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Title: Two Legends of WWII: The Spitfire and Mustang Story

Subtitle: Flying Machines and Their Heroes, Volume 4

Author: Errol Kennedy

Narrator: Robert Powell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-14-15

Publisher: Lundarien Press

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: History, Military

Publisher's Summary:

The fourth book in the series tells the amazing story of the two most famous fighters in World War II.

The Spitfire, the much-loved aircraft of the British nation and the RAF, became a symbol of British strength, hope, and defiance during WWII. It is considered to have been the most effective fighter during the Battle of Britain.

The Mustang was unquestionably the finest of all the USAF fighters. This wonderful aircraft's maneuverability, speed, and range enabled it to penetrate deep into enemy territory therefore earning the title as probably the best all-around, single-piston engine fighter to be deployed by any of the combatants in WW II.

Members Reviews:

The writing was not very in depth for either model ...

The writing was not very in depth for either model aircraft. And it took me all of 20 minutes to read. This book is way overpriced.

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Title: The Battle of Fredericksburg

Subtitle: The Greatest Civil War Battles

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Chris Abell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-25-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: History, Military

Publisher's Summary:

"It is good that war is so terrible; otherwise we should grow too fond of it." (Robert E. Lee)

The Army of the Potomac had pushed Robert E. Lee's army out of Maryland in September 1862 after the Battle of Antietam, but President Lincoln and his War Department wanted the army to continue going after the Army of Northern Virginia after it retreated back into Virginia. When George B. McClellan refused to do it, Lincoln fired him and installed Ambrose E. Burnside as the new commander. Burnside, who didn't believe himself capable of commanding the Army of the Potomac, only took the job because he was told Fighting Joe Hooker would get the spot if he refused.

With Washington urging Burnside to advance against Lee, Burnside launched an ill-fated operation across the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg in December 1862. From December 12-13, Burnside struggled to get his army across the river while it was under fire from Confederates in Fredericksburg, and things only got worse when they did.

As injured Northern soldiers lay freezing and dying on the field that night, the Northern Lights made a rare appearance. Southern soldiers interpreted it as a favorable omen from God and mentioned them frequently in their diaries, while Northern soldiers who saw something far less divine sparsely mentioned them. The following morning, Burnside extricated his army back behind the river, ending the fighting in 1862.

Members Reviews:

Good look at poor leadership

This is an extremely good way to do such a book. It's done by quoting reports from the actual leaders involved in the battle. What things appear to be in this battle is a rather incompetent Union general (of which they had many) who could really plan and carry out a battle plan if his life depended on it.

This was the first major urban battle in the Civil War and the first time an American city was bombarded (by cannon) on purpose.

A lot of good men died because of poor leadership on the Union side. The Southern side, meanwhile, had gotten to the battle site first and set up excellent defenses and had very good plans in effect. It was really sort of a reverse Gettysburg.

Nothing Ground Shaking.

Nothing Ground Shaking.

I was hoping to get a really good look into this battle as my knowledge is a bit lacking in the Civil War. I was hoping this would be along the lines of the old WWII series by Ballantine Books. Overall, this is a good short, very short synopsis of the battle and the blunderings of an incompetent General Burnside. I enjoyed the perspective provided from General Lee and Longstreet. The photos and some personal recollections were well situated. In this sense, the book achieved its goal. However, for a work that is supposed to be a product of Harvard and MIT alumni, I was disappointed.

These folks need to go back to formatting and editing one-of-one. Glad it was free.

This is a good primer for those who would like a brief introduction to the Civil War.

3.5 stars

Good

Great to read

Thoroughly compelling

This book draws you into the battle and moves you through each movement with clarity and insight. I enjoyed it immensely.

Good overview

A good overview of the battle. Shows the inept leadership of Gen Burnside and the waste of human life by attacking a fortified position.

