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kanejim57's review against another edition
5.0
I liked this book because it tells the story of men and women who engaged the Axis behind the lines all across Europe. Of interest to me was the revelation that the Allied Theater Commanders in the Pacific wanted nothing to do with the OSS in their theatre of operations.
Some of the stories, especially some towards the end of the war, when one or two operatives strongly suggested, face to face no less, that large units of German forces surrender now, were incredible to hear.
Some of the stories, especially some towards the end of the war, when one or two operatives strongly suggested, face to face no less, that large units of German forces surrender now, were incredible to hear.
bkread2's review against another edition
5.0
If you love reading and learning about the behind the scenes of WWII this is a great book.
henrismum's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
This book is the true story of the heroic men (and some women) who risked their lives in WWII. It is very graphic in parts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Torture, Violence, and War
neverendingbooklist's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.5
cmbohn's review against another edition
2.0
You would think that a real life book about espionage would be interesting, but nope. Maybe it's because the author has to leave out too much, or because there is not enough good source information, so the author has to guess. But both of these were hard to get through. Too much boring detail to get through and not enough pictures. Too much politics, not enough action.
This one was about the OSS, organized by division. WAAAAAY too much detail. There were maps, but I was still confused about what was going on. The most interesting part to me was about the 'amphibious squadron' - sorry, I had a Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow moment. But you know what I mean, the forerunners of the Navy Seals. I also liked the part about how the OSS got started. But I basically skipped around in this one.
This one was about the OSS, organized by division. WAAAAAY too much detail. There were maps, but I was still confused about what was going on. The most interesting part to me was about the 'amphibious squadron' - sorry, I had a Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow moment. But you know what I mean, the forerunners of the Navy Seals. I also liked the part about how the OSS got started. But I basically skipped around in this one.
nicoleme1212's review against another edition
1.0
As a history piece, it does a good job of staying true to its source material and incorporating in primary sources. However, as a book that is supposed to tell the stories of the people and organizations it features, it does a poor job of truly bringing out the importance of each event. It's bogged down by large block quotes that prevent the book itself from being an interesting read. Instead of writing in his own words what occurred in each event, the author appears to have decided to let the quotes do the talking, which can be very tedious, especially where the original speakers may be poor orators themselves.
Overall, it's a good history source, but with awful pacing and creativity.
Overall, it's a good history source, but with awful pacing and creativity.
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