Paul B. Janeczko (1945–2019)

This was a fascinating topic. I was aware of the use of set design expertise to create false military installations and camouflage real ones in order to deceive aerial espionage, but I did not know that the US 23rd had taken it to a new level with sound-and-light shows to convince spies and troops on the ground that a sizable army was just over the next hill, while simultaneously bamboozling aerial reconnaissance. It really tested the skills of the artists and theatre specialists who show more participated and it was interesting to read of their post-war exploits in the field of arts and entertainment.

It's hard to evaluate the book, however, because in the ARC which I read, quite a number of sizable chunks (usually two pages or more) of information were randomly inserted mid-sentence, leaving me confused. Here's an example: ..."eighteen thousand bunkers and dragon's teeth, which consisted of The Red Ball Express The Allied troops racing across France..." and four more pages before we find out the rest of the sentence about the dragon's teeth.

After repeated re-readings I finally figured out that these interpolations were intended to be sidebars in the future, but surely even as sidebars they'd be awkward at that size. This made it very difficult to follow the story. The ARC indicates that in future there will also be maps and an index. The former, especially, will be welcome to readers attempting to follow the course of the war. It already has photographs of some of the operations, stage-set military equipment, and men, which were welcome.

I'd have to see the final book to know how it turned out. I hope they found a way to incorporate or omit the interminable sidebar text! show less

Amazing, sometimes humorous, touching and almost unbelievable. Extremely well narrated. Leaves me with the question - why are governments so set on secrecy for fifty years. If they fear what they have taken part in so much, why do it? As Russia seems determined to take over the world (or China or whoever) isn't it just as dangerous now?

In his third book about deception during war, Paul B. Janeczko focuses his lens on World War II and the operations carried out by the Twenty-Third show more Headquarters Special Troops, aka the Ghost Army. This remarkable unit included actors, camouflage experts, sound engineers, painters, and set designers who used their skills to secretly and systematically replace fighting units — fooling the Nazi army into believing what their eyes and ears told them, even though the sights and sounds of tanks and war machines and troops were entirely fabricated. Follow the Twenty-Third into Europe as they play a dangerous game of enticing the German army into making battlefield mistakes by using sonic deceptions, inflatable tanks, pyrotechnics, and camouflage in more than twenty operations. From the Normandy invasion to the crossing of the Rhine River, the men of the Ghost Army — several of whom went on to become famous artists and designers after the war — played an improbable role in the Allied victory. show less

A slim volume of astonishing power, Requiem's poems give impressions and ideas of the experiences of both Jewish prisoners and Nazi guards at the Terezin Ghetto, which was considered a "model" camp. A few poems from the points of view of the town's original inhabitants help flesh out the narrative and give a balanced feel to the work, although the emphasis is on the prisoners. Certain themes run constant throughout the volume, the most noticeable and disturbing being the idea that this camp show more was Hitler's "gift to the Jews." The quality of the poetry and the balance of view points is absolutely superb and this book is not only well-written and historically accurate, but also incredibly moving. Requiem will appeal to teens with special interest in the subject matter or those who are already fans of Paul Janeczko's other works.
I personally was very moved by the volume, perhaps more so than by other works with similar historical content. Janeczko's poems render the emotions of the prisoners very real and tangible to the reader, and included heartbreaking moments like the separation of a long married couple. I will admit to no particular interest in the subject matter, but the human experiences were incredibly relate-able, haunting, and emotionally painful. This is a work I will be thinking about for quite some time. show less

Hauntingly beautiful poetry crafted by the author to represent the perspective of individuals living and working in the Terezin ghetto. As much as I have read about the Holocaust, I was totally unaware of the artistic culture occurring at Terezin and am fascinated to read more (and find out what else was going on that I was unaware of!). To know how the guards would allow lectures, musical performances, and plays then ship the same performers to Auschwitz the next day adds an entire new show more depth to their cruelty. Janeczko's poetry is outstanding and visually and emotionally stimulating; the poem about the ovens will haunt me. I also love the structure of the book - most poems are identified by a person's name and his/her registered number; the poems are interspersed with vivid illustrations and other short poems that certainly prompt solemn reflection from the reader. show less