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Dvacet tisíc zlodějů by Eric Lambert
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Dvacet tisíc zlodějů (edition 1978)

by Eric Lambert

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453558,523 (4.17)None
The bestselling story of an Australian infantry unit and their battle against the Germans in the North African desert during WWII. THE NORTH AFRICAN DESERT: WORLD WAR II. Their officers called them a stinking, lazy, drunken rabble and their friends said they took the colonel prisoner, burnt down their officers' mess and drove off the military police with heavy rifle-fire. This is the unforgettable story of the gallant men of the A.I.F.: the fearless and fatalistic Diggers of the Western Desert. Twenty thousand men were on their way to the deserts of Egypt and Libya: some had joined up for adventure, some were on the run from the police, for others, the army meant three meals a day and a bed to sleep in. From an induction camp in Australia to the siege of Tobruk, the savage intensity of Second X Battalion's experiences is not for the faint hearted. How soon will death silence so many of these brave voices and how many will ring out beyond the brutality of the battlefield?… (more)
Member:guano
Title:Dvacet tisíc zlodějů
Authors:Eric Lambert
Info:Praha : Naše vojsko, 1978
Collections:Your library
Rating:
Tags:WWII, military, Tobruk, North Africa, Afrika Korps, Australia, beletry

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The Twenty Thousand Thieves by Eric Lambert

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Tobruk, El-Alamein, csupa ikonikus második világháborús helyszín bukkan fel ebben a könyvben: ezekben a sivatagi porfészkekben csaptak össze Rommel németjei a szövetséges hadtestekkel. És - legalábbis e könyv szerint - senkivel sem vívtak szikrázóbb csörtéket, mint az ausztrálokkal, akiket neveztek sivatagi patkányoknak, meg húszezer rablónak is, mindenesetre olyan tökösen vetették magukat a nácikra, mint megannyi begőzölt Krokodil Dundee. (Más híres tökös ausztrál nem jut eszembe.)

Tegyük hozzá, ezen csörték szüneteiben az ausztrál bakáknak még arra is maradt idejük, hogy megküzdjenek valakikkel, akik majd olyan ellenszenvesek és pokolravalóak, mint a Harmadik Birodalom szöszke cicamackói - a saját tisztjeikkel. Ők azok, akik az amúgy sem wellness-hétvégére hajazó háborút még elviselhetetlenebbé varázsolják kegyetlenségükkel, imbecillitásukkal, és azzal, hogy úgy általában kutyába sem veszik a bakát. Közlegények és a tisztek között a különbség nem csak a rang, hanem a társadalmi státusz is (hisz egy gazdag ausztrál eleve tisztként kezdi, míg a szegény ember legfeljebb a hadnagyi rangig, de inkább az őrmesteri sráfig viszi), ezért Lambert tollán ez az összeütközés erősen osztályharcos színezetet ölt. Ami nekem, bevallom, nem tetszik. Biztos vagyok benne, hogy anno 1951-ben ez a fajta agitáló felhang olyan problémákra kereste a választ, amelyek az adott korszakban relevánsak voltak, de engem már eléggé irritál, hogy az összes német álnok náci, a kommunisták viszont fényes tekintettel néznek a jövőbe, és bátrak, mint egy... khm... szóval bátrak, mint egy nagyon bátor valaki.

Különben nem lenne rossz regény - fontos dolgokat állapít meg a háborúról, amelynek egyik kulcsfolyamata a szövegben egészen jól érzékeltetett "összekovácsolódás", amikor egy katonai egység amúgy egymással fasírtban lévő tagjai a közös veszély hatására bajtársakká válnak. Kár, hogy közben olyan tolakodóan akarja lenyomni a torkomon az igazságát. ( )
  Kuszma | Jul 2, 2022 |
Australia does not have a great tradition of war literature, surprising considering we have fought in most of the major wars of the 20th century. There are any number of novels dealing with the fallout and after-effects of war, but precious few dealing with the military experience. This is a stand-out then, although it plays shamelessly to every stereotype that Aussies fondly hold of their Diggers, tough, brave, cheeky and scornful of authority, it also captures the experience of war and its horror very effectively. Without revealing too much about the story, I can state bluntly that most of the characters do not survive, and many are killed in absolutely horriffic ways, yet the book is very funny, both in straight-out, knee-slapping hilarity and in the kind of bitter, dark humour that war inevitably brings. Its a thoroughly masterful piece of writing, a genuine classic. ( )
  drmaf | Sep 5, 2013 |
This book formed part of the compulsory reading list for my 'War Literature' course at University more than 14 years ago. I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't finish reading it back then; in fact, I didn't even get half way through.

I've always wanted to pick this book up again and read it to the end, and it's been on my shelf ever since, reminding me of this fact and taunting me. Well, I've finally been in the right mind set and the right mood to pick it up again, and now can't think what all the fuss was about.

This is an excellent Australian War Classic, with a forward from Weary Dunlop, and provides a look at the lives of several Australian soldiers in the Second World War. I enjoyed joining them in this era, and making sense of their lingo and turns of phrase. I recognised their love of women and beer and was touched by their individual reflections on war and the situations they found themselves in.

I understood many of their observations from my own time in Defence and this book certainly rings true in so many ways. However by the end of the book, I would be surprised if any reader came to the conclusion that war is a good thing. In fact, I wonder how I would have felt if I'd finished reading this at ADFA and how I would have reconciled the anti-war nature of this book with the fact that I was training to be an Officer in the Defence Force. ( )
  Carpe_Librum | Dec 6, 2010 |
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The bestselling story of an Australian infantry unit and their battle against the Germans in the North African desert during WWII. THE NORTH AFRICAN DESERT: WORLD WAR II. Their officers called them a stinking, lazy, drunken rabble and their friends said they took the colonel prisoner, burnt down their officers' mess and drove off the military police with heavy rifle-fire. This is the unforgettable story of the gallant men of the A.I.F.: the fearless and fatalistic Diggers of the Western Desert. Twenty thousand men were on their way to the deserts of Egypt and Libya: some had joined up for adventure, some were on the run from the police, for others, the army meant three meals a day and a bed to sleep in. From an induction camp in Australia to the siege of Tobruk, the savage intensity of Second X Battalion's experiences is not for the faint hearted. How soon will death silence so many of these brave voices and how many will ring out beyond the brutality of the battlefield?

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