Best Ever, 09 Sep 2006
Brilliant. T E Lawrence poured his soul into this magnificently crafted autobiography. It takes you from his arrival in Cairo as an upstart academic, through his dramatic evolution into a desert soldier/strategist and leader of the Arab revolt against the Turks, to his ultimate failure to win justice for the people he'd grown to be part of. Lawrence was a gifted writer as well as an extraordinary soldier and I was fascinated by the insights that run through it: into his political naivety, his ambivalent loyalties, and the hints of concern (almost certainly ill-founded) about his own mental state. The combination of high politics and personal danger, played out in the dramatic and mysterious Arab world as it meets the West is quite magnificent.

The writing style is nineteenth century and the language and prose may be unfamiliar to many but this is the most rewarding book I have read. It's the one I unhesitatingly offer as the best ever.



Mellifluous but Dense, 01 Apr 2005
Jim Norton's mellifluous voice is pleasant to listen to but does little to improve the clarity of Lawrence's already dense writing for the listener. Where the reader has the chance to go back to try to clarify a contorted Lawrence sentence, the listener really has no such opportunity and the result is hard work in concentrating on the flow of the text so as not to miss the purpose of the sentence.

Lawrence thought of himself as a new Shakespeare - but unfortunately did not have Shakespeare's intuitive feeling for language so the slightly quirky cadences adopted by Norton coupled with rather brutal editing make this a reading that has to be listened to with concentration. Not recommended for in-car listening -- or even listening while doing the ironing!

A book for bedtime....., 13 Oct 2004
Are you a philosopher? - Read no further, you might enjoy this book, if you can stay awake long enough - for the rest of us, this book, unlike its author, is just not interesting - it's too long-winded.
Definitely NOT a book to read in the 21st Century, it's just NOT of our time - the title is the most interesting thing about it.
It's about as interesting as that dull little tome by Ann Robinson.....zzzzzzzzzzz ......time for bed...

Seven Pillars of Wisdom - A stunning read, 05 Aug 2004
Whilst travelling through Wadi Rum in Jordan a few years ago i was haunted in my mind by images of the enigmatic character that was Lawrence of Arabia; part legend, part myth, part wrong person in the wrong place at the right time.

To read this book is to know the man, the journeys, the politics, the battles. Although he himself admitted to his own ambiguity and uselessness as a British Pawn in the middle east, this book goes some way to dispel the Myth.

A must for anyone who is interested in the middle east, british / arab politics and a very colourful man

Lawrence of Arabia from his own point of view, 05 Jan 2004
Having been a geat fan of the David Lean film ever since my father took me as a 7 year old boy to see it when it was first released, I had intended to read Lawrence's own account of the events covered by the film for a long time. The book itself is a mixture of autobiographical recounting of the events covered by the film and a travelogue interspersed with almost essay type observations by Lawrence on a wide variety of subjects including the plight of the Arabs, their culture, his own motivation and the wartime life of soldiers in general. Most of the book is descriptive with very little in the way of dialogue and it can at times become very difficult to persevere with, particularly during the author's sometimes extreme moments of navel-gazing. However, the persistent reader is taken on a unique journey with Lawrence through his adventures, middle eastern culture and the spectacular desert scenery of the area. When the time came to part I was rather sorry that the journey was over as Lawrence is, if nothing else, an extremely knowledgeable guide. Taken as an adjunct to the film (which takes a certain amount of artistic licence with the facts) the book deepens one's understanding of its political, geographical and personal context and provides a unique insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the man himself.

Best Ever, 09 Sep 2006
Brilliant. T E Lawrence poured his soul into this magnificently crafted autobiography. It takes you from his arrival in Cairo as an upstart academic, through his dramatic evolution into a desert soldier/strategist and leader of the Arab revolt against the Turks, to his ultimate failure to win justice for the people he'd grown to be part of. Lawrence was a gifted writer as well as an extraordinary soldier and I was fascinated by the insights that run through it: into his political naivety, his ambivalent loyalties, and the hints of concern (almost certainly ill-founded) about his own mental state. The combination of high politics and personal danger, played out in the dramatic and mysterious Arab world as it meets the West is quite magnificent.

The writing style is nineteenth century and the language and prose may be unfamiliar to many but this is the most rewarding book I have read. It's the one I unhesitatingly offer as the best ever.



Mellifluous but Dense, 01 Apr 2005
Jim Norton's mellifluous voice is pleasant to listen to but does little to improve the clarity of Lawrence's already dense writing for the listener. Where the reader has the chance to go back to try to clarify a contorted Lawrence sentence, the listener really has no such opportunity and the result is hard work in concentrating on the flow of the text so as not to miss the purpose of the sentence.

Lawrence thought of himself as a new Shakespeare - but unfortunately did not have Shakespeare's intuitive feeling for language so the slightly quirky cadences adopted by Norton coupled with rather brutal editing make this a reading that has to be listened to with concentration. Not recommended for in-car listening -- or even listening while doing the ironing!

A book for bedtime....., 13 Oct 2004
Are you a philosopher? - Read no further, you might enjoy this book, if you can stay awake long enough - for the rest of us, this book, unlike its author, is just not interesting - it's too long-winded.
Definitely NOT a book to read in the 21st Century, it's just NOT of our time - the title is the most interesting thing about it.
It's about as interesting as that dull little tome by Ann Robinson.....zzzzzzzzzzz ......time for bed...

Seven Pillars of Wisdom - A stunning read, 05 Aug 2004
Whilst travelling through Wadi Rum in Jordan a few years ago i was haunted in my mind by images of the enigmatic character that was Lawrence of Arabia; part legend, part myth, part wrong person in the wrong place at the right time.

To read this book is to know the man, the journeys, the politics, the battles. Although he himself admitted to his own ambiguity and uselessness as a British Pawn in the middle east, this book goes some way to dispel the Myth.

A must for anyone who is interested in the middle east, british / arab politics and a very colourful man

Lawrence of Arabia from his own point of view, 05 Jan 2004
Having been a geat fan of the David Lean film ever since my father took me as a 7 year old boy to see it when it was first released, I had intended to read Lawrence's own account of the events covered by the film for a long time. The book itself is a mixture of autobiographical recounting of the events covered by the film and a travelogue interspersed with almost essay type observations by Lawrence on a wide variety of subjects including the plight of the Arabs, their culture, his own motivation and the wartime life of soldiers in general. Most of the book is descriptive with very little in the way of dialogue and it can at times become very difficult to persevere with, particularly during the author's sometimes extreme moments of navel-gazing. However, the persistent reader is taken on a unique journey with Lawrence through his adventures, middle eastern culture and the spectacular desert scenery of the area. When the time came to part I was rather sorry that the journey was over as Lawrence is, if nothing else, an extremely knowledgeable guide. Taken as an adjunct to the film (which takes a certain amount of artistic licence with the facts) the book deepens one's understanding of its political, geographical and personal context and provides a unique insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the man himself.

Insightful, 03 Aug 2008
The author has a depth of knowledge of events which are enlightening and entertaining. Much effort appears to have gone into unearthing contemporary accounts giving a refreshing and unbiased view of events with a ring of truth about them unlike the standard texts which can be misleading generalisations. Well worth the money, not only for a gripping read as well as an historical record .

A message for all aspiring officers..., 08 Jul 2008
I'm not sure whether Urban truly intended to write a narrative history that not only sets right many of the injustices of much of the scholarship on this era, as well as comment on the current operations in Afghanistan.

Whatever his intent, this book is brilliant, in many ways surpassing 'Rifles'. The characters are brought to life in vivid colours, their flaws and their strengths, the arrogance of certain 'Minden men', the self-righteousness on both sides, and the sheer hypocrisy of the ideologues. This is not a book for those 'Patriot' lovers; this is a very real history. The maps are first class, and Urban, as we have come to expect, cuts through the fog of war to deliver stunning detail on everything from the tactical, strategic and operational levels of war.

Any young officer, or aspiring officer, should take the lessons so clearly portrayed in it; learning organisations defeat insurgencies, as we so nearly did in the 13 Colonies. For those not in the military, take heed anyway; read this as a history of the American war, and apply much of the logic to Iraq and Afghanistan, and that is what we are up against. The lessons are clear: Doctrine, tactics, strategy, all have to work together.

An Engaging Picture of a Regiment at War, 22 Dec 2007
Mark Urban has sought to recreate his earlier success with 'Rifles' by following a single regiment through a war. In choosing the 23rd Regiment (Royal Welch Fusiliers), he has plumped on a unit that fought throughout the American War of Independence from Bunker Hill to Yorktown, and can therefore act as illustrative of the war as a whole. Unlike the 95th Rifles, however, the 23rd were a 'line' regiment with none of the glamour of 'special' troops, although much of the action surrounds their detached light company. And given the very fluid organization of the army it is easy to see problems trying to carry out a single regiment narrative thread. As his Royal Welch witnesses come and go, he has had to use eyewitnesses wherever he could get them; not all are Royal Welchmen, nor are they necessarily eyewitnesses to the actual events he is discussing.

Mr Urban's lack of military background and wider understanding is sometimes apparent. As Donald Graves has noted, his belief that Revolutionary War tactics were important in Europe is dubious, and he is unfairly harsh on David Dundas. The essential need to train the army on a common doctrine was not possible until the Duke of York became Commander-in-Chief, with the full weight of Royal authority behind him. If the correct solution was a fusion of the `German' and `American' schools, that was never possible given the stresses of service until Sir Ralph Abercromby got nearly two months to properly train his army in 1800-1 before Egypt. He was the first British commander to have that opportunity after the reserve of trained troops was dissipated in the West Indies in 1793-5.

