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Foot Soldier: A Combat Infantryman's War in Europe
Roscoe C. Blunt's narrative of service with the 84th Infantry Division in World War II is one of the most remarkable that has come down to us. Blunt had nearly every type of combat experience and recorded his experiences in unforgettable, often chilling, prose.
296 pages, Hardcover
First published November 30, 2000
19 people are currently reading
187 people want to read
About the author
Roscoe C. Blunt Jr.
3 books1 followerRoscoe C. Blunt, Jr. was journalist, jazz drummer, and veteran of the U.S. Army's 84th Infantry Division from World War II. He was the youngest soldier to be awarded the Expert Infantry Badge. After returning home from the war, he became an award-winning investigative journalist as well as an expert jazz and big-band drummer. He is the author of three books, including Inside the Battle of the Bulge and Foot Soldier: A Combat Infantryman's War in Europe, (Cambridge: Da Capo Press, 2002). He lived in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts until his death on February 10, 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
February 11, 2019
I have some reservations about the truthfulness of the stories in this book, but it is, nevertheless, well written, even gripping, and worth reading. I remember a college professor once talking about the pornography of war, the books where everyone on our side is brave, plucky, and patriotic, where all NCOs are strong and experienced, and all officers wise and compassionate. Yeah, right; that may work for Hollywood, but just ask the soldiers who were actually there. Foot Soldier is definitely not war pornography. The stories it tells are harrowing, and the author frequently speaks of being afraid, or horrified, and almost always miserable: exhausted to the ends of endurance, dirty, hungry, and during the winter of 1944-45 very very cold.
The concerns I have about the book are whether all of this could have happened to one man, or whether, perhaps, it is a collection of stories heard from others and then massaged into a first person narrative. In a similar manner, there is a book about the Korean war by C.S. Crawford called The Four Deuces where the author seemed to have had a Zelig-like penchant for being everywhere the most memorable things happened. He even winks at the reader about whether it is all true.
In this book the author describes some amazing scenes, and even if they perhaps did not happen to him personally, they make for good reading. Did his feet really freeze solid, so the Army doctors wanted to amputate them, but he succeeded in talking them out of it, recovered his full health, and soon returned to his unit? Maybe, but tissue damaged so badly that amputation is even considered seems like it would require a long and painful convalescence. Similarly, did he really convince an SS officer to abandon his four tanks and surrender his entire unit to the Americans? For that matter, when they approached an American tank and it started firing at the Germans, would he really have jumped out in front of them to stop the firing so that he could explain the situation? Doubtful. In combat it’s shoot first and ask questions later.
The book does a good job of capturing the confusion of combat, and the description of Germany in the final weeks of the war is excellent. Some of the Germans were still convinced that Hitler had a secret weapon that would turn the tide, others were desperately fleeing west to avoid the Russians. Some fought to the bitter end, but many others, knowing the end was near, gave up. So many surrendered that the Americans just disarmed them and told them to go home, since there were no resources to manage hundreds of thousands of POWs.
With the end of fighting the author’s life took another odd turn and he wound up a drummer in an Army swing band until his discharge papers came through. It is a strange collection of stories, some perhaps embellished, but well written and worth a reader’s time.
The concerns I have about the book are whether all of this could have happened to one man, or whether, perhaps, it is a collection of stories heard from others and then massaged into a first person narrative. In a similar manner, there is a book about the Korean war by C.S. Crawford called The Four Deuces where the author seemed to have had a Zelig-like penchant for being everywhere the most memorable things happened. He even winks at the reader about whether it is all true.
In this book the author describes some amazing scenes, and even if they perhaps did not happen to him personally, they make for good reading. Did his feet really freeze solid, so the Army doctors wanted to amputate them, but he succeeded in talking them out of it, recovered his full health, and soon returned to his unit? Maybe, but tissue damaged so badly that amputation is even considered seems like it would require a long and painful convalescence. Similarly, did he really convince an SS officer to abandon his four tanks and surrender his entire unit to the Americans? For that matter, when they approached an American tank and it started firing at the Germans, would he really have jumped out in front of them to stop the firing so that he could explain the situation? Doubtful. In combat it’s shoot first and ask questions later.
