Downfall

April, 1945. Germany stands on the brink of defeat. And their leader stands on the brink of insanity.

Downfall portrays the last days of Hitler. It's gritty, realistic, stunning, and appalling to watch. Even though the Russians surrounded Berlin, Hitler refused to surrender, and in his madness believed that his armies would somehow miraculously deliver them.

Hitler's inner circle is all here in the relative safety of his bunker - Goebbels, Speer, Eva Braun, and his generals. But it is his secretary that captures our attention. She is a fervent admirer of the Fuhrer and it is not until his suicide and her escape from the bunker that she begins to see the other side.

There are scenes that are extremely difficult to watch, made even more so because they really happened - Magda Goebbels poisoning her children because she didn't want them to grow up in a world without National Socialism; Hitler's mad insinuations that the German people were to blame for their fall; the Hitler Youth bravely defending the city when there was no more hope.

This film makes you think. It makes you see the ugliness of blind fanatacism. Unwavering loyalty. The willingness to die for a lost and horrific cause. The disregard for human life.

And it makes you ask, Why? Why did this happen? Why did a western European nation, one steeped in culture, take such a path?

This, then, is why we study history, why we continue to study the roots of World War II. We have the human need to understand this atrocity, to keep it from happening again. But have we learned from history? Are we living the old saying, "Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it"?

It is something we must all consider.

But we must also consider the reasoning behind the making of this film - which, by the way, is not entirely historically accurate. For an in depth review, read this fascinating article by David Cesarani and Peter Longerich.

Memorial Day 2007

Remember...

Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley

One word to describe this book: amazing.

Flags of Our Fathers is a stunning, gripping, and utterly realistic story of the Battle of Iwo Jima and of the six flag raisers who were forever immortalized in a photograph that captured the world's imagination.

James Bradley's father, Jack Bradley, was a naval corpsman - a medic - during the battle. Even though James knew his father participated at Iwo and was one of the flag raisers, he never knew the full story. In fact, he didn't discover that his father had earned the Navy Cross until after his death.

Bradley set out to research his father's life, as well as the lives of the five other flag raisers. The result is one of the best books on World War II. This is a story not about great generals or battle maneuvers, but about the men and women who participated in this monumental war. It is a deeply personal story, a story that reaches into your heart and grabs hold, never letting go, even after the last page has been turned.

These were ordinary men doing their jobs. But the flagraising photo elevated them to hero status, a label they were never comfortable with. Of the six who were in the photo, only three survived Iwo: Jack Bradley, Ira Hayes, and Rene Gagnon. After the war, their lives took drastically different paths. But they will always be bound by what came to be known as The Photograph.

Dear Enemy by Jack Cavanaugh

During the final German push in the Battle of the Bulge, nurse Annie Mitchell must evacuate the hospital where she works. But when she discovers that her husband, Keith, may be wounded in the Ardennes Forest only a few miles from the hospital, she and her best friend steal an ambulance and race toward the forest.

Keith is alive, but their situation is perilous. With her best friend killed from the fighting around them, Annie has no time to mourn. But things take a decided downturn when Keith exchanges fire with two patrolling German soldiers. To her utter horror, Keith is killed and Annie is taken prisoner by the one German soldier left alive. Can she escape or will this German soldier prove to be her worst nightmare?

What follows is a compelling story about compassion, forgiveness, and trust. Jack Cavanaugh blends the harsh reality of war with the beauty of the human soul in Dear Enemy.

Thanks for the Memories

"Thanks For The Memories: Love, Sex, and World War II is the true story of how the World War II generation responded to the passions of war and how their lives and the relationships between the sexes were forever changed." - From the Introduction

Jane Leder pens a truly groundbreaking work with Thanks for the Memories. While works on World War II continue to emerge each and every day, this particular title touches on a subject not often studied. Sexuality during World War II was a topic often relegated to the whispers of society and often contradicted itself. For example, even though the U.S. Army forbid soldiers to fraternize with prostitutes or loose women, they provided condoms.

Divided into nine chapters, Leder explores subjects including sexual harassment of women in the workplace, government "educational programs," illegitimate births on the home front, dating, and love.

Well-written and highly-readable, Thanks for the Memories is sure to become the definitive book on the subject of sexuality during World War II.

Coming Soon: Thanks for the Memories

Watch for a review of Thanks for the Memories: Love, Sex, and World War II by Jane Mersky Leder coming soon!

Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan has already become a classic World War II movie. Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, and Edward Burns, this movie tells the haunting story of an eight-man patrol sent out to rescue Private Ryan whose other three brothers have been killed.

