"My Hitch in Hell: The Bataan death march" by Lester. I. Tenney - Book Review

Lester.I.Tenney's World War 2 memoir "My Hitch in Hell: The Bataan death march" is a grim tale of survival through the horrible days of the most devastating war of human history. Known to his comrades as 'Ten-Spot', Mr. Tenney participated in the defense of Bataan in Philippines against the massive onslaught of the Japanese army. He belonged to the B company, 192 Tank battalion. In his memoir he has given acute blood-chilling description of the infamous Bataan death march which he had fortunately survived. While reading it i was appalled by the barbarity of the Japanese guards who accompanied the tired,disease-infested,thirst-maddened American and Filipino soldiers on a 80-mile painstaking journey to the notorious POW camp O'Donnell. According to the author's own words 'stop walking, and you would be killed instantly.' The conquering Japanese did never show slightest mercy to the defeated soldiers who were forced to surrender due to lack of food, medical supplies and fighting weapons. As per statistics,  around 12000 American soldiers were subjected to this barbaric treatment by the Japanese during the march. Only 1500 of them could come back alive to their home after the end of the war. 

Mr. Tenney also narrates his daring escape from camp O'Donnell and joining a guerrilla force hiding in the jungle and sabotaging the Japanese military supplies under cover. He was eventually caught by the Japs and again was sent to the previous camp. Thereafter he brings into his book the remembrance of his life in another infamous camp Cabanatuan amidst the shadow of death looming largely everywhere. In last few chapters of his book he narrates his transportation along with other American prisoners from Cabanatuan to Omuta, a place in Japan where he was again forced to work as slave labour in a dangerous coal mine for almost three years. The memoir ends on a happy note describing Mr. Tenney's return to his homeland after the end of the war to the warm embrace of his relatives. Besides that one would be moved to tears to learn about his separation from his girlfriend Laura, who despite being informed that Tenney was missing in action, waited for him three and half years in vain and at last was forced to marry somebody else just few months before his coming home. What a tragedy !!! 

Tenney's memoir has taught me a lot about life. I cannot help admiring this man for his positive attitude even amidst those horrible turbulent days of his life as prisoner of war. He never lost hope or courage and always used his intelligence to find the best possible way how to avoid torture and beatings by the Japanese guards. On learning about the cruel inhuman treatment of the prisoners at the hands of their Japanese captors I repeatedly wondered how a human being can endure so much for such long period of time as Mr. Tenney did. According to him he made it because he always intended to do the right thing at the right moment. Frankly speaking if i were there in place of the author, i would have given up much earlier.

Finally it must be said that Mr. Tenney's contribution to the American war effort in its struggle against fascism is no less than those millions of men who served their country on land, in sea or in the air in hour of urgent need. It is wrong to assume that in order to win a war valour in the battlefield is the only vital component. Rather the fighting spirit of a warring nation is also inherent in the power of endurance, resilience and the ability to remain mentally calm and goal-oriented even amidst most adverse situations.

"Dwitiyo Mahayuddher Itihas" or "The history of the second world war" by the legendary Bengali journalist Vivekananda Mukhopadhyay is undoubtedly one of the most memorable books belonging to the field of the most devastating war in human history. This book ( written in two volumes containing more than 2500 pages ) is in fact the very first one on WW2 which i gobbled up within one and half months. It introduced me to the horrific war which pushed the world to the brink of utter destruction. It made me aware of the terrible suffering of the millions of innocent civilians, who were unwillingly entangled in the vortex of the horrible war. Seriously speaking, before reading this book i did not bother to know who Hitler was or why Churchill is considered one of the greatest statesmen in the world or what do 'concentration camp' and 'Holocaust' mean or why did USA and Soviet Union emerge as superpowers or the significance of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After reading the book WW2 became more or less intoxication to me. I still remember the day, when a vital class was going on in a competitive exam center and each and every student except me was listening to the tutor's lecture with full concentration. I was just pretending to listen to the lecture but my eyes were glued to the open pages of Vivekananda Mukhopadhyay's book.

Vivekananda Mukhopadhyay was perhaps among the few handful of Indian authors who seriously and extensively researched on WW2. As a renowned journalist and editor of one of India's leading newspapers 'Jugantor', Mr. Mukhopadhyay was invited by the governments of several European countries to pay visit to the war-ravaged sites of the respective countries. This unique opportunity of visiting the notorious Holocaust sites had enriched Mr. Mukhopadhyay's practical experience and consequently helped him immensely to compile the two volumes. While reading each page of this book the mind of the reader wanders about the famous WW2 battlefields around the globe. I felt that i was watching the battle in front of my very eyes. Even sometimes i felt myself participating in the battle blasting through the enemy lines with the fiery band of soldiers.