The book does a good job of capturing the confusion of combat, and the description of Germany in the final weeks of the war is excellent. Some of the Germans were still convinced that Hitler had a secret weapon that would turn the tide, others were desperately fleeing west to avoid the Russians. Some fought to the bitter end, but many others, knowing the end was near, gave up. So many surrendered that the Americans just disarmed them and told them to go home, since there were no resources to manage hundreds of thousands of POWs.
With the end of fighting the author’s life took another odd turn and he wound up a drummer in an Army swing band until his discharge papers came through. It is a strange collection of stories, some perhaps embellished, but well written and worth a reader’s time.
August 7, 2022
A unique addition to the ranks of World War II memoirs, this the story of an ordinary soldier who joins an Army band before war's end. His experiences are less bloody than many of these books although Blunt did his share of killing as well. One recurring theme that made me uneasy was his all-consuming passion for souvenirs. Every German corpse makes him think only of more keepsakes (he ships so much home to his parents that he must have supplemented his postwar income by selling them). This is balanced by his frank admissions of being scared, an emotion not all these memoirs will make. While the book has a bit of an episodic quality, it feels like the way an average young soldier in combat would react to the carnage he finds.
January 31, 2009
The author is just a nice guy who expects war to be an adventure. He has a tendency to volunteer for risky, unknown missions or jobs, but oddly, one of these decisions increases his chances of living. While in England, an officer interrupts a unit meeting and asks for volunteers for a special unit, and he is the first to stand up. He winds up volunteering to be a mine clearing specialist, a guy who has to proceed all attacks by clearing mines. Oddly, this gives him freedom because he is assigned to various companies as needed, so he explores the odd village here and there pretty much at will. Also, his unit had a much lower casualty rate than any of the line companies, probably because they were considered specialists and not-so-replaceable. He is a member of the 84th Infantry Division, which (he claims) chalked up the highest number of German prisoners in WWII. They fought first in Holland, then the Bulge, then back to Holland and across the Rhine to the Elbe. He has so many improbable things happen to him, I started to doubt them. He knew German, so when he gets captured by some ruthless SS Panzer unit, he manages to convince them not to kill him and his fellow US prisoners, but instead to surrender to an American unit. I also never heard so many awful stories of SS atrocities. In many villages, they would round up Belgian citizens, cuff them, line them up in a church and then machine gun them. He sees the same scene in many villages. As the war wound down, and there was not much to do, he finds a desk in some German village and announces himself the war crimes tribunal judge. He finds criminals from victims' testimony and then delivers them to US authorities. Odd. When the war ends, the Army finally realizes that he was originally assigned to be a drummer in the regimental band. At least he didn't get killed. His equipment had been shelled some months ago, so he requisitions a Hitler Jugend snare drum for his gigs. During the occupation, he becomes a band leader playing at high ranking officer's parties.
His story has been the oddest one I've experienced in war memoirs. Enjoyable to read.
His story has been the oddest one I've experienced in war memoirs. Enjoyable to read.
September 11, 2021
Blunt’s FOOT SOLDIER is one of the most searingly raw accounts of WW2 ground warfare, and the horrors and atrocities associated, I’ve read to date.
February 12, 2012
Summary:
After the 84th Regiment ships from Scotland to France on October 2, 1994, they are greeted by the first sights of war: several small towns living within poverty's embrace. Rockie volunteers to go through special training to become one of 12 men in a special bomb detection unit. The first real military action the 84th Regiment men get is a 15 hour, 50 mile forced march across France, during which Rockie becomes so overly fatigued and ill that he passes out while walking three times. They enter Belgium and Holland and make camp in muddy, military issue tents. Throughout the next few weeks Rockie and his Regiment are constantly on the move, never getting more than a few hours of sleep at a time or more food than the missal cold army rations.
