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|  | |  | | | The 25 Best World War II Sites, European Theater: The Ultimate Traveler's Guide to Battlefields, Monuments & Museums (25 Essential World War II ... Ultimate Traveler's Guide to Battlefield.) | | | | | SKU:
1894060427 | | In Stock | | Availability:
Usually ships in 1-2 business days | | Only 1 left in stock, order soon! | | | | | | Despite the world's fascination with WWII, no single guidebook exists to lead travelers to the conflict's various battle sites scattered throughout the globe. Many of these sites are easy to visit, and many also happen to be near some of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, making this an indispensable guide for war buffs and casual travelers. | | | |
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| | Product Details | | Author: | Chuck Thompson | | Paperback: | 256 pages | | Publisher: | Greenline Publications | | Publication Date: | May 25, 2004 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 0972915079 | | Package Length: | 7.98 inches | | Package Width: | 5.32 inches | | Package Height: | 0.65 inches | | Package Weight: | 0.77 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 7 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 7 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 32 found the following review helpful:
For two months in Europe I carried this guide. No complaints. Nov 18, 2005
By Michael D. Denis
[...]
Chuck Thompson has made something special here and I strongly recommend his book to the historically minded traveler. I graduated a semester early from Lehigh University and played the classic college-boy card: Backpacking Europe. My travels were excellent; thanks in part to "The 25 Best World War II Sites: European Theater." It is a thoughtful, thorough analysis of the magical relics of World War II. In addition, it is a superb travel guide. It encouraged me to see things I would not have seen, to go where I would never have gone. For the young American overseas, I can hardly imagine a more satisfying, paperback companion.
From the "Big 25-list," I went to the Normandy Beaches, twice, and to London, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Bastogne, Belgium/Luxembourg, Paris, Munich, Nuremberg, and Rome. When at these places, this book provided a plan of action based on Thompson's maps, directions, and rating system. In addition, Thompson's textual description of each area included both details and the wide picture, providing a compact history book for the weight-conscious backpacker. The obvious highlights, such as Normandy and Auschwitz, are well covered and worth visiting, but it is in the small, lesser-known areas where I felt the true value of this praise-worthy guide.
Let me highlight several places in particular that won me over:
*The Nazi Party Rally Grounds @ Nuremburg* - Germany's a big place and I may not have known where to go without this book. When I left Prague ahead of schedule, this small German town with the darkest of histories knocked me out. So much and so little remains from this mysterious lost time.
*Maginot Line @ Longuyon* - Yes, I walked 12 miles across the French countryside to hunt out these ancient forts. They were closed when I got there; however, this ranks among my best days. Make sure to check the "Auxiliary Sites" section!
*Patton's Grave @ Luxembourg* - On the same day as the Maginot Line. I walked 3 miles outside of Luxembourg at dusk to pay tribute to this great among Americans. I would have found none of these places without Thompson's book.
*Belgium* - The European nexus of both World Wars, this tiny country is thick with history. When in Brussels, travel outside the city center to the Royal Museum of the Army and Military History. Thank you, Jay Blitzer, for taking me to Liege. Before I close up, the town of Yper in Belgium is *the* place for WWI battle sites. I rented a bike there and had an unbelievable time.
In Thompson's introduction, he warns that, "Outside of major cities and a few noted exceptions, the only way to efficiently visit the battlefields and sites covered in this book is by car." On the other hand, an adventurous traveler can use this book with excellent results without a car. I did.
Here is my recommendation: go to Europe, use this book, and learn about human history. Take a Guidebook (Let's Go, Rough Guide, LonelyPlanet) and this book. I planned my trip using Rick Steves' Europe Through The Backdoor. These books will make a smooth trip, overall. Thompson's travel guide makes World War II battle sites approachable and memorable. A Thompson five-star site is a clear winner, hands down. I slapped myself for not realizing the value of Thompson's guide earlier in my trip. I missed Cassino, for example. When is my next vacation?
