The Eagle has Landed - Jack Higgins

"Well, let's put it this way, you'll be a major by nightfall or dead."

No one knows the story how of a group of Germans invaded Britain for the sole purpose of kidnapping Winston Churchill. All that remains is a concealed gravestone dedicated to a unit of Germans paratroopers in a British churchyard. The truth is a closely guarded secret by the citizens of Studley Constable, a village that was the epicentre of the most daring raid of the entire war. 

Having never read Higgins before, I had no expectations in reading this book. But I can honestly say this was a poignant, entertaining and exciting read. As a result I can't wait to read more of his works.

There's a variety of characters, all with depth, personality and a derth of needs and wants. Surprisingly enough, the majority of the story is told from the perspective of the antagonists. This is counter to what you would normally expect. Much like "Bel Canto" and "House of Cards", the writing convinces the reader to essentially sympathize with the villain(s) of the story.

Also, in most stories the tension is derived from not knowing how it all ends. This has all been avoided here as the book was written as frame story, meaning we already know how it ends. This can often be a risky idea as it often deflates interest but if done well, it draws readers in by focusing on how and why events end the way they do. Instead of concerning themselves with the end of the story, readers are more interested in the journey/middle. 

Truthfully the majority of the action takes place in the last 50-100 pages but I was never bored or frustrated by this. Higgins slowly moves the playing pieces into place. He slowly builds the plot, interweaving plotlines until you can see the inexorable disaster looming in the distance, forcing the reader to continue, already knowing the outcome.

If you enjoy WWII stories filled with intrigue and like a bit of a twist on the traditional 'hero' story, check out this book. 

Blitz! - Margaret Gaskin

“The two worlds, the world of peace and the world of war, exist side by side, separated only by a few minutes of twilight.”

 

“Blitz!” tells the story of December 29, 1940 in London during the Blitzkreig when the city experienced one of the worst bombings of WWII. The book encompasses a wide variety of people from all walks of life with the one thread tying them together the fact that they’ve decided to stay in London despite the danger. We learn of the bravery of ordinary citizens and how important landmarks were to morale, including St. Pauls’ Cathedral, a symbol of London which is threatened during the firebombing.

We begin before the bombing with all of the volunteers who have chosen to stay behind, going about their everyday jobs. Most of these Londoners were civilians so it’s interesting to see how they adjusted to their new jobs, whether it was a member of the Home Guard, the ARP (Air Raid Precautions Service) or the Auxiliary Fire Service. I loved how the book chronologically progressed through December 29 with each chapter beginning with a radio program schedule for that portion of the day. Not only is this a refreshing way to inform the reader about which part of the day the events in the chapter unfold, it also creates a growing sense of apprehension as day turns to night because the reader knows what’s coming.

“The high wind which accompanies conflagrations is now stronger than ever, and the air is filled with a fierce driving rain of red-hot sparks and burning brands. The clouds overhead are a rose-pink from the reflected glow of the fires.”

The great descriptions and visual imagery create an atmosphere of danger and fear that puts you right in the midst of the chaos and heat. “It was as light as day, with huge fires all around, flames rising far above the houses, the place full of smoke and sparks and great blobs of burning stuff floating about and every now and then a bomb.” Throughout the night we follow a variety of people in different situations across the city. All of these great little stories interspersed throughout really showed how all-encompassing the threat was. It wasn’t unlikely for children to slip out of their bomb shelters during raids to help fire crews. I especially liked reading about the roof crew looking after St. Paul’s Cathedral. During the bombing it’s described as “some miraculous figure that appears before peace-hungry soldiers on a battlefield.” The best story though has to be about St. Lawrence Jewry. During the raid, an otherworldly shriek came from inside as a bomb had hit the synagogue, lighting the organ on fire. As the hot air from the fire blew through the organ pipes it made a sound like an alien in the throes of death. This was an awesome image and I could easily imagine what the pipes must have sounded like.

One paragraph that really made me think described the fire as ‘burning away time’ as it destroyed modern London. It was such an evocative image and really cemented the destructive power of these bombs and how it wasn’t just destroying the city it was destroying London’s past, obliterating all memory of what came before.

I loved reading this book, not only because I’m interested in WW2  but also because I didn’t know much about the London Blitz other than that it happened. If you’re interested in learning about what the London Blitz was like, this book will put you right in the middle of the action.

"Went the Day Well" (1942)

"Obey my orders and you will not be harmed. Any person who attempts to escape or communicate with the outside world will be shot!"

