Product Description
When you subtract the amount of hours you sleep, work, and commute, you probably don't have more than one or two hours a day to do what you would like to do and that's if you have the money to do it. Don Failla has been teaching his simple network marketing method which allows anyone to learn how to own his or her life by building a home-based business. It doesn't require selling, and the best part is, it won't take much of your time. The 45-Second Presentation That Will Change Your Life is a virtual training manual on network marketing, designed to teach you a step-by-step plan for building a profitable, sustainable network marketing business. Network marketing is a system for distributing goods and services through networks of independent distributors. This guide not only unlocks the secrets of successful network marketing, but it provides the method to sponsor people in your organization using Failla's "45-Second Presentation." With nearly four decades' worth of instructions and insights from Failla, The 45-Second Presentation That Will Change Your Life provides you with the essentials for building and maintaining your lucrative home business.
Customer Reviews:
Great for new Network Marketers.......2007-09-06
We are new to network marketing and wish we knew about this book sooner. We would have found a good network marketing business sooner. Very informative and easy to read. Recommend everyone read this book to understand what network marketing is about.
The first four chapters could be all you need!.......2007-06-11
Clear, concise, "been there" instruction on how to explain the most powerful message in network marketing! Have many friends making 5 figure incomes per month who claim this book changed their lives and got them to that level. Am believing it will do the same for me and my team! Strongly recommend!
quick and easy read.......2007-05-23
This is a quick and easy read with valuable info. It gives a common sense approach to building a successful network marketing business.
study this one.......2007-01-09
This is the concept of Network Marketing that should excite those who want more than a straight job in life. This is the step by step study of what happen when you tell someone about a great product, then they tell two, then they tell three, etc. Study what they show you and you will succeed in telling the story of Network Marketing to anyone who wants to listen.
Book Description
Never again sacrifice delicious, healthy meals when time is short: Here are more than 150 recipes that can be cooked in 30 to 40 minutes or less.
Healthy in a Hurry offers the ultimate answer to the perennial weeknight question of "What's for dinner?" With hundreds of quick and flavorful main-course recipes, it promises to become an everyday cooking tool for those who want to get a healthy, delicious meal on the table both swiftly and simply.
Coming out of the highly acclaimed Vermont test kitchens of EatingWell magazine, Healthy in a Hurry serves up a broad range of easy and mouth-watering recipes such as Warm Salmon Salad with Crispy Potatoes, Garlic & Parsley Rubbed Lamb Chops with Greek Couscous Salad, and Chicken with Green Olives & Dried Plums. Full-color throughout, index.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Resource.......2007-07-09
I was quite surprised when I bought this book how much information is given for each dish. Nutrient content as well as calories per serving. One of the best things about this book is the diversity it offers. So many different ethnic based foods. I definitely recommend this book for those who are health consious and also wanting to try great food every night.
Good stuff.......2007-06-27
I got this book because I loved - EatingWell Serves Two: 150 Healthy in a Hurry Suppers so much. This book is close to as good, but the portions didn't work as well for me.
Most seem to serve 3 to 5 people depending on your hunger level. Make sure you have a good side dish however and it is the perfect book for finding something great and healthy to cook up for company.
Very easy to follow and the dishes are simple without to many odd (read hard to find) ingredients.
Practical but very pedestrian.......2007-05-16
This book disappointed me. I've used Eating Well recipes in the past and have always been very pleased. The recipes in this book, however, are very pedestrian and geared to a novice cook. Quick cooking -- the kind that can be completed in 45 minutes -- can still be interesting and inventive. These recipes were just practical. Still, it's a well done book with nice photographs, and the health information is useful. I wish there were a real dessert section, though -- because desserts *can* be made in 45 minutes or less!
Healthy and dependable.......2007-05-12
I have been using this cookbook a lot. The recipes are healthy and dependable (they turn out the way they're supposed to). It provides the variety I need when looking for low-fat recipes. It is comparable to some of the Weight Watchers cookbooks, such as Meals in Minutes.
Not for an average Joe.......2007-04-10
Has some neat ideas and recipes but not for a larger family or for your average Joe. It uses a lot of ingredients that most have never heard of or can't get a hold of or wouldn't want to use anyway.
