Rating: 
Summary: Not enough Guenter
Review: "The Unbroken Chain" is woefully lacking in the personal details that so many of the other first-hand accounts by Mercury/Gemini/Apollo chroniclers have included. There isn't enough in this book on Guenter's life before NASA to fill one page. I'm not looking for teary-eyed Nazi-confessions or anything, but what about his upbringing? What about his education? Yes, these questions could be answered briefly, but it's the details that round out the picture and tells us what motivates this man to be the model many people SHOULD strive to emulate. The personal anecdotes about many of the astronauts, especially the ones that pull no punches, are invaluable. They're delivered dryly however, and read as though they were dictated directly onto paper without the kind of illustration/color that puts the reader in the room with Guenter. The research falls a little short in a few areas, as there are a couple of "I don't remember his name"-type stories. All in all, a minor distraction...
Rating: 
Summary: Great stories from a NASA legend
Review: An absolute joy to read. The stories are wonderful. Guenter recalls all the best stories from his career, including his being part of the team to raise the Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. The book is very well written, and the CD that is included with the book makes you feel as though Guenter is actually sitting there sharing his stories with you in person. The book also includes some wonderful photos from Guenter's career. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the space program.
Rating: 
Summary: Ausgezeichnet, Guenter Wendt, und Danka Herr McDonnell
Review: As an engineer who grew up on the back gate of NASA-JSC, I really enjoyed reading Guenter's Story. I enjoyed the easy to read format, the larger print, and the funny stories that Guenter tied in, especially the one on the CB radio out in the Mojave desert where the operator on the receiving end asked Guenter, "what's your handle?" Guenther replied, "Col. Klink." The operator said, "you've got that accent down pat. You sound just like him!"Seriously, the one thing that strikes me about several books out about the early days of the space race are the long hours, dedication, and committment that many engineers, scientists, technicians, and astronauts put in to reach the nation's goal of getting to the moon before 1970. Guenter described in detail the operations of the former McDonnell Corporation, and more companies today NEED to be organized the way James McDonnell (Mr. Mac) was back in the old days where things got DONE. The old McDonnell Corporation ran efficiently, and with very little (if any) beaurocratic "B.S." Mr. Mac would appoint someone in McDonnell to have full authority over one area and make decisions independently (this was Guenter Wendt), and he gave that single person control over the budget (the petty cash fund was sometimes used for sandwiches and coffee when Guenter and his crew were working late nights). Mr. Mac put QUITE A BIT OF TRUST IN HIS EMPLOYEES!! Mr. Mac would send them to school (Guenter took engineering classes in St. Louis), and Mr. Mac would even invite the astronauts over to his home for dinner (Guenter did the same thing - astronauts would go out on his boat or sleep on his couch). Mr. Mac was a man who treated his employees with respect and trust. He helped them learn and invested in them. It was great to read a different story from a man involved in the early days of space flight. Guenter Wendt was a good leader, he would jump through hoops to get things done (such as the flag at the back entrance of the cape), and I loved the story about the painting that went on at Edwards AFB. There are other stories about problem solving, and getting around the beaurocratic "BS". The epilogue gives insights for the public on getting back into space more aggressively. Congress-take these into consideration. Smaller projects from private investments, such as the X-Prize projects, is a good start. Let's go back now. I'm game for designing a nuclear powered rocket, a smaller shuttle, or a single stage to orbit launch vehicle. Thanks for your insights, Mr. Guenter Wendt. More engineers and administrators are needed like you and James McDonnell (Mr. Mac) more than ever today.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding insight into the Space Program.
Review: Being a student of the History of Technology and Science, I find this account by Guenter Went absolutely amazing in the story it tells and the history it brings to light. It provides clear and amazing insight into the heyday of the United States Space Program. While providing a sometimes humorous look into the Program, Went still tells a story as only one who lived the experience could tell it, the emmotional high of Adm. Alan Shephard's flight on MR-3, the post-fire lows after the Apollo I (Apollo 204) accident to the triumphant moment when man first set foot on the moon. This book is a must read for anyone interested in the history of Manned Space Exploration.