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Title: Sherman's March to the Sea

Subtitle: The History of the Savannah Campaign that Subdued Georgia

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Michael Piotrasch

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-25-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: History, Military

Publisher's Summary:

"I can make this march, and I will make Georgia howl!" - William Tecumseh Sherman

"No Civil War commander possessed a more astute appraisal of the nature of the contemporary warfare, how to form and pursue grand strategy, and the critical nexus between war, civil society, popular support, and electoral politics, And few American generals have since." - Victor Davis Hanson, The Savior Generals

William Tecumseh Sherman holds a unique position in American history. Synonymous with barbarity in the South, Sherman is lauded as a war hero in the North, and modern historians consider him the harbinger of total war. As a Union general, Sherman was recognized for his outstanding command of military strategy but criticized for the harshness of the "scorched earth" policies that he implemented in conducting total war against the Confederate States, especially in 1864 and 1865. Military historian B. H. Liddell Hart famously declared that Sherman was "the first modern general."

Both Grant and Sherman shared the same theory of war: anything that might help the enemy's war effort should be considered a military target. Grant explained to Sherman that the Confederates must be "demoralized and left without hope," and he instructed Sherman, "Take all provisions, forage and stock wanted for the use of your command. Such as cannot be consumed, destroy. Leave the valley so barren that crows flying over it...will have to carry their provender with them." In addition to the wholesale plundering of Southern resources, including taking them from civilians, the Union reversed its policy of swapping prisoners, realizing it had a far bigger reserve of manpower than the South. The Atlanta Campaign was a perfect example of this, as both sides lost about the same number of casualties. By September 1864, however, Sherman still had about 80,000 men, while Hood's army was reduced to about 30,000.

Members Reviews:

Descriptive

The narrators were awesome and were able to provide a vivid description of the battle.

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Title: Invasion of Laos, 1971: Lam Son 719

Author: Robert D. Sander

Narrator: Stuart Appleton

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-23-15

Publisher: University Press Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: History, Military

Publisher's Summary:

In 1971, while US ground forces were prohibited from crossing the Laotian border, a South Vietnamese Army corps, with US air support, launched the largest airmobile operation in the history of warfare, Lam Son 719. The objective: to sever the North Vietnamese Army's main logistical artery, the Ho Chi Minh Trail, at its hub, Tchepone in Laos, an operation that, according to General Creighton Abrams, could have been the decisive battle of the war. Hastening the withdrawal of US forces and ensuring the survival of South Vietnam. The outcome: defeat of the South Vietnamese Army and heavy losses of US helicopters and aircrews, but a successful preemptive strike that met President Nixon's near-term political objectives.

Author Robert Sander, a helicopter pilot in Lam Son 719, explores why an operation of such importance failed. Sander's conclusion is at once powerful and persuasively clear. Lam Son 719 was doomed in both the planning and execution-a casualty of domestic and international politics, flawed assumptions, incompetent execution, and the resolve of the North Vietnamese Army. A powerful work of military and political history, this book offers eloquent testimony that "failure, like success, cannot be measured in absolute terms."

Critic Reviews:

"Robert Sander has done a truly superb job of telling what really happened in Lam Son 719. Great book!" (Maj. Gen. Benjamin L. Harrison, author of Hell on a Hill Top: America's Last Major Battle in Vietnam)

"Sander's vivid accounts of the heroic actions of his fellow helicopter pilots and crewmen are especially noteworthy. Invasion of Laos deserves to be a part of any Vietnam War library or collection." (Andrew Wiest, author of Vietnam's Forgotten Army: Heroism and Betrayal in the ARVN)

Members Reviews:

Interesting book, POOR narration

Any additional comments?

This is a reasonable study of Lam Son 719, but is badly let down by the narrator. Initially I genuinely thought the narration had been provided by one of those computer voices reading from typed content.

I did get used to the dry, monotone delivery after about 4 hours, but it really does detract from the book. There is no reason why an 'academic' or 'study' book should be read by a dry and monotone narrator (if that was the publishers intent).

