Heroic War Stories

by Airey Neave, Alistair MacLean, Ambrose Bierce

This exciting anthology combines in one volume many of the best war stories ever written, both real-life and fictional. From the romantic grandeur of the Napoleonic era to the dehumanizing horrors of the two World Wars, from Europe to Africa, the collection spans two centuries and even extends into the future.

Robert Graves' famous evocation of squalor and tragedy in the Great War, Goodbye to All That, and Guy Gibson's gripping account of the celebrated 'dambusters' bombing raid are both examples of the compelling writing of those who, when exposed to unwanted brutality and hardship, discover in themselves unknown resources of courage and fortitude.

Stories by famous war writers like Nicholas Monsarrat and Alistair MacLean stand in company with those of authors better known in other areas, for example H.G. Wells' terrifying picture of England under threat of Martian invasion and Ambrose Bierce's eerie mystery of the American Civil War.

The panoramic vista of the clashing armies of Russia and France at Borodino is graphically described by Tolstoy. By contrast, there is the personal drama of H.E. Bates' love story Fair Stood the Wind For France, and the maniacal savagery of the trail blazing novel of war realism, The Naked and the Dead by Norma Mailer.

Humor is also well represented, as is Joseph Heller's hilarious bestselling expose, Catch 22, and, of a gentler kind, in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's character, Brigadier Gerard.

This varied and entertaining assortment of stories and extracts, reflecting the breadth and depth of human experience in time of war, provides compelling and satisfying reading.
--back cover

Contents:
Fair Stood the Wind for France
by H.E. Bates
How Brigadier Gerard Won His Medal (Brigadier Gerard #1)
by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Invaders (The Last Enemy)
by Richard Hillary
The War of the Worlds
by H.G. Wells
All Quiet on the Western Front
by Erich Maria Remarque
The Battle of Borodino (War & Peace)
by Leo Tolstoy
Catch 22
by Joseph Heller
Buller's Guns (Archy Buller #2)
by Richard Hough
Arctic Convoy (HMS Ulysses)
by Alistair MacLean
The Red Badge of Courage
by Stephen Crane
Escape from Colditz (They Have Their Exits)
by Airey Neave
Goodbye to All That
by Robert Graves
The Moon's a Balloon
by David Niven
The Warrior's Soul
by Joseph Conrad
Fly for Your Life
by Larry Forrester
The Naked & the Dead
by Norman Mailer
The Reason Why
by Cecil Woodham-Smith
The Affair at Coulter's Notch
by Ambrose Bierce
The Fort at Zinderneuf (Beau Geste)
by P. C. Wren
The Cruel Sea
by Nicholas Monsarratt
Waterloo (Vanity Fair)
by William Makepeace Thackeray
Enemy Coast Ahead
by Guy Gibson
Into Battle (Her Privates We)
by Frederic Manning

346 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Lt. Colonel Airey Middleton Sheffield Neave, OBE, DSO, MC, TD (23 January 1916 – 30 March 1979) was a British army officer, barrister, politician, and author.

During World War II, Neave was the first British officer to successfully escape from the German prisoner-of-war camp Oflag IV-C at Colditz Castle. For his wartime service, in 1948 the United States conferred the Bronze Star Medal upon him. He later became Conservative Member of Parliament for Abingdon.

Neave was assassinated in 1979 in a car-bomb attack at the House of Commons. The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA), a spin-off of the IRA, claimed responsibility.

Reviews

[T. Fowler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pleasant book with a reasonable cross-section of excerpts from military books from the Napoleonic wars to WW2, but it only covers an infinitesimal sample of the military history universe and reading one short chapter from each book is too short to really satisfy a serious reader of military literature. So I can only give it a 3 star rating, even though the selections do represent good military writing and it does provide pleasant casual read. From these 23 excepts, I would pick "Enemy Coast Ahead" by Guy Gibson as the best non-fiction election, and "The Battle of Borodino" by Leo Tolstoy as the best of the fiction.

[Dennis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tough book to read, but at least some of the stories are more enjoyable than others. This book is a compilation of several short war stories from many different eras. It covers many different time periods and wars. Some of the stories are confusing and almost impossible to understand. I know combat is often difficult to explain but writing about it should not be confusing and jumbled up as some of these stories are.

[Oma Eagle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have 1988 edition