Average customer rating:
- No plans in this book! Just ideas
- Chicken Coops - 45 Building Plans for Housing Your Flock
- Not what the tittle implies
- Can't speak for book, just service
- Coffee table chicken coop book
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Chicken Coops: 45 Building Plans for Housing Your Flock
Judy Pangman
Manufacturer: Storey Publishing, LLC
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Similar Items:
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Building Chicken Coops: Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-224
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How to Build Animal Housing: 60 Plans for Coops, Hutches, Barns, Sheds, Pens, Nestboxes, Feeders, Stanchions, and Much More
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Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens: Care / Feeding / Facilities
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Chickens In Your Backyard: A Beginner's Guide
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Poultry House Construction (Gold Cockerel)
ASIN: 1580176275 |
Book Description
Bring your chickens home to roost in comfort and style! Whether you're keeping one hen in a small backyard or 1,000 hens in a large free-range pasture, you will find the perfect housing plan in this comprehensive handbook.
Author and farmer Judy Pangman combed the country to select these 45 plans for housing both laying hens and meat birds (chickens or turkeys). The coops range from fashionable backyard structures featured in the annual Seattle Tilth City Chickens Tour and the Mad City Chickens Tour in Madison, Wisconsin, to the large-scale, moveable structures Joel Salatin has fashioned for Polyface Farm in Virginia.
You'll also find plans for converting trailer frames, greenhouses, and backyard sheds; low-budget alternatives for working with found and recycled materials; and simple ways to make waterers, feeders, and nestboxes. A gallery of color photographs provides other creative ideas to get you going. With basic building skills, a little elbow grease, and this book of plans, you've got all you need to shelter your flock.
Customer Reviews:
No plans in this book! Just ideas.......2007-08-11
This book would have gotten 5/5 stars from me if it read, "Chicken Coops: 46 Building IDEAS/PICTURES for housing your flock." There are absolutely NO PLANS IN THIS BOOK!!! If your looking for with actual plans in it, try "Poultry House Construction, by Michael Roberts." That book is under a hundred pages and is a wealth of knowledge (with various plans in it). If your looking for great chicken coop IDEAS than this is your book. There are a lot of great ideas in this book, and if your good with planning and tools than this is all you need. As I said if the book supplemented the word Ideas instead of plans I would have given it five starts. This is a great book, it just has a misleading title. Sorry Ms. Pangman I can't give you 5 stars when your book doesn't live up to it's title.
Chicken Coops - 45 Building Plans for Housing Your Flock.......2007-07-26
Lately our garden has been over run with weeds and grasshoppers, I am planning to build a small coop to house and protect a few chickens, mostly for weed control, but a few eggs would be a good bonus. This book is full of ideas. I can use the ideas from many of the plans to design a coop to fit our needs. I recommend this book to any one who has a need for a small coop or a small area for chickens.
Not what the tittle implies.......2007-07-11
Should I have read the reviews, including that of the author... I would probably not have this book on my shelves.
The book is interesting and amusing to see how different people has built different Coops and Houses for their birds but if you are looking for (as I was) real plans and how to build kind of book... you should look somewhere else.
What I have learned... is to read reviews and don't take book titles literally.
Can't speak for book, just service.......2007-06-27
Since I ordered the book for a chicken-raising friend, I can't really speak for the book itself. It did take forever to get here though- several books I'd ordered through the marketplace came form various areas of the country days (or weeks) sooner!
Coffee table chicken coop book.......2007-04-23
I was aware that there were no building plans (based on other reviews), but I wasn't too worried because of I can make materials lists pretty easily from drawings. However, I was surprised that the drawings in this book have incorrect measurements (rather frustrating). This is a coffee table book, and even as that, it's not so exciting. There were really only a few designs that broke away from the square-box chicken coop idea. The best thing about this book is the presentation of the idea of keeping chickens as being an urban middle-class phenomenon. It was good for ideas, but it's not a keeper.
Product Description
Don and Nancy Failla are a success story and they enjoy a lifestyle most people can only dream about. For over 39 years they have been helping people build their own successful home-based businesses. Don has authored and sold over 4 million copies in 24 languages of his book The 45 Second Presentation That Will Change Your Life. He has also produced numerous tapes and seminars teaching others how to own their lives. Nancy is C.E.O. of fun and works as a network marketing trainer and a motivational speaker. Don and Nancy have been married for 41 years and have two sons and five grandchildren. Together they have created a complete line of network training tools, not to mention they have built their own personal down line from 4 distributors to over 200,000 in less than 10 years. Currently over 3,500 new distributors are added to their organization monthly! Their system works.
Customer Reviews:
MLM, this book says it like it is.......2007-05-13
The book does a very good job at both explaining MLM and teaching you basic methods to become a successful recruiter. I was shocked at how open it was about the goal being not to sell products to real customers but, rather, to recruit recruit recruit.
Not my thing, as I prefer to find a business opportunity that actual customers want to purchase; vs being involved with something that puts the focus on recruiting rather than retailing. But if you feel differently then this book is for you.
