eagles, the elite 101st. Bowen fights in Normandy where he was injured in the ankle. He also fights in the 72-day campaign in Holland (operation Market Garden) and there he participates in the defense of the Island. Bowen also fights at Bastogne but is captured when a German armored division finally over runs Bowen's and the rest of his surviving friend's position. The rest of his book is about trying to stay alive in the POW camp where he and all of his friends are at the edge of death because of the small and some times no rations, and dysentery. Bowen then explains his life after the War, which as you will see is quite sad.

After I first interviewed Mr. Bowen in 1998 I had tears in eyes. These feelings of sacrifice, loss, suffering, courage, and heroism surface again in this superb book. FIGHTING WITH THE SCREAMING EAGLES takes you back to the foxhole.

One of the best memoirs/battle accounts of any book on WWII. Meticulously researched, compellingly told, it will satisfy both the avid WWII reader and the scholar. Engler includes plenty of footnotes at the end of each chapter which demonstrates an unparalled research effort, one done with most care and then crafted into a wonderful narrative.

This little-known but critical battle finally gets its due. Engler masterfully recounts the infantryman's-eye view of battle, all the while integrating the street-to-street and house-to-house fighting into the larger context of the American effort in WWII in 1944-1945. Engler elaborates on the condition of the American Army post-Normandy breakout. Everyone expected the war to be in its final stages. But behind the "greatest generation" was a desperate effort to keep America motivated, and an even more desperate effort to scrape whatever barrels remained of soldier manpower. Engler's research convincingly demonstrates the faults of America's technology over manpower approach which stacked logistics and the machine arms while shortchanging the infantry. It is a conclusion in short supply, but one that sheds light on the battle and the war.

The only minor quibble is that the book is physically too large--the pages are 8.5 x 11, and the text can be hard on the eyes. But that is not enough to detract even 1/2 of a star from its top rating.

Dear Sir or Madam:
The only thing that keeps this book from being a 5 star is that it is softcover and does not include photos. The U.S Army combat cameraman nor Colonel Bonn can be blamed for this because the U.S 7th Army's combat cameramen 163rd Signal Photo Company records for January state that they indeed took photos and film of the nightmarish and terrifying "Battle of Rittershoffen and Hatten"(ofcourse "The Battle of 'Rittershoffen'" meaning in German "The Battle of 'Knight's Hope'."
These and other Battles like the Saar Gap, Vosges Mountains at Wingen and Reipertswiller, Herrlisheim and Gambsheim, and the Moder River were heavily filmed and photograped by the 163rd Signal Photo Company combat cameramen are now missing in action at the National Archives.
Gratefully, the 100th Infantry division now recognizes that it was the 117th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron on their eastern flank, an independent unit, just attached to Task Force Hudelson, that bugged out without confirming even radio contact to the U.S 14th Armored Division's 94th Cavalry Reconaissance Squadron in the center, before the 117th Cav Recon Sqdrn took off "without orders" and ended up in Saverne!
Also, soldiers must understand mathematically from the U.S Army Statistical Branch Studies that an Infantry Division has to have twice as many casualties as an Armored Division to have the same average casualties per rifle company. In other words, there are no Infantry Divisions that fought along the Upper Rhine during Operation Northwind that have double the number of casualties of neither the 12th or 14th Armored Divisions (see appendix "U.S 7th Army History").
Yes, they had 25% of their casualties in tank companies. But they only had 9 armored infantry companies per armored division which would take 65% of the casualties in each armored division (see U.S Army Statistical Branch Studies of casualties in Armored Divisions verses Infantry Divisions.
Finally, the only error the Editor and Legend Colonel Keith Bonn made is that he failed to connect the 2nd phase of "Operation Northwind" along the Upper Rhine against the U.S 6th Corps (of Anzio fame) and its 12th and 14th Armored Divisions, the legendary 36th,42nd (Task Force Linden),45th,70th (Task Force Herren),79th, and 103rd Divisions; against the re-equipped 10th SS Panzer, 21st Panzer, 25th Panzer Grenadier Divisions along with the 7th Parachute Division, the 6th SS Mountain Division and 2 German Infantry Divisions and its real purpose to destroy American forces North of Strasbourg on the Upper Rhine which the German High Command thought Eisenhower was going to cross as early as late November 1944! Nothing to do with the Ardennes, the German were pulling out on January 8th, 1945 while the 3 entire German Corps challenged the VI Corps from January 5-26th, 1945. See "Riviera to the Rhine" by Dr.Clarke 'A Dubious Decision' and the 400 pages of records captured by Soviet Forces south of Berlin at Potsdam where the World War II German Military Records were archived. The are now stored at the open Russian Central Military Archives in Podolsk south of Moscow.
Dan Kneeland


