Book Description
In this comprehensive aviation manual, Raoul Castro provides a source of invaluable corporate aviation management information. He begins by giving an overview of corporate aviation from its inception, then focuses on the management principles and functions that specifically target corporate aviation. Through the utilization of these sound management principles, Castro facilitates the acceptance of corporate aircraft as indispensable tools of industry.
As Castro notes, few companies know how to use corporate aircraft to maximum advantage. Drawing on his expertise and experience, Castro designs a plan by which a company can achieve maximum utilization of an airplane or helicopter fleet. He gives specific instructions on how to facilitate the efficient use of the aviation department of a company, select appropriate aircraft, plan for disasters and establish security measures, fulfill legal requirements of the governmental agencies that regulate the use of aircraft, and manage the maintenance and repair of aircraft. Castro also discusses the scores of details involved in the management of a professional corporate aviation branch and how these details can be handled in a positive, productive manner.
After thoroughly examining the overall managerial functions involved in planning, organizing, controlling, and implementing an aviation arm, Castro concludes by discussing the future of corporate aviation.
This book is a practical and valuable guide for the executive in charge of an aviation department, an aviation department manager or chief pilot, aspirants to aviation management positions, and both students and teachers of aviation management.
Book Description
Though unalike as snowflakes, sisters Patricia Anne and Mary Alice share a sympathetic heart for their distraught cousin Luke -- known affectionately in his boyhood as "Pukey Lukey," because of his penchant for getting sick in moving vehicles. Luke is desperate to hunt down Virginia, his wife of forty years, who has run off with a housepainter/snake-handling preacher named "Monk." And the sisters have graciously agreed to accompany their stricken kinsman on his search...in Luke's car, of course.
But, while practical "Mouse" and flamboyant "Sister" are unable to find their runaway cousin-in-law among the asp-loving faithful on Chandler Mountain, they do manage to stumble upon the corpse of a pretty young redhead who was prematurely sent to her eternal reward. And before you can say "anaconda," they are hot on the serpentine trail of a killer who'd like nothing better than to sink a pair of poisonous fangs into two meddling Southern sisters!
Customer Reviews:
Religion and snake handlers.......2007-05-27
Our two favourite southern sisters get up to more hijinks in this book when they run across a travelling preacher who also handles snakes. We also finally get to meet Cousin Puke Lukey! Cousin Luke enlists the aid of Patricia Anne and Mary Alice to help track down his missing wife who has run off with a preacher. And while they are doing this, they end up in more trouble than you can shake a stick at. Of course there are dead bodies as these two girls always seem to be stumbling over, but oh what fun as we read about their antics. I absolutely love these two old dears, and am really sorry that there is only one more story to read. Ms. George was definitely taken from us too soon.
Pukey Lukey Bangs his Head.......2007-02-23
I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the books in this series so far and this one may well be the best of the bunch. Just where else could you find a story about a guy nicknamed Pukey Lukey whose wife ran off with a snake-handling preacher who was painting their house. Mary Alice (Sister) and Patricia Anne (Mouse) are always hilarious but with a plot line like this anybody could be funny.
Readers of this series will be familiar with Pukey Lukey and his wife Virginia from previous books. Cousin Luke got his nickname because he was prone to carsickness as a child and he has yet to live the name down. Out of the blue he contacts his cousins to inform them that Virginia has run off with the above-mentioned preacher and he enlists their help in finding her. The preacher lives on Chandler Mountain north of Birmingham and so off the sisters and Lukey go on a mission to at least find out if Virginia is okay. They find the preacher's home and church with little problem but there is nobody at home so Luke checks the church. When he fails to return to the car the sisters go in to investigate and find Luke bleeding on the floor and worse yet they find a dead body.
The search for Virginia and the killer are the stories that make up the mystery in this book and the mystery remains surprisingly in focus when you consider the characters that are involved in this story. As if the snake-handling, house painting preacher wasn't enough there are some of the most memorable characters I have ever come across to be found in these pages. From the hillbilly professor who is also a collector of books to the county sheriff who falls for Mary Alice and from the professor's snuff dipping mother to the Chandler Mountain Booger this book is just overflowing with characters with character. If the Booger and the sheriff aren't enough for you, well the Pope himself is actually involved in this book as is a new baby and to some extent George Wallace.
As usual this author displays her gift for dialogue in this book and her imagination must have been running in overdrive when she wrote this one. It is hilarious how Sister keeps tempting Luke by promising that she will let him ride in her Jag while she knows full well that the Pukey one will never set foot in her car. In the end of course the mystery is solved and as usual the sisters almost get killed once they figure out who done it. As with most cozy mysteries this one has a happy ending, at least for the sisters. Pukey Lukey on the other hand might ought to learn to be careful what he wishes for.
southern sisters.......2006-10-10
The best of the series. Very interesting and fast moving. Keeps your interest. I liked it.