Great Book!.......2007-04-06
This book was a real eye opener for me. Great book for anyone who is starting or struggling with network marketing. The type of book you want to read again. I strongly recommend it.
How to build a large successful multi-level-marketing organization.......2007-02-08
Great material, wonderful handbook for MLM professionals.
this material shows you how to share and what to focus on.
it is building my team into a multimillion dollar enterprise.
I LOVE IT
Very Good Book on MLM.......2006-12-26
If you're serious about network marketing, you need to read this book....Mike Stokes
The 45 Second Presentation That Will Change Your Life.......2006-08-14
The book is very informative & educational. I'm so glad that I put forth the effort to purchase it because it will help me with my home-based business.
Book Description
In 49 B.C., the seven hundred fifth year since the founding of Rome, Julius Caesar crossed a small border river called the Rubicon and plunged Rome into cataclysmic civil war. Tom Holland’s enthralling account tells the story of Caesar’s generation, witness to the twilight of the Republic and its bloody transformation into an empire. From Cicero, Spartacus, and Brutus, to Cleopatra, Virgil, and Augustus, here are some of the most legendary figures in history brought thrillingly to life. Combining verve and freshness with scrupulous scholarship, Rubicon is not only an engrossing history of this pivotal era but a uniquely resonant portrait of a great civilization in all its extremes of self-sacrifice and rivalry, decadence and catastrophe, intrigue, war, and world-shaking ambition.
Customer Reviews:
Enjoyble and Informative .......2007-09-25
Very well researched and written account of the last decades of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire. Holland connects all the dots and he is equally skilled at pure descriptive history and more insightful analysis. Could've used better maps, but all in all, an excellent book.
Well Written Guide to Fall of The Repulic.......2007-09-07
Starting with the political underpinnings of the latter republican empire, Holland launches a subtle thesis of the very hand's off indirect nature of the early Roman Empire. He also then chronicles how this situation changed when the eastern territories gradually became seen not as merely political plums, centres of glory, patronage and tribute, but as economic gold mines.
Through a process of gradual intercession the Roman Senate started awarding provinces off as nothing less than the private tax farms of selected scions with special pull inside the ranks of Roman Power. The Romans became one of the first countries to "outsource" taxation -- selling it to merchant baron families or family consortiums who then made profit on the wealth they extracted from these provinces over and above what they had paid. One does not have to do too much imagining to see what could, and usually did go wrong.
The rise of the merchant class meant that the plebs could be played well by aspiring men in the inner circle of the senate and army. It meant ability to build long-term power bases for men of ambition. Punitive wars and glory gained overseas would, served with a steady ballast of patronage to loyal supporters, or just paying those who merely could be bought, ensure that Roman politics would be in for a rough ride.
That ride as Holland writes, began with the confrontation between Sulla and Marius and ended with the advent of Ceasar Augustus. The details between, the killing and intrigue, are the stuff that made legends. Ceasar being the most famous.
The last days of the republic, something that still fills us with a wonder, awe and visceral feeling that maybe, just maybe the republic will survive, is the meat in the centre of this book.
The republic we fantisize bears little reality to what happenned. Like modern-day Pakistani politics, the republic and civil society were more than once saved by those who were not willing to give into the mob -- those that usually had the backing of the army legions. All seem tainted and flawed, yet all rouges too seem to be refulgent with earthy virtue. It is this strange dicotomous world of politics that Holland in his wise and wonderful prose describes.
A "must read" for anyone wanting to know the last days of the republic and a good companion to the HBO TV series.
Incredible hisorical account.......2007-06-26
There are very few really good histories on the late Roman Republic period. Most historians tend to focus on the Empire. Holland does an outstanding job detailing the history of this important period and keeping the reader involved. This probably does not have the scholarly value that you would get from a Gibbons type of history, but it was very engaging. Holland applies modern political and strategic concepts (for example, portraying piracy as the terrorism of the era) to this Roman period.
Roman History in entertaining prose.......2007-06-23
I sort of stumbled across this book and picked it up because it looked interesting, and I wanted to learn a little about Roman history. The author defines the genre as "narrative history" and advises that he provides a certain amount of filling in the gaps and interpreting the historical data, but I don't think it would necessarily be considered "historical fiction." Drawing from a wide variety of sources, he strives to include as much real dialogue and commentary on the events as he can from the original sources.
