There is much more action going on in this chapter, and I have some comments, plus some questions.

On page 303 of my copy, Section Goats set out to lure a tiger, paragraph beginning "The French possessed almost no antitank guns..." is the line "Allied planners considered most of the Eastern Dorsal too mountainous for German armor." In 1940 the Germans achieved surpise in the Ardennes forrest because the Allies didn't think it was passable by tanks, again in 1944 they attacked through the same forrest, again with suprise in part because of the same belief. Just what were the Allies thinking?

Pg 309, same section, paragraph beginning "Truscott and Ward drove.." there is this passage. "Breathing hard, the two generals climbed a steep shale incline glittering with flecks of mica. The crowing of cocks and a cur's insestent bark carried from the shabby hamlet of Poste de Lossuda where McQuillin's command post occupied a cactus patch along the Highway 33." I know we've talked about Atkinson's "purple prose" before, but this has got to be one of the most flagerent examples of it. Does this guy still think he's paid by the word?

On pg 312, section called "This can't happen to us" paragraph beginning "Instead of concentrating the 1st Armored..." is mention of "Combat Command D." I've heard of how US Armorded divisions of that periord were devided into combat commands, usally A, B, and R for reserve. This is the first time I've heard of them having four such commands. Is Atkinson correct here? Are these just task forces, not true combat commands?

Lastly is the section on Rommel in section The Mortal Dagners the Best Us. I'm confused. Atkinson speaks at one point of the Axis temporaitly out numbering the Allies by 14 divisions to 9. Is this just against the Allies coming from the west, or does this include the British 8th Army? I assume, but I'm not sure, that the 14 Axis divisions compose all of Panzer Army Africa, both German and Italian, and would include all forces. The number of 9 Allied divisions seems quite low, if 8th Army is also included. This is where a good order of battle would be invaluable. Of course Atkinson prooves, without pointing it out, that the practice of just counting divisions is pretty useless. Since the 14 divisions he speaks include units that are "pitfully weak." Why count divisions when the entire Panzer Army Afican might only make nine or ten full strength Allied divisions, and only had as many tanks as one full strength American divison?

Rodger:

Good idea, but it's just you & I.

Nothing wrong with you, but I've moved well into Chapter 10 in an effort to get this off my reading table.

I like the last half better than the first half, but that just gives me an average book ... If he gets around to the 2nd & 3rd volumes, I won't buy/read them ....

I've got 5-6 new books on the US & Japanese in the 20's & 30's, leading up to Midway & etc that I want to get into ... dive bombing, air & naval development, etc ...

John

Now that I'm about to finish the Missouri, and MAY have some time back, one of the books I'm thinking about is "Shattered Sword". Is that also in your stack, or have you already read it?

Tom

Tom:

In the stack !!!
I also have:
-- Sunburst, IJN Aviation 1909-1941
-- Kaigun, IJN 1887-1941
-- A Glorious Page in Our History (Midway)
-- Destined For Glory -- USN Dive Bombing, Midway & Growth of Carrier Aviation

John

Destined for Glory is another one which caught my eye as well.

Despite the fact that both my dad and uncle were career Army Officers, spending a lot of my time in Tidewater left me with a tremendous amount of interest for the Navy. I often wonder whether I would have also spent 30 years in the Army, if VMI had offered a Naval ROTC program when I was a cadet, as they do now.

Tom

I'm on this kick simply to better understand the Japanese forces & to take a break from all the Euro-focus I've been on for many years . I intend to read these and maybe reread a few other books I have on the IJN, IJA - I have next to nothing on the Army itself.

Anyway, after doing that, I'll do a quick refresher on Midway, then leap to Okinawa, and from there I want to get into Downfall.

Then maybe back to the Korean War, I still have the ROK Army history of that to go thru.

John