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Charles Whiting (1926–2007)

Teoksen Home Front: Germany tekijä

276+ teosta 3,039 jäsentä 40 arvostelua 1 Favorited

Tietoja tekijästä

Charles Whiting the world's most prolific military author saw action in north west Europe with the 52nd Lowland Reconnaissance Regiment. Graduating from the University of Leeds he has lectured at the Universities of Bradford, Saarbrucken, Trier and Maryland. He also worked for the US Army as an näytä lisää adviser and in 1976 he gave up his academic career as associate professor to become a full-time writer and military historian. His first book was published in 1954 and he has over 270 works to his name and several pseudonyms including Leo Kessler and Duncan Harding. näytä vähemmän
Image credit: Provided by user iamiam (publisher)

Sarjat

Tekijän teokset

Home Front: Germany (1982) 187 kappaletta
Patton (1970) 153 kappaletta
The Battle of Hurtgen Forest (1988) 139 kappaletta
Siegfried: The Nazis' Last Stand (1982) 120 kappaletta
Battle of the Ruhr Pocket (1802) 95 kappaletta
Kasserine: First blood (1718) 93 kappaletta
Ardennes: The Secret War (1958) 76 kappaletta
Death of a Division (1712) 70 kappaletta
Skorzeny (1972) 69 kappaletta
Bloody Aachen (1627) 67 kappaletta
Bounce the Rhine (1900) 52 kappaletta
Bradley (1971) 40 kappaletta
48 hours to Hammelburg (1970) 35 kappaletta
Gehlen: Germany's Master Spy (1972) 33 kappaletta
SS Panzer Battalion (1975) 31 kappaletta
Patton's Last Battle (1987) 28 kappaletta
Claws of Steel (1974) 27 kappaletta
Death's Head (1974) 26 kappaletta
Tredje rikets sista dagar (1996) 25 kappaletta
Decision at St.-Vith (1625) 24 kappaletta
Massacre at Malmedy (1971) 22 kappaletta
The Devil's Shield (1975) 22 kappaletta
Forced March (1976) 22 kappaletta
The Search for Gestapo Müller (2000) 21 kappaletta
Heydrich: Henchman of Death (1999) 20 kappaletta
Hitlers krigare : SS sista strid (1991) 18 kappaletta
Bridge at Arnhem (1974) 18 kappaletta
Guns at Cassino (1975) 17 kappaletta
Hemingway Goes to War (1999) 16 kappaletta
Ghost Division (1978) 16 kappaletta
The Long March on Rome (1987) 15 kappaletta
Hammer Of The Gods (1975) 14 kappaletta
Blood and Ice (1978) 13 kappaletta
The Sand Panthers (1977) 13 kappaletta
Blood Mountain (The Dogs of War) (1978) 13 kappaletta
Cauldron of Blood (1981) 12 kappaletta
Tug of War (1975) 11 kappaletta
Poor Bloody Infantry (1987) 10 kappaletta
Blood Mission / Claws of Steel (1998) 9 kappaletta
Flashpoint (1980) 8 kappaletta
Slaughter Over Sicily (2006) 8 kappaletta
Black Cossacks (1975) 8 kappaletta
Bloody Bremen (1998) 8 kappaletta
Counterattack (1978) 8 kappaletta
Fire Over Kabul (1982) 7 kappaletta
SS Peiper (1986) 7 kappaletta
Destroyer 1: Flotilla Attack (1976) 7 kappaletta
Operation Death Watch (1986) 7 kappaletta
Wolf (1978) 7 kappaletta
Torpedo Boat (1976) 7 kappaletta
Breakthrough (1979) 7 kappaletta
Sink the Scharnhorst! (1981) 7 kappaletta
Sink the Bismarck (2000) 6 kappaletta
Fire Over Africa (1984) 6 kappaletta
Wolf Pack (Submarine) (1985) 6 kappaletta
Rommel's Last Battle (2006) 6 kappaletta
Panzer Hunt (1979) 6 kappaletta
Valley Of The Assassins (1979) 6 kappaletta
Storm Troop (1977) 6 kappaletta
Hitler's Secret War (2021) 6 kappaletta
The Phoenix Assault (1980) 6 kappaletta
Canaris (1973) 6 kappaletta
Finale at Flensburg (1973) 6 kappaletta
Flight to the Reich (1988) 5 kappaletta
Whores of War (Wotan) (1982) 5 kappaletta
Battle for Twelveland (1975) 5 kappaletta
Mountain of Skulls (1977) 5 kappaletta
Death to the Deutschland (1982) 5 kappaletta
The Traitors (1752) 5 kappaletta
Death Ride (Panzer/Wotan) (1985) 5 kappaletta
Hellfire (1978) 5 kappaletta