How Can You Resist a Book that Includes a Character Named Pukey Lukey?.......2005-12-03
I laughed the first time I heard Patricia Ann and Mary Alice refer to their cousin in that way simply because he used to get car sick as a child. I laughed even harder when they referred to him as "Puke." Ann George not only has a refreshing and bluntly witty writing style, but her characters really come alive from page to page. In fact these two 60-something southern sleuths are so youthful and vibrant, one often forgets their ages and imagines them to be 20 years younger.
Poor Luke. His wife of 40 years, Virginia, has taken off with a house painter who is also a reverend, and when the sisters go with him to find his wife, they find a dead woman in "Monk's" church instead, and the reverend is discovered dead in Virginia's car--all full of snakebites. The reverend was a snake handler to boot. Add this, a bunch of suspicious characters, a romance between sister Mary Alice and the sheriff, lots of snappy sparkling dialog, and you have the makings of a fine and entertaining mystery that echoes a cross between Murder She Wrote and The Golden Girls. This was my first Southern Sisters novel, and I definitely wouldn't rule out more. I laughed and kept on guessing who the killer was up until the last 2 chapters. I hope you are as amused and intrigued as I was. Southern charm has never been more irresistible.
Delightful Mystery with a Deep Southern Cultural Flair.......2005-08-28
Murder mysteries are at their best when the reader learns more than just the obvious "who did it?" Anne George is an entertaining writer who brings Southern sibling sisters Patricia Ann and "Mouse" to life in a special cultural way particular to those who grew up "Southern". Reading "Murder Carries a Torch" carried me literally into the heart of Birmingham, Alabama. Moreover, author George and her amusing two sisters' characters immersed me in a subject I would never have taken any time of my own to learn about, i.e., "snake handling religion". "Murder Carries a Torch" is a page turning summer beach read especially marked for women in the late baby boomer generation, like me.
Product Description
Each of us carries within our hearts a "dream of freedom" where lives feel fulfilled and are truly worthwhile. Financial planners offer clients the most comprehensive opportunity to discover and integrate a financial life plan that in fact melds meaning with money. No other professional can help the client unveil his or her most profound dreams and values, and then articulate a financial strategy that empowers successful implementation. The book empowers planners with the processes for connecting the client's dreams of freedom with the strategies of financial planning. It provides training in the Kinder Method(TM) of life planning and a skill set that can provide a consistent and successful process with clients, leading to that moment called "lighting the torch."
Book Description
Praise for Meeting the Fox
"Orr Kelly has dramatically brought to life the desert war by masterfully weaving the view of higher headquarters with the pathos of the foxhole. Meeting the Fox takes the reader on a gripping journey from North Africa's beaches and drop zones, the practically forgotten disaster at Sidi bou Zid, to the final battles in Tunisia. Meeting the Fox is destined to rank among the best narrative histories on the American experience in North Africa."
-- Patrick O'Donnell, author of Beyond Valor and Into the Rising Sun
"An almost bullet-by-bullet, shell-by-shell account, Meeting the Fox offers riveting personal experiences from those who fought the Axis forces during the desperate campaign for North Africa."
--Gerald Astor, historian and author of A Blood-Dimmed Tide and The Greatest War, Vols. I—III
As their unproven commanders struggled to match wits with the wily Desert Fox, 100,000 poorly equipped, undertrained, and inexperienced GIs battled their way across North Africa. Hobbled by inferior weaponry and an inexperienced officer corps, these green but courageous citizen soldiers clashed head-on with the fabled German Afrika Korps and its legendary commander, Erwin Rommel. Meeting the Fox tells the unforgettable tale of the men who transformed themselves, in the heat of battle, from a poorly organized army of convenience into a relentless and unstoppable fighting force.
Customer Reviews:
Competent and well-written history of WW2 in Tunisia.......2007-05-14
This is a very well-writen military history of WW2 in Tunisia, from late 1942 to May 1943. Although the "Fox" in the title refer to German general Rommel, Rommel figures in only a small part of the book because he is largely involved in his famous retreat across North Africa while much of the action in the book takes place. Once Rommel finally arrives on the scene, he makes some inspections of the military situation at hand, issues orders, then soon departs for Germany, never to return. Other German commanders, notably von Arnim, direct most of the Axis movements. The author interweaves the stories of ground and air units, large and small, and includes the experiences of many individual soldiers as well. My only complaint was that the maps were not very good and made it difficult to follow the movements of the ground units. With as much detail as was provided in the text, good maps would have made the battles much easier to visualize.
A good military history.......2006-12-15
This is an excellent military history of the African invasion. If you are looking for a book that will tell you about the importance of the invasion and how it influenced the war this is not for you. This is strictly a military account and while it is well done it offers little else. The prose is very clear and conventional like most military histories. Overall it is a great analysis of the war and provides an essential report on what happened in Africa.
