Battle of Britain Voices - Jonathon Reeves

This review has been published in Soldier Magazine

Title: Battle of Britain Voices

Author: Jonathon Reeves

ISBN: 978-1-4456-4264-2

Publisher: Amberley Books

Year: 2015

Hardcover

Pages: 477

Photos: 154

 

Voices is an excellent descriptor for this book as it is a series of vignettes relating the stories of the men who fought as pilots in the Battle of Britain. As the veterans of this war rapidly ‘Go West’, these type of books serve as the repositories of their memories and legacies. This style of book may be read and put down without loss of storyline or place; each chapter is its own unique story. Well edited and presented, it flows well and covers the gambit from training to flying, combat to play and youthful exuberance to thoughtful insight. A window into a vanishing world.

Billy Bishop VC Lone Wolf Hunter - Peter Kilduff

Title: Billy Bishop VC Lone Wolf Hunter

Author: Peter Kilduff

ISBN: 978-1-909-80813-3

Publisher: Grub Street

Hardcover

Pages: 192

Photos/ Maps: 75/2 

Billy Bishop's legacy has left an indelible mark upon not only the annals of World War 1 aviation but Canada as a nation. A small town boy of a middle class family, he rose to worldwide fame and the highest levels of Imperial society. His fame centred upon his claim to being not only a cold-blooded fighter pilot who preferred to hunt and kill on his own but also the top scoring Allied pilot of the war. 

Kilduff has undertaken a review of a subject that has been written about and debated extensively by historians, scholars and journalists. HIs intent is to determine the validity, based upon the available documentation and a study of the personality of the man himself (in his own and others words and recollections), of the persona and the reputation that ‘Billy Bishop’ has become; for it is no secret that the symbology of Billy Bishop has greatly eclipsed the man himself. 

The author draws upon a wide variety of sources to tease out who Bishop was. His conclusions, that Bishop was not a saint and certainly exaggerated his exploits in his letters home for the benefit of impressing his future wife, reinforce the position held by those doubters of the accuracy of his claims. However, balanced against this, is the fact that he was undoubtedly extremely brave, aggressive and willing to take the fight actively to the enemy which suggests that his claims are not as far-fetched as they may initially have seemed. The truth, as it may be determined this far after the fact, lies, so Kilduff suggests, somewhere in between. 

The book is a quick and enjoyable read. At times it feels somewhat shallow in terms of evaluation (especially in his early years) but it does effectively cover his training and operational flying time. It contains a great many photographs that give excellent perspective on why accurate determination of kills and damaged enemies was so difficult. The narrative utilizes first person recollections from Bishop himself, his trainers, fellow pilots and airmen and it builds a comprehensive picture of Bishop the pilot (and the personality that accompanied it). Additionally, Kilduff reviews each individual kill claim comparing them against British, German and eyewitness documents. 

I didn't find discover a lot of new material or revelations in this book that hasn't already been brought up in various other works, but it was well put together and useful as a reference. The production value of the book is excellent and the author has provided a solid bibliography for further reading. I found Kilduff's conclusion particularly poignant and relevant when compared with our modern tendency and need to challenge and discredit: does it really matter how many kills Bishop scored during the war; after all, it does not in any way diminish his bravery, service or legacy as one of the earliest Canadian heroes. True words and an enjoyable work. 

Army of Worn Soles - Scott Bury

Title: Army of Worn Soles

Author: Scott Bury

ISBN: 978-0-9879141-8-7

Publisher: The Written Word

E-Version

 

This book is a fascinating 'memoir in novel form'' of a Canadian caught up in the maelstrom of the Second World War, far from home and in an army that he never imagined he would be fighting for. The author's father in law, Maurice Bury, is the subject of the book who, as a young Ukrainian immigrant to Canada, finds himself returning to the village of his parents with his mother in the mid-1930's while his father continues to struggle to makes ends meet in Montreal. His village is in a disputed region of northeastern Europe called Galacia which, although formerly part of Ukraine, was now part of Poland as a result of the dislocations following the First World War. The region that the young Bury lived in was further sub-divided into Soviet and German areas of control after the conquest of Poland by those two countries. As regional tensions increased, Bury, along with his friends and peers in Soviet occupied Poland was drafted into the Soviet army (despite proof of his Canadian citizenship) and, as a result of his education,he was made an officer and commander of an anti-tank section.