Due to these reservations I was only going to give the book four stars, but as a former Royal Welchman myself I thought, 'How can I!' Because in all honesty, Mr Urban has written a very engaging book about the British army in the Revolutionary War, when there are not many others (Hugh Bicheno and Christopher Hibbert come to mind) to choose from. He has also done much to dissipate the many myths beloved by American authors, particularly concerning their own tactical effectiveness. This is the book's greatest strength; a unit level account of a forgotten period in the army's history when they were fighting a bad war in a bad place at a bad time, trying to carry on as professionally as possible.

Thorough work on a complex theme, 22 Oct 2007
Centred on the elite 23rd (Royal Welch) Fuziliers [sic] during the American War of Independence, this book also gives an excellent account of many of the other units involved, since the light and grenadier companies of regiments were often hived off and brigaded with those of other units.

As we have come to expect from Urban, the battle accounts are both accurate and stirring, but I particulary like the way he draws on personal accounts of the war from both men and officers of both sides, many of them never published before, making it a highly engaging read. I learned a great deal about commanders such as Howe and Cornwallis, Balfour and Calvert, and the role they played not only in the fortunes of the 23rd Foot, but also in the political and military heirarchy of the time.

Readers new to the period may be surprised to learn that although the war was lost, the British and their allies suffered few actual defeats in the field; on the contrary, it was the remarkable ability of the Americans to recover from defeat after defeat that ultimately brought them victory.

The AWI has always aroused passions on both sides of the Atlantic, and whilst he concentrates on the fighting and campaigning of this conflict, Urban does not shy away from examining the tragic atrocities committed by both sides that served to polarise opinion during the war. This is a sober and refreshing antidote to some of the one-sided episodes in movies such as Mel Gibson's "The Patriot".

Overall, a thorough and humane examination of Great Britain's first major humiliation on the world stage, and the effects it had on the army the British are still justifiably proud of today. Highly recommended.

Best Ever, 09 Sep 2006
Brilliant. T E Lawrence poured his soul into this magnificently crafted autobiography. It takes you from his arrival in Cairo as an upstart academic, through his dramatic evolution into a desert soldier/strategist and leader of the Arab revolt against the Turks, to his ultimate failure to win justice for the people he'd grown to be part of. Lawrence was a gifted writer as well as an extraordinary soldier and I was fascinated by the insights that run through it: into his political naivety, his ambivalent loyalties, and the hints of concern (almost certainly ill-founded) about his own mental state. The combination of high politics and personal danger, played out in the dramatic and mysterious Arab world as it meets the West is quite magnificent.

The writing style is nineteenth century and the language and prose may be unfamiliar to many but this is the most rewarding book I have read. It's the one I unhesitatingly offer as the best ever.



Mellifluous but Dense, 01 Apr 2005
Jim Norton's mellifluous voice is pleasant to listen to but does little to improve the clarity of Lawrence's already dense writing for the listener. Where the reader has the chance to go back to try to clarify a contorted Lawrence sentence, the listener really has no such opportunity and the result is hard work in concentrating on the flow of the text so as not to miss the purpose of the sentence.

Lawrence thought of himself as a new Shakespeare - but unfortunately did not have Shakespeare's intuitive feeling for language so the slightly quirky cadences adopted by Norton coupled with rather brutal editing make this a reading that has to be listened to with concentration. Not recommended for in-car listening -- or even listening while doing the ironing!

A book for bedtime....., 13 Oct 2004
Are you a philosopher? - Read no further, you might enjoy this book, if you can stay awake long enough - for the rest of us, this book, unlike its author, is just not interesting - it's too long-winded.
Definitely NOT a book to read in the 21st Century, it's just NOT of our time - the title is the most interesting thing about it.
It's about as interesting as that dull little tome by Ann Robinson.....zzzzzzzzzzz ......time for bed...

Seven Pillars of Wisdom - A stunning read, 05 Aug 2004
Whilst travelling through Wadi Rum in Jordan a few years ago i was haunted in my mind by images of the enigmatic character that was Lawrence of Arabia; part legend, part myth, part wrong person in the wrong place at the right time.

To read this book is to know the man, the journeys, the politics, the battles. Although he himself admitted to his own ambiguity and uselessness as a British Pawn in the middle east, this book goes some way to dispel the Myth.

A must for anyone who is interested in the middle east, british / arab politics and a very colourful man

Lawrence of Arabia from his own point of view, 05 Jan 2004
Having been a geat fan of the David Lean film ever since my father took me as a 7 year old boy to see it when it was first released, I had intended to read Lawrence's own account of the events covered by the film for a long time. The book itself is a mixture of autobiographical recounting of the events covered by the film and a travelogue interspersed with almost essay type observations by Lawrence on a wide variety of subjects including the plight of the Arabs, their culture, his own motivation and the wartime life of soldiers in general. Most of the book is descriptive with very little in the way of dialogue and it can at times become very difficult to persevere with, particularly during the author's sometimes extreme moments of navel-gazing. However, the persistent reader is taken on a unique journey with Lawrence through his adventures, middle eastern culture and the spectacular desert scenery of the area. When the time came to part I was rather sorry that the journey was over as Lawrence is, if nothing else, an extremely knowledgeable guide. Taken as an adjunct to the film (which takes a certain amount of artistic licence with the facts) the book deepens one's understanding of its political, geographical and personal context and provides a unique insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the man himself.

Insightful, 03 Aug 2008
The author has a depth of knowledge of events which are enlightening and entertaining. Much effort appears to have gone into unearthing contemporary accounts giving a refreshing and unbiased view of events with a ring of truth about them unlike the standard texts which can be misleading generalisations. Well worth the money, not only for a gripping read as well as an historical record .

A message for all aspiring officers..., 08 Jul 2008
I'm not sure whether Urban truly intended to write a narrative history that not only sets right many of the injustices of much of the scholarship on this era, as well as comment on the current operations in Afghanistan.

Whatever his intent, this book is brilliant, in many ways surpassing 'Rifles'. The characters are brought to life in vivid colours, their flaws and their strengths, the arrogance of certain 'Minden men', the self-righteousness on both sides, and the sheer hypocrisy of the ideologues. This is not a book for those 'Patriot' lovers; this is a very real history. The maps are first class, and Urban, as we have come to expect, cuts through the fog of war to deliver stunning detail on everything from the tactical, strategic and operational levels of war.

Any young officer, or aspiring officer, should take the lessons so clearly portrayed in it; learning organisations defeat insurgencies, as we so nearly did in the 13 Colonies. For those not in the military, take heed anyway; read this as a history of the American war, and apply much of the logic to Iraq and Afghanistan, and that is what we are up against. The lessons are clear: Doctrine, tactics, strategy, all have to work together.

An Engaging Picture of a Regiment at War, 22 Dec 2007
Mark Urban has sought to recreate his earlier success with 'Rifles' by following a single regiment through a war. In choosing the 23rd Regiment (Royal Welch Fusiliers), he has plumped on a unit that fought throughout the American War of Independence from Bunker Hill to Yorktown, and can therefore act as illustrative of the war as a whole. Unlike the 95th Rifles, however, the 23rd were a 'line' regiment with none of the glamour of 'special' troops, although much of the action surrounds their detached light company. And given the very fluid organization of the army it is easy to see problems trying to carry out a single regiment narrative thread. As his Royal Welch witnesses come and go, he has had to use eyewitnesses wherever he could get them; not all are Royal Welchmen, nor are they necessarily eyewitnesses to the actual events he is discussing.

Mr Urban's lack of military background and wider understanding is sometimes apparent. As Donald Graves has noted, his belief that Revolutionary War tactics were important in Europe is dubious, and he is unfairly harsh on David Dundas. The essential need to train the army on a common doctrine was not possible until the Duke of York became Commander-in-Chief, with the full weight of Royal authority behind him. If the correct solution was a fusion of the `German' and `American' schools, that was never possible given the stresses of service until Sir Ralph Abercromby got nearly two months to properly train his army in 1800-1 before Egypt. He was the first British commander to have that opportunity after the reserve of trained troops was dissipated in the West Indies in 1793-5.

Due to these reservations I was only going to give the book four stars, but as a former Royal Welchman myself I thought, 'How can I!' Because in all honesty, Mr Urban has written a very engaging book about the British army in the Revolutionary War, when there are not many others (Hugh Bicheno and Christopher Hibbert come to mind) to choose from. He has also done much to dissipate the many myths beloved by American authors, particularly concerning their own tactical effectiveness. This is the book's greatest strength; a unit level account of a forgotten period in the army's history when they were fighting a bad war in a bad place at a bad time, trying to carry on as professionally as possible.

Thorough work on a complex theme, 22 Oct 2007
Centred on the elite 23rd (Royal Welch) Fuziliers [sic] during the American War of Independence, this book also gives an excellent account of many of the other units involved, since the light and grenadier companies of regiments were often hived off and brigaded with those of other units.

As we have come to expect from Urban, the battle accounts are both accurate and stirring, but I particulary like the way he draws on personal accounts of the war from both men and officers of both sides, many of them never published before, making it a highly engaging read. I learned a great deal about commanders such as Howe and Cornwallis, Balfour and Calvert, and the role they played not only in the fortunes of the 23rd Foot, but also in the political and military heirarchy of the time.