The U.S. Army's Baptism of Fire .......2005-11-14
Some in the Allied Command structure during WWII wanted to bypass the North African campaign and strike directly at Normandy as early as late 1942 / early 1943. This book shows clearly how much of a disaster that would have been.
The North African campaign was the testing ground of the Allied war machine, where the U.S. Army raised the officer corps and developed the tactics which would lead to ultimate victory on the fields and in the cities of Europe.
This book was written on a very interesting topic and is an excellent history. I sort of painstakingly only gave it four stars rather than five, because the book is mostly history and can sometimes be a little bit dry since there's no single group of soldiers or unit that it follows and that you can connect with. Of course, this is impossible for a history of an entire campaign in the largest war ever fought, so it really is five star history, just four star reading for me.
It lets you know all the strategic reasoning behind both sides moves, delves into the technological capabilities of the allies, explains the political wrangling between the U.S., England, and the French who joined the allies. As it progresses it tells the story of smaller units in the myriad string of battles that made up the campaign, expertly navigating back and forth between the tactical scene and the big picture, and between the telling of events and the analysis that gives them meaning and puts them into context. The history is chronological, comprehensive, and complete. One can imagine the fear, drama, suspense, sting of defeat, and adrenaline of going into combat for the first time against one of the most vaunted armies ever assembled on completely foreign land.
The North African campaign shows the U.S. military's somewhat painful growth process which was extremely interesting. Working with allies became sorted out, but not without major frictions such as the falling out between Patton and Air Marshall Cunningham. Tanks, artillery, infantry and air power were mixed and matched many different ways until the combination that worked was found, the price for that secret paid dearly in blood. Political, too old, or just sadly not competent officers were shaken out, and a solid, in-depth leadership core of middle and lower level officers were minted with experience.
One of the things I liked best about the book was how the author occasionally spiced it up with the sort of amazing fact is stranger than fiction moments that can only happen in war. U-boats torpedo supply ships on the invasion beaches, and guys jumping off ship get sucked back inside the hole the torpedo ripped in the side of the ship, forcing them to abandon ship twice. Soldiers trying to retreat are run over by tank treads, and simply pushed into the mud so that after the tank passes they get right back up and keep running, only a lot dirtier than before. Units surrounded on Djebels wait for nightfall and literally WALK through enemy lines, feet away from sleeping German soldiers and 88mm guns.
Recommended for anyone with an interest in military history, the U.S. Army, North African History, or how the start of great endeavors can be difficult learning experiences.
An Excellent Summary of the African campaign.......2005-07-19
Meeting the Fox turned out to be the book I was looking for - one which would give a detailed, but not confusing, history of the Allied campaign in Africa during WW II. It helps me and my late husband's grandsons appreciate and understand his part in that war.
Meeting the Fox is a quality read........2004-01-09
Orr Kelly did an excellent job recounting the history of Operation Torch and the battle for Tunisia. He brought it alive by documenting and re-telling the personal stories of some real American heroes (Major Siglin, Captain Bill Tuck, Colonel Waters, etc.) This is a very enjoyable read that flows without losing the detail. Thank you Mr. Kelly.
Book Description
The Torch and the Sword is the long-awaited sequel to The Final Quest and The Call. This book continues the message that began in The Final Quest and continued in The Call. It is a call to live the greatest adventure, for the noblest of purposes. It is not for the faint of heart, but for those who desire to live as true knights of the cross, refusing to retreat before the great darkness of our times. It is for those who will stand with courage and resolution for truth, righteousness, and justice, as messengers of the age to come. These are the ones who Enoch prophesied would come with power in the last days, and who are now awakening to their destiny.
Customer Reviews:
Uplifting and Challenging!.......2007-09-04
This is the third in a series of books by Rick Joyner in which he had a series of visions where he was allowed to see The Church of Jesus Christ as God really see's it. Not as we see with smiles and fascades.
We see the Saints of God (the people who have asked Jesus personally into their lives) in an actual real live battle and we see Armies, Angels and Demons.
We see the body of Christ deeply divided and many struggling in fear, unbelief, unforgiveness, bitterness, sexual and many other sins and the saddest part of it is they don't even realise what is happening. They think this is their 'lot in life' and put up with it.
Then the Lord starts to restore His Church.
But not without severe opposition from both inside the Church and the World.
In the visions Rick himself makes many foolish mistakes which leave him open to attack and little by little he and we hopefully learn how to walk with God as He wants us to in love and faith.
If you liked 'The Pilgrim's Progress' by John Bunyan (which was also given as a vision in a dream and has blessed millions world wide.) then you should like this too.