The rest of the book consists of detailed descriptions of Rockie's experience fighting in Europe. The regiment sleeps in evacuated building rubble, foxholes (holes dug by hand in the dirt), and only stays in each spot for a day or two. Time passes and Rockie is wished “Merry Christmas” at the Battle of the Bulge right before more combat. Developing a hate for Germans, who cause all the destruction and death he sees, Rockie becomes emotionally on edge, as do most soldiers. Rockie has several close, personal encounters with death as he becomes ill numerous times, sees his friends die around him, and even gets captured and almost killed by a German tank unit. Constantly fighting, moving, and collecting “souvenirs” from German corpses, Rockie truly gives the reader the reality of war in this book. By the time the 84th Regiment crosses the Roer River the war is beginning to end slowly. They excitedly enter Germany and cross the Rhine River with almost no German resistance. The Germans they do encounter surrender whole battalions at a time. As they move through Germany, they liberate two concentration camps, an emotional experience. Rockie reaches Berlin. The war is essentially over, the troops begin to be shipped home, now Rockie simply has to wait in Europe (in better conditions) for almost another year to be sent home. Rockie is finally sent home and arrives in the States, officially discharged, on March 28, 1946.
After the 84th Regiment ships from Scotland to France on October 2, 1994, they are greeted by the first sights of war: several small towns living within poverty's embrace. Rockie volunteers to go through special training to become one of 12 men in a special bomb detection unit. The first real military action the 84th Regiment men get is a 15 hour, 50 mile forced march across France, during which Rockie becomes so overly fatigued and ill that he passes out while walking three times. They enter Belgium and Holland and make camp in muddy, military issue tents. Throughout the next few weeks Rockie and his Regiment are constantly on the move, never getting more than a few hours of sleep at a time or more food than the missal cold army rations.
The rest of the book consists of detailed descriptions of Rockie's experience fighting in Europe. The regiment sleeps in evacuated building rubble, foxholes (holes dug by hand in the dirt), and only stays in each spot for a day or two. Time passes and Rockie is wished “Merry Christmas” at the Battle of the Bulge right before more combat. Developing a hate for Germans, who cause all the destruction and death he sees, Rockie becomes emotionally on edge, as do most soldiers. Rockie has several close, personal encounters with death as he becomes ill numerous times, sees his friends die around him, and even gets captured and almost killed by a German tank unit. Constantly fighting, moving, and collecting “souvenirs” from German corpses, Rockie truly gives the reader the reality of war in this book. By the time the 84th Regiment crosses the Roer River the war is beginning to end slowly. They excitedly enter Germany and cross the Rhine River with almost no German resistance. The Germans they do encounter surrender whole battalions at a time. As they move through Germany, they liberate two concentration camps, an emotional experience. Rockie reaches Berlin. The war is essentially over, the troops begin to be shipped home, now Rockie simply has to wait in Europe (in better conditions) for almost another year to be sent home. Rockie is finally sent home and arrives in the States, officially discharged, on March 28, 1946.
March 20, 2014
A great WW2 novel. It may not be some novel where the author tries to depict a heroic image about themselves. "Rocky" Blunt did a fantastic job of describing how terrible the war was and how even though he was a simple foot soldier he was still important in it. It's one of those books where you can't even begin to think about what it would be like to fall asleep in a trench with a buddy and wake up to find the other guy with a bullet hole in his head. Nobody can even imagine what it would be like to slit a man's throat and have to press your mouth to the ground to vomit without being heard. Rocky survived all the way from Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge with many close calls. He was one of the lucky ones who would have died if they had been standing somewhere a second or so later. I can't even think of what I would do if I saw a torso of a man wedged in a telephone wire. Rocky presents an terrible and vivid image of a combat infantryman's war in Europe ( just as the title suggests ). One of the best WW2 biographies I've read.