The story goes on to detail his training, combat and finally capture by German forces. His experiences as a prisoner - the deprivation, boredom and illness - make for sobering reading just as his recognition within the camp by a German officer who turns out to be his closest childhood friend, who had been caught on the German side with the delineation of Galacia, borders on the incredible. Further, that individuals successful efforts at freeing Bury through forged papers and facilitating his escape to the rump of Ukraine still governed by the Ukrainians serves as a testament to bonds of friendship that over-ride the limits of war.  That story in itself is so astounding that it could only happen in the confusion of war.

The author has drafted an eminently readable gem of a book that is representative of both Canada's immigration story and an incredible family history. Bury's experience's shed light on the realities of the eastern experience in a number of ways: the persecution of the Ukrainians by the Poles, the interaction between the Jewish, Polish, Russian and Ukrainian communities, the pre-war life of Ukrainian youth and the pride of Ukrainian heritage and Canadian citizenship. By doing so, it highlights and assists with comprehending the nature of society in that part of the world.

Bury, the author, translates his subjects experience's in such a way that the reader can appreciate the challenges, successes and failures encapsulated in Maurice's story. The book is not long but carries the reader forward as Maurice is swept up in the insanity of Eastern Europe in 1939 and beyond. As a fictional work, thus book would be noteworthy for its imaginative story, however, as a work of non-fiction it is simply astounding. Well worth a read.

 

 

Valour Road - John Nadler

Title: Valour Road
Author: John Nadler
ISBN: 978-0-670-06821-0
Publisher: Viking Canada
Hardcover
Pages: 368
Photographs: 37 b/w

The title ‘Valour Road’ refers to the name that Pine Street in Winnipeg, Manitoba was changed to once it was discovered that three of the 71 Victoria Crosses (the highest medal for combat valour) awarded to Canadians since its inception following the Crimean War, had come not only from that street, but from the same block. All three were awarded during the First World War; two posthumously. The recipients Leo Clarke, Robert Shankland, and Fred Hall were all recognized for exceptional bravery in the face of the enemy and their stories and the story of the place from which they came is the focus of this book.

Nadler combines the accuracy and detail of a historian with the engaging style of a reporter to bring to life the world of these three soldiers, both at home and at the front. The tale is gripping and harrowing as one is plunged into the chaos and violence of trench warfare while concurrently introduced to the activities of the home front and their unique challenges. The author limits his narrative to the story of these families and soldiers. In doing so he is able to bring out detail that would inevitably be lost were the scope broader. Thus is the reader introduced to the Winnipeg ‘Bomber’ unit that Leo Clark and his brother were a part of; these  soldiers undertook hazardous strikes against enemy trench lines securing the flanks of the main body attacks. Such was their fame and reputation that the City of Winnipeg named their Canadian Football Team after them.

Nadler has drawn upon present day family recollections, diaries, unit histories and British, French and Canadian national military histories to put together a story of remarkable depth and personality. This fusion of historical narrative and personal recollection adds significant breadth to this snapshot of time. I was particularly impressed by the isolation of Winnipeg during this period. Access to information was very limited and it often took a significant amount of time to garner news about casualties and the Front. Further, the idea of travelling to Europe was comparable to the idea of going to the moon today. Despite this, the home front remained very supportive and active; Nadler does a commendable job of shedding light on the stresses of absent soldiers on the routine of everyday life. I was also impressed by the unquestioning loyalty to Empire and the Crown; on the surface a seemingly simpler but extremely challenging period for Canada.

Nadler’s descriptions of life at the front are of particular poignancy. The emphasis on the lives of these three soldiers and their immediate comrades brings the readers focus to the lowest and most basic level of life experience. Faces are put to the WW1 experience; these men are no longer black and white still photographs on a page. They are alive once more with their strengths, fears, flaws and desires highlighted in harsh reality. The capacity for these soldiers to be able to fight, function and maintain their sanity within the absolute nightmare of the Front, is testament to their strength of character developed through their upbringing and bonds of comradeship. Through their recollections we are introduced to the terror, boredom and humour of life in a time far removed from today.