Readers new to the period may be surprised to learn that although the war was lost, the British and their allies suffered few actual defeats in the field; on the contrary, it was the remarkable ability of the Americans to recover from defeat after defeat that ultimately brought them victory.

The AWI has always aroused passions on both sides of the Atlantic, and whilst he concentrates on the fighting and campaigning of this conflict, Urban does not shy away from examining the tragic atrocities committed by both sides that served to polarise opinion during the war. This is a sober and refreshing antidote to some of the one-sided episodes in movies such as Mel Gibson's "The Patriot".

Overall, a thorough and humane examination of Great Britain's first major humiliation on the world stage, and the effects it had on the army the British are still justifiably proud of today. Highly recommended.

A must read for anyone interested in the history of 'Tanks', 30 Oct 2008
A very authoritative and well researched work. Truly a must read for members of the Regiment, as it doesn't flinch away from some unpalatable truths. The various machinations and infighting of Whitehall are laid bare, in the development of the world's first true armoured fighting vehicle, including the impediment of and encouragement of the new Corps from the most surprising of Wartime celebrities. Most importantly, it lets us see the thoughts the staff of the new corps and the pioneering officers and men who crewed these first wagons. Most, if not all of the angles seem to be covered.

This book should sit proudly next to BH Liddel Hart's The Tanks, for although not as well written, time has undoubtedly allowed a different view to be articulated.

Interesting fact from the book; Matilda (Infantry Tank MkI), meaning "'mighty in battle' in old German." Not a comic duck or Hugh Elles's mistress.......


Surprised it has taken this long to produce a book like this, 13 Sep 2008
Not being an expert on the period I can only say that to this layman this is an interesting and very readable book. It is maybe just 50 or so pages too long because whilst I welcome the many personal anecdotes and tales (some of them very funny indeed!) I think the author may just over egg the pudding somewhat. I am sure that more technically minded folk may pick over some of the detail in here but on the whole I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in warfare and the Great War in particular

Best Ever, 09 Sep 2006
Brilliant. T E Lawrence poured his soul into this magnificently crafted autobiography. It takes you from his arrival in Cairo as an upstart academic, through his dramatic evolution into a desert soldier/strategist and leader of the Arab revolt against the Turks, to his ultimate failure to win justice for the people he'd grown to be part of. Lawrence was a gifted writer as well as an extraordinary soldier and I was fascinated by the insights that run through it: into his political naivety, his ambivalent loyalties, and the hints of concern (almost certainly ill-founded) about his own mental state. The combination of high politics and personal danger, played out in the dramatic and mysterious Arab world as it meets the West is quite magnificent.

The writing style is nineteenth century and the language and prose may be unfamiliar to many but this is the most rewarding book I have read. It's the one I unhesitatingly offer as the best ever.



Mellifluous but Dense, 01 Apr 2005
Jim Norton's mellifluous voice is pleasant to listen to but does little to improve the clarity of Lawrence's already dense writing for the listener. Where the reader has the chance to go back to try to clarify a contorted Lawrence sentence, the listener really has no such opportunity and the result is hard work in concentrating on the flow of the text so as not to miss the purpose of the sentence.

Lawrence thought of himself as a new Shakespeare - but unfortunately did not have Shakespeare's intuitive feeling for language so the slightly quirky cadences adopted by Norton coupled with rather brutal editing make this a reading that has to be listened to with concentration. Not recommended for in-car listening -- or even listening while doing the ironing!

A book for bedtime....., 13 Oct 2004
Are you a philosopher? - Read no further, you might enjoy this book, if you can stay awake long enough - for the rest of us, this book, unlike its author, is just not interesting - it's too long-winded.
Definitely NOT a book to read in the 21st Century, it's just NOT of our time - the title is the most interesting thing about it.
It's about as interesting as that dull little tome by Ann Robinson.....zzzzzzzzzzz ......time for bed...

Seven Pillars of Wisdom - A stunning read, 05 Aug 2004
Whilst travelling through Wadi Rum in Jordan a few years ago i was haunted in my mind by images of the enigmatic character that was Lawrence of Arabia; part legend, part myth, part wrong person in the wrong place at the right time.

To read this book is to know the man, the journeys, the politics, the battles. Although he himself admitted to his own ambiguity and uselessness as a British Pawn in the middle east, this book goes some way to dispel the Myth.

A must for anyone who is interested in the middle east, british / arab politics and a very colourful man

Lawrence of Arabia from his own point of view, 05 Jan 2004
Having been a geat fan of the David Lean film ever since my father took me as a 7 year old boy to see it when it was first released, I had intended to read Lawrence's own account of the events covered by the film for a long time. The book itself is a mixture of autobiographical recounting of the events covered by the film and a travelogue interspersed with almost essay type observations by Lawrence on a wide variety of subjects including the plight of the Arabs, their culture, his own motivation and the wartime life of soldiers in general. Most of the book is descriptive with very little in the way of dialogue and it can at times become very difficult to persevere with, particularly during the author's sometimes extreme moments of navel-gazing. However, the persistent reader is taken on a unique journey with Lawrence through his adventures, middle eastern culture and the spectacular desert scenery of the area. When the time came to part I was rather sorry that the journey was over as Lawrence is, if nothing else, an extremely knowledgeable guide. Taken as an adjunct to the film (which takes a certain amount of artistic licence with the facts) the book deepens one's understanding of its political, geographical and personal context and provides a unique insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the man himself.

Insightful, 03 Aug 2008
The author has a depth of knowledge of events which are enlightening and entertaining. Much effort appears to have gone into unearthing contemporary accounts giving a refreshing and unbiased view of events with a ring of truth about them unlike the standard texts which can be misleading generalisations. Well worth the money, not only for a gripping read as well as an historical record .

A message for all aspiring officers..., 08 Jul 2008
I'm not sure whether Urban truly intended to write a narrative history that not only sets right many of the injustices of much of the scholarship on this era, as well as comment on the current operations in Afghanistan.

Whatever his intent, this book is brilliant, in many ways surpassing 'Rifles'. The characters are brought to life in vivid colours, their flaws and their strengths, the arrogance of certain 'Minden men', the self-righteousness on both sides, and the sheer hypocrisy of the ideologues. This is not a book for those 'Patriot' lovers; this is a very real history. The maps are first class, and Urban, as we have come to expect, cuts through the fog of war to deliver stunning detail on everything from the tactical, strategic and operational levels of war.

Any young officer, or aspiring officer, should take the lessons so clearly portrayed in it; learning organisations defeat insurgencies, as we so nearly did in the 13 Colonies. For those not in the military, take heed anyway; read this as a history of the American war, and apply much of the logic to Iraq and Afghanistan, and that is what we are up against. The lessons are clear: Doctrine, tactics, strategy, all have to work together.

An Engaging Picture of a Regiment at War, 22 Dec 2007
Mark Urban has sought to recreate his earlier success with 'Rifles' by following a single regiment through a war. In choosing the 23rd Regiment (Royal Welch Fusiliers), he has plumped on a unit that fought throughout the American War of Independence from Bunker Hill to Yorktown, and can therefore act as illustrative of the war as a whole. Unlike the 95th Rifles, however, the 23rd were a 'line' regiment with none of the glamour of 'special' troops, although much of the action surrounds their detached light company. And given the very fluid organization of the army it is easy to see problems trying to carry out a single regiment narrative thread. As his Royal Welch witnesses come and go, he has had to use eyewitnesses wherever he could get them; not all are Royal Welchmen, nor are they necessarily eyewitnesses to the actual events he is discussing.

Mr Urban's lack of military background and wider understanding is sometimes apparent. As Donald Graves has noted, his belief that Revolutionary War tactics were important in Europe is dubious, and he is unfairly harsh on David Dundas. The essential need to train the army on a common doctrine was not possible until the Duke of York became Commander-in-Chief, with the full weight of Royal authority behind him. If the correct solution was a fusion of the `German' and `American' schools, that was never possible given the stresses of service until Sir Ralph Abercromby got nearly two months to properly train his army in 1800-1 before Egypt. He was the first British commander to have that opportunity after the reserve of trained troops was dissipated in the West Indies in 1793-5.

Due to these reservations I was only going to give the book four stars, but as a former Royal Welchman myself I thought, 'How can I!' Because in all honesty, Mr Urban has written a very engaging book about the British army in the Revolutionary War, when there are not many others (Hugh Bicheno and Christopher Hibbert come to mind) to choose from. He has also done much to dissipate the many myths beloved by American authors, particularly concerning their own tactical effectiveness. This is the book's greatest strength; a unit level account of a forgotten period in the army's history when they were fighting a bad war in a bad place at a bad time, trying to carry on as professionally as possible.

Thorough work on a complex theme, 22 Oct 2007
Centred on the elite 23rd (Royal Welch) Fuziliers [sic] during the American War of Independence, this book also gives an excellent account of many of the other units involved, since the light and grenadier companies of regiments were often hived off and brigaded with those of other units.

As we have come to expect from Urban, the battle accounts are both accurate and stirring, but I particulary like the way he draws on personal accounts of the war from both men and officers of both sides, many of them never published before, making it a highly engaging read. I learned a great deal about commanders such as Howe and Cornwallis, Balfour and Calvert, and the role they played not only in the fortunes of the 23rd Foot, but also in the political and military heirarchy of the time.

