Roll Me Over by Raymond Gattner, ISBN 0-8041-1605-9, Ivy Books $5.99, Paperback. This is the best personal memoir I have read in a long time. Gantter was a rifleman in the 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division, from just before the Bulge to the end of the war. He eventually became platoon sergeant and obtained a battlefield commission just as the war ended. This is a great book if you want to read about the day-to-day life of the infantryman in one of the most famous units of the war (digging in, setting up a nice foxhole, being moved, digging in again...). Gantter is quite critical of many officers, showing that even the Big Red One got the cream of the crop. This book gets our top recommendation and as a paperback it is inexpensive enough that everyone can afford it. Order it here
No Mission Too Difficult by Blythe Foote Finke, ISBN 0-8092-3259-6, $24.95. This book raises interesting questions about oral history. The author (wife of a 1st Div. vet) has collected stories of some Big Red One men, and has broken the tales up to present segments dealing with one time period (i.e. North Africa) all together. One question raised is about this technique. Is this the best way to present the information, or should she have kept all of one man's material together in a separate chapter? Another question is, should a book about the 1st Division contain information, no matter if it is interesting, about men's service prior to their joining the unit? You'll have to decide that for yourself. This book, while not having any great revelations about the 1st Div, has some nice tales by the vets. It is sadly lacking in D-Day material, but has some good African memories. Unlike many such books the author knows a bit about the subject and makes only a few military blunders. A few nice photographs, but when will publishers realize that readers want more wartime photos and not pictures of the vets as they look today. Probably not of interest except for the completist or 1st Div historian. Order it here
Janey: a Little Plane in a Big War by Alfred Schultz ISBN 0-913337-31-5, HC, $30.00. This is a wonderful book about a liaison pilot (light artillery observation aircraft) with the 3rd Infantry Division in WW2. Well written and full of great tidbits about these unusual aircraft. Includes a great story about George Patton (aren't they all?). Really fills the gap in understanding how the American Artillery used these planes. Order it here
Crossing the Sauer by Charles Reis Felix ISBN 158080-099-8, HC, $22.95. Although the unit is never mentioned by name, it seems to be the 5th ID. The author was a late war Battalion CP radio man. While the book does not get into the details of the actions and how the equipment worked, it is a well written look at what a man thought to be dumped into the infantry, and how very glad he was to be at Battalion and not in a rilfe company. It captures the terror of him worrying about being sent up to the real front line. Order it here
Before Their Time by Robert Kotlowitz ISBN 0-385-49603-6, SC, $12.95. The author was a rifleman in Company C, 104th Inf. Regt. (before that an ASTP'er). A short literary memoir covering some training in the states, then going overseas, and the early days of being in a combat area. In his first attack his platoon was wiped out, and he was evacuated as a neuro-psych case. He then spent some time guarding the Division's duffel bags in Nancy. Order it here
Beyond the Beachhead by Joe Balkoski, ISBN 081172682, $14.95. There is no finer book on the role of the 29th Division at Omaha beach. It also is one of the finest volumes on the transition of a National Guard unit. The author has done ground breaking research with veterans for many years before it became a popular subject. His interviews were done years before any of them had a chance to have their memories clouded by movies or TV shows. Order it here.
Other Clay
Clay Pigions of St. Lo
Enemy North, South, East, West by Robert Weiss, ISBN 0-894071238, $14.95.Written by the Artillery Forward Observer stationed on Hill 314 at Mortain. An extraordinarily well done history of this "lost Battalion." The author does a great job telling his story, and has backed it up with well done research in the archives. It also contains the author's report written just after the event, and copies of the unit radio log. Covers only the few days that they were surrounded at Mortain, but really worthwhileOrder it here.
The Other Side of War by Herbert Youngdahl, , ISBN 1-885003-57-9, $9.95. An Infantry platoon Sgt. in the 133rd Inf. Regt. Order it here.
Biography of a Battalion: The Life and Times of an Infantry Battalion in Europe in World War II by James Houston is back in print! This book is a history of the 3rd Battalion, 134th Infantry, 35th Infantry Division. Written by a battalion staffer, who also happened to be a professionally trained historian. Not only details the story of that battalion, but gives a very good look at life in an infantry battalion. (very) Highly recommended. My only complaint is they reprinted it in a smaller format so it's a bit tough on my poor eyes. Order it here.
