Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: The Soul of a Thief
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 5/7/1953
WEBSITE: http://www.stevenhartov.com/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
RESEARCHER NOTES:
| LC control no.: | n 91112028 |
|---|---|
| LCCN Permalink: | https://lccn.loc.gov/n91112028 |
| HEADING: | Hartov, Steven |
| 000 | 00496cz a2200157n 450 |
| 001 | 284949 |
| 005 | 20020206052653.0 |
| 008 | 911101n| acannaabn |n aaa |
| 010 | __ |a n 91112028 |
| 035 | __ |a (OCoLC)oca03051602 |
| 040 | __ |a DLC |b eng |c DLC |d DLC |d OCoLC |
| 053 | _0 |a PS3558.A7146 |
| 100 | 1_ |a Hartov, Steven |
| 670 | __ |a His The heat of Ramadan, c1992: |b CIP t.p. (Steven Hartov) |
| 670 | __ |a His The Devil’s shepherd, 2000: |b CIP t.p. (Steven Hartov) data sheet (b. May 7, 1952) |
| 953 | __ |a bc35 |b lh38 |
PERSONAL
Born May 7, 1952, in New London, CT.
EDUCATION:Boston University, B.F.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, editor, and military professional. Special Operations Report, former editor-in-chief.
MIILITARY:U.S. Merchant Marine Military Sealift Command, beginning 1973; Israel Defense Forces, volunteer in Airborne Corps, beginning 1977, special operations in Israeli Military Intelligence, reservist; National Guard, officer.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Steven Hartov is a writer, editor, and military professional. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston University. In 1973, Hartov joined the U.S. Merchant Marine Military Sealift Command. Four years later, he volunteered for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Hartov first served in the Airborne Corps in the IDF and later worked in Israeli Military Intelligence. After returning to the U.S., he became a member of the National Guard. Hartov has written and cowritten works of fiction and nonfiction. He was also the editor-in-chief of a military periodical called Special Operations Report.
The Heat of Ramadan, The Nylon Hand of God, and The Devil's Shepherd
The Heat of Ramadan is Hartov’s debut novel and the first book in a series starring Israeli spies, Eytan Eckstein and Benni Baum. This particular novel focuses more on Eckstein. He has traveled to Munich, Germany with other members of Israeli Military Intelligence on a mission to kill a terrorist from Palestine. The operation is a disaster, resulting in the death of the wrong person and the shooting of Eckstein. Their intended target, Amar Kamil, is said to have been murdered by others, but Eckstein believes he is still alive and is picking off members of Eckstein’s team. However, Eckstein has a difficult time convincing his boss of his theory. Referring to Hartov, a Publishers Weekly critic suggested: “He has a convincing sense of place … and … his Palestinian characters are refreshingly human.”
In The Nylon Hand of God, Benni Baum is sent to New York to look into the bombing of Israel’s embassy there. Baum believes it was orchestrated by Martina Klump in order to stop a prisoner exchange. However, it becomes clear that Iran was involved in the incident. Meanwhile, he reaches out to his daughter, who lives in New York and with whom he has not had a relationship. A reviewer in Publishers Weekly noted that the surprising revelations in the book “[lift] the novel from the realm of first-rate action-adventure into that of the finest sort of espionage thriller.”
Eckstein and Baum return in The Devil’s Shepherd. The two are working together to find the person who has been sharing Israeli nuclear secrets. They must deal with a difficult source, Jan Krumlov, a Czech man who has been living in Ethiopia. A contributor to Publishers Weekly commented: “For all its clever twists and high drama … the story suffers from bloat. At several points, it bogs down in schmaltzy dialogue and thickly applied subplots.”
In the Company of Heroes
Hartov collaborated with Michael J. Durant to write In the Company of Heroes. The book chronicles Durant’s experience as the pilot of one of the helicopters that crashed in Somalia in 1993. It also offers details on Durant’s early years and the aftermath of the helicopter crash.
Writing in Army Lawyer, John J. Siemietkowski asserted: “Michael Durant’s In the Company of Heroes is a must-read for anyone who even remotely liked Black Hawk Down. A gripping read, the book also provides valuable lessons and even some insider surprises. Though some may tire of the author’s swagger and sarcasm, no reader will begrudge Durant the right to tell this riveting story of courage, humor, and survival.” “Graphic in its description of concrete and grisly events, the book is … an anthem, a song of praise and joy to the brotherhood of warriors by a tough soldier who loves his buddies,” suggested Henry G. Cole in Parameters. Cole continued: “This book will provide the general reader with insight into the world of special operations. Professional military people will pop their shirt buttons, proud in sharing service to the United States of America with Mike Durant.” School Library Journal critic, Lynn Nutwell, noted that the book featured “a dramatic narrative by a talented storyteller.” John E. Boyd, writer in Kliatt, remarked: “The story is grim, realistic, and ‘edge of the seat’ exciting.”
The Night Stalkers and Afghanistan on the Bounce
Hartov collaborated with Durant and Robert L. Johnson to write The Night Stalkers: Top Secret Missions of the U.S. Army’s Special Operations Aviation Regiment. “It’s written for those who love vivid tales of battlefield heroics,” commented a Publishers Weekly reviewer.
Hartov is the author of the text in the 2014 volume, Afghanistan on the Bounce: Boots on the Ground with the U.S. Military and the International Security Assistance. The book features images taken by Robert L. Cunningham. Matt Sutherland, critic in ForeWord, called the book a “searing collection of photos.”
The Soul of a Thief
In 2018, Hartov released The Soul of a Thief. The novel’s protagonist is Shtefan Brandt, an Austrian teenager who is half-Jewish, half-Gentile. He is chosen to be the assistant to the Nazi officer, Erich Himmel. Shtefan’s situation becomes even more complicated when he falls in love with Himmel’s mistress, Gabrielle. Hartov told a writer on the Book Clubbish website: “Much of the inspiration for the story came from my own background, as my mother and her family were all Austrians, some of whom, although Jewish or partially Jewish, served in the Austrian or German armies. However, the driving force behind the novel came from a recurring dream that I used to have as a child; it is a scene that figures prominently in the book.” In an interview with a contributor to the Big Thrill website, Hartov stated: “I’m hoping that readers of all ages will be fully engaged with the story as well as the atmosphere of WWII, and find themselves desperately wanting to know the outcome and be thoroughly satisfied in the end.” Hartov added: “I believe that books like The Soul of a Thief help the genre to remain broad-spectrum by keeping historical settings alive.”
A reviewer on the Historical Novel Society website asserted: “While the novel is oddly varied in tone, the book is nonetheless compelling.” The same writer called it “difficult to put down.” “The Soul of a Thief is simply a wondrous and utterly captivating novel,” commented Thomas Gaughan in Booklist. A Publishers Weekly writer called it “an engrossing account of a lesser-known side of the war.” A contributor to Kirkus Reviews remarked: “A fast-moving plot and vivid characters make this a most satisfying read.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Army Lawyer, November, 2006, John J. Siemietkowski, review of In the Company of Heroes, p. 61.
Booklist, February 15, 2018, Thomas Gaughan, review of The Soul of a Thief, p. 35.
ForeWord, May 27, 2014, Matt Sutherland, review of Afghanistan on the Bounce: Boots on the Ground with the U.S. Military and the International Security Assistance.
Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2018, review of The Soul of a Thief.
Kliatt, September, 2004, John E. Boyd, review of In the Company of Heroes, p. 41.
