And the Brotherhood That Helped Turn the Tide of War

This book will teach you who were the real heroes of World War II. I did not know how much the people of Poland contributed to the defeat of the Nazis and the truth will come out. Bravo to the brave men and women of Poland who saved democracy in Europe! A must read to all who love history.

Yes, this book certainly rates five stars. However, please keep in mind one needs to have some background knowledge of World War II in the European theatre to thoroughly enjoy this book. I, for one, found myself getting bogged down in parts of the book. I also found I could only read a couple of chapters at a time lest my attention span started to wane. I felt I learned a lot from this book but, on the other hand, I missed a lot as well due to my limited background in this subject.

I did learn that German commander von Rundstedt believed the Battle of Britain was the turning point in the war and that Polish fighter pilots played a major role in helping the British defeat the Germans in these fierce battles. The European occupied nations by Germany had many individuals who fled to England during this time period. Those who remained were able to demonstrate passive resistance followed by more active resistance while under German occupation.

The book also includes the leaders in the various countries involved in World War II and how they got along with one another or in some cases did not get along. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Bernard Montgomery, and Charles deGaulle are major figures. I got the feeling author Lynne Olson feels Poland got the short end of the stick with the lack of credit shown to it during the war. They received no support when overrun by Germany but contributed to the war effort in other ways such as the Battle of Britain.

The book contains 475 pages and I found it to be tough reading because of the detail involved and my lack of background information. To be sure this is a five star book but be warned that a neophyte like me may very well find themselves biting off more than they can chew. Photographs are spaced throughout the book.

Brilliant. A good read. Most people would have no idea how influential the Poles were to the successful conduct of the war in its early stages. Without the European nations’ governments that went to London to continue the war as best they could Britain may very well have had a much tougher time of it.

An inspiring and exhaustively researched book on all the governments in exile in London, all escaped from Nazi invasion of Europe and fighting on for the survival of the free world. Ms. Olson is such a terrific writer and has filled her tales with stories of both such awful bureaucratic incompetence and such moving accounts of bravery and sacrifice that the reader can feel the tensions of a time when the survival of civilization hung in the balance. THIS BOOK should be at the top of the best seller lists every week for months if not years. It is about real life heroes - not Star Wars electronic game protagonists or cheap detective thrillers. This is the real thing. No one knows this historical period like Ms. Olson as all her books show. If you haven't read her, read her NOW, esp "Troublesome Young Men", "Those Angry Days" and "Citizens of London". We need more than John Grisham to lift us up!!!!!!!

A completely different perspective on the "inside" of WWII. So many stories from the "little countries" and their wartime players who all contributed to the success of the war despite the bureaucratic and self-serving decisions being made by UK, USA and Russia.
Well worth reading.

Most Americans know little about these facets of World War II. The author captures our interest in the first chapter, and doesn’t release us until the end. An excellent, engrossing account. Highly readable.

Unvarnished, hard truths about Churchill's and FDR's arrogance and mistakes during WWII. We owe the Poles and Czechs so much more credit and respect than they've ever gotten, and a debt of shame for having abandoned them after it was over.

Very well written, not surprising from this author, and especially illuminating about Poles, (again!). Without E the Central Europeans the Battle of Britain might well have been lost. First rate history.

A bit longwinded but interestin-O was in Norway during the war, so have experienced war close up=
I can recommend the book-specifically to Americans who did not feel the war close - apart from the Fighting
Soldiers

An excellent, lucid book and a treasure trove of information unknown to those of us who lived through those times. For example, the Poles in exile deserved far more credit for intelligence and organization than we knew.

England was the island of last hope for those countries that were invaded by Germany. It was clear that the Polish airman saved the British from the invading German Air Force, and the Enigma code and Enigma machines were provided to Turing and the boys at Blenchley., but the Polish mathematicians did not receive credit. Fortunately the Polish squadrons did receive credit. FDR and Churchill "gave" Poland to the Russians at Yalta, but never told the Poles until the very very last minute. The monarchs from Denmark, Norway, etc were able to escape and fight the war from England. If it hasn't been for the merchant ships and gold from these countries, it is not clear if England would have survived. MI6, the James Bond secret service was unskilled, ill prepared, ill selected, and pompous. Again it was the Slavic countries that carried the intelligence load.

Lynne Olson is an excellent writer. I have enjoyed reading several of her books. This one was disappointing. It was unfocused. The author tried to tell several stories in one volume. I expected a lot more based on Olson's prior books. This one falls short.