Initially the book started out at a plodding pace, and I struggled to hold interest for the first ~150 pages or so, though some of the scattered events were enough to hold my attention. However, the book really takes off and becomes much more interesting as the rise of Pompey, Caesar, and Crassus unfolds. It's fascinating how the roles of the prominent orators and politicians of the day, such as Cicero and Cato shifted and changed during the years of transformation from a Republic to an Empire. Not having previously known about this significant shift in Roman governance, which takes a central theme in the book, I was intrigued by the way in which they strove to retain cherished ideals while the government was being transformed into a dictatorship.
Observing the cunning of the various characters such as Julius Caesar and many of the minor characters, as well as watching how Roman military conquests took place was interesting as well. One difficult part in the book that could have been improved by a chart or table in the appendix, was the difficulty in keeping straight the various political offices. Since the Roman Republic doesn't directly correspond to American government, it was hard to keep straight the relative roles of power held by the Senate, consuls, praetors, tribunes, pontifex maximus, etc. Finally, the extravagance and indulgence of the Romans was also something to marvel at, hopefully less out of admiration and more out of disapproval and a willingness to learn from history. Holland does a fine job of winding together the historical information into an engaging and informative account of the Roman Republic up until about 20 BC.
Excellent book.......2007-04-20
If you watch the HBO ROME Series and also the TNT Movie Ceasar his time has come, I strongly recommend reading this book. It gives a good insight to Rome from the time of Sulla to Augustus. Makes you understand the importance of Pompey, Sulla, Cicero and others in the late republic Era. It reads easy and is well written.
Customer Reviews:
More frustrating than helpful.......2007-05-31
Out of all the MCAT review books I got, I used this one the least. It wasn't very helpful: the questions aren't arranged in a very practical way, and the questions didn't much resemble actual MCAT questions--they require a more detailed/extensive knowledge of science than you really need. This book won't help you refine your reasoning skills, which are what you most need. Try Examkrackers instead--much better.
Book Description
The Hal Leonard Acoustic Guitar Method uses real songs to teach you all the basics of acoustic guitar in the style of The Beatles, Eric Clapton, John Mellencamp, the Indigo Girls, Robert Johnson, James Taylor and many others. Lessons include: strumming; fingerpicking; using a capo; open tunings; folk, country and bluegrass styles; acoustic blues; acoustic rock; and more. Songs include: Angie * Barely Breathing * Behind Blue Eyes * Building a Mystery * Change the World * Dust in the Wind * Fast Car * Here Comes the Sun * Jack and Diane * Landslide * Leaving on a Jet Plane * Maggie May * More Than Words * Name * You've Got a Friend * Yesterday * and more. In standard notation and tablature.
Customer Reviews:
Good but not for beginners........2007-05-24
I had seen this book in stores before I bought it, so I knew what I was getting into.
I think, over all, it's a good buy. But if you're just learning guitar, I'd wait until you got through Hal Leonard' s guitar method books (1-3), or some other basic guitar method. After a brief review of stumming patterns, the book takes off quite quickly with difficult syncopated rythyms and fancy chords.
The other thing is that, even though it boasts having a lot of songs,I think around forty-five, most of them are just a few measures and riffs from those songs. Only at the end of each chapter is there a complete song to learn.
Not for beginners.......2007-05-16
I am a novice and this was not useful. I am keeping it around for when I get to the intermediate stages because there are some good information for once you know and understand the chords and how to read music.
For the Advancing Beginner.......2007-01-30
One thing to note with this book is right on the cover it says "supplement to Any Guitar Method". This is a book for someone who has learned the very basics and wants to see how all those chords, scales and strumming patterns apply to real music. It does assume a basic level of competence with the guitar. If you are brand new to the guitar, get this book in 6 months or so.
While browsing through the guitar section at a local bookstore, this book caught my eye because it shows real world examples of the techniques I've been currently practicing.
Again this is not for the beginner nor is it intended to be. But if you have the basics down and want to push your guitar playing to the next level this book will certainly get you there.
Good, but not for a beginner........2006-08-02
The title of this book is a bit misleading. This is not a method book with step-by-step lessons. This is a song book. It does tell how to finger most chords used, but that's the extent of the "lessons." This is not for beginners. This won't teach you how to play.
I purchased this book with the Complete Guitar Method series. This is an awesome supplement to that book. The included songs are fantastic, and the tab makes this very easy to use for those of you who don't read music. I've got mixed feelings as the title lead me to think this was something it was not. However, I am happy I have this book because I now have some great songs ready at hand when I need them.
I searched through OLGA and a few other tab sites for these songs, and the quality of the book shines. When you get tabs from the net you get someone's interpretation of a song. When you get this book, you actually get the song as it was actually written. Keep that in mind. I know it's not true of all tabs, but sometimes you should really consider a real book rather than what could possibly be a sloppy rendition from a tab site. Free tabs are great, but you can actually rely on this book to give the true song.