Parameters, spring, 2004, Henry G. Cole, review of In the Company of Heroes, p. 132.
Publishers Weekly, April 27, 1992, review of The Heat of Ramadan, p. 247; March 4, 1996, review of The Nylon Hand of God, p. 55; March 6, 2000, review of The Devil’s Shepherd, p. 84; October 16, 2006, review of The Night Stalkers: Top Secret Missions of the U.S. Army’s Special Operations Aviation Regiment, p. 46; February 26, 2018, review of The Soul of a Thief, p. 61.
School Library Journal, September, 2003, Lynn Nutwell, review of In the Company of Heroes, p. 242.
ONLINE
Big Thrill, http://www.thebigthrill.org/ (April 1, 2018), author interview and review of The Soul of a Thief.
Book Clubbish, https://www.bookclubbish.com/ (March 20, 2018), author interview.
Historical Novel Society, https://historicalnovelsociety.org/ (May 27, 2018), review of The Soul of a Thief.
Steven Hartov website, http://www.stevenhartov.com (June 18, 2018).
Steven Hartov was born in New London, Connecticut, attended public schools in New England and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Boston University. In 1973, he joined the U.S. Merchant Marine Military Sealift Command, beginning a series of adventures that would later appear in his non-fiction pieces and fictional works.
In 1977, he volunteered for the Israel Defense Forces Airborne Corps, serving first as a paratrooper and later in a Special Operations branch of Israeli Military Intelligence. He subsequently spent 13 more years as a reservist in the IDF, and currently serves as an officer in the New York Guard.
In the mid-1980s, he began writing a series of espionage novels based in the Middle East. His trilogy, “The Heat of Ramadan,” “The Nylon Hand of God” and “The Devil’s Shepherd,” earned nominations for the National Book Award, top ten placements in the Book of the Month Club and translations into six foreign languages. In 2003, he co-authored the New York Times non-fiction best seller, “In the Company of Heroes,” and most recently co-authored “The Night Stalkers.”
He is the former Editor-In-Chief of Special Operations Report, a professional journal on military and law enforcement special tactics. His works are recommended readings by the U.S. Army War College.
QUOTED: "A fast-moving plot and vivid characters make this a most satisfying read."
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Print Marked Items
Hartov, Steven: THE SOUL OF A THIEF
Kirkus Reviews.
(Feb. 15, 2018): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Hartov, Steven THE SOUL OF A THIEF Hanover Square Press (Adult Fiction) $24.99 4, 17 ISBN: 978-1-335-14457-7
A Waffen SS colonel plans to profit from World War II while his adjutant hopes to survive it in this tale of good and evil, sex and love.
Young Cpl. Shtefan Brandt looks fit and Aryan, so Col. Himmel chooses him as his adjutant. Himmel is a dashing hero who leads his men on daring raids against the Allies without "a bone of fear in his body." Brandt is Catholic, but he's terrified that Himmel will find out that he's mischling-- he had a Jewish great-grandmother. Fortunately, "for an assassin, a brigand, a tyrant and a thief, my master did have his good points," such as never checking Brandt's background. The thoroughly apolitical Himmel knows Germany is losing the war, and he schemes to steal the Allied payroll from a train. Characters are well-portrayed--Shtefan is upright, principled, even virginal until Himmel orders him to bed a woman. He fears disappointing his master, who can put a bullet in his head at any time. In occupied France, they see the beautiful 18-year-old Gabrielle Belmont, whose parents have been executed. The hateful Himmel takes her as his unwilling mistress--if she refuses, he'll make certain her townsfolk die--but both men are smitten with her. In time she secretly loves Shtefan, but both live "only at the Colonel's whim," so if they even hint at their feelings they will both die. Himmel reveals his robbery plan to Shtefan, which includes them and Gabrielle absconding to South America with the loot. But Shtefan hopes to steal both Gabrielle and some of the money from Himmel. Disgusting as the colonel is, he's an insightful man. Knowing from an intercepted letter that Shtefan's mother has just been sent to Dachau, he tells his adjutant that "In the end, your kind will find my kind."
A fast-moving plot and vivid characters make this a most satisfying read. Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
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"Hartov, Steven: THE SOUL OF A THIEF." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Feb. 2018. Book Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A527248199/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=f8c0bb2c. Accessed 27 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A527248199
QUOTED: "an engrossing account of a lesser-known side of the war."
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The Soul of a Thief
Publishers Weekly.
265.9 (Feb. 26, 2018): p61+. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Soul of a Thief
Steven Hartov. Hanover Square, $24.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-335-14457-7
Hartov (In the Company of Heroes) bleakly depicts the fate of the Mischlinge--half-and quarter-Jews who fought, sometimes of their own free will, for the Third Reich--in this rich if detached novel. In spring 1944 Shtefan Brandt, young adjutant to SS Colonel Himmel, fears he may not survive the war after Himmel begins volunteering his brigade for some of the war's bloodiest battles. Born into a Jewish family, Shtefan (at least on paper) is now a Catholic. But if his true identity were to come out, it would likely be a death sentence. As the war teeters toward defeat for the Germans, Himmel, who believes the war is lost, lets his trusted assistant in on his plan to steal Nazi gold and flee Europe after the Allies claim victory. Shtefan is attracted to Himmels mistress, Gabrielle, who is also embroiled in Himmels plans. As Gabrielle and Shtefan get closer and the war closes in, they plot a life away from Himmel and the Nazis that involves stealing the gold for themselves. Hartov's book isn't short on emotion, but the narration lacks immediacy and the characters' often calm, rational demeanors tend to feel out of step with the tense and deadly situations confronting them. Despite this, the wealth of details about the Mischlinge makes for an engrossing account of a lesser-known side of the war. (Apr.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Soul of a Thief." Publishers Weekly, 26 Feb. 2018, p. 61+. Book Review Index Plus,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A530637400/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=2bbe2f44. Accessed 27 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A530637400
QUOTED: "The Soul of a Thief is simply a wondrous and utterly captivating novel."
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The Soul of a Thief
Thomas Gaughan
Booklist.
114.12 (Feb. 15, 2018): p35. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2018 American Library Association http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
* The Soul of a Thief.
By Steven Hartov.
Apr. 2018.304p. Hanover Square, $24.99 (9781335144577); e-book (9781488079443).
Eighteen-year-old Shtefan Brandt is plucked from his job in a Vienna hospital by Waffen SS Colonel Erich Himmel to serve as Himmel's "adjutant," his clerk and manservant. He soon learns that Himmel's commandos are assigned difficult, high-risk missions. He also knows that he is a mischling, a person with both Aryan and Jewish ancestry, who might be summarily executed by his willful superior. Shtefan focuses only on his duties, and Himmel comes to depend on him and even seems to treat him like a stern father educating a promising son. But it's 1943. The war-wise Himmel knows it will end badly for Germany, and he has little regard for Hitler or his military superiors. He plans to steal a fortune in the chaos of the coming cross-channel invasion and disappear with Gabrielle, a beautiful French girl he has coerced into being his mistress. But Shtefan is also in love with Gabrielle, and he knows killing Himmel is the only path to happiness and redemption. Shtefan tells the story, and the young man's thoughtful, epistolary style makes scenes of desperate battle and budding love come alive with remarkable power. The Soul of a Thiefis simply a wondrous and utterly captivating novel.--Thomas Gaughan
YA: The 18-year-old narrator and high-stakes plot might endear this novel to teen fans of historicalfiction. SH.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Gaughan, Thomas. "The Soul of a Thief." Booklist, 15 Feb. 2018, p. 35. Book Review Index Plus,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A531171566/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=3afb5a6d. Accessed 27 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A531171566
QUOTED: "The story is grim, realistic, and 'edge of the seat' exciting."
