The title of this book: *Counterfeit Hero Fritz Duquesne, Adventurer and Spy* describes the incredible life of Frederick (Fritz) Joubert Duquesne (pronounced Doo-Cain). Fritz as his friends called him, was a bon vivant , stockbroker, prisoner of war, womanizer, confidence man, reporter, novelist, African hunting adviser to Teddy Roosevelt, and publicist for Joseph P. Kennedy's movie company, and above all, spy or saboteur for the Germans in both world wars. This is an exciting book that was painstakingly researched by the author Art Ronnie. Ronnie presents the reader with a depiction of a complex man of many facets.

The Boar war in South Africa was the contorting factor in Fritz Duquesne adventurous life and explains his Anglophobia. His Boar patriotism lead to his "forty-year career as a professional spy and a counterfeit hero-a man who would constantly reinvent himself to suit the needs of the moment." He was always living on the edge of destruction. Never holding a steady job for long and invariably needing money. He lived by wits alone to survive in the nebulous world of espionage.

Fritz always, despite lack of money, liked to associate and recount Münchausen adventures with the socially elite in his travels around the world. Both friend and foe have attested to his skill as a raconteur. Yet, there was always some truth in what he recounted. That is the main problem with this book, trying to separate fact from fiction.

Thankfully, the author, Art Ronnie, serves as a guide through a chaotic quagmire of lies and deceit that had been promulgated by Fritz and his friends. The author engages the reader with information and then carefully evaluates it and gives his opinion when there are not any corroborating facts. Conversely, when supporting facts refutes statements given by participants, the author is quick to give correct assessments to the narrative.

The real Fritz Duquesne harbored a hatred of England that caused him to offer his services as spy and saboteur to Imperial Germany during the first world war. There is solid evidence that Fritz and a group of saboteurs were responsible for the destruction of the British merchant ship Tennyson. On 21 February 1916 an explosion and fire in the hold of that ship caused the death of three sailors and beached the ship. There is inferential evidence that he was the prime leader in other acts of German espionage and sabotage against England in South America from 1914 to 1916.

British Intelligence, after the Tennyson sabotage, were always trying to capture or have Fritz extradited to England. In order to elude the British, he retured to the United States in May 1916 to join his wife in New York. The United States at this time was neutral, and Fritz believed he would have a better chance in American courts of excaping extradition if he was discovered. He was later arrested by New York police masquerading as an Australian Captain lecturing on the Great War. He was eventually successful in excaping extradition to England by faking insanity then paralysis, and finally escaping from Bellevue hospital to freedom.

In 1935, Fritz Duquesne, 58 years old, (living in New York) was recruited by Major Nikolaus Ritter of the German Abwehr (military intelligence) for espionage against the United States and Britain. Fritz was eventually apprehended and prosecuted along with other members of the largest espionage ring (1940-41) in the history of the United States. The information that Fritz passed to the Nazis can best be recounted by Admiral Wilhelm Canaris (Chief of Geman military intelligence) who said that Duquesne:

'delivered valuable reports and important technical materials in the original, including U.S. gas masks, radio control apparatus, leakproof fuel tanks, television instruments, small bombs for airplanes, various airplanes, air separators, and propeller-driving mechanisms.'

There is a minor error in the factural information that Ronnie presents on pages 270-271 about Fritz's use of invisible ink. The author states that "Invisible ink was a great favorite. He used wax paper instead of carbon paper to type out secret messages. Dusting what appeared to be blank wax paper with graphite brought out the message." Delete the word "wax" between blank and paper corrects the sentence. Fritz used ordinary wax paper, as a carbon, that is purchased from grocery stores to wrap food. There are other minor errors in the book but they do not detract from an excellent job of research and exposition.

The sad part of this narrative is the incarceration of Fritz in 1942 at the age of 65 in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in Kansas. He was mistreated and beaten by other inmates. He was eventually released (last member of the Ritter spy ring) because of deteriorating health on 19 September 1954. He arrived in New York only to die indigent at age 79 on 24 May 1956 at City hospital on Welfare Island. The author Art Ronnie sums it up when he says: "He was no hero, but his incredible life encompassing bizarre exploits of drama, danger,and adventure few people are privileged to live."