Another significant fact is that Mr. Mukhopadhyay made us convinced that he, like most of the Western historians, did not want to write biased history of the war. He in one hand praised heavily the leadership of Churchill, the courage of Roosevelt and the dogged determination of Stalin. In the final chapter of his book he commented that in order to win the war and liberate the world from the peril of Fascism America gave money, Britain gave time and Russia gave blood. On the other hand Mr. Mukhopadhyay was full in praise for the undaunted courage and bravery of the German soldiers and the patriotism of the Japanese soldiers. He even dedicated a whole chapter to the immense contribution of the British-Indian army and another one to the legendary tale of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and his Indian National Army. I personally hail Mr. Mukhopadhyay as great a WW2 historian as William Shirer, although the former's task to write entire history of the war was perhaps much more difficult than the latter.

But as far as my western friends are concerned, i feel pity for them because these two unique volumes were originally written in Bengali language. No English translation is perhaps available. Even if it is available i suggest one to read the book in original language. Then only one can understand what a genius Vivekananda Mukhopadhyay was. But alas ! For that my non-Bengali friends have to toil hard to master Bengali language first. So the choice is yours !!

Our Bones Are Scattered: The Cawnpore Massacres and The Indian Mutiny Of 1857 - Andrew Ward - Book Review

First of all i frankly admit that the perusal of this book throughout three weeks resembles more or less a psychological torture on my peaceful mind. Indeed, as per author's own words from the preface of this book, the bones of countless hapless Indians,Europeans, Anglo-Indians, Eurasians, Hindoos, Muslims or Christians are scattered throughout each and every page of this unique book on the great Indian mutiny of 1857. Since our childhood we have been taught in the history classes of our school to hail the Mutiny of 1857 as the first war of Indian independence, while on the other part of the globe in Great Britain or rather in Europe it has been touted as Sepoy mutiny. We Indians, while reading the history of 1857 mutiny had attached ourselves emotionally with such stalwart rebel figures like Nana Sahib, Tatya Topi or The Queen of Jhansi Laxmibai. On the other hand the British generals like Henry Havelock, John Nicolsen or James Neill had become hate figures to us for their utmost cruelty to put down the rebellion. But for the first time in life after going through this book i could not control my tears to learn about the massacre of the poor European women and children at the hands of the mutineers in Bibighar as well as in other sites where the mutiny had spread its black shadows. Infact a few questions are hammering upon my mind. First had not the mutineers massacred the British women and children, would the Britishers also have spared the women and children of the mutineers from the retribution in form of rape and murder ? Second had Nana Sahib been able to defeat the British army and driven them out of Cawnpur forever, would the mutineers have shown mercy on the British women and children imprisoned in Bibighar and had allowed them a safe passage to Calcutta? I am afraid to say that i am doubtful about both of these probabilities. Massacre-revenge-counter-revenge, the vicious cycle rolls on and on over the surface of the so-called farce named civilization. There is seemingly no end of it. Dresden bombing in response to London Blitz, Hiroshima-Nagasaki to avenge Pearl Harbour, Second world war and Holocaust to avenge the humiliation of Versailles treaty, the bloody conflict between Israel-Palestine or more recently invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan to avenge the destruction of twin towers. Do the 'children Of God'have no chance of escape from the vicious play of revenge and counter-revenge ? Perhaps the human beings are the only living being to descend into the nadir of such hateful barbarity as described from the title page to colophon of this book. While reading this book it seemed to me as if both the British rulers and the Indian mutineers had locked horn with each other in sheer madness to prove whose method of killing is more ingenious and barbaric. Really the human beings possess such superhuman capacity to hate each other !!!! At the end i personally thank Mr. Andrew Ward for writing such a tremendous book on this cataclysmic event of the British-Indian empire and for unlike most Western historians presenting the history of the Indian mutiny from an unbiased standpoint. Really very few books shook me so much as this book did.

Road of Bones the Siege of Kohima 1944 - Fergal Keane - Book Review

War is savage, war is madness, war is demon, war is macabre, war is tragedy. Fergal Keane's " Road of Bones: The siege of Kohima " is in general terms yet another tale of brutal madness and utter savagery which was very common all around the world in the turbulent days of World War 2. But in broader sense the book depicts the epic battle of struggle for survival of the two mighty empires from the pre-war world dominated by imperial powers. The sun of the British empire was already about to set in the eastern horizon while on the other hand the megalomaniac dream of imperial Japan to be the imperial master of the Asiatic empire was already turning into a nightmare of defeat,doom and destruction. While the British empire was desperately trying to restore its prestige as the mightiest empire of the world by inflicting a major blow to the invading Japanese army, the empire of the sun was frantically playing one of its last gambles by invading India and crushing the British-Indian army on the way in the hope of turning the tide of the war in their favour. Indeed Kohima Imphal battle, from this perspective was not merely a battle but a struggle for survival for both the empires.

