In the age of adventure; when dirigibles coasted through the air and vast swaths of the Earth remained untouched and unseen by man; one pack of relentless explorers competed in the race of a lifetime: to be the first aviator to fly over the North Pole. What inspired their dangerous fascination? For some; it was the romantic theory about a “lost world;†a hidden continent in the Arctic Ocean. Others were seduced by new aviation technology; which they strove to push to its ultimate limit. The story of their quest is breathtaking and inspiring; the heroes are still a matter of debate.It was the 1920s. The main players in this high stakes game were Richard Byrd; a dashing Navy officer and early aviation pioneer; and Roald Amundsen; a Viking in the sky; bitter rival of Byrd’s and a hardened veteran of polar expeditions. Each man was determined to be the first aviator to fly over the North Pole; despite brutal weather conditions; financial disasters; world wars; and their own personal demons. Byrd and Amundsen’s epic struggle for air primacy ended in a Homeric episode; in which one man had to fly to the rescue of his downed nemesis; and left behind an enduring mystery: who was the first man to fly over the North Pole?Race to the Top of the World: Richard Byrd and the First Flight to the North Pole is a fast-paced; larger-than-life adventure story from Sheldon Bart; the only historian with unprecedented access to Richard Byrd’s personal archives. With powerful; never-before-seen evidence of the race to pioneer one of Earth’s last true frontiers; Race to the Top of the World is a story of a day when men were heroes and the wild was untamed.
#23960 in Books Princeton Architectural Press 2015-04-28 2015-04-28Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 10.25 x 1.00 x 8.25l; .0 #File Name: 1616893184256 pagesPrinceton Architectural Press
Review
46 of 46 people found the following review helpful. A MUST READ FOR ANY FAN OF WWIIBy RC MayerImagine; captured German maps showing 15;000 Allied troops in a location that there were no troops. Imagine; Nazi’s keeping their soldiers out of position opposite what they think are thousand of enemy troops. Imagine; they can hear the US tanks lining up on the opposite riverbank. They can even here the soldiers yell “Hey Private! Put out that cigarette! There’s gas tanks over there!†Imagine; Nazi civilian spys transmitting radio broadcasts to Berlin that they overheard conversations in a pub in from soldiers in 4th Infantry Division that they were moving into Metz this evening. They also saw jeeps with the 4th Infantry Division markings. Nazi radio interceptors also reported to Berlin that they overheard the 4th Infantry radio transmission reporting heavy traffic as they were moving into Metz.All of this was an illusion created by US soldiers that were talented artists; camouflagers; radiomen; soundmen; and actors. Because of their great and successful illusions and deceptions; the 23rd Special troops are more commonly called the Ghost Army of WWII. They saved many American lives while impersonating many different Infantry Divisions including the 4th; 8th; 90th; 75th; 80th; 87th; 95th; 30th; and 70th. They also faked being the 2nd; 5th; and 6th Armored divisions. In most of their 21 operations; the real combat divisions were able to move to a better strategic position. Operating mostly behind the front lines; as the war progressed and their rouses became more successful; they were moved front and center at the crossing of the Rhine; allowing Montgomery's 9th US Army to cross the Rhine with minimal casualties. Their top-secret mission was one of the longest kept US Government secrets of WWII and hence there is very little written about their fascinating role in the war.Rick Beyer and Liz Salyes have put together a magnificently detailed and entertaining book; that not only details the many rouses the Ghost Army perpetrated on the Nazi’s; but also follows many of these talented soldiers beyond their war years. Any aspiring or practicing artist will love this read and will feel proud that their profession truly saved lives and contributed to the Allied victory in Europe.The section on "Selected Postwar Biographies" is a fascinating read about many of these soldiers that went onto fame in their private lives. A small sample of these: designing the Ellis Island Museum and WWII Museum in New Orleans; awards from Presidents Obama and Kennedy; dress designer Bill BlassThe book details many covert operations of the 23rd Special Troops that will be exciting news to even the most ardent World War II buff. For example that Patton met with the Ghost Army to request their help to deceive the German while he tried to breakthrough the Nazi grip on Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.Physically the book is very classy and honors and exemplifies the creative talents of the men of 23rd Special Troops. It is a combination of art and history and contains hundreds of actual war photos; declassified documents from the National Archives; and Ghost Army artwork produced by the soldiers while deployed in Europe.A MUST READ FOR ANY FAN OF WWII5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Not Your Regular Blood-and-GutsBy Janet K. SchwartzkopfI thoroughly enjoyed this book; although it's not one of the great history books of World War II. However; it does tell an interesting story that almost sounds like it could be a novel. The idea of recruiting people to make a concerted effort to fool the enemy takes the work done by Gen. George Patton to disguise the site of the D-Day landing and carries it onto the battlefields of Europe; where a small group of men capable of changing uniform patches and vehicle markings; deploying rubber tanks and trucks; sending and receiving faked radio messages and making one heck of a lot of noise all combined to confuse the Germans as to just who they were facing across the line; and in what numbers. It's also interesting that some of these men -- Bill Blass and Ellsworth Kelly; for two -- went on to have quite distinguished careers after the war. Their original drawings and the end of the book outlining the subsequent activities of several of the men featured was especially appreciated. It's not a deep read; but it's definitely a fun one; and certainly worthy of a movie -- except there's a lightness to the story that helps remove it from the regular blood-and-guts tales.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Good story with a less than stellar presentationBy HavedogwilltravelI already knew most of the story from watching all or most of the PBS program regarding the excellent work that did in the war. This book filled in many details and characters along with their entertaining sketches. I reduce the stars because of the presentation. I'm not certain which came first; program or book but it looks like it was program. For some much better written details on not these; but other allied deception operations in the Second World War read Ben McIntyre's books.
