Warriors: Extraordinary Tales from the Battlefield: Exceptional Tales from the Battlefield |
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Max Hastings
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Pages: 416 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 000719756X
Pub: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Pub date: 2005-04-04
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 115094
Reader Reviews:
Interesting but questionably written (1/1 people found this helpful)
An interesting book giving potted biographies of a dozen or so individuals who performed acts of conspicuous gallantry.
The book, however, is marred by the author's irritating habit of interpolating his own judgements and opinions rather than leaving the reader to form his own conclusions from the facts as presented.
Fighting at the deep end (10/10 people found this helpful)
A series of books on the wars of the 20th century has established Max Hastings as one of our finest military historians. In this latest volume he turns away from battles and campaigns to consider the people fighting at the 'sharp end', choosing 14 men and one woman as case studies for an analysis of what is to be a warrior. We begin with Baron de Marbot, one of Napoleon's most dashing cavalry officers - the model for Conan Doyle's Brigadier Gerard - and advance through the American Civil War and Victoria's colonial conflicts to the two world wars of the last century, finishing with Vietnam and the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. Not surprisingly, Hastings has no time for the retelling of hoary old myths, so that we discover some unusual and sometimes unpleasant truths about our heroes. Lieutenant John Chard, who led the defence at Rorke's Drift, was notorious for his laziness and lack of military ambition but when the moment came he rose magnificently to the challenge, only to fade into obscurity after the battle. The great bomber pilot and dambuster Guy Gibson was a man of the utmost bravery and yet his arrogance ensured that he was disliked by most who knew him. Nancy Wake, Australian SOE agent in France during the Second World War, was renowned for her steely determination in the most dangerous circumstances, but her flamboyant behaviour could be a danger to those around her; her husband was later arrested and tortured to death by the Gestapo. Hastings is a fine writer and it shows in this page-turner of a book that is both enlightening and entertaining.
warriors (6/17 people found this helpful)
As usual this is another excellent book from Sir Max. Most interesting and very informative for all readers.When you you pick it up you don't want to put it down.Every chapter is all very well written and a great credit to the author,Will always be
ready any more books in the future.
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Categories
Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories:
Books -> Subjects -> Biography -> War & Espionage
Books -> Subjects -> History -> Military History -> Strategy, Tactics & Military Science
Books -> Subjects -> History -> General
Books -> Special Features -> Non-fiction Authors A-Z -> H-I -> Hastings, Max