Witht he 41st Division in the Southwest Pacific by Francis Catanzaro , ISBN 0253-34142-6, An account of the 41st in new Guinea and the Philippines. I have only skimmed the first bit, but it looks OK and we need mroe on the SW Pacific!Order it here.
The Rock of Anzio, Flint Whitlock
Grumpy's Trials by John M. Sword, ISBN 0-89745-114-7 .One of the few memoirs from a member of an I&R platoon (Intelligence and Reconnaissance). Sword was in the I&R platoon of the 315th Infantry regiment from France til the end of the war. Good solid memoir. Order it here.
Shavetail: the oddussey of an infantry lieutenant in WW2. by William Devitt, ISBN 0-87839-161-4, $24.95. Company E, 330th I.R. The book is a bit thin, which is too bad as this was the company tasked to capture an island off St. Malo. Sadly all we get is a quick mentio of them training for the action, and then finding out it was canceled. The author does come into his own in a quite good and realistic description of a minor combat action in a town called Untermaubach in Dec. 1944. Order it here.
How could I have forgotten Rocki's book Footsoldier. Great book.
F Company by the men of F Company, ISBN 0965952401. $24.95. A nice hardcover collection of memoried from F company men, 347th Infnatry Regiment, 87th Infantry Division. Covers trainning through combat. Each man contrinbuted a small section of his memoirs for each section. Order it here.
Draftee Division: The 88th Infantry Division in WW2 by John Sloan Brown. ISBN 0-89141-666-8, $15.95. This book has recently been reissued in a soft-cover version by Presidio Press. Although it is a short history of the 88th Infantry Division in Italy, the focus is on the unit as the first all draftee division to get into combat. This an important book for many reasons and I recommend it highly. Don't be put off if you have little interest in the Italian Campaign. The unit does not get to Italy until roughly halfway through the book. There is some really good material here on the training of units in WW2, and on the subject of Regular vs. Guard vs. Draftee divisions. My only real complaint is that it is too darn short! The most important section in the book is an appendix that contains a rebuttal to the theory that German soldiers were better overall than American troops. The basis for this theory stems from a study done by Col. Trevor Dupuy which claimed that each German soldier was "worth 1.55" American soldiers. Brown goes into great mathematical detail to use Dupuy's own figures to prove the opposite. After studying all the facts and examining the "myth of German superiority" Brown sums it up best when he explains why the Allies won... "because man for man and unit for unit, they were tougher than their adversaries." The next time someone quotes Dupuy about German superiority, haul out the weighty math in this book and see if they can prove it wrong! 0-89141-666-8Order it here
See Naples by Douglas Allanbrook, ISBN 0395745853, $22.95. Allanbrook went overseas with the I&R platoon of the 350th Infantry Regiment, 88th Division. He served with it until the end of the war in Italy. This book has been overlooked as the first few chapters are non-war related, but it is quite good and worth tracking down. Not much in-combat material, but a good taste of war in Italy. Order it here (this may be out of print. email books@militaria.com and ask if they have any left)
War From the Ground Up by John Colby, ISBN 0890158444, $22.95. This
more of a unit history and compilation of memoirs, but still darn good. Hard to
find. Amazon does not carry it, but an order to B+N will be back ordered, then
eventually filled (mine was). Covers the whole war in the ETO, with an emphasis
on the change int eh 90th from a problem division to a great one.
