The Deadly Brotherhood: The American Combat Soldier in World War II - Hardcover

"Gripping . . . These men were common warriors who fought with uncommon courage and thus shaped the destiny of our great nation."--FORMER SENATOR BOB DOLE "A RIVETING AND EXTREMELY WELL-RESEARCHED ANALYSIS OF THE VIOLENT WORLD FACED BY THE AMERICAN GI DURING WORLD WAR II . . . Anyone who wishes to understand the experience of our citizen army of fifty years ago should read this book. Highest recommendation."--ERIC BERGERUD Author of "Fire in the Sky: The Air War in the South Pacific ""Do you want to know what the World War II foot soldier felt and how he fought? What he ate and how he liked it? What his life was like during periods he was not in combat? "The Deadly Brotherhood" goes a long way towards answering such questions. . . . Each chapter contains a wealth of supporting comments. This approach produces an extreme degree of authenticity. . . . This fine book provides a comprehensive understanding of a World War II infantryman's troubles and travails.""--Military Review ""An exciting, moving book told in the words of those men who actually fought the enemy face-to-face on the front lines--the infantry, combat engineers, armor, and Marines; those unfortunate souls for whom war was a minute-by-minute struggle against terrifying odds."--E. B. SLEDGE Author of "With the Old Breed " Look for these thrilling books of American heroism at war DARBY'S RANGERS"We Led the Way"by William O. Darbywith William H. Baumer DEATH TRAPS"The Survival of an American Armored Division in World War II"by Belton Y. Cooper WAR PILOT"True Tales of Combat and Adventure"by Richard C. Kirkland WOODBINE RED LEADER"A P-51Mustang Ace in the Mediterranean Theater"by George Loving "From the Paperback edition."

The Deadly Brotherhood provides accounts from veterans of nearly every division (armor, infantry, airborne, marine) that saw combat in World War II. Ultimately the most basic question is why they did it. Why did these American combat soldiers endure what should have been unendurable? What made them perform effectively and cohesively and draw on reserves of courage that they probably thought they did not possess? Author John C. McManus discovers that to a great extent, they fought for one another, made real by a bond that is accurately termed a "brotherhood." The GI leaving his foxhole in the Ardennes might not have liked the soldier next to him, but he would do almost anything to help him. The same was true for his counterpart in Italy and the Pacific. The brotherhood was not unique to any one unit, sector, or theater. It was pervasive among the troops who fought the war.