This was my first Uris historical novel. I first told my husband that reading it was a bit of a slog due to uneven pacing and poorly-executed blending of research and narrative. Plus the subject matter, Berlin in the immediate aftermath of WWII, pretty much disqualified the book from the race for the Feel-Good Book of 1964.

Then I proceeded to talk the hubby's ear off about what the book taught me about the bizarre politics of postwar Berlin and the Airlift that kept the city from slipping into t

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At our family Thanksgiving celebration, my mother-in-law pressed this book into my hands and said, "Sherry, I know you like to read, so you have to read this. It is the only book that truly describes what it was like in Germany after the war." (And, oh, by the way, hurry, because I want to lend it to someone else after you.) Born in Bonn in 1938, my M-I-L lived through many of these events before emigrating to the US in the late 40's. When she says this is what it was really like, that carries s More...

Armageddon is another one of Uris’s sweeping sagas, addressing the fate of Germany during post-WWII recovery. It focuses on the relationship between the victorious conquerors (Americans, French, British and Russians) and their former Nazi enemies and becomes a true battle between the Allies and Communist U.S.S.R over coveted Berlin. It is a story of redemption as the Germans rebuild their country, try to salvage their tarnished reputation, and fight a communist regime that is worse than Hitler. More...

This was the first Uris book I ever read. I picked it up because I am very interested in WWII history. I was not disappointed. The character development is great. And he is not afraid to kill characters just because the reader has fallen in love with them. Armageddon is a novel about a people struggling to find redemption in the shadow of the horrors they have committed while suffering the torments inflicted by their conquerors. It is ultimately about hope and rebirth but be prepared to have you More...

In Berlin at the end of World War II, an American Army officer bears witness to the aftermath of one historic tragedy and the rise of anotherCaptain Sean O'Sullivan distinguishes himself as a courageous soldier in the closing days of World War II, but what comes next tests his deepest reserves of strength and conviction. Sent to oversee the rebuilding of Berlin, O'Sullivan is exposed to the horrific truths of the Holocaust, a shattered and defeated society, and the new threat of Soviet power as More...

I purchased this book in electronic format from Kindle on Amazon. I read it it with great enthusiasm as it was history which occured during my lifetime and in fact, my Army time was extended over the Berlin Wall Crisis in 1961. The Berlin Wall also was taken dowm in 1990 and I own a piece of it, given to me by the FBI Legat in Germany. you have never read a book by Leon Uris you are denying yourself a great literary experience as his writings are all historical in nature and very well researched More...

This is an amazing, terrible, fascinating, awesome book. Amazing because of the story it focuses on in the end: the Berlin Airlift. Terrible, because it has to help you understand the depth of depravity in war, especially on the part of the Nazis and Russians so that that can contrast the greatness of spirit in others. Fascinating, because you really feel like you're there, in Berlin, near starvation, but willing to stand with leaders of the free parties against communism and listening to the pl More...

I am a fan of everything Leon Uris has written so this review may be a bit biased. This book is about Berlin right after WW2 and the fight for control of the city. He addresses the events from an American and Russian points of view, which is a bit different from any similar books I've read before. This was one of the saddest books of his in terms of the personal lives of the characters, but somehow still uplifting.

A epic book with a vast cast of characters, sub-plots, back-stories, settings, dialogues, and conflicts. This is one of the best historical fiction novels I've read, because it doesn't just take you to the time, it allows you to explore the minds of a lost generation. I have few criticisms for this novel, because it conveys so well how Berlin was different yet identical to the rest of the German personality. Though much of the book is fictional and romanticized, the harassment the Berliners put More...

By nature of its subject matter, this is an almost inevitably a relentlessly grim novel - During WWII and in its aftermath, man's inhumanity to man took on new meanings of atrocity, and no country was without its contribution.