The Battle of Kohima is also quite enigmatic and confusing from the Indian point of view. If an Indian is asked which side would u have taken had u been offered the option to choose a side, i am sure he would be confused to answer the question. The tale of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and his Indian National Army had become a legend in the independent India despite several attempts by the British imperialists to brand him as 'the Quisling of India'. Even Sohevu Angami, the Naga Havilder who devotedly fought for the Britishers in the Battle of Kohima admitted to the author of the book that he respected Subhash Bose as a person ( "I think his ideas were good.Even though we were opponents i came to respect him and what he was fighting for" ). Let alone millions of Indian people both in India and abroad, who regard Bose as one of the most selfless patriots of India ( Even Gandhi referred Bose as " the patriot of patriots" ). The point is the battle of Kohima and Imphal was unique in the sense that apart from the Britishers against the Japanese , the battlefield of Kohima and Imphal witnessed the savage clashes between Indians who were loyal to British and Indians who were loyal to Bose's ideals and to the noble cause of India's independence. Indians fighting along with their British comrades were struggling to save India from Japanese imperialism while on the other hand Indians loyal to Bose were fighting to liberate India from British imperialism. Really such a battle is an exception in itself.

Now come to the point. What impress me most after reading this book are the selfless bravery and sacrifice of John Harman in the battle of Kohima, the guerrilla fight of Ursula Graham Bower along with her Naga subordinates , the personality of Charles Pawsey ( The deputy commissioner of Naga region) who refused to leave the Naga people to the doom and destruction in the hands of the Japanese invaders and instead stayed with and assisted them throughout the war and last but not least the fellow-feeling and sympathy of Japanese commander Kotuku Sato for the ordinary Japanese soldiers who fought under him and were battered and devastated by thirst,hunger and diseases. 

In nutshell Fergal keane's account of Kohima battle is an honest attempt by the author to present before the posterity the horrors of war and the selfless sacrifice of thousands and thousands of soldiers from both sides who gave their lives for the causes of the respective empires which they represented.

' PARADOX ' ----- A Short Story

' Paradox ' by Dipanjan Datta

           '' Social friend '' - Minu was attracted deeply by the word, while preparing her lessons from the text book. Minu is seven years old and is the only daughter of Kamalbabu and Shiladevi. Like every morning, Shiladevi was busy in her kitchen room, but her works got a pause while Minu rushed into the kitchen room and curiously asked her '' Mother, who are called social friends ? '' Shiladevi gleefully interpreted, '' My dear, farmers, sweepers, masons, shop keepers, doctors - they are called social friends because we are benefited by them.''

             From that day, Minu hankered after meeting with a social friend. Both inside and outside, people became indignant on facing her various childish questions about her newly grown topic - 

 ''social friend '' . 

              The morning was a holiday morning. Shiladevi was busy with her domestic works and Kamalbabu was engaged in reading newspaper. Little Minu was playing with her dolls at a corner.

Suddenly the calling bell rang on. Minu opened the door. Ramu, the sweeper was waiting for collecting garbage with a basket and broom. Every week, he collects those from room to room as it is his duty. After watching Ramu, little Minu shouted, '' What a fun ! I have got a social friend. We shall be friends from today. ''

             Ramu got entertainment through Minu's childish simplicity and funny gesture. In a few minutes Minu befriended Ramu. Sitting outside, Minu showed her toys and dolls to Ramu while Ramu also showed peculiar gestures and patted Minu's back. He totally forgot his duty as he was enjoying the company of his little friend to his heart's content. In the mean time, Kamalbabu came outside and watched Ramu playing with Minu and touching her with dirty hands. Being angry, he gave Ramu a big slap and beat him up mercilessly for not doing his duty. Shiladevi rushed out from the kitchen and supported her husband. Minu repeatedly tried to convince her parents, but all went fruitless. Ramu bitterly wept and ran away.

            A drop of tear trickled down Minu's cheeks and she asked frustratingly, '' Should we behave with our social friends like this? '' Kamalbabu and Shiladevi stood perplexed without reply. 

     

''The sinking of the Bismark'' William Shirer - Book review

"Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win." thus made English football legend Gary Lineker his famous speech on the invincibility of the German national football team. After going through William Shirer's book on one of the greatest naval battles in history, the thought flashed upon my mind that war is a brutal game in which the battling nations fight with one another with maddening ferocity and at the end the British wins. Be it the destruction of the invincible Spanish armada or the victory against Napoleon's army or the bloody Indian mutiny or the Crimean war or the Falklands war, at the end the English flag always flies high in the battlefield. The Bismark episode offers no exception. By a very uncanny stroke of luck at the eleventh hour , a single Swordfish bi-plane enabled to damage and cripple the mightiest German battleship on 26th May , 1941 , while the entire British fleet almost had given up hope to find and sink Bismark and to avenge the disaster of HMS Hood , the mightiest British battleship at her hands.

One would be really astonished to learn that it had taken eight battleships and battle cruisers, two aircraft carriers, four heavy cruisers, seven light cruisers, twenty one destroyers and six submarines to help find the Bismark and sink her !!!! As fortune always favors the braves, so this huge enterprise and perseverance of the British fleet to achieve its goal did not go down as another fruitless endeavor. Instead the battle of Bismark has forever secured its place in the annals of naval warfare history as one of the most unique naval battles in which fortune left the hand of the Germans at the very last moment and put the victor's crown on the head of the English.