World War II & The Great Lakes

by Wes Oleszewski, Chris Rottiers (Editor)

Those who had yet to be born when World War II raged cannot imagine the fear, anger, suffering and sacrifice experienced by those who witnessed and fought in that conflict. Not only was freedom threatened, but the very fabric of human civilization was in danger. In order to preserve their very existence, free people had to mobilize and fight the evil that threatened to envelope the world. When FDR coined the term "Arsenal of Democracy" he knew that the heart of that arsenal was the industrial strength of the Great Lakes region. This book is not the complete story of tat effort. Rather this is a series of stories that will give the reader a historically accurate glimpse into the efforts of everyday working people who did their part to save the world during the dark days between 1939-1945.

Genres: History

288 pages, Perfect Paperback

First published April 25, 2018

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A loaner from my friend Vince Murphy, a souvenir from his trip to Wisconsin last year. This is one of the most informative, entertaining and readable (well, some problems, which are addressed below) works regarding something I had very little idea about. I’ve heard Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” enough times to know that the Great Lakes are important for transporting iron ore via huge boats, but this book gives that fact much greater depth. WWII was a time when the Nation needed a LOT of iron, to make steel, to make tanks, airplanes, other ships and countless other machines and materials of war. These boats also hauled such diverse materials as timber and cement. The Great Lakes are known for unpredictable weather, especially in winter, and many such boats sunk in the raging waters. The possibility of sabotage was ever present, and great pains were made to guard vulnerable locations, notably the Soo Canals and other narrower waterways.
But that’s only part of the story. The Great Lakes also had factories which made, among other things, heavy bombers (notably the B-24 Liberator), submarines(!), and tanks. Thus the Great Lakes and their important ports were a vital hub for the war effort.
And here’s a clever surprising fact: A few of the lake boats were fitted with flat tops so that they would be like an aircraft carrier, and were used to train pilots to take off and land on carriers! And speaking of other uses for lake boats, a number of them were pressed into service for oceangoing transport of ore and other materials, because of a shortage of such boats. That move proved to be disastrous because the lake boats, being lighter/less armored and slower, were vulnerable to attacks by German U-Boats.
I found this book to very fascinating and well-researched. It also has aspects which appeal to my Senior Citizen status, namely larger print and a lot of pictures. However, there were a good many misspellings and grammar mistakes which were too numerous not to ignore. If any subsequent editions of this work are printed, I would strongly advise Mr. Oleszewski to run it by his editor. Despite this irritation, I would still give this book five stars and recommend it.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love history. Especially Michigan history. Having been born here I will devour almost anything I can about the state and how it came to be. That said, World War II was a stretch as I'd never read anything aside from books on exploration or shipping on the Great Lakes. I learned a lot about the involvement of Michigan in World War II. I was surprised at how big a part not only the state played, but the Great Lakes as well (although given the beginnings of the automotive industry being in Detroit and the power of it at the time it makes sense). The numbers are staggering and the wealth of information Wes Oleszewski included in the 257 pages is incredible. So why two stars?
For a guy who wrote 24 books, it was as if I was reading the unpublished proof that had yet to be corrected. I truly feel sorry for Chris Rottiers, who as editor, should be ashamed of himself as his name will forever be plastered on the front of this book. It's as if Wes used Grammerly to edit the book and Chris followed suit but neither of them bothered to proofread it...(i.e. actually read the copy before sending it to the publisher) No one is perfect. The number of books published without proofreading probably happens more often than we realize. That being said, it's important to make sure that the correct steps have been taken to make sure any mistakes that are made have been corrected because it's one thing to make occasional mistakes, it's something else to have them keep popping up throughout the entire book. Sadly, out of the 24 books that Oleszewkski has written he chose this one to credit the teacher (even including a picture) who inspired him to write. Punctuation and proofreading mistakes quite frankly made this a difficult book to want to finish, much less read. I only hope that Oleszewski followed the correct writing process with his other twenty-three books as well as any future books he plans to write.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book. I learned a lot about the war effort here at home. The sacrifices made here in America too support our troops. My mother being one of the young women working in a steel mill.

[Jeff Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

His books are always interesting.