In the vein of Walter Lord's A NIGHT TO REMEMBER and DAY OF INFAMY, this wonderful book details the horrific journey of persecuted Jews and their desperate attempt to flee Nazi Germany. As good as the movie which it spawned. A fascinating and important read, especially for history enthusiasts.

"Voyage of the Damned" is the infamous true story of the ill-fated 1939 voyage of the S.S. St. Louis, which carried 937 Jews who were fleeing Hitler. They hoped for freedom, but found only disappointment and, in some cases, death. The St. Louis made it safely Cuba, but the passengers were turned away under the influence of Hitler's anti-Jewish propaganda. Next, they sailed for the Florida Coast, only to be refused entry into the USA because of immigration quotas. For weeks the St. Louis sailed up and down the coast while Congress debated whether to make an exception and let them in. In the end, even a plea from President Roosevelt could not open America's doors to these refugees. The St.Louis was sent back to Europe, where her passengers were dispersed to France, Belgium, Great Britain, and the Netherlands. Some perished in Hitler's concentration camps. Others lived to tell the story.

This tragic event remains an ugly blot on America's past, and is one of the reasons for the "Law of Return" in modern Israel (which allows any Jew who is fleeing persecution in any country to enter Israel immediately upon arrival with no hassles.) It is also the reason that Israel was the first country in the world to grant political asylum to Vietnamese "boat people" fleeing the Communist regime at the end of the Vietnam War. The story also had an effect on America's current immigration laws, which make better provisions for granting asylum.

"Voyage of the Damned" was first published in 1974 and became an instant bestseller. It was made into a movie in 1977, and won three Academy Award nominations. It went through a number of printings, and was re-issued in 1994 as a fine "coffee-table" hardcover with 300 pictures, including reproductions of tickets, telegrams, passports, menus, newspaper articles, official documents, etc. as well as photos of the crew and passengers. To make the story more personalized, the 1994 version also features "cameo" photo albums, focusing on three specific families. For sheer wealth of information as well as human interest, the photo edition is the one to buy -- if you can find a copy.

This scholarly work, carefully footnoted and annotated, is a must for Berlin Wall mavens and all historians. I can't emphasize enough the irony of the timing of the publishing of this book...literally weeks before the Wall fell. Mr. Wyden apparently decided not to publish a second edition with an epilogue as the whole world found out on Nov 9-10,1989.

This book is a definite must-read. No one could have predicted the fall--Mr. Wyden simply said that it would eventually happen.

I read this book early in 1990. I recall it as a "can't put down book". But, I had experienced the WALL in July,1989, also visited East Berlin. I was in the Army NG in 1961 when the wall went up and worried about being federalized and all of us fighting yet, again, another War in Europe. We all know the outcome, but after visiting both Berlin's I finally understood what it meant to be FREE. Again from memory, Peter Wyden wrote the book before the wall came down, in it he stated that Wall would stand for a long time. Don't hire Peter Wyden as a prophet or seer. However, you should read the book.

This book is just superb. This book is made up of pictures from American troops fighting in Europe. Some would call this a picture book, but in my opinion it takes you right into a soldier's and pilot's point of view. This book would make a great companion to an average history book because while you are reading you look at the pictures in this book and it will almost bring the war to life. This book takes you into Northern Ireland, England, and Scotland with the build up of American troops. Then you go into France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Germany. The pictures capture what the American troops saw and fought over. It shows the weapons they used and some of the ones they discovered the Germans had. Many of these photos I have seen in history books of all kinds. It some what illustrates the battlefields in Europe. It is basically a handheld museum. In my opinion you won't be sorry purchasing the book. It is the photo album of the American involvement in Europe during World War II.

This book is just superb. The book is made up of pictures from American troops fighting in Europe. Some would call this a picture book but in my opinion, it takes you right into a soldier's, and pilot's point of view. This book would make a great companion to an average history book because while you are reading you look at the pictures in this book and it will almost bring the war to life. This book takes you into Northern Ireland, England, and Scotland with the build up of American troops. Then you go into France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Germany. The pictures capture what the American troops saw and fought over. It shows the weapons they used and some of the ones they discovered the Germans had. Many of these photos I have seen in history books of all kind. It some what illustrates the battlefields in Europe. It is basically a handheld museum. In my opinion you won't be sorry purchasing the book. It is the photo album of the American involvment, in Europe, during World War 2. If you weren't in World War 2 this would be a great way to relive it!