The book itself is an interesting study of Lam Son 719 and provides a good overview especially for someone with little knowledge of the operation (like me). My only observation is that the author spends too much time on the air component (often down to individual flights and crews) and not enough time on the ground operations at a similar level of detail. This leaves the reader to view the operation from the air (often rotary wing) perspective rather than from the land or joint operations perspective (although this may have been the authors intent). The author does do a good job of blending the operational situation with the political situation and the conclusion is very good.

I would love to listen to this book again, but with a different narrator.

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Title: History's Greatest Military Commanders

Subtitle: The Brilliant Military Strategies Of Hannibal, Alexander The Great, Sun Tzu, Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, And 30 Other Historical Commanders

Author: Barry Linton

Narrator: Jim D. Johnston

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-10-15

Publisher: Make Profits Easy LLC

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: History, Military

Publisher's Summary:

Armed conflict has produced many of the great leaders in human history. Some fought purely for glory, others waged war out of desperation, and even more were driven by a sense of duty. Every leader has human qualities that transcend time and culture. The lessons taught, tactics used, and losses suffered stand as a testament to their lives and accomplishments. In his book, entitled History's Greatest Military Commanders, author Barry Linton covers these leaders and great military commanders in fascinating detail, highlighting their distinguishable backgrounds and origins. Many were conquerors, some were innovators, and even others were liberators. One trait shared by all of these leaders is the willingness to adapt and overcome. This book presents the true stories and struggles faced by these Commanders.

Detailed battlefield plans are outlined, giving a step by step account of many important battles as well as information describing the context of each battle. The Commanders featured are drawn from all major periods of human history. Their achievements as well as their failures are highlighted, combined with the impact they had on the greater world and history.

Follow along as we detail memorable historic greats such as: Sun Tzu, Alexander the Great, Pyrrhus of Epirus, Darius the Third, Scipio Africanus, Hannibal Barca, Julius Caesar, Attila the Hun, Belisarius, Khalid Ibn Al-Walid, Charlemagne, Saladin, Genghis Khan, Timur, Edward the Black Prince, Suleiman the Magnificent, Oda Nobunaga, Yi Sun-sin, Hernan Cortes, Gustavus Adolphus, Duke of Marlborough, George Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte, Duke of Wellington, Horatio Nelson, Helmut von Moltke the Elder, Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Togo Heihachiro, John Monash, Erwin Rommel, Georgy Zhukov, Bernard Montgomery, and George Patton.

Members Reviews:

OMFG! I CANT STAND IT!

The story is good if you can ignore the whistling sounds the narrator makes every S Sound.

i cannot and couldnt pay attention to what was being said. i quit somewhere in chapter 3.

it was driving me ibsaine and I could only hear his whistling sounds which are louder than his reading.

i imagine it's a good book but just get someone else to read it!

not bad

good little history lesson of multiple generals from all times and nationalities, goes into details of key battles and is completely subjective. reader is a tad whistly

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Title: First to Fly

Subtitle: The Story of the Lafayette Escadrille, the American Heroes Who Flew for France in World War I

Author: Charles Bracelen Flood

Narrator: Tom Perkins

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-02-15

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 19 votes

Genres: History, Military

Publisher's Summary:

If the Wright brothers' 1903 flights in Kitty Hawk marked the birth of aviation, World War I can be called its violent adolescence - a brief but bloody era that completely changed the way planes were designed, fabricated, and flown. The war forged an industry that would redefine transportation and warfare for future generations.

In First to Fly, historian Charles Bracelen Flood tells the story of the men who were at the forefront of that revolution: the daredevil Americans of the Lafayette Escadrille.

