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Christmas Under Fire 1944
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Book Synopsis Christmas Under Fire, 1944 by : Kevin Prenger
Download or read book Christmas Under Fire, 1944 written by Kevin Prenger and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2019-10-09 with total page 143 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bastogne in Belgium, Christmas 1944. Plagued by biting cold and the nerve-wracking sound of exploding mortar bombs, American soldiers sang Christmas carols. They ate their meagre rations, yearning for well-laid Christmas dinner tables and roasted turkey. On the Eastern front, German military assembled to listen to Christmas music on the radio, if they had a little respite from the bloody battle against the advancing Red Army. After reading the latest mail from Germany, they wiped away their tears, thinking of their families back home. In liberated Paris as well as in other European cities, Christmas was celebrated no matter how limited the circumstances may have been. In the major cities in the western part of the Netherlands, occupied by the Germans, civilians scraped the very last bits of food together for a Christmas dinner that could not appease their hunger. POWs in camps all over the world looked forward to Christmas parcels from home. Even in Nazi concentration camps, inmates found hope in Christmas, although their suffering continued inexorably. Christmas Under Fire, 1944 describes the circumstances in which the last Christmas of World War II was celebrated by military, civilians and camp inmates alike. Even in the midst of war's violence, Christmas remained a hopeful beacon of western civilization.
Book Synopsis 11 Days in December by : Stanley Weintraub
Download or read book 11 Days in December written by Stanley Weintraub and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2006-11-07 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 11 Days In December, master historian and biographer Stanley Weintraub tells the remarkable story of the Battle of the Bulge as it has never been told before, from frozen foxholes to barn shelters to boxcars packed with wretched prisoners of war. In late December 1944, as the Battle of the Bulge neared its climax, a German loudspeaker challenge was blared across GI lines in the Ardennes: "How would you like to die for Christmas?" In the inhospitable forest straddling Belgium, France, and Luxembourg, only the dense, snow-laden evergreens recalled the season. Most troops hardly knew the calendar day they were trying to live through, or that it was Hitler's last, desperate effort to alter the war's outcome. Yet the final Christmas season of World War II matched desperation with inspiration. When he was offered an ultimatum to surrender the besieged Belgian town of Bastogne, Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe defied the Germans with the memorable one-word response, "Nuts!" And as General Patton prayed for clear skies to allow vital airborne reinforcements to reach his trapped men, he stood in a medieval chapel in Luxembourg and spoke to God as if to a commanding general: "Sir, whose side are you on?" His prayer was answered. The skies cleared, the tide of battle turned, and Allied victory in World War II was assured. Christmas 1944 proved to be one of the most fateful days in world history. Many men did extraordinary things, and extraordinary things happened to ordinary men. "A clear cold Christmas," Patton told his diary, "lovely weather for killing Germans, which seems a bit queer, seeing whose birthday it is." Peace on earth and good will toward men would have to wait. 11 Days in December is unforgettable.
Book Synopsis Coming Out Under Fire by : Allan Bérubé
Download or read book Coming Out Under Fire written by Allan Bérubé and published by Univ of North Carolina Press. This book was released on 2010-09-07 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During World War II, as the United States called on its citizens to serve in unprecedented numbers, the presence of gay Americans in the armed forces increasingly conflicted with the expanding antihomosexual policies and procedures of the military. In Coming Out Under Fire, Allan Berube examines in depth and detail these social and political confrontation--not as a story of how the military victimized homosexuals, but as a story of how a dynamic power relationship developed between gay citizens and their government, transforming them both. Drawing on GIs' wartime letters, extensive interviews with gay veterans, and declassified military documents, Berube thoughtfully constructs a startling history of the two wars gay military men and women fough--one for America and another as homosexuals within the military. Berube's book, the inspiration for the 1995 Peabody Award-winning documentary film of the same name, has become a classic since it was published in 1990, just three years prior to the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which has continued to serve as an uneasy compromise between gays and the military. With a new foreword by historians John D'Emilio and Estelle B. Freedman, this book remains a valuable contribution to the history of World War II, as well as to the ongoing debate regarding the role of gays in the U.S. military.