Buy this for the songs, not for the "lessons." It is worth the money just so long as you realize this isn't for the beginner.
Moves on and Skips Crucial Steps.......2006-07-21
This book teaches you a few chords and then 2 pages later introduces a song containing chords that are not taught in the book - stupid!!!! I wasn't impressed at all.
Book Description
The Siegfried Line campaign was one of the most frustrating and bloody series of battles fought by the US Army in Northwest Europe.
In order to break through the German-Belgian border north of the Ardennes and eventually reach the Rhine, the First and Ninth divisions of the US Army dispersed themselves along the German Siegfried Line.
The campaign kicked off in earnest in late September with the encirclement and eventual capture of Aachen, the first major German city to fall to the Allies. The paths to the Roer included not only the heavily urbanized area northeast of this city, but also the Hurtgen Forest along its southeastern flank. While a costly battle to seize the city continued throughout October, fighting also began in the forested area with initial attacks towards Schmidt.
The German offensive to the south in the Ardennes derailed the Siegfried campaign for nearly two months and proved to be extremely costly. However, with Operation Grenade in February 1945, Ninth Army were finally propelled over the Roer River and were able to seize the vital Roer dams.
Providing extensive coverage of the battle for Aachen and the fighting that ensued in the Hurtgen Forest, this title brings to life the Siegfried Line campaign which witnessed the US Army's most bitter fighting and set the stage for the final assault on the Rhine, leading the way into the heart of Germany.
Customer Reviews:
Typical good quality from Osprey.......2007-07-24
This book is up to the typical high quality expected from Osprey books. It was concise and read well.
My only negative comment would be that the layout of the maps could have been better. I would rather have the maps corresponding to each section BEFORE the words or referenced in them.
Great Quick Notes for the U.S. Army Campaign.......2007-07-14
As the U.S. Army defines the Siegfried Line, Zaloga and Osprey have done an excellent job of boiling down the essence into less than 100 pages. I consider it a good addition to the Osprey Library and to my own.
Certainly the 600+ page official Army history of this campaign, "United States Army in World War II: The European Theater of Operations - The Siegfried Line Campaign" by Charles B. MacDonald, is a more in-depth and definitive study (available used and new from the U.S. Government Printing Office). However, that said, Zaloga has produced an excellent Cliff Notes version of the official history. In typical Osprey Fashion, the book has excellent illustrations, maps, and photographs. There is even a photo of Kesternich that others and I have tried to pry from the hands of NARA and have failed ...so, once again, many kudos on the photos!
I take exception to the comment that the book is all about Aachen. It is not. I covers the "official" designation of the campaign quite well. Perhaps others will be disappointed that it does not spend more time of the German Westwall fortifications. (See Osprey's "Germany's West Wall - The Siegfried Line for details on the construction of the fortifications themselves.) Or, perhaps it is felt by some that all the combat along the Siegfried Line, which stretched from Nijmegen in the Netherlands to Basil in Switzerland, was not portrayed. However, Zaloga has stayed within the bounds of the "official" U.S. Army History and has written a very creditable account.
Perhaps Osprey's "The Rhineland" by Ken Ford would satisfy those with a desire for a greater scope of the fighting along the German Western Frontier. Or, Osprey's "Arnhem 1944" by Badsey in the north or "Lorrraine 1944" by Zaloga in the south would fulfill those wishing a broader scope. Maybe I'm sounding like an Osprey salesman, I'm not, but I do have to admit that what they have done with military history is one of the great publishing feats of our time.
My one wish is that this book would have one of those Great Osprey illustrated aerial perspective maps of the Huertgen like the one in "The Rhineland."
Where's the Siegfried Line in here?.......2007-06-18
I picked up this book because I have a great interest in the battles that took place in the Hurtgenwald and along the Siegfried Line. This time though I was a little disappointed in the work. Why you ask. Well, Mr. Zaloga did a little deception on us. Rather than telling us about the battles for the Siegfried Line (I was hoping for the battles all along the front honestly), Mr. Zaloga focused on the battles for Aachen and the towns surrounding Aachen. The chapters follow the traditional Osprey Campaign format. What I should have looked at though was the section titled The Campaign. In there, Mr. Zaloga tells us what his focus was; The First Battle of Aachen, North of Aachen, Encircling Aachen, the Second Battle of Aachen, Prelude to Operation Queen (really this was the 28th ID's battle for Schmidt, covered very nicely in Follow Me And Die), Operation Queen, Operation Clipper, and Operation Queen: the December Cleanup. Incase you couldn't tell, focus was on the taking of Aachen rather than on the Siegfried Line.