Order it here from B+N
Patton's Ghost Corps by Nathan Prefer, ISBN 0-89141-646-3, $24.95 Another book dealing with the more positive exploits of the American Army, this one is sub-titled "Cracking the Siegfried Line." It describes the XX Corps attempt to break the German defensive line at the beginning of 1945. The primary focus is on the 94th Infantry Division, but also mentions the other units that took part in this action. The author should be congratulated in choosing a battle that, although interesting and important, has slipped from the mind of most historians. This is one of a small but growing number of books that helps destroy the myth of German invincibility, and shows just how professional an Army the Americans had become by the end of 1944. It fills an important gap in the history of WW2. Order it here
Unsung Valor by A. Cleveland Harrison, ISBN 1-57806-214-4, $28.00. Subtitles "A GIs story of WW2." Tracks the author from Basic, through his stint in ASTP, to the 94th Infantry Division for the voyage across the Atlantic and containing Lorient. Combat essentially starts and ends with one night attack where his company is devastated (and he is wounded). Continues on through hospital in the UK, and his reassignment to the U.S. Group Control Council (military government). Well written and easy to read, has a few nice details about military life, but not a book if you just want combat stories. Lots of emphasis on plays and dramatics in the war, as that is the authors field. Even though there was not much in the way of "war stories" I enjoyed reading it. The author certainly got around during the war. Order it here
Infantry Soldier by George Neill, ISBN 0-8061-3222-1 . Subtitled "Holding the line at the Battle of the Bulge." Another ASTP'er who ends up in the 3rd battalion, 395th Infantry Regiment as a BAR gunner. His unit is sent to the northern shoulder of the Ardennes, and they hold against strong German attacks. He is not at the front very long, but is injured and sent to hospitals in Paris and England. Contains not only his memories, but also some stories from his platoon buddies and the rest of the 99th. Good information this little known aspect of the Ardennes offensive in the area around Montshau. He finishes off the war working at a top secret Allied signal stations in London. Order it here
Into the Mountains Dark, by Franklin Gurley ISBN 0-9666389-4-8, $19.95 . The author was an ASTP'er then a rifleman in Company A of the 399th Inf. Regt. The book covers his time from enlistment through a battle in the Vosges mountains in mid November 1944 where his unit won a unit citation. Lots of digging foxholes in cold wet terrain, and the nerves of entering combat. Things that stand out are an incident where someone threw a rifle grenade at the Germans and it actually exploded (!), that he actually drank the K-ration lemonade, and he's one of the few to mention to seeing men use the canvas muzzle covers. A bit hard to find, I finally had to order it from the Scholar's bookshelf (see link at www.militaria.com)Order it here
Combat: A short interval in the life of a G.I. in World War II By Lester Gluesenkamp, Privately published, no ISBN. Gluesenkamp was a BAR man in the 2nd Platoon, Company C, 397th Infantry, 100th Infantry Division. He served throughout the campaigns in Southern France and Germany from October 1944 through April 1945. His family kept many of his letters, and he started writing his memoir just after the war when he was hospitalized with hepatitis. This is a homegrown, photocopied, spiral-bound memoir, but contains some very good information on the daily life of the GI in combat. Most of the time described covers the winter of '44-'45 in the mountains in Southern France, and it was none too pleasant. I can't say I enjoyed reading the descriptions of attempting to sleep in foxholes filled with freezing water, but it certainly has reminded me just how miserable the life of a rifleman can be. It is available only from the author. The cost is $15 plus $3 postage (both US and overseas). Order from Lester Gluesenkamp, 4185 Kinoka Rd., Alma, Il 62807 USA.
Letters of a combat rifleman by Charles Davis, ISBN 8805950478, $18.00, Softcover. This a quite interesting book with a lousy title. I almost passed it by thinking it was the 100 and nth collection of random letters home. Its not. It is the story of a rifleman of company L, 415th Inf Regt. . The author was first in company headquarters, then later a squad leader. But this is one of the only books I know of where the author actually carried a 1903A4 Springfield! While there is great information inhere (such a list of everything in his pockets at one point) a word of warning is that there are more than a few typos (nothing major) and you will curse the book as the author writes of going around taking photos, but there are only the two on the front and back cover. The author was also a gun nut, and there's a lot of gun related commentary (and the never ending hunt to loot pistols). All in all, this is a hard to find memoir well worth tracking down Someone please reprint a better edition, with photos, and if you call it "Timberwolf Sniper" you'll sell 20 times as many copies!.Order it here
