Hey Kid's, Want Some Chocolates? My Family's Journey to Freedon Written By Melitta Strandberg

AppId is over the quota

During WWII the Germans performed many experiments on humans. Just the thought of this makes me cringe and wonder how any human can experiment with another living human and not care what suffering would result from such a thing. Melitta Strandberg was one of these babies. Unknowingly Melitta's birth was at a hospital from which Hitler took babies without the parents' permission in order to perform his many experiments, many of which are believed to be switching around the reproductive parts of very young as well as older children. They would then give another baby to the parents without telling them it was not their own child. Gisela, Melitta's mother, knew it wasn't her own baby but was forced to take the baby she was given. She would never give up until she found her own baby, which occurred after searching and asking questions of many people. Melitta was on her doorstep one day and Gisela knew immediately that this was her own baby girl.

The family, Oskar Mohr and Gisela, lived in Romania. They were both born just before the beginning of WWI. They made plans to move to Germany not knowing the events coming in a few years. They did make the move but they had to dispose of almost every possession since they had no way to move any goods with them except the clothes on their back and one suitcase. One prized possession was a sewing machine the family could not leave behind, so they broke it down and hid all the parts in a baby buggy for their travel to Weimar, Germany.

The war years went on with much of Germany being bombed, decimating most of the buildings making most of the residents leave for a safer place, if one could be found. The family eventually settled in Augsburg, Germany, a beautiful town that became their home in the west. Any travel was dangerous. One never knew how many or of what attitude would be held by the Russians, then in control of East Berlin, during the many stops required to go anywhere. The family got on to the last train leaving East Berlin traveling to West Berlin, controlled by the Americans. Most of the book contains the story of the entire family and explained mostly through what Oskar and Gisela had passed along to Melitta. The book is short but full of details of life as the family was forced to live it. Read it and learn about the wonderful life Melitta has had since.

Reader review by Cy Hilterman of a book supplied by the author.

Written By Randall Peffer Seahawk Burning

(A) A good Civil War naval story as the ships from the north try to track confederate ships, both trying to destroy the other and all ships they find while searching. The locales stretch from the coast, the inland waters of the United States, South America, Africa, Europe, and points in between. You have to remember in those days there was no way to search for a ship except by word of mouth or accidentally finding that ship while transcending the globe. Also in those days the sailors, as well as their captain, were very rough and crude men that were very likely to kill captured crews from ships, burn the ships after looting all the goods aboard, and turn the few of the captured crew members over to the first possible place on land or sea.

Raphael Semmes was captain of the confederate ship, The USS Alabama. The Alabama was a strong and powerful ship. Semmes would take no quarter from any opposing ship and would kill and/or destroy almost any other ship along with its crew, just to get a "worse" reputation. Seahawk Burning takes you mostly by sea to many areas of the earth to fight others, get provisions, have repairs made, unload the ship crew members who's time was up and find new crew members, while making those stops. Most of all the ships ' officers and crews in those days were not very healthy, some from not eating correctly, drinking far too much alcohol, associating with wild women that gave them more than they bargained for, and of course the normal sailors brawls.

The many areas traversed by the USS Alabama took them through many a bad storm that damaged ships and their crews quite bad. Weather; another item they knew little about and had no idea of what lies ahead. Meanwhile back in Washington, DC, President Lincoln, the various government leaders including the Secretary of the Navy, the Yankee leaders, and all of their cohorts, schemed as to how to capture and destroy this Confederate ship that was wreaking havoc on their ships. Semmes has So far eluded them but the word of mouth was starting to narrow his travel path. The ship that was closest is his trail now was the USS Kearsarge Captained by an ex-shipmate of Semmes, John Winslow, who wanted his former friend and opponent very much. Winslow was not in good health, having only one eye and it pained him much of the time. Semmes had his gal, Maude, constantly has his mind. The Yankee government to obtain information about Semmes was also tracking her. Maude had two babies with her, one white and one black. She loved them both, as did Semmes. She had to keep on the run throughout the eastern United States and through Canada to avoid capture.

The action is great as are the characters, some of which were actually involved in the war and in the leading of our nation. You will learn the history and some facts about some of these men and women as the author brings them in and out of the story. If you like sea of adventure stories intertwined with history, you will love this book, as I did.

