Athena

Excellent Personal Memoir; Narrator Should Be Ashamed

Revisado: 04-28-25

Narrator mispronounced Marseille, France, Dachau Concentration Camp had at least 3 different pronunciations. So botched was pronunciation that didn’t recognize the infamous camp until by deduction realized he was talking about Dachau. Remagen likewise was butchered with different incorrect pronunciations . Inexcusable. It’s HIS JOB . Take it seriously or look for another line of work. Very disrespectful to the author, a decorated & thrice wounded WWII veteran whose story deserved better. The authors son wrote a poem about his father’s time in Huertgen Forest. Narrator read poem without any emotion. IMO failed to capture depth of meaning that inspired the author.
The author’s experiences were unique, including encountering females in Wehrmacht. Fortunately for us he shared his experiences, which he believes prevented him from having nightmares. His strong Christian faith which he lived by is refreshing. His family was extremely fortunate, all 5 sons returned home.

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Excellent Marks!

Revisado: 12-14-23

Leo Marks self deprecating humor lightens a very serious subject. A brilliant man, described by Bletchley” Park, “As the one who got away” Owner of hardback book & audio. My only criticism, Wish there was more. Marks worked with some of the most famous and highly decorated SOE operatives including Violette Szabo, Nancy Wake,Noor Inyat Khan, and his close friend, “The White Rabbit” amongst others.
His struggle to convince Baker Street that the Holland circuits were blown . It was the RAF who finally put a stop to the deliverance of operatives and weapons into the hands of the Gestapo leading to torture and death. Over 50 agents were blown due to the failure of the Holland section,
Leo Marks was a great man who despite his faults, and we all have them used his talents for the cause of Freedom.
Must read for anyone who enjoys SOE history.

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Thank You RA Fluckey

Revisado: 10-18-23

I enjoy WWII memoirs, not dry tactical books. I want to know what the people experienced. When I meet a veteran my first thought is always, “ Thank you AND I’m so sorry for what you endured and the friends you lost”

I enjoyed the book, and am considering purchasing the hard cover, signed by author. Narration was ok, not the best I’ve ever heard, thus 4 stars.

If one is looking for a detailed in depth book on tactics than look elsewhere. If one would as Fluckey says in his signed inscriptions, want to join the crew of the Barb, then you will enjoy this book. It’s not a heavy read/listen.

Think the saddest part is that a submarine that accomplished so much & whose final patrol contributed to the changes in submarine warfare still felt today was given away by our government.

US government wastes taxpayer dollars everyday. Citizens & country would benefit more from money spent on the USS Barb Museum then some overseas project.

Fluckey said,
‘Had we known we would have bought her” USS Barb should be a museum.

Reading reviews there are those who criticized the author for, “sanitized language” & disparage the man’s humility. Well what the reviewer fails to recognize is Fluckey is from a different generation. A generation that did not toot their own horn, who gave anonymously. My father, a WWII vet always gave to charity anonymously. He NEVER wanted any credit. His mother refused to display gold star in her window believing the death of her son was, “nothing to brag about”. Thus I don’t find is humility hard to believe.

The lifelong lessons that Captain Fluckey imparted to his crew are valuable lessons for anyone reading the book. While some readers criticized Fluckey , (one seems almost personal), I enjoyed a book written by man with integrity.

Anyone who knows Major “Dick” Winters knows his opposition to the use of foul language and sex scenes in HBO’s production of Band of Brothers. By including sex scenes the show is now off limits for children. That is of course if the parents are paying attention.bThere is something called “inference” that todays film producers cannot grasp.

Criticizing Fluckey for not including foul language seems a bit petty.

Not every man in the service was foul mouthed or bedded any woman they could, although many did as evidenced by number of servicemen who were casualties of VD vs combat. The problem today is there is no morality, nothing is private, or personal & EVERY book & film MUST describe a sex act & include foul language.

Sure the author could have included expletives in the narration, but I don’t those words were necessary to make the book more real, believable. If that’s one’s only criticism I think that speaks more to the listener than to the author. Using four letter expletives are easy compared to using one’s brain to describe a situation. One doesn’t need to read about the men’s sexual conquests unless of course one’s goal is to be, well that’s better left unsaid or to one’s imagination.

So including foul language makes the book more real? Personally I found it refreshing. I don’t need the foul language or sex scenes to enjoy a book or film. If I need to there is plenty available.

Fluckey wrote a book that you can share with your child, listen to in public, and that piques one’s interest in the silent service.

Adversity makes people stronger. Generation that fought in WWII loved their country. Their character was shaped by Faith, Family, & hard work. Sadly they won the war for Freedom & our government immediately lost it to the enemy when they welcomed in the welfare socialist state that created the Dependent Generation that thinks Socialism is ideal.

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Personal Stories from 28th Div & Armor that Made Bastogne Possible

Revisado: 06-23-23

Really enjoyed listening to the personal stories of those who made the defense of Bastogne possible. Having read Time for Trumpets, several 101st Airborne autobiographies, Lyle Bouck of the I & R Platoon’s autobiography and numerous other books on the Bulge several of the stories were familiar however there were many I’d never read before.

