The Battle of Mortain has been the subject of very limited coverage by military historians. In short, the Battle of Mortain was an example of a dramatic German counterattack that occurred during the closing days of the Normandy Campaign. The German counterattack launched on August 6, 1944, was halted chiefly by the steadfast and brave actions of the US 30th Infantry Division.

Colonel Mark Reardon in his book "Victory at Mortain" details the events of this climatic battle of the Normandy Campaign. Reardon interweaves both operational and strategic events surrounding the battle, but also telescopes down to the personal accounts of German and American soldiers that participated in the battle. Reardon's descriptions of the combat in and around Abbey Blanche and St. Barthelemy are particularly compelling. US Army tank destroyer teams taken initially by surprise by the German counterattack are thrust into a point blank struggle with German Heavy tanks emerging from dense morning fog.

"...When news of the loss of No. 1 gun reached Lieutenant Greene, he decided to shift No. 4 gun to cover that sector. Greene gathered up several men from the nearby No. 3 gun to assist in manhandling the three-inch weapon into position. The TD gunners slowly pushed the gun into position, but its field of fire was so poor that Greene decided to move it again. At the second location, the TD crew found that they could not depress the muzzle far enough to engage several vehicles driving up a sunken trail toward them. The men frantically chopped at the hedgerow but could not bring it to bear in time. Rather than risk capture, the gun crew abandoned their weapon after removing the firing pin.

Meanwhile, the volunteers from the No. 3 gun returned to their own piece only to find that it had been knocked out. Several wounded men lay nearby so the uninjured soldiers helped them to a small hotel in the center of the village. The makeshift stretcher detail arrived moments before a Panther pulled up next to the building. One American was killed when he unsuccessfully tried to knock out the vehicle with a rifle grenade. A medic stuck a rifle with a white bandage tied to its muzzle out the basement window of the hotel. German infantry cleared the unwounded Americans out of the aid station, herding them toward a nearby apple orchard. The wounded and the medics were allowed to remain in the hotel basement.

Greene's No. 2 gun also could not be depressed low enough to engage the infantry and half-tracks moving along a sunken road. The rattle of tank treads on the pavement of the main road, however, alerted the TD crew to the approach of a Panther moving toward the village. Frantically traversing their three-inch gun, the TD crew hit the tank with one round. Trailing a ribbon of black smoke, the panzer continued on before grinding to a halt against the side of a house. A second dark apparition appeared briefly amid the swirling fog, and the gun crew hesitated for a moment before firing. The indistinct shape turned out to be a Panther that opened fire as soon as it spotted the three-inch gun. After putting the No. 2 gun out of action, the Panther also destroyed the half-track parked behind the disabled weapon before continuing into the village..."

The book follows the course of the battle chronologically, with each chapter of "Victory at Mortain" being concluded with a section containing Colonel Reardon's insights and conclusions regarding the key aspects of a particular segment of the battle. An example is of Reardon's conclusions regarding the opening phase of the German counterattack include:

"...Generalleutnant von Luettwitz's lack of aggressiveness ensured, that the Americans defending the northern shoulder were not confronted with a concentrated divisional attack, but battalion and regimental assaults spread over a wide front. The difficulties that plagued Panzer Division 2 stemmed in large part from the passive manner in which LXVII Panzer Korps coordinated the counteroffensive. Rather than take a position on the line of departure, where he could make critical decisions quickly. General der Panzertruppen von Funck contented himself with repeatedly telephoning Hausser to complain about Generalleutnant GrafvonSchwerin.

Preoccupied with emotional matters, von Funck neglected to coordinate a corpswide reconnaissance effort in advance of the counteroffensive that would have detected many of the American defensive positions as well as the gaps between these positions. If XLVII Panzer Korps had conducted preparatory reconnaissance, the counteroffensive might have gained enough momentum to permit the Germans to recuperate from the poorly coordinated opening phase. This course of action, however, presupposes central direction by XLVII Panzer Korps.