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In the Company of Heroes
John E. Boyd
Kliatt.
38.5 (Sept. 2004): p41+. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2004 Kliatt http://hometown.aol.com/kliatt/
Full Text:
DURANT, Michael J., with Steven Hartov. In the company of heroes; a true story. Penguin, New American Library. 361p. illus. map. c2003.0-451-21060-3. $14.00. SA
This is the perfect companion piece to Blackhawk Down, which tells the story of an ill-fated raid on Mogadishu, Somalia in October 1993. In the Company of Heroes focuses on the life of the author, Michael Durant, one of the chopper pilots who crashed, was captured and survived. It should be near the top of the list for real life/action/adventure fans and students of the military. There will be a high level of reader interest and it might turn on some reluctant readers.
The story is grim, realistic, and "edge of the seat" exciting. The running account of Durant's captivity is interrupted with flashbacks to his earlier life, his training, his tour of duty as a medivac pilot in Korea, and to other times and other places. The story of the harsh treatment he received while a prisoner of the Somalis is presented in a depressing, matter-of-fact, believable way. Throughout his incarceration, the care he received for his injuries was never better than substandard. Although the situation was bleak, Durant put his training to work to see him through the ordeal. He maintained a positive attitude and never lost faith. At times his sense of humor showed through. He was released after 11 days in captivity, brought home, and restored to health.
Throughout the book, Durant pays tribute to the men who served with him (ergo the title). Photographs and a map enhance the text. This is a YA's kind of book.
S--Recommended for senior high school students.
A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.
Prof. John E. Boyd, Jenkintown, PA Boyd, John E.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Boyd, John E. "In the Company of Heroes." Kliatt, Sept. 2004, p. 41+. Book Review Index Plus,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A122460955/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=539e94fc. Accessed 27 May 2018.
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Gale Document Number: GALE|A122460955
QUOTED: "[lift] the novel from the realm of first-rate action-adventure into that of the finest sort of espionage thriller."
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The Nylon Hand of God
Publishers Weekly.
243.10 (Mar. 4, 1996): p55. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 1996 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Steven Hartov. Morrow, $23 (512p) ISBN 0-688-14120-X
Like his debut, The Heat of Ramadan, Hartov's second novel is a superior thriller, dark and exciting, that pits an Israeli military intelligence officer against ruthless and wily terrorists. The narrative opens with a suicide bombing of the Israeli embassy in New York. Because the attack may have been intended to disrupt Operation Moonlight, an imminent top-secret prisoner exchange between Israel and the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hizbollah, the operation's engineer, Lt. Colonel Benjamin "Benni" Baum, flies to the States to investigate. There, the aging Baum takes time out to reconcile with his estranged daughter-- who becomes a prime target for the colonel's old enemy, German terrorist Martina Klump, whom Baum suspects of the bombing. But neither Baum nor Klump suspect that they both are being manipulated by agents of Iran, who are using the prisoner exchange as a cover for a far more dangerous game. Hartov excels not only at action scenes--a shoot-out in a nursing home; the theft of a missile--but also at character touches and turns that deepen and complicate the plot. The most resonant complications concern Baum's past. Once revealed, they throw a shadow over the entire narrative, even its thrilling climax, lifting the novel from the realm of first-rate action-adventure into that of the finest sort of espionage thriller--one that touches on the painful truths behind the spymaster's stocks-in-trade of deceit and betrayal. (Apr.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Nylon Hand of God." Publishers Weekly, 4 Mar. 1996, p. 55. Book Review Index Plus,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A18064309/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=0bc976ef. Accessed 27 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A18064309
QUOTED: "For all its clever twists and high drama ... the story suffers from bloat. At several points, it bogs down in schmaltzy dialogue and thickly applied subplots."
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THE DEVIL'S SHEPHERD
Publishers Weekly.
247.10 (Mar. 6, 2000): p84. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2000 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
STEVEN HARTOV. Morrow, $24 (352p) ISBN 0-688-14121-8
Two battle-weary Israeli intelligence operatives--both on the verge of taking desk jobs--agree to tackle one last mission in this rousing, if overly sentimental, thriller about duty and dirty tricks in the desert, The two superagents, Eytan Eckstein and Benni Baum, accept the assignment to uncover the identity of a mole who has infiltrated Israel's nuclear missile defense system. The mission will force them to slip into Ethiopia to rescue a Czech defector, Jan Krumlov, who promises to divulge the name of the mole. Krumlov, however, has conditions: Eckstein and Baum must first extract his wife from Bosnia, then help him bring 50 Ethiopian Jewish children he's protecting back to Israel. Eckstein and Baum hold up their end of the bargain, but once in Ethiopia, they discover that Krumlov is a much more complicated man, with far more complicated motives, than first believed. He's also wanted dead or alive by a vicious band of Ethiopian rebels who don't care who else might get killed in their manhunt. Hartov, who himself worked in Israeli intelligence, infuses his story with enough realistic detail about espionage and the military to keep the intrigue high. For all its clever twists and high drama, however, the story suffers from bloat. At several points, it bogs down in schmaltzy dialogue and thickly applied subplots about the regrets of career soldiers and their domestic troubles. Eckstein and Baum, returnees from Hartov's previous novels The Heat of Ramadan and The Nylon Hand of God, are solid but predictable heroes. Far more absorbing are some of the story's secondary characters, who show the human side of the dark world of espionage. (Mar.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"THE DEVIL'S SHEPHERD." Publishers Weekly, 6 Mar. 2000, p. 84. Book Review Index Plus,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A60070560/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=9c9b4921. Accessed 27 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A60070560
QUOTED: "He has a convincing sense of place ... and ... his Palestinian characters are refreshingly human."
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The Heat of Ramadan
Publishers Weekly.
239.20 (Apr. 27, 1992): p247. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 1992 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
First novelist Hartov makes a smashing debut with this well-crafted, provocative political thriller written with an insider's accuracy. Near Munich, a team from Israeli Military Intelligence (AMAN) assassinates a Palestinian terrorist, then learns that it has killed the wrong man. After recovering from bullet wounds suffered during the botched operation, Eytan Eckstein, the team leader, returns to duty - and a kind of purgatory. Already guilty and frustrated, he is constantly ridiculed by the vain, ambitious leader of AMAN. In the meantime, the word among terrorists is that the intended target of the Munich mission, Amar Kamil (read Carlos or Abu Nidal), has been killed by rivals. When members of Eckstein's team, now scattered across the globe, are killed in seemingly freak accidents, however, Eckstein is convinced that Kamil is alive, although his boss won't hear of it. Hartov, an American who served in the Israeli parachute corps and intelligence agency (this book was vetted by an Israeli military censor), offers a complex, high-tension, consistently engrossing narrative. He has a convincing sense of place (his portrait of Jerusalem is especially evocative) and - in a departure from most fictional portrayals - his Palestinian characters are refreshingly human.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Heat of Ramadan." Publishers Weekly, 27 Apr. 1992, p. 247. Book Review Index Plus,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A12234635/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=d5193f97. Accessed 27 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A12234635
QUOTED: "searing collection of photos."