Download or read book BRAIDED IN FIRE written by SOLACE WALES and published by Knox Press. This book was released on 2020-06-30 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: BRAIDED IN FIRE is the stirring author’s search to understand the drama that unfolded between the Italian peasants and African-American infantrymen of the 366th Infantry Regiment whose lives were lost, or changed irrevocably by a village battle in Tuscany during the Battle of Garfagnana. Cultures and relationships are intertwined to become BRAIDED IN FIRE in Sommocolonia, a medieval Tuscan village in the Apennines directly on the highly fortified Third Reich’s ‘Gothic Line’ stretching across northern Italy. Only at Sommocolonia did attacking German troops break through that formidable line, with dire consequences to the inhabitants and their defenders, a handful of black GIs, who were outnumbered three to one by the Axis troops. In the desperate fight, Lt. John Fox sacrificed himself with supreme heroism. (He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor 52 years later.) Although the military action, (and tragic inaction of certain senior white officers), is described in detail, BRAIDED IN FIRE is not just military history, but tells of the human toll of war: the drama, the folly, the heartache – all present in grand measure for two peoples marginalized over the years for reasons of race and economic circumstances. BRAIDED IN FIRE is a celebration of human dignity in desperate circumstances. This book is painted in a narrative befitting the beauty and rich hues of the Tuscan hills and its people, juxtaposed by the toils of a segregated America in black versus white, even while in Army green. Together these two worlds are BRAIDED IN FIRE with all of the passion, heartbreak, and violence of war, ultimately providing the reader with a redemptive peace, and cultural harmony. Praise for BRAIDED IN FIRE Braided in Fire tells the story of Lieutenant John Fox, a forward artillery observer and posthumous Medal of Honor recipient, who directed friendly artillery fire on his own position as German troops overran Sommocolonia, Italy, on December 26, 1944. Fox’s selfless sacrifice went unrecognized by the U.S. government for half a century simply because he was black. Solace Wales has invested decades in researching this instance of forgotten valor, producing a rich tapestry that interweaves the experiences of the black GIs and Italian villagers caught in the hellish maelstrom that engulfed Sommocolonia the day John Fox died. The result is a moving meditation on the cost of war and a tribute to the African Americans who fought for a country that treated them like second-class citizens. ~ Gregory J.W. Urwin, Professor of History, Temple University, author of Facing Fearful Odds: The Siege of Wake Island Braided with Fire vividly recounts the intertwined histories of the small Italian town of Sommocolonia and the black 366th Infantry Regiment, which intersected during the German Winter Storm Offensive in December 1944. At the center of Solace Wales’ story are the brave Biondi family and forward artillery observer Lieutenant John Fox, who won the Medal of Honor for his heroism in Sommocolonia. Thoroughly researched and dramatically retold, Braided with Fire adds a valuable new page to our understanding of the Second World War. ~ Ian Ona Johnson, P.J. Moran Assistant Professor of Military History, the University of Notre Dame Solace Wales contributes a remarkable, unique account which is not available anywhere else. . . Because of her gracious literary style, she vividly captures the ways in which the African American soldiers and the Italians of Sommocolonia’s lives became intertwined. The book breaks new ground. ~ Carolyn Ross Johnston, author of My Father's War: Fighting with the Buffalo Soldiers in World War II
Download or read book No Silent Night written by Leo Barron and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2012-11-06 with total page 558 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On Christmas morning, 1944, there was little reason to celebrate.… As the Battle of the Bulge raged, a small force of American solders—including the famed 101st Airborne division, tank destroyer crews, engineers, and artillerymen—was completely surrounded by Hitler’s armies in the Belgian town of Bastogne. Taking the town was imperative to Hitler’s desperate plan to drive back the Allies and turn the tide of the war. The attack would come just before dawn. As the outnumbered, undersupplied Americans gathered in church for services or shivered in their snow-covered foxholes on the fringes of the front lines, freshly reinforced German forces of men and tanks attacked. The battle was up close and personal, with the cold, exhausted soldiers of both armies fighting for every square foot of frozen earth. In the end, the Allied forces would hold the town of Bastogne, with the hard-won victory boosting morale and sounding the death-knell for Hitler’s Third Reich. After this battle, the Nazis would never go on the offensive again. Featuring interviews with the soldiers who were there, as well as never-before-seen or translated documents, No Silent Night is a compelling chronicle of one day that changed the course of the war—and the world. INCLUDES NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN PHOTOS AND MAPS
