Evidence of Plagiarism found in Author Stephen Ambrose's books.

I agree with you and Bish. Also, if Ambrose wanted to earn any respect, he should make the practice of admitting to not knowing everything--certainly I know I dont know it all and will be the first to admit it so.

I dont know what kind of gap Ambrose is supposedly thrying to fill, but when he also makes it known that he is also in posession of Hans von Lucks--German Cross in Gold--he is full of BS--von Lucks DKiG is in a private museum and is here in the states.

 

Damn, I never really knew all this crap about Stephen "A-Hole" Ambrose. I feel like returning the six books of his I have. Damn that shykester!!!!!!

 

Peppy--I would try to return them and see if you can get some books by Christopher Ailsby or someone even better. Ailsby at least TRIES to be fair in his books, and they are much much more accurate than anything by ambrose--AND no plagerism involved either.

 

Hey Carl, and all others with some insights on the good writers on this subject; I just picked up two books by Ailsby, 'SS; Roll of Imfamy' and 'SS: Hell on the Eastern Front'. Both by Motorbook. I haven't read them, but nice books to glance through. Got them both for like $7!

What are your thoughts on 'Men Of Steel' and 'Steel Inferno' by Michael Reynolds, 'Das Reich' and 'Battle Group' by James Lucas? Also so cheap that I could not leave them in any case.

 

I really liked that bit "Germans not trained to make decisions". I know I'm a bit late with this, but to date the German army is the ONLY one where EVERY soldier is supposed to be able to make decisions for a section or a platoon. And yes that includes privates.

Taking the initiative has been the primary trait of the German soldier since 9 A.D. And certainly the operational style of fighting has been the German custom since World War One. No other army adapted it until after WW2, and even today I would be hard put to name an army I have had dealings with that is as flexible on the lowest level as the German army.

But as a counterweight, we have a totally inflexible and unimaginative general staff, and always have had one.

If you look at it closely, there were only a handful of brillant German generals in WW2 (Manstein, Rommel and Guderian certainly qualify) and it was mostly due to them that victories were gained at all. The rest was the sort that wanted to re-use the Schlieffenplan in 1940.

 

Andreas :

I agree so strongly with you on this.....my earlier posting about the Fallshirmjägern at Cassino comes to mind again. Overwhelmed and bombed, shelled and buried beyond recognition and yet soldier, after soldier, individually came out of the ground and rubble to take on on the advancing Allies. Mr. Ambrose is not alone in making such rediculous statements. It is plastered all through the interviews with Allied servicemen on the History channel. Again one important reason I use the mute button when some arrogant "expert" starts balsiting away.
Went to Barnes and Noble book store again last night with my lovely wife and took a turn through the lates B-24 book by Mr. Ambrose. What a bunch of Junk ! cheaply done, paper was paper thin and a mess. Ink smeared and faded. What a mess !!!!!
I certainly wouldn't have been proud of the execution of this work at all......

E

 

Hello Stevin, Andreas and Erich.

Stevin, Everything I have read by Ailsby is pretty good but even he has his faults--though not near as bad as gordon williamson, lucas or the now infamous s.ambrose.

If the written info isnt superb in Ailsby's books (which I have no problems with) Steel Inforno and others--the photos are more than worth buying the books.

James Lucas is a good write but gets his facts "confused" at times. I do enjoy reading his books BUT, you have to take them with a grain of salt. His accuracy or fairness for both sides CAN be good BUT, he is also biased in his writings. His accuracy lacks but his imagination on facts and events really runs wild. I do have to admit I enjoyed reading his book: "Kommando" whilst I was traveling in Germany with my friend Susanne. I also liked the fact that a photo I own of a RKT Hauptmann Peter Kiesgen--showing him instructing "wehrwolf troops" who are actually and clearly seen and IDed as Hitler Youth, is published in this book.

[ 24 February 2002: Message edited by: C.Evans ]</p>

 

Thnx Carl, appreciate your thoughts and insights. I initially thought 'anything' by motorbook was OK.... Guess I have to rethink that one....Do like the pictures. like you said, in the mentioned books. And hey, they were so cheap....

I recently saw a newly published book on the wherewolfs. Hot Darn, I hate it when I forget these things. I didn't pick it up due to lack of funds, but it was about the SS preparing for a guerillia war after the war in Germany and central Europe. Sorry, don't know the book's name or the author, though it looked well researched. I will drop by the American Bookstore here in Amsterdam and write down the particulars.

 

Hello Stevin and apprecites that. Let me know as soon as you can about that new book on the wehrwolfs--I would LOVE to add this book to my small but growing library. There is so little info about them.

 

Stevin,

Have read both "Men of Steel" and "Steel Inferno" by Micheal Reynolds.I found them to be good factual accounts of 1 SS Panzer Corps,although lacking the detail of Hubert Meyers "History of the Hitler Jugend Div" which is of course the definitive history of that Div.
Reynolds i thought brought a soldiers angle to the work and he did carry out on the ground Battlefield research unlike so many other authors.