Sincerely,
Dan Kneeland

Though I have read many, many books on WWII, I never understood the significance of the campaign in Southern France, and the Vosges, until I read this book. I never knew how close the Allies actually came to having serious problems!

Engler covers a lot of ground in this book. The readers gets several different ways of looking at what happened. These range all the way from the strategic decisions, all the way down to looking over a GI's rifle sights.

The book is well researched, and well written. I found it very informative, and I'm sure anyone else will, also.

The best aspect of "The Final Crisis", apart from its detailed and powerful memior of combat, is Richard Engler's inclusion of descriptions of the U.S. home front as Army infantrymen pass through training and the voyage to Europe to reach the battefield.

Engler descibes the process and circumstances by which many young men who had joined up expecting to take slots in Army aviation or officers' programs, instead found themselves issued rifles and sent into the forests and mountains of the Rhineland. Although Americans generally wanted to be leaders in the war effort and not rank-and-file soldiers, the brutal reality of battle losses swept away many well-laid personal "war plans".

The late Dick Engler's The Final Crisis is an essential read.
A first-in-print, moving account of major force engagements late in the WWII European Theater, this work recounts savage West Front fighting long overshadowed by the larger fabric of final war months.
In winter 1945, what must be assessed as the last of some of the most powerful engagements, Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe, and Waffen-SS units locked horns with Allied forces in the varied terrain of Lower Alsace in eastern France -- from the Vosges Mountains to the river plain of the Rhine -- and, ultimately, lost the initiative.
The Gemman "Operation Nordwind" intended to cut through combined Allied-French lines that had been overextended to support the Battle of the Bulge.
Crack SS Panzer units "Frundsberg," Goetz von Berlichingen," 21st and 25th Panzergrenadier divisions, and the SS 6th "Mountain Division 'Nord'" as well as Luftwaffe airborne and German Army ground forces and Volksgrenadier units worked in company to join battle. Ensuing combat was sustained and bloody. Soldiers of the US Seventh Army absorbed horrific enemy blows but held their ground, ultimately blunting the German attack.
The author who participated in the fight, shows detailed research and understanding of this part of the war in Europe. He did extensive research at the National Archives and at the US Military History Institute. Mr. Engler's understanding of this often overlooked part of WWII translates into a stunning account that is worthy of historians' high praise.

This is an extremely valuable account of the final days of the Nazi regime, written by the ultimate insider, Propaganda Chief (and ultimate believer given his entire family's bunker suicide) Dr. Joseph Goebbels. Goebbels spent much time on his diary, and volumes going back as early as 1923 have been published, in both German and English. This is the final volume and covers the period from February through April 1945. There is a fine introduction by the editor, the late Hugh Trevor-Roper (author of a widely-recognized account of Hiter's last days), and he has as well added helpful annotations throughout explaining various terms or developments as background to Goebbels' account. While the book contains a number of essential maps and pictures, I found it handy to have at hand a copy of Beevor's "The Fall of Berlin 1945" which has better maps as well as additional photographs.

