America's Fighting Admirals: Winning the War at Sea in World War II Review

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(More customer reviews)The American naval actions of the second world war were some of the most dramatic in the history of sea warfare, taking place over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans alike with an admiral overseeing each action and battle. The battles are here described from the perspective of American admirals who fought them and comes from a World War II navy veteran who not only covers all major campaigns and admiral leaders, but analyzes strategy and decision-making challenges during battle. Serious World War II military collections, particularly those with strong naval history sections, need AMERICA'S FIGHTING ADMIRALS: WINNING THE WAR AT SEA IN WORLD WAR II.

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A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940 Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been called many things during my 35-year writing career, but not, until now, a "Marxist". I have also learned the overall futility of taking up cudgels in a public forum with a hostile critic, but the reader from Colorado's screed is so bizarrely off the mark that I cannot refrain.
Look, pal, ALL wars have "two sides" to them. Stalin did not simply wake up one morning and announce to the Politburo: "Hey, wouldn't it be fun to invade Finland next week?" Soviet foreign policy was certainly naive, bullying, and disasterously uninformed about outside realities. But from the viewpoint of a Soviet strategist in 1939, Finland was suspect. Fact: there WAS a powerful pro-fascist clique in the country that had welcomed German aid before (in 1917) and would do so again (in 1941). Fact: The Red uprising in 1917 WAS put down with ruthless savagery. Fact: Stalin apparently really DID believe Finland would acede to his demands. For me not to have mentioned these things, would have been utterly irresponsible.
As for my comments about Finland "opting for a thoroughly bourgeoise form of government" -- the TONE here is decidedly IRONIC, not ideological. Irony, evidently, sails right past this reader's head.
Be that as it may, his whole hysterical tirade collapses in the face of what I wrote on page 17: "ultimately, of course,it came back down to an irreducible case of right versus wrong. Finland was a sovereign nation, and it had every legal and moral right to refuse any Russian demands for territory. And the Soviet Union, for its part, had no legal or moral right to pursue its policies by means of armed aggression."
I don't know how I could possibly make this point more clearly.
If this reader had bothered even to finish my book, I think he would have seen how fiercely my admiration for the Finns -- indeed, my deepy passionate love for that nation -- burns through the book. Certainly, none of the Finnish reviewers who praised the book saw anything "Marxist" about it, and several lauded its historical even-handedness.
Finally, if my book were indeed the sort of bilious "Daily Worker" tract this reader thinks it is, I hardly think it would have been awarded the Finlandia Foundation's Arts and Letters Prize.
I invite curious readers to judge the book on its own merits and on my skills as a story-teller; I did not write it with any agenda in mind other than that of accuracy, completeness, and narrative vitality. Ninety-nine percent of those who have read it seem to agree that I did at least a passable job shedding light on an otherwise obscure and almost-forgotten, but stirringly heroic, episode.
William R. Trotter

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A Short History of the Korean War Review

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(More customer reviews)When I found this book I did not have much interest in the Korean conflict, but since I enjoyed this author's history of WWII very much, I gave this book a try. I am glad I did. It explained the politics, the negotiations, the battles, some personalities and it was an enjoyable read. After reading this book, I read Henry Kissinger's Diplomacy. (Actually, I'm only about 2/3rds of the way through now. By the way, that is a truly excellent book.) The chapter in that book on the Korean War includes a discussion of the perspectives of the Chinese, Stalin, and N. Korea and the relations between these parties, whereas Stokesbury's book is basically just about the American goals, fears, etc. It is a pity that Stokesbury did not really explore these topics in this book, because it would have added so much more to our understanding of the story. Why did the Chinese get involved?; Could that have been prevented? What role did the Soviet Union play in encouraging the invasion? How did this conflict affect Sino-Soviet relatons? Whose idea was it to invade S. Korea anyway?; etc. Maybe the role of the Korean conflict in the overall containment of communism could also have been explored. Still, a very good book that accomplishes what it sets out to do very well.
The Korean conflict seems so contemporary in a way that earlier American wars do not. Think of N. Korea as Saddam's Iraq and you have a very contemporary story of trying to contain a dangerous rogue state, even if American leaders thought of their job more as containing communism.