Reader review by Cy Hilterman of a book supplied by The Amazon Vine Program

"The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War" Written By Andrew Roberts

AppId is over the quota

Anyone who lived through any war, but especially WWII, needs to read this greatly detailed and informative book that gives details, stories, actions, and facts many of which were never published. The author writes in a way that draws you to each page because, while the book is fact, it never gets boring. From the very beginning of the book where, in April 1934, Hitler met with the German minister of Defence to make a secret pact where the army would support Adolph Hitler upon the death of Paul von Hindenburg (then leader of Germany). Most of us have in our minds that the war started in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland but the plans for Hitler's demonic plans to control the world had started with the plans for his leadership years earlier.

Several things I advise to all readers of this complete book; remember to refer to the maps at the front of the book as campaigns in different areas occur, and do not think you will skip through a page because the book is extremely long. If you skip you will miss some important and interesting tidbit. I had forgotten the maps and now I wish I had remembered them to allow me to know exactly where certain battles occurred. I also tried to read by skipping and I found out it doesn't work. How Andrew Roberts garnered all the information and wove it into a terrific resourceful book I will never know. There is no way a review could ever do this book justice. I will hit a few highlights but you must physically read it to gain the knowledge it contains.

Hitler had been a corporal in the German army in WW I so he had felt war first hand and was twenty-nine years of age when that war ended in 1918. Hitler had a huge war machine in place. Two major factions were the OKH and the OKW, both strategic in running the military. Many leaders changed throughout the book. Hitler would have high expectations for various campaigns and when the result was not to his liking he took no remorse in immediately changing generals. Hitler controlled all the many units of might such as the Wehrmacht, the SS, the Luftwaffe (air), the Panzers (tanks), and a naval branch that, had Hitler allow it to develop fully, could have made the war much longer and given Germany a huge advantage. The German Generals, some of whom were Field Marshall's, were many; Jodl, Keitel, Himmler, von Runstedt, von Manctein, Goebbels, Rommel, and, in general were very brilliant men but too many times Hitler forced them to do his method, not theirs.

One section of the book that was about a subject I thought I did know but the author gave some details that blew my mind of how humans could treat other humans as they did. Excerpts of the authors words; "After they were rounded up in their local communities from all across German-occupied Europe, Jews were transported by train to Auschwitz or one of the other five extermination camps in Eastern Europe." "Once the transports arrived at the siding at Birkenau, there would be the first selection, where SS officials would choose the able-bodied men and women - numbering roughly 15% - who would be taken to the camp barracks to join work details, leaving the old, the weak, the infirm, the children, and the mothers of children, who would be immediately walked to the gas chambers and exterminated." This is only a small part of the inhumane things the Germans carried out in order to "cleanse" the world of Jews.

The inhumane actions of war do not lie just with the Germans. Their allies, as well as the allies of the United States, Great Britain, France, and many other nations, performed many actions that killed many innocent civilians. In many cases the Germans surrounded their factories with these civilians making the bombing of the weapon producing buildings also kill those civilians. This, along with civilians being in the wrong place at the wrong time, caused many more killings. Military casualties for all the nations involved were immense. Some of the numbers are unbelievable but also undeniable.

The many battles of WW II were brutal and lasted far too long. So many new recruits were rushed to the front and into battle before they knew what they were getting into. This occurred with all nations involved, not just the Germans. The details of the Russian war involvement are quite extensive. At first they didn't know whom to fight with, allies or axis, but eventually chose the allies because they, like Germany, wanted to control the world, especially all of Europe. Because Russia is so huge with a large population, they suffered many casualties and had so many more to fill in for those killed.

This review is too large now so I must put a halt to it and tell you to read the book. If you have no interest in war, especially WW II, don't start it. If you have any like of the subject you must read "The Storm of War" from front to end.

Reader review by Cy Hilterman of a book supplied by The Amazon Vine Program

Unbelievable Adventures of a WWII German War Bride Written By Ingeborg M Johnston

AppId is over the quota

There are several "unbelievable" characteristics of Ingeborg and her story. First, the fact that she grew up in Nazi controlled Germany; second that she loved good people and did all she could for them, even to this day; and third that she took on so many things in her life that she ended up loving almost all of them. The first part of the book tells of her growing up as Germany went to war. "Inge" ran through bombing raids to assist injured in the hospital or clinics that were not destroyed. She had no regard for her life when she could help others. The early parts of the book also tell of her schooling in Berlin, her family's activities as the Nazi Party grew and took over Germany, and her family. As the war started looking bad for Germany, the residents had to find safe places to be away form the gung-ho Nazi's as well as the hard charging Russians as they tried to reach Berlin first so they could control it.