What would have added to the story, in my opinion, would have been the inclusion of maps of the regions in which these men were operating. This would have provided better context and a visual reference for the reader.

This is a gem of a book. For Canadians it serves as an outstanding study of our history both domestic and overseas. Nadler has done an outstanding job and deserves full credit for the contribution he has made to the Canadian story. The narrative of these three men, their comrades and their families is the story of Canada at the turn of the century and we may be proud of the legacy that they left behind.

Diary of a Night Bomber Pilot in World War 1 - Clive Semple

Title: Diary of a Night Bomber Pilot in World War 1

Author: Clive Semple

ISBN: 978-1-86227-425-5

Publisher: Spellmount Publishers

Pages: 320

Hardcover

Photos/Maps: 100+b/w//9 colour

Memoirs are a two-edged source for historians; while they provide a plethora of information relating to the ‘how’s and why’s’ of decision making for the subject of the book, they also tend toward being selective in recollection and can also be very self- serving and a source of justification by the author. A diary, on the other hand, is a source with great potential and use. Written in real time and with the prejudices, attitudes, frustrations and honesty of the moment; it provides unprecedented insight into the mind of the author and an invaluable tool from which to develop a book.

Clive Semple’s father, Leslie, joined the Royal Navy Air Service (RNAS) in 1917 (at the age of 18) and served as a night bomber pilot flying Handley Page bombers until he resigned his commission in 1919 (after a period of occupation duty in Germany). He spoke rarely about his service during the war and it was not until his death in 1971 that the author discovered a time capsule of photo’s, documents and his diary in a box in Leslie’s attic. Drawing upon all of these resources and specifically the diary, Semple drafted an outstanding picture of life for a young man as he makes his way through training and wartime operations.

Semple has done a great deal of research in order to provide the reader with context and explanation of his father’s diary entries. Thus the diary serves as the thread that connects the narrative together. What makes this book unique is the fact that it does not merely serve as a recollection of the author’s operational wartime service but also the social environment within which he lived. It is fascinating to read about him dealing with the stresses and expectations of being an officer/trainee in wartime (and the responsibilities and expectations demanded of him) while concurrently being exposed, for the first time, to the challenges of the real world of women and combat as a naïve young man.

Some of the more notable aspects of Semple’s narrative include:

1. Ongoing animosity and lack of cooperation between members of the Royal Navy and Army (reinforced by Leslie’s observations) that led ultimately to the formation of the Royal Air Force (combining the RFC and RNAS – vigorously contested by the Army and Navy) by government decree;

2. The vision shown by the Admiralty in its support (as early as 1914) of the creation of a bomber force;

3. The dysfunction/inefficiency in aircraft design, production, training and allocation of resources as the Navy and Army sparred for aircraft and personnel;

4.  The sang froid with which Leslie relates the losses amongst his peers during training and operations. While they are undoubtedly painful, it is clear that they are also readily accepted as the price of war and not a lot of time is spent on dwelling upon them. Interesting when one remembers that he is only 18 at this time; and

5. The detailed accounts of the specific training associated with night operations and the rudimentary techniques used for bombing accuracy. Additionally, it is interesting to follow in the narrative the development of the use of bombing as a separate arm of air operations.

Leslie’s diary also provides very interesting insights into the immediate postwar environment that the servicemen were faced with. He notes, example, the difference between occupation experiences/relations involving French and English with the Germans; he writes very favourably about the Germans and his interactions with them. Also, he is very moved and affected by what he sees as he visits the battlefields that, up to this point, he had only seen from above. Finally, his thoughts and observations regarding military life in the immediate aftermath of the war is fascinating as it brings into focus issues of employment, discipline and morale as soldiers who had been involved in vicious fighting for upwards of four years suddenly found themselves with time on their hands.

Leslie left four volumes of photographs with his diary and Semple has included hundreds of these as a compliment to the narrative. His descriptions and expansion on his father’s diary installments are well researched and complimentary. They add depth without assuming control of the narrative. There a few comments that are off the mark such as his ruminations about why parachutes were never adopted in the RAF but, for the most part, he is accurate and succinct.

This book is a rare find as it fills a gap that has not be written about in great detail; that of Allied night bombing efforts in WW1. The insights, photographs and commentary by Leslie Semple provide the reader with a window into this world viewed through the lens of an 18 year old pilot officer in wartime. His son, the author, has provided noteworthy background and is to be commended for producing a book of such personal and educational value.

