BATTLE AT BEST

Few can fault Mr. Marshall's details in this installment of his long -ontinuing chronicle of WW II and Korean battles. For those who were there, as at the Allied invasion and occupation of Holland, this will be an exciting and satisfying experience. The Best of the title was a small village with a valuable bridge held by a handful"" of Germans. Thus, when Lt. Edward Wierzbowski's platoon was assigned to ake the bridge, and ran into a thousand fresh German troops newly stationed in Best, the Americans were decimated, cut off and eventually captured when they ran out of mmunition. During the battle Private Joseph Mann, both arms tied in bandages, lay down on a German grenade to save the lives of several buddies, for which act he received posthumously the Congressional Medal of Honor. Wierzbowski's platoon, what was left of it, was taken to a German hospital. The staff there, however, was demoralized and yielded to the wounded Americans, who ""captured"" the hospital and turned it over to the advancing Allies. Other chapters cover Omaha Beach, unsung Korean activities, Makin Island, and the bock ends with a long, zany account of Marshall and Hemingway liberating the Ritz bar in Paris, which adds new accuracy to Papa's personal account.