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15 Stars: Eisenhower, MacArthur, Marshall: Three Generals Who Saved the American Century Review

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(More customer reviews)I read this shortly after "Partners in Command"Partners in Command: George Marshall and Dwight Eisenhower in War and Peace. "Partners in Command" succeeds where "15 Stars" fails, by -relating- the individuals and their relationships to the actual execution of WWII. My reaction to "15 Stars" was that it's a collection of anecdotes, much of it salacious gossip, without relating the personality quirks/issues so revealed to the execution of the war itself. How much did MacArthur's willingness to manage his persona contribute to his success in WWII?
On the plus side, the post WWII era was handled much better than WWII, where there was much more discussion on the accomplishments and impacts of each individual and their relationships.
Buy "Partners in Command" instead of "15 Stars" unless you're particularly interested in MacArthur or are interested in Post-WWII politics.
dave

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From Pusan to Panmunjom: Wartime Memoirs of the Republic of Korea's First Four-Star General (Memories of War) Review

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(More customer reviews)General Paik's work stands out among the many works on the Korean War because of his focus on the operations of the Republic of Korea (ROK) forces. Highly recommended to readers looking for information that goes beyond the American contributions to the struggle. The operational details and accounts of the interaction of American and ROK commanders are fascinating. The book suffers slightly from a lack of detailed maps that assist readers in following the movements of the oppossing forces.

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Bobby Fischer Goes to War : How A Lone American Star Defeated the Soviet Chess Machine Review

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(More customer reviews)For a brief time in 1972, chess was the only game in the world. Bobby Fischer came face to face with Boris Spassky in Iceland, and the world took delight in a simple morality play. Fischer was depicted as the lone American hero gunning to win the title from the Soviets who had held it for decades. The Cold War was reduced to the free world's champion versus the apparatchiks spawned by the Soviet socialist chess machine. It was fun to watch the battle in such black and white terms, but in _Bobby Fischer Goes to War: How the Soviets Lost the Most Extraordinary Chess Match of All Time_ (Ecco), David Edmonds and John Eidinow show that the true story was much more complicated although just as exciting. For instance, Spassky may have been a Russian patriot, but he was not a Soviet patriot and he was not a member of the Communist Party. Fischer was eccentric and asocial, and his bratty behavior seemed un-American to many of his fellow Americans. But both their governments had a stake in the match, and people all over the world who knew nothing about chess watched the contest carefully, and many took up the game. It was quite truly the most extraordinary chess match of all time, just as the book's subtitle says, and the book makes clear in how many ways it was extraordinary.
Spassky loved the game for itself, and, as a well-rounded gentleman who liked fishing and festive parties with his friends, seemed sincerely to be looking forward to what he called "a feast of chess," win or lose. He admired Fischer, but the book shows that beyond a colossal talent for chess, Fischer possessed few admirable qualities. He was a morose man who one journalist said "was likely to greet even an old friend as if he were expecting a subpoena". His frequent tantrums (which earned him much derision from his compatriots) did, at least, stop when he sat down to play, and he never attempted to disturb an opponent across the table. He was called by Dr. Henry Kissinger when he did not show up for the match, assured that he was "our man up against the commies." Having lost the first game, he didn't even show up for the second, and thus lost it as well. But then he crushed Spassky in the third, and went on to a match full of hard-fought draws and wins, many of which are regarded as among the finest games ever played. President Nixon sent congratulations. Spassky eventually went into contented retirement in France, continuing to regard the Soviet chess administration with disdain. Fischer never defended his title, although he has played some exposition games. He went on to join a fundamentalist Christian church, then to denounce it as satanic. He may have been the American hope during the match, but he is now deeply anti-American, spouting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories (ironic, given his parentage on both sides, revealed here) to any radio station that will allow him voice.
The authors have interviewed all the important officials involved who are still alive, especially Spassky; they didn't interview Fischer, and don't say why, but that was probably just not possible. _Bobby Fischer Goes to War_ is not a book for those who want to study the chess games. It has exactly one board diagram, and the games are described generally, not play by play. Chess players interested in this aspect of the match already have bought better books on the games themselves. This is a book about personalities, about the history of the times, and about the off-board gambits and counter-gambits, and you certainly don't have to know any details about chess to enjoy it. There is, to be sure, a great deal to enjoy here, in the re-creation of the match and the geopolitics of the time that lent it importance.

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The Art of War - Sun Tzu's Classic in Plain English With Sun Pin's : The Art of Warfare Review

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(More customer reviews)I seldom write reviews for anything, but when I enjoy a book as much as I did this one I simply have to say why.
I am a professor of Asian Literary Studies at a four year university and I use this particular translation as a textbook in my class, which is one of the reasons I feel the need to defend it. I think anyone who doesn't understand this book probably doesn't understand Sun Tzu at all. The idea here was to translate Sun Tzu in a manner that doesn't require commentary, or as the author said, "The way Sun Tzu would have written it if he were alive today." No easy task by any stretch of the imagination, but I think it was accomplished.
D. E. Tarver has as an uncanny ability to break down complex issues into easy to understand language. This is demonstrated in all of his translations. Since I switched my students to this version the average grade has moved up and the overall enjoyment of the class has improved greatly.
I cannot recommend this book enough. Read Sun Tzu the way Sun Tzu wanted, without opinion, commentary, or flowery misguided explanations from the authors. You will draw you own conclusions, learn your own lessons and fully enjoy the experience.