Rating:
Summary: Charming
Review: Fans of the Tom Hanks/HBO series "From the Earth to the Moon" - particuarly the Apollo 7 episode - will recognize some of the stories from this wonderful book. "Unbroken Chain" combines a large collection of delightful stories from Wendt's long career the U.S. space program with a well-written, carefully researched description of the overall space program by his collaborator, Russell Still. In addition to stories about the astronauts, there are some very interesting tales about managers - good and bad - and how things got done on the front line. Not to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: Snakes at Pad 5
Review: I found Guenter's book a refreshing break after having read Christopher Kraft's book (Flight: My Life In Mission Control). Guenter is the antithesis to Chris: both had hard jobs to do, both were hard nosed in order to make those missions happen, but Guenter's written outlook is a good deal more positive than Chris's (there's very little light-hearted feelings in Mr. Kraft's book). Mr. Wendt lets you know that danger abounded at every leaking LOX line and rickety elevators but makes you smile through it. I found his life with America's space program well written into the book and the infused humor beckons you to reread the book again. Of all the stories that Guenter tells us about, the one that got my attention the most was how Gordo Cooper never got the prime for a lunar mission. I saw HBO's "From The Earth To The Moon" and episode #9 "MILES AND MILES" (Alan B. Shepard Jr.) and I didn't understand the bit about Cooper badmouthing Shepard before the Apollo 14 launch. Guenter's book shedded the background information needed to gain some perspective here! Mr. Wendt's book helped me understand a little bit better the many ins and outs of life in the American space program on launch and spacecraft operations from CCAFS / KSC. For me, a well spent investment in American space flight history, especially with the bonus CD-ROM of Guenter at Cape Canaveral AFS. Leave the snakes alone and go fishing with Guenter!
Rating:
Summary: Interesting book, but too many errors
Review: I worked as an engineer on the Gemini and Apollo projects, with McDonnell in St. Louis and at the Cape, working for Boeing on Apollos 8 through 13. Guenter's stories brought back many similar memories. I can personally attest to Guenter's reputation at the Cape as the "Pad Führer"; nobody wanted to cross him! He was truly a legend in his own time. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the book was hampered by many technical and historical errors. However, most readers will not be aware of these and will enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: Guenter Wendt is a legend - and this book is a winner
Review: In his new book, 'The Unbroken Chain', Guenter Wendt, with co-author Russell Still, recounts his years working on the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and early Space Shuttle programs, capturing an aspect that other books have missed - the invaluable contributions of the army of workers "in the trenches," as he is fond to say. Guenter's wonderful (and often hilarious) anecdotes and personal encounters only add to the interwoven theme of The Unbroken Chain - that it takes a 'chain' of tens of thousands of individuals to accomplish just one successful space mission. 'The Unbroken Chain' features an added bonus - alone worth the cover price - a CD-ROM disk that takes the reader on a virtual computer tour of the Cape Canaveral launch facilities, narrated by Guenter Wendt and filled with his colorful tales of the early days of space exploration. The disk also includes a 360-degree panoramic sweep of several historic launch pads as they appear today and an impressive collection of personal references from a veritable "Who's Who' of the Moon race. 'The Unbroken Chain' is a winner and a perfect addition to any library. It will bring a smile to the face of any reader even marginally interested in the Race to the Moon.
Rating:
Summary: Life on the Launch Pad
Review: Memoirs are in vogue for the pioneers of the space age. In the last few years memoirs have appeared by astronauts Gene Cernan, John Glenn, Gordon Cooper, Wally Schirra, Alan Bean, Deke Slayton, Alan Shepard, Gene Cernan, Jim Lovell, Apollo flight directors Gene Kranz and Chris Kraft, Marshall Space Flight Center engineer Homer Hickam, Jr., and Lunar Module designer Tom Kelly. This is another memoir from the heroic era of human space flight, but one from a unique vantagepoint. Guenter Wendt was the legendary "pad leader" for all of the human space launches from the first Mercury mission in 1961 through the last Apollo flights. German born, with a rich accent that remains to the present, as a McDonnell and later North American Rockwell employee Guenter Wendt held responsibility for capsule test, checkout, and launch operations at America's spaceport at Cape Canaveral, Florida. In that capacity he crossed paths with every astronaut and many of NASA's senior officials in a career that ended with his retirement in 1989. This memoir, co-written with Russell Still, is filled with dozens of such stories about those interactions-some classic, many never revealed before, a few embarrassing, even more humorous-about the astronauts, technicians, engineers and other officials Wendt interacted with for three decades. Wendt describes in this book a relentless pursuit of excellence, safety, and security both for his team and the mission under his care. Astronauts respectfully called him "Pad Fuhrer," a term not always used with affection. Wendt's emphasis on successfully completing the mission, ensuring the safety of the astronauts, and creatively sidestepping bureaucracy earned the admiration of many. His determined approach to the work, and the way in which he took personal responsibility for what happened on his launch pad became legendary along Florida' Space Coast. Many astronauts recall how Wendt strapped them into their capsules, shook their hands, offered words of support, and closed the hatch, the last person seen before their trip into space. In those moments, they were thankful for his abrasive attention to detail and his forceful leadership on the launch pad. Wendt's memoir is replete with good-natured stories, and some that are not so good-natured, many of which are the stuff of legend. It should come as no surprise to anyone that many astronauts had a wild, devil-may-care side to their personalities. From Gus Grissom's sexual peccadilloes to Alan Shepard's practical jokes to John Glenn's stuffed shirt persona that wasn't, Wendt adds several wild new chapters to the antics of the astronauts.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully human!
Review: Once I started reading the book, I couldn't put it down. I know Bob Crippen and to read about the jokes they played on each other to break the monotony up was great. Guenter did a great job with this book. For any Space History buff this is a great addtion to the library.
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