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Afghanistan on the Bounce; Boots on the Ground with the U.S. Military and the International Security Assistance
Force
Matt Sutherland
ForeWord.
(May 27, 2014): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2014 ForeWord http://www.forewordmagazine.com
Full Text:
Robert L. Cunningham and Steven Hartov; AFGHANISTAN ON THE BOUNCE; Insight Editions (Nonfiction: Photography) 40.00 ISBN: 9781608872183
Byline: Matt Sutherland
The US military presence in nomadic Afghanistan represents the world's most advanced weaponry and technology, placed in the hands of highly trained volunteer soldiers from every corner of hyperindustrialized America -- it's an absurdly asymmetrical, discomforting experience for both Afghans and Americans.
This searing collection of photos was culled from the 55,000 that Robert Cunningham shot during the 132 missions he took part in. Beyond the high tension of combat, it's the day-to-day trivialities of troop life -- chow lines, religious services, kicking around a soccer ball -- that lift this book to rare heights.
Matt Sutherland
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Sutherland, Matt. "Afghanistan on the Bounce; Boots on the Ground with the U.S. Military and the
International Security Assistance Force." ForeWord, 27 May 2014. Book Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A369900798/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=42f35cad. Accessed 27 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A369900798
QUOTED: "It's written for those who love vivid tales of battlefield heroics."
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The Night Stalkers: Top-Secret
Missions of the U.S. Army's Special
Operations Aviation Regiment
Publishers Weekly.
253.41 (Oct. 16, 2006): p46+. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2006 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Night Stalkers: Top-Secret Missions of the U.S. Army's Special Operations Aviation Regiment MICHAEL J. DURANT AND STEVEN HARTOV WITH LT. COL. (RET.) ROBERT L. JOHNSON. Putnam, $25.95 (384p) ISBN 978-0-399-15392-1
Until 1980, Special Forces (Delta, SEALs, Rangers, Green Berets) relied on ad hoc transportation from other units to get to every operation. That led to disaster in 1980, when the failed Iranian hostage rescue left hulks of five helicopters in the Iranian desert. The U.S. Army decided to do it right the next time, resulting in the creation of SOAR, the Special Operations Aviation Regiment, a highly trained, aggressive unit of helicopter pilots and crew. Durant (In the Company of Heroes) and coauthors recount half a dozen SOAR missions from Grenada in 1983 and Panama in 1989 to Afghanistan and Iraq today, all with abundant fireworks and casualties. However, in this account, bravery occurs only on our side, while opponents are gleefully cackling comic-book villains blown to smithereens by America's deadly firepower. Readers who wonder why our magnificent troops are assailing, say, the Panamanian army, which no one would mistake for the Wehrmacht, have picked up the wrong book. It's written for those who love vivid tales of battlefield heroics and seek no more insight from books than they do from video games. (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Night Stalkers: Top-Secret Missions of the U.S. Army's Special Operations Aviation
Regiment." Publishers Weekly, 16 Oct. 2006, p. 46+. Book Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A153188361/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=ec76c12c. Accessed 27 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A153188361
QUOTED: "a dramatic narrative by a talented storyteller."
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Durant, Michael J. & Steven Hartov.
In the Company of Heroes
Lynn Nutwell
School Library Journal.
49.9 (Sept. 2003): p242. From Book Review Index Plus.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
361p. maps. photos. Putnam. 2003. Tr $24.95. ISBN 0-399-15060-9. LC 20033043196.
Adult/High School--A decade ago, Durant and his crew were shot down while flying a U.S. Army Special Operations Black Hawk helicopter in the heart of Mogadishu. The only survivor after a firefight with hostile forces of warlord Mohamed Farah Aidid, the author recounts the conditions of his 11 days in captivity, with experiences that ranged from heroic to gruesome, harrowing, bizarre, and compassionate. Suffering severe injuries to his back, leg, and face, moved under guard through a sequence of rudimentary facilities in a volatile combat environment, and facing the deadly risk of discovery by rival clans, Durant became a political pawn receiving global media attention. Readers of Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down (Atlantic Monthly, 1999) who wished for a more technically detailed analysis of the mission's operational aspects will savor this account. The book also incorporates chapters on the arduous training required to earn a spot in an elite squadron and lays groundwork for appreciating the Mogadishu engagement by describing prior high-risk special operations in Korea, Panama, and Iraq in which Durant participated. Each episode resonates with the sense of bonding among combat brethren, and the professional esprit and conviction behind mottoes such as "NSDQ" (Night Stalkers Don't Quit), as exemplified by Durant's squadron mates who flew above the embattled city in the days after his shoot-down, broadcasting: "Mike Durant .... We will not leave without you." A dramatic narrative by a talented storyteller.--Lynn Nutwell, Fairfax City Regional Library, VA
Nutwell, Lynn
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Nutwell, Lynn. "Durant, Michael J. & Steven Hartov. In the Company of Heroes." School Library
Journal, Sept. 2003, p. 242. Book Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc /A108791772/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=5285b4f4. Accessed 27 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A108791772
QUOTED: "Graphic in its description of concrete and grisly events, the book is ... an anthem, a song of praise and joy to the brotherhood of warriors by a tough soldier who loves his buddies."
"This book will provide the general reader with insight into the world of special operations. Professional military people will pop their shirt buttons, proud in sharing service to the United States of America with Mike Durant."
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In the Company of Heroes
Henry G. Gole
Parameters.
34.1 (Spring 2004): p132+. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2004 U.S. Army War College http://strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/parameters/
Full Text:
In the Company of Heroes. By Michael J. Durant (CW4, USA Ret.) with Steven Hartov. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2003. 361 pages. $24.95.
Your reviewer commends In the Company of Heroes to readers who care to know just what elite American soldiers do in training and in combat, and how they feel about their work. Graphic in its description of concrete and grisly events, the book is also an anthem, a song of praise and joy to the brotherhood of warriors by a tough soldier who loves his buddies.
Blackhawk helicopter master aviator Michael Durant's story of his experience in combat and confinement as a prisoner of war (POW) in Mogadishu, Somalia, is the centerpiece of the book. It's a story that grabs the reader and refuses to let go. But Durant and professional writer Steven Hartov go a step further by putting the actions and reflections they describe so well in context. Seriously injured and almost immobile, Durant had time to think while in enemy hands, expecting to die, from 3 to 14 October 1993. Ruminating about how he got to his near-hopeless situation as a POW allows him to describe: relevant aspects of the US military organization; the evolution of special operations after the spectacular failure of Desert One in April 1980; and, most particularly, the Night Stalkers, the 160th SOAR (A) (Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Army), unmatched flying professionals whose work is their passion. The tactical situation emerges in great clarity, and his criticism of policy affecting the structure of the US forces in Somalia is brief and lucid. (It could have been a politicized rant, since Durant's friends died as a consequence of the armored force requested and denied. He avoids that temptation.)
US military forces launched Operation Restore Hope, a humanitarian effort in support of the United Nations to feed starving people in Somalia, in December 1992. Somali warlord Mohamed Farah Aidid pillaged and sold the humanitarian aid for profit. Task Force Ranger, composed of US Army, Navy, and Air Force special operators, was ordered to capture Aidid and his key people. Mark Bowden's book, Black Hawk Down, and the film of the same name, capture the feel of the operation and describe it well. In the Company of Heroes focuses on Durant's actions, observations, and thoughts, beginning with the snatch operation of 3 October 1993 that turned bad early and got much worse.