3/12: I found this to be a rather disjointed novel - often I had trouble keeping the characters straight - it's very much a documentary-style novel, and I wonder why Uris, who had credentials as a journalist, didn't write it as a non-fiction work. There was also an almost h More...

I've read a lot of Leon Uris in the past, and have to say that I didn't feel this was one of his better works. Folks have complained about the slow start, and I do agree that it is a little slow at the beginning. However, I found the most disappointing piece of this book to be the obvious stereotypes for each nationality, especially at the beginning of the book. As it progressed, Uris tried to develop some of the German characters somewhat, but it felt like they just never quite got where they n More...

Uris' style is a bit stilted, but that may just be the period in which he was writing. I enjoyed this very much, as a student of the Holocaust who lived in Germany for five years... He brought the history to life, and unlike some other writers, didn't try to give everyone a happy ending. I would have liked a few more dates mentioned, as it was sometimes hard to keep track of where we were, but that's minor. One thing I do wish he had included, even if only as a coda--and that is the partition of More...

The story of post WWII activities in Berlin, the formation and politics of East/West Berlin and the Berlin Air Lift.

Uris goes into detail on the operation of the Berlin Air Lift and those members of the US Occupation Army and Air Force who were responsible for the same. Fact is woven with fiction in order to tell the tale. The fiction is needed to illustrate the feelings of the allies while dealing with the citizens of Berlin, as well as the feelings of the pro and anti Nazi elements of the city More...

Even though Leon Uris seems to have fallen out of favor, Armageddon is a very easy to read and informative book that focuses on the Berlin Airlift, an historical event I knew very little about. The book includes the aftermath of the Allied discovery of the concentration/death camps, as well as the origins of the Cold War and the partition of Berlin. If you can overlook the rather overdone patriotism and predictable characters, it's worth reading. Right after I finished it, I watched Judgment at More...

I tried to like this book. I really did. The book is about the occupation and fall of Berlin after WWII. The problem is, I never got to the part where the main character actually arrived in Berlin. After reading 30% of the book, padded with pages upon pages of history text type instruction on the psyche of the German mind, the Russian soldier, about Stalin and communism in Russia, was about to stick pins in my eyes. I realize all of this history is pertinent to the story but I do think it was pr More...

This is a big sprawling book that covers a number of years and multiple characters. While the focus is on the Berlin airlift it begins in the waning years of WWII. while reading it I thought it was one of Uris' earlier works because the writing simply isn't as strong as some of his other novels. But, this is was written in the 60s after he had written and published some other well known novels. I do like big historical novels that educate me on historical events and this well researched book did More...

Leon Uris is masterful in describing the horrors of the 1948-49 Berlin Blockage by the Soviets and in bringing alive the incredible and amazing story Berlin Airlift by the Americans and British and to a much lesser extent the French to overcome the effects of the blockage. I had, of course, heard of the Berlin Airlift but really did not know very much at all about it.

Following the final surrender of the Germans, Germany itself and separately the city of Berlin were divided into four zones reflec More...

This is a fictional account of the events in post WWII Berlin that led to the Berlin Airlift. This book follows Sean O'Sullivan as he comes to terms with the horror of war and the particular atrocities of the Nazi regime. After the war's end he struggles with the question "what is a good German?" and indeed "are there any good Germans?


The novel takes us through the complicated logistics of trying to feed and secure a city that has no infrastructure -- roads and railways are destroyed and if ther More...

This was a very long book, but worth it. What I did not like was the stereotypes of certain groups, such as how the Polish were portrayed as ravaging beasts and all Germans as Nazi's. However, it is well known that the Soviets raped their way to Berlin. This had been talked about between Churchill and Stalin many times while the Soviets were enroute to Berlin and was well known even when it was happening. That is one reason why so many Germans tried to get to the American or British zones of occ More...

I am a Uris fan - I loved Trinity and Exodus. But, I was very disappointed with Armageddon. The characters seemed flat and wooden, the dialogue stilted and predictable. Great story, poor execution.

