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Loose Cannons: 101 Myths, Mishaps and Misadventurers of Military History
From the author of Sticklers, Sideburns, and Bikinis comes this funny, often irreverent look at two thousand years of lies, inaccuracies, propaganda, deceit, downright foolishness, and little-known facts from the ars militaria.
On
"[No one] ever produced 'proof' of Hitler having won the Iron Cross, Second Class without which the First Class could not be awarded. He was a liar, but his favorite WWI yarn, about his life being spared by a British soldier who had him dead in his sights, is unfortunately true. It seems we have Private Henry Tandy VC, then of the Green Howards, to thank for all the fun of Round 2 with Germany."
On Che
"The darling of week-end rebels and champagne socialists, Guevara continues to be lauded by the intellectually bankrupt who sport his image on T-shirts, making Guevara the only racist, mass murderer to become a fashion-accessory. He neither lived nor died a hero and almost everything trumpeted about him is false."
On the
She was not an American liner; she was not sunk on her maiden voyage; she was not an 'innocent' sunk without warning by the nasty Germans; the incident was not responsible for America's entry into WW1, and as for British connivance into her sinking, the jury is still out on that.
On breast enhancement
One of the more unusual 'developments' from WWII, to say the least, but modern breast enhancement techniques were a direct result of the American occupation of post-war Japan.
On
"[No one] ever produced 'proof' of Hitler having won the Iron Cross, Second Class without which the First Class could not be awarded. He was a liar, but his favorite WWI yarn, about his life being spared by a British soldier who had him dead in his sights, is unfortunately true. It seems we have Private Henry Tandy VC, then of the Green Howards, to thank for all the fun of Round 2 with Germany."
On Che
"The darling of week-end rebels and champagne socialists, Guevara continues to be lauded by the intellectually bankrupt who sport his image on T-shirts, making Guevara the only racist, mass murderer to become a fashion-accessory. He neither lived nor died a hero and almost everything trumpeted about him is false."
On the
She was not an American liner; she was not sunk on her maiden voyage; she was not an 'innocent' sunk without warning by the nasty Germans; the incident was not responsible for America's entry into WW1, and as for British connivance into her sinking, the jury is still out on that.
On breast enhancement
One of the more unusual 'developments' from WWII, to say the least, but modern breast enhancement techniques were a direct result of the American occupation of post-war Japan.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 3, 2020
It's not that this is bad it is just that my copy (at least) seem in a need of a editor.
It read as a thesis handed in on pdf not a published book with constant "see below" and "see above" instead of "see chapter x" which is more disruptive to me personally as a reader than helpful.
There was also a few grammatical and word choices that felt clumsy and complicated all at once.
It was a fun read made more difficult than it needed to be. And this is coming from a history major who is more than used to reading historical academia..
It read as a thesis handed in on pdf not a published book with constant "see below" and "see above" instead of "see chapter x" which is more disruptive to me personally as a reader than helpful.
There was also a few grammatical and word choices that felt clumsy and complicated all at once.
It was a fun read made more difficult than it needed to be. And this is coming from a history major who is more than used to reading historical academia..
March 8, 2010
4.0 out of 5 stars Amusing and occasionally enlightening, March 8, 2010
By J. A Magill (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME) (VINE VOICE)
Frequently amusing, often silly, and on occasion interesting, Graeme Donald's "Loose Cannons: Myths, Mishaps, and Misadventures of Military History" offers a distracting romp through a series of historical myths relating to military history. A few, such as the "mass delusion" of the existence of Tokyo Rose - there was no such person, despite the hundreds of thousands of GIs who'd swear they heard her on the radio - come as truly surprising. Others, like Ernesto "Che" Guevara really being nothing more than a blood soaked sociopath, or that the "Battle of the Alamo" was hardly a battle at all, but an act of military incompetence, are always worth repeating. Sometimes, however, the author descends into leaps of logic to make arguments that the evidence just can't support, as in with his claim of a "Japanese Bomb." Ln other places, Donald's obvious interest in British colonial adventures, often of minor historical importance, may bore American readers, just as some will be annoyed by the shortcomings of his knowledge of US history and politics as shows most in his poor treatment of The Emancipation Proclamation.
