Lost Battalions

Lost Battalions
Author: Richard Slotkin
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
Total Pages: 863
Release: 2013-12-24
Genre: History
ISBN: 1466860936

"A work of stunning density and penetrating analysis . . . Lost Battalions deploys a narrative symmetry of gratifying complexity."—David Levering Lewis, The Nation During the bloodiest days of World War I, no soldiers served more valiantly than the African American troops of the 369th Infantry—the fabled Harlem Hellfighters—and the legendary 77th "lost battalion" composed of New York City immigrants. Though these men had lived up to their side of the bargain as loyal American soldiers, the country to which they returned solidified laws and patterns of social behavior that had stigmatized them as second-class citizens. Richard Slotkin takes the pulse of a nation struggling with social inequality during a decisive historical moment, juxtaposing social commentary with battle scenes that display the bravery and solidarity of these men. Enduring grueling maneuvers, and the loss of so many of their brethren, the soldiers in the lost battalions were forever bound by their wartime experience. Both a riveting combat narrative and a brilliant social history, Lost Battalions delivers a richly detailed account of the fierce fight for equality in the shadow of a foreign war.

Lost Battalions

Lost Battalions
Author: Franz Steidl
Publisher: Presidio Press
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2008-12-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 0307537900

The remarkable story of two battalions, one German, one American, cut off in the same forest at the same time, and the heroic efforts to save them. The 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry ("Alamo Regiment"), had been cut off for six days and food, water, and ammunition were running out. Sent to rescue the "Texans" were the Japanese Amer­ican Nisei of the famed "Go For Broke" 100/442d Regimental Combat Team. At virtually the same time, only five miles away, a similar drama unfolded as the Wehrmacht's 201st Mountain Bat­talion attempted an equally desperate rescue of its sister unit, the 202d Mountain Battalion. The weather was abysmal, the terrain virtually impassable. Some generals lost their sons there, other generals lost only their honor. Told by the soldiers, American and German, from both sides, Lost Battalions is an unforgettable account of courage, honor, and hu­manity.

Finding the Lost Battalion: Beyond the Rumors, Myths and Legends of America's Famous WW1 Epic - Hardcover

Finding the Lost Battalion: Beyond the Rumors, Myths and Legends of America's Famous WW1 Epic - Hardcover
Author: Robert Laplander
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 726
Release: 2017-01-13
Genre: History
ISBN: 1365673367

Since its release in 2006, 'Finding the Lost Battalion' by Robert J. Laplander has become the benchmark work against which all things Lost Battalion related have been measured. Now, in this updated 3rd edition released to coincide with the centennial of America's entry into WW1, Mr. Laplander again takes us to the Charlevaux Ravine to delve deeper into the story than ever before! Meticulously chronicling what would become arguably the most famous event of America's part in the war, we find the truths behind the legend. Spanning twenty years of research and hundreds of sources (most never before seen), the reader is led through the Argonne Forest during September and October, 1918 virtually hour by hour. The result is the single most factual accounting of the Lost Battalion story and their leader, Charles W. Whittlesey, to date. Told in an entertaining, fast moving style, the book has become a favorite the world over! With new Forward by Major-General William Terpeluk, US Army (Ret).

Lost Battalion of Tet

Lost Battalion of Tet
Author: Charles A Krohn
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2013-05-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 1612512070

Published to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Tet Offensive, this new paperback edition brings back into print a book that became an essential source for a 2006 study of the battle by the U.S. Army s Center of Military History. It takes a critical look at what went wrong in early 1968 during one of the first engagements of Tet, when a U.S. infantry battalion was ordered to attack a large North Vietnamese force near Hue City without air or artillery support. The tragic military foul-up resulted in over 60 percent casualties for the 2d Battalion, 12th Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, when the soldiers were surrounded by the enemy and began running out of ammunition. The bold decision by battalion commander Lt. Col. Richard Sweet to break out with his remaining soldiers under cover of darkness saved this encirclement from being a total disaster. Author Charles Krohn, the unit s intelligence officer at the time, provides a much-needed analysis of what took place and fills his account with details that have been confirmed as factual by other survivors. Krohn examines the battalion s involvement in two other major attacks for lessons learned when vital systems break down lessons, he says, that are timeless and applicable anywhere. This book is published in cooperation with the Association of the United States Army.

Honor Before Glory

Honor Before Glory
Author: Scott McGaugh
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2016-10-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 0306824469

On October 24, 1944, more than two hundred American soldiers realized they were surrounded by German infantry deep in the mountain forest of eastern France. As their dwindling food, ammunition, and medical supplies ran out, the American commanding officer turned to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team to achieve what other units had failed to do. Honor Before Glory is the story of the 442nd, a segregated unit of Japanese American citizens, commanded by white officers, that finally rescued the "lost battalion." Their unmatched courage and sacrifice under fire became legend-all the more remarkable because many of the soldiers had volunteered from prison-like "internment" camps where sentries watched their mothers and fathers from the barbed-wire perimeter. In seven campaigns, these young Japanese American men earned more than 9,000 Purple Hearts, 6,000 Bronze and Silver Stars, and nearly two dozen Medals of Honor. The 442nd became the most decorated unit of its size in World War II: its soldiers earned 18,100 awards and decorations, more than one for every man. Honor Before Glory is their story-a story of a young generation's fight against both the enemy and American prejudice-a story of heroism, sacrifice, and the best America has to offer.

Messengers of the Lost Battalion

Messengers of the Lost Battalion
Author: Gregory Orfalea
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 440
Release: 2010-05-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 1439143684

The author of Before the Flames and the son of a member of the ill-fated infantry battalion discusses America's 551st Battalion and their heroic, little-known role during World War II's Battle of the Bulge.

Never in Finer Company

Never in Finer Company
Author: Edward G. Lengel
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Total Pages: 330
Release: 2018-09-18
Genre: History
ISBN: 0306825694

Uncover the larger-than-life story of World War I's "Lost Battalion" and the men who survived the ordeal, triumphed in battle, and fought the demons that lingered. In the first week of October, 1918, six hundred men attacked into Europe's forbidding Argonne Forest. Against all odds, they surged through enemy lines—alone. They were soon surrounded and besieged. As they ran out of ammunition, water, and food, the doughboys withstood constant bombardment and relentless enemy assaults. Seven days later, only 194 soldiers from the original unit walked out of the forest. The stand of the US Army's "Lost Battalion" remains an unprecedented display of heroism under fire. Never in Finer Company tells the stories of four men whose lives were forever changed by the ordeal: Major Charles Whittlesey, a lawyer dedicated to serving his men at any cost; Captain George McMurtry, a New York stockbroker who becomes a tower of strength under fire; Corporal Alvin York, a country farmer whose famous exploits help rescue his beleaguered comrades; and Damon Runyon, an intrepid newspaper man who interviews the survivors and weaves their experiences into the American epic. Emerging from the patriotic frenzy that sent young men "over there," each of these four men trod a unique path to the October days that engulfed them—and continued to haunt them as they struggled to find peace. Uplifting and compelling, Never in Finer Company is a deeply moving and dramatic story on an epic scale.