Once Upon a Time in War: The 99th Division in World War II

Campaigns and Commanders #18

by Robert E. Humphrey

For the soldier on the front lines of World War II, a lifetime of terror and suffering could be crammed into a few horrific hours of combat. This was especially true for members of the 99th Infantry Division who repelled the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge and engaged in some of the most dramatic, hard-fought actions of the war. Once Upon a Time in War presents a stirring view of combat from the perspective of the common soldier. Author Robert E. Humphrey personally retraced the path of the 99th through Belgium and Germany and conducted extensive interviews with more than three hundred surviving veterans. When Humphrey discovered that many 99ers had gone to their graves without telling their stories, he set about to honor their service and coax recollections from survivors. The memories recounted here, many of them painful and long repressed, are remarkable for their clarity. These narratives, seamlessly woven to create a collective biography, offer a gritty reenactment of World War II from the enlisted man’s point of view. Although focused on a single division, Once Upon a Time in War captures the experiences of all American GIs who fought in Europe. For readers captivated by Band of Brothers, this book offers an often tragic, sometimes heartwarming, but always compelling read.

Genres: World War II, History, Nonfiction, War

376 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2008

Reviews

[KOMET · Rating 5 out of 5]

About a month ago, I purchased this book from a local bookstore. Here is a story which serves as a perfect combination of a history of one of the U.S. Army's infantry divisions that was sent to Europe in late 1944 after the conclusion of the Normandy campaign, and combat memoir.

The author, a university professor, interviewed many of the surviving veterans of the 99th, whose stories capture so much of the impact the war had upon them directly, as well as its effects (albeit tangentially) on America itself. What I especially liked about this book was its layout. The reader is given a view into how young men are transformed from anxious and eager volunteers/draftees into soldiers ready for overseas deployment. In the case of the 99th Infantry Division, it was one of 2 of the Army's untried divisions to be sent to what was at the time (November 1944) a quiet sector in Belgium. It was to be a jarring transition to combat, because in the next month, the 99th would receive its baptism of fire in the Battle of the Bulge, which turned out to be one of the bloodiest battles in U.S. Army history.

Combat proved to be a rude awakening for the 99th, but it held itself firmly together, never shrinking from the challenging and at times onerous roles it was given to fulfill, carrying the fight from Elsenborn Ridge to beyond the Rhine River and into the heart of Germany. (The 99th made additional history by being one of the Army's first units to take on African-American soldiers and integrate them into the ranks. Despite the initial resistance of some members of the 99th (a number of whom hailed from the South) to having black soldiers serve alongside them, they would later come to fully accept their "black brothers" once they proved themselves in combat.)

What I also found deeply affecting about this book were the accounts of the "coming home" experiences of many of the veterans from Europe. I don't think any reader will have a dry eye after reading these accounts.

For anyone who is curious to get a real, palpable sense of the true cost of combat on soldiers and civilians alike, I strongly urge you to read this book. You'll be glad that you did.

[A.L. Sowards · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book covers the 99th Infantry Division through training, shipment overseas, and their campaigns as part of the Battle of the Bulge, crossing the Rhine, and closing the Ruhr pocket. It then covers their role as part of the occupation force and their return to the US. In addition to campaign narrative, the book includes chapters on POWs and everyday life for a front-line soldier.

The 99th was made up of long-time army sergeants, recent draftees, and former ASTPers. (ASTP=Army Special Training Program, which took promising recruits and sent them to college so they could be engineers, etc. Then in 1944 the Army realized it needed infantrymen immediately, rather than engineers in a few years, so the program was canceled. Part of one ditty on the ASTP includes this line: . . . If ever a German I see, I'll take out my trusty old slide rule and square root the Sine of B.) The mix made for some hard feelings at first, but most involved came to respect those they served with, even when they had different backgrounds.

I thought the book included a nice level of detail, focusing on enlisted men and squad leaders. The book's biggest strength is the author's ability to weave words from the men into the narrative. The book covers not only what life was like for the men, but how they felt about it and how they described it. Well-written and worth picking up for readers with an interest in the subject. It contains maps and pictures.

[Carol]

This book is about the U.S. Army 99th division, which my father was in during World War II. Since Dad rarely talked about any of his war experiences, I am learning a lot about what he went through while overseas by reading this book. It was written based on interviews of hundreds of WWII vets, including Dad, by a journalism professor in California, Dr. Robert Humphrey. He tells about the war according to the infantrymen on the ground, rather than the generals and historians, and gives their perspective. I highly, highly recommend it.

[Morgan King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still remember the day the author came to get my grandpas stories for this book. It was the first time anyone in my family had seen him cry and the first time he talked about his time across seas. He passed away a couple years ago and he was happy for his time to finally be over. He had severe survivors guilt. But I am thankful to this author for being able to get him to finally talk and mark his place in history through his writings.

[Hannah Seeley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great anthology of many individual’s war experiences. The explanations of battles were detailed and interesting, and the way that the author chose to tell the story, by mixing together many experiences under broad categories, offered a deep perspective of life of on the front lines.

[Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fantastic unit history. What Ambrose always wished he could be and never was...

[Jake Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

locked in

[Irene Adler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very accurate portrayal of what these guys went thourgh,not the strategy and tactic of the brass but the guys who were the ones in the mud and gore. My father was in the 99th and I went to many an army reunion for M Company my dad's outfit. As my dad used to say these guys are more like brothers to me than my own brothers. But for all the reunions and talk that went on I learned more about what they actually went through in the fist 20 pages than what my father ever told me. Thank you Dr. Humphrey for put this book together.

[Doug Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Echoing what other reviewers have said, I read this book mainly because my father was in the 99th and never said much about his experiences other than some sanitized "adventure" stories when we were kids. I'm still not sure exactly what he did over there, but this book certainly lets me in on what he went through and what he saw. It's no wonder he never talked about it!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brutally honest & graphic depiction of men in training and in war. It is so obvious after reading this why so many veterans would not talk of their time in service. It's real. My wife's father was in this unit. He was a wonderful father and husband despite his experience.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave an excellent account of the 99th, and helped me understand the experiences my grandfather had but never talked about from his time in the 394th infantry, Co. C.