[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars This is, without doubt, one of the most remarkable and memorable first hand accounts that I’ve read. In relatively recent years, I’ve come to realise that the school version of the Second World War taught in the 1950s and 60s was a very particular narrative, taught by those who’d lived through it as British subjects and many still saw Germans as the enemy. We were told of the Blitz on British cities, but reciprocal action like the bombing of Hamburg where 50000, mainly civilians, were killed in a single night, were totally ignored. I find it astonishing that a maritime disaster on an epic scale, over 9000 lost, is almost totally unknown. Screams of the Drowning gives an often harrowing but honest account of events. The book has a very personal feel; I believe the translation is true to the original and I found the introduction really helpful in terms of putting the narrative into context. There’s a real flow to the story, which starts with Hans Fackler’s.. Read more
NetGalley, Anita Wallas

[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars A fantastic read. I was interested from the first page all the way to the last. I wasn't bored and felt like I had a bunch of facts just thrown at me. Never random, I enjoyed reading this book.
NetGalley, Norma Carroll

[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars The scope of the experiences of Erhard Steineger is truly huge! From the start of the war in 1940 in his hometown to the end in 1945 the whole horrible tragedies of war are honestly offered. Erhard served with a signal division that did much more than just communicate via telephone and code. They fought battles with enemy soldiers who had broken through to the rear and were attacking with desperation. This book is not political in discourse and its truly only a soldiers story. The brutality of war and the strange coincidences of battle are described almost so well that I felt I was there in the trench. Or hiding in the bunkers with the others waiting for the horror to end. This book is remarkable IMO for the reason that the honest feelings and ideas of the people of the time are given without sugar coating or attempting to rewrite history . If you want to read a real story of the hell of the Eastern Front through Barbarossa to the end in 1945 then this true.. Read more
NetGalley, Patrick Carmen

[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it gave a great overview of the air war of world war two. Alongside the statistics were veteran comments giving a nice human touch. It was fascinating how the war unfolded and how each side strived to improve their air forces and to also counter each others improvements. Once the USAAF joined the war, the GAF was simply overwhelmed and combined with over-politicising by the Nazis led to their downfall. I recommend this book to all avid military historians.
NetGalley, Kevin Stabler

[b]Review by Ashley Holt[/b] This is a fantastic idea for the study of conflicts that are often analysed in isolation from each other, but this minute by minute account allows the reader to picture the broader issues from both the British and Zulu sides. The wealth of first-hand testimonies bring to life the triumphs and tragedies that make these battles so memorable. A very useful book for a battlefield tour, for historians of these times and wargamers who seek a more accurate context.
The Hoplite Association