Infantry Soldier: Holding the Line at the Battle of the Bulge

by George W. Neill

Infantry Soldier describes in harrowing detail the life of the men assigned to infantry rifle platoons during World War II. Few people realize the enormously disproportionate burden the men in these platoons although only 6 percent of the U.S. Army in Europe. They suffered most of the casualties.

George W. Neill served with a rifle platoon in the 99th Infantry Division. Now a seasoned journalist, he takes the reader into the foxholes to reveal how combat infantrymen lived and survived, what they thought, and how they fought.

Beginning with basic training in Texas and Oklahoma, Neill moves to the front lines in Belgium and Germany. There he focuses on the role of his division in the Battle of the Bulge. The 99th, recruits bolstered by veterans of the 2nd Division, held the northern line of the bulge, preventing a German breakthrough and undermining their strategy. Using his wartime letters, his research in the United States and Europe, and hundreds of interviews, Neill chronicles his and his friendsâ experiences-acts of horror and heroism on the front line.

356 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2000

Reviews

[Nancy Cook-senn]

“Unique in American history, we experienced two of the nation’s greatest challenges in one lifetime – the Great Depression of the 1930s and World War II. As a result, we leave with memories of extraordinary times that our children and grandchildren know virtually nothing about.
“I know one thing for sure. Never have so many suffered so much. I fear that few appreciate the vastly disproportionate share of suffering and dying that fell on the men on the front line. People need to know – and never forget – the appalling cost and those who paid it.
“May the last words of the last survivor be a vigorous ‘Don’t forget. Don’t’ forget the lessons of World War II. Don’t forget the grit and suffering of the men. Vow you’ll never forget.”
p. 332

[Read1000books]

The memoirs of a U.S. soldier in World War 2.