Page 87 - All About History - Issue 28-15

Reviews

GERMANY’S SECRET

MASTERPLAN What would Hitler have done?
Author Chris McNab Publisher Casemate Publishing Price £19.99 Release

hile Chris McNab’s take on Hitler’s finance plan for any family that wanted to
plans to mould the world in his own Volkswagen car: a project that was in its in
ideological choosing hardly runs with incidentally, before the inevitable outbreak
the subject in the way Robert Harris’s War II turned all the automobile factories
W classic fiction Fatherland does, for war machines and diddled tens of thousan
example, it hints in a tantalising fashion at what German folk out of their money.
might have been. Forsaking photos for arguably more insi
Of course, being grounded in historical fact blueprints, maps and charts, Germany’s Se
and backed up by maps and illustrations from Masterplan makes a great reference to any
the era of the Third Reich does give Germany’s project and indeed, a read that is as surpri
Secret Masterplan more license to speculate, at clear and easy as it is thought provoking.
least a little bit. McNab tackles some of the more Ben Biggs
obvious questions that anyone curious about Nazi
Germany’s victory plans might ask (and by ‘anyone’,
we mean everyone), such as ‘lebensraum’ and how
Europe – indeed, the world – would have been
divvied up by the Axis nations.
What kind of racial order would have been
established and how the leadership structure would
have worked in a peace-time Nazi State are also
discussed. But there are gems that both history
buffs and novices would appreciate, like Hitler’s
plan to create wholesome, Butlin’s-type holiday
camps for his master race, as well as a Ford-inspired

NURSING THROUGH SHOT

AND SHELL: A GREAT WAR
NURSE’S STORY

At the heart of the World War I

Authors Christine Smyth, Dr Vivien Newman Publisher Pen & Sword
Price £19.99 Released Out now

plit into a brief overview of the role of British more we seem to invent an easy narrative that fits,
nurses in World War I, and the diary entries but the reality is more inspiring in its honesty than
of one of them, Beatrice, Through Shot And in the myths that evolve.
Shell provides valuable insight into the lives It is books such as this that help in grounding
S of the women at the heart of the war. the events with real people, real emotions, real
For all that the first section does provide a situations, and it is vital to remember that and try
much-needed context of severity to Beatrice’s to keep from fictionalising the way the war actually
more spirited account, the diaries are the more played out for those involved.
fascinating half of the book, as she writes with an Beatrice’s diary entries are so engaging, you
unassuming warmth. Clearly sensing the need to can almost hear them being read aloud, as if
keep up morale, the diaries do write briefly and you’re being spoken to personally. The fierce
factually about the casualties, while including determination to find the cheerful side of events,
several aspects of daily life not often discussed, in camaraderie, sunshine, and the occasional sweet
especially from this point of view. treat, makes sentences like “the wards were very
It is curious, for example, to read about donuts busy, as we had received a lot of gassed patients”
and concerts, considering the context, but that is hit with such an impact that it becomes more than
exactly the kind of view that is necessary to give one nurse’s account, but a sharp dose of insight into
us a fuller picture of the events for all involved. The the day-to-day life of those so close to the front.
further we get from a major historical event, the Rebecca Richards
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