An RPG (the shoulder-fired Rocket Propelled Grenade system that has been killing American troops from Vietnam in the 1960s to Iraq in 2004) knocked Durant's Black Hawk out of the sky, killing his crew and leaving him injured, alone in Mogadishu and about to be overrun by a mob prepared to tear him apart. Sergeants Gary Gordon and Randy Shugart, Delta Force operators, observing from another bird a living American in the wreck, persisted in requests to be put on the ground until
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permission was granted. Facing almost certain death, Gordon and Shugart extracted Durant, put him in a safer location, and died fighting off the crazed mob.
Durant was surprised to find himself alive, taken from the mob by Somali leaders who recognized his value to them in bargaining with the Americans. But he didn't exactly get a free ride. In addition to a compound fracture of his upper leg and severe and painful injury to his back, his cheek was broken and an eye was injured when he was clubbed with the severed limb of a comrade. Then he was shot and peppered with concrete and cinder block pieces. His worst experiences were moves from one location to another that found him tossed and folded into small cars, causing excruciating pain. He drank water from a bowl also used as a urine receptacle, slept on concrete floors, and fought off the ubiquitous black flies some of us remember from the TV coverage of starving Somali children.
A weaker man would have recognized the hopelessness of his plight and surrendered to despair. Durant, the beneficiary of excellent training and a solid moral foundation, used both to survive and to prepare for even more disappointment and pain. A lukewarm Roman Catholic before his capture, he found strength as a POW in revivified religious faith, a story heard from others who survived the POW experience. But his bond to his friends was key. He was convinced that "Night Stalkers Don't Quit," the motto of the 160th, was a promise; and he believed his commander who said early in the mission that no one would be left behind. Confirmation came from the sky. His friends, not knowing his location, over-flew the city while broadcasting, "Mike Durant. We will not leave without you." Hearing that, Durant smiled in the knowledge that despite all obstacles, the world was in order. Then his favorite songs were played on Armed Forces Network, dedicated to him by his friends. The bond sustained him.
This book will provide the general reader with insight into the world of special operations. Professional military people will pop their shirt buttons, proud in sharing service to the United States of America with Mike Durant.
Reviewed by Dr. Henry G. Gole (Colonel, USA Ret.), a special operations veteran and author of The Road to Rainbow: Army Planning for Global War, 1934-1940.
Gole, Henry G.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Gole, Henry G. "In the Company of Heroes." Parameters, Spring 2004, p. 132+. Book Review Index
Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A115566407/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=76a4fd2a. Accessed 27 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A115566407
QUOTED: "Michael Durant's In the Company of Heroes is a must-read for anyone who even remotely liked Black Hawk Down. A gripping read, the book also provides valuable lessons and even some insider surprises. Though some may tire of the author's swagger and sarcasm, no reader will begrudge Durant the right to tell this riveting story of courage, humor, and survival."
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In the Company of Heroes
John J. Siemietkowski
Army Lawyer.
(Nov. 2006): p61+. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2006 Judge Advocate General's School http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/Military_Law/Army_Lawyer.html
Full Text:
Ranger! Ranger! You die Somalia! (3) Introduction
On 3 October 1993, Somali insurgents shot down a Blackhawk helicopter piloted by Chief Warrant Officer Three (CW3) Michael Durant. As the only survivor of the crash, the Somalis captured Durant and held him prisoner for ten days. Ten years after the battle of Mogadishu, Durant, one of the central combatants of those terrible days in Somalia, published his personal memoir of the fight, his captivity, and his eventual release. Equally as riveting as Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down, (4) In the Company of Heroes is a hard-to-put-down tale of courage, humor, and, ultimately, survival. Though some readers may tire of the author's swagger and sarcasm, the book is riveting and provides valuable lessons about preparing for and surviving captivity.
"Ranger! Ranger! You die Somalia!" sums up the abject terror felt by Durant upon his capture and initial torture by the Somalis. The Somalis yelled this at Chief Durant as they dragged him away from his burning helicopter and tore at his clothes, (5) as they rifled through "every pocket of [his] trousers" in search of valuables, (6) and as they "jabbed AK-47 barrels in [his] face." (7) Just as the phrase became a mantra for Durant's Somali tormentors, it almost becomes an incantation that forms the backdrop for Durant's gripping narration.
A Peripatetic Format
In the Company of Heroes jumps among places and times central to the author's life, despite the book's focus on Somalia in October 1993. The author devotes a prologue and nine chapters to harrowing accounts of his capture and captivity in Somalia. He intersperses these Somalia memories with chapters devoted to his earlier training and assignments. For example, following Chapter Two, A Prisoner of Hate, (8) which describes his initial capture, Durant details his early career flying medical evacuations (medevacs). (9) Even within chapters, Chief Durant sometimes wanders from one time and place to another. When detailing the clutching and grabbing of the angry Somali mob, Durant deviates and mentally "return[s] to [his] home in New Hampshire," describing the people and activities of his childhood. (10) When recounting a mission during his assignment to Korea, he also suddenly returns to memories of being "a young kid in a small New England town." (11)
At first, this itinerant format is annoying to the reader. It is difficult to switch from reading about the author falling asleep in captivity, "feeling the hot tears running from the comers of my eyes and into my ears," (12) to reading on the next page of text about the author's thoughts in 1998 about being a
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medevac pilot. (13) After digesting a chapter that concludes with the author stating, "I had no idea if it would be one night of captivity or a thousand," (14) the reader wants to know what happened when Durant woke up the next day in Somalia. Instead, the author returns to reminiscing about Korea in November 1985.
Durant, however, carefully weaves his movement of time and place so that the reader arrives at the understanding the author seeks to achieve. Durant's interlacement of stories allows his memories to feed off of each other. For example, when Durant deviates from his searing description of being carried aloft by the Somali mob to discuss his New Hampshire childhood, the morphing of his childhood memories into his present terror accentuates that terror all the more:
Her [Durant's high school girlfriend] smile was wide and snow
white, and I felt my chest flutter with the promise of romantic
adventure as I raised my hand and she reached out for me ... Then
suddenly her smile turned into a vicious snarl, her fingers grabbed
for my crotch, and she screamed and squeezed with all her
might. (15)
At another point, Durant leaves his Somalia narrative to state, "I had never been so cold in my life." (16) Referring there to his survival, evasion, resistance, escape (SERE) training, this is a perfect transition between times and places as Durant recounts how he called upon his SERE training when his captors asked him to videotape a statement. (17) Later, there is an unlikely transition between Durant's description of U.S. helicopters flying overhead, and his reminisces of the first Gulf War. (18) Even here, though, the transition makes sense simply because Durant seems puzzled that of all the places he could dream about, he "returned instead to memories of Iraq." (19)
In addition to juxtaposing these times and places, removing the reader from Somalia does not necessarily lead to boring text. Wholly apart from the emotive retelling of his Somali captivity, Durant's non-Somali chapters would make for interesting reading all by themselves. The author introduces his Korea chapter by stating "The wounded soldier in the back of my chopper was going to die." (20) He then recounts a nail-biting tale of flying through a dangerous snow storm to take that Soldier to the hospital. (21) In describing his role in Panama in 1989, Durant states, "Then the Panamanians opened up with everything they had" as he recounts the airborne operation. (22) In similar riveting fashion, Durant opens his Iraq chapter with, "A SCUD missile launcher loomed in my gunsight, and I knew I had it dead to rights." (23) Such peripatetic wandering between times and places also breaks up the tension inherent in retelling Durant's horribly mesmerizing story of capture and captivity.