The format of each entry is the same: an initial section addresses the "military situation," and then Goebbels adds a usually somewhat lengthy more general narrative. I found it unnecessary to review the military situation section, because Goebbels would comment on important developments in his more general narrative. I found it interesting to compare Goebbels' account with that in "Hitler's Table Talk." Yes, the top Nazi leadership really believed the British might drop out of the war; that the Russians might end up going at the Americans; that a negotiated resolution short of complete surrender might be possible; and that the American people would repudiate FDR and the British repudiate (as they did after the war) Churchill. At the very same time as the military situation is turning to ashes, Goebbels and Hitler both believe that somehow (perhaps as a result of the new jet fighters) Germany will prevail if it can just hold on a bit longer (frequent allusions are made to how Frederick the Great did just that). Intense infighting did occur during the last months: Goebbels is after Goering's hide, and he is not too impressed with Speer and other top officials either. But his worshipful fixation on Hitler only diminishes on a few occasions. Well, he did go down with the ship.

This paperback edition is printed on fine paper with very clear typography--a pleasure to read. It contains an extensive chronology, a nice photo section, and both place and name indices. At around 360 pages, the narrative moves along at a good clip and is almost always quite interesting. Goebbels could write very well. It is an old saying that "there is no substitute for being there," and this fascinating volume validates that piece of wisdom.

This was the third of three Goebbel War Year diaries that I bought and read. Although not the easiest prose to read -- in part they were not written necessarily to be read but to be perhaps used in a memoir that was destined to never be written -- this and the other two diaries are fascinating books for people fascinated by that era.

This diary ends on 9 April 45. According to the introduction he continued writing through at least 22 April 45 when he and his family moved into the bunker. It would be interesting to read any additional entries through 22 April -- and beyond if available -- as the situation became more hopeless. The book does, however, conclude with an epilogue that included his and his wife's last letters to his stepson, the only member of the Goebbels family to survive the war.

The term "Jekyll and Hyde" was easily applicable to the first diary and not as easily applicable to this diary. However there term is somewhat applicable. The man -- despite the obvious problems at the fronts -- still has hope. Maybe the hope is flickering but he still has hope. He does realize that military victory is now unattainable but maybe if the military can score one or two major successes they can finagle some kind of a negotiated settlement more favorable than "unconditional surrender". This thought appears to be running through the Nazi government during the February - April 45 timeframe covered in the book.

Whereas in the previous two diaries great words are written about great events that resulted in great victories, this time Goebbels write great words about not so great events. The brave German military puts up great resistance to stall an American, or a British, or a Soviet offensive. Nazi forces counterattack and push eight or ten or twelve kilometers. The war is not lost yet! Why are such events important? The longer the war goes on and the more casualties are inflicted upon the enemy maybe the people in the West will grow tired and more conciliatory towards a less than complete defeat of Germany. Or maybe by stretching out the war maybe the Nazis can finagle a separate settlement with the Soviets. Or maybe the western Allies will realize how dangerous the Soviets are -- who are, after all, spreading its Bolshevic tentacles over eastern Europe contrary to previous agreements. Goebbels is hoping that something -- anything -- will happen to preclude what looks like an inevitable defeat.

Reading the book one realizes how little hold the government actually had over the people. Even in the previous diaries there were criticisms of the government that was voiced by the people that Goebbels acknowledged. Of course, in 1945 there was little the government could do. The people were unhappy about the air raids for which the government generally and the Luftwaffe specifically had no answer. Althought Goebbels still disliked several of his counterparts in the government like Foreign Minister Ribbentrop his greatest condemnation falls upon Hermann Goering. He feels Goering's corrupt and inept leadership of the Luftwaffe is the main reason why victory that appeared so close in 1941 is now so far away in 1945. Yet he still writes that even as late as April 1945 if there are major personnel changes in the military and the government National Socialism could still be saved in Germany.

He is not beyond criticizing is Fuehrer. He still thinks Adolf Hitler himself can do no wrong. The problem is that Adolf Hitler has surrounded himself with wrong people and for whatever reasons will not get rid of them. Although Hitler agrees with almost all of Goebbels suggestions for fixing the government Hitler does virtually nothing. Goebbels is frustrated.

