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The Deserters

a Hidden History of World War II
Community comment are the opinions of contributing users. These comment do not represent the opinions of Alameda County Library.
Jan 25, 2020N13m4nd rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This is quite an interesting book about a subject that is almost universally ignored, which is that a substantial number of Allied soldiers deserted their armies during World War II. Reasons varied, from exhaustion due to the stress of combat in a system which kept the same men permanently at the front of the fighting for years at a time, to simple self-preservation. But once they had deserted, a shocking number of these men turned to lawlessness, including robbing their own armies for supplies to sell for personal profit. My one complaint about The Deserters is that it describes itself as a “hidden history of World War 2,” when in fact it is not a comprehensive or systematic study of the entire subject, but rather concentrates almost entirely on the personal and anecdotal experiences of a handful of individuals. Still, I would recommend the book to those with an interest in history, and especially military history.