WHITING, Charles (Henry) 1926-

(Richard Douglas, Duncan Harding, Ian Harding, John Kerrigan, Leo Kessler, Klaus Konrad, K. N. Kostov, L. Kostov)

PERSONAL: Born December 18, 1926, in York, England; son of Donald O. (a fitter) and Winifred (a homemaker; maiden name, Kerrigan) Whiting; married Irma Krueger (a homemaker), February 17, 1948; children: Julian O. Ethnicity: "White." Education: Attended Cologne University, 1949, Leeds University, 1949-53, and Saarbruecken University, 1955-1956. Hobbies and other interests: Military archaeology, comparative philology (Indo-European languages).

ADDRESSES: Home and office—11 St. Olave's Rd., York YO3 6QH, England.

CAREER: Historian and novelist. Teacher at University of Maryland, University of Bradford, Bradford, England, University of Trier, Trier, Germany, 1958-73, University of Saarbruecken, Saarbruecken, Germany, 1968-71, and University of Bielfeld, Germany; writer. Military service: British Army, 1944-47, became sergeant.

MEMBER: U.S. Writers Guild, Mark Twain Society.

AWARDS, HONORS: Sir George Dowty Award, Cheltenham Festival of Literature, 1955.

WRITINGS:

world war ii nonfiction

Decision at St. Vith, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1969, reprinted, Casemate (Havertown, PA), 2002.

Forty Eight Hours to Hammelburg, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1970.

Patton, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1970.

Battle of the Ruhr Pocket, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1971, published as Ike's Last Battle: The Battle of the Ruhr Pocket, April, 1945, Leo Cooper (Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England), 2002.

Massacre at Malmédy: The Story of Jochen Peiper's Battle Group, Ardennes, December 1944, Leo Cooper (London, England), 1971.

Bradley, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1971.

Gehlen: Germany's Master Spy, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1972.

Skorzeny, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1972.

Hitler's Werewolves: The Story of the Nazi Resistance Movement, 1944-1945, Stein & Day (New York, NY), 1972, published as Werewolf: The Story of the Nazi Resistance Movement, 1944-1945, Leo Cooper (London, England), 1972.

Canaris, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1973.

Finale at Flensburg: The Story of Field Marshall Montgomery's Battle for the Baltic, Leo Cooper (London, England), 1973.

The War in the Shadows, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1973.

The Hunt for Martin Bormann, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1973.

The End of the War: Europe, April 15-May 23, 1945, Stein & Day (London, England), 1973.

A Bridge at Arnhem, Futura (London, England), 1974.

Hunters from the Sky: The History of the German Parachute Corps, 1940-1945, Stein & Day (London, England), 1974, reprinted, with new introduction, Cooper Square Press (New York, NY), 2001.

The Battle for Twelveland: An Account of Anglo-American Intelligence Operations within Nazi Germany, 1939-1945, Cooper (London, England), 1975, published as The Spymasters: The True Story of Anglo-American Intelligence Operations within Nazi Germany, 1939-1945, Saturday Review Press (New York, NY), 1976.

Bloody Aachen, Arrow Books (London, England), 1976.

Germany, Spy Capital of the World, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1976.

Death of a Division, Cooper (London, England), 1979.

The Home Front: Germany, Time-Life (Alexandria, VA), 1982.

Siegfried: The Nazi's Last Stand, Stein & Day (London, England), 1982, reprinted, 2001.

'44: In Combat on the Western Front from Normandy to the Ardennes, Century (London, England), 1984.

First Blood: The Battle of the Kasserine Pass, 1943, Secker & Warburg (London, England), 1984, published as Disaster at Kasserine: Ike and the First (U.S.) Army in North Africa, 1943, Leo Cooper (Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England), 2003.

Ardennes: The Secret War, Century (London, England), 1984.

'45, The Final Drive from the Rhine to the Baltic, Century (London, England), 1985.

Bounce the Rhine, Secker & Warburg (London, England), 1985.

Britain under Fire: The Bombing of Britain's Cities, 1940-1945, Century (London, England), 1986.

Operation Northwind, Cooper (London, England), 1986, published as The Other Battle of the Bulge: Operation Northwind, Scarborough House (Chelsea, MI), 1990.

The Battle of Hurtgen Forest: The Untold Story of a Disastrous Campaign, Orion (New York, NY), 1989.

