Roger Parkinson (1)Critiques

Briskly written tale of a Spitfire squadron during the Battles of France and Britain. Doesn't pull any punches about pilots' life expectancy or the possibility of being horribly injured. Veers off towards the end into a rather surreal meditation about life and death. First one in a series. Not in the same league as Derek Robinson's Piece of Cake but good enough that I'd be interested in reading the other books.

Only the third life of this famous soldier in English, I found this an engrossing read. the effect f being beaten several times by Napoleon, is not a mindset explored by English Military writers, who tend to concentrate on Wellington who did win the big game!
So a lot of us would benefit from this tale of persistence. it is also useful as an exploration of the early industrial revolution on the continent and a portrait of Prussia in Napoleonic times.
Originally published in 1975.

Waterloo is often seen (mostly by Brits) as a showdown between Napoleon and Wellington. This is unfair on the vital role played in the battle by Blücher and his Prussians. This entertaining, informative biography, is a good introduction to this colourful and underestimated character. I even wished it had been a little longer, as it contained good material on the psychological effects of constant combat and the awakening of German nationalism.

This is the first biography on Erich Ludendorff I have read. One other book I read on the German High Command in WWI dealt a great deal (of course) with Ludendorff. Tormented Warrior as a biography covered his entire life as an overview; not much depth. The most interesting part for me was his post WWI activities. His involvement with Hitler and the Nazis, as well as his other political activites. Ludendorff's relationships with his two wives was also covered through the book. This aspect of his life surprised me a bit. It seems he was a family man to some extent. He apparently cared deeply for his step-familly from his first wife. Also, with his first wife, he was affectionate and caring in person and in his letters to her during the war. The second wife was a radical. Between the two of them they published some extremist pamphlets (i.e. anti-Semetic, anti-Catholic and so on). However, Ludendorff did write two additonal books while with her. The author of the Tormented Warrior describes these books as logical, rational and well thought out. Parkinson states this indicates that Ludendorff did not become unbalanced toward the end of his life. Who knows?

Anyway, I believe this book is worth a read. Contains interesting material.

This is a well written book and my first experience of autobiographies. I could not put this book down once I started reading.

In the Russian "War and Peace", from the late 1960's, this man was played to the hilt, the very model of the crusty Russian defender of the Rodina. He was in such contrast to the decadent social world and the fecklessness of hereditary guards units, that you had to applaud him. This is where the heart of Russia lay, you thought. Not portrayed as an aristocrat (like Robert E. Lee) or a contrarian (like George S. Patton), he seemed composed of the very earth of Mother Russia, and having one eye, he seemed to hark back to older gods, to be a very Odin, the one-eyed god of war and of the entire pantheon of Norse gods.

Group A1