Rating: 
Summary: He Who Dares Wins
Review: In Paris he served as a member of the foreign service, from there he transferred to Moscow and while in Moscow ventured by train and by foot into regions of that country off limits to foreigners and he did so pursued by the N.K.V.D.(pre K.G.B. secret police). Later he was parachuted into Yugoslavia to meet up with Tito's forces and there greatly contributed to the resistance against the Nazis. The most exciting part of this though(though its all unbelievably exciting)is reading about his part in the North African campaigns. Maclean was a brilliant practitioner in the T.E. Lawrence brand of fighting, in fact there is a photo of him in full desert headress driving a machine gun clad rover over the dunes on one of his many hit and run strikes. He reported directly to Churchill and the two would meet in Cairo. A gentleman fighter if there ever was one. Would love to read the transcripts of those conversations. This is the Lawrence of Arabia of WWII. Fascinating portraits of Russia and its eastern provinces in the thirties, of Englands temporary and uneasy alliance with Titos communist forces in Yugoslavia, and those impossibly romantic desert scenes of gentleman Fitzroy leading caravans of jeeps and rovers behind heavily defended enemy lines to supposedly unreachable destinations and against all odds winning victory after victory. Hip Hip Hooray.
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular entertainment
Review: In the mid-thirties Fitzroy Maclean was a junior diplomat at the British embassy in Paris. Bored with the pleasant but undemanding routine, he requested a posting to Moscow, and "Eastern Approaches" opens with Maclean on a train, pulling out of Paris. Most of this first section of the book covers his repeated attempts to explore Soviet central Asia. He reached Bokhara, Samarkand, Tashkent and many other places, and though there are sadly few pictures it is a riveting story -- fighting Soviet bureaucracy; being trailed by the NKVD; negotiating with locals for food and a place to sleep. At one point he manages with difficulty to persuade the Soviets to let him cross into Afghanistan: communicating primarily in sign language he manages to obtain an escort to Mazar-i-Sharif, through a lawless area with a cholera outbreak.Maclean was in Moscow until late 1939, and so was present during the great Stalinist purges. One long chapter is devoted to one of the largest of these, in which Bukharin, Yagoda and other stalwarts of the Stalinist regime were accused (and of course convicted) of heinous crimes. The details of the trial, and the responses of the accused, are utterly fascinating; Maclean's analysis equally so. When war broke out, Maclean was prevented from enlisting at first because of his position as a diplomat. He eventually managed to sign up by a subterfuge, and in North Africa Maclean distinguished himself in the early actions of the newly formed SAS. He rose from private to officer rank, and Churchill personally chose him to lead a liaison mission to central Yugoslavia, where Tito and his partisans were emerging as a major irritant to the German control of the Balkans. The last third of the book recounts how over eighteen months Maclean built Allied/Partisan cooperation from nothing to a key element in the last phases of the war. By the end, Maclean was a Major-General, and a friend of Tito's. Maclean is a fine writer, with the British gift for understatement and wry humour. His exploits are said to have formed the basis for the character of James Bond, though Maclean would never confirm or deny this. The sequence when he personally kidnaps a Persian general who is collaborating with the Germans is certainly straight out of a Bond film. The book is spectacularly entertaining: if you have any taste for history, adventure, travel writing or war-time memoirs, this is as good as it gets.
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular entertainment
Review: In the mid-thirties Fitzroy Maclean was a junior diplomat at the British embassy in Paris. Bored with the pleasant but undemanding routine, he requested a posting to Moscow, and "Eastern Approaches" opens with Maclean on a train, pulling out of Paris. Most of this first section of the book covers his repeated attempts to explore Soviet central Asia. He reached Bokhara, Samarkand, Tashkent and many other places, and though there are sadly few pictures it is a riveting story -- fighting Soviet bureaucracy; being trailed by the NKVD; negotiating with locals for food and a place to sleep. At one point he manages with difficulty to persuade the Soviets to let him cross into Afghanistan: communicating primarily in sign language he manages to obtain an escort to Mazar-i-Sharif, through a lawless area with a cholera outbreak. Maclean was in Moscow until late 1939, and so was present during the great Stalinist purges. One long chapter is devoted to one of the largest of these, in which Bukharin, Yagoda and other stalwarts of the Stalinist regime were accused (and of course convicted) of heinous crimes. The details of the trial, and the responses of the accused, are utterly fascinating; Maclean's analysis equally so. When war broke out, Maclean was prevented from enlisting at first because of his position as a diplomat. He eventually managed to sign up by a subterfuge, and in North Africa Maclean distinguished himself in the early actions of the newly formed SAS. He rose from private to officer rank, and Churchill personally chose him to lead a liaison mission to central Yugoslavia, where Tito and his partisans were emerging as a major irritant to the German control of the Balkans. The last third of the book recounts how over eighteen months Maclean built Allied/Partisan cooperation from nothing to a key element in the last phases of the war. By the end, Maclean was a Major-General, and a friend of Tito's. Maclean is a fine writer, with the British gift for understatement and wry humour. His exploits are said to have formed the basis for the character of James Bond, though Maclean would never confirm or deny this. The sequence when he personally kidnaps a Persian general who is collaborating with the Germans is certainly straight out of a Bond film. The book is spectacularly entertaining: if you have any taste for history, adventure, travel writing or war-time memoirs, this is as good as it gets.