Hell on the Rhine (X-Craft) (2003) 4 kappaletta
Otto and the S.S. (Otto Stahl) (1983) 4 kappaletta
Red Assault (1979) 4 kappaletta
Assault on the Rock (2006) 4 kappaletta
Yorkshire at War (1980) 4 kappaletta
Dödens patrull (1976) 4 kappaletta
Fire in the West (1987) 4 kappaletta
Slaughter Ground (1980) 4 kappaletta
Otto's Blitzkrieg (1982) 4 kappaletta
Bugles at Dawn (1990) 4 kappaletta
Schirmer's Death Legion (1983) 4 kappaletta
Orders to Kill (1974) 4 kappaletta
Operation Varulven (1975) 4 kappaletta
Operation Stalag (1974) 4 kappaletta
T-Force The Last Mission (1976) 4 kappaletta
Tank-busters! (1984) 4 kappaletta
Otto and the Reds (1982) 4 kappaletta
Operation Chariot (1977) 4 kappaletta
The War in the Shadows (1973) 4 kappaletta
The Blackout Murders (2014) 4 kappaletta
Clash in the Baltic (2004) 4 kappaletta
Blood Mission (1984) 3 kappaletta
Det stora slaget (1976) 3 kappaletta
SS Kommando (2010) 3 kappaletta
Bakom fiendens linjer (1976) 3 kappaletta
End of War: Europe, 1945 (2015) 3 kappaletta
March on Moscow (1981) 3 kappaletta
Death on the Rhine (2002) 3 kappaletta
Eagles in the Snow (1983) 3 kappaletta
Otto and the Yanks (1983) 3 kappaletta
Cannon Fodder (Rebel) (1987) 3 kappaletta
Otto's Phoney War (1981) 3 kappaletta
Kill Patton! (1974) 3 kappaletta
Wave of Terror (1983) 2 kappaletta
Himmler's Gold (1980) 2 kappaletta
Death's Eagles (Wotan) (1998) 2 kappaletta
The Frat Wagon (1954) 2 kappaletta
Outcasts, The (Panzer/Wotan) (1988) 2 kappaletta
The Great York Air Raid - 1942 (1979) 2 kappaletta
The Great Escape (2002) 2 kappaletta
Death Match (1988) 2 kappaletta
Operation Glenn Miller (Wotan) (2001) 2 kappaletta
Vražji štit (2018) 2 kappaletta
Vuur over Cassino 2 kappaletta
Die Schlacht um den Ruhrkessel (1981) 2 kappaletta
Monty's Fight for Victory (2006) 2 kappaletta
Hitler Youth attacks! (2004) 2 kappaletta
Die-hards, The (Rebel) (1988) 2 kappaletta
Helden tot het laatste uur (1979) 2 kappaletta
Journey To No End (2010) 2 kappaletta
The Japanese Princess (2003) 2 kappaletta
Sink the Tirpitz (1996) 2 kappaletta
Ramps Down, Troops Away! (2004) 2 kappaletta
The Normandie mission (2000) 2 kappaletta
Operation Fox Hunt (1977) 2 kappaletta
Sink the Warspite (2002) 2 kappaletta
Prepared to Die (2007) 2 kappaletta
Inferno sotto zero (1975) 2 kappaletta
Sink the Graf Spee (2017) 2 kappaletta
Assault on St Nazaire (2018) 2 kappaletta
In Turkish waters (2003) 2 kappaletta
Operation Kill Ike (1975) 2 kappaletta
Operation Kaukasus (1976) 2 kappaletta
Operation Nådastöten (1975) 2 kappaletta
Slaughter at Salerno (1985) 1 kappale
The Hess Assault (1987) 1 kappale
Ss Attacks (1994) 1 kappale
T-Force (2018) 1 kappale
The Screaming Eagles (2001) 1 kappale
V krvi a sněhu (2007) 1 kappale
Bleskový pochod (2005) 1 kappale
Ďáblův pancíř (2006) 1 kappale
Operace Dlouhý skok (2004) 1 kappale
The Wotan Mission (1996) 1 kappale
March or Die (S.S.Wotan) (1985) 1 kappale
Wolf hunt (1978) 1 kappale
Vlčí smečka 1 kappale
Lest I Fall 1 kappale
Ardeny: tajná válka (2002) 1 kappale
A farkasfalka (2001) 1 kappale
Hell's Angel (2002) 1 kappale
Sirény z Dunkerque (2008) 1 kappale
Obrněný prapor SS (2006) 1 kappale
The Die-hards (Rebel) (1987) 1 kappale
Double Cross (2008) 1 kappale
Teräskynnet 1 kappale
Kuoleman kaarti 1 kappale
Sink the Prince of Wales (2019) 1 kappale
Sink the Ark Royal (2018) 1 kappale
Jumalten vasara 1 kappale
Front swine (1982) 1 kappale
Varghålan (1978) 1 kappale
Paholaisen kilpi 1 kappale
The Balkan Chase (2000) 1 kappale
Attack New York -Op/036 (1994) 1 kappale
Peräytyminen 1 kappale
Convoy of Death (2019) 1 kappale
Massacre at Jutland (2018) 1 kappale
The Hitler werewolf murders (1994) 1 kappale
Sink HMS Kelly (2002) 1 kappale

