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The Bitter Road To Freedom: A New History Of The Liberation Of Europe (2008)

by William I. Hitchcock(Favorite Author)

3.78 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0743273818 (ISBN13: 9780743273817)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Free Press

review 1: Its easy to believe that when the war is over, its over and everything is fine (though the Iraq "war" certainly shows different.) But I had never before read about the continuing misery of the French, the Dutch, the concentration camp Jews, etc. for years after liberation, their sometimes continued mistreatment by the liberating forces, and how much better the (west) Germans were treated than were many other peoples.
review 2: A look at WWII from a non-American point of view. Instead of the typical, "We went over there, helped stop the madness, and lost so many of our own for a worthy cause" this book looks at the choas from the point of view of those noncombatants whose backyard the war was in. Perhaps the children of the European nations recieve more of this... more type of history than we do as Americans. It was eye-opening for me to hear of the trials that still existed even after the Germans were driven back off previously conquered territories. It truely was a long and bitter road to regain even a semblance of the lives these people had previous to the war. I was especially surprised by the first chapters that dealt with the coastline territories that we first landed on. I had not considered before how these peoples, though occupied by the Nazis, had been continuing to work, farm, and live throughout this period until we bombed them prior to the Allied landings and how in just a few short weeks many towns and villages were completely leveled to "soften" up the landing. I can understand from our side why it was done, but the devastation that was left was not on an Axis country these peoples were occupied allies/neutrals!...and then of course we marched on and left them in the rubble to pick up the peices as we pursued the Nazis. And the area where the Battle of the Bulge occurred! Yikes, anyone caught up in that back and forth area...It's stunning to even consider. Peoples' farms, homes, lifestock, just everything run over by both sides going back and forth and bombing and raiding. Liberated for a few months or weeks and then back come the Nazis, with even more reason to wreak havoc. This really was an enlightening read for me. I would definitely recommend it, especially for Americans who have no personal memories of a war occuring right on their doorstep. Frightening history but worth remembering. less

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