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 (G
through M)
Organized Alphabetically by Author's Last Name
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Lucky Lady by Steve Jackson
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From Publishers Weekly
The destinies of the cruiser Santa Fe and carrier Franklin dramatically intersected off the coast of Japan in March
1945, when the former, nicknamed the Lucky Lady, came to the rescue of the stricken latter. Jackson (No Stone Unturned)
spends the first half of his account covering the ships' preparations and initial war experiences. He follows a
few men through the narrative (many others are mentioned only once), and offers lively descriptions of shipboard
life, but tells his tale episodically and not always chronologically, which undermines the story's flow. In chapter
nine, Jackson begins to alternate between Santa Fe and Franklin, as they undertake joint operations, including
the liberation of the Philippines, during the latter part of 1944. Both ships face kamikaze attacks; the Franklin
was hit by a suicide aircraft. Thanks to a "magnificent piece of seamanship" by her captain, the Santa
Fe avoided a torpedo and a suicide plane simultaneously; she also avoided a now infamous typhoon. Both ships took
part in the greatest naval engagement of World War II, the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and Jackson includes some dramatic
accounts from downed aviators. On March 19th, 1945, when the Franklin was struck by two bombs from a Japanese dive-bomber,
the Santa Fe stood by the Franklin and was instrumental in saving it from sinking. The heroic efforts of the crews
of both ships to save the carrier, told through survivors' stories, is the most gripping part of the book. Unfortunately,
the Franklin's captain wouldn't allow those who had left the ship during the attack-some of whom were blown off
deck and into the water-to return to it; acrimony developed between those who had stayed on board and those who
didn't. The epilogue gratuitously brings the "new kamikazes" of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 to this
well evoked corner of the War. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information,
Inc.
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Between Tedium and Terror by Sy Kahn
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When Sy Kahn set off to serve in the Pacific during World War II, he was a bookish, naive nineteen-year-old, the
youngest in his company. Convinced he would not survive the war, Kahn kept a meticulous record of his experiences
as his "foxhole of the mind," even though keeping such a journal was forbidden by military regulations.
Often writing in tents by candlelight, in foxholes, or on board ships, Kahn documents life during four campaigns
and over three hundred air attacks. He describes the 244th Port Company's backbreaking work of loading and unloading
ships, the suffocating heat, the debilitating tropical diseases, and the relentless, sometimes terrifying bombings,
accidents, casualties, and deaths. A detailed record of the daily cost of war, Kahn's journal reflects his increasing
maturity and his personal coming of age, representative of thousands of young Americans who served in World War
II.
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The Bedford Boys by Alex Kershaw
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No town in the US suffered a greater one-day loss in the 1944 D-Day invasion than tiny Bedford, Virginia. Nineteen
young men, from the town of three-thousand, were killed within minutes of landing at Omaha Beach. Journalist Alex
Kershaw writes about Bedford and its brave young men, in this book.
“This accessible and moving group biography portrays the men of Company A, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry
Division, who were part of the first wave at Omaha Beach in WWII. Initially, 103 of them left the small town of
Bedford, Va.-now the site of the national D-Day memorial-when the local National Guard was called up in 1940; 34
were still with the company on D-Day. Of these, 19 died in a matter of minutes and three more perished in the Normandy
campaign.” -- Publishers Weekly
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The Filthy Thirteen
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Book Description
Since World War II, the American public has become fully aware of the exploits of the 101st Airborne Division,
the paratroopers who led the Allied invasions into Nazi-held Europe. But within the ranks of the 101st, a subunit
attained legendary status at the time, its reputation persisting among veterans over the decades. Primarily products
of the Dustbowl and the Depression, the Filthy13 grew notorious, even within the ranks of the elite 101st. Never
ones to salute an officer, or take a bath, this squad became singular within the Screaming Eagles for its hard
drinking, and savage fighting skill and that was only in training. Just prior to the invasion of Normandy, a "Stars
and Stripes" photographer caught U.S. paratroopers with heads shaved into Mohawks, applying war paint to their
faces. Unknown to the American public at the time, these men were the Filthy 13. After parachuting behind enemy
lines in the dark hours before D-Day, the Germans got a taste of the reckless courage of this unit except now the
men were fighting with Tommy guns and explosives, not just bare knuckles. In its spearhead role, the 13 suffered
heavy casualties, some men wounded and others blown to bits. By the end of the war 30 men had passed through the
squad. Throughout the war, however, the heart and soul of the Filthy 13 remained a survivor named Jake McNiece,
a half-breed Indian from Oklahoma the toughest man in the squad and the one who formed its character. McNiece made
four combat jumps, was in the forefront of every fight in northern Europe, yet somehow never made the rank of PFC.
