Rating:  Summary: Fascinating insights into some legendary blunderific moments Review: A great collection of war stories that will have you thinking twice about how and why some of history's most notable events happened. You couldn't make this stuff up. Michael Coffey has done a fine job recounting some of the most notorious failures in military history. And the intro by Mike Wallace alone is almost worth the price of admission.
Rating:  Summary: Fascinating concept for a book. Poor execution. Review: After reading just 4 or 5 chapters, I have discovered almost one small error per page, and more than one major error per chapter. This reads exactly like a book on warfare written by a modern day magazine "journalist" with little or no real understanding of military history. It mirrors modern "journalism" in its lack of understanding of the "big picture", as well as its numerous factual errors. (Some of which any 12 y/o with an interest in WWII would catch) I found it shallow, which is fine for beginners if accurate, but it's not. (See previous reviewers' listings of errors) I'm surprised that the History Channel would put it's name on a book this poorly edited. BTW, if they need a better editor, my 8 y/o nephew is available. : )All kidding aside, there are bound to be better books out there on this topic. It's hard to accept the author's ideas if you're not sure he has the facts straight. (example: during the 1941 Japanese military buildup the author states that Britain couldn't send more planes and men to Malaysia because "war in Europe was looming". Uh, war in Europe had been raging since 1939, the battle of Britain was in 1940, and by mid 1941 the crisis of potential invasion had passed. Their men and planes were going to Africa and Greece, but war could hardly be decribed as "looming" in Europe. Perhaps Military History and Irish Poetry don't mix.
Rating:  Summary: Fascinating concept for a book. Poor execution. Review: After reading just 4 or 5 chapters, I have discovered almost one small error per page, and more than one major error per chapter. This reads exactly like a book on warfare written by a modern day magazine "journalist" with little or no real understanding of military history. It mirrors modern "journalism" in its lack of understanding of the "big picture", as well as its numerous factual errors. (Some of which any 12 y/o with an interest in WWII would catch) I found it shallow, which is fine for beginners if accurate, but it's not. (See previous reviewers' listings of errors) I'm surprised that the History Channel would put it's name on a book this poorly edited. BTW, if they need a better editor, my 8 y/o nephew is available. : )All kidding aside, there are bound to be better books out there on this topic. It's hard to accept the author's ideas if you're not sure he has the facts straight. (example: during the 1941 Japanese military buildup the author states that Britain couldn't send more planes and men to Malaysia because "war in Europe was looming". Uh, war in Europe had been raging since 1939, the battle of Britain was in 1940, and by mid 1941 the crisis of potential invasion had passed. Their men and planes were going to Africa and Greece, but war could hardly be decribed as "looming" in Europe. Perhaps Military History and Irish Poetry don't mix.
Rating:  Summary: Skip this book Review: As other reviewers have said, it's shallow, riddled with errors, and ultimately unsatisfying. Yet it mentions a lot of incidents, some of which I'd never heard of, like the Queen Mary colliding with her escort. This book's salvation would be a good bibiography, so the interested reader could follow up -- but there is none. No notes. Nothing. For a good book of this sort, read "From the Jaws of Victory", by Charles Fair.
Rating:  Summary: slip-shod Review: Do not waste your money on this book. The book apparently was thrown together quickly as a companion to the History Channel series. It shows! Rife with factual errors, typos and editing blunders.
Rating:  Summary: VERY INFORMATIVE. TOO BAD WE CONTINUED TO MAKE THEM Review: I ENJOYED THE FACTS. WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN TEACHING THE BLUNDERS IN ALL OF OUR MILITARY SCHOOLS FROM THE TIME THE FIRST ONES WERE MADE. HOW WE COULD CONTINUE TO THIS DAY TO MAKE THEM IS BEYOND MY COMPRENSION.THERE ARE A NUMBER OF MISPELLED WORDS IN THE PRINT BUT NOTHING THAT DETRACTED FROM THE FACTS. ONE MAJOR BLUNDER WHICH WAS MADE AND WAS NOT INCLUDED AND I HIGHLEY RECCOMMEND READING FOR ANYONE INTRESTED IN THIS SUBJECT. 'IS' "ONE DAY TOO LONG, SITE 85, HEAVY GREEN" AUTHORED BY,TIMOTHY N. GREEN.
Rating:  Summary: Interesting stories, lots of mistakes Review: I loved the stories, but just looking at the few mistakes I was able to catch (the book talks about Saddam's invasion of Kuwait happening in August 1991 and the coup against Gorbachev taking place in 1990) makes me wonder if I can trust the rest of the book.
Rating:  Summary: More author's blunders than the military's Review: If you believe that the Comintern ("Communist International") was a pact between Nazi-Germany and Italy (and Japan) AGAINST the Soviet Union, this book will be nice reading for you. The copyright line lists "Disney Enterprises", so what do you expect?
Rating:  Summary: Infamous Infamy Review: The book chronicles the mishaps of many different armies, and is chronologically organized. While the book was fairly well-written, there were many mistakes in the facts presented. Anyone with an interest in WWII can find a few, such as the Bismark contradiction by Coffey. I am an avid reader of WWII books, and live on the History Channel. Only 13, I know more than some 8th graders who just studied WWII. I suggest that anyone who is interested in secure facts read other books, and if they chose, this one also.
Rating:  Summary: Infamous Infamy Review: The book chronicles the mishaps of many different armies, and is chronologically organized. While the book was fairly well-written, there were many mistakes in the facts presented. Anyone with an interest in WWII can find a few, such as the Bismark contradiction by Coffey. I am an avid reader of WWII books, and live on the History Channel. Only 13, I know more than some 8th graders who just studied WWII. I suggest that anyone who is interested in secure facts read other books, and if they chose, this one also.
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