An interesting account of the Looting of Europes Treasure Houses.

Hitler didn't limit himself to seizing political control in Europe, he embarked on a program to loot the continent's greatest art collection, and at war's end many of these relics disappeared. This is the first U.S. publication of a 1999 English expose which received critical acclaim, and provides an update on the looting of Europe and victims' attempts to reclaim the art works. Essential for any student of Nazi history.

This book is a must-have for serious collectors, researchers, and re-enactors of British and Canadian WWII British airborne forces. It is also great for veterans of 6 AB Division to rememebr, and to show their family and friends.

1 Canadian Parachute Battalion, which is my special interest, was in 3 Parachute Brigade of 6 Airborne Division.

The 6th Airborne Division went into battle on D-Day, June 5/6 1944 on the far left flank of the invasion. They captured what became known as Pegasus Bridge and Merville Battery. They then held their positions against German counter-attacks. The Commandos who landed by sea eventually linked up with the airborne.

They next went into battle Dec. 1944 in the Battle of the Bulge as they were rushed over by sea and land to help stop the german breakthrough of the American lines in the Ardennes in Belgium.

In March 1945 they parachuted into Germany on Operation Varsity (with US airborne troops alongside them) and then force their way in a long march across Germany to Wismar, where they met and stopped the Soviet advance.

They were NOT at Arnhem - that was 1 AB Division, but the equipment and markings on vehicles was identical.

LOTS of wonderful photos showing jeeps, gliders, 75 mm pack howitzers etc.

I always admired this book in a friend's collection and finally in 2002 I went and acquired it through Amazon.com. It was worth the price.

I have been a long time collector and researcher involved in studying this airborne history, and I had friends who served in the 6 AB Division in WWII. One of them. Pte. Cliff Douglas, 1 CPB, even shows up in one of the photos in the book!

My only complaint about this book is it should have been written as a series of 3 or 4 books. There's is a ton of info in the book, though sometimes it gets a bit overwhelming (especially in the first few chapters).

Lots of information that I never knew, even though this is a subject I love to read up on. The author is able to keep all the info interesting and exciting to read. Lost a lot of sleep by staying up too lake on worknights reading this darned book. :)

A great read for those just getting into terrorism / counterterrorism research, or for the old pros.

To dive right into it: this is a must-have space filling object in the already-read-and-want-to-read-again-department of your bookcase when you're the slightest bit interested in counterterrorism. This book provides a excellent overview of 30 years of terrorism and counterterrorism, worldwide. Although in my opinion too concise in certain points, and the chapters 1 to 3 are 'guilty' of this because of their dry summary of (practically) every terrorist act in these past 30 years (my advice: don't read these chapters consecutively in one day), the overview is detailed, extensive and complete. Especially the chapters regarding to some of the most important counterterrorist operations (for example the raid on Entebbe, and the assault of the Iranian Embassy in London, as well as thirty years of activities in Northern Ireland) are very interesting and may give some new information to the relative layman. These chapters also puts the motives for the terrorists and their acts in a historical point of view, which provides a better comprehension of these acts. And to top it all, I've learned about counterterrorist units I didn't know existed (for example the American ISA or the French 29SA)....... and I have read quite a few books on the subject.

Beside chapters 1-3, the last minor downside in this book is the overextensive attention drawn to the invasion of Grenada by the US military in 1983. Although the counterterrorist units Delta Force and SEAL Team 6 were involved, this operation can not be considered a counterterrorist operation; the use of the word 'invasion' was deliberate. Even the writer points this out after the story about the operation. These cost the book its fifth point, but just marginally so.

Again, for any one interested in the suject: you must have this book as a referncebook, but better to read it; once you have started in this very good read, it's difficult to close it..... and you just get motivated to know more. The world feels just a bitter saver just for knowing the contents of this book.

I really wanted to give this book a "No Star" if I could. Even though I haven't been able to read this book (not yet released until April 2003) but, fairly speaking and by the historical facts, the author makes a big mistake by mixing up Ho Chi Minh with Osmar Bin Laden. These two men are totally different in many ways: backgrounds, personalties, idealogies, goals, and methods etc.. In my opinion, the author is trying to make his book more marketable by bringing in the controversial name of Ho Chi Minh (haunting name to American public). However, for critical-oriented minds, it is a dirty trick that will be back fired like the first two words of the title of this book: "Fighting Dirty."

Peter Harclerode, a historian of special forces, presents the simple-minded anti-communist version of history to try to justify the appalling story of state terrorism that he tells here.

He writes, 'The Soviet Union and China ' turned to pursue their own ambitions which, along with those of emerging nationalist movements, posed new global threats during the late 1940s and early 1950s by supporting revolution, insurrection and ultimately war in Eastern Europe, the Baltic, the Balkans, Indochina, Malaya and Korea.' The special forces operated in the British and French empires, or in countries where progressive forces had taken power. The special forces waged counter-revolutionary, aggressive wars, supporting empires and capitalism, against national liberation struggles.

Harclerode gives detailed accounts of wars in Eastern Europe and the Baltic states 1947-56, Albania 1949-54, Indochina 1950-54, Malaya 1948-58, Korea 1950-53, Algeria 1954-62, Borneo 1962-66, Tibet 1956-74, Oman 1958-76, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos 1954-71, and Afghanistan 1979-2001. He omits the CIA operations in Hungary, Angola, Kenya, Jamaica, Cuba and Nicaragua.

The CIA and MI6 operated in Eastern Europe, the SAS in the Empire. France's Action Service operated in France's empire in Indochina and Algeria. The CIA fought the USA's secret war in Tibet, which has always been part of China. A CIA unit, the Saigon Military Mission, organised terrorism in Vietnam and Laos, breaking the Geneva Accords.

The CIA and MI6 started funding, arming and training terrorists to attack the progressive government in Afghanistan six months before the Soviet Union sent forces to defend the government. These terrorists later went to the USA, Algeria, Bosnia and Chechnya.

The US and British states consistently built up terrorists like bin Laden, to fight national liberation struggles led by people like Ho Chi Minh. But the terrorists, like the special forces, were expendable. As the US Director of Central Intelligence, Admiral Turner, said, 'it was permissible to use other people's lives for the geopolitical interests of the US.'

A great revolutionary wrote, 'To die for the people in weightier than Mount Tai, but to work for the fascists and for the exploiters and oppressors is lighter than a feather.'