As someone who has a MA in Modern European History and with a concentration in early 20th century German cultural history, I found Liulevicius's work to be not just thought-provoking, but very easy to read. It is sad that the Eastern Front has been neglected as a whole, as the experiences of Lands and Spaces played such a key role in the development of German postwar attitudes toward the East. It is no accident that the first shots of World War II were fired there and that most of the fighting and killing occurred there. In reading this book, the reader can get a sense of why these later events occurred the way that they did. The concept of German Kultur as a driving force intrigues me. Until recently, most military histories did not discuss the mindsets of the average soldier, instead focusing on the leaders.

Well, I could say a lot more about this work, but I think brevity is the key and that the above comments just only illustrate a few of the many fine points that Liulevicius makes in his book.

A magnificent scholarly work on the (unfortunately) often ignored Eastern Front of World War I. Liulevicius paints a compelling, yet chilling picture of the experiences of the German army of occupation. He skillfully reconstructs the occupiers' mindscape and masterfully examines how the collective experinces in the East played a role in the constructiion of Nazi ideology. Liulevicius' work in this neglected field is a welcome contribution to the academic world. Not only is this work insightful, but it is wonderfully written. Avoiding a common pitfall of most academic writing, Liulevicus's skillful prose and well constructed narrative keep the reader engaged and unwilling to part with the text.

I am a history buff and have always enjoyed World War II stories that are somewhat out of the mainstream. "WEHRMACHT DIARY," written by Wolfgang Cooper, ends up being one of those stories. The book follows the exploits of Major Siegfried Knappe, who fought for the German Army in virtually every major campaign during the conflict - was wounded numerous times - ended up in the Fuhrer bunker with Adolf Hitler near the end of the war where he served as a communications expert, shuttling back and forth between the front lines and the final German defenses - spent five years in various Soviet prison camps after the war - and finally made his way to East Germany, where he helped his family escape to the west. The amazing Major Knappe finally made his way to the United States. This is a very good book about a good soldier and a good family man. Similar to the movies "Das Boat" and "Cross Of Iron," I found myself pulling for Knappe and his comrades to get out of their perilous situations. Fascinating and easy to read. Not to technical. I loved it - and so did my father.

I am a history buff, and "WEHRMACHT DIARY" is without question one of the best books in recent years that I have read dealing with World War II. It's not often you get a chance to look at the war through the eyes of a German soldier, but "WEHRMACHT DIARY" gives the reader that opportunity. Similar to the films "Cross Of Iron" and "Das Boat," you almost - but not quite - start rooting for the Germans near the end of the book. The author, Wolfgang Cooper, has done a superb job of chronicling the life of Major Siegfried Knappe, who fought on every major battle front save for the North Afrikan campaign, met Hitler face to face three times, and was in the bunker near the end of the war when the Russians were storming the gates of Berlin. Knappe's detailed accounts of the five years he spent in Russian captivity are also fascinating. The fact that this man survived numerous injuries and personal set-backs, and survived to eventually bring his family to the United States, is truly a remarkable story. I also enjoyed the section near the end of the book where Cooper gives a reasoned and intelligent view on the difference between Nazis and party ideology and regular German soldiers who were ordinary men fighting for their country. Unlike many history books that lose the reader after the first chapter, "WEHRMACHT DIARY" is written in a straightforward, easy to understand style. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about World War II and world history.

"Historians" who claim that the Werwolf was nothing more than a figment of the imagination will be forced to hang their arrogant heads in shame after reading this superb book. The research is top notch. So many things I never read about before. The Werwolf was a very active guerrilla organization that refused to bow down to the enemies of the Reich. After reading this book you will be forced to admit that the Werwolf was the most underated guerrilla oranization in history. But finally a true historian from the old school has come forward to tell the simple truth. The fantical followers of Hitler refused to give up. They retreated into the woods and mountains of Holy Reich and waged war on the enemy for YEARS after the fall of Berlin and the death of Der Fuehrer. A must read for anyone interested in untold tales of World War II. Inspiring. After you read it you will want to form your own Werewolf unit and continue the Struggle. 88!

As WW2 came to a close, the Third Reich established the "Werwolf" guerilla movement for defense against the Allied invasion of Germany. This book discusses the establishment of the Werwolf, and covers a long series of their exploits: sabotage, sniping at allied troops, and leaving behind poisoned liquor for the Russians. A young HJ member's valiant retaliation against a Russian officer who accosted his sister is discussed, along with the further crimes the Red Army perpetrated in response. The famous last-ditch Alpine Redoubt is covered in detail.

This book also discusses the significant differences in attitude toward the Allied invasion in different districts of Germany. The fate of ethnic Germans living in Alsace, Malmedy, Poland, and the Sudetenland receives a considerable amount of attention.