I thank the men and women whose sacrifices protected the world in the 1940s. For next trip, pack a Thompson-guide and travel Europe through history. May we always have such an easy way to pay our respects.
32 of 35 found the following review helpful:
You Are There May 23, 2004
Since knowledge of anything older than the last generation of Pentium processor has gone the way of the dodo, this savvy book helps you get up to speed on a bunch of places that changed the course of world history. The names seem dimly familiar--Anzio, Bastogne, Cassino--but the stories of these major Euro battlefields are long gone, buried under a mountain of pop culture trivia. No more. This guide to the most intense hot spots of WWII brings back the heroics, the strategies--and the places themselves, because this is a travel book, not a textbook, with all the info needed to experience these settings first-hand: the military points of interest, local accommodations, transportation and other attractions in the area. It's the kind of information that falls between the cracks of travel guidebooks. Thompson does an excellent job of bringing this period vividly to life, with a slew of anecdotes and nuggets that kept this Vic Morrow-loving "Combat" fan immersed from Normandy to Kursk. Call it as cool as Cage, as comprehensive as Little John.
must have for WW II enthusiasts Oct 16, 2009
By Allyn
we visited alot of the locations in/around Netherlands, Western Germany and Belgium. The side locations listed are great ... you never would have found the foxholes near Bastogne without this book. Invaluable for locations/museums listed without English translations.
Perfect for those who want to, but can't travel to see these sites ... Jul 16, 2009
By DACHokie
My yearning to visit the World War II battlefields of Europe and the Pacific has existed since i was 13 (30 years ago). The reality of life is that the likelihood of me ever actually visiting these places anytime soon is slim (thanks to the economy). Then, there is the dilemma of which sites to visit when factoring the amount of travel time available (as well as money). This is where i find these books (both the European and Pacific volumes) extremely valuable.
My inexperience with international travel does not allow me to make a credible evaluation of these books as travel guide. However, I can express how they provide a satisfyingly comprehensive taste as to what is available to see for those who can't actually visit these interesting places. Unlike most travel guides I've encountered, these aren't tedious and boring. They provide a tremendous amount of detail about what is available to see and why people may want to see it. Each listed site starts with a brief, but informative historical narrative, followed by a synopsis of how the locality exists today, a map of the general area that pinpoints of significant sites within the area (museums, memorials, foxholes, etc.). There is, of course, the expected general travel information (accommodation, dining and transportation details). Additionally, a small portfolio is located in the center of each book with color pictures of the 25 locations.
The 25 sites in each book are "ranked" according to the author's opinion and the areas of interest located at each site are "rated" by the author: 5 stars - "a must see" ... down to 1 star. I did not interpret the author's rankings as influential, but useful in organizing the various locations in an easy-to-digest manner.
Obviously, not every battlefield is represented in these books, but the author did very well in providing the most compelling places to visit, as well as dedicating a section at the end of each volume to "other areas of interest".
For a non-traveler, like me, who wants to see these places, but can't ... these travel guides should fill that void or motivate you to actually plan a trip. I have not found any other source better at presenting a "then-and-now" perspective of so many World War II locales. If and when I do get the opportunity to visit these places, I'll definitely use these books. But, for now, I am content with having them as a resource in my library.
A must for WW2 buffs or novices Sep 06, 2007
By wildblueamn
My husband and I are stationed in Germany. He was so excited to learn that a book like this existed (dismayed he couldnt buy it at his local bookstore!) and was a little kid when it arrived. He's planning MWR trips for our fellow soldiers/families to learn/see more of historical WW2 sites. This book does not put itself out as a historical writing, only one that has coordinated and organized WW2 sites in such a way that a novice or buff can find the sites and learn more. While it ranks the sites (Holocaust sites are not ranked as they could never be stratified against another historical moment in time) it does so based on the ability of one to find the site, location, physical identifiers and the learning possibilities of that site. They do amplify the travel elements with historical facts for the reader to further support their choices.
Great book!
See all 7 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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