The book has an excellent bibliography with primary sources and should be in everyones library of espionage books of World War 11.

Taylor concentrates on the influence Germans divided history and expansion into Slavic areas had on their actions toward other nations. Not everyone will like his thesis, but it deserves a hearing. The book, which was long out of print, is well written, making it a pleasure to read.

This book has, since it was first published in German in 1986, become the classic on the subject of medieval courtly society and its expression in the literature we all are familiar with, i.e. mainly the arthurian romance. The book deals with all aspects of the courtly life, gives every possible background information and is also a great source for own research, since it draws its information from every imaginable source. On top of that it is well written and a pleasure to read. As a medieval historian I highly recommend this book to anybody who has a professional or private interest in the culture of the middle ages.

I read this book about 6 years ago when I was still in college. I bought it for a quarter at a fund raising book sale the english dept had put together. Always interested in history, particularly WWII, I found I couldn't put this book down. Written in a style which can be enjoyed by academics and casual readers both, the book gives insight into the little known capitalistic aspects of the holocaust. I, for one, was well read on WWII but knew nothing of the gross injustices of the private sector in regards to the Holocaust. Especially, surprising was learning that some concertration camps were built and run not by Nazis but by a privately owned corporation.
Truly an intense and eye-opening read.

Mr Arnold combines good Historical accuracy with a very pleasant writing style. The narrative provides a good balance between strategic/grand tactics events, and small unit combat details.

On the large picture, Mr Arnold tries to analyse the decisions taken by the commanders with the information they had at the moment, not with the hindsight historians usually use to criticise great commanders. This is a refreshing way of seing the command-decision aspect that fascinates so many.

On the detail side, the book provides several minor actions taken by units from both opponent armies. For once, one does not feel that the author based his book exclusively on sources from one side.

There is only a little fault, probably a lapse: the maps are not numbered, although all text references made to them are! A minor problem, that I solved quickly with a pencil.

The book is a pleasure to read and highly recommended. Maybe somewhat less biased that Petre's, and much easier to read. With Scott-Bowden's book (for the organisation details) and Esposito's book (for the maps), you'll have everything you'll ever need to reproduce a full wargame of the campaign.

Ask almost anyone what the worst maritime disaster of all time was and you're likley to hear: the Titanic, the Lusitania, the Andrea Doria. Follow up that question with: "Have you ever heard of the "Wilhelm Gustloff"? and you'll mostly hear, "no". Yet the sinking of the Gustloff in the Baltic in 1945 killed at least 6000-five times the death toll of the Titanic! Cruelest Night chronicles the horrific events before, during and after the sinking of the refugee ship. It is a heart-wrenching tale of despair and cruel fate. Read it.

Written before september 11, I probably wouldn't have noticed that book, if I hadn't to do some pouring into concepts of political culture.
And then this book astonished me!

It explains the actual political cultures of Germany und Japan and offers ways of understanding the concept of political culture as such. And it is superb in its explanations - and it's thesis proves to be very good if one looks at actual German-American discussions!

As a German, I warmly encourage this book to all people who are interested to understand Germany and Japan in the present!

dr neiper will always be remebered to me as a true hero in alternative medicine! my spouse has multiple sclerosis and without his works, she would be alot worse off today! his findings stunned the american fda and they forbade him entrance into the U.S. because his cures were not approved by our ever protecting FDA. what is the FDA protecting us from? getting well? Thank you Dr.Neiper for your books,writings, and for helping my spouse!

I have read Dangerous Luck by David Makow twice now, and both times I was unable to put it down. Dangerous Luck is a story of a young Jewish man's perseverance and ingenuity in war torn Poland. It was a time when the Nazi war machine was rolling across Europe and millions of innocent people were being murdered and shipped off to face the atrocities of concentation camps. Being Jewish this young man was forced to change his identity, hide his religion,separate fron his parents and live with the fact that discovery could mean death. Dangerous Luck is a fascinating easy to read account of survival during the Holocaust and a man's deterimination to forge ahead, educate himself and obtain a better life.

At my high school, this story was on a literature reading list. It's the biography of a German girl who helps victims of a concentration camp during World War II. I found this book extremely moving. Highly recommended.