Book Club of War

  The Psychiatrist – John West   This is a truly gripping book.  It weaves together brilliant research, a deep understanding of World War 2 and a half-told memoir into a fantastic fact-based novel.  Inspired by a true story. Eric West wanted to put World War 2 behind him.  So why, After a lifetime of helping and healing others, did psychiatrist, Dr Eric West, decide to revisit the scenes of his worst nightmares? He never wanted to talk about the debacle at Dunkirk.  he never wanted to relive the retreat from Cassel in 1940 and his capture at the hands of the occupying German forces. He wanted to blank out the horror of that journey to the POW camp deep in the heart of Easter Europe and the subsequent four years of his life where, along with other Dunkirk veterans, he was incarcerated and brutally used as a forced slave labourer for the Third Reich. He never spoke about his Long march Home in the winter of 1945.  In ‘The Psychiatrist’ the autho...

  As the interest in World War 2 continues to flower.   People begin to realise it is far more than battles and tactics and some of the more fascinating stories are the personal stories, the individuals from all nations and how they contributed to this worldwide conflict. In Moro Warrior, the author, Thomas McKenna has captured a truly remarkable story of a Philippine Chieftain, an American School Master, and the remarkable story of resistance fighters in the Pacific. Remarkable is a great word to use with this book.    It is a story of friendship, of tragedy, of differing cultures.     Though it is a story of war it is far more than that, it captures at its heart the human nature of war and how friendships are developed. The author has obviously undertaken immense detailed research and that is reflected in the passionate writing that weaves a stunning story from start to finish.   What I really loved was that this is a narrative history, not onl...

  A confession, as an adult I have never read a graphic novel or book.   As a child these would be known as comics. This graphic memoir/book is NOT a comic.  It is a story of a journey.  With The English GI – A World War II Graphic memoir of a Yorkshire Schoolboy’ Adventures in the United States and Europe the author Jonathan Sandler expertly tells the story of his grandfather Bernard Sandler, and his journey from Leeds to America to Europe and back again. This is an adventure story, a love story, a story of a journey of finding yourself. It is emotional, it is exciting, and it really grips you. “Stranded in New York, Bernard must grow up quickly. He discovers the pleasures of Broadway and Jazz and is finding his independence when the United States declares war in 1941. Bernard is drafted into the US Army, joining the 26 th Yankee Division. He returns to Europe to serve on the front line alongside General Patton’s Third Army". The format works really well and ...

  One of the many interesting discussions I have been involved in of late has been about the writing and recording of combat experiences and how reliable or not those accounts are. Some of the first books we all read on the wars is those of soldiers, sailors and airmen and their personal experiences, their involvement in war, what they saw and felt.   We get drawn in by the excitement, heroism, action, and outcomes. A lot of time we have read these in isolation without being able to share with others that have our interest and without understanding the wider context. In some ways that comes with age and experience. Social Media has enabled people from all over the world to come together and discuss all aspects of war and the question of “Reconstructing and Recording combat experiences in World War 1 and Second World War” keeps coming to the fore. As we understand more, we start to question the evidence in front of us. We start to understand how these accounts are written a...

  To be an independent writer and self-publish a book is a very special thing to do and I will always support authors that do this. In Frank Speaking – from Suvla to Schweidnitz the author Carole Hope has done an exceptional job is transcribing the memoirs of Frank Laird. Frank Morrow Laird wrote the memoir of his experiences during the First World War but due to his death in 1925 it remained unfinished.   The memoir has humour, sadness, and thoughts and memories of those he served with. The memoir runs from July 1914 and follows Franks journey from the call to arms through his experiences in the trenches where he was wounded three times to being captured and made a prisoner of war to his last entry in November 1918. Franks Journey takes him from Dublin, Ireland, and officer training to serving across England and then to Gallipoli where his description of the fighting brings home the emotions and reality of battle.   Wounded, he is returned to England, marries, an...