The sleepy English village of Bramley End has the unfortunate distinction to be the headquarters selected for a German invasion of Great Britain. German soldiers posing as their British counterparts arrive and begin to scout out the town and settle themselves into every house in town as billets. The villagers have no idea their world is about to be turned upside down. What follows is a brutal lesson on the horrors of war brought to the home front. With no hope of outside help, the villagers alone must take on the Germans and win or die trying.

The only reason I even found this film was thanks to the Preakness, a thoroughbred horse race and Movies over Matter who made a post about the movie. I’m always up for a WWII propaganda film so I decided to watch this one and I am so happy I did! In my opinion this is a forgotten gem of a film. Set in flashback, we see a man speaking in a churchyard after the war and telling the viewer the tale of when Bramley End was invaded by Germans. The film was only made in 1942 though so it’s predicting a future possibility of what the world would be like. The outcome is essentially part of the propaganda for moral on the home front.

One of the great things about the movie is that they let the audience in on the con near the beginning. These kinds of films are always nerve-wracking as the viewer knows more than the characters. A great example would be ”Rope” and this movie does have a Hitchcock feel to it. One of the villagers is a Nazi spy, foiling the other villagers at every turn and yet only the viewer and German soldiers know they exist. You can only wait for the other shoe to drop. I did find it somewhat unbelievable that the spy managed to keep getting away with what they were doing. There’s a war on and these people aren’t more observant and diligent? Wasn’t the War Office going into overdrive on the whole “loose lips sink ships” and being on the lookout for suspicious activity? I also found it highly improbably that the German soldiers would have perfect British accents. Though I did like how some of the soldiers didn’t speak as they didn’t know any English and would give themselves away.

The best aspect of the movie was when the Director Cavalcanti played a stick and carrot game with the audience. We’re shown one opportunity after another that the villagers create to get word out about the Nazis and every single one is taken away from them and us, the audience. Every time I held my breath and hoped that this they would stop the Nazis. No one in this film is safe, just as in war and that's what makes the film so exciting.

I was impressed with how the violence and suspense was amped up with every attempt and how it made the plot unpredictable and nervewracking. The pacing was perfect. Too often with action films the plot either paints characters into a corner and only deus ex machine can save them or the plot is so predictable that I can literally guess what one liners characters will shout out. As for the action, I was shocked by the violent brutality. I never expected a movie from the 40s, let alone now, to take some of the risks it does. I can only wonder how audiences reacted when it was first released. Movies over Matter mentions that the US would never have been able to make a propaganda movie like this and they’re right. I don’t think American audiences would have been able to stomach some of the things on screen. I believe this is because in most areas of the US, the war felt so far away. They were essentially removed from the theatres of war. This is only because of the physical distance between the home front and the war front though. Invasion was a real issue for Britain, as they only separated from the rest of Europe by the English Channel. In fact, the Channel Islands, part of the British Commonwealth, were actually occupied during the war.

Usually in war movies, all the audience sees are brave soldiers taking on the enemy. In this film we get to see civilians in action. This always seems more brave to me. They usually have little to no training and if anyone knows how to fire a gun it’s usually because they hunt small game like rabbit. Usually no one has ever killed another human being or looked death in the face before. In this situation they have to put all of that aside and reach deep inside themselves and find the courage to defend their homes, their neighbours and themselves. In fact, I was more proud of their actions than I would have been if they had been soldiers. Class divide is extremely apparent in the movie but is a transparent barrier that has little to no affect on the film. Everyone is united in their efforts to purge Bramley End of the enemy. As well, I was very pleased to see how active women were in this movie. They took part in the action, voiced their opinion to help and instead of being left behind as you would normally expect of a movie like this, they were encouraged to go along.

I loved this movie. It’s a forgotten little gem and was a joy to watch. I would highly recommend it!

Rating: 4.5/5

The Monuments Men - Robert Edsel

"The reconstruction of Europe after World War II was one of the most complicated and comprehensive international efforts of modern times. The identity and infrastructure of the nations of Europe had to be rebuilt and the restitution of artwork was a vital component. To say the war was the greatest upheaval of cultural items in history would be a grave understatement. In the end, the Western Allies discovered more than one thousand repositories in southern Germany alone, containing millions of works of art and other cultural treasures, including church bells, stained glass, religious items, municipal records, manuscripts, books, libraries, wine, gold, diamonds, and even insect collections."

This book tells the little known story of the Monuments Men, experts in the art field tasked with locating, recovering, preserving and repatriating art looted by the Nazis. This small band of men faced an almost insurmountable task. The amount of irreplaceable art and artifacts taken by the Nazis was staggering and whole of the Monuments Men consisted of less than 400 people to look after the entire western half of Europe.

