Popular World War II history, perhaps more popular than necessary.
Another history of the liberation of Paris.
Paris was taken by the Wehrmacht in 1940 and then taken back in 1944. Military historians have covered this ground in countless books, and this one is a middling entry in the genre. Best known as the co-author of the bestselling Killing series with Bill O’Reilly, journalist Dugard—who has also authored books on Christopher Columbus, Capt. James Cook, and others—delivers another breathless historical narrative that will find a receptive audience among fans of Dugard and the O’Reilly series. Despite the book’s title, there was no epic battle for Paris. In 1940, the French declared it an open city, so the Wehrmacht moved in without a fight and withdrew, four years later, without defending it. Dugard opens with the German invasion on May 10, 1940, which ended in the French surrender. Then he delivers a vivid yet scattershot history of the war in Europe (the Russian front receives a rare mention), with a heavy emphasis on France and ending with 20 pages recounting the liberation of Paris on Aug. 25, 1944. Appropriately, the author gives Charles de Gaulle a major role and devotes several chapters to the little-known Battle of Bir Hakeim, the valiant defense of a North African desert outpost by Free French troops in 1942. Writing for a broad audience, Dugard inevitably devotes far too much space to the French Resistance, the heroics of suffering of which were not matched by their contributions to victory. As a more “in-depth” work, Dugard recommends the modestly deep 1965 bestseller Is Paris Burning? by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre. Far better are Lloyd Clark’s Blitzkrieg (2016), which focuses on the 1940 French defeat, and Jean Edward Smith’s The Liberation of Paris (2019), an instructive look at the political calculations of the Allies.
Popular World War II history, perhaps more popular than necessary.Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-18308-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Dutton Caliber
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
The Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist (1900–45) collected his work from WWII in two bestselling volumes, this second published in 1944, a year before Pyle was killed by a sniper’s bullet on Okinawa. In his fine introduction to this new edition, G. Kurt Piehler (History/Univ. of Tennessee at Knoxville) celebrates Pyle’s “dense, descriptive style” and his unusual feel for the quotidian GI experience—a personal and human side to war left out of reporting on generals and their strategies. Though Piehler’s reminder about wartime censorship seems beside the point, his biographical context—Pyle was escaping a troubled marriage—is valuable. Kirkus, at the time, noted the hoopla over Pyle (Pulitzer, hugely popular syndicated column, BOMC hype) and decided it was all worth it: “the book doesn’t let the reader down.” Pyle, of course, captures “the human qualities” of men in combat, but he also provides “an extraordinary sense of the scope of the European war fronts, the variety of services involved, the men and their officers.” Despite Piehler’s current argument that Pyle ignored much of the war (particularly the seamier stuff), Kirkus in 1944 marveled at how much he was able to cover. Back then, we thought, “here’s a book that needs no selling.” Nowadays, a firm push might be needed to renew interest in this classic of modern journalism.
Pub Date: April 26, 2001
ISBN: 0-8032-8768-2
Page Count: 513
Publisher: Univ. of Nebraska
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2001
A rousing, suspenseful adventure tale.
A harrowing expedition to Antarctica, recounted by Departures senior features editor Sancton, who has reported from every continent on the planet.
On Aug. 16, 1897, the steam whaler Belgica set off from Belgium with young Adrien de Gerlache as commandant. Thus begins Sancton’s riveting history of exploration, ingenuity, and survival. The commandant’s inexperienced, often unruly crew, half non-Belgian, included scientists, a rookie engineer, and first mate Roald Amundsen, who would later become a celebrated polar explorer. After loading a half ton of explosive tonite, the ship set sail with 23 crew members and two cats. In Rio de Janeiro, they were joined by Dr. Frederick Cook, a young, shameless huckster who had accompanied Robert Peary as a surgeon and ethnologist on an expedition to northern Greenland. In Punta Arenas, four seamen were removed for insubordination, and rats snuck onboard. In Tierra del Fuego, the ship ran aground for a while. Sancton evokes a calm anxiety as he chronicles the ship’s journey south. On Jan. 19, 1898, near the South Shetland Islands, the crew spotted the first icebergs. Rough waves swept someone overboard. Days later, they saw Antarctica in the distance. Glory was “finally within reach.” The author describes the discovery and naming of new lands and the work of the scientists gathering specimens. The ship continued through a perilous, ice-littered sea, as the commandant was anxious to reach a record-setting latitude. On March 6, the Belgica became icebound. The crew did everything they could to prepare for a dark, below-freezing winter, but they were wracked with despair, suffering headaches, insomnia, dizziness, and later, madness—all vividly capture by Sancton. The sun returned on July 22, and by March 1899, they were able to escape the ice. With a cast of intriguing characters and drama galore, this history reads like fiction and will thrill fans of Endurance and In the Kingdom of Ice.
A rousing, suspenseful adventure tale.Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-984824-33-2
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Jan. 29, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
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