A Gripping Tale
Durant's story is unavoidably spell-binding. Even if In the Company of Heroes was poorly written, the facts themselves would keep readers awake long into the night. Matching those facts with a compelling, first-person narrative captures readers and ensures them long nights and rapid pulse rates.
Even before describing his mission, capture, and captivity, Durant's vivid account of the smells of Somalia brings the scene to life:
I think it was the first time that I really smelled Somalia ... the
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heavy stench of fetid garbage, mixed with nostril-flaring fumes of
JP-4 jet fuel. We were right on the ocean, the wind usually blowing
from the southwest, carrying the brine of the sea. Coffee was
constantly brewing in the [Joint Operation Center], and it blended
with the cold concoctions from the mess hall, floating above a thin
layer of urine and feces fog from the Porta Potties. (24)
Durant offers other similarly engaging observations as his ill-fated mission prepared to launch and later as he approached the target area. Referring to his sense of uneasiness about flying in daylight, Durant states, "For a second, something crawled up my stomach." (25) Discussing his initial view as his chopper took off, Durant writes, "I am not a man who believes in omens, but there were sharks in the water." (26) Using verbs like "flying," "hover," "echoed," "tiptoeing," "deployed," "snagged," "nudged," "scraping," and "banging," the author describes the deployment of his "chalk" of Rangers from his helicopter. (27) At points like this, which are common throughout, the book simply is very hard to put down. For example, Durant provides the following description of the crash of his helicopter:
I heard a rapidly accelerating whine, an unearthly, building
scream, and then the tail rotor assembly completely disintegrated
into vapor with an earsplitting BANG ... Super Six-Four started to
spin so fast that the sky and ground became nothing but two blurred
strips of blue and brown in front of my eyes ... I was hurled
against the harness, my hands desperately yanking and twisting the
controls.... (28)
Regaining consciousness after the crash, Durant realized the extent of his back injury.
Two of my vertebrae had smacked together on impact, displacing the
disk between them and pulverizing each other. Every muscle in my
back must have tried to prevent that catastrophe and been ripped
apart in the effort, and it felt like some evil giant had me on his
worktable, squeezing my spine in an iron vise. I stopped moving and
just tried to breathe without passing out. (29)
The pilot next assessed his leg injury.
My right leg felt strangely numb, and as soon as I tried to move it
I knew that the femur had broken clean in half over the edge of my
Kevlar seat. My M-9 pistol was still strapped to my right thigh,
and as its weight shifted I could feel the splintered ends of my
bones grinding against one another. (30)
Details like this are so graphic that the reader can almost feel back and leg pain when reading Durant's account.
Durant's writing makes the reader empathize with his in extremis situation. Describing the sound of the approaching mob, Durant says,
It was the sound of approaching death, just overwhelmingly
terrifying, and I knew that as soon as they came around the nose of
that helicopter and saw me, they were going to chop me to pieces.
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That's what they had done to the Nigerians. That's what they did to
everybody. We had heard eyewitness accounts of them playing soccer
with the skulls of their enemies. (31)
Durant further relates the mob clubbing him with the "severed arm of one of my comrades," throwing dirt into his eyes and mouth as they carried him aloft, and feeling pain as his "broken femur cleaved into the back of my leg, the sharp bone puncturing right out through my skin." (32) In similar gripping fashion, Durant describes noticing the broken bones in his face (33) and his surprised horror as a Somali shot him when he was chained and in his makeshift prison cell. (34) Even when the action slows down, Durant's description of relatively mundane activities is fascinating: "Then [the guard] came up with a small wooden stick ... I soaked the stick in water, rubbed the frayed end over my teeth, and rinsed. I ended up with a few splinters in my gums...." (35)
Likewise, when recounting his thoughts during captivity, Durant's story is emotive: "I decided it was going to be a long wait ... I would have to slow the metabolism of my hope." (36) Similarly, when hearing his friend's voice calling out from an overhead chopper, "'Mike Durant ... We will not leave without you,'" the author "swallowed hard, my streaming eyes following the sweet drone of that helo's rotors," as he silently said, "I know you won't Dan ... I know you won't!" (37) Durant reveals further introspection when relating his emotions upon receiving pictures of his wife and young son. "I waited till [his guard] left, and then I stared at my family for an hour, slowly caressing their images with my fingers." (38) Revealing his non-warrior side, Durant recounts his emotions upon learning that the Somalis were to release him: "I could almost feel the walls of my defenses cracking, like thin fissures appearing in the face of a dam." (39)
Finally, when recounting his release, Durant continues his gripping narrative. He describes his excitement at receiving medical treatment, "Morphine? Did he say morphine?"; (40) the incongruity of his guard carrying United Nations credentials while wearing a "Viva Aidid" t-shirt; (41) and the shock of the American who first saw him, "Holy Mother of God! It's Mike Durant! Medic!" (42)
Swagger and Sarcasm
Though it detracts little from the book, some readers may tire of Durant's swagger and sarcasm. Chief Durant comes across as a John Wayne gunslinger and a classic wise-guy. Early on Durant writes, "Mogadishu was Tombstone, and we were Wyatt Earp." (43) In discussing his colleagues, Durant describes them as "the kind of professionals who could pick off a rabbit from a roller coaster with a BB gun. To me, they were Batman and Robin, only much better." (44) In recounting his Korea assignment, Durant writes, "There were other officers, a fixed-wing pilot, and the kinds of Army nurses people envision from M*A*S*H. For a time, I had a free relationship with a nurse...." (45) When describing a visit from a Somali doctor, he recalls thinking to himself, "What I need is a double dose of morphine and bottle of Jack." (46)
At times Durant's prose exhibits much bravado, but clearly it is not false bravado. Durant's training and combat missions earned him the right to brag long before he went to Somalia. Moreover, Durant demonstrates his awareness of knowing when to boast about "Tombstone" and when to recognize reality by stating, "I could use the John Wayne standard and give up only the Big Four [when being interrogated on camera]. That worked great in the movies, but here my goal was survival, not fruitless heroism." (47)
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Durant's comments from capture through captivity also offer prime examples of sarcasm. For example, Durant states the following: "Hey, maybe you guys would consider exchanging me for a Mercedes with a CD player and a Mohamed Aidid hood ornament;" (48) "making Custer's Last Stand look like nothing more than a rained-out corporate picnic;" (49) "This is just what I need.... A minus-three-star hotel and a restless roommate;" (50) "Combat rations. That was the result of my failing to specify a menu request;" (51) "Don't bother making up the room. And I'll just go down to the lobby for the buffet;" (52) "Whatever you say, man. Enjoy your Third World Alka-Seltzer;" (53) and "And don't forget the buxom nurse twins and the beer keg." (54)
Though this sarcasm becomes tiring at times, the reader senses that it is just Durant's character. Furthermore, Durant likely needed that sarcasm and sense of humor to mentally survive capture and captivity. When you are forced to use the same bowl for relieving yourself and washing yourself, (55) you have to keep your sanity somehow, and humor and sarcasm obviously helped Durant through his ordeal.