July 28, 2025
3.5/5 rounded down
A bit torn on this one. It's a good memoir and all, but there just isn't any way that all of it is honest and everything depicted actually happened to the author. Some of it is VERY far-fetched
A bit torn on this one. It's a good memoir and all, but there just isn't any way that all of it is honest and everything depicted actually happened to the author. Some of it is VERY far-fetched
June 22, 2019
Roscoe Blunt tells a story unlike most when it comes to American combat experiences. Entering the European Theater in the latter part of 1944 with the 84th Infantry Division, he relates a gripping and graphic story of combat, brutality, and determination as he drives deeper and deeper into enemy held territory climaxing in the almost unbearable hardships in the frozen forests that was the Battle of the Bulge.
His attitude toward the SS, though not so much the Wehrmacht, hardens into hatred as his unit discovers evidence of their crimes and he takes the reader right along with him as he describes unthinkable actions he takes against the dead, examples of German POWs being murdered by American soldiers, the unbelievable number of times he cheats death itself, and the drudgery of the infantry.
The emotions of war fascinates me. That's why I love a good memoir. As much as Roscoe Blunt hated the Germans for the atrocities he witnessed as he passed through Europe and liberated some of the concentration camps along their path, one incident seemed to dissipate it almost immediately. As described by Blunt when they came upon a group of German Wehrmacht soldiers fleeing the Russians and surrendering to the Americans: I was instructed "to tell them to walk to the rear to Bielefeld and once there, to disband and find their way home. When I translated this to the colonel, a sudden outburst of emotion swept through the German ranks. Their bitter war in Russia was over and they had survived. Now their American war was also over and they had beaten the odds twice and survived. They swarmed over us with pictures of their wives, mothers and children while others tried to embrace us or, at least, shake our hands. Seeing this emotional display by so many hundreds of Wehrmacht soldiers completely unraveled the hatred that had been welling up inside me since I had witnessed the atrocities in Holland and Belgium."
By the way, the paperwork identifying Blunt as a musician, not as a combat infantryman, finally caught up with him after Germany surrendered. Fascinating read.
His attitude toward the SS, though not so much the Wehrmacht, hardens into hatred as his unit discovers evidence of their crimes and he takes the reader right along with him as he describes unthinkable actions he takes against the dead, examples of German POWs being murdered by American soldiers, the unbelievable number of times he cheats death itself, and the drudgery of the infantry.
The emotions of war fascinates me. That's why I love a good memoir. As much as Roscoe Blunt hated the Germans for the atrocities he witnessed as he passed through Europe and liberated some of the concentration camps along their path, one incident seemed to dissipate it almost immediately. As described by Blunt when they came upon a group of German Wehrmacht soldiers fleeing the Russians and surrendering to the Americans: I was instructed "to tell them to walk to the rear to Bielefeld and once there, to disband and find their way home. When I translated this to the colonel, a sudden outburst of emotion swept through the German ranks. Their bitter war in Russia was over and they had survived. Now their American war was also over and they had beaten the odds twice and survived. They swarmed over us with pictures of their wives, mothers and children while others tried to embrace us or, at least, shake our hands. Seeing this emotional display by so many hundreds of Wehrmacht soldiers completely unraveled the hatred that had been welling up inside me since I had witnessed the atrocities in Holland and Belgium."
By the way, the paperwork identifying Blunt as a musician, not as a combat infantryman, finally caught up with him after Germany surrendered. Fascinating read.
April 16, 2025
This one literally hit home, and very hard. I will be sorting this one out for a very long time.
I knew of these battles, and soldiering processes Blunt wrote so well about. My first stepfather, who became a psychiatrist after the war. Over time I have learned why, and Foot Soldier marched right into my mind here. My stepfather, and Author Roscoe "Rockie" Blunt both served in the 84th Division in Europe. My stepfather was a medic, and unnamed medics were noted four times. I had to wonder if that stepdad was, at least, one of them.