Inge tells of her family, their villages and cities, the composition of the large family, and the struggles to exist in a bombed out city where every victorious nation wanted a part of it, but was eventually divided up into East and West Berlin with the Communists controlling East Berlin. Anyone living in East Berlin was stuck there without the ability to visit anyone out of that area. The ones living in West Berlin could come and go into East Berlin but the Berlin Wall kept the division very tight.

Inge love swimming and teaching it to anyone interested. She became a champion swimmer. She married Jerry. She and Jerry eventually moved to the United States through New York, then to Philadelphia. They had two daughters, Eileen and Jacqueline, who were also great swimmers from a very young age. Inge entered the Mrs. America Contest and won, but when it was learned that she was not a United States citizen, she was disqualified. Not a happy moment but the satisfaction that she could win such a contest made the family happy. Sometime, not disclosed in the book, Inge obtained a divorce from Jerry. She eventually met and married her present love, Jim Johnston. They have had a fantastic life. They moved to Colorado, Florida, and back to Colorado. They loved boats and had much fun with them as well as some problems that made life very interesting. In Fort Lauderdale, Florida they belonged to the Navy League, once again showing their love for boating and fellow humans.

The entire book is loaded with fantastic tales from her life and her family. Their love for each other is very evident as is their love for others with their "Acts of Kindness" organization and the way they helped so many all their lives. Inge and Jim are still happily married and very active as this book was released. I can only pray that they can continue that way for many years to come. An excellent read.

Reader review by Cy Hilterman of a book supplied by the author

In This Hospitable Land Written By Lynmar Brock, Jr

AppId is over the quota

A spectacular history lesson telling how families in Europe, specifically those from Belgium and France, existed during WWII. The story is fiction but based on true facts and true people in their desperate struggle to keep their families alive and safe. The struggle to keep ahead of the Nazi's when the war started for those living in Belgium became an hour to hour situation, never knowing for sure which way the German's were heading, but always knowing that their search for Jews was the German's utmost goal. Hitler had spread the word down to all his commands to capture anyone that was Jewish or even part Jewish. They would then transport them to interment camps where, depending on their age, sex, and value to helping the Nazi's, they were killed or kept to work for the Nazi's.

Andre' Sauverin was a professor at the Free University in Brussels. Andre' and his family were from a Jewish family and he knew they would be targeted by the Nazi's because of their looks. Immediately the bombings started forcing all that could reach a shelter into the nearest place of safety, even though it might be only a crude place. In those first days the rush to flee the city became of the utmost urgency. Andre' and his brother Alex gathered their families and started the exodus towards France where they thought they would be safe for a while. All modes of transportation were jammed as were the roads with many fleeing their homeland to keep their families safe as long as possible. Andre' and Alex gathered their families and took their old Buick with a trailer attached behind for all their goods for which they had space. Their long travel was extremely difficult as they negotiated many mountain passes and trails. The days were long and the nights longer. Andre' and Alex laid out the best possible methods of travel to get their families through each day hoping for a safe place to stay at night and for some food to keep them nourished. They took what little food they had but it didn't last long. Some nights they were fortunate to find shelter, and even more rare, some food. Churches along the route helped tremendously as many pastors were a part of the resistance slowly being organized to resist the takeover of their nation. The problem was knowing who to trust and who would turn you in.

The trek by any means available from public transportation where available, to scarce automobiles, to horse-drawn carts, to walking was used while trying to avoid the German's and those that the German's made part of a controlling police force to assist in capturing Jews. Those in local governments were told they must help enforce the German law in all of Belgium, some willingly and many not so. The travels through Belgium and eventually France were long and hard.

They took the less traveled roads to avoid capture. Andre' had to leave to return to check on the Free University and his fellow professors. When he got there he was told that the university was closed for safety sake and all were to leave the area. The family had a stash of diamonds that they hid not knowing if those diamonds might save their lives some day or obtain food when all other sources were depleted.

Eventually they had to hide the Buick in an old barn and they continued on to race against time. They were advised many times where to go and who to trust but life was so hard as they, and many other refugees from Belgium felt insecure as they were continually notified that the German's and those helping them were searching the areas near where they traveled. The families were split apart, even some of each family had to go elsewhere thus breaking up Andre' and Alex's families even more.

The story has to be read fully to understand what these brave people went through in wartime. So many times when you thought you were safe you would hear of atrocities in nearby towns that thankfully you escaped this time. I thank Lynmar Brock, Jr. so much for giving us this story of brave people and how they existed as a family. As with every family there are deaths, illness, growing pains, maturity, reaching out to each other for help, and all other things that normally occur in lives but these were not normal lives at all.

Reader review by Cy Hilterman of a book supplied by The Amazon Vine Program