Audiobook9 hours
A Foot Soldier for Patton: The Story of a "Red Diamond" Infantryman with the US Third Army
Written by Michael C. Bilder and James Bilder
Narrated by Johnny Heller
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
A brutally honest depiction of day-to-day combat in World War II . . . A rarely frank account of the U.S. infantry experience in northern Europe, A Foot Soldier for Patton takes the listener from the beaches of Normandy through the giddy drive across France, to the brutal battles on the Westwall, in the Ardennes, and finally to the conquest of Germany itself.
Patton's army is best known for dashing armored attacks, its commander combining the firepower of tanks with their historic lineage as cavalry. But when the Germans stood firm the greatest fighting was done by Patton's long undersung infantry-the foot sloggers who were called upon to reduce enemy strong points, and who took the brunt of German counterattacks.
Michael Bilder, a member of the 5th Infantry ("Red Diamond" division), played a unique role in the Third Army's onslaught. A rifleman foremost, he was also a German-speaker, called upon for interrogations and special duties.
Incidents common to the ordinary GI, but which seldom see the light of day in histories, are routinely related in this book, enriching the listener's sense of the true reality of World War II combat.
Patton's army is best known for dashing armored attacks, its commander combining the firepower of tanks with their historic lineage as cavalry. But when the Germans stood firm the greatest fighting was done by Patton's long undersung infantry-the foot sloggers who were called upon to reduce enemy strong points, and who took the brunt of German counterattacks.
Michael Bilder, a member of the 5th Infantry ("Red Diamond" division), played a unique role in the Third Army's onslaught. A rifleman foremost, he was also a German-speaker, called upon for interrogations and special duties.
Incidents common to the ordinary GI, but which seldom see the light of day in histories, are routinely related in this book, enriching the listener's sense of the true reality of World War II combat.
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Reviews for A Foot Soldier for Patton
Rating: 4.533333333333333 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
15 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I thoroughly recommend this book. A harrowing account from a humble yet brave man.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The story of how a GI survived the war, at times entertaining, amazing and horrifying.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was a very moving read.It really tells the reader how it really was for our foot soldiers. I suggest strongly everyone should read this.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Chronicle of the experiences of an average Joe in This Man’s Army.
The author, not a professional writer, tells his story in a simple, unselfconscious style reflected in the honest, energetic, taken-at-face-value manner reminiscent of the American Army seen in late night Audy Murphy movies about the Second World War.
I’m uncertain whether the book was ghosted or that the author just had a natural knack for communicating, as I believe that this is only book he ever wrote.
A well paced first person look at the horrors of war from trench-level by a man who would have probably rather been elsewhere but was going to make the best of it as long as he was there and lucky enough to be alive& kicking.
Good stuff and the narration style fit within the overall frame described above.