I soldiered on until, by chance, i happened across Wouk's The Caine Mutiny on my bookshelf. The contrast was stunning: instead of wading through lifeless prose, I was treated to Wouk's honed descriptions, vibrant characters and hair-raising action.

I was unable to finish Armageddon.

Didn't finish. Quit at 40% complete. I didn't like the over-dramatic dialogue and the very black-and-white portrayal of the various nationalities: Americans, very very good; Nazis, very bad; Communists very very bad. I realize this is an older book and it definitely reflects the attitude of the time. Normally I don't have a problem with this, but combined with the stilted dialogue and the lack of any characters I cared about, I just didn't want to waste any more time on it.

A good read for anyone interested in what life was like in post war Germany immediately after cessation of the fighting,especially around Berlin. We seldom are exposed to the aftermath of war so we may not appreciate how horrific life can become once "peace" is achieved. I also enjoyed learning more about how and why the whole east-west Berlin situation emerged. In fact the irony of our Russian ally becoming our Russian enemy was lost on me until reading Uris's book.

I read this book years ago. Normally I avoid books about Nazi Germany and the horror of the camps and the overwhelming brutality. It gives me day time nightmares....Anyway, my sister loaned me the book on Kindle, so I decided I would run through it again. Wow! What a compelling and engrossing book.
Read it if you want to better understand the mammoth task taken on by the USA and the British to restore life to those who took so much of it away.

I started to read this book because I thought it was going to be about how the American armed forces dealt with the concentration survivors in Germany after the war. That was just a small part of it. It really is the story of how the USA, Britain and France worked to keep Berlin free from the Soviet Union. I liked it and learned a lot from it. There were portions that bogged down and really didn't add anything to the educational or entertainment factor of the book. I am glad I read it as I never More...

Wow. After picking this book of the shelf at my parent's house I had no idea what to expect. I do love historical fiction and this book if perhaps one of the finest examples of blending history with characters that you care about. The book was slow in places and it didn't really gel for me until about page 415 out of 650 or so. That said, this book really got me thinking about the problems an occupying force faces in a foreign land. Uris certainly romanticized what it meant to be American; part More...

The historical research behind the story was very impressive as always, but a woman was only worth mentioning when she was 'full-busted', or else a 'swivel-hipped secretary'. Except of course for all the 'tainted' rape victims. And then anybody from east of Berlin was 'subhuman' At first I hoped Uris was being ironical when he used these terms, but they occurred far too often. A shame, I liked any other novel I read by him. Maybe I should re-read to see if my opinion has changed on them.

Enjoyed another one from Leon Uris - Berlin Airlift and other events in Berlin leading up to it. SPOILER ALERT: He often has tragic endings, and this one was no exception, but I guessed wrong about who was going to die. He generally has no qualms killing off main characters right at the end, but this time it was character(s) that I hadn't grown as attached to during the book.

Overall, a good one, I have now read nearly all of Leon Uris' novels.

I love history and certainly historical fiction (if done right). This was the first Uris I read and was captivated. The post WWII occupation of Germany is not a setting many authors have tackled and he does it with aplomb. The character development and descriptions of war torn German cities is beyond approach. I have read most of his work but somehow missed Battle Cry. I'll remedy that soon!

I love historical novels set in World War II. This one was particularly interesting because it followed the aftermath of WWII and the dividing up of Berlin. I thought the setting was very interesting and the characters well developed. The logistics of the air drops into Berlin were jaw dropping. After reading this book, I picked up Exodus and enjoyed that as well.

Well I don't know what this happened, I thought I had read all of Uris' books, but never did read this one. So my review will probably be too positive, because it was like rekindling a romance with an old girlfriend. I plowed through this in just a few days. This book helped me to put into context the conflicts we struggle with in the world today. I was a young lad when the Berlin Wall was torn down. And I think I am very well read with WW2, right up to the capture and surrender of Berlin. But I More...