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Spike Milligan

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Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall (War Memoirs Vol. 1) Paperback – March 25, 1976

by Spike Milligan (Author)

4.4 3,512 ratings

Book 1 of 7: Milligan Memoirs

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At Victoria station the R.T.O. gave me a travel warrant, a white feather and a picture of Hitler marked 'This is your enemy'. I searched every compartment, but he wasn't on the train'. Spike Milligan's on the march, blitzing friend and foe alike with his uproarious recollections of army life from enlistment to the landing at Algiers in 1943. Bathos, pathos and gales of drunken laughter, and insane military goonery explode in superlative Milliganese.

Book 1 of 7

Milligan Memoirs
Print length

144 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Penguin Books
Publication date

March 25, 1976
Dimensions

4.37 x 0.31 x 7.13 inches
ISBN-10

0140035206
ISBN-13

978-0140035209
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Popular Highlights in this book

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Gunner Sherry, who had been discharged from the Army on grounds of Insanity, then invited to join up again on the same grounds.
Highlighted by 58 Kindle readers
Letter from my major to my father I stood up, saluted smartly and exited.
Highlighted by 53 Kindle readers
From a peeling ceiling hung a forty watt bulb that when lit made the room darker.
Highlighted by 44 Kindle readers

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books (March 25, 1976)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140035206
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140035209
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.82 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.37 x 0.31 x 7.13 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,431,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #86,628 in Military History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.4 3,512 ratings

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4.4 out of 5

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James Rathbun

Spike Milligan and his part in the downfall of Hitler

Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2023

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It was a quick read and a pretty good one. Having done research on World war II it was refreshing to see war from the perspective of a less than enthusiastic soldier. It definitely has me interested in book two.

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Phred

Not just joke-a-minute. First person memoirs of a mangy warrior

Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2020

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Since my copy of Spike Milligan’s Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall is on Kindle and to get it out of the way there are some nice drawings throughout the book and they do not show well on a Kindle Viewer. At my side is a paperback copy of Book 4 of his war time memoirs and the photos in it are much crisper, even if page size is only slightly larger.

With that out of the way, my recommendation is that this is better thought of as the war time memoires of a soldier, musician, and humorist and not as it tends to be sold as the early humor of the leader of BBC radio gag show, The Goon Squad. This being the great Spike Milligan, his humor is foremost, but he is also addressing his demons, and remembering people who became casualties along the way. In some ways I think Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall, makes for a reasonable follow up to the serious Sword of Honor trilogy by Evelyn Waugh. Both begin with an England grossly unprepared for war and depending on outmoded traditions and building a tradition for muddling through. Milligan see the humor in life, and the bitter humor of being in the ranks. Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall also makes for an odd contrast with the American version of early days in the Army. Clearly Gunner Spike never had to deal with an American Recruit Company drill sergeant.

Another reason for reading this book from a more serious point of view is that so much of the humor is dated, insider and to a modern ear flat. Absent a major background in The Goon Squad (which I do not have) or other 1950-1980 British radio and television comedy (which I do) it is likely that a lot of this will mean little to even a modern Englishman. Another reviewer speaks of having to look up the regular use of British Army Initials, (RSM is Regimental Sergeant Major, about as close to God as a new recruit is likely to get). Likewise, there are a flow of expressions that may have long since lost currency. Looking things up is pretty much the end of comic timing.

That said a soldier is a solder. Horn dogs, given to being slackers, dubious of authority and at once eager and afraid of the dual nature of war, boredom and violence. Book one of Milligan’s memoirs covers the time from his draftee enlistment to deployment to Africa. Dated or not, he captures the feel of his life in the ranks and reflects how his refusal to be overly impressed by rank or be forced into the standard image of a like one, like all soldier.

I will be reading more of Spike Milligan. The chuckles are there but there is more.

4 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Earliest influence on my sense of humour

Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2021

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1st, my uncle gave me his copies of these books when I was 11 or 12, so that is a fond memory, as well as the fact that I'd never read anything like this before, didn't know grown ups could be so fu ny about themselves and war. The irreverence, such as portraits labeled 'a bloody fool', mixed in with tender reminiscences, and the capers! Much later i discovered the goon show and appreciated it even more. I've read them several times each and am glad they are agsin available. Put these next to Churchill history of the English speaking peoples. Crumbs these books even helped understand my blitz surviving grandparents more. I could go on, and I shall....

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Brilliant

Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2020

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What can I say. Real Spike Milligan I love his humour

2 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Past its sell-by date?

Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2019

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So, how well does a humorous review of military life in WWII keep its freshness? Not real well ,it seems. I've loved Milligan's work on The Goon Show. I enjoyed his novel "Puckoon". But I did not find myself enjoying this first volume of his war memoirs. Occasional flashes of really enjoyable writing,but overall it elicited mild smiles with a minimum of guffaws. Maybe the humor was dated.Maybe a lot of it was the "you had to be there "(which I wasn't) variety. Maybe I was worn out by looking up the constantly appearing series of initials used by the British military and by the author with no explanation. Maybe the Englishisms and Celticisms didn't cross over well to my American cerebral convolution (although I dutifully Googled any unfamiliar idioms/references/words and phrases -which actually was quite enjoyable and rewarding) Considering the reputation of the author,perhaps it is somehow all MY fault that I did not enjoy this more. Maybe I was hoping for more insight into the North Africa landing, in which Milligan participated and where my father,as an American GI sacrificed the distal phalanx of his ring finger on the beaches of Algeria as he personally reversed the Nazi aggression against France. There WAS a lot I got out of reading this book,but not nearly as much as I had hoped for.

4 people found this helpful

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Michael Beals

Very funny.

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2017

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Very funny. Laughed a lot. Loved the book. I also bought 'Rommel?' 'Gunner Who?' Not as good. Probably won't get any more because I fear they will not be as funny as Adolf.

One person found this helpful

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William Clodius

Spike Milligan's view of the pre-combat life in the British army in WWII

Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2015

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Humorous memoirs covering the first couple of years of Spike Milligan's service in World War II. The period is form his quiet draft avoidance, basic training, and waiting for dispatch to the war zone, and finally his arrival in North Africa, stopping just before he will get into the combat zone.

One person found this helpful

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Hirakesh Chandra Roy

The perfect getaway from a world going insane.

Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2016

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Dislike?? This is a great book with a whacky sense of humour.
Had to stop reading till wi-if strength improved. Buy the next one.
Why 5 stars? That is all the heavens will allow. Try your luck.

2 people found this helpful

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Finn

Great book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 14, 2024

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Great true story and very funny

Amazon Customer

Low quality

Reviewed in Sweden on July 28, 2023

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Good book but low quality printing.
The photos are unintelligible

R. A. Phillips

Piles of humour amidst the mental agony.

Reviewed in Canada on March 14, 2021

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A brilliant recollection of the need for soldiers to laugh in times of exceptional crisis. Milligan's experiences are the most heartfelt, amusing, painful and sincere ever to have been written about WWII.

Adam Miller

Very funny

Reviewed in Japan on May 5, 2019

Verified Purchase

Very funny book. Pretty short though

Kleine Hexe

Ein guter Blick von Great Britten

Reviewed in Germany on April 7, 2014

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Ganz im Stil von Puckoon ist diese Geschichte erzählt. Ein guter Blick auf die Geschichte. Lesenswert. Manchmal bleibt einem die Spucke weg. Aber sicher ein gutes Buch.

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Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall (War Memoirs Vol. 1) Paperback – March 25, 1976

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