Spielberg manages to portray the gritty reality of war in a myriad of ways - the storming of the beaches at Normandy, the emotions of losing a comrade, the friendship and comraderie between soldiers. As the commanding officer, Hanks brings a very human aspect to the role. Burns is his opposite, challenging authority and wondering why they are risking the lives of eight to save one.

But it is Hanks' final words that manage to sum up the entire movie - Earn it. If you haven't watched the movie, I won't disappoint you by revealing that scene or the ending. But hopefully, it will be enough to entice you to rent the DVD and immerse yourself in the reality of war.

A Woman in Berlin

Although the name of the woman who wrote this book has never been revealed, it doesn't diminish the power of her story.

Set in Berlin just as the Russians invaded the city, A Woman in Berlin is one woman's diary of the events surrounding the fall of Berlin in 1945.

Once you read the first page of this woman's story, it's nearly impossible to put down. The book was first published in the 1950's, but garnered criticism from many since the author frankly describes the rape of women, something not openly discussed in the '50's. She decreed that she didn't want it to be republished until after her death, and her request was honored.

Her description of life around her - from rushing to the basement bomb shelter as bombs scream overhead, to sitting around the living room talking with the "Ivans" - i.e. Russian soldiers - to scrambling for food - is so vivid and detailed that you almost feel as though you're reading a novel. But it is not - it is the truth - every painful, shattering shard. This woman wrote this diary while living through these events, and it is evident she used it to cope with the horrors around her.

65th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor

The Pearl Harbor Survivors Project offers you the chance to read (or view) stories by those who experienced and survived Pearl Harbor. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. Take a moment to remember this day that will always "live in infamy."

New Release: The Rising Tide

Noted historical novelist Jeff Shaara has just released his latest epic, The Rising Tide: A Novel of World War II. Focusing specifically on the European Theater - including North Africa, Sicily, and Italy - The Rising Tide takes you deep into the heart of Rommel, Churchill, and Eisenhower, as well as the ordinary soldier on the battlefield.

The Rising Tide is the first in a trilogy of World War II. With Shaara's excellent track record writing historical fiction, this is his latest contribution to his ongoing legacy as one of the world's premiere novelists.

Veteran's Day: Please Thank a Veteran

In the midst of the weekend activities, the sales, and the football games, don't forget who made it possible for you to enjoy all these freedoms. And make no mistake about it - they are freedoms.

Thank the veteran in your life today. Thank the veteran you see on the street. Remember those who did not return, but sacrificed their life for your freedom.

To the vets in my life: my father, my husband, my great-uncles, and all the veterans I've known throughout the years, to all the veterans I will never meet:

Thank You.

As Time Goes By

This three-CD collection captures some of the best-loved songs of World War II. Best of all, they are done by the original artists.

With such hits as Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy by the Andrews Sisters, and Sentimental Journey the the Les Brown Orchestra, you'll be swept away to the 1940's. Don't miss this collection!

Swing Shift

Starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, Swing Shift is a fun, light-hearted look at the American homefront during World War II. Goldie plays Kay, a sailor's wife who goes to work at an airplane factory in California. Along with her friends Hazel and Lucky (Kurt Russell), she begins to find there's a whole lot more to life than being a housewife.

The strongest point of this film, besides the wonderful costumes and well-acted roles, is the focus on discrimination of women in the workplace. Even though the government urged women to go to work in the factories, they faced criticism, sexual harrassment, and rudeness on the job from other men. Worse, they were forced to quit their jobs when the war was over and told to go back home where they belonged - as housewives and mothers.

At the heart of this movie, though, is also the way war plays on human emotions. Affairs were not uncommon on the homefront between married women and single men, just as they were not uncommon for men overseas with foreign women. Kay must take a good look at what she wants out of life when her husband, Jack (Ed O'Neill) finds out she's having an affair with Lucky. Will she choose Lucky, the happy-go-lucky trumpet player or Jack, her faithful and brave husband? The answer just might surprise you.

Charlotte Gray: The Movie

Starring Cate Blanchett and Billy Crudup, Charlotte Gray is based on the novel by the same name by Sebastian Faulks. Unfortunately, I tried to read the novel and didn't have much success. I found the writing stilted and the character motivations a little unbelievable.

Fortunately, the movie was none of these things. And in poking around the novel a bit further, the movie deviated from it quite a bit. But isn't that always the case? Hollywood likes to chop the pieces of the book that they like the most and form it into something much more Hollywood-ish. But in this case, I can honestly say that I liked the movie much better than the book.

En route to London, Charlotte Gray is approached by Richard Cannerly who believes her French-speaking skills and time spent in France would be a great asset for Britain. Charlotte mulls over his proposition. At a party, she meets Peter Gregory, an RAF pilot. The two fall madly in love. While Peter is away, Charlotte decides to train to become a courier in France. It is while she is in the midst of training that she learns of Peter's plane going down in France. She immediately volunteers to go on a mission into Vichy France, thinking that she might have an opportunity to rescue him.