Once Upon a Wartime by Peter Layton Cottingham, ISBN 0-9680969-1-3, $14.95, Paperback. This is one of the only memoirs by a Canadian member of the FSSF I know of. As such it is an important document of this very special unit. The author starts out in the Canadian Army, transfers to the 1st Canadian Para. Regt. then joins the Force. Although a bit short, the book is mandatory for Force enthusiasts. There's a good section on the far right flank at Anzio. Order it here
Storming Ashore by Kenneth Garn, ISBN 1560028211, $13.95, Paperback. This is very thin book, covering the experiences of a member of the defense platoon in the 531st Shore Regt, 1st Engineer Special Brigade. He was involved in all the Med. landings and D-day. Some nice photos, but sadly poorly reproduced. Some nice tidbits of interest to one studying the 1st ESB, but probably not of general interest. Order it here
Reflections of Courage on D-day by Marcia Moen, ISBN 0-9649922-6-2, $15.99, Paperback. These are the memoirs of Charles 'Ace' Parker, commander of Company A, 5th Ranger Bn. as told to his nieces. Although I wish it had been solely written by the vet himself, the result is quite good and has little of the obvious errors that creep into a book done by non-military folk. This book is invaluable for tracing the exploits of Company A making its way from Omaha Beach to Pt Du Hoe in the early stages of the invasion. That's an area where historians have had little original material... until now. Covers his entry into the Rangers, through D-day and Brittany, and on into Germany. A great book that should be better known. Order it here
The Liberation of Point du Hoc by JoAnna McDonald, ISBN 1888967064, $18.00, Paperback. This is a disapointing look at the famous Ranger assault. Mainly a re-hash of what's in previous books on the subject, along with a handful of interviews with vets, it adds little to our understanding of what went on. I shuddered to realize the author does not know what a thermite grenade really is, and called HBT's "paratrooper pants." So you have take details with a grain of salt. I'd only recommend it if you MUST own every book on the Rangers and want to check each account with the other for possible variations fromt he story. Order it here
A Colonel in the Armored Servcie by William S. Triplet,
Before their Time, by Robert Kotlowitz
For You, Lili Marlene by Robert Peters, ISBN 0-299-14810-6. The author trained with the 106th Inf. Div. in the USA, but was sent overseas serving in a number of non-combattant, clerk type positions. As I read this book it suddenly struck me that this is actually a history of a young man in the Army finding out he is a homosexual. Oh my. Although well written, this is a memoir you can probably pass by because it doesn't have all that much new to say about life in the WW2 army. Except for its own area of concern. Order it here
The Medic by Leo Litwak, ISBN, 1565123050 . the story of a platoon aid man in the last few months of the war in Europe. While well written, the author states it is a mildly fictionalized account of his service - with composite units and characters. This means it must be taken with a major grain of salt in historical terms. Still, although a thin book, does provide some insights into what it must have been like to be an aid man. Order it here
The Memoirs of an Artillery Forward Observer by James Russell Major, ISBN 0897452291. A short book by an FO from the 949th F.A. Bn, part of the 3rd Army. Not as much about the actual mechanics of being an FO, and the activities of an arty battalion as I would have liked. Order it here
Military Government Journal: Normandy to Berlin by MG John Maginnis, No ISBN, 1971, U. Mass. Press.
Payoff - Artillery by Frank Armstrong, ISBN 0-963244817. written by an officer in the 283rd Field Artillery Bn. A 105mm Arty unit assigned to Corps/Army support. A few interesting bits, but sadly the author falls into the trap of trying to write the "big picture" instead of just what he saw and did. Some T/O information, but it is mainly pulled from post war sources and is not the 'how a WW2 Artillery unit functioned' book I am still looking for. Order it here
Scenes from the End by Frank Manuel, ISBN 1883642558, $20.00. I am not really sure what to think of this thin book. In the introduction the author admits that he has taken some liberties and used composites and amalgamations of his memories and his notes. Which means we can't e really sure any of this happened. The author was an interpreter in the XXIst Corps at the end of the war. This book is not exactly a memoir, as much as a collection of images that attempting to provide a feeling for what it was like in Germany at the end of the war. That is does quite well, and I found myself enjoying it, even though I was looking for a 'real' memoir. As a historical source I really can't recommend it, unless you are desperate for info on post-war Germany. Taken in the right light, I guess it does provide a good background of what the majority of the people saw and felt. I just wish the author would have done a genuine memoir going into more detail about what he actually did and saw in this period. Order it here
A Surgeon in Combat by William McDermott, ISBN 0-87233-120-2. $27.50 A Memoir of a Harvard Med School Doc, assigned to the 550th AAA Bn in Normandy. Then sent to the 30th Field Hospital later in the war. A few interesting personal photos (I wish there were more!). Not a bad job capturing the life of Bn. and Hospital surgeon. Order it here
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