Page 86 - All About History - Issue 33-15

REVIEWS

All About History on the books, TV shows and

filmscausingastirinthehistoryworld

REPORTING

THE SECOND WORLD WAR The pen vs the sword
Author Brian Best Publisher Pen & Sword Price £19.99 Released Out now

henweseesomeofthefirst- righttofreedomofspeechareattacked
handreportsofwhatwenton from the outset, this book does a good
during World War II, it’s easy jobinmakingusappreciatehowfar
togetsocaughtupinthe we’ve come.
Wvivid descriptions of events Otherthanthat,itfeelslike
that we forget that there was someone something’s missing. The majority
holding the pen, operating the camera or oftheaccountsherearefromAllied
manning the typewriter. journalists. It’s pretty safe to assume
Brian Best’s Reporting The Second that the censorship implemented by
World War does a good job of filling in theAxispowerswouldhavebeen
the blanks, chronicling the exploits of just as severe – and probably more
the likes of Ernest Hemingway, David so – than their counterparts, but
Dimblebey, Robert Capa and more as accounts from the other side would
theyputthemselvesdirectlyinharm’s have been nothing if not enlightening.
wayinordertocapturethebiggest The events regaled here are exciting
scoops of their time. Whether it was andenlightening,butitwouldhave
theevacuationatDunkirkortheD-Day been nice to have heard the alternative
landings,whatwouldbeconsidereda interpretations too.
situationofutmostperiltomostwas Beyond this, the book also stands
simplyajobtothem. out for its revealing descriptions of
However,formanyitwastheir larger-than-life figures. Take Edward
lastjob.OftheAllies,54Americans, Kennedy’sreportontheactionsof
20 British and six Australians died GeneralGeorgePatton–amanwho,
whiledoingtheirjob.Thejournalists while admired for his prowess in
themselveswouldbefirsttoadmitthat thefield,alsoapprovedtacticslike
theperiltheyfacedwasn’talwayson murdering prisoners of war while
the level of that of the average soldier hurlingabuseatayoungsoldier
– indeed, CBS reporter Eric Sevareid suffering from shell-shock, for instance.
notably stated that “only the soldier Whenyoureadaccountslikethis,it’s
reallylivesthewar;thejournalistdoes easy to see why some correspondents
not”–butastheopeningsentenceof faced the problems that they did.
thisparagraphpaystestamentto,the With the amount of books dedicated to
danger they faced was very real. World War II out there, new books on
Butthreatstotheirlivesweren’tthe thesubjectneedtonotonlybewell-
only obstacles these men and women researched and engaging, they need
hadtoface.Withcensorshipheavily to cover new ground, and it’s certainly
monitoredbythevariousauthorities, safe to say that Reporting The Second
much of what they produced invariably World War does this. It’s interesting
didn’t make its way to the page intact, that so few books are dedicated to the “What would be considered a
with many of those who chose to people who informed much of what
ignore or circumvent censorship we understand about history’s most situation of utmost peril to most was
invariably having their careers ruined. destructive conflict – well, now there’s
Inanagewhereanyassaultsonour at least one more. simply a job to them”
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