Rating:
Summary: Unsung hero
Review: It reads better than a non fiction. Simply a fantastic read. What today would lead to being elevated to national hero status was in those days "part of the job". If you enjoy reading about events around WW2, and the people who helped shape the outcome, read this. Written with typical british humor. Excellent
Rating:
Summary: Magnanimous parachutist, Fitzroy be...
Review: Nu omicron tau omicron sigma.... Notice... north wind.. True, MacLean came from Britain to parachute into Yugoslavia. The mission of this man was to meet the resistance leader,
Tito, head of the anti-Axis forces in the Balkans, Yosef Broz Tito... Tito... Tito.. read the book, and you'll understand
how this man, Tito, was addressed by crowds before speaking. later this man, Tito, succumbed to the loss of a limb, if i
remember, correctly, this was after the war, and related to prion Kreb's deficiency, a medical malady incurred of Tito of
his own temple, his own body, by living. It was white camouflaged Yugoslavians who were laying outside
Auschwitz the day it was liberated. This I read in a little
yellow paperback about Auschwitz at the Norwood, Ohio
Media Play store. My name is Douglas... you may call me mr. nemo. Call me Ishmael. This is the voyage of a vintage WW I Torpedo Patrol Channel
boat, parked under wharfs oeuvre between sorties in the English
channel. spotter on board mgm.comp.mgm reg. penna dept. agric.
Rating:
Summary: Magnanimous parachutist, Fitzroy be...
Review: Nu omicron tau omicron sigma.... Notice... north wind.. True, MacLean came from Britain to parachute into Yugoslavia. The mission of this man was to meet the resistance leader,
Tito, head of the anti-Axis forces in the Balkans, Yosef Broz Tito... Tito... Tito.. read the book, and you'll understand
how this man, Tito, was addressed by crowds before speaking. later this man, Tito, succumbed to the loss of a limb, if i
remember, correctly, this was after the war, and related to prion Kreb's deficiency, a medical malady incurred of Tito of
his own temple, his own body, by living. It was white camouflaged Yugoslavians who were laying outside
Auschwitz the day it was liberated. This I read in a little
yellow paperback about Auschwitz at the Norwood, Ohio
Media Play store. My name is Douglas... you may call me mr. nemo. Call me Ishmael. This is the voyage of a vintage WW I Torpedo Patrol Channel
boat, parked under wharfs oeuvre between sorties in the English
channel. spotter on board mgm.comp.mgm reg. penna dept. agric.
Rating: 
Summary: A note of apology
Review: Please read my review, "Was this the real 007?" posted September 25th 2001. I must apologise for one glaring inaccuracy. I mention that Mr Maclean, along with Eric Newby and Wilfred Thesiger, are the last of a particular breed of Englishmen. Mr Maclean, of course, is a Scot. Thanks to those who pointed out my mistake. Hopefully you will still enjoy this excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: Ripping Yarns From A Decent Chap
Review: The episodes described in this classic adventure are so outlandish, colorful, and gripping that one might almost mistake them for promotional material from a 1940's matinee poster: "Thrill as our hero journeys into remote Central Asia! Tremble as he observes Stalin's show trials! Cheer as he battles Nazis in North Africa and aids our brave allies in Yugoslavia!" However, Sir Fitzroy's integrity, understated compassion, and flinty humanity keep these accounts focused, precise, and grounded in reality. This book is valuable not only as a description of far-flung lands and critical battles, but as a testiment to all that was best in his generation of citizen-soldiers. MacLean restores dignity to the term "aristocrat". He is the man you'd want by your side as you marched into hell - odds are, he'd get you in and out again.
Rating:
Summary: Ripping Yarns From A Decent Chap
Review: The episodes described in this classic adventure are so outlandish, colorful, and gripping that one might almost mistake them for promotional material from a 1940's matinee poster: "Thrill as our hero journeys into remote Central Asia! Tremble as he observes Stalin's show trials! Cheer as he battles Nazis in North Africa and aids our brave allies in Yugoslavia!" However, Sir Fitzroy's integrity, understated compassion, and flinty humanity keep these accounts focused, precise, and grounded in reality. This book is valuable not only as a description of far-flung lands and critical battles, but as a testiment to all that was best in his generation of citizen-soldiers. MacLean restores dignity to the term "aristocrat". He is the man you'd want by your side as you marched into hell - odds are, he'd get you in and out again.
Rating:
Summary: Six page explanation of history of the former Yugoslavia
Review: This book has been reissued by Penguin in the UK. Comprises three sections: 1. Clandestine travel in Stalin's Central Asia. Excellent description of the show trials of the 1930's. 2. Formation of SAS in North Africa 3. Clear interpretation of the war time state of Yugoslavia from the man who pursuaded Churchill to support Tito as the only real opposition to the Nazi occupation. An astounding understanding and lucid explanation of the political situation, written by a participant. If you want to understand the current state of the Balkans then this is the place to start. Maclean's style of writing is very readable.
| 
