[8QD]≡ PDF Riflemen On the Cutting Edge of World War II eBook Earl A Reitan Russell F Weigley

Riflemen On the Cutting Edge of World War II eBook Earl A Reitan Russell F Weigley

Download As PDF : Riflemen On the Cutting Edge of World War II eBook Earl A Reitan Russell F Weigley

Earl A. Reitan, Professor of History Emeritus at Illinois State University, and World War II infantryman, writes a memoir of his service as a rifleman that is consistently modest and altogether good humored. Reitan's honest and straightforward account points out the resourcefulness and resiliency of ordinary young Americans thrust into the maelstrom of war, but it also makes clear some of the shortcomings of the American way of war in World War II.

Though no nation can rival current American military power, someday we may encounter circumstances where the engagement of our ground forces in battle will be required. Then how will we cope with the harsh reality of war? It will help if we educate ourselves to the truths of combat. Here a memoir of war like Earl Reitan's book can offer a national service.

-- from the forward by Russell F. Weigley, Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Riflemen On the Cutting Edge of World War II eBook Earl A Reitan Russell F Weigley

This fascinating account of one man's service as a US Army Infantryman (a `Rifleman') in WW II Europe is a memoir that reads like a novel. The author, a retired history professor, documents his experiences meticulously with footnotes, communication transcripts and photographs but it's the story of ordinary men slogging their way into Nazi Germany to defeat Hitler that truly captures the reader.

In RIFLEMEN the banal and bureaucratic rub shoulders with the horrors of war: fresh socks and showers delivered by truck once a week to troops in the field contrast trench foot and comrades suddenly vanishing with the blast of a mortar shell. Minesweeper tanks do a less thorough job when they aren't supporting their own units, and men pay with their legs and lives. In one street battle, French armored units arrive, the soldiers half drunk, only to quickly leave when things turn ominous. The dual chain of command prevents anyone from telling them otherwise.

There are also tender moments: Riflemen deliberately saving scraps from their meals to give to hungry Italian children waiting on the edge of camp, a French-trained cook who whips up a gourmet meal using K-Rations for weary US Infantrymen standing guard at a token roadblock where villagers not wishing to be stopped take the next street over. These details make RIFLEMEN as real as spending the night in a freezing foxhole while not far away US Army mail clerks read paperbacks in their cots by electric light. The author's final brush with death is as ironic as fine fiction and, in his modest, factual recounting of the day-to-day service of an unsung hero, makes RIFLEMEN an excellent book for the casual reader and history buff alike.

Product details File Size 2856 KB Print Length 164 pages Publication Date March 15, 2014 Sold by  Digital Services LLC Language English ASIN B00J1QSE84

Tags : Amazon.com: Riflemen: On the Cutting Edge of World War II eBook: Earl A. Reitan, Russell F. Weigley: Kindle Store,ebook,Earl A. Reitan, Russell F. Weigley,Riflemen: On the Cutting Edge of World War II,HISTORY Military World War II,BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY Military
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Riflemen On the Cutting Edge of World War II eBook Earl A Reitan Russell F Weigley Reviews

Interesting reading, a well told description the authors personal experiences in WW2, with added opinions looking back derived
from actual official unit records. I would highly recommend to any one interested in WW2 history as it actually happened.
Really gives you a good idea of what it was like for an infantryman, without the pathos. Very self effacing account.
A great story of Mr. Reitan's service to our country as an infantryman during WWII with the 3rd. Infantry Division. His experiences are very personable and illustrative of the hardship, courage, and sacrifice that shaped his generation and defeated the Nazi menace.
My father served in the same regiment (different company). This gave me some insight to what he experienced as a soldier. A fascinating (if somewhat fractured narrative at times) close-up look at war.
a very good story about the front line soldier. The high percentage that die, the courage that these young men have to have, knowing that their life on earth will be very short. You can see why some break down and are unable to fight. Sad, but for those that give the ultimate sacrifice, that is why they are heroes.
It is too bad that more men like Earl Reitan didn't write down their war experiences. This book sounds like it was written by a regular guy who stood up and did his duty in combat. That is the point, his accounts are from the view point of a real rifleman who was at the front. I was fascinated by his clear picture of combat for what is was.
The author, to the detriments of the tale, is entirely too modest. He may not have dashed heroically around the battle field but there is no question he more than did his share and is to be praised for his willingness to attack in the face of withering enemy fire. The book points out the sad lack of training given to these young men, these kids were canon fodder and the tactics used and lack of training, accounted for many senseless deaths and injuries. This is one average GI Joe telling of his experience, of unrelenting boredom and shear terror and the great luck one needs to survive in combat.
This fascinating account of one man's service as a US Army Infantryman (a `Rifleman') in WW II Europe is a memoir that reads like a novel. The author, a retired history professor, documents his experiences meticulously with footnotes, communication transcripts and photographs but it's the story of ordinary men slogging their way into Nazi Germany to defeat Hitler that truly captures the reader.

In RIFLEMEN the banal and bureaucratic rub shoulders with the horrors of war fresh socks and showers delivered by truck once a week to troops in the field contrast trench foot and comrades suddenly vanishing with the blast of a mortar shell. Minesweeper tanks do a less thorough job when they aren't supporting their own units, and men pay with their legs and lives. In one street battle, French armored units arrive, the soldiers half drunk, only to quickly leave when things turn ominous. The dual chain of command prevents anyone from telling them otherwise.

There are also tender moments Riflemen deliberately saving scraps from their meals to give to hungry Italian children waiting on the edge of camp, a French-trained cook who whips up a gourmet meal using K-Rations for weary US Infantrymen standing guard at a token roadblock where villagers not wishing to be stopped take the next street over. These details make RIFLEMEN as real as spending the night in a freezing foxhole while not far away US Army mail clerks read paperbacks in their cots by electric light. The author's final brush with death is as ironic as fine fiction and, in his modest, factual recounting of the day-to-day service of an unsung hero, makes RIFLEMEN an excellent book for the casual reader and history buff alike.