And No Birds Sang

What a wonderful writer Farley Mowat was! This book which is about Mowat's experiences in the infantry during World War II made me feel like I was in the midst of the fighting. Mowat doesn't pull any punches about the horrors of war or about the effects on the people who are involved in the war. There are lighter moments such as the description of him and his pal on the eve of landing in Italy going around the mess with a fake mine detector. However, as he progresses through his experiences in the fighting the tone becomes anything but funny. It's a miracle that Farley survived the war as so many of his companions did not but thank goodness he did and went on to write this classic and many others.

I've read many war memoirs, especially WWII, and this is one of the best. Mowat offers a fast-paced narrative of the descent into hell that was his experience as a Canadian officer during the invasion of Sicily and Italy by Allied forces in 1943. He offers no gloss or unnecessary assumptions, he simply recounts what he remembers of the experiences. If you were moved by Band of Brothers, you'll likely find And No Birds Sang a gripping tale of the expectations of glory in battle being crushed by the horrors of war.

2033 And No Birds Sang, by Farley Mowat (read 23 Nov 1986) This is about Mowat's experience in World War II and I was really affected by it. He tells things as I believe they were: no glamour, really rough. He was in Sicily and Italy with a Canadian regiment. The book ends abruptly at Christmas 1943. It is most anti-war, and its object is to again put the lie to Homer's claim that it is a sweet and good thing to die for one's country. This is one of my more moving reading experiences. It goes to show: just because Mowat's The Siberians was so awful a book, it does not mean the author can't write. It all depends on the subject. I do not know if the title of the book owes anything to John Keats' words:

:O WHAT can ail thee, knight-at-arms, show more
Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge has wither'd from the lake,
And no birds sing. show less

Farley Mowat's memoir of his combat experiences in World War II begins innocently, with the story of his attempts to enlist and gradually details the folly and cost of war as he experienced them. His conclusion: there is no such thing as a "good" or worthwhile war.

Mowat's chilling account of his Canadian Regiment's close-combat in the Italian countryside. This tale of the usual WWII fare - confusion, poor equipment, poor planning, bravery, tenacity, fatigue and terror - ends abruptly as Mowat fights exhaustion and battle fatigue in the heat (and cold) of battle.

there's a similarity to the war memoirs of Farley Mowatt and those of Spike Milligan, and both relate to the writers having a nervous breakdown during the waning stages of WWII. Mowatt responded by intensifying his dedication to his ecological researches, and Milligan by flaunting his madness as a comedian. The world is richer for both men's existence.
This particular book is a one volume record of Mowatt's time with the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment of the Canadian Army that was a major component of the first Canadian Infantry division which served mostly in Italy. It is very useful to Canadian historians of the war.

Outstanding and emotionally wrenching memoir of the Sicilian and early part of the Italian campaigns. The book start off with hijinks and comedy, but progressively descends into despair and terror. Highly recommended.