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This book is based on a series of interviews with American veterans of the Second World War, from both the Pacific and European theatres and from all three main services (Navy, Army and USAAF).
At first glance one is tempted to say that this is nothing new - there are plenty of similar works made up of a series of eye witness accounts, and many familiar topics are indeed present - Pearl Harbor, bomber pilots over Germany or jungle battles against the Japanese, but as one gets into the book it becomes clear that there are some unusual topics here. Two chapters look at the experiences of black combat troops, one looking at an all-black armoured unit that fought under Patton, and another at an all-black artillery unit. These are voices that aren't often heard.
We also get an account of the land fighting in the bitterly cold Aleutian campaign, the experiences of someone serving in the support services, and from the very end of the war a fascinating insight into the behaviour of the Japanese in captivity after the end of the fighting and an unusual viewpoint for the Nuremburg Trials.
All of these accounts are valuable in their own right, but the choice of some more unusual topics gives this book its real value.
Chapters
1 - Japanese Victories
2 - Battle for the Aleutians
3 - South Pacific Ordeal
4 - Mediterranean Battles
5 - The Bombing of Germany
6 - Prisoners of War
7 - Mediterranean Air Force
8 - Invading Europe
9 - Pacific Island-Hopping
10 - Black Americans at War
11 - Fighter Combat
12 - Market Garden
13 - The Battle of the Bulge
14 - Iwo Jima Ordeal
15 - Prisoners of the Japanese
16 - Love in War
17 - Preparing for Armageddon
18 - At the Bitter End
19 - Ending the War
20 - Punishing the Guilty
Author: Charles W. Sasser
Edition: Hardcover
Pages: 224
Publisher: Frontline
Year: 2014