With effective command and control by the Germans sorely lacking at division and corps level during the critical opening hours, it is no wonder that elements of five panzer and panzergrenadier divisions failed to overwhelm an under-strength American infantry division. Although the panzers physically occupied the same battlefield, operationally they were unable to provide mutual support for each other. The XLVII Panzer Korps plan did not provide for corpswide artillery coordination, the shifting of forces to exploit success, complementary reconnaissance operations, or maneuver options that permitted one panzer division to enter the sector of another for the purposes of outflanking stubborn defenders. Bound by a rigid concept of operation, the Germans did not exhibit the tactical or operational flexibility required to overcome the 30th Infantry Division on the morning of 7 August..."

"Victory at Mortain" is an excellently researched insight into a here to for relatively obscure, yet critical aspect of the Normandy campaign. Based upon review of the books bibliography it is apparent that Mark Reardon has relied heavily on personal interviews he has conducted with numerous American and German veterans of the Battle. In addition, numerous archival after-action-reports from both German and American combat units were apparently utilized to bring out rare insights into the battle. I would highly recommend Colonel Reardon's work to students of World War II military history.

Mark Reardon's description of The Battle of Mortain is an outstanding contribution to military history. In this comprehensive study of the largest German counterattack in France in World War II, he sets forth the background of this momentus struggle, gives the reader the detail and blow-by-blow of the battle as it raged for six days and then sets forth a thoughtful and fresh analysis of what was important in bringing about the victory of the American forces.

By this work Mark Reardon has not only added significantly to the literature of World War II but has assured for himself a place in the front rank of military historians.

Robert Weiss, author of "Enemy North, South, East, West" soon to be reprinted as "Fire Mission! The Siege at Mortain, Normandy"

I will admit to being drawn to the ominous cover art when browsing AMAZON on line, however, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book was one of the best histories of the crucial Normandy campaign that I have ever read. When comparing it to the US Army official history of that period, BREAKOUT AND PURSUIT, I found that the official version of the Battle of Mortain was replete with errors and omissions regarding both the activities of the Germans and Americans. For instance, the author of the official history did not use the S-3 Journal of the 120th Infantry Regiment, a unit that is arguably the centerpiece of the whole battle. When discussing the German perspective, the official history is even further off base. As one may have surmised, Reardon uses a plethora of primary sources and recently published German accounts. The depth of his research is truly impressive. His style of writing is a curious blend of factual narrative and descriptive prose. It personalizes the events yet Reardon does not sensationalize the ugly face of war, confusion, and death. If you are not familiar with the military, I recommend xeroxing his map key and placing it next to you before reading the book. The military symbols may be confusing for the novice WW2 enthusiast. Great book!!

In this book Neal theorizes about African-American music, examining the link between early 20th century musics and turn-of-the-millenium music. The author shows connections between social developments and the forms of pop music that black Americans developed. The book is interesting both as a survey of some threads of black music and as an overview of historical changes for African-Amercians in our nation.

The linkages between the two-- the music and the social climate-- are supported by a careful analysis of the music, and more often of the lyrics of some well-known composers. Performance styles are given some attention also. However, Neal is selective about examining only those artists whose work supports his theories. Other artists whose work does not fit the schema are generally ignored. In this sense, the book is not exhaustive. That is fine, actually, as the volume is elegantly structured into six digestible chapters. This maintains the momentum of the writing and allows the reader to remain engaged, to avoid being bogged down in minutia.

Neal does a nice job of examining the African-American societies that have emerged during the 20th century. He looks at how different groups of blacks have related with each other, and how the music serves to both mollify and communicate the tensions and connections between the groups. The roles of work, finances, and community are given emphasis in his theories. As such, he focuses mostly on the middle-class, the working-class, and the under-class blacks. Other groups, such as gays or the wealthy (often the artists themselves), receive less attention.

The author does at times surrender to a hair-splitting approach with the concepts. Sometimes his writing becomes entangled, with long, long sentences that are structured so that the reader becomes lost. This occurs primarily in the later chapters. The index given to the book is fairly incomplete, making cross-referencing difficult. To his great credit, Neal tends to hew closely to common language. This makes the book as a whole accessible to a variety of readers. Overall, I found this to be a educational and insightful volume, and recommend it to anyone interested in popular music, African-American cultural studies, or contemporary history.