I recomend you read the other two books first being in order; 'The Final Quest' and 'The Call'.
All three books are excellently written too and with wondefull descriptions of Heaven and of our lovely Lord Jesus.
These would be great books for a new Christian as they could jerk the slack out of his life and help him press deeper into the Lord.
May God really bless you.
The final Quest and the call.......2007-04-24
I read these two books about 2 years ago;I was blessed by them both. I realize you must be ready and stable enough in the word of God to catch the revelation. I since then have given away my two books but was pleased to find out that they were still available. I am looking forward to reading The Torch and the sword. May God continue to write the vision and make it plain because those that have a ear will take heed. Mr.Joyner may God continue to bless you.
Requirement Reading for the End-Timers .......2007-01-22
Rick Joyner is always good to read.
His book has no redundancy; his logical flow is so natural.
He is surely a master of a biblical knowledge and history, and its experience and practice alike. Especially his emphasis on "humility" at the end of the book is so overwhelming and engaging and even awesome.
It is full of so many vivid imageries and powerful insights. I should say, "Strongly Recommended Book to Everybody, Especially to the End-Timers!"
Amazing.......2006-10-07
It's amazing to see how many great reviews this book got compared to the first book. How can people like this w/o liking the 1st one when this is part II of it?
Well I loved the 1st one so much I'll be getting this book as well. He is an amazing author & man of God.
Another great book the reveals truths about God.......2005-12-24
This is a must read for people who want to walk it the calling that God has given them. His revelation books have had a great impact on me. It has given me great understanding about the Bible, and has changed the way I think about Christianity.
The book is a combination of many visions the author had. The main vision depicts the Armies of God fighting the Armies of the Evil one. Many great insights are revealed by the way these armies fight, their tactics, what weapons they use, the mistakes they make, the opportunities they miss, etc. The vision continues with the author walking in the Judgment Hall of Heaven, meeting may past saints, and hearing their stories.
The Book, The Vision and also the Torch and the Sword, had a profound effect on me in these ways.
1. It has dramatically increased my faith in Jesus.
2. It has demolished any faith I had in Myself, Mankind, or Man's wisdom.
3. It has given me a sobering awareness of the Evil one's tactics and craftiness.
4. It has revealed many empowering and glorious resources of the Lord that I did not consider which has given me more Hope.
5. I started to see the overall picture of God's Plan. And different parts of the puzzle started fitting together in harmony, and I got answers to many of the Hard Questions of Christianity.
6. It has shown many of the Pitfalls and Traps that even the Seasoned, Mature Christians will fall into, and yet not even know they have fallen. The lessons were profound yet simple. They were they same lessons learned from the Bible, yet even I who have studied the bible have many times overlooked them. The Lord could not trust people with much anointing or power, until they learned the lessons.
7. It reveals a great deal about those who hate the book, fight against it, and think it is from the Devil. He meets many of those types of people in Heaven, and their stories radically change after hitting the Judgment Seat. You can hear the MP3 of the book at SpiritLessons dot com. Hope you enjoy.
You can read and hear many revelation by Rick Joyner [...]
Amazon.com
In An Army at Dawn,, a comprehensive look at the 1942-1943 Allied invasion of North Africa, author Rick Atkinson posits that the campaign was, along with the battles of Stalingrad and Midway, where the "Axis ... forever lost the initiative" and the "fable of 3rd Reich invincibility was dissolved." Additionally, it forestalled a premature and potentially disastrous cross-channel invasion of France and served as a grueling "testing ground" for an as-yet inexperienced American army. Lastly, by relegating Great Britain to what Atkinson calls the status of "junior partner" in the war effort, North Africa marked the beginning of American geopolitical hegemony. Although his prose is occasionally overwrought, Atkinson's account is a superior one, an agile, well-informed mix of informed strategic overview and intimate battlefield-and-barracks anecdotes. (Tobacco-starved soldiers took to smoking cigarettes made of toilet paper and eucalyptus leaves.) Especially interesting are Atkinson's straightforward accounts of the many "feuds, tiffs and spats" among British and American commanders, politicians, and strategists and his honest assessments of their--and their soldiers'--performance and behavior, for better and for worse. This is an engrossing, extremely accessible account of a grim and too-often overlooked military campaign. --H. O'Billovich
Book Description
The liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is a story of miscalculation and incomparable courage, of calamity and enduring triumph. In this first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson focuses on 1942 and 1943, showing how central the great drama that unfolded in North Africa was to the ultimate victory of the Allied powers, and to America's understanding of itself. Opening with the daring amphibious invasion in November 1942, An Army at Dawn follows the American and British armies as they fight the French in Morocco and Algiers, and then take on the Germans and Italians in Tunisia. Battle by battle, an inexperienced and often poorly led army gradually becomes a superb fighting force. Central to the tale are the extraordinary but flawed commanders who come to dominate the battlefield: Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Montgomery, and Rommel. Brilliantly researched, rich with new material and fresh insights, Atkinson's vivid narrative provides the definitive history of the war in North Africa.
