The Centurions

De: Jean Larteguy, Robert D. Kaplan - foreward

Narrado por: Paul Woodson

When The Centurions was first published in 1960, readers were riveted by the thrilling account of soldiers fighting for survival in hostile environments. They were equally transfixed by the chilling moral question the novel posed: how to fight when the "age of heroics is over".

As relevant today as it was half a century ago, The Centurions is a gripping military adventure, an extended symposium on waging war in a new global order, and an essential investigation of the ethics of counterinsurgency.

Featuring a foreword by renowned military expert Robert D. Kaplan, this important wartime novel will again spark debate about controversial tactics in hot spots around the world.

©1960 Presses de la Cite, an imprint of Place de Editeurs; translation copyright 1961 by Penguin Group (USA) LLC and The Random House Group; Foreword copyright 2007, 2015 by Robert D. Kaplan (P)2018 Tantor

Excellent book for anyone interested in Vietnam,Algeria, military history, French history of the 1950s

An excellent book from Jean Larteguy, sheds lights on how warfare began to change from conventional to unconventional (after WW2 anyway) from the perspective of the French paratroopers. All with the focal point being Vietnam.

Superbly read. Unbelievably timely

I purchased this book by accident. I was going to return it but in minutes I was hooked. I couldn't put it down. It is one of my favorite books of all time and I have read several thousand.

The narration is exquisitely done. The story is raw, insanely human, not political but has immense political ramifications. And the best part is it is historical, despite being fiction.The author was personally present at a number the events described in this book. While the characters are fiction, they are Composites of real people.

This book illustrates in Technicolor so many lessons we are tempted to forget. If our society would simply read this book, a number of our social ills would disappear.

I don't normally rave about a book. This is a must read. You won't be disappointed.

a lot more sex than I expected very French

it was a good book it conveys how elite French paratroopers felt about their experiences however it is fictious and the author takes a lot of liberties with the story. Especially all the sex.

An incredible story and must read

Extremely well performed. The narrator brought all the characters to life and made you feel that you were present among them!

Except for some exceptional gems…

…regarding Communism and Big Army politicos, this tome on Special Operations is mostly…Tedious. Note that I did NOT say it was not worthwhile… As a former special forces officer and enlisted man who had three “hostile fire” tours to the Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan (But who had it easy) I would recommend this book to most non-special operations personnel… If only to get a taste of how we feel when we are handcuffed…But it is likely to go over the heads of most… And it is certainly not a scintillating read.