Book Synopsis Fuses and Firepower by : James Harris
Download or read book Fuses and Firepower written by James Harris and published by James Harris. This book was released on 2024-09-12 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the annals of history, where tales of valor and sacrifice are often synonymous with the front lines of battle, there exists an equally compelling narrative of those whose courage and dedication made the victories of war possible. Fuses and Firepower: Stories of George and Marie Menkoff and the 385th Bomb Group is such a historical fiction anthology narrative based on extensive research, shedding light on the unsung heroes of World War II—those who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, ensuring that the machinery of war operated with precision and effectiveness. This book is a tribute to Corporal George Menkoff, an ordnance specialist in the 8th Air Force, who served with the 385th Bomb Group, 550th Squadron, from July 1943 until the war's end. George's role was both critical and dangerous, loading bombs into the formidable B-17 Flying Fortresses that would deliver devastating blows to enemy targets. His expertise, precision, and unwavering commitment were vital to the success of countless missions. Yet, his story, like those of so many others in his position, is often overshadowed by the more visible acts of heroism in the skies above. But George’s story is not just about the bombs he loaded or the missions he supported; it is also a story of endurance and love on the home front. Marie Menkoff, his wife, exemplifies the strength and resilience of the countless women who maintained the fabric of society during the war. Her experiences, her hopes and fears, and her unwavering support for George paint a vivid picture of life on the home front, a life filled with its own battles and triumphs. Together, George and Marie’s stories offer a profound reminder of the interconnectedness of war—the front lines and the home front, the bombs and the letters, the fear and the hope. Their lives, woven into the broader tapestry of the 385th Bomb Group’s history, remind us that war is not just about the battles fought but also about the human spirit that endures them. As you turn these pages, you will be transported to a time when the world was at war, and ordinary people like George and Marie did extraordinary things. May their stories serve as a lasting testament to the quiet bravery and steadfast resolve of those who served, both in the air and on the ground, and to the enduring power of love and duty in the face of unimaginable challenges.
Book Synopsis A Judge in Auschwitz by : Kevin Prenger
Download or read book A Judge in Auschwitz written by Kevin Prenger and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2021-11-24 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The remarkable true story of the man tasked by the Nazis with prosecuting crimes at concentration camps. In autumn 1943, SS judge Konrad Morgen—a graduate of the Hague Academy of International Law—visited Auschwitz concentration camp to investigate an intercepted parcel containing gold sent from the camp. While there, Morgen found the SS camp guards engaged in widespread theft and corruption. Worse, Morgen also discovered that inmates were being killed without authority from the SS leadership. While millions of Jews were being exterminated under the Final Solution program, Konrad Morgen set about gathering evidence of these “illegal murders.” Morgen also visited other camps, such as Buchenwald, where he had the notorious camp commandant Karl Koch and Ilse, his sadistic spouse, arrested and charged. Found guilty by an SS court, Koch was sentenced to death. Remarkably, the apparently fearless SS judge also tried to prosecute other Nazi criminals including Waffen-SS commanders Oskar Dirlewanger and Hermann Fegelein and Auschwitz Commandant Rudolf Höss. He even claimed to have tried to indict Adolf Eichmann, who was responsible for organizing the mass deportation of the Jews to the extermination camps. This intriguing work reveals how the lines between justice and injustice became blurred in the Third Reich. As well as describing the actions of this often-contradictory character, the author questions Morgen’s motives and delves into his postwar life—which included both testifying at Nuremberg and being investigated for crimes himself.