Readers new to the period may be surprised to learn that although the war was lost, the British and their allies suffered few actual defeats in the field; on the contrary, it was the remarkable ability of the Americans to recover from defeat after defeat that ultimately brought them victory.

The AWI has always aroused passions on both sides of the Atlantic, and whilst he concentrates on the fighting and campaigning of this conflict, Urban does not shy away from examining the tragic atrocities committed by both sides that served to polarise opinion during the war. This is a sober and refreshing antidote to some of the one-sided episodes in movies such as Mel Gibson's "The Patriot".

Overall, a thorough and humane examination of Great Britain's first major humiliation on the world stage, and the effects it had on the army the British are still justifiably proud of today. Highly recommended.

A must read for anyone interested in the history of 'Tanks', 30 Oct 2008
A very authoritative and well researched work. Truly a must read for members of the Regiment, as it doesn't flinch away from some unpalatable truths. The various machinations and infighting of Whitehall are laid bare, in the development of the world's first true armoured fighting vehicle, including the impediment of and encouragement of the new Corps from the most surprising of Wartime celebrities. Most importantly, it lets us see the thoughts the staff of the new corps and the pioneering officers and men who crewed these first wagons. Most, if not all of the angles seem to be covered.

This book should sit proudly next to BH Liddel Hart's The Tanks, for although not as well written, time has undoubtedly allowed a different view to be articulated.

Interesting fact from the book; Matilda (Infantry Tank MkI), meaning "'mighty in battle' in old German." Not a comic duck or Hugh Elles's mistress.......


Surprised it has taken this long to produce a book like this, 13 Sep 2008
Not being an expert on the period I can only say that to this layman this is an interesting and very readable book. It is maybe just 50 or so pages too long because whilst I welcome the many personal anecdotes and tales (some of them very funny indeed!) I think the author may just over egg the pudding somewhat. I am sure that more technically minded folk may pick over some of the detail in here but on the whole I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in warfare and the Great War in particular

Harrowing, 15 Dec 2008
Actually let me first explain that I know very little about the eastern fronts role in WWII so this is me jumping in straight from the perspective of the Germans. As such this book is a truly enlightening account of life from the perspective of a German footsoldier on the German front, and their continual retreat and gradual downfall after many years of loss.

There are some genuinely harrowing, and disturbing accounts in this memoir. Of which a few I don't think I will ever forget, and understand why they have not made the movies due to their nature...

If you're expecting to know how to snipe after reading this, or to learn some in depth techniques on the practise this book isn't for you. A lot of the techniques used are dated and impractical in todays terms, but it still provides an interesting insight into the birth of modern sniping.

Truly a great read, disturbing in places, and really interesting all the way through. Personally I was never bored through any point of this book and I doubt anyone with even a vague interest in a Snipers role would be...

High marks all round.

Great, but biased., 12 Dec 2008
First off, this book is violent and graphic, as you might expect from a book about World War Two. This book tells the story of a German sniper on the Eastern front. It is a very personal view. The book goes into detail about many kills. It is a fantastic book because it brings the personal life on a sniper/rifleman/soldier in WWII, something you don't get in normal books concerning the subject. However, it is very biased its written in a way that makes the Nazi invaders appear the victims of the USSR. It lists many atrocities performed by the Soviet Army, yet there are no accounts of any wrong doing by the Nazi troops. It also portraits the Russians as beasts and tries to make you almost discount there death as a bad thing. I also find it disturbing that "Sepp" is has apparently been haunted ever since by the fact that he failed to retrieve a comrades dogtags, yet he thinks nothing of the fact that he would purposely aim for the Soviet soldiers kidneys and guts in order to prolong death and cause the maximum agony. Even though I find myself disliking "Sepp" as a person for his cold infliction of mostly unnecessary pain, I applaud him for coming forward and letting this book be written about his exploits, it is a valuable insight into the personal level on the Eastern front. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in German/Soviet action during WWII. It is a short book and only took me a couple of days to read, but every page is full of interesting material and it never gets boring.

Great book..........But, 02 Jun 2008
The first time I read this book I coudlnt put it down (Apart from two incidents described that made me feel sick and forced me to close it). I have just finished reading it for the second time and although I still find it a great read I couldnt help feel parts of it were poorly written. Perhaps this is beacuse this isn't the full version translated from the german original or its just down to the skill of the author. In parts it reads like extremely grim fiction (almost cliche) rather than a first hand account of the front line and gives the feeling that the author has taken a few liberties here and there. After reading it again I have found myself asking questions about the validty of some parts. weather this is due to something being lost in the translation or the author giving it his own point of view I guess we will never know. My utmost appologies would be given if evidence came to light showing these things happend. Or even if the person who this book is based on (sepp Allerberger isnt his real name) or even other soldiers in his unit came forward and said "no this is how it was these are the things I have seen". But untill then I guess I will still find myself doubting. Remember this is a (supposed) account of one man in a war. If you are expecting him to go into technical detail about being a sniper such as camouflage and concealment, stalking and observation then this probably isnt for you. Its an account of the things experianced and the attrocities seen rather than a "this is how I went about being a sniper in ww2" account.In all its a great (yet harrowing) read. If you want somthing to be engrossed in then give it a go (But if you read into it too deeply you may find yourself asking the same questions).


A brilliant read, 12 Mar 2008
I found this book thoroughly absorbing and a fascinating insight into the deadly and personal world of a sniper operating on the Eastern Front in WW2.
He tells it how it was and pulls no punches when witnessing atrocities. Its a gritty odyssey. I thoroughly recommend it as a great read.

Great story but the author gives it no justice at all..., 28 Jan 2008
Great story but the narrative is very poor. The book has been translated into English by a German speaker, therefore there are many instances of appalling grammatical errors and some comments which only make sense when read in the German original. A point to note for the Publishers; a good translator can be hired cheaply and would make an immense improvement in the quality of this shoddy product.

Unfortunately, the author's powers of writing have failed him in this endeavour despite the impression in the cover notes of him being a leading expert in the field as all he has achieved here is the cobbling of individual interviews about the subject meshed into a kind of mish-mash pulp book. There is no attempt to put the narrative into an overall framework of the unit in which Allerberger served nor any information about the campaign/situations it was placed in other than a brief & inadequate map at the beginning. There has been no additional research or "value add" by the author. The book contains some glaring mistakes such as the Author's glib statement undervaluing the knights cross which he claims were given away like sweeties even although a great deal of research has been proven otherwise.

There were only 7000+ of these medals issued to an army/Navy/Airforce at war for over 6 years and which comprised many millions of people..so it wasnt an easy medal to win, in fact research shows that it became tougher to win as time went on, although there were some other awards given out easily for morale sakes the Knights Cross was not one of them.

The action in which Allenberger was supposedly awarded his knights cross for reads like something from a comic story, unfortunately the author confuses the facts and changes the figures throughout the passage, the kill figure so emphatically stated in the narrative is reduced from a very large figure down to a more manageable one by contradicting what he has just described and then choosing to ignore the inconsistancy. A great disappointment is that there is no actual evidence that Allerberger was awarded the Knights Cross and the Author has done NO research whatsoever to try to show if this was a problem based on the circumstances in which his subject supposedly received the award(in late 1945 this was a possibility) or whether it was because it wasnt actually awarded, everything is taken at face value. There are no interviews with any member of Allenbergers unit or the other named parties to determine if this was the case, nor has the author made the trip to the extensive archives relating to the German servicemen of WW2 held in Germany, USA & other countries..in doing so he devalues the story of Mr Allerberger and does the reader a great dis-service. This is further compounded by having no references, bibliography or links to any confirmation sources, surely the author must have done some research other than getting poor old Mr Allerberger to sit in front of the tape for hours at an end, for without that research hes merely a transcriber and Not an Author at all.

incidentally, Allerberger is meant to be a pseudonym for the real person and for those non German speakers among you, it roughly means "any mountainer" which is a quaint way of saying that it stands for any member of the German Mountain(Gebirgsjaeger) troops of the war. However if he really came from the 3rd Division and was awarded the Knights cross in 1945 and the other awards at the dates previously stated by the author then it wouldn't take too long to locate the real man's records and identity! so much for protecting his identity.

it has been said that this book is a cut-down version of the German language edition and if thats the case then it shows only too clearly in the poor linkages. I will probably borrow the German version from my local library(in Germany)and chec if this is the case but i suspect that the German version may well be worse if this is the distilled copy.

All in all the facts in the story are presented in a confusing manner and it's very clear that the biographer is not a military expert despite what the cover notes say. It's a pity that the real Sepp Allerberger didnt have a real biographer who was worthy of the challenge of telling his unique story of bravery, perserverance and incredible skill.

Best Ever, 09 Sep 2006
Brilliant. T E Lawrence poured his soul into this magnificently crafted autobiography. It takes you from his arrival in Cairo as an upstart academic, through his dramatic evolution into a desert soldier/strategist and leader of the Arab revolt against the Turks, to his ultimate failure to win justice for the people he'd grown to be part of. Lawrence was a gifted writer as well as an extraordinary soldier and I was fascinated by the insights that run through it: into his political naivety, his ambivalent loyalties, and the hints of concern (almost certainly ill-founded) about his own mental state. The combination of high politics and personal danger, played out in the dramatic and mysterious Arab world as it meets the West is quite magnificent.

The writing style is nineteenth century and the language and prose may be unfamiliar to many but this is the most rewarding book I have read. It's the one I unhesitatingly offer as the best ever.