They were also both musicians. From reading, I doubt if they were ever in the same foxhole for even a brief drum and trumpet stanza talk. So many things are probed in my mind here.
These battles The "Railsplitters" had against the SS, and other atrocity-committing Nazis were real. So is PTSD. I grew up with it under the same roof. Each day I have enhanced understanding of what they went through over there. We hear about the murder of the Jews by the thousands, but not the systematic execution of unarmed Belgian civilians directly outside of small rural churches, and there were many that the 84th discovered in their grizzly job. They also helped liberate two slave and concentration camps. I had heard that Bob was so enraged when in one of them that he picked up a gun and shot a female guard who was machine-gunning prisoners.
I am so glad that I never had to go to war.
Unfortunately, I doubt that Bob ever mentally survived that war. Physically, he only lost the top of a finger to a grenade that disfigured some friends.
I will verify that Blunt's Foot Soldier gets as close to the real thing as a print book can.
Also, his description of the 84th's Atlantic crossing was superb, and easily the best I have ever read.
My dates read here is a mere estimate. I was spinning off into my imagination of the European Theater of Operations, Bob, and the 84th every time I thought about what I would say in my review.
I knew of these battles, and soldiering processes Blunt wrote so well about. My first stepfather, who became a psychiatrist after the war. Over time I have learned why, and Foot Soldier marched right into my mind here. My stepfather, and Author Roscoe "Rockie" Blunt both served in the 84th Division in Europe. My stepfather was a medic, and unnamed medics were noted four times. I had to wonder if that stepdad was, at least, one of them.
They were also both musicians. From reading, I doubt if they were ever in the same foxhole for even a brief drum and trumpet stanza talk. So many things are probed in my mind here.
These battles The "Railsplitters" had against the SS, and other atrocity-committing Nazis were real. So is PTSD. I grew up with it under the same roof. Each day I have enhanced understanding of what they went through over there. We hear about the murder of the Jews by the thousands, but not the systematic execution of unarmed Belgian civilians directly outside of small rural churches, and there were many that the 84th discovered in their grizzly job. They also helped liberate two slave and concentration camps. I had heard that Bob was so enraged when in one of them that he picked up a gun and shot a female guard who was machine-gunning prisoners.
I am so glad that I never had to go to war.
Unfortunately, I doubt that Bob ever mentally survived that war. Physically, he only lost the top of a finger to a grenade that disfigured some friends.
I will verify that Blunt's Foot Soldier gets as close to the real thing as a print book can.
Also, his description of the 84th's Atlantic crossing was superb, and easily the best I have ever read.
My dates read here is a mere estimate. I was spinning off into my imagination of the European Theater of Operations, Bob, and the 84th every time I thought about what I would say in my review.
December 14, 2019
Mr. Blunt's memoir is eminently readable, and what it sometimes lacks in literary content or deep reflection it more than makes up for in unadorned presentation of a soldier's experience and perspective on the ground. He resists the urge to ascribe higher motives to his actions than he had at the time (large chunks of the book are about his attempts to get sleep or food) and (generally) leaves judgment to the reader.
I read this book as a part of my project to read one book from every aisle in Olin Library. You can read more about the project, find reactions to other books, and (eventually) a fuller reaction to this one here: https://jacobklehman.com/library-read...
I read this book as a part of my project to read one book from every aisle in Olin Library. You can read more about the project, find reactions to other books, and (eventually) a fuller reaction to this one here: https://jacobklehman.com/library-read...