Associated Works

The Bedside Playboy (1963) — Avustaja — 23 kappaletta

Merkitty avainsanalla

Yleistieto

Jäseniä

Kirja-arvosteluja

The title belies the scope of the book, it not only narrates Monty's very late war thrust to seal off Denmark from the approaching Russians, it also discusses all the end of war activities, including the long and complex surrenders of the various German forces, including those on the Channel Islands, Texel off the Dutch coast and the "fortresses" such as Dunkirk that were held by the Germans till the end of the war as Eisenhower didn't think they were worth the time and effort to subdue. Highly recommended.… (lisätietoja)
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
jztemple | Feb 18, 2024 |
After reading James Lucas' I moved to this one immediately.

First thing first - if you have read already any books on the Brandenburgers or Admiral Canaris and Abwehr this one won't give you much more insight.

It is rather short book but with hard focus on the German special forces - starting from Abwehr and then decline to SS/SD control and finally standard light infantry front-line duties. You wont find anything more then already told by James Lucas i.e. - although author does give a few unique perspectives, especially on Brandenburgers' actions in Egypt (Key to Rebecca anyone :))

Through the book author follows in parallel the career of Admiral Canaris - from starting the German special forces structure and assigning them missions to slowly falling out of grace with Hitler and Nazi establishment (and strange connection to Himmler) all the way to the ungraceful execution by the hands of Nazis in 1945 after he was tried as traitor of the state - and Otto Skorzeny - how he slowly took over the control of commandos from the Abwehr but ultimately ended up leading them as elite light infantry until he was taken prisoner in 1945 by the Allies.

Book does start with author meeting with Skorzeny after the war - but unfortunately this is where possible Skorzeny's direct contribution to the story stops. This is something that could have been used and developed more.

All in all good book, especially for somebody who is new to the subject. For those with more knowledge on the subject it wont nothing more except maybe some exciting first-hand stories like actions in Africa.
… (lisätietoja)
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
Zare | Jan 23, 2024 |
A few weeks ago, I devoted quite some time to reading John Ferris' Behind the Enigma; the authorised history of GCHQ, which was at times a pretty savage amusement because of the author's highly detailed account of GCHQ and its predecessors, including the now-famous code-breaking station at Bletchley Park. Granted that that book covered the whole history of British code-breaking; but it consisted of some 850 closely-set pages in small type, and it took me nearly three weeks to get through it.