Customer Reviews:
Awesome!.......2007-10-10
I'm simply putting my husband's 2 cents in because, well, he wouldn't come in here and do it. I bought the book for him and he absolutely loved it... passed it on to a friend.
He is tough to please on the literature end, but big on wars and history and he enjoyed every bit of this book :-)
One of the best.......2007-09-29
Suffice to say I've read a great deal of history over the years and this one is one of the best in terms of narrative, scope, personal insights and coverage of a little known and likely decisive campaign that should really rank up there with Gettysburg and Midway and Stalingrad as recent military turning points. If you like military history at all, you owe it to yourself to read this book. I'll be ordering the next volume on my next Amazon order.
Kilroy Arrives.......2007-09-23
Before D-Day, before Anzio, there was Operation Torch and the subsequent battle for North Africa, the first time American troops squared off against Nazi Germany and next to Burma World War II's most overlooked campaign. Rick Atkinson's 2002 "An Army At Dawn" redresses that with a vivacity and eloquence as suggestive of high art as history.
Atkinson's thesis, carefully restated and expanded upon often in a narrative of otherwise constant incident, was that the American fighting man came into the war needing not just experience but a taste for bloodshed, a willingness to endure punishment for the sake of inflicting it on one's enemy. This was particularly so for one American, the soldier who gets the most face time in Atkinson's book: Dwight Eisenhower, the commander of Torch and the Allied fight in North Africa.
"Deficient of experience and of limited ability" was British Gen. Alan Brooke's terse verdict of Ike going in, and he had a point. Eisenhower played shamelessly to his superiors to Washington and left his American troops under the dubious command of Lloyd Fredendall, whose idea of leadership was to sit far in the rear and tell a subordinate to go out "and pull a Stonewall Jackson". But over time, as Americans got beaten in places like Sidi Bou Zid and Kasserine Pass, both Ike and his men began to harden and sharpen into something worthy of the fight they were in.
Atkinson buttresses his points with strategic analysis that is both fine-tuned and accessible to the layman. He tells stories of combat that are tremendously exciting yet never blind to the death and the horror. And he writes with a wit and nuance that reminds me as much of Evelyn Waugh as any historian I've come across.
"The tanks turned toward Chouigui Pass," Atkinson writes about the aftermath of one early U.S. raid against a German airfield, surprisingly but misleadingly successful. "Behind them, to the east, a pale orange glow reflected off the belly of the clouds above Djedeida, like a false dawn."
In fact, a lot of hard work lay ahead for the G.I.s and their doughty leader before they could take their rightful place at the vanguard of the Western front. Until then, winning acceptance from the more battle-hardened Brits would take on the quality of comic opera - albeit with casualties.
Atkinson argues North Africa was not just a beginning of American combat-worthiness but the first step in inaugurating what would come to be known as "the American century." Frankly, that's one bolt of Atkinson's I think lands wide of the mark, as U.S. troops finish the campaign in his telling with considerably more competance but in a secondary capacity. That wouldn't begin to change until the next phase of the Western campaign, in Sicily.
But you can't begrudge Atkinson much. "An Army At Dawn" is not only a worthy Pulitzer Prize-winner but a history that takes its place beside the best of Tuchman and Catton for definitive storytelling. Atkinson's about to publish a sequel volume on the Italy campaign said to be even better; I'll believe it when I read it, which will be soon as possible!
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and deservedly so.......2007-08-11
World War II has always held a fascination for me: the global scale, the impact on world politics and powers of today, the coming of Age of the United States as a super power, the thoughts of what could have been had certain decisions or battles gone one way or the other (see Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle or many of the other alternative history novels to get your imagination going). Over the years, I have read many books, including the great John Keegan's, Cornelius Ryan's and a 25 volume Encyclopedia of WWII that my mom got me for Christmas as a kid (no, I am not kidding).
I received The Day of Battle (the 2nd in Atkinson's Liberation Trilogy) as an ARC at BEA, but wanted to read the series in order.
I am very glad that I did. Operation TORCH, the battles of Kasserine, Sidi Bou Zid, the taking of Bizerte and Tunis are told as stories from the perspectives of leaders and soldiers, based on meticulous research detailed in over 100 pages of notes. An Army At Dawn is a great representation of the grisly and personal nature of war, a fitting history of the men and women who fought in WWII.
"Memory, too, has transcendent power, even as we swiftly move toward the day when not a single participant remains alive to tell his tale, and the epic of World War II forever slips into national mythology. The author's task is to authenticate: to warrant that history and memory give integrity to the story, to aver that all this really happened."