Donald's dry wit contributes mightily to what makes "Loose Cannons" a fun, breezy read. It isn't scholarship (and the more persnickety at times will wail about his lack of footnotes or corroboration), but this won't detract from the enjoyment one gets from romping through these distracting, myth-busting, vignettes. Never Brilliant, it is nonetheless a fun read.
June 27, 2011
More like 2.5. This contained some neat info. The author is, um, idiosyncratic with, his comma usage though. And I spotted several errors of the kind that a human should have caught butt spell check won't. (Yes, there are two deliberate errors in this paragraph. I guess I'm just in that kind of mood.)
Anyway, I felt like there are a couple urban legends debunked here that are more current in Britain than America. And also, his entry on Lincoln and the American Civil War made me scratch my head. No, Lincoln was no great liberator. And sure, indentured servants and children working in factories were also badly off. But to claim that slaves in America had it pretty good, except for the freedom thing? (That's a pretty close paraphrase.) Simply not on.
After reading that Stade Roland Garros was used as an intermediate detention point for Jews in occupied France during WWII (though accounts vary), well ... brr. Certainly it doesn't reflect on the tournament as currently constituted, it's just ... brr. An eerie and sad association.
Also, (based on a quick skim of Google results) his claim that Vivien Leigh was of mixed English and Indian (subcontinent) ancestry may not hold water. This was a throwaway comment with little relevance, but it makes me wonder what else might be wrong.
Dated finished is approximate.
Anyway, I felt like there are a couple urban legends debunked here that are more current in Britain than America. And also, his entry on Lincoln and the American Civil War made me scratch my head. No, Lincoln was no great liberator. And sure, indentured servants and children working in factories were also badly off. But to claim that slaves in America had it pretty good, except for the freedom thing? (That's a pretty close paraphrase.) Simply not on.
After reading that Stade Roland Garros was used as an intermediate detention point for Jews in occupied France during WWII (though accounts vary), well ... brr. Certainly it doesn't reflect on the tournament as currently constituted, it's just ... brr. An eerie and sad association.
Also, (based on a quick skim of Google results) his claim that Vivien Leigh was of mixed English and Indian (subcontinent) ancestry may not hold water. This was a throwaway comment with little relevance, but it makes me wonder what else might be wrong.
Dated finished is approximate.
April 5, 2012
I liked this book rather a lot. It was funny and enlightening, but on occasion the author's determination to be funny in his presentation was a little over the top. I did laugh out loud more than once, though, and I learned a bit. There is nothing more fascinating than history and the nuggets buried within it. He has unearthed dozens that everyone accepts unquestioningly as truth and dusted off the grime to reveal--something entirely different. The section on improbable weapons at the end is especially entertaining, if written with his tongue firmly in cheek.
I recommend this book as a starting place for anyone looking for truth about certain highly-cherished myths. It will certainly present a new perspective to pursue at your leisure.
I recommend this book as a starting place for anyone looking for truth about certain highly-cherished myths. It will certainly present a new perspective to pursue at your leisure.
June 10, 2016
A journey, at times amusing, at times shocking, at times just plain weird, through many centuries of those things we all know about war, but which turn out to be wrong. An excellent bedside book, or for the smallest room in the house.
Probably too much to ask, but I found it frustrating at times that, while debunking many myths and stating that the traditional sources were wrong, Greame Donald gives few sources of his own, making it difficult to check or follow up his claims.
Probably too much to ask, but I found it frustrating at times that, while debunking many myths and stating that the traditional sources were wrong, Greame Donald gives few sources of his own, making it difficult to check or follow up his claims.
July 11, 2010
Probably a decent book but I just don't care enough about the topic to read past the first 30 pages.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews