After an introduction of the Austrian airforce in World War I, this book described some 100 encounters between Austrian Albatros fighter pilots and mainly Italian pilots for the period mid 1916 to end 1918. The descriptions of the encounters are complemented by mini-CVs of the Austrian Albatros pilots and occasionally by eyewitness accounts

There are many contradictions in this book. The author concludes that after the crushing defeat of the 12th Isonzo battle in October 1917 everything improved for the Italian army, while everything developed for the worse for the Austrian army. The author repeatedly states that between the officers and the NCOs of the Austrian army there was a wide class divide making the Austrian army ineffective. However, in the actual air-fights, the main difference between before and after Octo-ber 1917 seem to be the replacement of part of the Italian pilots by Royal Air Force pilots from the United Kingdom. In the photos of the early months of 1918 the Austrian pilots look quite serious and slim, but healthy and very proud. And above all, soldiers, NCOs and officers are perfectly intermingled.
Also the original Austrian and Italian sources used by the author quite frequently contradict. Many of the some 100 encoun-ters described end with sentences like, "the Austrian pilot claims to have shot down an Italian plane, according to Italian records no Italian plane were in this area at that date." So I am left a little puzzled. What is fact? What is propaganda?

Due to its encyclopedic core - the description of the some 100 encounters - the book is somewhat difficult to read. However, mini-CVs, eyewitness accounts, excellent photos and detailed graphics of the Albatros planes in their different more-or-less camouflage paintings help a lot to make this an interesting book. In total this book brings to life a very interesting (and as I assume after nearly 100 years almost forgotten) part of the world of yesterday.

This book describes some of the difficulties how second generation European settlers and the Unitesd States of America came into possession of the territories which now form the States Ohio and Indiana. As such it is a very interesting, however, extremely biased book.

When reading between the lines the book tells the story of the mass extinction of 9 native American peoples.
On the surface, however, the storyline of the book goes as follows: "Indians" prowling the "depopulated" area north of the Ohio river harass innocent "Americans" south of the Ohio river; the innocent "Americans" cannot help but to defend themselves against these evil foreigners and rather by chance come into possession of the now really depopulated area north of the Ohio river.

Any non-US historian would have given this story a quite different touch.

I hope that one day I can see US-military-historians accept that US-military-history encompasses both Native-American and Eruopean-American history on equal terms.

This is the type of book I really like. The book introduces the German Panther V tank of World War II in all its variants. Step be step alle the major parts and functions and many of the lesser parts are introduced. The technical and functional description is supported by assessments from British and US evaluations as well as German tankers' eye witness accounts, by historic photos and colour pictures from restored Panther tanks as well as by some occasional grafics.
As interested layperson and modeller I now understand the functioning of the Panther and its much better than before.
But the best of this book is that it conveys all the drama of the discussions, if this tank was the best of its generation or if it falls short of this objective, due to its technical flaws.
This book is a must for every tanker freak.

Viele Menschen haben negative Erfahrungen mit überforderten Ärzten gemacht und sind von der Schulmedizin enttäuscht. Diese Enttäuschung nutzt Herr Hirneise aus, um sich mit diesem Buch eine Anhängerschaft und für seine Dienstleistungen einen Markt zu schaffen.

Das "Krebsmodell" von Herrn Hirneise unterscheidet sich nur in Details vom Standardkrebsmodell der Schulmedizin:
Für Herrn Hirneise sind Tumore zunächst einmal alle "positiv" (da sie vom Körper gebildet werden um Umweltgifte, schädigende Nahrungsmittel und Stress (Energiemangel) zu kompensieren). Diest entspricht einem "gutartigen" Tumor der Schulmedizin. Erst nach einer gewissen Entwicklungsphase können Tumore nach Hirneise "Systemeigendynamik" entwickeln und für den Körper "negativ" werden. Dies entspricht dann einem "bösartigen" Tumor der Schulmedizin.

Wo sich Herr Hirneise von der Schulmedizin nun tatsächlich unterscheidet, ist die Empfehlung, keine Chemotherapie/Strahlentherapie anzuwenden, solange nicht eindeutig feststeht, dass der Tumor "Systemeigendynamik" entwickelt hat. Im Zweifel also keine Chemotherapie.

Was mir an dem Buch gefällt ist, dass es Möglichkeiten zeigt, selbst aktiv die Ursachen des Tumors zu beseitigen.
Für die "positive" Phase des Tumors bietet Herr Hirneise die Bekämpfung der Ursachen des Tumors durch körperfreundliche Ernährung (Öl-Eiweiskost statt Fast Food), eine gesunde (giftfreie) Umwelt und Antistresstherapien an.

