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Fox on the Rhine

Fox on the Rhine

List Price: $7.99
Your Price: $7.19
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Nice try, but . . .
Review: The biggest and most frustrating problem with this book is that it needed a good editor and didn't get one. The authors make mistakes in their German, malapropism in their English, and silly goofs in their military history. I liked the book's overall approach and subject matter, and the first 3/4 or so is quite plausible and well done. The conclusion is the weakest part, in that it is only sketched, and even the sketch is unpersuasive. I just hope this book makes it into a second edition that refines and expands what is at bottom a promising work.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Plot Made from a Wargame Scenerio
Review: Both authors seem to have borrowed much from their wargaming expertise to craft this "what-if" WWII scenerio. How would Hitler's death affect the war? Well, if you know anything about Rommel, Patton, and Himmler, you'll enjoy seeing them act out that plot. The character development is easy for the writers, who stay pretty close to historical alacrity. The only negative is the sprinkling of wargaming references - when describing a combat situation you can almost hear them saying "the Panther, with defense factor 5, Attack strenth of 12, and in hull-down position, attacked the modified M4 Sherman from the flank..." Those allusions were tolerable and actually made me reminisce about the wargaming days of old. Well done! Very highly recommended for WWII history buffs!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Terrific military wish fulfillment
Review: The plot of this enjoyable AH adventure is a military historian's dream come true: what if Rommell had come back in 1944 for a final showdown against Patton, with hordes of Tiger tanks and Me-262 jet fighters at his disposal?

Here's how it happens: in July 1944, a band of dissatisfied German military officers successfully kills Hitler with a well-placed time bomb (they tried in real life, but were foiled at the last minute). Heinrich Himmler, supported by the vast power of the SS, fills in the power vaccuum and becomes the new Fuhrer.

Realizing that he needs a powerful leader in charge of the Wehrmacht if Germany is to have any hope of success, Himmler puts Rommell, seriously injured but sound of mind, back in charge of the Western Front. He also realizes the need to combat Allied air superiority, and therefore authorizes the Me-262 to be used in an anti-bomber capacity (Hitler had intended to use it for ground support).

What next? Time to drive the Allies out of Normandy, of course! During the ensuing campaign, both Patton and Rommell make full use of their trademark strategic genius. Panzers roll, machine guns crackle, the roar of jet engines fills the air. Wargamers and weekend historians are sure to have a good time, and even non-historians will probably enjoy the action and intrigue.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I couldn't put it down, now where's the sequel?
Review: I started this book on a flight to Seattle and couldn't put it down. I finished it that night! The "what if Hitler died in the bomb blast" idea has been around but an alternative story that is believable has never been so well done. In addition to those characters who are famous, the authors include many characters, from the battle-shocked American tank commander to the patriotic Luftwaffe pilot, characters who represent those who fought the battles daily for both sides.

And for a change people on both sides are fairly intelligent. Of course there are the racist Nazi's but the German's aren't portrayed as being all idiots or all racists, who constantly do stupid things.

The military battles are well thought out, both in terms of strategy and tactics (I don't like authors of military books who really have no grasp of strategy or tactics). However it is the politics that is really the core of the book, and after all that is what war is really about - the success or failure of politics.

My only complaint is that although the book ends, the story doesn't which means I have to wait a year or so to find out what happens next.

If you like authors like W.E.B. Griffen, Stephen Coonts and Harold W. Coyle, you will love this book.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: What If !
Review: If you like WWII and ever wondered what would happen if things turned out differently, well then this book is for you. What if the assassination attempt on Hitler succeeded? Beautiful stuff.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome
Review: A great book. The best of the century!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best of a Great Lot
Review: Those of us who have been fans of Douglas Niles for the nearly thirty books he has written would be surprised to learn he would need to "hire a writer" to put his ideas on paper. Hardly. Niles has written books that I would rate at 6 stars, and Fox on the Rhine is the best of a great lot. This book show both literary finesse and an encyclopedic understanding of military history. Those folk who have nothing better to do with their time than clip their toenails may do so, but everybody else should be reading this book!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An excellent read
Review: The authors of this book have crafted an enjoyable and believable piece of fiction around interesting and exciting events. While some of the circumstances do require some suspension of disbelief, that's certainly par for the course with Alternate History writing. Anyone looking for a good read with some well-thought-out twists will do well to pick up this book. The authors are to be congratulated.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A First Class WWII Novel
Review: The authors answer the question that many have asked: "What would have happened if the assassination attempt on Hitler had been successful?" Without the iron hand of the crazed dictator, the authors paint a very plausible and facinating picture of a different German army under the direction of intelligent and charismatic leaders such as Rommel. As a result, new twists and challenges are presented to the allied command on the European front. Made for very easy and enjoyable reading for any WWII enthusiast. I loved the book and couldn't put it down!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Faszinierend!
Review: A page turner! What a fascinating plot. Thank you for a great read. I recommend it highly. Reader beware; it's mind boggling!


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