#27 The Godwulf Manuscript by Robert B. Parker - a Spenser mystery This volume introduces Spenser, the Galahad of Boston. There's a lot of background information about him, naturally, and this volume also introduces two women who figure prominently in his romantic life - Becky Loring and Susan Silverman. Spenser solves the case, then goes above and beyond to rescue a young woman who has gotten way off track. It sets the stage for the most prolific detective series that I've seen. A re-read, but still fun.
#28 In The Company of Soldiers by Rick Atkinson - Live combat reporting Atkinson was embedded with the command structure of a U.S. Army unit in Iraq in 2003. This is the story of what he saw, heard, felt, and suffered. An excellent first-hand account of the "fog of war" by an almost objective observer. This volume inspired me to seek out some of his other work.
#29 An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 by Rick Atkinson Vivid account of the invasion of North Africa and the campaign through Tunisia to expel the Axis forces. Atkinson includes first-hand accounts from the commanders on all sides (German, American, British, Italian) alongside testimony from the mid-level officers who commanded the troops and the troops themselves. He pulls no punches as he describes Bernard Montgomery's efforts to take over the entire Allied force, and the problems he engendered with his constant complaining and his reluctance to move quickly when "strongly advised" to do so. There are also accounts of Eisenhower's lack of experience and how his desire to make every commander happy led to rifts between the British and Americans that never healed. Plus, there's a pretty scathing profile of George Patton, who was just as ego-driven as Montgomery but who also shared some faults with the British general (neither of them were thought to be any good at logistics). Excellent book. Very informative. Two thumbs up high for this and the other two volumes in the WW2 history. This first one was awarded a Pulitzer in 2003.
#30 The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-44 by Rick Atkinson Second volume of Atkinson's "Liberation Trilogy." It continues where volume 1 left off, with the Allies in control of North Africa and poised to invade southern Europe somewhere. He explains Churchill's desire to pierce the "soft underbelly of Europe" with landings in southern France, how Churchill was politically coerced to agree to land at Sicily, then move to Italy. We also learn of a disaster when U.S. airborne troops flew over jumpy infantry on the beach at Sicily and antiaircraft fire caused many casualties. He shows how "Smiling Albert" Kesselring (so named for his unflagging optimism) took over the defense of Italy after Mussolini was deposed and how effective he was with too few resources. Another excellent volume.
#31 The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-45 by Rick Atkinson Eisenhower plans the invasion of France. Patton sulks because he's not in on the invasion. Montgomery carps because he's not in charge and thinks he can do everything so much better than anyone else. DeGaulle complains because French troops are under-represented and because he's not in charge. The biggest triumph, I think, was molding all these disparate entities into a single force capable of destroying the German military machine. The rivalries which sprouted in North Africa flower in Western Europe as the political and military leaders thrash out the best way to topple the Third Reich. And the Russian campaign, while not the focus of this book, is not ignored, especially since Russian armies tied down many, many divisions of infantry, armor, transport, and air power of Germany and kept them away from the landings and combat in Normandy. We also see enough of the Holocaust to make me punch the next Denier I meet right in the mouth. Great book. All three were compelling reading.