Was mir an dem Buch nicht gefällt ist der Anspruch von Herrn Hirneise, dass er jetzt ganz alleine draufkommt, wie Krebs wirklich funktioniert und wie er am besten zu behandeln ist. Und das auf Basis "logischer Überlegungen", seiner "Meinung" und eines oberflächlichen, zum Teil überalteten, zum Teil fehlerhaften Verständnisses des Chemismus der menschlichen Zellen.

This booklet tells the story of the Anglo-American efforts to destroy the French Fort Duquesne (at the site of today's Pittsburg) in 1758 and of the French and Native American counter-raids.
Throughout the book I frequently wondered 1. why this title (Tomahawk and Musket) was chosen, as it does not present much about battle techniques and 2. why this sub-title was chosen (French and Indian Raids in the Ohio Valley) as 3/4 of the book deals with the Anglo-American efforts to conquer the Ohio valley. The answer to the first question probably is that this title simply sounds good. The answer to the second question is given on the later pages of the booklet: the diaries and reports of the French officers defending Fort Duquesne and leading the counter-raids did not survive, so the stories of this booklet had to be based almost exclusively on Anglo-American sources. (I wonder if anything in Native American oral history has survived from these epic fights).
On the whole this is a very good and interesting reading with excellent pictures and graphics (especially of Fort Duquesne and Ligonier and of the combatants' uniforms).

For a person who already knows much about the life of George Washington, this booklet probably presents only few new things. For me, as a person, for whom George Washington as a military leader was virtually uncharted land, this is a very good summary of his military life. I especially appreciate the maps on his major battles.
One aspect of this booklet is remarkable. In the introduction the author (Mark Lardas) complains that George Washington from most military hisotrians is not cherished as brilliant a military commander as Friedrich II of Prussia and as Napoleon. Throughout the book, however, also Mark Lardas is quite critical about George Washington's errors and too complex battle plans. Thus also in this booklet George Washington is not exactly presented as brilliant general but rather as a patient and cunning survivor.

There are many books on mountains and mountaineering, however, few books which simultaneously communicate the grace of the mountains by great picturs and tell the stories on the human strife of reaching the top in such a touching way. So if you ever felt the rope as your life-line or the rock as your brother and wondered who were the people before you this book can give you answers in a thrilling way.

The Duel Series of Osprey Military History is interesting in pairing two military technologies (such as tanks, airoplanes or ships) which encountered from opposite sides of a conflict in some point in history. These duels provide insight in the advantages and disadvantages of the two technologies compared.
However, most of the Duel-comparisons are biased by
- by paring one technology in its ascendence/descendence with one technology at its peak,
- by selecting evaluation criteria which are favourable for the one partner
- or by providing much more or better information on the one partner.
La 5/7 versus Fw 190 is a great exception. The authors cover the whole 2,5 years during which these fighter-planes encountered in the skies over Eastern Europe, the make extensive use of literature from both sides and they provide numerous accounts from the pilots who flew and survived them. You get a very good picture on where the one plane type was good and on where the other.
This booklet could serve as an example how the in-depth use of information from the former Soviet Union and from Germany might improve the quality of books on the Easten Front / The Great Patriotic War.

Der Film zeigt überzeugende schauspielerische Leistungen der Protagonisten, vor allem aber von Catherine Deneuve. Sie wandelt sich, von den Lebensumständen dazu gezwungen, von einer von Depressionen fast schon zerstörten Frau in eine Frau, die ihr Leben und ihre Vergangenheit in die Hand nimmt.

Dass der Film schon über zehn Jahre alt ist, merkt man nur daran, dass darin unmöglich viel geraucht wird.

The positive aspects first: great layout.

The surprising aspects: Mr. Fuller and Mr. Liddell Hart have contributed to the German Panzer-Waffe more than Mr. Guderian; by the way, what exactly contributed Mr. Guderian to the German Panzer-Waffe (except for his plan to reorganise the German Panzer-divisions in 1943)?

At the end of the book we know that
- German first names are difficult (which first name did Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt actually use?)
- arithmetics is difficult ("more than 2 years elapsed from Dec. 1941 to Feb. 1943")
- Guderians most difficult opposing commander was General Kluge
- Heinz Guderian was a difficult person, or at least has stayed so for the author.