As citizens of a neutral nation from 1914 to early 1917, Americans were prohibited from serving in a foreign army, but many brave young souls soon made their way into European battle zones as ambulance drivers, nurses, and, more dangerously, soldiers in the French Foreign Legion. It was partly from the ranks of the latter group that the Lafayette Escadrille was formed in 1916 as the first and only all-American squadron in the French Air Service. Flying rudimentary planes against one-in-three odds of being killed, these fearless young men gathered reconnaissance and shot down enemy aircraft, participated in the Battle of Verdun, and faced off with the Red Baron.

Drawing on rarely seen primary sources, Flood chronicles the startling success of that intrepid band and gives a compelling look at the rise of aviation and a new era of warfare.

Critic Reviews:

"Top-notch military history." (Kirkus)

Members Reviews:

Good stories but not a history of WWI aviation

Good but the book jumps around in time and emphasis on individuals, battles and the war. Basically a series of interesting anecdotes strung together.

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Title: Lost Destiny

Subtitle: Joe Kennedy Jr. and the Doomed WWII Mission to Save London

Author: Alan Axelrod

Narrator: Tom Perkins

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-19-15

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: History, Military

Publisher's Summary:

On August 12, 1944, Lieutenant Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., heir to one of America's most glamorous fortunes, son of the disgraced former ambassador to Great Britain, and big brother to freshly minted PT-109 hero JFK, hoisted himself up into a highly modified B-24 Liberator bomber. The munitions he was carrying that day were 50 percent more powerful than TNT. Kennedy's mission was part of Operation Aphrodite/Project Anvil, a desperate American effort to rescue London from a rain of German V-1 and V-2 missiles. The decision to use these bold but crude precursors to modern-day drones against German V-weapon launch sites came from Air Corps high command.

Lieutenant General Jimmy Doolittle, daring leader of the spectacular 1942 Tokyo Raid, and others concocted a plan to install radio control equipment in "war-weary" bombers, pack them with a dozen tons of high explosives, and fly them by remote control directly into the concrete German launch sites - targets too hard to be destroyed by conventional bombs. The catch was that live pilots were needed to get these flying bombs off the ground and headed toward their targets. Joe Jr., was the first naval aviator to fly such a mission. And - in the biggest man-made explosion before Hiroshima - it killed him.

Alan Axelrod's Lost Destiny is a rare exploration of the origin of today's controversial military drones as well as a searing and unforgettable story of heroism, WWII, and the Kennedy dynasty that might have been.

Critic Reviews:

"A probing, technical exploration of the competition between the two eldest Kennedy brothers that probably drove Joe Jr. to volunteer for his last fatal flying mission." (

Kirkus)

Members Reviews:

Remarkable

This exhaustive dossier is sure to please history and airplane buffs. But if you are looking for biographical information on Joe Kennedy, you will be disappointed. I've never read a biography that contained so little information on its subject. Still, as general WWII flying history there's a great deal of deeply researched information. Absolutely, the reading is top-notch work from Tom Perkins.

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Title: American Legends: The Life of Dwight D. Eisenhower

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Paul Bloede

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-06-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: History, Military

Publisher's Summary:

A lot of time has been spent covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, listeners can get caught up on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute. And they can do so while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.

During the middle of the 20th century, the United States completed its transformation into one of the world's superpowers. Few were as instrumental in this development as Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), renowned for being the nation's principal commanding general during World War II and the president who served during the early, tumultuous Cold War years.

A career military man, Ike was too young to serve in combat during World War I. But he began a long and productive career collaborating with future military legends George Patton and Douglas MacArthur while serving some of the nation's other famous generals, including George Marshall and John J. Pershing. Amazingly, he had never served in anything but administrative positions before World War II.

Eisenhower remained mired in middle management positions until George Marshall, Chief of Staff of the Army, took notice of his skills and began promoting him. By 1942, Eisenhower was given the role of appointed supreme commander allied (expeditionary) force in North Africa. After his success there, Eisenhower oversaw the invasion of Sicily in 1943, which at the time had been the largest amphibious invasion in history.

Members Reviews:

I wished we could reincarnate Âhim!