Ok, I've complained enough about how this book should have been labeled the Aachen Campaign. As always, Osprey has great photographs and drawings. I've questioned several of the labels on the pictures (I've seen then labeled differently in other books), specifically the tank destroyers on page 68, but who knows, I can't make out the markings and I wasn't there. For the different sections, Mr. Zagola's strongest were dealing with Operations Queen and Clipper. I was highly disappointed in his section on the 28th ID. He failed to mention Lt. Fleig, the conditions labored under, or how 5th Corp directed the attack to occur. I also found his description on the battles for Aachen to be weak. Sorry.
Rating wise, this book is a 3 star book. My reasons for this includes; limited mentioning of how units breached the Siegfried Line (I wanted to read about the change in tactics), not identifying that the book focused on operations around Aachen, and minor inaccuracies.
Siegrried Line.......2007-06-09
After being part of this campaign, I found this book, very interesting and accurate, a must for History Buffs or someone that was there, its like a Diary of those dark days.
Another Excellent Campaign Summary.......2007-05-05
Steven J Zaloga's The Siegfried Line Campaign 1944-45, number 181 in Osprey's Campaign series, provides another interesting chapter in his coverage of Western Front battles in the Second World War. This volume primarily covers the U.S. 1st Army's initial efforts to crack the German Westwall defenses in the fall of 1944, resulting in the Battles of Aachen and the Hurtgen Forrest, two actions that were painful attritional slugfests for both sides. Zaloga's narrative is crisp, clean and informative as usual, resulting in another solid campaign summary. This volume nicely complements earlier Osprey volumes on the Lorraine Campaign and the Rhineland, and should be very useful for readers seeking an explanation of events in this area prior to the Battle of the Bulge.
The introductory sections are a bit briefer than usual, probably because this is fairly well covered ground. The exception is the section on Opposing Armies - always a strong point in Zaloga's volumes - and he spells out why U.S. advantages in artillery and air support were reduced by logistic shortages, terrain and weather in the fall of 1944. Field Marshal Model's ability to cobble together a coherent defense of the German border from units shattered in the fighting in France is also nicely presented. For example, there is a photo of a former German S-Boat sailor pressed into infantry service and some discussion of the extreme methods used to cull replacements for the front-line from every nook and cranny of the Third Reich. Also pertinent is General Eisenhower's decision to keep the pressure on the weakened Wehrmacht by a series of limited offensives. The first major narrative piece deals with the U.S. 1st Army efforts to encircle and capture the city of Aachen. Although the U.S. Army succeeded in capturing this first major city in Germany, it should probably be viewed as a German tactical victory of sorts. Model conducted an economy of force defense with a handful of divisions and tied up the bulk of the U.S. 1st Army for nearly six weeks reducing a single fortified city, which gave the bulk of the German 7th Army a period to recuperate.
The next major narrative piece covers the U.S. efforts to clear the Hurtgen Forrest. Although the author does criticize the 1st Army's inability to fully understand the terrain difficulties of fighting in the forest and he regards the diversion of so much effort as wasteful, he avoids outright condemnation. However, the loss of over 20,000 U.S. casualties to clear a non-strategic chunk of forest such as the Hurtgenwald should be viewed as a significant operation-level blunder by the U.S. Army in the Second World War and a clear indication of the poor leadership by senior officers such as General Hodges (1st Army Commander). American senior commanders in the war were virtually all hand-picked by the Chief of Staff (Marshall) and he valued training ability over tactical judgment, which resulted in commanders such as Hodges who were content to fight meat-grinder battles instead of understanding that they needed to apply their army's strengths against the enemy's weaknesses. In retrospect, the U.S. 1st Army was able to penetrate the Siegfried Line and gain some terrain, but Hodges and Bradley lost sight of the fact that their mission was primarily counterforce - to keep the pressure on the German army so it couldn't regroup - not just to seize terrain. The fact that the 1st Army failed to seize the Roer River dams prior to the German Wacht Am Rhine counteroffensive only emphasizes the expenditure of 48,000 U.S. casualties had not captured key objectives or prevented the Germans from re-grouping.