There are maps online that allow the reader to view the battle and of course online maps with satellite view that can help the reader follow the paths of the battle.

As for those who describe the story as chaotic and hard to follow, the fact is that the Battle of the Bulge was chaotic! The reader has the advantage of going back and rereading or listening again. If one uses a map and listens more than once it becomes clearer.

Agree with Kindle reader RE the mistakes made by either the narrator or author- Half-Tracks referred to sometimes as Half Trucks and tank commands referred to as companies. Yes for someone who knows the difference it’s annoying. Tragically those who don’t know the facts are being taught incorrectly.

Thank you to the author for memorializing the men who sacrificed so much for Freedom. When I thank veterans for their service I always want to tell them how sorry I am for the losses they experienced and the nightmares that haunt them.

It needs to be corrected ASAP. Today it is common for books published by established publishing companies to have NUMEROUS typos including the misspelling of common words and misuse of punctuation symbols. One infamous book published by Stackpole had typos on EVERY page.

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Wonderful Story by a Humble Veteran

Revisado: 06-09-23

Loved listening to this humble veteran recount his time in the RAF during WWII. Fact that he narrates his own story is one of the benefits. As one listens it feels as if you are with Joy as he tells his story over a cup of tea or a pint of beer. Listening to Joy one is reminded of the values that have been lost. Humility is one as is respect, especially for one’s elders, which many societies revere for their wisdom.
When Joy speaks of his time 60 years on in a Lancaster his humility is obvious. What I don’t think he realizes is Ollie revered Joy for his exploits in WWII when he flew over hostile territory at night without the navigational aids available today.
Challenging one’s mind and body makes one stronger; conveniences make one weaker despite the arguments that it allows one “to accomplish more”.
Thank you Joy for taking the time to tell your story, share it with us, and of course for your love of country and willingness to serve. I’m sorry for the losses you experienced during the War.

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Don’t Waste Your Money

Revisado: 06-06-23

This is more a very brief overview of why WWII occurred & the French Resistance than it is about the subject, Jeannie Rousseau. My interest in Jeannie’s story was peaked by Lynne Olson’s book, which is a source for this work. I learned more about Rousseau in Olsen’s book.
To top it off the narrator referred to M I 6, (SIX) as “M16”! You have got to be kidding! No excuse whatsoever.

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Great Story- Read it as the Narrator is Awful

Revisado: 05-26-23

Content is excellent, however the narrator’s version leaves much to be desired. The emphasis and tone is all wrong. His attempt at a New Zealand accent when speaking the words of a New Zealander is pathetic. If it weren’t for the fact I have lots of time to listen but not always read, I wouldn’t have continued listening, The narrator has excellent enunciation,although he mispronounced “Arnhem”. His style of narration is not suited for a book with serious life and death content.
The author adds in facts about the War that are not always relevant- the effect on Audrey Hepburn as a result of the Hunger Winter due to events in Holland not related to the story, are just one example. The only benefit is one learns more about WWII if not already known to the reader which can spark an interest in reading on that aspect of WWII.

Reading personal accounts of those who lived through the War have taught me not only history, but geography, politics, human nature, military history, and maybe the most important is about Governments, the lies they tell, and just how precarious Freedom is and without those willing to sacrifice their lives, we would live in subjugation.

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Narration Is Horrible

Revisado: 08-08-22

The telling of this man’s story, which needs to be told, was ruined by the narrator. Nothing in the story revealed where the POWS , except main character, were from, but the narrator’s contrived accent made them sound like they were all from rural South and uneducated.

The narrator CANNOT imitate a male voice and whoever reviewed the performance before release or selected her needs to look for another line of work.

As for the content of the story, a previous reviewer remarked that in addition to the POW’s story there is ongoing war and unrelated personally to the subject, Myers’s war, which is accurate. The author could have done a better job of weaving that information into the POW’s story. I have learned much about battles and the progression of the War via personal narratives whose main theme is the subject’s personal experience and not a discussion of the War.

Japan as a Nation, committed War Crimes. Every Nation has individual soldiers that commit war crimes, a significant difference. Due to political reasons related to the beginning of the Cold War with Russia, the Japanese were never held accountable for their crimes. Allied victims of their barbaric brutality have never been allowed to be compensated by Japan.

Examples of people driven mad by the conditions they were subjected to by their sadistic captors is at Ravensbrück, Germany’s concentration camp for women.

The media’s focus on the devastation caused by the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki along with political leaders apologizing for the destruction are failing to tell the complete story. Okinawa, Iwo Jima, Tarawa, and Peleliu are just of few of the barbaric battles that resulted in the horrific deaths of not only Allied soldiers and civilians, but Japanese and Axis soldiers as well, often by their own hand. Nor do they relate the story of the Allied civilians, including newborns, held in concentration camps where the conditions and death rate matched that of the Warsaw Ghetto.

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