Books Like This state The Facts of the Importance of Black Music not only in America but also WORLDWIDE.How it has shaped the World at Large.How The Beauty&Tragedy of The Music always keeps your Attention.Black Music Has Influenced everything Period.Rock-Roll was Taboo because it was from Blues,Jazz,Funk to Rap all have been Called Taboo because of The Negro Imput.it Plays Out on Society at Large.The Impact is so Strong that thru out History to this day you Get a Watered Down take of it.From What Little Richard had to Put up with thru Pat Boone among others to What The Jackson 5&New Edition deal with all of these Wack Non-Singing White Boy Bands Cashing in on a Style and Not Respecting it.Jimi Hendrix took it back Home for us as did Michael Jackson.cuz all of The Styles are Ours.Miles Davis was Straight Black with it.Marvin Gaye as well.James Brown among many made Statements Heard around the World that Spoke Volumes About Us Here In The United States.

I think that this book was very well written and focused very well on how the music of the Black community was a reflection of the status of blacks as well as their position. As a former student of Dr. Neal, I have learned that resistance to oppression does not always come from marches and sit-ins, but music itself can be a form of social protest. If you are a student of African-American history, you must have this book for your collection. Buy it now!

I am certain that Mark Twain would be highly amused to read your descriptive title of this collection -- "The Unabridged Mark Twain (Abridged)"

Keep 'em guessing, eh?

Samuel Clemens is one of the greatest American writers ever, and this collection contains most of his best work. It is better than volume II of the collection. I am working my way through the book again for the third time in 15 years. It is worth every penny you will pay for it.

I've been reading Mark Twain for thirty years and always enjoy his sharp, acerbic wit and profound observations. The Unabridged Mark Twain is a collection of some of his best stories and essays dealing with life on the Mississippi River, travels, political commentary and general good fiction. I think one of the hallmarks of a good author is that their writings become timeless and issues pertinent then can be found today. Highly recommended reading.

(...)It is good to see the publisher is now publishing works of finer
detail than the early volumes in this series which tried to cover the
whole of the US Army and others for the whole period of WW II and
other eras. The subject matter is just too vast for such broad
treatment and the tactical and environmental conditions so different
from theatre to theatre.
As to the content I have perused several
works written and or illustrated by Mike Chappell and have found him
to be a sound researcher and a meticulous illustrator. I make it a
point to buy everything he does covering my period of interest, the
Twentieth Century. I have bought almost all of the available works in
his personally published series British Soldier in the Twentieth
Century. I have yet to find a mistake in his work.
As to the
author I have not read much of his work but the table of contents is
thorough and covers a mass of material gleaned from obscure official
histories that never were widely circulated especially the material on
the ETO jacket and other overseas procurements. The major problem with
the soldier's clothing and equipment in the Northern European winter
was the totally inadequate footwear of a flimsy nature compared to the
ammunition boots worn by the British and Canadians and the lack of
warm clothing which due to the amazing progress of the campaign across
France led to overconfidence that the war would be over before the
fall and such clothing would not be needed. So it was not shipped in
mid summer but was left in the US or in Britain. Also the shipping
priorities were such in France that ammunition and fuel for the
vehicles were first.
Though the bombing campaign against the
French railways stalled the majority of the German army in the south
of France from arriving before Normandy and reinforcing the garrison
troops, it was successful to such a degree that the railroads were
useless to the Allies and great quantities of fuel had to be used up
in the famed Red Ball Express trucking system instead of using it for
the attacking forces. Thus the famed Third Army stalled before the
German frontier for lack of fuel. And you cannot drive tracked
vehicles all the way across France without wearing them out.
All
of these factors combined with the worst winter weather in years to
stall the Allies short of clearing the sea approaches to Antwerp where
they could have had access to a major port and the Allied offensive in
the West bogged down until the spring.