It is also interesting how his attitude toward the inferior Slavic Soviet forces has evolved. He is still convinced the Soviet military is -- man for man -- inferior to the German soldier. But the Germans are being overwhelmed by superior numbers and machinery being thrown at them by the Allies. But he is impressed with Stalin. Once upon a time he and others had scorned Stalin for the massive purges of the Soviet military in the late 1930s. At one point in the book he relates reviewing the biographies of the leading Soviet military leaders. The Soviet military leaders were all under the age of 50 and were die-hard Bolshevics who would do anything to win. This was a big reason why the Soviets survived the seemingly hopeless situation in 1941 and why they were winning the war in 1945. In contrast, the German military leaders were old and had no deep political or philosopical ties to National Socialism. If they won the war, great. If not, oh well. Goebbels concludes that maybe Stalin was not so crazy for purging his military and after the war the Nazis should do likewise with their military.

The popular perception of Hitler and his entourage is they were living in an insane fantasy land as the Soviets closed in on Berlin. Unfortunately, the last three weeks of Goebbels life were missing so maybe there was some degree of truth to that perception. But in the book you see a somewhat different view. Yes the war was going bad but he had to grasp at some kind of hope -- whatever that may be. Goebbels recognized that if the end is near it would be a catastrophic defeat. Therefore his only hope was to stretch the war out as long as possible and hope for some miracle. Hitler himself is not so much a ranting, raving lunatic (many of the accounts of Hitler's final days were written by witnesses who were the target of his anger and thus had a reason for depicting his as insane) as a man who is angry with his generals but is resigned to his fate.

As we know, neither Joseph Goebbels nor his Fuehrer survived the war and neither man was able to write their autobiographies explaining why they did what they did. Perhaps the closest thing to a Hitler autobiography would be Mein Kampf that depicted his early life and early political battles through 1924 and his "Table Talks" -- a series of monologues recorded between 1942 and 1944. For his Propaganda Minister these diaries is the closest we can probably hope to find to an autobiography. These "autobiographies" may be distorted but they are distorted in their own words.

Having just been through the Iraq war, some of Goebbels musings resonate peculiarly with some of the more grandiose statements that came out of the end of that particular conflict.

It is very hard to judge Goebbels as a man from these pages. Even given that they were unedited, this was intended to be the record of a Reich that won the war. This is not a private journal in the sense that he was always intending to rewrite it for history-- and presumably he was smart enough to realize that if he was still around to rewrite it for history then the Hitler regime had in some measure made it successfully through the war.

What is interesting for the armchair historian are the places where his real feelings break through the propaganda. Presumably these are the moments that would have been edited out for publication. At times he whines about other nazi officials, at another point he sarcastically remarks that a plan of Hitler's would have been brilliant had it had any chance at all of succeeding.

He was clearly a bright man (if an evil one), and it is interesting to watch his mind work in what were obviously (even to him) the final days.

In the closing weeks of the European component of WWII, Goebbels's attitude towards the Jews remained unchanged: (April 3, 1945): "The Jews have applied for a seat at the San Francisco Conference. It is characteristic that their main demand is that anti-Semitism be forbidden throughout the world. Typically, having committed the most terrible crimes against mankind, the Jews would now like mankind to be forbidden even to think about them." (p. 305).

However, Jews were not the only scapegoats; nor were they the only ones blamed for starting WWII. On March 18, 1945, Goebbels referred to Poland's losses to, of all things, "...Polish arrogance in August 1939..." and having failed to accept the "...extraordinarily generous [German] proposals at that time..." [Sic!] (p. 165). Goebbels engages in an even more overt blame-the-victim mentality towards Poles when, in his entry of March 30, 1945, he quips about: "...Poland, which began this war anyway..." (p. 274). In addition, on March 26, 1945, Goebbels mentioned "...Poland and Russia, the most primitive countries of Europe." (p. 233).

In other contexts, Goebbels had various scapegoats coming in handy, as summarized by historian Trevor-Roper: "...castigating whole classes, whole groups, whole nations: the miserable bourgeoisie, the generals, the Luftwaffe, the Churches, the Jews, the Swiss, the Swedes." (P. xxx).

