WWII

  (out of 5 stars)

The story of Darby's Rangers, an elite group of specially-trained US Army soldiers which took part in Operation Torch in Africa, Operation Husky in Sicily, and the invasion of Italy during WWII, is one well-deserving of a comprehensive retelling. This version of that story is largely the result of a first-draft style set of notes and interviews conducted with Bill Darby, the leader of these Rangers, just before his death in combat in Italy.

The experiences of these rangers, from going ashore in North Africa and driving the invasion of Sicily, and on to the difficult and oftej disastrous days in mainland Italy, are fascinating military history, and show how an elite unit can take on and accomplish important missions. However, this version, which features a brief introduction to each chapter by its coauthors providing background and context to Darby's text, remains very raw and does not offer a robust, colorful treatment of the subject.

To be fair, Darby's text was never expected to go to print in this format, and given that it would usually have gone through many revisions and improvements before publication under normal circumstances, the cohesion is reasonable and readable. Still, compared to most popular military history memoirs on the market, it falls flat in many ways. It is a decent read and an important history to take in, but don't expect to be blown away by the pace or narrative. Three stars.

  (out of 5 stars)

Major Dick Winters, now infamously-known thanks to the character portrayal of his experiences in World War II with the 506th Parachute Regiment, 101st Airborne Division as depicted in the Stephen Ambrose book and HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers", has collected his thoughts and memories of those experience and written his own book about his role in winning the war in Europe.

For readers familiar with the Band of Brothers tales, Winters' stories will echo many of those same events, with the unique views that are belong to Winters himself. A relatively unassuming but sharp man, Winters portrays his role with humility and explains the war as it looked through his eyes and the eyes of his men.

From Toccoa to Normandy, and Holland to Belgium to Germany, Winters' role in the war was important and inspiring, especially to those who served under him. His frank descriptions of events provide a very nice compliment to the Ambrose versions of Easy Company, much of which relied heavily on Winters himself. Solid writing, engaging storytelling, and crucial events in a major war, Beyond is a strong but breezy read for any military reader. Four stars.

  (out of 5 stars)

Lewis "Chesty" Puller may well have been the baddest mutha to ever put on a United States uniform and go to war. A career soldier who saw action all over the globe, Puller is a legendary figure to today's Marines, much as I imagine El Cid was to the generations which followed. Here, in Burke Davis's biography of the ultimate soldier, Puller's experiences are drawn together into a swift and enjoyable narrative.

Puller's military career started as WWI came to a close, and he soon found himself serving in Haiti and Nicaragua, garnering praise from superiors and civilians alike. Puller was a natural leader of men, and those who fought for him in those parts of the world would not be the last to think of him as a tremendous warrior.

After spending time in Peking, China, Puller took part in the bloody battles in the Pacific Theater of WWII, including the Battle of Guadalacanal. Despite terrible and misleading orders from his superiors, and the ever-present problems of communications, supplies, and the fog of war, Puller maintained his cool, took responsibility for his men, and displayed enormous guts and tactical leadership during every battle. Later, in the Korean War, Puller oversaw the difficult and deadly rearguard action during the Chosin Reservoir withdrawal.

One of the great warriors of any age, Puller's story as presented by Burke is a fantastic tale of a dedicated and highly-intelligent military legend. Well recommended for any military fan, and especially for anyone with an interest in the US Marine Corps.

  (out of 5 stars)

Ghost Soldiers is an outstanding and fast-paced account of the Raid at Cabanatuan, Philippines during WWII. This raid, conducted by 6th Army Rangers, Alamo Scouts, and local Philippine guerilla forces attempted to rescue hundreds of American and other Allied soldiers held in the prison camp. Many of the prisoners were survivors of the Bataan Death March and had been held there for 30 months at the time of the raid. Fearing a massacre at the hands of Japanese guards as the American advance moved toward Manilla, especially following similar massacres in previous weeks, the US Army determined to rescue the prisoners before they could be slaughtered. Using stealth, guts, and incredibly timely local help and resources, the Rangers and company took part in an amazing rescue combat action.

The book does great justice to the events and the men involved , and is fantastically written for any level of military history reader. Sides' narrative is well developed, with just enough personal touches of the men to bring their stories to life, and his descriptions of conditions and activities at the camp are harrowing and very well constructed. I could not put this book down. Sides interweaves the stories of the rescuing Rangers with the desperate, hellish, nightmarish existence of the prisoners in the months leading up to the raid. Excellent book, amazing mission, my only complaint is that the author did not include a full sourcing of his research. Highly recommended, four and one-half stars.

  (out of 5 stars)

Rick Atkinson's incredibly-researched second book in the Liberation Trilogy covers the Allied battle for the Axis 'soft underbelly' of Sicily and Italy. Told greatly from a US Army perspective, the concerns and considerations of Generals are comingled with the grim, gutter reality of life of Privates and Captains. From the initial movement of the Sicily invasion force (which started the trip in the recently conquered Tunisia and other spots in North Africa) through the triumphant entry into Rome, Atkinson proves yet again he is a master at his craft.

I felt this second entry in the Trilogy trumped the Pulitzer Prize-winning first book, An Army At Dawn. The landscapes of Sicily and Italy make the background more dense, more colorful, and unfortunately, more deadly to those doing the fighting. Soldiers fought and died in famous locations, such as Monte Cassino, and not so famous ones, such as the Rapido River. Gen. Mark Clark's conundrums are carefully and masterfully interwoven with various first-hand battle recollections of screams, sheets of mortar and machine gun fire, smells of burning flesh and cordite, visions of smoke and death, and the harrowing isolation of life on the front.

An amazing amount of research poured into this work, just like its predecessor, and Atkinson's gift of highly-readable narrative turns hundreds of sources into a breathtaking 588 pages. Starting with the invasion of Sicily, the reader follows the participants, high and low, to the invasion of Salerno and then Anzio, bloody battles for the various heavily defended German lines, numerous attempts to take key high ground, such as Monte Cassino, and the tactical decision-making that led to each success or failure. This is simply one of the most complete popular military history books I've ever read, one that will certainly inspire and haunt me for quite some time. I cannot wait for the third and final book in this Trilogy. Five stars.