Book Club of War

  The fantastic thing I find about reading books on war is the surprising stories.   The ones that capture you.   The human side of war but intertwined with daring operations that might not be that well known. Foursquare: The Last Parachutist does not disappoint.   This is a story of the authors family, a story of a grandfather and grandson.    This is a story about bravery, about resourcefulness, about loss, about patriotism and about resistance in Czechoslovakia. This is a story of a Czech family, cousins that came to England to fight the war.   To contribute, to make a difference in freeing their country and Europe from the Nazis. In 1938 Jaroslav and Josef Bublik came to England and became part of the Czech intelligence service.    Both tied through family and both to play a significant contribution to the war.   Jaroslav trained parachutist to go back into their country whilst Josef was one of the first to be dropped.   The story captures one of the most daring actions of th

  When a book grabs you within the first 20 pages and you cannot put it down you know your onto a winner. In SAS Ghost Patrol the author Damien Lewis guides the reader through a breath taking, daring do, true story adventure of bravery, ingenuity, courage, and tragedy. This is the story of Captain Herbert Cecil Brook M.C and his ultra-secret deception force.   They are to attempt one of the most audacious top-secret raids of 2 World War.   The force was to drive 100s miles without support to bluff their way into Nazi stronghold.   This raid was a desperate attempt to change the tide of axis victories in the desert. This is a story of mavericks, of brave men on a suicidal mission, of deceit and the stuff that legends are made off. In Damien Lewis writing you do not get time to breath.    The fast-paced action and the constant urge to know what happens next keeps the pages turning. The research is masterful drawing you into each soldier’s story.   There are twists and turns but w

  Books of World War 2 fiction sometimes get frowned upon.   I have read quotes such as “Why write fiction when the facts are so fascinating” “World War 2 books of fiction do not have the intrigue and suspense of the non-fiction books”. ‘When Darkness Comes’ dispels all those myths and so much more. This is a story of three lives intertwined within the World War 2, based in Paris in 1942.   This story is about hope, about courage, about conviction, about love and about the humanity of helping other people. Together these three people hide Jewish refugees, giving them new identities and leading them to safety.    They appear almost invincible in their efforts, overcoming obstacles, defying danger until an innocent old man, walking his dog, notices something out of the ordinary, a coincidental action that has far reaching consequences. The author John Anthony Miller has created a power force of a book in ‘When Darkness Comes’.   The writing is well researched with well-crafted char

  Who does not like to read stories of spying, intrigue, deception and of intelligence operations so subtle that those being spied upon didn’t even know it was happening? In The Walls Have Ears, the author, Dr Helen Fry uncovers the fascinating world of MI6 operations during 2 World War and how “bugging operations” and “interrogation techniques” glean information from prisoners that it could be argued shortened the war. This book concentrates on the leadership of one man, Thomas Kendrick, whose story itself is fascinating and the impact on the work he did setting up the listening and bugging M-Rooms.    It is full of detailed analysis of the operations, the individuals involved and the conversations that were heard. The British war time intelligence operations were remarkable in many ways and there is still much that is not known about what, when why and how and the impact it had.   Dr Helen Fry has undertaken meticulous research into released files and information, to piece to