Mellifluous but Dense, 01 Apr 2005
Jim Norton's mellifluous voice is pleasant to listen to but does little to improve the clarity of Lawrence's already dense writing for the listener. Where the reader has the chance to go back to try to clarify a contorted Lawrence sentence, the listener really has no such opportunity and the result is hard work in concentrating on the flow of the text so as not to miss the purpose of the sentence.

Lawrence thought of himself as a new Shakespeare - but unfortunately did not have Shakespeare's intuitive feeling for language so the slightly quirky cadences adopted by Norton coupled with rather brutal editing make this a reading that has to be listened to with concentration. Not recommended for in-car listening -- or even listening while doing the ironing!

A book for bedtime....., 13 Oct 2004
Are you a philosopher? - Read no further, you might enjoy this book, if you can stay awake long enough - for the rest of us, this book, unlike its author, is just not interesting - it's too long-winded.
Definitely NOT a book to read in the 21st Century, it's just NOT of our time - the title is the most interesting thing about it.
It's about as interesting as that dull little tome by Ann Robinson.....zzzzzzzzzzz ......time for bed...

Seven Pillars of Wisdom - A stunning read, 05 Aug 2004
Whilst travelling through Wadi Rum in Jordan a few years ago i was haunted in my mind by images of the enigmatic character that was Lawrence of Arabia; part legend, part myth, part wrong person in the wrong place at the right time.

To read this book is to know the man, the journeys, the politics, the battles. Although he himself admitted to his own ambiguity and uselessness as a British Pawn in the middle east, this book goes some way to dispel the Myth.

A must for anyone who is interested in the middle east, british / arab politics and a very colourful man

Lawrence of Arabia from his own point of view, 05 Jan 2004
Having been a geat fan of the David Lean film ever since my father took me as a 7 year old boy to see it when it was first released, I had intended to read Lawrence's own account of the events covered by the film for a long time. The book itself is a mixture of autobiographical recounting of the events covered by the film and a travelogue interspersed with almost essay type observations by Lawrence on a wide variety of subjects including the plight of the Arabs, their culture, his own motivation and the wartime life of soldiers in general. Most of the book is descriptive with very little in the way of dialogue and it can at times become very difficult to persevere with, particularly during the author's sometimes extreme moments of navel-gazing. However, the persistent reader is taken on a unique journey with Lawrence through his adventures, middle eastern culture and the spectacular desert scenery of the area. When the time came to part I was rather sorry that the journey was over as Lawrence is, if nothing else, an extremely knowledgeable guide. Taken as an adjunct to the film (which takes a certain amount of artistic licence with the facts) the book deepens one's understanding of its political, geographical and personal context and provides a unique insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the man himself.

Insightful, 03 Aug 2008
The author has a depth of knowledge of events which are enlightening and entertaining. Much effort appears to have gone into unearthing contemporary accounts giving a refreshing and unbiased view of events with a ring of truth about them unlike the standard texts which can be misleading generalisations. Well worth the money, not only for a gripping read as well as an historical record .

A message for all aspiring officers..., 08 Jul 2008
I'm not sure whether Urban truly intended to write a narrative history that not only sets right many of the injustices of much of the scholarship on this era, as well as comment on the current operations in Afghanistan.

Whatever his intent, this book is brilliant, in many ways surpassing 'Rifles'. The characters are brought to life in vivid colours, their flaws and their strengths, the arrogance of certain 'Minden men', the self-righteousness on both sides, and the sheer hypocrisy of the ideologues. This is not a book for those 'Patriot' lovers; this is a very real history. The maps are first class, and Urban, as we have come to expect, cuts through the fog of war to deliver stunning detail on everything from the tactical, strategic and operational levels of war.

Any young officer, or aspiring officer, should take the lessons so clearly portrayed in it; learning organisations defeat insurgencies, as we so nearly did in the 13 Colonies. For those not in the military, take heed anyway; read this as a history of the American war, and apply much of the logic to Iraq and Afghanistan, and that is what we are up against. The lessons are clear: Doctrine, tactics, strategy, all have to work together.

An Engaging Picture of a Regiment at War, 22 Dec 2007
Mark Urban has sought to recreate his earlier success with 'Rifles' by following a single regiment through a war. In choosing the 23rd Regiment (Royal Welch Fusiliers), he has plumped on a unit that fought throughout the American War of Independence from Bunker Hill to Yorktown, and can therefore act as illustrative of the war as a whole. Unlike the 95th Rifles, however, the 23rd were a 'line' regiment with none of the glamour of 'special' troops, although much of the action surrounds their detached light company. And given the very fluid organization of the army it is easy to see problems trying to carry out a single regiment narrative thread. As his Royal Welch witnesses come and go, he has had to use eyewitnesses wherever he could get them; not all are Royal Welchmen, nor are they necessarily eyewitnesses to the actual events he is discussing.

Mr Urban's lack of military background and wider understanding is sometimes apparent. As Donald Graves has noted, his belief that Revolutionary War tactics were important in Europe is dubious, and he is unfairly harsh on David Dundas. The essential need to train the army on a common doctrine was not possible until the Duke of York became Commander-in-Chief, with the full weight of Royal authority behind him. If the correct solution was a fusion of the `German' and `American' schools, that was never possible given the stresses of service until Sir Ralph Abercromby got nearly two months to properly train his army in 1800-1 before Egypt. He was the first British commander to have that opportunity after the reserve of trained troops was dissipated in the West Indies in 1793-5.

Due to these reservations I was only going to give the book four stars, but as a former Royal Welchman myself I thought, 'How can I!' Because in all honesty, Mr Urban has written a very engaging book about the British army in the Revolutionary War, when there are not many others (Hugh Bicheno and Christopher Hibbert come to mind) to choose from. He has also done much to dissipate the many myths beloved by American authors, particularly concerning their own tactical effectiveness. This is the book's greatest strength; a unit level account of a forgotten period in the army's history when they were fighting a bad war in a bad place at a bad time, trying to carry on as professionally as possible.

Thorough work on a complex theme, 22 Oct 2007
Centred on the elite 23rd (Royal Welch) Fuziliers [sic] during the American War of Independence, this book also gives an excellent account of many of the other units involved, since the light and grenadier companies of regiments were often hived off and brigaded with those of other units.

As we have come to expect from Urban, the battle accounts are both accurate and stirring, but I particulary like the way he draws on personal accounts of the war from both men and officers of both sides, many of them never published before, making it a highly engaging read. I learned a great deal about commanders such as Howe and Cornwallis, Balfour and Calvert, and the role they played not only in the fortunes of the 23rd Foot, but also in the political and military heirarchy of the time.

Readers new to the period may be surprised to learn that although the war was lost, the British and their allies suffered few actual defeats in the field; on the contrary, it was the remarkable ability of the Americans to recover from defeat after defeat that ultimately brought them victory.

The AWI has always aroused passions on both sides of the Atlantic, and whilst he concentrates on the fighting and campaigning of this conflict, Urban does not shy away from examining the tragic atrocities committed by both sides that served to polarise opinion during the war. This is a sober and refreshing antidote to some of the one-sided episodes in movies such as Mel Gibson's "The Patriot".

Overall, a thorough and humane examination of Great Britain's first major humiliation on the world stage, and the effects it had on the army the British are still justifiably proud of today. Highly recommended.

A must read for anyone interested in the history of 'Tanks', 30 Oct 2008
A very authoritative and well researched work. Truly a must read for members of the Regiment, as it doesn't flinch away from some unpalatable truths. The various machinations and infighting of Whitehall are laid bare, in the development of the world's first true armoured fighting vehicle, including the impediment of and encouragement of the new Corps from the most surprising of Wartime celebrities. Most importantly, it lets us see the thoughts the staff of the new corps and the pioneering officers and men who crewed these first wagons. Most, if not all of the angles seem to be covered.

This book should sit proudly next to BH Liddel Hart's The Tanks, for although not as well written, time has undoubtedly allowed a different view to be articulated.

Interesting fact from the book; Matilda (Infantry Tank MkI), meaning "'mighty in battle' in old German." Not a comic duck or Hugh Elles's mistress.......


Surprised it has taken this long to produce a book like this, 13 Sep 2008
Not being an expert on the period I can only say that to this layman this is an interesting and very readable book. It is maybe just 50 or so pages too long because whilst I welcome the many personal anecdotes and tales (some of them very funny indeed!) I think the author may just over egg the pudding somewhat. I am sure that more technically minded folk may pick over some of the detail in here but on the whole I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in warfare and the Great War in particular

Harrowing, 15 Dec 2008
Actually let me first explain that I know very little about the eastern fronts role in WWII so this is me jumping in straight from the perspective of the Germans. As such this book is a truly enlightening account of life from the perspective of a German footsoldier on the German front, and their continual retreat and gradual downfall after many years of loss.

There are some genuinely harrowing, and disturbing accounts in this memoir. Of which a few I don't think I will ever forget, and understand why they have not made the movies due to their nature...

If you're expecting to know how to snipe after reading this, or to learn some in depth techniques on the practise this book isn't for you. A lot of the techniques used are dated and impractical in todays terms, but it still provides an interesting insight into the birth of modern sniping.

Truly a great read, disturbing in places, and really interesting all the way through. Personally I was never bored through any point of this book and I doubt anyone with even a vague interest in a Snipers role would be...

High marks all round.

