Kontum: The Battle to Save South Vietnam

Thomas McKenna. McKenna, in his first book, presents a well-researched, heavily detailed look at the 1972 North Vietnamese Army invasion of South Vietnamthe so-called Easter Offensive designed to topple the South Vietnamese government and end the war. McKenna, severely wounded near the end of the offensive, switches from the first person to the third and includes excessive military minutiae, but does an effective job of melding his own story with the bigger picture. --Publisher's Weekly (Check Catalog)

Killing the Cranes: A Reporter's Journey Through Three Decades of War in Afghanistan

Edward Girardet. European-based journalist Girardet (Afghanistan: The Soviet War) shares his personal story of the Russian occupation of Afghanistan and offers disturbing parallels to America's involvement. Girardet admits to having "romanticized Afghanistan because of its harsh beauty and poetic embrace," but still offers a sobering assessment. --Publisher's Weekly (Check Catalog)

The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz: A True Story of World War II

Denis Avey, Rob Broomby. Submerged memories of a remarkable encounter in Auschwitz drove an aged British World War II veteran, Denis Avey, to reveal his plainspoken, moving story—assisted by BBC journalist Rob Broomby. Avey arranged with another Jewish prisoner, Hans, to switch clothing so that Avey could infiltrate the Jewish barracks for a night and Hans could eat and rest in the British prisoners' camp. It was a perilous ploy, but it worked, and Avey was duly horrified by the brutal conditions and life-saving mechanisms. --Kirkus (Check Catalog)

Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq

Mark Urban. BBC Newsnight diplomatic and defense editor Urban takes a cerebral approach to establishing the unique challenges faced by both British SAS and American Special Forces (SF) as the Iraq occupation developed, unraveled and was ultimately stabilized by the "surge." The prickly relationship between the two countries helps the author focus his narrative on the British forces—he explains that they had to grapple with the controversial strategies of American Joint Special Operations Command head General Stanley McChrystal, a "soldier-monk" who favored "industrial counter-terrorism," a constant cycle of missions to counter the evolving threat.--Kirkus (Check Catalog)

Nazis on the Run: How Hitler's Henchmen Fled Justice

Gerald Steinacher. Steinacher has meticulously researched how so many Nazi war criminals were able to escape justice after World War II. While its title may lead some readers to expect a dashing adventure tale of espionage and escape, this book is really about the bureaucratic chaos that paralyzed the Allied governments in the early postwar period.--Publisher's Weekly (Check Catalog)