This work is a splendid example of the new emphasis of the publisher on producing comprehensive works in a handy cheap format compared with the earlier broad brush treatments which covered too much in too little detail.
The new emphasis is on sets covering various national armed forces in as much detail as is available, consistent with the current purpose of the works in the series, which have evolved from an original emphasis on serving the military miniature maker market into works intended to enlighten the general reader in enough detail to satisfy the merely curious and to point the way to further reading.
Most of us, including myself, have little need for, or the patience to read, voluminous studies, often in foreign languages, covering many eras and nations. My main interest is in the US forces, their allies and their enemies in the twentieth century.
That said, these works should be purchased as presented, in sets within the series. Since they are produced as a set, the volumes cover only relevent parts of the general history and the clothing and individual equipment is covered as it appears in each period. The French Army, US Army, British Army, and Italian Army series all have three volumes, covering the major theatres and time periods of the war. The German set has five.
See my review of part one for more commentary.
If you want an introduction to the fascinating variety of clothing and equipment of the forces covered, this set is for you.

(...)eventhough it's men at arm series which tend to give us only
intrinsic information about particular armed forces, it was
beautifully illustrated and well searched book of this size very
concise and informative.
the biggest reason I purchase this book
is Mr.Chappell's acurate illustration and it is worth of paying
if
you alredy had variuos informations about U.S. Army in WW II,
this
book wouldn't help you any more, yet. if you were a bigginer and a
modeler . it would be a gem

I read this book several times when I was in elementary school. I have children of my own now and I wanted to give them a book I loved as a child. I always loved this book maybe because I have red hair just like Eula Bee. It's a good book to show children how powerful the love between siblings can be.

I enjoyed the book and it wiill be well used in the classroom. I will be teaching the book and am looking forward to seeing my student's reaction to Lewtie and his "responsibility" to Eula Bee at such a young age. As well as the shocking truth of children in captivity in our own country. I am very interested in finding supplemental texts to this book.

I read this book YEARS ago and it still stands out in my memory. It was my favorite book in elementary school and I also bought this for my daughter. It's amazing how what you read as a child can affect your adult life.

This is an interesting, thoughtful, and well written essay on the dynamics of the Holocaust. Roseman's preoccupation is with inferring the processes by which the Nazis ultimately reached the decision to exterminate the Jews of Europe, as opposed to removing Jews from Germany. To a considerable extent, this essay is about historiography as much as the events themselves because there has been considerable debate on this issue among historians of the Holocaust. Roseman analyzes and summarizes a good deal of recent scholarship. He discusses explicitly the role of the notorious Wannsee conference but this is not a detailed discussion of that event, which would be impossible given the scanty documentation available, but uses the Wannsee conference as a hook for his general discussion of the decisions to proceed with extermination. Roseman makes a number of important points. There was no plan for extermination of Jews prior to the War. The Nazis initially wanted to remove Jews from Germany but expulsion seems to have been the preferred method. Several factors seems to have propelled the Nazi decision makers along their murderous path. There is no question that Hitler himself came to prefer extermination. The War itself acted as a radicalizing element. Competition among different sectors of the Nazi state was common and there seems to have been a race to see who could achieve murder the fastest. Finally, Roseman is careful to point out the importance of ideology in the motivations of all the major actors. This was not a group of simple functionaries executing orders blindly. Racist ideologies permeated the Civil Service. An important aspect that Roseman may be overlooking in his discussion of the radicalizing effects of the war is the sense of triumphalism that infected the Nazis. In the winter of 1942, they were the masters of Europe, occupying most of France and the eastern Soviet Union, and controlling the major industrial assets of the continent. Perhaps they felt that anything was possible, including the extermination of the European Jews and other perceived racial enemies. This is a good book but really an extended essay rather than a regular monograph. Perhaps best read by individuals with some knowledge of the Holocaust and its historiography.

This compelling, chilling study reveals how the SS, Nazi Party officials and top Civil Servants of the Third Reich, calmly sat down together to plan the Final Solution - the systematic genocide of the Jewish people from Europe.

Read how these representatives of the Nazi regime, sat drinking cognac & smoking cigars, while calmly and in a businesslike manner, discussing & arranging the ethnic cleansing and genocide of an entire people.

The cold blooded efficiency of the Nazi plan, described here as the Wannsee Protocol, will shock many readers who will see the apparatus of genocide being planned to run like a well machine. A machine that would even proceed to see the commercial utilisation of the victims through their hair, body-fat, teeth etc.. Shocking!

The cruelty and indifference of these officials in debating the forthcoming slaughter is likely to send chills down the spines of many whenever the Jewish people are discussed behind closed doors. This extraordinary book looks in detail at the effective procedures decided upon which aimed to murder every single Jew from Ireland to the Urals & from the Arctic to the Mediterranean. A total of some eleven million Jews. Six million of whom would fall victim to the horrific agenda before the war's end.

The author discusses how the rhetoric and propaganda against the Jews throughout the Third Reich provided a fertile ground to facilitate the operation of the machinery of death which the Nazis chose to implement. The political and social climate having been made ready for when the murder of Jews was regarded as a legitimate means of 'political struggle' to further the Reich. The book also discusses why this meeting was in itself necessary, with the slaughter of the Jews having already started.

Recommended read on the Holocaust.

On the surface, this short, brilliant study deals primarily with the notorious Wannsee Conference of January 1942, at which top Nazi officials decided on crucial modalities of the Holocaust.

But below the surface, the book does much more. The greatest of its many virtues is that it brings us up to date on the the most recent scholarship concerning the whole of the Nazi persecution of Jews, including the historical roots of the policy. But the devil, as always, is in the details. Roseman gives them to us: who did what and when and how. It is the details that tell us how the previously unthinkable -- the cold-blooded murder of six million Jews -- was accomplished by the highly educated elite of the Nazi state.

In the past historians have argued about the precise personal responsibility of Hitler. Some have insisted that this responsibility was overwhelming, others have held that the main motive force came from the workings of the Nazi bureaucracy. Roseman shows that the most recent findings give credence to both factors: without Hitler's very personal involvement, there would have been no Holocaust; nor could it have been carried out without the enthusiastic complicity of hundreds of major Nazi officials.

It is in the nature of this kind of book that it will perhaps be of greatest interest to those who have already read other, more general works, for instance Wistrich's equally brilliant but more introductory "Hitler and the Holocaust." Nevertheless, Roseman's volume can be recommended even to beginners in this area.

Among the facts shown by Roseman that may be new to many readers are the the following: the greatest responsibility for the mass murder, after Hitler, belongs to Heinrich Himmler; the Nazis planned to kill eleven million European Jews, almost twice as many as they ultimatelymore than half of the Holocaust victims perished succeeded in reaching; more than half of the Holocaust victims perished between March 1942 and February 1943; and the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, the titular head of the Arab Palestinians at the time, visited Hitler in November of 1941 and was given assurance by Hitler that he would "solve" the problem of Jews.

I thought that this book was a very good book for people that are looking for some help with the expantion set of warcraft II. It has cheats for the game with lots of hints too. And the solutions for the levels are great. Use this book and you can beat the expantion set.

Not

This book gave me all the details I needed to get through all the scenarios. It's just awesome!

I think at some level this is a book that wants to live in two worlds, Academia, and the New York Times Bestseller List. But to live on the NYTBL, the text must understandable to the lay-reader, and this book is not "Cognitive Science for Dummies." Instead, the majority of this book is an exhaustive taxonomy of conceptual blending and its many parts in dry technical language. As an academic work, it may be brilliant, but I am not qualified to render that judgment. I only wished that while reading it, I had an instructor to go to for clarification. I did not have the background necessary to fully enjoy the intricacies of the subject matter. That said, I am still glad that I read it.

Blending is the capacity to take two mental spaces, and connect them in certain ways such that a blended mental space emerges. What the reader finds in this book is that this sub-conscious mental facility is always at work, and that it is humans' advanced blending operations that in effect separate us from any other species on the planet. It is our heightened ability to blend that gave rise to art, science, and language.

The best thing I took away from this read was a fascinating theory of the origin of language. It is well written and defended with rigorous logic.

It is important to consider who should really read it though. It has potentially profound implications to the poet, the painter, the AI researcher, the philosopher, the teacher, and the parent, but I think one should also consider if they have the basis necessary to really "dig" what is being said here. I didn't, although I reiterate, I am glad I read it. So I guess the prerequisites are one three credit class in Cognitive Studies or Philosophy of Language. Alternatively, the neophyte could survive given the time and fortitude to do the research that will assist in making sense of this book as he goes along.

Last note. If you do decide to read this one, make sure that you divine your own answer to the Buddhist Monk riddle before moving on to the next chapter, no matter how long it takes to achieve the answer. Doing this will really give you "global insight" into the difference between forms understanding and the development of a successful blend.

Conceptual blending, the basis of this book, is basically the ability of the mind to take two different concepts, form a cognitive link between them and produce a third new concept that is a blending together of the first two (very similar to the thesis, antithesis and synthesis concepts). This ability is what has allowed the human species to move beyond simple logic into creative thinking. It is what has allowed us to excel in arts, develop religious thought, create a language and engage in many other activities that required insight and intuitive thinking. "The Way We Think" provides detailed analysis of this blending and how it not only has affected our past but also how it affects us today.

Filled with numerous examples to help the reader understand the nuances of conceptual blending and how it works in various scenarios, it is a fascinating read. This is not easy reading for those who are not at least somewhat knowledgeable in the area of cognitive sciences. I would consider it a very valuable academic text but not for the average lay reader. There are less complex books available on this subject that would make easier reading for the novice but this is one of the best academic level books available if you want a more complete understanding of conceptual blending and how we are able to blend concepts to create new levels of knowledge. A highly recommended read for technical oriented people.

This breakthrough work will gives you a deeper, richer understanding of how your brain thinks, especially how it creates new meanings, new ideas. The book, when combined with an intensely practical, less complicated work, such as Why Didn?t I Think of That? - Think the Unthinkable, can make you a far better, more creative thinker as your mind better blends logical and intuitive thoughts to produce new, genuinely valuable insights.

For anybody who has to do an automated deployment, you're looking for a reference that lays out the technology like a Thomas Guide map - but this title is more like a Chamber of Commerce Tourist Map; it will show you all of the main points of downtown, but not much more and nothing in extreme detail. Within this title, the author attempts to cover automation theory, automated deployment (scripted, sysprep, and RIS), application deployment via GPOs, VBScript, WMI, ADSI and even a mini-course in HTML; All that in a little over 500 pages.

For the automated deployment sections, the book does present accurate information, but similar to how a Cliff Note covers a classic. Microsoft's Windows 2000 Resource Kit contains a 1000 page book called Deployment Planning Guide which covers these technologies deeper, clearer and is a free download from their web site. There is, however, a section within this book that provides general configuration and syntax information for the RIS OS Chooser menus and structure. It's a poorly documented area by Microsoft, and this book does spend a fair amount of time presenting the general information and OSCML tag reference. Again though, the information presented neither covers all the nuances of RIS nor it's OS Chooser menu structure, and there is a free Microsoft White Paper that covers the same material as presented in this title.

Scripting is invaluable to any administrator and well worth the time to learn. The sections in this title dedicated to VBScript, WMI and ADSI will go no further than to show you some of the potential these tools can provide you. To really learn any of these three topics would require a text dedicated to just the single topic.

So although this book would be a good read for someone who needs an introduction to the topic of automated deployment and would like a reference point of where to go next, I don't feel that the title is in-depth enough to allow an administrator to close the cover and start their project. The book has tried to show more information than a single title of this size should, and other resources cover the same information much more in-depth, and many times are free.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a great reference for GPO's and IntelliMrrror technology. A very easy read, that keeps you interested & has a nice logical progression on how to implement these technologies.

Windows 2000 has been out for over 2 years (including the beta). I have been surprised as to how few NT administrators have learned, much less utilized the intense level of scripting automation built into the OS. This book may help turn that corner! After all, nothing can be more mind-numbing that watching a CD-based install. And this tackles that issue, whetting an appetite for "what else can I automate," only to provide step-by-step tools on how to script all of the mundane.

While the book does not advertise scripting at its core (Windows Script Host, ADSI, or WMI), it does an excellent job at covering all important elements of scripting. And it does so in the applied setting of automated deployments and remote administration. Truly a book for elevating the NT Admin into being a "full" Windows 2000 administrator, one who can automate through scripting.