The book is split into four chronological parts, with each part detailing not only what the leaders (Ike, Patton, Kesselring, Clark, Alexander, Rommel) said and did, but also with quotes from diaries, journals and letters from the infantrymen, artillerymen and others who participated.
Part I starts with the mostly joint decision by the Americans and Brits to invade North Africa first, vs. France or Italy. It goes through Operation TORCH (the invasion), the lack of experience that showed in the American invasion force, and the senseless waste of the battles with the Vichy French forces across Morocco and Algeria (including the destruction of Allied ships entering French controlled harbors):
"The fighting between Anglo-American invaders and Vichy French defenders would last just over three days; sometimes it was a matter of halfhearted potshots, but there were pitched firefights on a dozen battlefields across two countries. This little war between ancient friends - many Americans still could not believe they were fighting the French - was complicated by concomitant diplomatic maneuvers and the first attacks from Axis forces."
Part II goes into the first battles with the Germans, in which the Allies lack of experience and overall coordination results in many setbacks and lives and equipment losses. The Allies push in from the original landings in Morocco and Algiers to Tunisia, where they meet Italian and German forces, including the to-date invincible Panzer divisions. Their bravado and assumption of an easy victory to Tunis are quickly swept away by defeats at Boudj Toum and Longstop Hill.
"There would be no trapping of Rommel's rump army in Libya between Anderson's First Army and Bernard Montgomery's Eight Army, now lumbering westward out of Egypt. Rather than crushing the Axis forces in the jaws of a vise, the failed Allied strategy gave interior lines to the enemy and all but guaranteed that four armies - Anderson and Montgomery, Arnim and Rommel - would slug it out in a campaign of attrition not unlike that on the Western Front a quarter century before."
Part III reviews the Allied leaders meeting at Casablanca, showing the relationship between Churchill and Roosevelt and the political tactics that had the Americans thinking there were in charge with Eisenhower as Commander-in-Chief, but with three British officers underneath him given much leeway. The lack of coordination and experience continued to show as an Allied offensive to take Tunis was poorly planned and poorly executed, and the Germans, lead by Rommel, attacked. His Panzer divisions pushed through to Kasserine Pass and beyond, but then the Americans and British forces stiffened; even though their losses were high, it marked a turning point:
"Beyond the modest combined-arms showing, three bright gleams radiated from Kasserine's wreckage. First was the competence of American artillery at Sbiba, at Djebelel Hamra and at Thala. Second was the mettle under fire displayed by various American commanders, among them Irwin, Robinett, Andrus, Gardiner and Allen, and comparable mettle in British commanders. Third was the broad realization that even an adversary as formidable as Erwin Rommel was neither invincible nor infallible. He and his host could be beaten. This epiphany was not to be undervalued: he could be beaten. Amazingly, barely two months would elapse between the "handheadness" of Kasserine and the triumph of total victory in Tunisia."
Part IV marks the arrival of British Generals Alexander and Montgomery into the fray, Eisenhower starting to through his weight around, the Americans beginning to "hate the Germans" and fight like it, and the emergence of Patton. The final victory of Tunisia set the stage for the invasions of Italy, Normandy, and the rest of the war.
"At a price of 70,000 casualties "one continent had been redeemed", in Churchill's phrase. But more than territory could be claimed. The gains were most profound for the Americans, in their first campaign against the Wehrmacht. Four U.S. divisions now had combat experience in five variants of Euro-Mediterranean warfare: expeditionary, amphibious, mountain, desert and urban. Troops had learned the importance of terrain, of combined arms, of aggressive patrolling, of stealth, of massed armor. They now knew what it was like to be bombed, shelled, and machine-gunned, and to fight on. They provided Eisenhower with a blooded hundred thousand, "high-grade stock from which we must breed with the utmost rapidity", as one general urged."
The Allied eyes now turned toward Sicily and Italy, and I eagerly move to the next volume in the series.
This review originally was published on my website, www.duskbeforethedawn.net.
Truly a Masterpiece.......2007-08-08
Exquisite writing combined with exhaustive research. Atkinson pulls no punches in finding the truth regarding generals and armies and battles right down to the foot soldier. Probably the best written piece of history on WWII to date. I look forward to the next two volumes in the trilogy.An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943, Volume One of the Liberation Trilogy (The Liberation Trilogy)
Average customer rating:
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USS Charles Carroll APA28: An Amphibious History of World War II
Kenneth H. Goldman
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Military
| History
| Subjects
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General
| World War II
| Military
| History
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Naval
| World War II
| Military
| History
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20th Century
| World
| History
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General
| World
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ASIN: 1412021146
Release Date: 2006-07-06 |
Book Description
It was one thing to demand vengeance after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii plunged the United States into World War II, it was quite another to have the wherewithal to carry the fight to the Axis powers' front door. The same two oceans that had previously protected the United States from foreign enemies now provided a like obstacle to projecting American military force in the other direction. Battleships, aircraft carriers and submarines could not do the job alone. It was up to the ordinary soldier to occupy and hold the enemy's real estate, and the Navy needed to commission vast numbers of transports to get them there.
