About book The Last Battle: When U.S. And German Soldiers Joined Forces In The Waning Hours Of World War II In Europe (2013)
I'm not a fan of the popular history genre, mainly because it tends to be written by journalists who are more interested in a specific human interest angle than overall balanced presentation. That being said, I do appreciate the way that popular history democratizes the record. In this case, Harding tells an interesting story. By giving us a glimpse of the last gasp of Nazi occupation in Austria and the bitter politics which polarized France before and during the Second World War we discover both the suicidal tenacity of evil and the ability of entrenched nature of partisan politics to endure even in the most trying of circumstances. How is this not a major motion picture yet?Stephen Harding's tale of World War II has everything you'd want: exotic locations, a sharp gun battle, shifty politicians, actual stone-cold-killer Nazis, and a daring rescue at the end. And it's all true. Harding weaves an intricate and engrossing tapestry about the end of the war in Europe and the liberation of some high-value political prisoners who'd been stashed in Austria by the Nazis. There are heroes and villains, and tanks. Harding gives a lot of excellent background and real insight into the Nazi thinking about keeping such prisoners alive -- and how their captivity both did and did not track with the larger horror of the concentration camp system -- and he humanizes every one of the dozens who tromp across the page.This is both a rollicking good tale and an excellent history, and I heartily recommend it to anyone interested in the era.
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A fascinating little-known story about a small action fought in the closing days of World War II.
—summer
If every history book was as dry and boring as this one, history would be... boring.
—Emily
Stranger than fiction. This would make a great film.
—Jbulu
Good. But pushing it a bit to call it a 'battle'. :)
—bookworm