Great, but biased., 12 Dec 2008
First off, this book is violent and graphic, as you might expect from a book about World War Two. This book tells the story of a German sniper on the Eastern front. It is a very personal view. The book goes into detail about many kills. It is a fantastic book because it brings the personal life on a sniper/rifleman/soldier in WWII, something you don't get in normal books concerning the subject. However, it is very biased its written in a way that makes the Nazi invaders appear the victims of the USSR. It lists many atrocities performed by the Soviet Army, yet there are no accounts of any wrong doing by the Nazi troops. It also portraits the Russians as beasts and tries to make you almost discount there death as a bad thing. I also find it disturbing that "Sepp" is has apparently been haunted ever since by the fact that he failed to retrieve a comrades dogtags, yet he thinks nothing of the fact that he would purposely aim for the Soviet soldiers kidneys and guts in order to prolong death and cause the maximum agony. Even though I find myself disliking "Sepp" as a person for his cold infliction of mostly unnecessary pain, I applaud him for coming forward and letting this book be written about his exploits, it is a valuable insight into the personal level on the Eastern front. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in German/Soviet action during WWII. It is a short book and only took me a couple of days to read, but every page is full of interesting material and it never gets boring.

Great book..........But, 02 Jun 2008
The first time I read this book I coudlnt put it down (Apart from two incidents described that made me feel sick and forced me to close it). I have just finished reading it for the second time and although I still find it a great read I couldnt help feel parts of it were poorly written. Perhaps this is beacuse this isn't the full version translated from the german original or its just down to the skill of the author. In parts it reads like extremely grim fiction (almost cliche) rather than a first hand account of the front line and gives the feeling that the author has taken a few liberties here and there. After reading it again I have found myself asking questions about the validty of some parts. weather this is due to something being lost in the translation or the author giving it his own point of view I guess we will never know. My utmost appologies would be given if evidence came to light showing these things happend. Or even if the person who this book is based on (sepp Allerberger isnt his real name) or even other soldiers in his unit came forward and said "no this is how it was these are the things I have seen". But untill then I guess I will still find myself doubting. Remember this is a (supposed) account of one man in a war. If you are expecting him to go into technical detail about being a sniper such as camouflage and concealment, stalking and observation then this probably isnt for you. Its an account of the things experianced and the attrocities seen rather than a "this is how I went about being a sniper in ww2" account.In all its a great (yet harrowing) read. If you want somthing to be engrossed in then give it a go (But if you read into it too deeply you may find yourself asking the same questions).


A brilliant read, 12 Mar 2008
I found this book thoroughly absorbing and a fascinating insight into the deadly and personal world of a sniper operating on the Eastern Front in WW2.
He tells it how it was and pulls no punches when witnessing atrocities. Its a gritty odyssey. I thoroughly recommend it as a great read.

Great story but the author gives it no justice at all..., 28 Jan 2008
Great story but the narrative is very poor. The book has been translated into English by a German speaker, therefore there are many instances of appalling grammatical errors and some comments which only make sense when read in the German original. A point to note for the Publishers; a good translator can be hired cheaply and would make an immense improvement in the quality of this shoddy product.

Unfortunately, the author's powers of writing have failed him in this endeavour despite the impression in the cover notes of him being a leading expert in the field as all he has achieved here is the cobbling of individual interviews about the subject meshed into a kind of mish-mash pulp book. There is no attempt to put the narrative into an overall framework of the unit in which Allerberger served nor any information about the campaign/situations it was placed in other than a brief & inadequate map at the beginning. There has been no additional research or "value add" by the author. The book contains some glaring mistakes such as the Author's glib statement undervaluing the knights cross which he claims were given away like sweeties even although a great deal of research has been proven otherwise.

There were only 7000+ of these medals issued to an army/Navy/Airforce at war for over 6 years and which comprised many millions of people..so it wasnt an easy medal to win, in fact research shows that it became tougher to win as time went on, although there were some other awards given out easily for morale sakes the Knights Cross was not one of them.

The action in which Allenberger was supposedly awarded his knights cross for reads like something from a comic story, unfortunately the author confuses the facts and changes the figures throughout the passage, the kill figure so emphatically stated in the narrative is reduced from a very large figure down to a more manageable one by contradicting what he has just described and then choosing to ignore the inconsistancy. A great disappointment is that there is no actual evidence that Allerberger was awarded the Knights Cross and the Author has done NO research whatsoever to try to show if this was a problem based on the circumstances in which his subject supposedly received the award(in late 1945 this was a possibility) or whether it was because it wasnt actually awarded, everything is taken at face value. There are no interviews with any member of Allenbergers unit or the other named parties to determine if this was the case, nor has the author made the trip to the extensive archives relating to the German servicemen of WW2 held in Germany, USA & other countries..in doing so he devalues the story of Mr Allerberger and does the reader a great dis-service. This is further compounded by having no references, bibliography or links to any confirmation sources, surely the author must have done some research other than getting poor old Mr Allerberger to sit in front of the tape for hours at an end, for without that research hes merely a transcriber and Not an Author at all.

incidentally, Allerberger is meant to be a pseudonym for the real person and for those non German speakers among you, it roughly means "any mountainer" which is a quaint way of saying that it stands for any member of the German Mountain(Gebirgsjaeger) troops of the war. However if he really came from the 3rd Division and was awarded the Knights cross in 1945 and the other awards at the dates previously stated by the author then it wouldn't take too long to locate the real man's records and identity! so much for protecting his identity.

it has been said that this book is a cut-down version of the German language edition and if thats the case then it shows only too clearly in the poor linkages. I will probably borrow the German version from my local library(in Germany)and chec if this is the case but i suspect that the German version may well be worse if this is the distilled copy.

All in all the facts in the story are presented in a confusing manner and it's very clear that the biographer is not a military expert despite what the cover notes say. It's a pity that the real Sepp Allerberger didnt have a real biographer who was worthy of the challenge of telling his unique story of bravery, perserverance and incredible skill.

Doubter........., 04 Nov 2008
This book just demonstrates that you can get any opinion you want on the internet.
Having read many WWI books I noted someone stating that this book was much better than Ernst Junger's 'Storm of Steel'.
I could not get a quarter of the way through this book. Having bought it I really did my best. As soon as I started, it did not feel right. When I see a memoir full of dialogue I immediately get suspicious. I could not get anything out of this book. I feel really annoyed by it. It is almost unknown for me not to finish a book. I could list any number of good war memoirs. This wasn't even good as a novel. I found it terrible, and I am astonished that it has ever been so highly rated, and surprised that it's authenticity has only recently been questioned.
A complete waste of time and money!!!
Wikipedia leads to articles on the matter.

Gold Standard, 17 Oct 2008
Quite simply one of the best books I have ever read, in any genre. I have recommended it to friends and have found that in talking about other books we frequently reference this book as a gold standard in letting the story tell itself without elaboration or filigree.

A must read, 17 Sep 2008
The story of a young teenager drafted into the German war machine and deployed into the gruesome battle fields of the Eastern Front. There is some speculation as to whether or not this book is fact or fiction with regards to its rather vague and alleged incorrect facts. And through reading it i can see why these issues have been raised. However this book was never stipulated to be an accurate and detailed memoir of what exactly happened in Russia between 1942 and 1945. Instead it is an account of the hellish nightmare in which this ordinary man stepped into and survived,no more, no less and it is by far the most emotionally gripping story i have ever read.

Since reading this book I have discovered ....., 04 Sep 2008
Since reading this book I have discovered that there has been some debate as to the authenticity of Guy Sajer's account of being a young soldier fighting on the Eastern Front in WW2. I must admit, at times the clarity with which he remembers details and events is such that you wonder as a reader how much of it is real or `based' on truth. Those arguments aside, this is a gripping (at times monotonous in the grittiness of the situations that follow on from one another), that conjures up the true horror of what it's like to exist in extreme situations.

Forgotten - not any more!, 01 Jul 2008
Finally I got my hands on this book. But I can't help feeling slightly disappointed, which is quite unfair, since Guy Sajer have every right not to live up to my huge expectations.
The small unit tactics and "how on earth did they do the actual fighting" surfaces occasionally and the memories of skirmishes, engagements and battles are blurred by confusion, fear, hunger, cold and sometimes darkness. Sajer probably writes straight from memory and definitely from the heart, and the 90% of the time out of action apparently provides a lot better opportunity to observe and reflect than the 10% in action.
This is an account of survival through the vastness of Russia against overwhelming enemies: Hunger, physical and mental exhaustion, extreme cold, illness and of course the Russians every now and then. Just the thought of being wounded out there in the howling blizzard is scary. Very few of today's soldiers would stand a chance under such conditions - I know I would have succumbed and been truly forgotten.
I applaud Guy Sajer - an ordinary German soldier among millions - for sharing his interesting and at times shocking experiences from WWII.
War is chaos! Guy Sajer proves it ... again.

Best Ever, 09 Sep 2006
Brilliant. T E Lawrence poured his soul into this magnificently crafted autobiography. It takes you from his arrival in Cairo as an upstart academic, through his dramatic evolution into a desert soldier/strategist and leader of the Arab revolt against the Turks, to his ultimate failure to win justice for the people he'd grown to be part of. Lawrence was a gifted writer as well as an extraordinary soldier and I was fascinated by the insights that run through it: into his political naivety, his ambivalent loyalties, and the hints of concern (almost certainly ill-founded) about his own mental state. The combination of high politics and personal danger, played out in the dramatic and mysterious Arab world as it meets the West is quite magnificent.

The writing style is nineteenth century and the language and prose may be unfamiliar to many but this is the most rewarding book I have read. It's the one I unhesitatingly offer as the best ever.