But nothing goes right when she arrives. Her contact is arrested almost immediately and Charlotte is forced to seek help with the local Resistance fighter, Julian. Before long, she finds herself caught up in the Resistance and taking care of two Jewish boys whose parents have already been deported.

Perhaps Charlotte Gray is more Hollywood than history, but in this case, it manages to bring out a few issues pertaining to Vichy France. A scene in particular struck me. A Vichy French official said that the highest form of patriotism was collaboration. Definitely a quote to ponder.

Even though this didn't garner much attention when it was released, I certainly think Charlotte Gray is worthy of a place in your DVD collection.

The Good German

When is it justice and when it is vengeance? Joseph Kanon tackles this moral question in his stunning novel, The Good German.

Set in postwar Berlin, Jake Geismar is a newspaper reporter who returns to Berlin to cover the Potsdam Conference and to find the German woman he left behind. But while he searches for her, he stumbles upon the dead body of an American soldier that just happens to surface during the Potsdam Conference. Geismar smells a rat and begins making enquiries, eventually leading him to a traitorous mix of Russians, Americans, and Germans.

Kanon briliantly examines the question of justice in this book - from those who committed war crimes and to those who stood by and did nothing. Are they just as guilty? And how much should a people be punished before it turns into nothing more than cold-blooded revenge? Kanon leave the answer up to you.

A fast-paced read and brimming with details of post-war Berlin, The Good German is a must for any World War II enthusiast.

Berlin Diaires: 1940-1945 by Marie Vassiltchikov

I'm only a quarter into reading this book, but already it's captured my attention. Marie Vassiltchikov was a White Russian princess living in Germany during World War II. Most notably, she worked in the German Foreign Office from 1940 to 1944.

Her diary entries are informal, yet able to capture a moment in time that the war destroyed forever. From the endless rounds of parties to bombing raids and late nights at work, Marie or "Missie" as she was more well known, shares a little-known part of German history. We come to know her family, her friends, and her co-workers. A keen observer, Missie documented much of what went on around her in the context of what was happening in the war. This gives us a perceptive and startling glimpse into the everyday lives of those living in Berlin. As the war stretches through the years, so, too, do Missie's diary entries become lengthier, as if trying to fully understand the devastation of Hitler's mad ambition.

Highly readable and entertaining, Berlin Diaires: 1940-1945 will be a welcome addition to any World War II collection.

Black Cross by Greg Iles

If you want to read a book that will keep you up until all hours of the night because you cannot wait to see what happens next, then pick up a copy of Greg Iles' World War II thriller Black Cross.

The Nazis are creating a deadly nerve gas in a concentration camp that might possibly be used on the Allies at D-Day. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill asks Dr. Mac McConnell and a Zionist named Jonas Stern to execute a daring plan to convince the Germans that the Allies also have the deadly gas.

Tightly written and full of fascinating history and facts, Black Cross is one of those books you'll remember long after you've finished it.

Memphis Belle

I guess you could say that the movie Memphis Belle started my fascination with World War II. Released in 1990, it had an all-star cast including Matthew Modine, D.B. Sweeney, Eric Stoltz, Harry Connick Jr., Sean Astin, and the relatively unknown Billy Zane.

Inspired by the real-life Memphis Belle airplane, this movie portrays the 25th and final mission of the Memphis Belle crew when they flew over Bremen, Germany. Although the special affects are a bit lacking in places, the actors' performances are superb, portraying the gritty realism of ordinary airmen in the midst of war.

This is an excellent movie on every level. Highly recommended!

Roosevelt's Secret War

Roosevelt's Secret War: FDR and World War II Espionage by Joseph E. Persico.

This New York Times bestseller has it all - secret meetings, late night chats, spies, traitors, presidents, and prime ministers. Persico argues that "no American president was better suited for secret warfare than FDR."* Did FDR know about the bombing of Pearl Harbor before it happened? Persico addresses this question- and the answer may surprise you.

"Explores—with judicious historical zest and a fine eye for detail—the hallucinatory world of snooping, concealments, betrayals and confidence games played for world-history stakes."—Time

*From the back cover of the book.

Band of Brothers

If you haven't had a chance to catch this ten-part HBO miniseries on the Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, U.S. 101st Airborne Division, get thee to a video store. (Or wait for it to come on the History Channel again.)

Beginning with the company's training and their participation in D-Day to the end of the war, Band of Brothers is wonderfully acted. Produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, it is a hauntingly vivid portrait of the true face of war.