Hero: The Life and Death of Audie Murphy, Stein & Day (London, England), 1990.

The March on London: Covert Operations in the Battle of the Bulge, Leo Cooper (London, England), 1992.

Slaughter over Sicily, Leo Cooper (London, England), 1992.

The Last Assault, Leo Cooper (London, England), 1994.

Death on a Distant Frontier, Leo Cooper (London, England), 1995.

Bloody Bremen, Pen & Sword/Cooper (London, England), 1998.

America's Forgotten Army, Sarpedon, 1999.

Heydrich, Henchman of Death, Pen & Sword/Cooper (London, England), 1999.

The Great Wall of Germany, Spellmount (Staplehurst, Kent, England), 1999.

The Battle of the Bulge: Britain's Untold Story, Sutton (Stroud, Glouchestershire, England), 1999.

The Korea War: The British in the Battle of the Korean 50-51, Sutton, 1999.

Hemingway Goes to War, Sutton, 1999.

The Battle for the German Frontier, Interlink (New York, NY), 1999.

Jochen Peiper: Battle Commander, SS Liebstandarte Adolf Hitler, Leo Cooper (London, England), 1999.

A Traveller's Guides to the Battle for the German Frontier, Interlink Books (New York, NY), 1999.

West Wall: The Battle for Hitler's Siegfried Line, September 1944-March 1945, Spellmount (Staplehurst, Kent, England), 1999, Combined Publishing (Conshohocken, PA), 2000.

Hitler's Secret War: The Nazi Espionage Campaign against the Allies, Leo Cooper (Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England), 2000.

'44: In Combat from Normandy to the Ardennes, Combined Publishing (Conshohocken, PA), 2000.

The Search for "Gestapo" Müller: The Man without a Shadow, Leo Cooper (Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England), 2001.

American Eagles: The 101st Airborne Assault on Fortress Europe, 1944-45, Eskdale (York, England), 2001.

Patton's Last Battle, Casemate (Havertown, PA), 2002.

Monty's Greatest Victory: The Drive for the Baltic, Leo Cooper (Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England), 2002.

Bounce the Rhine, Casemate (Havertown, PA), 2002.

The Field Marshall's Revenge: The Breakdown of a Special Relationship, Spellmount (Staplehurst, Kent, England), 2004.

nonfiction; under pseudonym leo kessler

(With Eric Taylor) The Great York Air Raid: The Baedeker Bombing Attack on York, April 29, 1942, Dalesman (Clapham via Lancaster, England), 1979.

(With Eric Taylor) Yorkshire at War: The Story of Fighting Yorkshire at Home and Abroad, 1939-1945, Dalesman (Clapham via Lancaster, England), 1980.

The Battle of the Ruhr Pocket: April 1945, Leo Cooper (London, England), 1989.

Betrayal at Venlo: The Secret Story of Appeasement and Treachery, 1939-1945, Leo Cooper (London, England), 1991.

novels

The Frat Wagon, Jonathan Cape (London, England), 1954.

Lest I Fall, Jonathan Cape (London, England), 1956.

Journey to No End, Jonathan Cape (London, England), 1957.

The Mighty Fallen, Jonathan Cape (London, England), 1958.

Orders to Kill, Corgi Books (London, England), 1974.

Wolf Hunt, Futura (London, England), 1976.

Doublecross, Severn House (London, England), 1978.

"destroyers" series; war novels

Operation Stalag, Sphere Books (London, England), 1974.

Operation Afrika, Sphere Books (London, England), 1974.

Operation Caucasian Fox, Sphere Books (London, England), 1974.

Operation Il Duce, Sphere Books (London, England), 1974.

Operation Kill Ike, Sphere Books (London, England), 1975.

Operation Werewolf, Sphere Books (London, England), 1975.

"t force" war novels

Highway through Hell, Sphere Books (London, England), 1976.

The Last Mission, Sphere Books (London, England), 1976.

Massacre at Metz, Sphere Books (London, England), 1976.

The Big Breakout, Severn House (London, England), 1979.

novels; under pseudonym ian harding

Blood Beach, New English Library (London, England), 1983.

Death in the Forest, New English Library (London, England), 1983.

Clash on the Rhine, New English Library (London, England), 1984.

End Run, New English Library (London, England), 1984.

novels; under pseudonym john kerrigan

The Phoenix Assault, Arrow Books, 1980.