Mellifluous but Dense, 01 Apr 2005
Jim Norton's mellifluous voice is pleasant to listen to but does little to improve the clarity of Lawrence's already dense writing for the listener. Where the reader has the chance to go back to try to clarify a contorted Lawrence sentence, the listener really has no such opportunity and the result is hard work in concentrating on the flow of the text so as not to miss the purpose of the sentence.

Lawrence thought of himself as a new Shakespeare - but unfortunately did not have Shakespeare's intuitive feeling for language so the slightly quirky cadences adopted by Norton coupled with rather brutal editing make this a reading that has to be listened to with concentration. Not recommended for in-car listening -- or even listening while doing the ironing!

A book for bedtime....., 13 Oct 2004
Are you a philosopher? - Read no further, you might enjoy this book, if you can stay awake long enough - for the rest of us, this book, unlike its author, is just not interesting - it's too long-winded.
Definitely NOT a book to read in the 21st Century, it's just NOT of our time - the title is the most interesting thing about it.
It's about as interesting as that dull little tome by Ann Robinson.....zzzzzzzzzzz ......time for bed...

Seven Pillars of Wisdom - A stunning read, 05 Aug 2004
Whilst travelling through Wadi Rum in Jordan a few years ago i was haunted in my mind by images of the enigmatic character that was Lawrence of Arabia; part legend, part myth, part wrong person in the wrong place at the right time.

To read this book is to know the man, the journeys, the politics, the battles. Although he himself admitted to his own ambiguity and uselessness as a British Pawn in the middle east, this book goes some way to dispel the Myth.

A must for anyone who is interested in the middle east, british / arab politics and a very colourful man

Lawrence of Arabia from his own point of view, 05 Jan 2004
Having been a geat fan of the David Lean film ever since my father took me as a 7 year old boy to see it when it was first released, I had intended to read Lawrence's own account of the events covered by the film for a long time. The book itself is a mixture of autobiographical recounting of the events covered by the film and a travelogue interspersed with almost essay type observations by Lawrence on a wide variety of subjects including the plight of the Arabs, their culture, his own motivation and the wartime life of soldiers in general. Most of the book is descriptive with very little in the way of dialogue and it can at times become very difficult to persevere with, particularly during the author's sometimes extreme moments of navel-gazing. However, the persistent reader is taken on a unique journey with Lawrence through his adventures, middle eastern culture and the spectacular desert scenery of the area. When the time came to part I was rather sorry that the journey was over as Lawrence is, if nothing else, an extremely knowledgeable guide. Taken as an adjunct to the film (which takes a certain amount of artistic licence with the facts) the book deepens one's understanding of its political, geographical and personal context and provides a unique insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the man himself.

Insightful, 03 Aug 2008
The author has a depth of knowledge of events which are enlightening and entertaining. Much effort appears to have gone into unearthing contemporary accounts giving a refreshing and unbiased view of events with a ring of truth about them unlike the standard texts which can be misleading generalisations. Well worth the money, not only for a gripping read as well as an historical record .

A message for all aspiring officers..., 08 Jul 2008
I'm not sure whether Urban truly intended to write a narrative history that not only sets right many of the injustices of much of the scholarship on this era, as well as comment on the current operations in Afghanistan.

Whatever his intent, this book is brilliant, in many ways surpassing 'Rifles'. The characters are brought to life in vivid colours, their flaws and their strengths, the arrogance of certain 'Minden men', the self-righteousness on both sides, and the sheer hypocrisy of the ideologues. This is not a book for those 'Patriot' lovers; this is a very real history. The maps are first class, and Urban, as we have come to expect, cuts through the fog of war to deliver stunning detail on everything from the tactical, strategic and operational levels of war.

Any young officer, or aspiring officer, should take the lessons so clearly portrayed in it; learning organisations defeat insurgencies, as we so nearly did in the 13 Colonies. For those not in the military, take heed anyway; read this as a history of the American war, and apply much of the logic to Iraq and Afghanistan, and that is what we are up against. The lessons are clear: Doctrine, tactics, strategy, all have to work together.

An Engaging Picture of a Regiment at War, 22 Dec 2007
Mark Urban has sought to recreate his earlier success with 'Rifles' by following a single regiment through a war. In choosing the 23rd Regiment (Royal Welch Fusiliers), he has plumped on a unit that fought throughout the American War of Independence from Bunker Hill to Yorktown, and can therefore act as illustrative of the war as a whole. Unlike the 95th Rifles, however, the 23rd were a 'line' regiment with none of the glamour of 'special' troops, although much of the action surrounds their detached light company. And given the very fluid organization of the army it is easy to see problems trying to carry out a single regiment narrative thread. As his Royal Welch witnesses come and go, he has had to use eyewitnesses wherever he could get them; not all are Royal Welchmen, nor are they necessarily eyewitnesses to the actual events he is discussing.

Mr Urban's lack of military background and wider understanding is sometimes apparent. As Donald Graves has noted, his belief that Revolutionary War tactics were important in Europe is dubious, and he is unfairly harsh on David Dundas. The essential need to train the army on a common doctrine was not possible until the Duke of York became Commander-in-Chief, with the full weight of Royal authority behind him. If the correct solution was a fusion of the `German' and `American' schools, that was never possible given the stresses of service until Sir Ralph Abercromby got nearly two months to properly train his army in 1800-1 before Egypt. He was the first British commander to have that opportunity after the reserve of trained troops was dissipated in the West Indies in 1793-5.

Due to these reservations I was only going to give the book four stars, but as a former Royal Welchman myself I thought, 'How can I!' Because in all honesty, Mr Urban has written a very engaging book about the British army in the Revolutionary War, when there are not many others (Hugh Bicheno and Christopher Hibbert come to mind) to choose from. He has also done much to dissipate the many myths beloved by American authors, particularly concerning their own tactical effectiveness. This is the book's greatest strength; a unit level account of a forgotten period in the army's history when they were fighting a bad war in a bad place at a bad time, trying to carry on as professionally as possible.

Thorough work on a complex theme, 22 Oct 2007
Centred on the elite 23rd (Royal Welch) Fuziliers [sic] during the American War of Independence, this book also gives an excellent account of many of the other units involved, since the light and grenadier companies of regiments were often hived off and brigaded with those of other units.

As we have come to expect from Urban, the battle accounts are both accurate and stirring, but I particulary like the way he draws on personal accounts of the war from both men and officers of both sides, many of them never published before, making it a highly engaging read. I learned a great deal about commanders such as Howe and Cornwallis, Balfour and Calvert, and the role they played not only in the fortunes of the 23rd Foot, but also in the political and military heirarchy of the time.

Readers new to the period may be surprised to learn that although the war was lost, the British and their allies suffered few actual defeats in the field; on the contrary, it was the remarkable ability of the Americans to recover from defeat after defeat that ultimately brought them victory.

The AWI has always aroused passions on both sides of the Atlantic, and whilst he concentrates on the fighting and campaigning of this conflict, Urban does not shy away from examining the tragic atrocities committed by both sides that served to polarise opinion during the war. This is a sober and refreshing antidote to some of the one-sided episodes in movies such as Mel Gibson's "The Patriot".

Overall, a thorough and humane examination of Great Britain's first major humiliation on the world stage, and the effects it had on the army the British are still justifiably proud of today. Highly recommended.

A must read for anyone interested in the history of 'Tanks', 30 Oct 2008
A very authoritative and well researched work. Truly a must read for members of the Regiment, as it doesn't flinch away from some unpalatable truths. The various machinations and infighting of Whitehall are laid bare, in the development of the world's first true armoured fighting vehicle, including the impediment of and encouragement of the new Corps from the most surprising of Wartime celebrities. Most importantly, it lets us see the thoughts the staff of the new corps and the pioneering officers and men who crewed these first wagons. Most, if not all of the angles seem to be covered.

This book should sit proudly next to BH Liddel Hart's The Tanks, for although not as well written, time has undoubtedly allowed a different view to be articulated.

Interesting fact from the book; Matilda (Infantry Tank MkI), meaning "'mighty in battle' in old German." Not a comic duck or Hugh Elles's mistress.......


Surprised it has taken this long to produce a book like this, 13 Sep 2008
Not being an expert on the period I can only say that to this layman this is an interesting and very readable book. It is maybe just 50 or so pages too long because whilst I welcome the many personal anecdotes and tales (some of them very funny indeed!) I think the author may just over egg the pudding somewhat. I am sure that more technically minded folk may pick over some of the detail in here but on the whole I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in warfare and the Great War in particular

Harrowing, 15 Dec 2008
Actually let me first explain that I know very little about the eastern fronts role in WWII so this is me jumping in straight from the perspective of the Germans. As such this book is a truly enlightening account of life from the perspective of a German footsoldier on the German front, and their continual retreat and gradual downfall after many years of loss.

There are some genuinely harrowing, and disturbing accounts in this memoir. Of which a few I don't think I will ever forget, and understand why they have not made the movies due to their nature...

If you're expecting to know how to snipe after reading this, or to learn some in depth techniques on the practise this book isn't for you. A lot of the techniques used are dated and impractical in todays terms, but it still provides an interesting insight into the birth of modern sniping.

Truly a great read, disturbing in places, and really interesting all the way through. Personally I was never bored through any point of this book and I doubt anyone with even a vague interest in a Snipers role would be...

High marks all round.

