North Atlantic Civilization at War: The World War II Battles of Sky, Sand, Snow, Sea, and Shore

An examination of five major WWII battles. The author takes an unusual approach to his subject, tracing the path of a single soldier, a Liberty ship, and a half-empty bottle of rum through all the battles in question: Britain, El Alemein, Stalingrad, the North Atlantic, and Normandy. The account is filled with references to film, music, philosophy, and history (especially Fernand Braudel's work). The focus is on demonstrating the existence of a cohesive North Atlantic civilization and showing how that civilization fights its wars. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

This book recounts the World War II journeys of a soldier, a ship, and a bottle of spirits through, and around, five great turning-point battles. Those battles were influenced more by geography and climate than by generals and admirals. Properly titled they would be known as the Battles of the Sky (Britain), the Sand (El Alemein), the Snow (Stalingrad), the Sea (North Atlantic), and the Shore (Normandy). Slogging their way through this quintet are an eighteen-year-old G.I. from Missouri (as seen through his letters home), an "ugly duckling" of a Liberty ship (as seen through its Armed Guard reports), and a bottle of rum (as traced by those who, after the war, made money in selling war souvenirs). It is the history of the North Atlantic sea basin and its extensions at war: the story of the lulls between battles, when America's teenage warriors often watched war movies (Humphrey Bogart made and Warner Brothers released seven during the war), sang or listened to popular tunes by songsmiths like Irving Berlin, and drank rum-and-Coke (while listening to Dick Haymes sing the hit "Rum & Coca-Cola").
While accessible and vastly entertaining, this is a serious work of history. By treating World War II in Europe much as Fernand Braudel treated the origins of Western civilization in his masterpiece The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II, Hatcher brings Braudelian detachment to his narrative.

General

ISBN		9780765601353
Fiction/Non-Fiction		Non-Fiction
Publisher		M E Sharpe Inc
Pages		171
List Price		$38.95
Author		Hatcher, Patrick Lloyd
Publication Date		06/01/1998
Release Status		In Print
Format		Hardcover
Language		English
Measurements		Height: 9.25 Inches (US) Width: 6.5 Inches (US) Thickness: 0.75 Inches (US) Unit Weight: 0.95 Pounds (US)