About book Adolf Hitler: My Part In His Downfall (1974)
WW2 according to Gunner Terence Alan Milligan offers the reader a very unique, funny yet integral view of his life during and the times that were World War Two.This book has sheer brilliancy in its ability to allow you to sit back in a chair, laugh and marvel yet sit up straight for its realness to reality all at the same time. For example "In the early days doughnuts were liberally dusted with castor sugar, but as war went on that stopped. War was coming nearer even for doughnuts." As a man who reads a lot of historical books, this one stands on a shelf of its own for its approach to writing, which is also greatly aided by accompanying sketches to illustrate points. In the preface, Spike states: "All the salient facts are true, I have garnished some of them in my own manner, but the basic facts are, as I say, true." Further "There were the deaths of some of my friends, and therefore, no matter how funny I tried to make this book, that will always be at the back of my mind: but, were they alive today, they would have been first to join in the laughter, and that laughter was, I'm sure, the key to victory." After all, these men were part of a war where many people would not see the end of it.When reading this book I wanted to jot down quote after quote after quote, but then I realised that picking one or two quotes out doesn't give the book the full justice and chance it deserves because the whole book is quotable...so if you want more-read it good peoples :).The book is written in "...the simple language of the barrack room...", making it more engaging, but just to warn readers who aren't too familiar with WW2 and the lingo and happenings of the day, you may need to look a few bits up.I can't wait to read the next six volumes.A MUST read for anyone interested in WW2 (you will never read another account quite like this) and anyone up for laugh at reality; you will find all emotions stirring...
An anarchic and sometimes very funny, prelude to going to war. I haven't read any accounts covering British homeland service before. So this was an interesting reveal of the culture that soldiers shared while enduring/enjoying being carted round the country and learning how to soldier, while causing mayhem. Due to the fact that it's Spike Milligan recounting events, he takes a certain joy in disclosing just how absurd everything is (both before and during the war) and chooses to focus on memories that highlight this. After reading the first few pages, I honestly didn't believe a word he was writing. But come the end of this chapter he produces documents supporting his word. Memory is never a reliable slab of fact. But even if 70% of what is recounted were to be true, it turns one's skewed perception of the pre-war generation on its head. What detracted from my overall enjoyment of the book I think was the pacing of the narrative. As already stated the structure is anarchic; this allows him to keep the wise cracks coming, but I think he'd have been better off cutting this book in half and combining it with the next. This would have sped up the interchange between locations and given a solid narrative backbone to the wise cracks. This might also have allowed for a change in content, which, before the end gets a little worn out.
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Spike Milligan came before all of them - Monty Python, Cook & Moore, Douglas Adams, and almost any English comedian after the 50's that you can think of. Milligan's absurd sense of humor and crazy wordplay from his seminal work on "The Goon Show" shine in this first of seven volumes of his WWII memoirs.He looks back on his experiences in a straightforward way - entering the army, funny friends, barracks humor, etc. There are so many hilarious anecdotes and great characters along the way, but it's Milligan's wit that makes even the most mundane moments come alive.I can't quote here, I don't want to ruin any of the book's great lines (trust me, there are many). You can see how his humor has come down through the years of British comedy, especially in Douglas Adams' writing. There are times when this reads like a missing novel from Mr. Adams...This is a can't miss book, essential for fans of Brit comedy and recommended for all that would like a crazy and occasionally bawdy laugh.(NOTE: I'm from the USA and borrowed the book from an Irishman. This book is hard to find in this country, you'd have to import it or get the Kindle edition. WORTH YOUR TIME, trust me!)
—Scott
Bought this book on a limb when I saw the title. To top it off, under the title it said, 'Now a hitlarious film'. How can i not pass on that pun? So that sealed the deal.I really enjoyed this book from the vivid descriptions of war practices to the humorous practical jokes, talkbacks and commentary. As a lover of music, the talk of Milligan forming a band, playing gigs and their love for jazz made me unbearably happy. The fact there was a gun fight in a club and Milligan was the only one still playing; just one of the many funny anecdotes in this story. Favourite quotes:- "It's a great feeling playing Jazz. Most certainly it never started a war."- "Happiness is a yesterday thing."This short book is well worth the read.
—Rachel
This book is quite different from other soldiers memoirs I've read before (my favorite probably being All the Way to Berlin: A Paratrooper at War in Europe), mostly because it is written in a humorous style. And while at times I enjoyed that style, and had to laugh because of what I read, at other points it came across a little forces. Like the book had to be funny so jokes/funny lines/puns where place in the text when ever possible. Even if it didn't make the book any better.Also the 'story line' (can one call it a story?) was a bit uncorrelated at times. While reading I would sometimes wonder "what does that have to do with what you just mentioned?" The book has a tone of photo's and drawings which are a nice addition to the text, and fit well with the way the book is written. Although I don't have that much to complain about the book I am only giving it two stars. This is because I didn't really enjoy reading it that much. It's not a bad book, and I can see why people like it, but I don't think I will be picking up the next books in the series any time soon.
—Liesje Leest