This volume includes five 2-D maps (the strategic situation August 25 - September 11, 1944; the Westwall Defenses in the Aachen Sector; the First Battle of Aachen, September 12-29, 1944; Operation Queen, 16 November - 9 December 1944; the Final Push by VII Corps, 10-16 December 1944) and three 3-D BEV maps (the Second Battle of Aachen; the Hurtgenwald, 2-7 November 1944; Operation Queen). Although the 2-D maps are very good, there are significant chunks of the narrative that are difficult to follow on the maps providing. Furthermore, the 3-D maps are not as good as in other recent Osprey Campaign titles and they have the appearance of a swirled chocolate-colored mush. Compared to the beautiful 3-D maps in Zaloga's Remagen volume, these are not up to par. On the other hand, the three battle scenes by Steve Noon (Aachen street fighting; the Hurtgenwald Defenses; the tank battle at Puffendorf, 17 November 1944) are superb and outclass some of the artwork in other recent Osprey volumes. The author also includes an excellent bibliography.
Customer Reviews:
The big book's little brother.......2005-12-18
I own this book and the large version. This one is a great quick reference guide. A perfect size to accompany you to a gun show or to your local gun shop. It obviously doesn't contain all of the in depth information that it's big brother does, but it thoroughly covers any questions you may have when evaluating a potential investment US 1911. There are plenty of detailed photos, drawings and descriptions that instruct you in identifying proper parts and accessories for each manufacturer and model. Good job Chuck!
Book Description
Dutch SS accounts are very rare, particularly ones such as this, covering recruitment, training, and frontline service first with 5th SS Panzer Division 'Wiking', then later with SS Regiment Besslein. He not only informs and illustrates the general politics of the time, but also explains how Dutch views of the Third Reich changed so radically, discusses the founding of the Waffen-SS, the recruitment of Dutch volunteers into it and why so many non-German Europeans volunteered to fight and risk their lives for Germany. His discussion of the intensity of the SS's training is also noteworthy. Of course, the core of the book lies in Hendrik's recollections of his service on the Eastern Front between 1941 and 1945, initially with the 5th SS Panzer Division 'Wiking'. He offers the reader an impressive and fluid account, whether it be describing the midst of battle, surviving 50 degrees below zero, frosts and frozen ground, or traversing a quagmire of roads. Of particular historical interest are his later recollections of service during 1944-45 with SS Regiment Besslein on the Eastern Front, focusing on his participation in the epic defense of Breslau - this siege remains little-known in the West, and first-hand accounts such as Hendrik's are even scarcer, making this title a worthy addition to the literature on the Second World War.
Customer Reviews:
An interesting perspective.......2007-07-04
Verton was a Dutch Waffen SS voluteer. His story is laced with many explanations and justifications for his decision to join the Waffen SS and later settle in post-war Germany; these do not detract too much from the story and perhaps help readers who are not famililar with the motivations of non-German Waffen SS voluteers. The retribution his family suffered due to his and his brother's service for Germany was a new insight for this reader. Overall, a good read and recommended for persons interested in first person stories of the Eastern Front.
Miraculous survival and literary snapshots of the times.......2007-05-13
What made this book stand out was the author's un-apologetic reasons for a Dutchman voluntarily serving in the German Military. Although he does not give due blame and responibility for the mass murders of the Nazi's (he does describe some of the atrocities of the Communists), the author does give a good and clear account of the fighting he was in and the defense of Breslau, Germany which was never taken in battle before the fall of Germany. This was an interesting account in particular as it is a fairly unheralded battle and the author was a witness. His defense of the SS and German military is valid for the reasons he accepted as an indoctrinated idealistic young man. -Just as the reasons for fighting for their cause were equally as valid for the typical US or Soviet soldier. Government leaders so typically manipulate the patriotic juices of their citizens in order to get them to support whatever war happens to be the current cause, whether it is fighting the "Red Menace", "Evil Nazi's", "Stopping Communism", "The Taliban". Wars are a profitable tool of the Controllers and every nation has lost too many fine sons for the temporary control of real estate in the name of their Cause.
A welcome and recommended addition .......2007-05-08
"In The Fire Of The Eastern Front: The Experiences Of A Dutch Waffen-SS Volunteer On The Easter Front 1941-45" is the personal memoir of Hendrick C. Verton and reveals a perspective on the battlefields of World War II that is not often encountered by an American readership. Verton includes his recruitment, training, and frontline service experiences as he saw service with the 5th SS Panzer Division 'Wiking" and then later with the SS Regiment Besslein. Verton touches upon the general politics of the day and explains how Dutch views of the Third Reich changed radically over the years of the war. Verton also covers that founding of the Waffen-SS, the recruiting of Dutch volunteers like himself, and why many non-German European volunteered to fight and imperil their lives for Germany and Adolph Hitler. Verton's stories of fighting in pitch battles, surviving 50 degree blow zero weather, transporting men and equipment over terrain that would range from quagmires to frozen ground is as compelling as it is informative. Exceptionally well written and impressively candid, "In The Fire Of The Eastern Front" is a welcome and recommended addition to the growing library of World War II military memoirs and autobiographies.