April 2, 2024
Roscoe C. Blunt provides an all-too-rare glimpse into the experience of fighting at the Allied front. Nineteen-year-old "Rockie" arrived on the continent in November 1944, when burnt-out U.S. vehicles still littered the beaches. His 84th Infantry Division fought at the Roer, through the Battle of the Bulge, and at the crossing of the Rhine all the way to the Elbe; he was briefly taken prisoner by an SS Panzer unit. Drawing upon his numerous letters home and the journals he scrawled in foxholes and tents, he has given us one of the most detailed, immediate accounts of the Second World War ever written, a memoir sure to take its place among the classics of war literature
December 14, 2024
The author is a strong individualist who became an atypical soldier in a conventional infantry division on the western European battlefield late in WW2. This memoir is an easy read with the author sharing his experiences, thoughts, opinions, and struggles as a demolitions trained infantryman. He is open about the difficulty and discomfort of what he had to do, sharing the mindset of frontline soldiers with a cavalier attitude about death and the job of causing it, the sometime morbid collection of souvenirs, dark humor, and disrespect of those not “in” the infantry.
March 20, 2017
I picked this up as a background read for Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit#, a wargame that I recently purchased. I do this for a lot of games. Foot Soldier is apPretty honest memoir of the author's experiences in combat during WWII in Europe. Includes some of the good, the bad, and the ugly that comes with war.
March 27, 2023
This is an amazing book. It is written in short understated style about horrors that we can’t even imagine. For anyone who wants to understand the greatness of this heroic generation, it is a must read. The humility and simple duty to one’s nation that is described in this book is something I won’t forget. This is truly a great read
January 4, 2026
Gritty, exciting, page turner
Roscoe Blunt’s shares his experiences as a GI in Europe in Works War II with sober eyed clarity. He’s an excellent storyteller and given his incredible experiences in WWII, he has amazing stories to tell .
Terrific, firsthand account from the perspective of a “grunt” in WWII. Five stars.
Roscoe Blunt’s shares his experiences as a GI in Europe in Works War II with sober eyed clarity. He’s an excellent storyteller and given his incredible experiences in WWII, he has amazing stories to tell .
Terrific, firsthand account from the perspective of a “grunt” in WWII. Five stars.
February 25, 2023
Combat memoir from late WW2, ETO. Incredible and sometimes disturbing experiences with the 84th Inf. "Railsplitters" from post-Market-Garden Holland through the Bulge and VE Day. Some surprising accounts vis a vis the Luftwaffe and "wonder weapons".
January 11, 2021
A young, innocent boy from Worcester, Ma, becomes a hardened killing machine in Europe during WWII and is lucky to have survived to tell his story.
January 22, 2026
this is a great story of the foot soldiers of ww2 . Roscoe blunt tells the way it is or was.
May 27, 2021
Engrossing narrative of the experiences of a combat infantryman during WWII.
September 1, 2023
What an excellent read! Mr. Blunt recounts his experiences during his tour of duty in Europe during WW2, and wow, what a ride! As a combat infantryman, Blunt has seen the atrocities of war and doesn't hold back. This book never slowed down, and wasn't a dry recounting of World War 2 history. You're seeing it through the eyes of a grunt, with vivid detail and blunt, brutal, honesty. In addition to describing the action, the author also details the day-to-day life of the average soldier outside of combat (although Mr. Blunt is far from average), showing us what happens between engagements. A must-read for those who love reading about war from the men and women who lived it.
December 14, 2020
Foot Soldier is the biography of Roscoe Blunt, an infantryman in the 84th Infantry Division who spent 170 days in combat during WWII. It’s probably not a typical tale – Blunt's adventures are varied and dangerous. He had a penchant for volunteering and wandering off. Whether a volunteer for whatever task that came up or exploring the battlefield, Blunt finds himself in hairy predicaments. He often admonishes his younger self in the narrative for his stupidity. “I had been in combat a little too long and was becoming dangerously careless in my behavior…for I found myself in another minefield.”
An easy read, the story conveys a sense of sincerity with Blunt a loner who has a distaste for authority and regulation. He is intelligent, inquisitive, and possesses a sense of duty. For the Army leader, however, the story gives something more.
