Eagle Reviews

The author, Richard Collier, has chosen the six weeks period from August 6 to September 15, 1940 for an account of the Battle of Britain "daylight air battles that were fought over the English Channel and across southern Britain; a short period that may have determined the western world fate." This is the story of the pilots, aircrews, support personnel, and commanders of the RAF and Luftwaffe who fought for air supremacy while Germany was preparing to invade Britain.

First hand and eyewitness accounts supported by official documents provide the details for the text, which is fast-moving and very readable. The narrative moves chronologically from mid-August 1940 through the September 15. The Luftwaffe initially launched devastating attacks against British radar sites and RAF stations such as Biggin Hill and Manston with the intent to either destroy the RAF on the ground or in the air as RAF fighters defended the stations. This tactic created a serious problem for RAF Fighter Command as limited aircraft and pilots had to be dispersed to defend multiple locations. RAF pilots were under great stress as "The mounting losses now decreed that a pilot's expectation of life was no more than eighty-seven flying hours." "One moment the pilots were sprawled on the dusty grass at dispersal, swapping stories, the next they were staring unbelieving at scores of German planes flying in perfect stepped-up formation." By September pilot wastage was approaching 120 men a week and aircraft losses exceeded production.

Lacking is the usual Hollywood approach to air combat that opens with "There I was at 20,000 feet when I spotted the enemy." Instead Colliers presents first hand and eyewitness accounts of the air battles, which are well presented and informative. For example, the author writes, "Then, in his last moment, feral instinct once more saved Red Tobin's life. In the second of closing in, something prompted him to make one last check, swinging the Spitfire violently to port, and as he swung back on the last weave of all he saw, almost dead astern, three yellow-nosed Messerschmitt 109s." Humor is also included in the text: at Homefield, Kent the butler "did the rounds of the velvety lawn after each dog-fight, sweeping up spent machine-gun bullets as deftly as ever he brushed crumbs from a damask table cloth." In another case when a RAF pilot made a wheels-up crash landing near an Elizabethan garden, "a country gentlemen of the old school stepped courteously forward to greet him" with a glass of brandy for his unexpected guest.

The text outlines critical command problems. The British commander Air Vice-Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding lacked trained pilots despite a two-week crash course for replacement pilots as losses outstripped the training unit's yield. From 1438 men available, by September 3 pilot strength had slumped to 840, "a casualty rate which assured the Germans victory in just three weeks." When Germany shifted to massive bomber raids to force the RAF into a fight to extinction, Fighter Command could concentrate fighter defense in larger groups; however, Dowding still faced a shortage of pilots and aircraft.

In Germany Reichsmarschall Hermann Goring lacked Dowding's empathy for his aircrews. To the German pilots it seemed that the pressure was stepping up almost hourly and Major Adolf Galland (later Germany's leading fighter ace) stated, "Things can't go on much longer like this. You can count on your fingers when your turn will come." Goring insisted on using the ME 110, which was ineffective as a bomber escort; but rejected arguments to increase production of the badly needed Messerschmitt 109 fighter. He further foolishly stated at the battle's midpoint that the RAF was down to just fifty Spitfires.

The book closes with an excellent outline of the critical air battle that took place on September 15, which the author calls the "greatest air battle of all time" On September 15, high above the German bombers, the leader of the Luftwaffe fighter escort sardonically broke radio silence with: "Here come those last fifty Spitfires." The RAF entered the battle with no reserves. While Dowding was still 170 pilots under strength, the author notes that at "this eleventh hour a fierce elation had seized every man airborne. "Few pilots notched top scores; it was teamwork from first to last" and so numerous were the crippled bombers pilots couldn't miss.

A downed German fighter pilot paid tribute to the RAF stating to his escorting guard "Well done, Spitfire." After the critical air battles of the past six weeks, by September 17, Hitler decided to postpone invading Britain indefinitely and give full priority to invading Russian. Ahead for the RAF lay long nights of bombing while the day battle was all but over. The brave efforts of "the Few" may well have determined the outcome of WWII in the west.

The book ends with a brief section of Facts About the Battle of Britain.

Overall it is well written account of a critical event in World War II.

"Catholic Women's Colleges in America" finally addresses a notable gap in women's history, American educational history, and Catholic educational history. From the last third of the 1800's, congregations of Catholic religious women - nuns - created more than 225 institutions of higher learning for women. Numerous generations of women (and later men) were educated in these institutions. Because of the students' modest economic circumstances, many would not have received an education but for these institutions and these religious women. Recent histories of American higher education and Catholic higher education either ignore or pay only passing attention to the fact that more than half of all present-day Catholic colleges in the United States were formed by these women. The multiple authors of this edited book examine the colleges' history, importance, failings, and present challenges stemming from the steady disappearance of nuns from the American landscape. Along the way, and perhaps more importantly, they tell many of the individual stories of these religious women and their colleges. The chapters are well-written, and easily accessible to the lay reader. While my own judgment is that the religious character of these institutions is currently at more risk of disappearing than the editors allow, one cannot but be moved by the story, faith and determination of these religious women to educate women in the United States. Thanks to Schier and Russett for bringing this story to print.