Fireball, Arrow Books, 1983.

Bluebeard, Arrow Books, 1983.

Vermin, Arrow Books, 1984.

Watchdog, Arrow Books, 1984.

war novels; under pseudonym leo kessler

Death's Head, Futura (London, England), 1974.

Claws of Steel, Futura (London, England), 1974.

SS Panzer Battalion, Futura (London, England), 1975.

The Devil's Shield, Futura (London, England), 1975.

Hammer of the Gods, Futura (London, England), 1975.

The Black Cossacks, Futura (London, England), 1975.

Forced March, Futura (London, England), 1976.

Sabres of the Reich, Futura (London, England), 1976.

Blood and Ice, Futura (London, England), 1977.

Sand Panthers, Futura (London, England), 1977.

Iron Fist, Futura (London, England), 1977.

The Traitors, Futura (London, England), 1977.

Wolf, Futura (London, England), 1978.

Mountain of Skulls, Severn House (London, England), 1978.

Blood Mountain, Futura (London, England), 1978.

Counter-Attack, Futura (London, England), 1978.

Hellfire, Futura (London, England), 1978.

Ghost Division, Severn House (London, England), 1978.

Valley of the Assassins, Futura (London, England), 1979.

Storm Troop, Futura (London, England), 1979.

Panzer Hunt, Futura (London, England), 1979.

Red Assault, Futura (London, England), 1979.

Breakthrough, Futura (London, England), 1979.

Massacre, Futura (London, England), 1979.

Guns at Cassino, F. Warne, 1980.

Slaughter Ground, Futura (London, England), 1980.

Himmler's Gold, Futura (London, England), 1980.

Flashpoint, Futura (London, England), 1980.

Cauldron of Blood, Futura (London, England), 1981.

Otto's Phoney War, Futura (London, England), 1981.

Sink the Scharnhorst, Futura (London, England), 1981.

Schirmer's Headhunters, Futura (London, England), 1981.

Otto's Blitzkrieg, Futura (London, England), 1982.

Otto and the Reds, Futura (London, England), 1982.

Death to the Deutschland, Futura (London, England), 1982.

Fire over Kabul, Futura (London, England), 1982.

Blood Mission, Corgi Books (London, England), 1982.

Whores of War, Futura (London, England), 1982.

Eagles in the Snow, Futura (London, England), 1983.

Wave of Terror, Futura (London, England), 1983.

Black Knights, Corgi Books (London, England), 1983.

Hawks of Death, Corgi Books (London, England), 1983.

Otto and the Yanks, Futura (London, England), 1983.

Otto and the SS, Futura (London, England), 1983.

Otto and the Himmler Love Letters, Futura (London, England), 1984.

Death Ride, Century (London, England), 1985.

The Wolf Pack, Century (London, England), 1985.

Slaughter at Salerno, Futura (London, England), 1985.

Patton's Wall, Severn House (London, England), 1999.

Death's Eagles, Severn House (London, England), 1999.

novels; under pseudonym klaus konrad

First Blood, Futura (London, England), 1980.

March on Moscow, Futura (London, England), 1981.

Front Swine, Futura (London, England), 1982.

other

Also author, under pseudonyms Richard Douglas, Duncan Harding, and K. N. Kostov. German correspondent to Education Forum and Times Educational Supplement. Contributor to periodicals, including International Review of Applied Linguistics and Playboy.

SIDELIGHTS: British military historian and World War II veteran Charles Whiting has published well over three hundred volumes of both nonfiction and fiction with World War II as his subject. Whiting's works appear under his own name and under various pseudonyms, including Leo Kessler and Duncan Harding. Dubbed "the world's most prolific author of military history" by Northern Echo interviewer Carl Shilleto, Whiting has been praised by critics for his ability to "provide … unique insights that most historians fail to capture," according to Armor contributor Bryant Love. Among Whiting's many books are Siegfried: The Nazis' Last Stand, The Battle of Hurtgen Forest: The Untold Story of a Disastrous Campaign, Hunters from the Sky: The German Parachute Corps, and The Field Marshall's Revenge: The Breakdown of a Special Relationship. Praising The Field Marshall's Revenge, which focuses on the "bad blood" between Field Marshall Montgomery and the American forces, New Statesman contributor Andrew Roberts praised Whiting for "brilliantly chart[ing] the clashes" between the major Allied forces. Several of Whiting's early books, including Bloody Aachen and Decision at St. Vith, have remained in print since their initial publication; Love termed Bloody Aachen "excellent" and added that Whiting's book "would make a fine addition to any cavalry, armor, or infantry soldier's professional library."