A friend of mine who is a LSSAH and HJ Veteran stated he thought the book was good but that Reynolds did not always dot the i's and cross the t's!!!

Well worth the read

Paul

 

Paul, Carl,

Again Thnx for the insights. I must say that I did enjoy the parts of the Reynolds book that I actually read. Of course it is hard to put the dots on the i as you say (don't I know it...) Good to know his books are factual. There is so much stuff out there and I am not that much of a insider on the SS. It is good to know which books not to waste time on...

Gents, your input is appreciated.

Carl, went to the American Book Store, but they didn't have the werewolf book anymore. Asked them; they remembered it but couldn't help me to a title or author...Damn me for my frivolous manner in this (i.e. not buying it or at least write the particulars down). They said that they 'probably' get it in again and will give me a call when they do.

 

No Problem Stevin--if you happen to hear about it again in the future--I will always be here.

 

I have steel inferno and I think the book is geat. I thought it was extremely detailed. I haven't read any of Reynolds other books but I hope to in the future.

 

Thnx Panzergrenadiere, appreciate the reply...

I thought so too....I always wonder about the 'poetic license' in these kind of books.

 

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Andreas Seidel:
I really liked that bit "Germans not trained to make decisions". I know I'm a bit late with this, but to date the German army is the ONLY one where EVERY soldier is supposed to be able to make decisions for a section or a platoon. And yes that includes privates.

.<hr></blockquote>

I have spoken to Andreas before on this matter, and it amazers me that Ambrose has the check to suggest the German soldiers were not expected to make decisions above their rank.

When Andreas told me that even Ptes were expected to take command of a platoon, i was amazed. As a Pte, i would only be expected to take command of a fire team, or at best a section if the two NCOs were taken out, and i was the senior Pte. We are only trained one rank above our own, and this is in the present Britsh Army, so what it was like in WW2 i have no idea.

As for authors in general, just about every one contradicts the others. For example, i have read several accounts on Wittmans action at Villers-Bocage, and yet i still am unsure as to what acturally happened. And even the guys that were there cannot always be relied apon to give an accurate account. They would only have seen a small part of a large event. Their own views may well be colored by personal opionions. And the last thing you are worried about when bullets are flying past your head is trying to get an accurate picture of events for future generations to learn about what happened. I am sure if i try to recall some of the things that i have seen, i will get it wrong, because i was more concerned with not getting killed that getting facts right.

The only thing i can suggest is to read as many accounts as possible, and make up your own mind.

 

Well said Bish. Also, I think that many Privates could take the over and lead the unit if none other higher ranking person was available, simply for nothing else--as a matter for survival.

Ive heard of cases of Sergeants leading an entire company because all officers were killed or severly wounded.

 

Well, ye, if the situation arose, and all that was left in a Platoon were Ptes, then the senior one would have to take charge. But it would be a damn site better if we were ready for it.

 

Agreed. Isnt it not better to have everyone trained in different functions instead of just one or two? I think so, and thats why men like Americas Special Forces and Navy Seals, are so elite--they have several specialties suce ah: Say one was trained as a Medic, and cross trained as a Light Weapons Specialist and in Communications. Or Trained in Heavy weapons--demolitions and as a scout.

I think your SAS chaps are like our Green Berets. I think the Germans have a similar teme like our Delta Force--which is their GSG-9, I have no clue on what they have as a "special forces" unit.

 

For Hostage / Counter Terrorism:
Brit: SAS
US: DELTA / SEAL Team 6
Germany: GSG9

The Green Berets (from my understanding) have been notoriously involved in training "special interest groups" in potentially hostile environments for many years. Very similar in some regards to the service of various detachments of SAS in South East Asia.

The U.S. has had the great fortune to be able to diversify and then specialize certain units in individual tasks as neccessary for specific needs. There remains, to this day, a definate hierarchy of organizations culminating in becoming a member of the coveted "Special Forces" [which in turn, has various independent units qualified to wear the SF shoulder insignia], which is superceeded only by "Black Ops".

Of course, I may be barking up the wrong tree here.

 

Germany actually has two groups, just like the USA. The GSG 9 stands for Grenzschutzgruppe 9 and is part of the BGS, Bundesgrenzschutz. It takes on police rolls and is not part of the army. It was the GSG 9 for example that stormed the Lufthansa plane "Landshut" in Somalia, for example, which was an anti-terrorist operation.

Until a few years ago that was all we had, today we also have the KSK, Kommando Spezialkräfte, which is a military unit. About 100-200 of its soldiers were used in the war in Afghanistan, something that came to light only a week ago. The KSK is more comparable to the SAS or SEALs than the GSG 9, although they are all equally capable of "light", i.e. anti-terrorist, operations.