The survivors of the Filthy 13 stayed intact as a unit until the Allies finally conquered Nazi Germany. The book
does not draw a new portrait of earnest citizen soldiers. Instead it describes a group of hardscrabble guys whom
any respectable person would be loath to meet in a bar or dark alley. But they were an integral part of the U.S.
war against Nazi Germany. A brawling bunch of no-good niks whose only saving grace was that they inflicted more
damage on the Germans than on MPs, the English countryside and their own officers, the Filthy 13 remain a legend
within the ranks of the 101st Airborne.
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Love Stories of World War II
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From Publishers Weekly
It was an entirely different time. Sex was hardly ever mentioned; love for sweetheart and country was valued above
all else. Popular CNN talk show host King (How to Talk to Anyone Anytime, Anywhere) gathers stories of couples
brought together by, or in spite of, WWII. Not all of these touching stories have perfect, happy endings. For instance,
Anne Hetrick and Harry Greissman's relationship and years of correspondence end with the couple deciding to part.
But Harry, a budding journalist and official forward observer to the Battle of the Ardennes, writes evocatively
of overseas life: "Christmas services in a winter woodland blanketed with snow and ice, shattered by cannon
and small arms fire. Above the cannon's roar and the angry spitfire of machine guns and rifles you can still hear
the still, small voice of an organ piping hymns." Another story tells of Will Metzger, a former daredevil
turned Army Air Corps pilot whose plane is shot down over Greece. His wife, Doris, spends a torturous couple of
days wondering about his fate. Will escapes with the help of the Greek and British underground and returns home,
receiving the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his heroism. Babies are born and not seen by their fathers until
they are toddlers. Some couples, years later, celebrate their 50th wedding anniversaries still as close as ever.
A master interviewer, King has captured the earnestness of youth, the dreams of glory and the sense of urgency
of these young lovers. This book deserves a place alongside other WWII remembrances and will be a popular addition
given the resurgence of interest in wartime experience. Copyright 2001
Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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SS - Das Reich by Gregory L. Mattson
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Publisher Comments
This book is an in-depth examination of the second Waffen-SS unit, the elite of Hitler's armies in WWII, to be
formed. It explores the background to the unit's formation, including its origins as the SS-VT Division, the men
it recruited, the key figures involved in the division throughout its war service, and its organization. It also
looks at the specialist training of the Waffen-SS, and the uniforms and insignia that members of the division wore.
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Miracle at St. Anna by James McBride
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Amazon.com
In Miracle at St. Anna, James McBride, author of the bestselling memoir The Color
of Water, tells a war story that, like all great tales of conflict, connects the enormous tragedy of war with the
intimate stories of individual soldiers. Miracle at St. Anna vividly follows four of the U.S. Army's 92nd Division
of all-black buffalo soldiers as they become trapped between forces beyond their control and between worlds. Three
of the soldiers have bolted behind enemy lines to rescue their comrade, the colossal, but simple, Private Sam Train.
They find themselves stranded between worlds in a remote central Italian village, with the German Army hidden on
one side and their racist and largely mismanaged American commanding officers on the other. The strange world of
the village floats between myth and reality, where belief in magic coexists with the most horrific acts of war.
In the melee that opens the book, the giant Sam Train suddenly comes to believe he can turn invisible, the local
miser believes he is cursed with a wealth of rabbits, and each of the other soldiers also exists in a mythical
world of his own. But they are all about to be shattered by the Miracle. McBride illuminates an ironic moment in
American history, a time when black soldiers fought bravely for the country whose "freedoms" included
Jim Crow laws, segregation, and institutional and widespread personal racism. Miracle at St. Anna puts these intimate
stories at the center of the much larger story of the struggle of people of color in this country. Each character
is trapped and forced to act as nobly and as bravely as he can in the midst of forces beyond not only his control,
but beyond his world. --Paul Ford
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Book Archive continued on next page - click here to go to next page (N through T)
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