The Devil’s General: The Life of Hyazinth von Strachwitz, "The Panzer Graf" - Raymond Bagdonas

Title: The Devil’s General

Author: Raymond Bagdonas
ISBN: 978-1-61200-222-4
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Pages: 357
Hardcover
Photos/Maps: 39/8

Author Raymond Bagdonas has written his first book on a subject of fascinating depth, that of the life and operational experience of Hyazinth von Strachwitz, "The Panzer Graf". Coming from a long line of aristocratic, strongly Catholic Germans, von Strachwitz, while largely unknown today, was a man of exceptional leadership and operational/tactical acumen. A veteran of the First and Second World Wars, he served first as a cavalry officer and later as a Panzer commander.

A consummate commander and leader, he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class for bravery within the first six weeks of the commencement of WW1 before being captured and spending the remainder as a POW. Following his release, he was thrust into the mayhem that was postwar Germany as a member of the Selbstschutz Oberschleisen (a Silesian Freikorps unit) fighting Polish separatists in Eastern Germany. Following the stabilization of the country and the rise of the Nazi Party, von Strachwitz joined the SS and received a reserve commission. This led to a re-activation with a reserve cavalry regiment and a return to uniformed service.

Technological advancements within the German military led to cavalry units being replaced with tanks (panzers); thus commenced the legend of the “Panzer Graf”. Over the next eleven years, von Strachwitz would become a master Panzer Commander, ultimately becoming the most highly decorated Regimental Commander in the German Army. Over the course of his WW2 career he was the recipient of the Knight’s Cross with Diamonds, Oak Leaves and Swords (one of only 27 recipients within the German military), the German Panzer Assault Badge in Gold for 100 Engagements (14 awarded in total throughout the war) and the Wound Badge in Gold (five or more wounds). Personally credited with 150-200 destroyed enemy tanks, he fought with the 16^th Panzer Division, Grossdeutschesland Panzergrenadier Division (GD) and the Panzerverband Strachwitz .

Following his incarceration as a Colonel General of Panzer Troops by the Americans for 18 months during which he drafted a number of treatise on his experiences fighting the Russians, a penniless von Strachwitz and his wife moved to Jordan in order to assist in the training and modernization of the Jordanian military. Ultimately returning to Germany, he passed away in 1968 and was interred in Grabenstatt.

Bagdonas has done a commendable job given the limitations of access to information and primary source documents. Much of the original unit documentation that covered von Strachwitz’s early years was lost when 16^th Panzer was destroyed at Stalingrad and follow-on unit documents were lost in the confusion of the later years of the war. Therefore, a significant amount of Bagdonas’s narrative is anecdotal or subjective in nature based upon secondary and tertiary sources. Where this becomes more noticeable is when he makes observation or comments for which, in my opinion, there should be additional commentary or identification of source. For example, he makes the observation in his narrative that numerous US interrogators utilized torture in their quest to break prisoners following Germany’s surrender in 1945; what is missing is the source where he found this information.

Bagdonas’ writing and flow are very good and the reader is easily engaged with his informative style. Additionally, he provides numerous anecdotal information that add depth to the commentary. His discussions about why the GD did not have a chaplain, the competition between the fusilier/grenadier regiments and the unique challenges relating to utilization of a combined arms unit such as GD when the expertise of the Commander did not always translate into effective use of all unit elements, are all examples of this.

I felt that his use of appendices added greatly to the provision of information surrounding von Strachwitz’s accomplishments. The bibliography that he provides is very useful in identifying additional sources to the reader on the various engagements in which the Panzer Graf was engaged.

Bagdonas notes that von Strachwitz left no memoirs or notes; so gathering and drafting a comprehensive biography was extremely difficult. I feel that he has done a commendable job and that the book may serve future generations as an example of an individual who responded to the call of his nation twice and served in an honourable and selfless way throughout. As a leader, commander and officer, von Strachwitz was an individual to emulate.

Although, it feels that the narrative is, at times somewhat shallow as it relates to the subject of von Strachwitz, I would still recommend this book for its publication quality, its photo/map inserts and the information that the author provides about this noteworthy historical figure.