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Book One of The Warrior SeriesSun Tzu and Sun Pin's timeless strategic masterpieces are constantly analyzed and interpreted by leaders worldwide. For the first time ever, author D.E. Tarver explains the classic texts, The Art of War by Sun Tzu and The Art of Warfare by Sun Pin, in plain English.War is the perfect training ground for teaching Sun Tzu's ancient philosophies to attaining victory over an opponent. The Art of War outlines the steps for outwitting the enemy, be it an army of 10,000 or an unresponsive client.The Art of War teaches leaders strategies to attain victory by:Knowing when to stand up to an opponent, and when to back down.How to be confident without being overly confident.Considering the cost of the campaign before launching an attack.Avoiding an opponent's strengths and striking his weaknesses. "The one who is first to the field of battle has time to rest, while his opponent rushes into the conflict weary and confused. The first will be fresh and alert. The second will waste most of his energy trying to catch up." Be the first to the battlefield with The Art of War.

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Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds: Prima's Official Strategy Guide Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this guide because I love the game Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds (I'll assume anyone who reads this will already have played the game so I won't describe it). I recieved an excerpt with my copy of the game which had the chapter on tips on playing the game (times for moving through tech levels, etc.). I was excited, but slightly disappointed to find that a large portion of the guide details how to get through all the scenarios rather then the normal game, which I was more interested in.
There is the (pretty good) story for the first chapter (although it goes in the some-stormtroopers-are-clones theory, where I go more for the (noncanon?) view detailed by Timothy Zahn's trilogy), and then the book goes into a overview of the main menu (what each button does). The next chapter was the excerpt included in my game (which is a good chapter). After that, detailed stats on every unit/building in the game, and then a neat transcript of a conversation about the different civilizations, along with a tiny chapter on strategies.. Pages 63-175 (out of 204) detail every single scenario. After that is another chat about multiplayer strategies, and then two appendices.
All in all, it is a very handy resource, it just won't replace you playing and finding out how to win yourself.

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STAR WARS GALACTIC BATTLEGROUNDS features epic real-time strategy set against the backdrop of the entire Star Wars saga and PRIMA'S OFFICIAL STRATEGY GUIDE provides all of the in-depth help needed to win the Galactic Civil War! Learn how to execute your campaign over land, sea, and air and research over 300 different available units. Only PRIMA offers the strategy needed to control all six key civilizations and learn to manage each individual resource.* Complete walkthroughs of all scenarios and campaigns, plus each bonus mission * Details on all 14 new environments-from Tatooine to Hoth to the Imperial City * Strong multiplayer tips * Scenario Editor Chapter! * Strategies for using all units-land, sea, and air * Resource and technology management covered in detail

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Star Wars Battlefront: Prima Official Game Guide Review

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(More customer reviews)One of the great mysteries about the game Star Wars Battlefront is why the manual is so incomplete. It provides only a limited subset of the keyboard / mouse commands (PC version), and it further fails to describe in adequate detail the key abilities of the different character types (e.g., pilot, scout, infantry, etc.).
I purchased the "Official Game Guide" in hopes that it might fill in some of this information, and, surprisingly, it didn't. For example, it includes statements to the effect "Use your pilot to heal other characters," but nowhere in the guide, or the manual that came with the game, does it illustrate HOW to do that. (For what it's worth: by pressing "g," you have to choose heal / repair as a pilot's secondary weapon. Then, right-click the mouse to deploy a healing kit.)
The manual does however provide useful maps and a decent description of the strategies either side of a battle might use to their advantage.
In sum, the manual that comes with the game is incomplete, at best, and this "official guide" does not fill in all of the gaps. It is surprising to me that there isn't a good summary of the keyboard / mouse commands, nor gamepad commands for other platforms.

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Fight the Classic Star Wars Battles any Way You Want To. ·Maps detailing command posts, vehicle spawn points, and defensive features ·Exclusive background information for all vehicles and weapons ·Tactics from the testers for all battles ·Gameplay tips and stats for units, weapons, NPCs, and items ·Team strategies for all 16 maps

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