Blunt tells of several major mistakes that stuck with him over the years. Paperwork kept him from being an officer, his band experience was overlooked until his fighting was over, and he was sent home a year before he was supposed to. Even when it was to Blunt's advantage, Army screw-ups left a negative impression on him – even after 60 years. Taking care of soldiers matters.
It seems like the first order of business was always to find a comfortable place to bed down immediately following every fight…security you ask?
He felt no qualms about stealing from his enemies. It was their fault for the war and it was their cruelty to others that gave him the moral excuse.
Overall, the book presents a single perspective on a fight that occurred 75-years ago. Leaders can take these experiences and learn from them. Behind Blunt’s actions are motivations found in all of us regardless of the era. This narrative gives insight into that human dimension.
An easy read, the story conveys a sense of sincerity with Blunt a loner who has a distaste for authority and regulation. He is intelligent, inquisitive, and possesses a sense of duty. For the Army leader, however, the story gives something more.
Blunt tells of several major mistakes that stuck with him over the years. Paperwork kept him from being an officer, his band experience was overlooked until his fighting was over, and he was sent home a year before he was supposed to. Even when it was to Blunt's advantage, Army screw-ups left a negative impression on him – even after 60 years. Taking care of soldiers matters.
It seems like the first order of business was always to find a comfortable place to bed down immediately following every fight…security you ask?
He felt no qualms about stealing from his enemies. It was their fault for the war and it was their cruelty to others that gave him the moral excuse.
Overall, the book presents a single perspective on a fight that occurred 75-years ago. Leaders can take these experiences and learn from them. Behind Blunt’s actions are motivations found in all of us regardless of the era. This narrative gives insight into that human dimension.
March 9, 2015
While Blunt's prose could have used some editing, his memoir of life as an EOD infantryman in the European Theater does a good job covering the emotionally contradictory nature of war. The observations of this inveterate and unrepentant "souvenir" hunter and line grunt will have more recent veterans nodding in agreement. The camaraderie, the horror, the grinding boredom and physical discomfort, the elation, the excitement and terror of combat and the "chickenshit" are all here.
January 14, 2008
War is truely Hell... especially WWII. It is also the toughest challenge a person will ever face in their life time... if their life has the chance to continue. I always have reverance for the elderly who might look old enough to have participated in that "conflict of all conflicts". Our Veterans of all wars should be revered!
August 7, 2011
A captivating first person account of the actual journey of a young man (Rockie Blunt) newly trained and ready to experience war for the first time. I feel as if I am with Blunt as he goes upon his journey. A page turning account of WWII and the battles that were endured by Blunt. I highly recommend this personal account.
October 20, 2015
Apart from some editing mistakes (I think the publisher should have taken some time to check the spelling of German words and phrases), I find this book utterly compelling. My knowledge about the war comes mainly from the stories told by Russian and Polish soldiers. Therefore the point of view of an American infantryman was fascinating. And the adventures of Roscoe Blunt are worth a movie.
January 31, 2011
Simply amazing first-person account of a soldier in Europe during WWII. Read this probably 10 years ago and there are still parts that I cannont forget. It's a biography but reads like a fiction novel.
January 26, 2012
First person account of some of the worst fighting in the European theatre in 1944. Nineteen year old Roscoe Blunt, Jr. comes of age on the battlefield as a member of the United States 84th "Railsplitter" Infantry Division.
Great reading. Hard to put down.
Great reading. Hard to put down.
October 27, 2013
Reflections on the horrific events in the Hurtgen Forest of West Germany that disturbs the author profoundly as he describes his participation in the longest battle in U.S. history. A personal memoir without excuses, equal to any on this event.
December 15, 2016
this book was about soldiers in the 84th infantry division and were at WW2. this book would be great for people that came out of WW2 and people that have been in other wars. also people that don't take in what soldiers to for us every day fighting for our lives and theres.
April 9, 2008
Good read. Historical insight.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews