One of the nice things about reviewing for the Amazon sites, is the wonderful people you "met". Recently, Mark Blackburn, the son of this author, contacted me concerning three books his father wrote. My main focus of interest in history was medieval Scotland and England, with a secondary interest in the War Between the States of the US. Hand me a book on either topic and I am in history maven's haven. Mention WWII - I know the period - but it held a lesser interest to me, so purchases books on the era generally takes second seat. However, Mark interested me in his father's books; they sounded so rich with detail, being a first person account. I was lucky to locate copies of all three books. I truly thank Mark for pointing me in their directions.
I always loved the works of Bruce Catton on the US Civil War, because they were not dates and stale history; he was the master conductor for a time machine. When you read his works, you were there! Few historical writers really reach that depth, and yet still make the history so vital and alive.
I must say George Blackburn is in that league. I am just sorry he stopped writing at these three works; he is a great talent. They came in, and frankly, I was backlogged with review requests so I figured it would be weeks before I could get to them. I picked up this one, just to read a bit to get a feel for his style of writing. FOUR HOURS later, I returned to present day and was shocked so much time had passed. Never have I seen anyone make WWII so alive and accessible...you are there. But it's not just in that time travel feel, where you forget you are reading and experience it - it's his observations that are so incisive that go way beyond other historians of the period. It's it so easy to stand back and be an "armchair general", point fingers and blame this unit or that unit with failing to do what was commanded. He makes you see the men, the shoddy uniforms, the hardship of chronic dysentery from bad food and terrible living conditions, yet they were still expected to march miles! He makes you see the ridiculous odds the Yanks, Brits and Canadians faced with having tanks that were so inferior to the Germany Tigers. More than that, he shows where command KNEW this and yet no one voiced objections except the poor man depending on that tank to save his life!
I loved how he pointed out men could vividly recall the horrors, the loss of life, of friends dying - the emotions - rather than actual details of the battle, the logic of a man scared to his very bones doing what he had to do to protect his country.
This is a work without peer for WWII. If you are interested in this era, I cannot recommend them highly enough.
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Memoirs Of A Forward Observation Officer-Extraordinaire
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2006
"My narrative might stir poignant memories of comradeship and unselfish acts, and sometimes recognize acts of courage - even great courage - but never should it develop in the fashion of an adventure story, for the simple reason that a story that deals honestly with war can never be an adventure story. It may be gripping and even melodramatic in a horrible sort of way, but never, never an adventure story." ~ George G. Blackburn ~Mr. Blackburn's "The Guns of Normandy: A Soldier's Eye View, France 1944" is not an adventure story, as the author stated, but a factual story and a very detailed and vivid account of World War II in Normandy, France in 1944. He even suggested to "any reader who is looking for adventure to look elsewhere." Mr. Blackburn has that exceptional ability to use picturesque words and to realistically describe the events that took place from Normandy to Falaise between July and end of August of 1944, thus, making the readers to actually put their shoes into his. His interpretative writing and creative use of language to capture the reader's undivided attention were put to use to the fullest.To complete this remarkable historical book, Mr. Blackburn, having been a newspaper reporter himself, did an excellent task in conducting very thorough and exhaustive interviews, did a wide-ranging research, provided comprehensive footnotes as well as accurate casualty statistics, thereby making it a wealth of information about the longest two months in the history of Second World War.A very courageous and empathetic military officer, Mr. Blackburn, along with his troop, demonstrated bravery above all things and they should all be commended for their heroic acts of courage and strong will to go on amidst all the horrifying, sickening and dreadful conditions of war.One of the chapters in this interesting book that caught my attention is Chapter 62: "Comradeship," which is all about solidarity and Mr. Blackburn cleverly defined the word as "that special relationship between people who share awful conditions and whose lives depend on mutual support, which will always be a source of fascination. You used to think that it was just another word for friendship, but you know now that the most caring, sharing, selfless comrades can be men you've never met before and who will remain forever nameless, unless you meet them again under more civilized conditions someday, when in all likelihood, you'll not recognize them after the war, for their eyes will be cold and impersonal, not filled with the compassion and understanding you see in them here."What really impressed me is the fact that the author showed off his artistic side in the midst of war by writing poetry during the quietest moments in the bleak of the night, to pass the time away since he was the one on-duty in the command post all night. And he penned one beautiful piece of poetry for his lovely wife, Grace Blackburn, (who passed away in 2002) to commemorate their third wedding anniversary (August 30, 1944). And I quote:"From your pictures you're adorable, my dearFrom reports you are the lady of the yearFrom those in the know these days I've heardYou're beautiful to see -You twinkle like the candles on an anniversary!From informants you would seem to be immortal -They have booked the hall of fame and burst its portal -From "enchanting" to "alluring;" from "endearing" to "enduring,"But from memory, you're just swell my dear!"I had a rare opportunity to correspond with Mr. Blackburn after he had sent me inscribed copies of two of his trilogy of military books over a year ago. His artistic side includes being a pianist, composer/lyricist, award-winning playwright and a scriptwriter. Likewise, he had written a musical entitled "A Day To Remember." His many awards include the Legion of Honor bestowed upon him by the French Government in 2004. And to top it all, he could still host the yearly Christmas Dinners at his home in Ottawa doing all the cooking and preparations for family and some friends. He recently celebrated his 89th birthday on the 3rd of February. He's not only a remarkable and brilliant author but also a talented and creative artist in his own right. I'm so honored to have met him and corresponded with him to this day.I love reading non-fiction books as well as art, historical and biographies. I guess I have outgrown my interest in fiction, which was my main interest when I was younger. This book is so well-written, excellently-crafted, detailed, very informative, and also winners of the 1996 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction, the 1996/97 C.P. Stacey Award and the 1996 Ottawa Citizen Book of the Year Award.After reading this book, you'll absolutely want to read the rest of Mr. Blackburn's trilogy: "Where The Hell Are The Guns?" and "The Guns of Victory: A Soldier's Eye View, Belgium, Holland and Germany, 1944-45." Very highly recommended.
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2006
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