Book Synopsis Conduct Under Fire by : John A. Glusman
Download or read book Conduct Under Fire written by John A. Glusman and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2006-04-25 with total page 610 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fierce, bloody battles of Bataan and Corregidor in the Philippines are legendary in the annals of World War II. Those who survived faced the horrors of life as prisoners of the Japanese. In Conduct Under Fire, John A. Glusman chronicles these events through the eyes of his father, Murray, and three fellow navy doctors captured on Corregidor in May 1942. Here are the dramatic stories of the fall of Bataan, the siege of “the Rock,” and the daily struggles to tend the sick, wounded, and dying during some of the heaviest bombardments of World War II. Here also is the desperate war doctors and corpsmen waged against disease and starvation amid an enemy that viewed surrender as a disgrace. To survive, the POWs functioned as a family. But the ties that bind couldn’t protect them from a ruthless counteroffensive waged by American submarines or from the B-29 raids that burned Japan’s major cities to the ground. Based on extensive interviews with American, British, Australian, and Japanese veterans, as well as diaries, letters, and war crimes testimony, this is a harrowing account of a brutal clash of cultures, of a race war that escalated into total war. Like Flags of Our Fathers and Ghost Soldiers, Conduct Under Fire is a story of bravery on the battlefield and ingenuity behind barbed wire, one that reveals the long shadow the war cast on the lives of those who fought it.
Download or read book Ardennes 1944 written by Antony Beevor and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2015-11-03 with total page 513 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The prizewinning historian and bestselling author of D-Day, Stalingrad, and The Battle of Arnhem reconstructs the Battle of the Bulge in this riveting new account On December 16, 1944, Hitler launched his ‘last gamble’ in the snow-covered forests and gorges of the Ardennes in Belgium, believing he could split the Allies by driving all the way to Antwerp and forcing the Canadians and the British out of the war. Although his generals were doubtful of success, younger officers and NCOs were desperate to believe that their homes and families could be saved from the vengeful Red Army approaching from the east. Many were exultant at the prospect of striking back. The allies, taken by surprise, found themselves fighting two panzer armies. Belgian civilians abandoned their homes, justifiably afraid of German revenge. Panic spread even to Paris. While some American soldiers, overwhelmed by the German onslaught, fled or surrendered, others held on heroically, creating breakwaters which slowed the German advance. The harsh winter conditions and the savagery of the battle became comparable to the Eastern Front. In fact the Ardennes became the Western Front’s counterpart to Stalingrad. There was terrible ferocity on both sides, driven by desperation and revenge, in which the normal rules of combat were breached. The Ardennes—involving more than a million men—would prove to be the battle which finally broke the back of the Wehrmacht. In this deeply researched work, with striking insights into the major players on both sides, Antony Beevor gives us the definitive account of the Ardennes offensive which was to become the greatest battle of World War II.
