Baptism of Fire: Sgt. Smith in the North African Campaign

by Michael Winston

This first volume in the Sgt. Smith WWII trilogy follows a squad of First Infantry Division soldiers to the Tunisian desert of North Africa in their first experience of war. As members of the “Big Red One,” the most famous division in the American army, they do battle with the most famous units in the German army; Rommel’s Africa Corps, as well as the 10th and 21st Panzer Divisions. Although this three-part series is told in novel format, it is a true story, based upon documented accounts as well as stories my father told me. This is a vivid, unvarnished odyssey into the slit trenches of World War II, and a gritty look at a war we should never forget.

Genres: War, History

305 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2012

About the author

Born in Germany to American soldier and German mother. Army brat. Served in US Navy as Radarman aboard U.S.S. Cromwell (DE-1014) from 1967-71. BA in Anthropology from Ithaca College; MSW from Syracuse University. Worked in VA clinic and then in U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Division psychiatric clinic in Germany for Dept. of Defense.
Writes historical fiction novels, including the (now 6-part) Jonathan Kinkaid nautical fiction series that follows the adventures of an American naval officer during the Revolutionary War; and the epic adventure "Sunset of the Iroquois," about a tribe of Cayuga Iroquois who tried to prevent the invasion of their lands by Washington's army in 1779.
Also wrote the Sgt. Smith World War II trilogy that follows a squad of soldiers in the 1st Infantry Division from North Africa, to Sicily, to D-Day and into Germany. The first book, "Baptism of Fire," is about the North African Campaign. Book two, "Soldiers in the Sun" is about the Campaign for Sicily. The third installment, "Forward to Danger" begins with the D-Day invasion on Omaha Beach, takes us across France and into Germany. Although written in novel format, this series is a true story, being a memoir of my father's experiences during the war, based on documented history and stories my father told me. Photos of him are on the cover.
Michael Winston website: www.michaelwinston.org

Reviews

[Bev Walkling]

I did not finish as I wasn't enjoying it.