THE DAMNED ENGINEERS

by Janice Holt Giles ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 28, 1970

Readers who remember The G.I. Journal of Sergeant Giles, a personal account of Henry Giles' experiences with the 291st Engineer Combat Battalion, edited by his wife, will appreciate the origin and thrust of Mrs. Giles' new work. This is a history of the unit itself, from the raw days of Basic Training through the Malmedy massacre and the Battle of the Bulge, and a well researched record of the military situation as it developed in both German and Allied camps. Mrs. Giles' detail is often excruciatingly minute--road gradients, traveling conditions, weather, times almost to the minute--but she has managed to organize it into a narrative that conveys something of the suspense of those uncertain days; and the standard army portraits occasionally flash glimpses of genuine human personality (A Company builds the messiest bridges in Europe, and a dense fog, one soldier remarks, is like ""living inside a cow""). A celebration of unquestionable heroism, in a morally straightforward war, will perhaps find an older audience.

Pub Date: Aug. 28, 1970

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1970

Categories: NONFICTION