In addition to swagger and sarcasm, the book also has a few other shortcomings. Though the book contains some maps of Mogadishu, it would be helpful to see sketches of the rooms where the Somalis held the author captive. It would also be interesting to learn more about the breakup of the author's marriage a few years after his return from Somalia. (56) Though inappropriate to pry too far into Durant's personal life, it nonetheless would be intriguing to know what effect, if any, his Somali experience had on the end of his first marriage and on his subsequent remarriage.
Surprises
While the entire book is fascinating, Durant surprises the reader several times with interesting facts that only an insider would know. In his Acknowledgements, Durant thanks Ross Perot first, (57) and later describes Perot's quiet support to his family and all Special Operations families. (58) At the other extreme, Durant recounts his surprise and anger at Colonel (retired) David Hackworth's personal attack on his conduct while in captivity. (59) Though most readers will have heard of the rescue attempt by Medal of Honor winners' Randy Shugart and Gary Gordon, Durant's account of his time with them as the Somalis swarmed towards the downed chopper is the only first-hand account of their on-the-ground heroism. (60) Later, the author shares a very personal letter sent to him by Shugart's widow (61) and recounts an almost spooky experience he had when checking out a book in Gary Gordon's hometown library. (62) Durant even admits to having an erotic dream while in captivity. (63)
For judge advocates, the most interesting surprise in the book is likely to be where Durant describes the first American he saw upon his release at the United Nations compound:
The van doors suddenly opened again, and standing there with his
mouth gaping was a lawyer. He was an American major, the Task Force
Ranger JAG officer, and I recognized him instantly ... And I would
never be so happy to see a lawyer again. He stood there for a
moment in shock, and then he yelled. "Holy Mother of God! It's Mike
Durant! Medic!" (64)
Lessons Learned
In the Company of Heroes is chock-full of lessons for all Soldiers, especially those deploying to
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combat areas. Though no Soldier ever wants to think about capture, Durant offers valuable lessons to commit to memory. Upon his initial capture by the Somali mob, Durant's focus was, "If I can survive for five [minutes], then I'll worry about the next five." (65) Durant also describes locking his elbows a certain way when being chained to help loosen his arms, (66) the importance of staying hydrated even when you don't feel like drinking, (67) tolerating pain when it is "pain with a purpose," (68) and the importance of "establishing a connection" with his captors. (69) The author also notes lessons learned upon his release and return to the U.S., such as dealing with news media (70) and distinguishing between real friends and phony friends. (71) Continuing to alternate between advice for combat and non-combat situations, Durant exhorts pilots to "carry all the ammunition and water they can," (72) and emphasizes the importance of family support groups. (73) Finally, in somewhat of a shot at political leaders, Durant expresses his unit's frustration at not being allowed to complete the mission: "It is difficult enough to bury a fallen comrade, but even harder to look into the eyes of his family, knowing that the objective for which he died has been deemed unobtainable by the very men who sent him to his death." (74)
Conclusion
Michael Durant's In the Company of Heroes is a must-read for anyone who even remotely liked Black Hawk Down. A gripping read, the book also provides valuable lessons and even some insider surprises. Though some may tire of the author's swagger and sarcasm, no reader will begrudge Durant the right to tell this riveting story of courage, humor, and survival.
(1) MICHAEL J. DURANT & STEVEN HARTOV, IN THE COMPANY OF HEROES (2003).
(2) Drilling Individual Mobilization Augmentee, Criminal Law Department, The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School, Charlottesville, Virginia.
(3) DURANT & HARTOV, supra note 1, at 42, 49-50, 56, 58.
(4) MARK BOWDEN, BLACK HAWK DOWN (1999). For a review of Black Hawk Down, see Major Tyler J. Harder, Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down, 166 MIL. L. REV. 199 (2000) (book review).
(5) DURANT & HARTOV, supra note 1, at 42.
(6) Id. at 49-50.
(7) Id. at 56 ("'Ranger, Ranger, kill many Somalis! You die Somalia!'"). (8) Id. at 45.
(9) Id. at 67 (Chapter Three, Korea).
(10) Id. at 45.
(11) Id. at 71.
(12) Id. at 141.
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(13) Id. (14) Id. (15) Id. (16) Id. (17) Id. (18) Id. (19) Id. (20) Id. (21) Id. (22) Id. (23) Id. (24) Id. (25) Id. (26) Id. (27) Id. (28) Id. (29) Id. (30) Id. (31) Id. (32) Id. (33) Id. (34) Id. (35) Id. (36) Id. (37) Id. (38) Id.
at 143.
at 65.
at 46.
at 100.
at 99-100. at 280-83. at 281.
at 67.
at 67-71, 85-87. at 229.
at 283.
at 5.
at 7.
at 13.
at 17.
at 23, 24.
at 26.
at 40. at 43. at 94. at 95. at 131. at 178. at 212. at 311.
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(39) Id. at 319.
(40) Id. at 325.
(41) Id. at 328.
(42) Id. at 329.
(43) Id. at 3.
(44) Id. at 28.
(45) Id. at 81.
(46) Id. at 114.
(47) Id. at 116.
(48) Id. at 52-53.
(49) Id. at 54.
(50) Id. at 123.
(51) Id. at 131.
(52) Id. at 196.
(53) Id. at 208.
(54) Id. at 261.
(55) Id. at 175.
(56) See id. at 356-57. (57) Id. at v.
(58) Id. at 342-44.
(59) Id. at 351.
(60) Id. at 28-39.
(61) Id. at 347-49.
(62) Id. at 359.
(63) Id. at 134.
(64) Id. at 328-29. The Judge Advocate General officer was Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Gary
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Walsh. Telephone interview with Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Gary Walsh (Aug. 31, 2006). (65) Id. at 41.
(66) Id. at 56-57.
(67) Id. at 59, 91-92.
(68) Id. at 128.
(69) Id. at 171.
(70) Id. at 337, 344.
(71) Id. at 336-37, 350.
(72) Id. at 357.
(73) Id. at 358.
(74) Id. at 347.
REVIEWED BY LIEUTENANT COLONEL JOHN SIEMIETKOWSKI (2) Siemietkowski, John
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Siemietkowski, John J. "In the Company of Heroes." Army Lawyer, Nov. 2006, p. 61+. Book Review
Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A163197711/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=5fe41649. Accessed 27 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A163197711
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4 weeks ago by ITW
In the spring of 1944, I realized that I was not going to survive the war…
Shtefan Brandt, young adjutant to Colonel Erich Himmel of the Waffen SS, has made it through the war so far in spite of his commander’s habit of bringing his staff into combat, and a pair of secrets that are far more dangerous. Shtefan is a Mischling, one of the thousands of partial Jews who have avoided the death camps by concealing themselves in the ranks of the German Army. And he is in love with Gabrielle Belmont, the colonel’s French mistress. Either of those facts could soon mean his end, except that his master has other concerns. Colonel Himmel can see the war’s end on the horizon and knows he will not be on the winning side, so he has taken matters into his own hands, hatching a plot to escape Europe. To fund his new life, he plans to steal a fortune from the encroaching Allies. A fortune which Shtefan, in turn, plans to steal from him….
New York Times bestselling author Steven Hartov met with The Big Thrill to discuss his latest thriller, THE SOUL OF A THIEF:
What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
I’m hoping that readers of all ages will be fully engaged with the story as well as the atmosphere of WWII, and find themselves desperately wanting to know the outcome and be thoroughly satisfied in the end.
How does this book make a contribution to the genre?
