The Longest Winter

December 1, 2004
Though this book's subtitle is plainly overstated, there's no doubting the extraordinary heroism and pivotal contribution of the 394th Infantry Regiment's scout platoon in blunting the German advance during the opening hours of the Battle of the Bulge. The platoon's gallant stand has been chronicled in works like Charles MacDonald's A Time for Trumpets, but Kershaw (The Bedford Boys) relates the story of the platoon from its inception at Camp Maxey, TX, to its desperate fight at Lanzerath, Belgium, on December 16, 1944, as well as platoon members' subsequent experiences in captivity. Though the story itself is remarkable, the narrative is somewhat meandering and not entirely satisfying. A casual reader might well overlook the grammatically incorrect German phrases that the author liberally sprinkles throughout. However, this poor attention to detail surfaces elsewhere, as when the author incorrectly places Hammelburg, the site of the platoon's POW camp, 70 miles west of Frankfurt in the Rhone valley; misidentifies Generals Bradley, Montgomery, and Devers as army commanders; and credits the 2nd Division with originally preparing the scout platoon's fighting positions at Lanzerath. An optional purchase for public libraries.-Edward Metz, Combined Arms Research Lib., Ft. Leavenworth, KS

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2004
The author of " The Bedford Boys" [BKL My 1 03] limns another group portrait of a band of similar World War II soldiers, this time the intelligence and reconnaissance platoon of the 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division. That green division came squarely in the path of the " Wehrmacht" during the Battle of the Bulge, and that platoon was one of many small units that fought tenaciously to the bitter end. The whole platoon was captured, but only after they had held a crucial road junction long enough to seriously delay Joachim Pieper's SS battle group. More miraculously, all those captured, even the grievously wounded, survived the war; indeed, most were alive to receive decorations in 1980. The narrative moves from the GIs' combat experience at the Bulge to their POW experience until the closing days of the war, and Kershaw handles both combat and internment skillfully and respectfully. A good read for observing the sixtieth anniversary of the Bulge.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)