LINES OF BATTLE: Letters From American Servicemen, 1941-1945

by Annette Tapert ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 12, 1987

A collection of letters written by WW II soldiers, together with 150 pictures including some of the writers themselves. Some of the letters were written by well-known figures--JFK, Bull Halsey, Doolittle, Nimitz--but most are from GI Joes from all ranks and backgrounds. The grind of military life and the desperation of battle are all here, as well as sensitive, intelligent comments on life and war. These are caring men, so direct and honest that they seem to have stepped from the cast of Our Town. They write sensitively of near misses, the loss of friends, fear and loneliness. We are not informed about how educated they were--most were high-school grads--but their literary style is effective, indeed, often eloquent. One soldier writes a letter consoling his parents in advance should anything happen to him. Their grief worries him more than his own death. (He did not survive the war.) Others want to hear about the smallest details in the lives of loved ones; nothing is too boring. These are men for whom one feels an instinctive love even as they gripe and complain; when they analyze the great struggle in which they are involved, their perceptiveness and their objectivity are admirable. Letter writing at its best--revealing, passionate and inspirational. An altogether engaging collection.

Pub Date: May 12, 1987

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Times Books

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1987

Categories: NONFICTION