Warriors of the 106th: The Last Infantry Division of World War II

by Michael Collins, Ken Johnson, Martin King

The 106th were fresh, green and right in the pathway of the German 5th Panzer Army when the Battle of the Bulge began at 0530 hours on December 16, 1944. This book covers the history along with the individual stories of the incredible heroism, sacrifice and tenacity of these young Americans in the face of overwhelming odds. From this division 6,800 men were taken prisoner but their story didn’t end there. For the ones who miraculously escaped, there was a battle to fight, and fight it they would with every ounce of strength and courage they could muster. They would fight debilitating weather conditions more reminiscent of Stalingrad than the Belgian Ardennes. They would fight a determined enemy and superior numbers and despite all adversity they would eventually prevail. One 106th GI waged his own personal war using guerilla tactics that caused serious consternation amongst the German troops. For another GI his main concern was recovering his clean underwear. These stories are heartwarming, heartbreaking, nerve-wracking and compelling. They aim to put the reader right there in the front lines, and in the stalags, during the final months of WWII.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Preface

1 Birth of the last infantry division
2 The Golden Lions go to war
3 Man for man and gun for gun
4 Germans everywhere!
5 Golden Lions fighting like tigers
6 A lot of shooting
7 We never surrendered!
8 To fight another day
9 Property of the Reich
10 Holding the crossroads
11 The Goose Egg and beyond
12 Taking the fight to the Germans
13 Slaughterhouse-Five
14 Seeing it through

Epilogue The Agony Grapevine
Appendix 106th Infantry Records & Statistics
Bibliography
Index

Genres: World War II, History

336 pages, Hardcover

Published May 19, 2017

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
(6)Irish Novelist

Michael Collins was born in 1964. He was educated in Belfast, Dublin and Chicago. His short stories have been awarded the Hennessy/Sunday Tribune Award in Ireland and the Pushcart Prize in America.

Reviews

[JD]

A good look at the role played by the 106th Infantry Division during the Battle of the Bulge where they were right at the center of the German onslaught where they were almost entirely annihilated. The book gives good historical background on the creation of the division, its training and the few days it served on the line before the battle, and all this is intertwined with first-person accounts from survivors. The battle is well detailed and all the major actions which division troops were involved in are covered, and what happened to the POW's afterwards. There are some real interesting individual stories in the book that could have been books on their own. The 106th was a green division that was just stationed in the wrong part of the front at the wrong time, and unlike other histories which portray the division as being broken, this book honors them by showing how they fought like lions against overwhelming odds and bought the rest of the army crucial time to face the Germans on better terms. Overall a good book and will be a nice first time read for new World War 2 readers, as the author does a good job with all the relevant background given.

[BAM IS BACK!]

Many thanks to King, Johnson, & Collins, Casemate Publishing, and Netgalley for the free HARDBACK COPY of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

A moving book that expresses the courage and cohesion of the fighting men of the 106th, the last division of infrastructure to be not only deployed but actually activated.
These were new recruits, green as grass, sent to the Goose Egg on the border of Germany and Belgium. No activity had occurred in quite awhile. They were just expected to hold the fort since it was believed that the Nazis were too low in resources and manpower to attack. The generals were wrong. By the end of the three week armoured blitz 6,800 American soldiers were captured suffering from hunger, hypothermia, and frostbite. They endured more than four months in the Stalags, finally set free after surrender. "They lost more men than any other division and endured 63 consecutive days of front-line combat."

Warriors does an expert job of reenacting the assault on those disorganized and disastrous days in St. Virth. I could easily imagine in my head what I was reading. The pieces of personal narrative added much to the flow of the action; they added the missing emotions-fear, anxiety, hopelessness, perplexity, cocksuredness. I closed the book feeling like I knew these men.
I'm proud to know that the United States produces these type of soldiers-brave under fire. Citizens should feel blessed that these stories have been captured for posterity. We will soon lose all of these veterans due to old age. I lost my grandfather too soon. I never got to hear of his experiences first hand. I will cherish this book always. Thank you for writing it.

[Rick Colburn]

EDUCATIONAL

I learned a lot about the units written about in this book very interesting read good for readers of American/German war history. I was born 10 years to the day after the BATTLE OF THE BULGE STARTED.

[Michael Patton]

Interesting story in serious need of editing

[Tim]

Good

The more I read about the U.S. Army in Europe the more I am convinced that numerous American senior officers should have been court martialled and shot.