Finished 1,271 Days a Soldier The Diary and Letters of Colonel H.E. Gardiner as an Armor Officer in World War II.

I found reading an edited version of Colonel Gardiner's wartime diary and letters to be extremely interesting and provided a personal and interesting perspective on the war in Africa and Italy. As it was his personal letters and diaries the authenticity rings throughout the book. While all observations might not have been completely accurate they were his.

My biggest complaint is the quality of the maps, they are frequently spaced throughout the book but are so small that their value is extremely limited.

As this is largely primary documentation edited by a third party it was a valuable and insightful read of an Armor Officer experience in the African and Mediterranean Theater.

I strongly encourage that this interested in World War II to read this. ( )

If you want a good example of the mundane day to day of American troops, this is an excellent choice. For those looking for deep insights into battle planning or a gripping account of fighting, this book is not for you. The maps and photos were not very clearly reproduced -- better maps would have been a major improvement. Also, while I try to ignore spelling and formatting in an early review book, they detracted greatly from my enjoyment. Overall, it was a tolerable read, but just barely. ( )

In case you’re wondering 1,271 days is almost three and a half years. This is a first person account of a Colonel in an armored division in North Africa during WWII. It was a bit mundane. There are more thrilling first person accounts out there. Check out Alan Morehead’s books on the North African campaign.

I tend to favor the first hand accounts of which "I was there" and so had an expectation that this book would give a very good "behind the scenes / behind the story" writing, how it really happened. For a Lt. Colonel in charge at some of the most pivotal battles during WWII I found this book very lacking. The much anticipated first hand point of view is limited in its scope

What I find most noticeable was the bland day to day activities that are documented. Understandably a soldiers life is boredom with moments of stark terror but this was a very hard book to read, not much to keep you interested. Occasional diary entries about some local interaction with the natives or a famous General add brief moments of interest but not enough to make this a good read.

I am left wondering if the notes in the narrative that some of the diary entries are omitted would have added anything to the work or just have been bore ( pun intended ) of the same. ( )

I was inclined to like the book because I enjoy firsthand accounts that are supplemented with explanations by a good editor. But this book suffered from source material that didn't have a very broad perspective, and formatting more appropriate to a web page than to a printed book.

The diaries that appear speak mostly of meals eaten and miles covered. (Heaven knows what the editor left out!) These are the observations of a one-stripe private, not a staff officer. Col. Gardiner was present at important events, and should have had an interesting perspective -- but I was left wanting.

Most of the images that appear seem to be low-resolution, downloaded from the Internet. Combined with footnotes that suggest a lengthy URL to the reader, I found the additional material of little use.

I wish I had more good things to say about this book. It was obviously a labor of love, and probably would have made an outstanding web site.

For completists who care about firsthand accounts, it will reward a quick read. ( )