Excellent coverage of Siege of Breslau 1945.......2007-03-05
This is a very interesting book. The author manages to cover a lot of interesting ground, which is not usually written about in other German World War II memoirs. In particular, his perspective as a Dutch volunteer is written about at length. The prewar conditions in the Netherlands that the author views as responsible for the early years of World War II seeing so many of his fellow countrymen volunteer for service at the front with the Germans are explained in detail (even if one may not always agree with his political opinions).
Likewise, the way the early volunteers joined the SS, their induction and training is also explained at some length.
If you are looking for combat experiences, then the fact that the author served in the East in Silesia during 1945 easily justify buying this book. His account of service in a Kampfgruppe in besieged Breslau with SS Regiment Besslein is very good indeed. There is plenty of detail, particularly as these events are little known in the English-speaking world, and even less written about.
This title is well worth buying because of the different perspective it offers, and particularly for its excellent coverage of some aspects of the final months of the war on the Eastern Front which receive very little coverage elsewhere.
not for the casually interested.......2007-03-02
In a nutshell: In the Fire of the Eastern Front left me with mixed feelings. On the one hand as the publisher's blurb suggests WWII memoirs of Dutch Waffen-SS volunteers are very rare and this makes this book interesting and worth having in it's own right. On the other hand for me it did not deliver on all points. Foremost is the fact that from a purely military-history point of view the descriptions of the frontline experiences are a lot less detailed than one could hope for. For instance there is little specific technical information relating to (the use of) small-arms in combat nor much about tactics, little unit or order of battle information and the author surprisingly rarely mentions specific comrades or unit commanders. The time the author Hendrik Verton spent in the ranks of the Wiking division (in fact with a detached sub- or ad hoc unit of said division) was limited to the winter of 1941-1942 and spring of '42 on the central part of the front. Verton then fell ill with typhoid fever and was transported back to Germany. The period from the summer of 1942 to the summer of 1944 is covered in only a few pages; after recuperating from his illness the author took part in a couple of training courses. The action only picks up again in the second half of 1944 when Verton is posted to a Kampfgruppe in East Prussia and afterwards to SS (fortress) regiment Besslein in Silesia (an area of Eastern Germany which is now part of Poland). Unclear remains why Verton never returned to the Wiking division. The Silesian and Breslau siege part of the book I found to be the most interesting. Breslau held out till after the fall of Berlin and it is an epic episode in the closing stages of the Russo-German war which is not well known outside of Germany. Verton's experiences during the siege are well worth the read. The fairly extensive post-war part of the book is fairly interesting but one could secretly wish more of these pages had been spent on his actual front-line experiences.
Completely superfluous however to all but the complete WWII novice are the many pages relating the general course of the war. Who for example wants to read some digression about the Battle of Britain in an Eastern Front memoir? Having read about two dozen German veteran memoirs it still amazes me why some editors do not make their authors stick to what they personally experienced, with say only the broadest outlines of the bigger picture of the front where the author served to put things in perspective.
Unsurprising but perhaps for some after a while annoying are the many `apologist' statements in the book. They do not detract from the substance of this memoir and of course the author is free to expound his views on whether WWII was really such a clear-cut showdown between pure good and pure evil. Interesting in this light is the recent book on WWII in Europe by Norman Davies. However Verton is not an historian and while he repeatedly accuses Western opinion of being unfairly biased towards Germany in general and to the Waffen-SS in particular the author then resorts to his own bias and paints a very one-sided picture of stalwart volunteer idealists bravely fighting Communism and saving Western civilization. No shades of gray here. However precisely because of the fact Verton is not a historian it is interesting to see how so long after the war a person can still be so adamant and unwavering about his views and convictions.
The translation from the original German could have benefited from better proof reading. Some sentences seem a bit quirky. A couple of times an obviously Dutch word or name should have been translated into Dutch instead of being left in German. Also a Dutch newspaper is called National Socialist instead of Socialist (or Social Democrat), an embarrassing mistake. Sometimes abbreviations are not explained, footnotes and an index are sadly missing and some quotes are not attributed. The bibliography is almost exclusively German.
So there you have it, a mixed bag. If you are not familiar with WWII nor with eastern front memoirs from the German point of view do not buy this book, you will be disappointed. A far better start would be Blood Red Snow for instance by Koschorrek. If you are more familiar with the Eastern front and or are interested in the Waffen-SS volunteers then this book should be in your collection, despite its faults. Before you order it though you might first want to have a look see at Twilight of the Gods by Hillblad and Wallin.
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