“I have just finished reading your mammoth book Berlin, and really wanted to say how much I enjoyed it. I think everyone recognises the importance of feedback, good or bad, and whether this email actually reaches you or not, I wanted to at least record my appreciation in some way.
I myself was a serviceman, Royal Air Force, and spent more than 12 years in Germany, finishing my service in 1999 at RAF Bruggen. I also worked for a good number of years at Northern Army Group HQ in The Big House Rheindahlen.
Sadly, I never got to visit Berlin before the wall came down. The nearest was a Border Visit to Helmstadt in the early eighties. I have however visited Berlin many times since, the last visit just a few months ago, and it was just as exciting as my first visit.
I thought the picture you painted of an amazing, colourful, vibrant city with a darker past was, for me, absolutely spot on. It is a big book, but I finished it in record time, simply because I found it difficult to put down.
Thank you very much for such a fantastic journey. You have managed to weld a history book with (almost) a tourist guide and the end result is educational and highly entertaining.
I wish you well, sir!” D P Whiteman, February 2024