Great, but biased., 12 Dec 2008
First off, this book is violent and graphic, as you might expect from a book about World War Two. This book tells the story of a German sniper on the Eastern front. It is a very personal view. The book goes into detail about many kills. It is a fantastic book because it brings the personal life on a sniper/rifleman/soldier in WWII, something you don't get in normal books concerning the subject. However, it is very biased its written in a way that makes the Nazi invaders appear the victims of the USSR. It lists many atrocities performed by the Soviet Army, yet there are no accounts of any wrong doing by the Nazi troops. It also portraits the Russians as beasts and tries to make you almost discount there death as a bad thing. I also find it disturbing that "Sepp" is has apparently been haunted ever since by the fact that he failed to retrieve a comrades dogtags, yet he thinks nothing of the fact that he would purposely aim for the Soviet soldiers kidneys and guts in order to prolong death and cause the maximum agony. Even though I find myself disliking "Sepp" as a person for his cold infliction of mostly unnecessary pain, I applaud him for coming forward and letting this book be written about his exploits, it is a valuable insight into the personal level on the Eastern front. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in German/Soviet action during WWII. It is a short book and only took me a couple of days to read, but every page is full of interesting material and it never gets boring.

Great book..........But, 02 Jun 2008
The first time I read this book I coudlnt put it down (Apart from two incidents described that made me feel sick and forced me to close it). I have just finished reading it for the second time and although I still find it a great read I couldnt help feel parts of it were poorly written. Perhaps this is beacuse this isn't the full version translated from the german original or its just down to the skill of the author. In parts it reads like extremely grim fiction (almost cliche) rather than a first hand account of the front line and gives the feeling that the author has taken a few liberties here and there. After reading it again I have found myself asking questions about the validty of some parts. weather this is due to something being lost in the translation or the author giving it his own point of view I guess we will never know. My utmost appologies would be given if evidence came to light showing these things happend. Or even if the person who this book is based on (sepp Allerberger isnt his real name) or even other soldiers in his unit came forward and said "no this is how it was these are the things I have seen". But untill then I guess I will still find myself doubting. Remember this is a (supposed) account of one man in a war. If you are expecting him to go into technical detail about being a sniper such as camouflage and concealment, stalking and observation then this probably isnt for you. Its an account of the things experianced and the attrocities seen rather than a "this is how I went about being a sniper in ww2" account.In all its a great (yet harrowing) read. If you want somthing to be engrossed in then give it a go (But if you read into it too deeply you may find yourself asking the same questions).


A brilliant read, 12 Mar 2008
I found this book thoroughly absorbing and a fascinating insight into the deadly and personal world of a sniper operating on the Eastern Front in WW2.
He tells it how it was and pulls no punches when witnessing atrocities. Its a gritty odyssey. I thoroughly recommend it as a great read.

Great story but the author gives it no justice at all..., 28 Jan 2008
Great story but the narrative is very poor. The book has been translated into English by a German speaker, therefore there are many instances of appalling grammatical errors and some comments which only make sense when read in the German original. A point to note for the Publishers; a good translator can be hired cheaply and would make an immense improvement in the quality of this shoddy product.

Unfortunately, the author's powers of writing have failed him in this endeavour despite the impression in the cover notes of him being a leading expert in the field as all he has achieved here is the cobbling of individual interviews about the subject meshed into a kind of mish-mash pulp book. There is no attempt to put the narrative into an overall framework of the unit in which Allerberger served nor any information about the campaign/situations it was placed in other than a brief & inadequate map at the beginning. There has been no additional research or "value add" by the author. The book contains some glaring mistakes such as the Author's glib statement undervaluing the knights cross which he claims were given away like sweeties even although a great deal of research has been proven otherwise.

There were only 7000+ of these medals issued to an army/Navy/Airforce at war for over 6 years and which comprised many millions of people..so it wasnt an easy medal to win, in fact research shows that it became tougher to win as time went on, although there were some other awards given out easily for morale sakes the Knights Cross was not one of them.

The action in which Allenberger was supposedly awarded his knights cross for reads like something from a comic story, unfortunately the author confuses the facts and changes the figures throughout the passage, the kill figure so emphatically stated in the narrative is reduced from a very large figure down to a more manageable one by contradicting what he has just described and then choosing to ignore the inconsistancy. A great disappointment is that there is no actual evidence that Allerberger was awarded the Knights Cross and the Author has done NO research whatsoever to try to show if this was a problem based on the circumstances in which his subject supposedly received the award(in late 1945 this was a possibility) or whether it was because it wasnt actually awarded, everything is taken at face value. There are no interviews with any member of Allenbergers unit or the other named parties to determine if this was the case, nor has the author made the trip to the extensive archives relating to the German servicemen of WW2 held in Germany, USA & other countries..in doing so he devalues the story of Mr Allerberger and does the reader a great dis-service. This is further compounded by having no references, bibliography or links to any confirmation sources, surely the author must have done some research other than getting poor old Mr Allerberger to sit in front of the tape for hours at an end, for without that research hes merely a transcriber and Not an Author at all.

incidentally, Allerberger is meant to be a pseudonym for the real person and for those non German speakers among you, it roughly means "any mountainer" which is a quaint way of saying that it stands for any member of the German Mountain(Gebirgsjaeger) troops of the war. However if he really came from the 3rd Division and was awarded the Knights cross in 1945 and the other awards at the dates previously stated by the author then it wouldn't take too long to locate the real man's records and identity! so much for protecting his identity.

it has been said that this book is a cut-down version of the German language edition and if thats the case then it shows only too clearly in the poor linkages. I will probably borrow the German version from my local library(in Germany)and chec if this is the case but i suspect that the German version may well be worse if this is the distilled copy.

All in all the facts in the story are presented in a confusing manner and it's very clear that the biographer is not a military expert despite what the cover notes say. It's a pity that the real Sepp Allerberger didnt have a real biographer who was worthy of the challenge of telling his unique story of bravery, perserverance and incredible skill.

Doubter........., 04 Nov 2008
This book just demonstrates that you can get any opinion you want on the internet.
Having read many WWI books I noted someone stating that this book was much better than Ernst Junger's 'Storm of Steel'.
I could not get a quarter of the way through this book. Having bought it I really did my best. As soon as I started, it did not feel right. When I see a memoir full of dialogue I immediately get suspicious. I could not get anything out of this book. I feel really annoyed by it. It is almost unknown for me not to finish a book. I could list any number of good war memoirs. This wasn't even good as a novel. I found it terrible, and I am astonished that it has ever been so highly rated, and surprised that it's authenticity has only recently been questioned.
A complete waste of time and money!!!
Wikipedia leads to articles on the matter.

Gold Standard, 17 Oct 2008
Quite simply one of the best books I have ever read, in any genre. I have recommended it to friends and have found that in talking about other books we frequently reference this book as a gold standard in letting the story tell itself without elaboration or filigree.

A must read, 17 Sep 2008
The story of a young teenager drafted into the German war machine and deployed into the gruesome battle fields of the Eastern Front. There is some speculation as to whether or not this book is fact or fiction with regards to its rather vague and alleged incorrect facts. And through reading it i can see why these issues have been raised. However this book was never stipulated to be an accurate and detailed memoir of what exactly happened in Russia between 1942 and 1945. Instead it is an account of the hellish nightmare in which this ordinary man stepped into and survived,no more, no less and it is by far the most emotionally gripping story i have ever read.

Since reading this book I have discovered ....., 04 Sep 2008
Since reading this book I have discovered that there has been some debate as to the authenticity of Guy Sajer's account of being a young soldier fighting on the Eastern Front in WW2. I must admit, at times the clarity with which he remembers details and events is such that you wonder as a reader how much of it is real or `based' on truth. Those arguments aside, this is a gripping (at times monotonous in the grittiness of the situations that follow on from one another), that conjures up the true horror of what it's like to exist in extreme situations.

Forgotten - not any more!, 01 Jul 2008
Finally I got my hands on this book. But I can't help feeling slightly disappointed, which is quite unfair, since Guy Sajer have every right not to live up to my huge expectations.
The small unit tactics and "how on earth did they do the actual fighting" surfaces occasionally and the memories of skirmishes, engagements and battles are blurred by confusion, fear, hunger, cold and sometimes darkness. Sajer probably writes straight from memory and definitely from the heart, and the 90% of the time out of action apparently provides a lot better opportunity to observe and reflect than the 10% in action.
This is an account of survival through the vastness of Russia against overwhelming enemies: Hunger, physical and mental exhaustion, extreme cold, illness and of course the Russians every now and then. Just the thought of being wounded out there in the howling blizzard is scary. Very few of today's soldiers would stand a chance under such conditions - I know I would have succumbed and been truly forgotten.
I applaud Guy Sajer - an ordinary German soldier among millions - for sharing his interesting and at times shocking experiences from WWII.
War is chaos! Guy Sajer proves it ... again.


A little negative, 21 May 2008
Although Michael Booker is correct about the quality and usefulness of the The British Officer, Anthony Clayton is perhaps a little too critical of the current and future role of the regimental officer. His penultimate chapter, 14, strongly suggests that the very fabric of the British army officer is under question in the context of the 21st century, without giving any balanced or positive insight into how the problems might be solved. If anything, this book, in the chapter 'From Aden to Belfast and Basra' is enough to put any prospective officer off from joining the army as an officer, suggesting that relationships are likely to be ruined whilst away on tour, promotion is unlikely and that service is almost certainly restricted to 3 years only, and that certai