The book can become rather depressing at times, because of the utter hopelessness of the war at this point, and the attrocities commited against German civilians and POWs by the Allies. However, it remains a very compelling tale none the less. I highly recommend the book.

I think that it would be very hard to classify this as a picture book. The text is truly tremendous and the accompanying illustrations were excellent.
I certainly look forward to collecting the books in this Time-Life series.

This is one of those rare books which explores both the micro and macro of the period. It discusses the major historical events of the time in great detail. But it also paints a picture of everyday life of the common man/woman. The information is abundant and accompanied with vivid graphical representations which aid in learning about this place and time in history.

This is a very touching book. I highly recommend it for it isso educational for all to learn what wars are all about. Some werevery lucky to return home to their families and some weren'tso lucky.I can't even imagine experiencing anything like this for it was such an ordeal for Forrest to go through.He must have had so much faith in God and prayed that he would not be executed so that he could return home to his family.To this day Forrest has nightmares about his ordeal being shot down and living like he did in prison for I'am his daughter. He has lived in agony with his injuries from being shot down but he continues on going with what life has to offer.Please read this book and believe me when I tell you that once you start reading it that you won't be able to put it down until you finish it.It will make you think.

CAN'T EVEN EXPLAIN IT, AN AWESOME BOOK!! I STILL CAN'T BE BELIEVE THAT GRANDFATHER ACTUALLY ENDURED ALL THAT!!!

The White Guns is a story of officers and men of the Royal Navy at the end of World War II in Europe and how they deal with people who the day before were deepest enemies and now are a mass of destitute survivors. It is a story of men in transition and how they deal with the changes they face. Some adjust quite well, others are still fighting the war. It is a view of Germany, at the end of World War II that many Americans never saw; bombed out streets, mothers and wives huddled at the train station waiting for trains coming in from the East that might have a few survivors from the Eastern Front aboard. Faded photos on a notice board in the station and pleas for information. It is a strange world for the men of the Royal Navy assigned to Northern Germany. There is humor, tragedy and drama; but there is also hope for the survivors on both sides of the lines of World War II. A book well worth reading. This review is based on the book of the same name.

I am an avid fan of Reeman's WWII novels dealing with the heroics of British seamen in sea battles. However, the sea action, althought exciting and easy to read, usually dominates his books with too little development of his characters. In this book, which begins with the end of WWII, the guns have stopped firing. As Fraulein Geghin, a German civilian, says to her lover, British naval officer Lt. Marriott, the protagonist in this book, when a British vessel passes them: "Look at her guns. All white...the snow. They do not look so dangerous any more. He replied. "I know." This book is about the uneasy calm after the war as the conquering naval heroes now must confront the problems of a vanquished foe. Reeman intertwines several interesting personal stories-including a tender love story about Geghin and Marriott, blackmarket activities, a confrontation between the British and the Russians about dealing with the Germans, several close calls at sea-all against the backdrop of clearing up the wrecked vessels in an around the German port of Kiel. The cessation of hostilities allows Reeman room to dwell upon and develop his characters and make them and their individual stories interesting. Unlike the usual battle dominated books by Reeman, this one presents a literary slice of what it must have really been like in the first days after the war ended when the victors met their defeated enemy on the latter's soil.

This book is extremely well researched. Its what you might expect from a professor. It is better documented than Rise and Fall of the Third Reich that is considered the Bible on the subject but is shorter in length. Some of the intricate details however seem dubious, such as, the reference to the Soviet autopsy report on Hitlers body that states that Hitler had only one testicle. I don't doubt that the Soviets wrote such but there has never been DNA proof that his body was ever identified. As a result of the authors research it does seem to refute the notion that Hitler, in his early years, was a bum with relatively no financial resources compared to others during that period. His book is nevertheless spellbinding for those in search of Why Hitler, the high school dropout, rose to lead a nation with 12 Nobel Prise winners in Berlin and the worlds greatest opera, a nation that was elitist by any standard.

"Reasonably happy and prosperous people", Mitcham notes at the outset, "regardless of nationality, do not elect extremists like Hitler to high office in normal times".
Normal times were but a memory to the hard-pressed Germans, with economic chaos, daily political violence, and an inept government which compounded their misery. Into this political maelstrom strode Hitler, with plausible answers - and hope.
Mitcham's very readable history makes it clear that the advent of Hitlerism was the product of a particular set of circumstances; not so mysterious, and not so unusual as to rule out the possibility that another desperate people might risk dancing with the Devil.

(The "score" rating is an ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)