The GI's War : American Soldiers in Europe During World War II

Nearly ten years in the making, The GI's War tells the story of the European war through the eyes of the field soldiers who actually fought it the ”dogfaces.” Unfolding chronologically from the summer of 1940 to V-E Day, 1945, this is a gripping account of Americans fighting for their country.To get the ground-level view, historian Edwin P. Hoyt contacted scores of veterans and drew extensively on their interviews, letters, and diaries. From these sources he pieced together an enormous montage of vivid details, each one an event recalled by an individual soldier. The portrait that emerges is impressionistic, yet realistic. The combat infantryman's experience comes to light in all its horror and glory: Excruciating boredom and bewilderment are interrupted by flashes of sheer terror. Hoyt follows both new recruits and seasoned veterans. Their stories tell of basic training and combat; mobilization and recreation; rations and weapons.Hoyt gives us a picture of the war as these men saw and lived through it; confessions and gut reactions; frank opinions of commanding officers; tales of rivalries within the ranks; revelations of errors and incompetence; chilling accounts of atrocities committed by both sides. The result ultimately conveys heroism more effectively than the romantic sagas that glorify war. Astonishing bravery emerges from the ranks of these soldiers slogging through the mud and their victory over a determined and skillful enemy is all the more admirable in its gritty reality.