The attack transport USS Charles Carroll was originally laid down to be a combi-liner, carrying passengers and cargo on the Gulf of Mexico trade routes. Most of her wartime crew had never seen the ocean let alone manned a vessel of her size or even handled the small boats that were the ship's main offensive weapon. Yet, together they would evolve into the fighting machine that earned six battle stars in the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, Salerno, Normandy, Southern France and Okinawa.
Lt. Robert W. Goldman, USNR (ret), joined the ship after Operation Torch and participated in her five subsequent invasions. I grew up listening to his stories, which, with the invasion maps, documents, photographs, issues of the Plan of the Day, etc. that he saved, form the backbone of this narrative. I have also met many of his old shipmates and have incorporated their recollections and, whenever possible, entries from the weathered diaries in which some of them set down their first-hand experiences, their fears while in combat and the capers they cut to blow off steam. As much as possible, the book evokes the feel of the times and the perspective of those who were there. The generals and heads of state set policy and strategy but it is the individuals in the field and on the seas who must translate the best laid plans into actions which spell victory or defeat. This is their story.
Book Description
Feeling pressured and confused, Zoe must make a life-defining decision about sex.
Customer Reviews:
why this book inspired me.......2006-08-15
This book inspired me because it helped understand how to choose my friends and how to deal with teenage life. For example, how to grow up. This book showed our Habit of Mind metacognition because it shows you how to think about your life.
A novel all teens will relate to.......2006-06-01
Book three in Melody Carlson's TrueColors series stresses the cultural pressures and potency of peer influence to engage in sexual activity without a second (or initial) thought. Teens will find helpful and pertinent information and encouragement as they read about the pitfalls of succumbing to the lie that "everyone is doing it."
Carlson once again vividly portrays and highlights her protagonist's (Zoë's) emotional journey as this high school teen battles against her conscience while fending off the emotional and physical pulls to go all the way with new boyfriend Justin. Zoë is certain that she is the last virgin in her high school, and it doesn't help when a transfer student, Shawna Frye, arrives with her own sexual history that she seems intent on continuing at Zoë's school.
After Zoë's best friend, Emily, confides that she has become sexually active with her boyfriend Todd, Zoë retreats further and attempts to earnestly figure out a way to define right and wrong regarding sexual behavior. With a school play opening up, rehearsals take Zoë's time and attention, as does Justin and his ever-escalating demand for more physical contact. As is often the case, rumors and accusations fly steady and strong at Zoë's school after she discovers the new girl, Shawna, making out with Todd. Zoë tells Emily the truth, only to be verbally thrashed. More confusion for Zoë on the moral code issue springs forth. To the rescue is another student, Nate Stein, a Christian who helps Zoë sort out her social and spiritual happenings from a Godward perspective.
When push comes to shove, Zoë is forced to make the choice every teen must confront. Will she or won't she give in and join the majority (or so Zoë believes) of her classmates by becoming sexually active? Carlson's descriptions of rainbow parties, underage drinking, and especially her take on current sexual habits is right on the mark. Readers will be challenged to see further than their next "good feeling" and be more prepared to stand for personal integrity after finishing this text. Highly recommended.
--- Reviewed by Michele Howe
torch red color me torn.......2006-05-23
My book is called Torch Red. It is about a girl named Zoe, and wants to have sex. She thinks her life is pathetic because she hasn't had sex yet. When a new girl Shawna Frye comes to her school Zoe shows her around. They are both in a play together. Shawna and Zoe's crushes are acting in the play also. Something happens between Zoe and this guy Justin, but to find out what you need to read the book.
I think Zoe and Justin are a good couple but Justin shouldn't
have done what he did. Justin should not get drunk or do things
for Zoe without telling her. Then when they broke up Justin
shouldn't have gone out with one of Zoe's friends. Justin can be sweet but he can also be a jerk. Zoe cared for Justin a lot, but she had to let him go.
torch red;color me torn by dani18850.......2006-05-23
My book is called Torch Red. It is about a girl named Zoe, and wants to have sex. She thinks her life is pathetic because she hasn't had sex yet. When a new girl Shawna Frye comes to her school Zoe shows her around. They are both in a play together. Shawna and Zoe's crushes are acting in the play also. Something happens between Zoe and this guy Justin, but to find out what you need to read the book.
I think Zoe and Justin are a good couple but Justin shouldn't
have done what he did.Justin should not get drunk or do things
for Zoe without telling her.Then when they broke up Justin
shouldn't have gone out with one of Zoe's friends.Justin can be sweet but he can also be a jerk.Zoe cared for Justin a lot, but she had to let him go.