  The brilliant thing with this book is how easy it is to read.    A really beautiful flow of words with a plot that is easy to follow. Out of the Desert: Danger Close… is book one in the wings of victory series.   It starts in 1940 in Egypt and follows the story of a young ambitious Royal Air Force pilot Peter Denhay who is posted to an operational bomber squadron at the start of a major Italian offensive into Egypt. This is a story of relationships, of suspicion that there is a double agent operating in their midst, of intelligence and of the XXI squadron and their battles though Egypt, Create and mainland Greece. The intensity of the last air battle leaves you breathless, you live the fight through these brilliant characters. The author Tom Walker has written a brilliant part one to the series.   His writing is detailed but with a real pace in the story.   He has captured a real part of history that is well researched and woven a fantastic fictiona...

  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.   T...

  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. ...

  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 rese...

  Here is the thing, the war in Afghanistan was and is very real.   A war of our time and with social media and 24-hour news you can have all the information you could ever need.   But what that does not give you is the reality of what is required, to be a part of that war on many levels. Apache by Ed Macy is one man’s story, a story of a man who thought his career was over through injury, who seized another opportunity to serve in the Army Air Corps flying one of the most technically advanced helicopters in the world.  The author takes you through what is needed to be the best of the best and to fly the Westland Apache AH MK1 from training and testing and all the anxiety that entails to the brutality and stress of making decisions in a war environment culminating in an astonishing mission.   For those that have not read the book I will not spoil that. This is a book about reality.  This is not a chest out, banging, I am a warrior type of boo...

Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives is a fascinating book in many ways. I must admit I have a bit of a thing for Monty or to give him his full title:   Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC, DL.  Having read his autobiography, and yes some of it you must step back from, I find him a complex interesting person who lived an interesting live. Of Rommel or General Field Marshall Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel I know less but an intriguing character all the same.  In this book Peter Caddick-Adams draws together the comparative biographies, into one book of each of these key generals from 2 World War.   The author explores the lives of both Monty and Rommel from their upbringing and experiences in The Great War, to their personal development in the interwar years and their impact in 2 World War.  The parallel lives they lead and their differing and similar philosophies.  These two m...

  Hay-on-Wye - A books lovers hell (in the nicest possible way) Where to start.  I had an opportunity to visit Hay-on-Wye, the home of books.  For those that do not know Hay, it is a small town in Wales but right on the border with England.   In the 1960s it established itself as the UKs book capital and holds a famous annual book festival.   The town has over 20 book shops and various other places you can buy books.  You can literally buy books on any and every subject there is. That’s where the problem starts. As an avid reader, and yes, I read books on a wide range of subjects apart from military history, this trip was going to be a treat, a proper day of browsing, thinking, and wandering.  The mistake I made was not sticking to the plan I set for myself. I knew I was in trouble immediately I stepped into the first shop.   I counted 17 shelves of books on 2 World War and add the 15 shelves on 1 World War and you can see where ...

  Above Us, The Stars tells of the stories of the airmen of 10 Squadron Bomber Command, flying Halifax Bombers in the Second World War.  It tells the stories of those that flew, those that made it back, and those that made the ultimate sacrifice whilst undertaking missions over German and the constant fear of death that comes with these missions.  It also gives a new perspective about how those missions impacted upon civilians in Germany and how that affected the airmen. It tells not only of the missions themselves but brilliantly captures the human stories behind the aircraft, of how families coped and intertwines those family stories with the story of Flt Sgt John Clyde DFM,  a 20-year-old wireless operator and how it affected him and his family. Jane Gulliford Lowes beautifully captures the atmosphere and feeling of what these brave airmen and their families had to deal with throughout the war.   The book gives you a real feel o...

  Sicily '43 was this week released in paperback and does not disappoint.  The author James Holland captures not only the detail of the operation and gets inside the planning, preparation an execution but interweaves the stories of great leaders and soldiers on the ground, never letting one have more importance than the other.   The book  allows you to follow the operation through its brilliant story telling balancing excellent detail with the excitement of battles on the ground and the human stories that they involve. Using his extensive experience, first and second hand accounts and brilliant research the author captures the pace of war, at times the frustration of leadership and the shear hair raising feats that took place across these battles.  He does not shy away from showing the horror and desperation of war throughout the book. James Holland conversational writing, married with an eye for detail and the human element of...