Gives the reader a good history that is complete of Ikes life! I wished we could reincarnate him and run him for President today! wouldnât be nice to have someone with that much integrity and who would standup for what he believes inas president today!

Small, but very precise!

Very nice book with very precise historic information about his career, especially about the strategies along the Second World War (Day-D).

Covers the Basics

If you want to get a general impression on the lift of Dwight Eisenhower, read this book. If you want a more detailed accounting, o elsewhere.

Didn't Read It All

Like all Charles River Editors condensed bios, this was very informative and complete. Maybe too complete. I read through the complete D-Day beach landings and wondered, "What was the point of that?"

Also. The bio ended at approximately 22% of the allotted space. The remaining 78% is Inaugural Addresses. I haven't read those. So,go ahead and read, but keep these things in mind.

And one other thing. This is an interactive book with videos - that don't happen to be supported by Kindle Fire.

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Título: Invasión de Polonia [The Invasion of Poland]

Subtitular: El primer objetivo de la Alemania Nazi [The First Objective of Nazi Germany]

Autor: Online Studio Productions

Narrador: uncredited

Formato: Unabridged

Duración: 32 mins

Idioma: Español

Fecha de publicación: 04-30-15

Editor: Online Studio Productions

Categorías: History, Military

Resumen del editor:

Luego de finalizada la I Guerra Mundial, quedó muy claro que el país más afectado fue Alemania. De este escenario se aprovecharía el jefe del partido Nazi Adolf Hitler, quien gracias a una prédica incendiaria, nacionalista, xenófoba y racista, buscaría iniciar una nueva guerra. Polonia, el débil país vecino del Este, sería su primer objetivo, iniciando así la II Guerra Mundial en 1939.

Please note: This audiobook is in Spanish.

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Title: The Firebombing of Dresden

Subtitle: The History and Legacy of the Allies' Most Controversial Attack on Germany

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Bob Neufeld

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-27-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: History, Military

Publisher's Summary:

Includes survivors' accounts of the attacks Discusses the various debates over the morality and necessity of targeting Dresden Includes footnotes and a bibliography for further reading Includes a table of contents

"We saw terrible things: cremated adults shrunk to the size of small children, pieces of arms and legs, dead people, whole families burnt to death, burning people ran to and fro, burnt coaches filled with civilian refugees, dead rescuers and soldiers, many were calling and looking for their children and families, and fire everywhere, everywhere fire, and all the time the hot wind of the firestorm threw people back into the burning houses they were trying to escape from. I cannot forget these terrible details. I can never forget them." (Lothar Metzger, survivor)

In the middle of February 1945, the Allies were steadily advancing against the Germans from both east and west, with British and American forces having repulsed the German offensive during the Battle of the Bulge and the Soviet Union's Red Army pushing from the east. Indeed, the war would be over in just a little more than two months. Nonetheless, it was during this timeframe that the Allies conducted one of the most notorious attacks of the war: the targeting of Dresden.

As a Royal Air Force memo put it before the attack, "Dresden, the seventh largest city in Germany and not much smaller than Manchester, is also the largest unbombed built up area the enemy has got. In the midst of winter, with refugees pouring westward and troops to be rested, roofs are at a premium, not only to give shelter to workers, refugees, and troops alike but to house the administrative services displaced from other areas. At one time well known for its china, Dresden has developed into an industrial city of first-class importance"....

Members Reviews:

Interesting take on the horror.

If you could sum up The Firebombing of Dresden in three words, what would they be?

I quite liked the first half of this book; my interest tailed off a bit towards the end though. The narration was good and the subject matter kept my interest. I would definitely recommend this book. There was nothing which I disliked, so all in all a thumbs up.

What other book might you compare The Firebombing of Dresden to, and why?

I can't think of any books to which I might compare this one to; it's approach to the subject matter is fairly unique.

What about Bob Neufelds performance did you like?

Good pace, good tone, nice expression.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Cry.

Any additional comments?

none.