Carly Austin, had been out of Rafe STrongheart's reach in high school. Now she was back in his orbit teaching in the reservation school. There are many facets to both these characters that I really enjoy. It is a great read. Set in North and South Dakota on the Sioux Indian Reservation.

I wish my Home Economics teacher had a book as nicely illistrated as this one! The recipes are great, and easy to follow!

Good index and Table of Contents, makes each recipe easy to find!

This book, although clearly a plug for Eagle Brand products, nevertheless contains some of the most delicious and simple dessert recipes I have encountered in one place. From homemade ice cream or key lime pie, to caramel flan and many different varities of super-rich cheese cakes, this book is truly an authority on old-fashoned (and easy!) feel-good foods. It is the first book I turn to (it is QUITE an anthology) whenever I am prepairing a dessert for guests or simply want to surprise my family. I highly recommend this book to lovers of sweets!

Conversations With An Eagle: The Story Of A Remarkable Friendship is the personal account of Brenda Cox, a woman whose unique bonding experience with a bald eagle was to affect the course of both their lives. Brenda first met the magnificent raptor when it was twelve weeks old, and cared for it at the wildlife rehabilitation center where she volunteered her time. Brenda trained the bald eagle with falconry techniques (something that few human beings have ever had the privilege to attempt, let alone succeed), and suffered deep loss when her raptor friend unexpectedly perished after moving to a private aviary. Conversations With An Eagle is an amazing, memorable true story, and highly recommended reading for anyone with an interest in aviary wildlife or unusual life stories.

The main reason I love this books so much is that she took such a non-traditional approach to presenting her material. Without touching on religion or a specific foundation, it's an exploration that allows you to understand from a very free-thinking perspective. I like that.

This book is a fresh and unimposing read. This is different and I thought she approached it very well. We agree on so much that I find a lot of what she says to compliment the teachings I share. So, if someone is struggling to grasp the perspectives I offer I'll be sure to suggest they read Silver Eagle's "The Creator Connection" and they'll be able to jump back in with a perspective that is their own.

I so strongly believe that each of us has to find a path that works for us, and journey through life in our own unique way, that anytime there's someone who can support it this eloquently I add them to my suggested reading list.

So much of initial pathwork is frought with reading material and there is too much out there that is either confusing or worse, it's misleading. It's always good to find something you really can recommend with total sincerity. I think Silver Eagle did a fantastic job, her approach is clean and concise, and it's a quick read for anyone, most important of all the beginner who is very confused initially.

I think she managed to tie many issues together well and present them in a very logically objective way. It's open-ended and I like that. No dogma either. Nutshell: concise, logical, smooth, practical, easy to understand, and a fast read to that comprehension so it's an expedient reference for anyone seeking to discover their spiritual nature and a way to connect to Spirit. It's simply very well done.

Thank you, Silver Eagle, you have given us all a gift.

Blessings, Cinnamon Moon

dr neiper will always be remebered to me as a true hero in alternative medicine! my spouse has multiple sclerosis and without his works, she would be alot worse off today! his findings stunned the american fda and they forbade him entrance into the U.S. because his cures were not approved by our ever protecting FDA. what is the FDA protecting us from? getting well? Thank you Dr.Neiper for your books,writings, and for helping my spouse!

Marge's first novel. This is an important historical document. It is really in novel form, with the grace, strength, vigor and torque of Marge Piercy's particular view, this is a distillation of what the SDS RYM faction thought a revolutionary change in America would be like, written close to the moment. It has excitment, vigor of both a moral and a page turning type, and it reads like science fantasy today even though at the time it was conceived thousands of people probably thought it was political realism.
While at the time I would have said what I say now, that real change wont happen until the great batallions of working and farming people in this country move into action, the dream, the justice sought, and the excitement here is 100 times more important than what turned out to be fanciful. If in those days people had these fanciful dreams, with wars, near depression conditions, rising crises in health, homelessness, and the collapse even of bourgeois educationa nd social servidces for working people only beginning, the young Marge Piercy's cherished ream of a better world and faith somehow it could be fought for and won are worth a 1000 cynical, self-centered, neurotic tales that ignore the immorality and crime of this system and the need to tear it down.

This is a fresh new look at a man who is only remembered for treason. Without Benedict Arnold, the British might have won the revolution, and the author goes to great lengths to prove his point. Even though the book is fiction, it makes you ask the question. Was Arnold a tratior? Or in the end was he acting on behalf of the people of America against what he was seeing develop as a new corrupt government for our new nation? The book is a must read for Revolutionary War fanatics.