FUBAR Fed Up Beyond All Recogn

The soldier slang of World War II was as colourful as it was evocative. It could be insulting, pessimistic, witty, and even defeatist. From 'spam bashers' to 'passion wagons' and 'roof pigs' to 'Hell's Ladies', the World War II fighting man was never short of words to describe the people and events in his life. "F***ed Up Beyond All Recognition" takes a frank look at the British, Commonwealth, American, German, Japanese and Russian slang used by the men on the ground, and shows how, even in the heat of battle, they somehow managed to retain their sense of humour, black though it might have been.

"FUBAR: Soldier Slang of World War II was a fun book to flip through. When HBO's "The Pacific" goes on the air, I am going to keep this book nearby; I am thinking that it just might be useful!" -C Peter Chen, World War 2 Database/ww2db.com (December 2009)

"FUBAR is a compilation of thousands of slang terms and their definitions from WWII. It is a wonderful companion for both new students of the war and experienced historians. Some phrases will be familiar to modern readers. Most of us already know that a "jarhead" is a slang term for a member of the United States Marine Corps. and that "scuttlebutt" is a reference to rumors. You probably did not know, however, that a scuttlebutt was also a water fountain on a ship. Accordingly, "scuttlebutt" seems to embrace the same concept as water cooler conversations.

FUBAR is a lot of fun to read and I have kept it close by my reading chair since I received it. Rarely do I read a book that does not include slang terms that previously I had understood only by intuiting the meaning. Now I have a definitive resource to guide me through the soldier slang of the Second World War." -David Mitchell, World War II Forums/ww2f.com (November 2009)

Reviews of the hardcover edition:
"Reading this book brings to life the rich culture of the men and women of the armed forces of WWII. The level of detail in Rottman's collection of terms is astounding and the size of the volume speaks to its completelness. Writers of historical fiction or reference books will find this book invaluable. Hobbyists and modelers will also find the book useful as many of these phrases and terms can add to the character and detail of nearly any WWII model. Most of all, anyone with an interest in WWII will enjoy this colorful book."-Steven Weakly, Historical Miniature Magazine (2008)

"Reading this book brings to life the rich culture of the men and women of the armed forces of WWII. The level of detail in Rottman's collection of terms is astounding and the size of the volume speaks to its completeness. Writers of historical fiction or reference books will find this book invaluable. Hobbyists and modelers will also find this book useful as many of these phrases and terms can add to the character and detail of nearly any WWII model. Most of all, anyone with an interest in WWII will enjoy this colorful place." -Matthew Hope, HM (Jan/Feb/Mar 2008)

"Even though World War II ended 62 years ago, it is still with us in books and films. This small and important guide is one more testament to that... Academic libraries, as well as a variety of special readers, will want to add this useful and reasonably priced volume." -Charles R. Andrews, American Reference Books Annual (March 2008)

"I purchased FUBAR and stayed awake reading until sleep could no longer be avoided, great book." -Greg Sunyak (January 2008)

"Soldier slang of World War II is colorful and could range from insults to witty sayings: any collection strong in World War II history thus needs Fubar: Soldier Slang of World War I, a dictionary defining World War II slang from all armed forces sides. From conscripted 'koala' Australian soldiers to identifying a 'Chinese attack', this is loaded with phrases and insights." -California Bookwatch (December 2007)

"The overwhelming implication of FUBAR is that this remarkable reference book, a unique witness to the language of war, represents a class of men passing away with inexorable force. Dove or hawk, it makes no difference: If one truly want to understand this important aspect of the fighting men one supports or condemns, it would be infinitely myopic to ignore their words, how they said them, and why." -David Cotner, VC Reporter (October 4, 2007)

"This is a highly informative book packed with fascinating insights into the military language used in WWII, but also for those with an interest in the development of the English (and German) language." -Timothy Baghurst, The Traveler (September 2007)

"...this is more of a reference or easy browsing book than one where you sit down and start reading. You'll find many of the words to be pretty funny and some even a bit shocking... It is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed browsing through and it is one that I know you will find just as much fun to read. Most highly recommended." -Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com (September 2007)