<3*!Teen Temptation!*
<3.......2006-05-23
This book Torch Red by Melody Carlson is about Zoe being faced with regular teenage temptations! In this book, Zoe is the only virgin out of all of her friends & she hates that fact. She is pressured by her friends to lose her virginity when she starts dating Justin Clark. Despite these temptations, Zoe keeps her virginity, but all of her friends think she has lost it, because she lied to her friends!
I liked this book because I can easily relate to these problems. I have been pressured a time or two to make the wrong decisions. I was like Zoe, I did the right things but I didn't lie about it. I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars because it was a very good chick book! This is one of the best books I have ever read. Melody Carlson is a great writer!
Book Description
In the captivating conclusion to this Revolutionary War saga, patriot spy Evelyn Thomas is taken captive by Indians and has only one hope for rescue--her true love.
Customer Reviews:
The best series I have ever read.......1999-07-09
This is a must read series. One of the best I've ever read. I couldn't put these 6 down!
Book Description
A spiritual and teaching text for Reiki. Photos and charts include: Reiki Boost, Hand Placements for humans and animals, Reiki sharing, the metabolic path, Ki Flow Chart, Healing Release, Frequencey Change, and Chakras. Includes: the history of Reiki and its philosophy, Bridge of Light, Spinning Chakras, Healing Techniques, and class instruction for each level of Reiki. A Reiki reference manual.
Customer Reviews:
Poorly written.......2001-05-19
I've used this book in some of my Reiki training classes, and though the information is good, it is badly in need of editing. I've also learned, since reading some of Frank Arjava Petter's books, that Mitchell's history of Reiki is not entirely accurate.
It is amateurishly written and edited, though I have found much of the information useful.
One of the best books on Reiki.......2000-07-10
One of the better books on the healing methods of traditional Reiki, written by Master-Teacher Karyn Mitchell, Ph.D., N.D., of the Hawayo Takata-Iris Ichitaro lineage. The author is a Doctor of Naturopathy, a psychologist, and certified teacher of hypnotherapy, as well as a Reiki Practitioner and Master-Teacher of Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki and Tera Mai Reiki.
When my guides called me to take the Reiki training, I didn't even know what it was. They just kept hammering at me to "DO THIS THING". I set out to find out just what Reiki was all about. I read about a dozen books on Reiki, but this one book stood out. It was basic, clearly written, pragmatic yet with recognition of the more esoteric aspects of Reiki. Karyn has written several other books on Reiki, but this was her first and remains the introductory text for her Reiki classes.
I was ecstatic to discover that Master Karyn lives within driving distance of my home in suburban Chicago. I immediately called her and enrolled in the Level 1 training. I subsequently took Levels II and III from her also.
Karyn Mitchell and her husband, Steve, who is also a Reiki Master-Teacher and a Crystal Healing Teacher (certified by "Melody"), can be reached at: Haven Center for Healing & Education 603 Geneva Road, St. Charles, IL 60174 phone: 815-732-7150 email: Mitchell@essex1.com
Namaste!
Invaluable to those on the path!.......1999-08-06
This book is a wonderful read as well as a reference for various meditations and Reiki knowledge. I bought it when it first came out and still keep it handy near my Reiki table. Karyn inspired me to move ahead on my path to healing others through Reiki. I also am blessed to have met Karyn and have experienced Reiki treatments though her, before buying this book. Her love/light energy shines though this vehicle as if you were in her presence. A true work of love and Reiki energy! Karyn lives what she teaches.
Most Practical Approach To Learning and Teaching Reiki.......1999-03-24
Karyn's approach to the subject is phenomenial. I was first invited into the subject by her personal warmth and sincerity. You can actually feel her spirit! She doesn't waste words, but gets right to the essentials of the healing art/gift. Emphasis is placed on demonstrating a simple and practical technique of Reiki. Drawings and photos of hand positions help to make this a much needed reference for students and teachers alike. Karyn takes you from Reiki 1 to Reiki Master/Teacher, explaining the experience of each level and the steps leading to them. A curriculum for the instruction of each level is provided. As a Reiki Master/Teacher, I highly recommend this book to both students and teachers.
Books:
- Dangerous Games (Riley Jensen, Guardian, Book 4)
- Dark Assassin: A William Monk Novel (William Monk Novels)
- Death and Judgment (Commissario Guido Brunetti Mysteries)
- Digital Communications
- Disgrace
- Divide & Conquer: Quilt It Your Way
- Divine Magic (Hay House Classics)
- Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
- Essential Oils Pocket Reference 3rd Edition (Spiral Bound 2004, 3rd Edition)
- Ever After (Even Now, Book 2)
Books Index
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