WORLD WAR II - NONFICTION

"Twenty-five Yards of War" by Ronald J. Drez

This book contains accounts of 10 actions in WWII; some famous, some unknown. Some of the more famous actions covered are Doolittle's raid on Tokyo, the battles for Iwo Jima and Betio, and the 82nd drop into Normandy. My favorite account in this book is the little known stand made by Lt. Lyle Bouck and an I&R platoon from the 99th Infantry Division. This untested unit just happened to be at the town of Lanzerath when the Battle of the Bulge started. They were ordered to hold until relieved. The men fought hard until they were killed, overrun, or surrendered when out of ammunition. Although badly outgunned and outnumbered, they managed to hold up advancing German infantry and armored units long enough for engineering units at critical points behind them to blow up bridges and further delay the German advance. Their gallant stand bought time for reinforcements to arrive and stem the tide of battle. This is an enjoyable read and will appeal to anyone with an interest in WWII. The author was instrumental in the research for Ambrose's book, "D-Day  June 6th, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II".

Reviewed by Kenneth S. Smith 2/14/2000

Available from:
Hyperion
77 West 66th Street
New York, NY 10023-6298

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