What I loved about this book was how these men came from ordinary backgrounds and accomplished extraordinary things. They were architects and scholars, working in museums and universities; some had little to no training in the preservation and transportation of precious artwork. The odds were against them from the start but it's their dedication and the fact that they were willing to put their lives at risk to save mankind's art history that make you root for them. They are the ultimate underdogs where they not only fought against the Nazis but against the clock. "What if we win the war, but lose the last five hundred years of our cultural history on our watch?" Much of the art was stored in mines to protect them from bombing but these places were not always suitable for storing fragile works of art for years at a time. They were prone to cave-ins and flooding while the art was also susceptible to moisture and looters.

I really liked the chronological nature of the book. As the war unfolded, so did the search for the art. I was caught up as much as the Monuments Men were and I found myself filled with anxiety over certain works that were missing. I also got to follow various members of the group as they tramped around Europe, following troops, striking out on their own, stealing supplies, commandeering vehicles, men and the help of local civilians if needed.

There are also some great photos and maps to illustrate what Edsel is talking about. A main character crew list with photos and short bios is included in the beginning which puts faces to the men the reader follows. I wish the art photos hadn't been clustered together though but rather interspersed throughout. For example, whenever the Ghent Altarpiece was mentioned I had to keep flipping back to the photo to remind myself what it looked like as there's a wide variety of works mentioned and it's tough to keep everything straight.

Learning about these men and everything they went through, I shared in their triumphs and failures. I worried about them and feared for their safety. Edsel made me feel like I was there. It was exciting and nerve-wracking and heartbreaking, a great read! If you like art history and WWII then this book is for you.

Rating: 4/5

On a side note, George Clooney is apparently going to be co-writing, directing and starring in a movie based on this book. I look forward to this if it happens but I'm hesitant about whether it will be any good. Many war movies have romances shoved into the plot where they have no business being because "it will make the movie more commercially successful". I hope Clooney will stick to the source material though as the story is interesting enough without adding in some random peasant women for the MMS to moon over.

The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank

“Who would ever think that so much went on in the soul of a young girl?”

For several years during WWII, the Frank family hid in a secret attic, existing on the kindness of others and an ever diminishing food source. They lived in constant fear and took extreme precautions to avoid being discovered. Anne Frank was all of 13 and a precocious child before going into hiding. Once secluded with her family, the van Daans and Mr. Dussel, she decided to document daily life within the secret annex in a diary. Her writing betrays a maturity beyond her years as she develops a meditative internal life, an inner monologue that is strong, stubborn and independent.

I found this book difficult to finish. It might sound weird but right when Anne starts to spend time with Peter I just wanted to put it down. I knew the ending before I started and in my head I wanted her to remain happy. Sounds silly right? But I’ve never been one to not finish a good book. The closer I got to the end the more nervous I became. It reminded me of something I read when I was a kid. It was called “The Monster at the End of this Book”. It was a Sesame Street book starring Grover. It broke the fourth wall because he spoke to the reader and was scared to reach the end and find the monster. He would construct all sorts of elaborate walls of brick, cement and wood to keep the reader from turning the page, all the while begging them not to finish the book.

I loved seeing Anne's opinions develop over time and how confident she became with her own voice. She can be quite cruel at times towards the other occupants of the attic, revealing an articulate mean streak that pokes at others flaws. I didn’t like to read how she tore other people down but it showed me she’s not a character, she’s a real person with real feelings.

We see her voracious appetite for books, the emergence of young love and a penchant to examine issues you wouldn’t expect to hear from teenagers, like the hatred of Jewish peoples within German occupied territory. She writes truth and never holds back, revealing a complex young woman with dreams beyond the attic. It is this honesty that makes the writing fresh and new, despite the diary being almost 70 years old.

If you want to know how a regular Jewish family lived and suffered through the war or if you want to read about life from the prospective of a strong young woman, read this book.


Rating: 5/5

Tokyo Rose

I'm a film buff or at least I like to think I am. One day I was watching some WWII movie about the Pacific Theatre and somebody mentioned the name Tokyo Rose. The first thing I thought was, "that sounds like a nice brand of tea", followed by "or maybe it's a ship". This was immediately followed by a radio broadcast with Tokyo Rose signing off. So I thought, either that was a talking ship, talking tea leaves or I have it all wrong. Fortunately for you, I decided to find out what was going on.

This was actually the name the Allied forces in WWII in the South Pacific gave to an English-speaking women who broadcast Japanese propoganda. Geez that's a mouthful.

It's also a name associated with a woman named Iva Toguri D'Aquino. She was an American citizen visiting relatives in Japan at the beginning of the war. Because of this and somebody's testimony, she was convicted of treason in 1949 by the US government. So she was imprisoned and then released six years later and in 1977, she was pardoned by President Gerald Ford who also restored her citizenship.