While I enjoyed this book, I am glad that it is called "A World War II memoir," because there are some technical/historical problems with it. Obviously, as described in the Preface, the author relates the war as he viewed it. While some World War II 'memoirs' are either obviously or probably faked, I don't think the author did such here. However, he does make mistakes resulting from his position as a junior enlisted man about some aspects of the war that he really didn't have complete knowledge of that he might have research further.
The author, who was twice elected major of his home town in New Jersey, died before the book was published. As such, his family may not have wanted to change anything he wrote. But they should have edited out some of the more obvious errors, such as: "The divisions of the 101st Airborne," airborne officers who "were in their 60s," or the two 'Tiger' tanks he helped destroy with a 37mm antitank gun. Still, when I served in the Marines, I thought all tanks were huge and often couldn't identify the models.
Overall, it was a fun read. Most amazing was that the author's mother was French and met her future husband in a way that could only be called 'fate.' Plus, when her son, the author, escaped from German captivity he eventually found himself in her home village and met his cousins while he served with the French Resistance.
I have no problem with this side of the story, my own mother and father met in a somewhat similar fashion, and stranger stories than his have emerged from the war.
Lastly, "Thanks for your service" Mr. Sheeran!
The author, who was twice elected major of his home town in New Jersey, died before the book was published. As such, his family may not have wanted to change anything he wrote. But they should have edited out some of the more obvious errors, such as: "The divisions of the 101st Airborne," airborne officers who "were in their 60s," or the two 'Tiger' tanks he helped destroy with a 37mm antitank gun. Still, when I served in the Marines, I thought all tanks were huge and often couldn't identify the models.
Overall, it was a fun read. Most amazing was that the author's mother was French and met her future husband in a way that could only be called 'fate.' Plus, when her son, the author, escaped from German captivity he eventually found himself in her home village and met his cousins while he served with the French Resistance.
I have no problem with this side of the story, my own mother and father met in a somewhat similar fashion, and stranger stories than his have emerged from the war.
Lastly, "Thanks for your service" Mr. Sheeran!