Siegfried: The Nazis' Last Stand is an account of the German defense of the Siegfried Line toward the close of World War II. Philip Warner, writing in the Spectator, called Siegfried "an important document." Ardennes: The Secret War, according to a Publishers Weekly reviewer, is a "novelistic recounting" of a German intelligence plot at the end of the war, and the indifference of the Allied leaders in allowing the coup to occur. The Publishers Weekly reviewer praised the work as a "story … briskly told" with "a good selection of photographs." Whiting's book Operation Northwind, which was reprinted as The Other Battle of the Bulge: Operation Northwind, discusses the "second Battle of the Bulge," an act of aggression initiated by Hitler in France during December, 1944, with the goal of reclaiming Alsace-Lorraine. The battle resulted in the loss of more than 15,000 American troops and more than 30,000 French soldiers. According to Whiting, this battle was more important because it endangered the Western alliance and precipitated political anarchy in France. According to a Publishers Weekly reviewer, "Whiting expertly describes the overall strategy of the battle and its political over-tones."

The Battle of Hurtgen Forest: The Untold Story of a Disastrous Campaign examines the battle which took place at Hurtgen Forest during 1944-45, in which 30,000 U.S. GIs, many of them unseasoned soldiers, were injured or killed. According to a Publishers Weekly critic, Whiting depicts the combat "with a sure hand," and "makes it painfully clear" that the fighting at Hurtgen was needless, and that the high-ranking American military leaders were more concerned with their personal careers than with important tactical decisions. Stanley Itkin, writing about the book in Library Journal, called Whiting "a first-rate military historian and writer."

Whiting is also the author of Hero: The Life and Death of Audie Murphy, a biography of the actor and celebrated World War II hero. After his war service, Murphy embarked on an undistinguished career in film, gambled away his wealth, was involved in a murder case, and died in 1971 in an airplane accident. The book follows Murphy through his impoverished childhood in Texas, his war achievements, his movie career, and his unpredictable behavior until his death. Whiting maintains that Murphy's depression after the war was a result of post-traumatic stress disorder. John Smothers, writing in Library Journal, felt that "original research would have helped the book." Whiting's novels include "The Destroyers" series and numerous World War II accounts published under the Kessler pseudonym.

A prolific writer and respected historian, Whiting once told CA: "I am motivated by the desire to portray World War II from the point of view of the little man—the G.I.—not from that of the top brass." He later noted: "I am interested in the 'special relationship' created by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin Roosevelt between the United Kingdom and United States in 1941."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

periodicals

Armor, March-April, 2002, Denver Fugate, review of Siegfried: The Nazis' Last Stand, p. 48, and Bryant Love, review of Bloody Aachen, p. 50.

Daily Express, August 12, 1986.

Daily Mail, April 10, 1999.

History Today, July, 2000, Brian Catchpole, review of Battleground Korea: The British in the Korean War, p. 56.

Independent, April 8, 1996.

Library Journal, July, 1987, p. 74; February 1, 1989; August, 2002, Edward K. Owusu-Ansah, review of A Traveller's Guide to the Battle for the German Frontier, p. 140; April 15, 2002, Michael Rogers, review of Siegfried, p. 130.

Marine Corps Gazette, March, 2000, Peter J. Williams, review of Hunters from the Sky: The German Parachute Corps, p. 68.

New Statesman, November 29, 2004, Andrew Roberts, review of The Field Marshall's Revenge: The Breakdown of a Special Relationship, p. 46.

Northern Echo (Darlington, England), October 30, 2001, Carl Shilleto, "Reliving the Horror of War," p. 12.

Observer (London, England), January 6, 1985, p. 46.

Publishers Weekly, May 17, 1985, p. 102; March 3, 1989, p. 92; September 28, 1990, p. 95.

Saturday Review, June 24, 1972, pp. 61-63.

Soldier, August, 1998, pp. 34-35.

Spectator, January 29, 1983, pp. 20-21.

Times Literary Supplement, September 1, 1972, p. 1034; January 4, 1974, p. 6; December 28, 1984, p. 1496.

Virginia Quarterly Review, winter, 1982, p. 22.