I believe that books like THE SOUL OF A THIEF help the genre to remain broad-spectrum by keeping historical settings alive. I also think it’s a book in which characters are deeply explored, a trait which I think satisfies many of our genre readers.
Was there anything new you discovered, or that surprised you, as you wrote this book?
I am generally a meticulous outline writer, but this book completely surprised me in that I never attempted to write an outline for it. It simply came to me without planning any of it at all. It was a very strange experience; almost like “channeling,” if one believes in such things.
No spoilers, but what can you tell us about your book that we won’t find in the jacket copy or the PR material?
This book is partially the result of a recurring and frightening dream that I had when I was a child; a dream that appears as a pivotal scene in the novel. The plot also stems partially from my family history. My great uncle Alexander, a “Mischling” himself, served in the German Luftwaffe for more than a year before being discovered and sent to a concentration camp. He survived, though he shared very little of his story.
What authors or books have influenced your career as a writer, and why?
As an early reader I was a great fan of Alistair MacLlean and Jack Higgins for their thrillers about WWII, and later of Len Deighton, Frederick Forsyth and John LeCarre for their espionage thrillers. I admired these authors for their abilities to draw deep character studies while still driving their plots forward, which have remained my personal goals as a writer.
*****
Steven Hartov is the coauthor of the New York Times bestseller In the Company of Heroes, The Night Stalkers and Afghanistan on the Bounce, and author of the espionage trilogy The Heat of Ramadan, The Nylon Hand of God, and The Devil’s Shepherd. He is the former Editor-in-Chief of Special Operations Report and has written for The Journal of International Security, Gear Magazine, Maxim and Readers Digest. A former Israel Defense Forces paratrooper and special operator, he is currently a Task Force Commander in the New York Guard. His works are recommended readings by the US Army War College.
To learn more about Steven, please visit his website.
QUOTED: "Much of the inspiration for the story came from my own background, as my mother and her family were all Austrians, some of whom, although Jewish or partially Jewish, served in the Austrian or German armies. However, the driving force behind the novel came from a recurring dream that I used to have as a child; it is a scene that figures prominently in the book."
Q&A with Steven Hartov On The Soul of a Thief + Giveaway!
Posted on March 20, 2018 at 9:00 am.
BY BookClubbish
The Soul of a Thief is the latest book by author Steven Hartov, set during World War II…but it is so much more than a war story. Keep reading to discover more about this fantastic book and to win a copy of your very own.
What is your new novel, The Soul of a Thief, about?
The Soul of a Thief is an adventure, a war story, a romance and a coming-of-age novel, all set during the year of the Allied invasion of Europe during World War II. The story centers around a 19-year old Austrian boy of partial Jewish heritage, Shtefan Brandt, who finds himself as the adjutant to a colonel in the Waffen SS, Erich Himmel, and must not only protect his potentially mortal secret but survive the horrors of combat. To add to his conundrum, our young hero also falls in love with Colonel Himmel’s young French mistress, Gabrielle Belmont, who is also of “questionable” heritage. When Shtefan discovers that Himmel intends to escape from Germany’s inevitable defeat and enrich himself by robbing an Allied paymaster train, the boy plots to betray the colonel by stealing both his mistress and his fortune.
Where did the inspiration for the novel’s story come from?
SH: Much of the inspiration for the story came from my own background, as my mother and her family were all Austrians, some of whom, although Jewish or partially Jewish, served in the Austrian or German armies. However, the driving force behind the novel came from a recurring dream that I used to have as a child; it is a scene that figures prominently in the book.
Who were the Mischlinge? Why has their story rarely been told?
SH: The Mischlinge were Germans or Austrians of “mixed” heritage, meaning that somewhere in their ancestral backgrounds persons of Jewish faith had married into the family. During the Nazi era, German and Austrian citizens had to prove their “racial purity,” and Mischlinge were considered to be Jews and persecuted as such. However, exceptions were made in accordance with the requirements of the Nazi war machine, and many such persons were allowed to serve. For those who survived, such service was regarded as shameful, which is why very few of them have spoken out about their wartime experiences.
Are any of the characters in the novel, in particular Shtefan or Colonel Himmel, based on real-life people or did you create them from whole cloth for the novel?
SH: Shtefan is based, in part, on my great uncle, Alexander, who served in the German Luftwaffe until he was discovered to be a Mischling and sent to a concentration camp. Colonel Himmel is based on a figure who used to appear in a childhood recurring dream; I do not know his origin. Many of the other characters are compilations of soldiers I have known personally, of various nationalities (soldiers are very much the same, everywhere). Gabrielle is based on a long lost love.
You say in your historical notes at the end that some of the Mischlinge ended up in the Israeli army after the war. You have worked with Israeli Intelligence. Did you ever meet any of these men who shared their stories with you?
SH: I did in fact meet a number of men who had served for a time in the German army, then escaped or fled and made their way to Allied lines and wound up in Israel prior to its post-war independence. Most of these men were already aging and no longer serving in the Israeli army, though some had been commandos and intelligence agents during their youths.
What sort of historical research did you need to do before you wrote the novel?
SH: Having grown up around men and women who lived through these times, as well my own family’s history and heritage, in truth I did not need to do much research. Once I completed the manuscript, I carefully fact-checked to make sure I’d gotten things right, but for the most part the details were already accurate.
You have a strong military background, and there are aspects of The Soul of a Thief that tap into your knowledge. Would you classify the story as a war story first and foremost?
SH: I would not classify the novel so much as a war story, but rather as a story that takes place during a war. I view it more as a coming-of-age adventure with a powerful romantic essence.
You have written other novels. Is this the first set during World War II?
SH: Yes, this is my first novel set during World War II, although it will not be my last.
Want to win a copy of The Soul of a Thief? Share in the comments what your favorite book about World War II is for your chance to win!
Giveaway: Answer the above question for your chance to win! Open to residents of the US and Canada, excluding Quebec. Contest closes March 27, at 11:59 p.m. ET. One (1) winners will be selected from all on March 28. For full official rules, click here.
Update this contest is now closed.
BookClubbish
BookClubbish
Tags: contest, Steven Hartov, The Soul of a Thief
QUOTED: "While the novel is oddly varied in tone, the book is nonetheless compelling."
"difficult to put down."
The Soul of a Thief
By Steven Hartov
Find & buy on
“In the spring of 1944, I realized I was not going to survive the war.” With this simple sentence, The Soul of a Thief yanks the reader into its bizarre world, a world in which the word “Jew” is a death sentence—yet the narrator is half-Jewish and works for a high-ranking SS officer. In 1944, men of vision thought they saw how the war would play out its endgame, and made arrangements to survive and thrive. Shtefan Brandt, adjutant to Colonel Erich Himmel, has wound up as the colonel’s combination of lucky mascot and whipping boy, and knows the details of the colonel’s plan to steal enough to set up comfortably after the war. Shtefan has plans too, involving the colonel’s unwilling French mistress and the soon-to-be stolen treasure. But only one of the two men can make it through the war alive and rich—so which will it be?
While the novel is oddly varied in tone, the book is nonetheless compelling. For me, it falls into the same “war is insanity” category as M*A*S*H and Catch-22. Nothing is what it seems, especially perceived reality. I hate to use that overworked-but-gamely-soldiering-on phrase “a real page-turner,” but I found The Soul of a Thief difficult to put down (because a reviewer has to sleep sometime!).https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/the-soul-of-a-thief/