It is both sobering and sad to realize that someone of Goebbels's character had a much better grasp of Soviet intentions that did Churchill or Roosevelt. Goebbels even quoted a British newspaper in this regard (March 3, 1945): The Daily Mail just made a truly sensational admission; it says that for two years now I have been the only person to analyze the case of Poland correctly and forecast accurately the way in which England would succumb to the Kremlin. Churchill comes in for criticism of rare severity." (p. 30).

In stark contrast to the appeasing attitude of western politicians towards "Uncle Joe" Stalin, Goebbels commented (March 9, 1945): "In the region which was formerly Poland the Soviets are pursuing their bloody reign of terror undeterred by Anglo-American protests. They take not the smallest notice of Churchill and Roosevelt. A new wave of arrests is sweeping across the country, the victims being mainly the Polish nationalists." (p. 88). Also (March 21, 1945): "The Soviets are going quietly on deporting Poles to the interior of Russia. They take not the smallest notice of the Anglo-Americans." (p. 190).

The situation under which Poles found themselves was obvious to Goebbels: (March 11, 1945): "Stalin is firmly determined--and no one can understand this--to negotiate with no one over the Polish question. How rigidly he has already imposed his will is evident from the fact that Mikolajczyk, the former Polish Minister-in-exile, now proposes to submit to the dictates of the Kremlin. Under protest admittedly, but what value are such protests today? Anyway the only choice for the Poles is either to be exterminated by force or to bow the Kremlin." (p. 100).

Goebbels saw right through the Communist smear campaign directed against non-Communist regimes (March 19, 1945): "It is well known that Communists always call everything fascist that is not Communist and, under the guise of a struggle against fascism, exterminate all forces opposing bolshevization of a country in which they have any influence...According to Pravda, the London Poles are a gang of degenerate landowners rejected by the Polish people. In short, Pravda's general tone is one hardly customary even between enemies, let alone between allies." (p. 172).

On March 22, 1945, Goebbels discussed the Soviet-staged trials, in Bulgaria, of two witnesses who had been present, two years earlier, at the site of the Katyn massacre (p. 206). The two priests were tearfully forced to recant their blame of the Soviets.

Goebbels repeats certain themes throughout this latest set of his diaries. He seems obsessed with the incipient British loss of their worldwide colonial empire, and that regardless of the outcome of the war. He thinks that the new German jets can enjoy a 5:1 kill ratio over the Allied propeller-driven planes, but recognizes that Germany can produce far too few jets to make a realistic impact in the air war. He repeatedly suggests that the Germans should have withdrawn from the Geneva Convention. This would have allowed the Germans to kill Allied POWs in reprisal for the German civilians killed by Allied bombing raids. It also would make the German soldiers fight harder, aware of the fact that the Allies would reciprocally take no prisoners.

I didn't really know how to rate this book. As a diary? As history? Should I have rated Trevor-Roper's editing?

So I rated it a "5", but it hardly matters. I don't think anyone will read Goebbel's diary because it's "popular."

My reactions to this book were mixed. I found my opinion of Goebbels as a man and a mind considerably lower after finishing the book. Yes, I knew beforehand that he was a recalcitrant Nazi and mass-murderer. On the other hand, I've read Albert Speer's books, and he always spoke admiringly of Goebbel's intellect. I respect Speer's intellect highly, but I must say that he was wrong about Goebbels. Goebbels in this diary is an ugly, sordid, vicious little man, repeating the same tired mantras again and again, transparently trying to varnish his image for history, and sniping and gossipping about everyone around him. (But then, Speer found himself to be dreadfully wrong about Hitler, too.)

Intellect? I hardly found myself able to discern one in this mess.

Still, I'm glad I read the book. It adds another dimension to my understanding of the Third Reich, and serves as a counterbalance to the other accounts I've read.

But I wouldn't call the experience of reading this book enjoyable.