Book Synopsis Baltimore and Ohio Employes Magazine by :
Download or read book Baltimore and Ohio Employes Magazine written by and published by . This book was released on 1945 with total page 830 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis No Better Place to Die by : Robert Murphy
Download or read book No Better Place to Die written by Robert Murphy and published by Casemate. This book was released on 2009-04-07 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The you-are-there story of one of the most ferocious small-unit combats in US history . . . As part of the massive Allied invasion of Normandy, three airborne divisions were dropped behind enemy lines to sew confusion in the German rear and prevent panzer reinforcements from reaching the beaches. In the dark early hours of D-Day, this confusion was achieved well enough, as nearly every airborne unit missed its drop zone, creating a kaleidoscope of small-unit combat. Fortunately for the Allies, the 505th Regimental Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division hit on or near its drop zone. Its task was to seize the vital crossroads of Ste Mère Eglise, and to hold the bridge over the Merderet River at nearby La Fière. Benefiting from dynamic battlefield leadership, the paratroopers reached the bridge, only to be met by wave after wave of German tanks and infantry desperate to force the crossing. Reinforced by glider troops, who suffered terribly in their landings from the now-alert Germans, the 505th not only held the vital bridge for three days but launched a counterattack in the teeth of enemy fire to secure their objective once and for all, albeit at gruesome cost. In No Better Place to Die, Robert M. Murphy provides an objective narrative of countless acts of heroism, almost breathtaking in its you are there detail. No World War II veteran is better known in 82nd Airborne circles than Robert M. (Bob) Murphy. A Pathfinder and member of A Company, 505th PIR, Bob was wounded three times in action, and made all four combat jumps with his regiment, fighting in Sicily, Italy, Normandy, and Holland. He was decorated for valor for his role at La Fière, and is a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor. After the war, he was instrumental in establishing the 505th RCT Association. A selection of the Military Book Club
Book Synopsis Domesticating the Airwaves by : Maggie Andrews
Download or read book Domesticating the Airwaves written by Maggie Andrews and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2012-02-02 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An exploration of how the domestic reception of broadcasting shaped the medium, from the 1920s to the present day.
Book Synopsis A Soldier's Sketchbook by : Joseph Farris
Download or read book A Soldier's Sketchbook written by Joseph Farris and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2011 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "New Yorker cartoonist and painter Joseph Farris chronicles his experience in World War II through letters and sketches that he wrote at the time. The letters, some of which are reproduced as facsimiles, are illustrated with photographs, artifacts, and other archival documents as well as newly commissioned maps. The voice of the 20-something narrator in the letters is balanced with the voice of the man today, who interweaves his own commentary into the book to explain gaps in the correspondence. All told, the book is a rich and poignant glimpse at the experience of one man's journey through the European theater of war"--
Book Synopsis AFI Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States by : American Film Institute
Download or read book AFI Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States written by American Film Institute and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 1464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis God's Faithful Firebrand Ralph G. Finch by : Daniel E. Finch
Download or read book God's Faithful Firebrand Ralph G. Finch written by Daniel E. Finch and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2015-05-20 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If you want the thrill of reading about a real life pioneer who went beyond the bounds of safety and took unbelievable risks because he believed God had called him to carry the Gospel around the world, you will want to read this book. No Olympian runner ever carried a firebrand higher or ran with greater purpose and passion than did the farm boy from southern Ohio. Without hesitation, for a lifetime Ralph G. Finch crisscrossed America and the world holding high the torch of right and holy living. He thrilled with the excitement of the race and always saw victory ahead. He kept his face set like a flint of steel and never veered to the right or left. His fervent, pioneer spirit drove him to always explore new opportunities for ministry. His willingness to go to the hard places never ceased. He had the ability to make any place he went to, glow with expectancy and hope. To him, missions was not just an enthusiasm, however interesting and glamorous, that passed with time, but a fervor springing from a heart aflame with a burden to help hurting humanity the world around, which lasted throughout his whole life.
Book Synopsis Not Home for Christmas by : John Meurs
Download or read book Not Home for Christmas written by John Meurs and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 542 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When author John Meurs was a nine-year-old schoolboy living in Nazi-occupied Holland, an American B-17 bomber crashed behind his house near the village of Apeldoorn. The date was Sunday, November 26, 1944. Meurs always wanted to know more about what happened in the air on that Thanksgiving Sunday. So, more than sixty years later he started researching "his" B-17. He quickly found that the bomber was part of the 8th Air Force Air Combat Command. Meurs' findings intrigued him and after discovering many interesting facts, Meurs focused his research on the 34 heavy bombers of the Mighty Eighth that were lost that day. He collected the personal stories of veterans who lived through it, families of veterans lost, and witnesses of the crashes. These first-hand recollections, captured in this book, provide a compelling and terrifying account of the reality of war. Thanks to the noble men of the Mighty Eighth who "would not be home for Christmas" in 1944 and their comrades in arms, ma
Download or read book Battle of the Bulge written by and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 1995 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Consists primarily of biographies of soldiers.