In contrast this book, on the German intelligence effort in World War II, has around 220 pages in larger type and with very generous margins. I read it in about two days. This should give a hint as to how much detail this book contains, which is in turn a consequence of the effectiveness of the German intelligence effort.

That effort was mainly down to one man, Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, a somewhat eccentric character who was given the job of organising the Abwehr, the German military intelligence organisation, almost from scratch. The book concentrates on his story to bookend the narrative. In contrast to the British intelligence-gathering efforts, his achievements were few. The agents he attempted to place in Britain were all compromised, captured and either turned or executed. This was in almost equal parts due to a lack of insight in the planning stages of missions, incompetence and the heightened awareness of the British public and military.

This is not to say that German intelligence was totally ineffective: and this book explains why the Axis intelligence effort in Cairo was so effective - and that was because it was little to do with Canaris. Instead, Cairo was a hotbed of dissidents, Italian spies, disaffected Egyptian junior officers such as Gamal Abdul Nasser and Anwar Sadat, and an Anglophobic American military attaché who sent regular detailed accounts of British shortcomings to Washington using an outdated code that was one of the few codes the Germans had actually succeeded in breaking. The British knew that Cairo leaked like a sieve; Fitzroy Maclean makes regular reference to this in his memoir Eastern Approaches. When Canaris attempted to insert two agents into this mix, they were pretty quickly identified and neutralised.

Other German successes had little to do with Canaris, and indeed this book is bulked out with accounts of German intelligence activities in the USA - where there was a lot of support for Germany in the immediate pre-war years, resulting in many industrialists and politicians actively working for Germany and against Britain even after the entry of the USA into the war at the end of 1941 - and Switzerland, where Swiss collusion with Germany reached a point where the allies were seriously considering invasion in 1944.

The author paints the Swiss very unfavourably in this, though his analysis is quite one-sided. But as Swiss internal politics is little examined and written about outside Switzerland, this may be excused. Elsewhere, Whiting makes oblique critical references to the British establishment and some of its traditional support for Germany. Some of his other asides betray his political biases, but these are mostly superficial.

Canaris was fighting his war on two fronts; whilst the Allied intelligence networks were his opponents in espionage, his enemies were the German Sicherheitsdienst (SD), the separate intelligence service of Himmler's SS - an example of Hitler's belief in Social Darwinist struggle promoting the victory of the strongest. Canaris' failures counted against him, and he eventually fell as a consequence of his name being linked, albeit indirectly, with the 20th July assassination plotters.

The book is packaged almost as if it were a thriller novel; there is no index but there is a short bibliography which shows that Whiting did consult German-language sources, and indeed a lot of the book is based on personal interviews he made with some of the surviving protagonists. Some of these accounts have been accepted at face value, such as a comment that the Germans "broke" Claude Danzey's 'Z Organisation' in wartime Germany; but as this was mainly comprised of British visitors to pre-war Germany keeping their eyes open and reporting back snippets of information that MI6 assembled into a larger picture, this seems like some members of the German intelligence community talking up their activities against their own nationals and using Z as a straw man to justify their actions. The nature of the Z Organisation had long been acknowledged by British sources; Hinsley's official history of British intelligence in the war had been available for ten years when this book was written, and the pre-war nature of Z is made clear there. But Hinsley is not one of the sources Whiting consulted in his research.

Sub-editing is poor; there are two instances where the author is allowed to repeat himself, there is one mis-numbered footnote, and at least one parenthesis which is never closed. The book was first published in 2000, but the edition I read dates from 2021; as Whiting passed away in 2007, there can have been no author oversight of this new edition.

Overall, then, a very readable but basic account of its subject, which the more knowledgeable reader will have to supplement with other works.
… (lisätietoja)
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
RobertDay | Dec 18, 2023 |
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
jamespurcell | Nov 6, 2023 |

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