 |
|
Title: The Dead of Winter: How Battlefield Investigators, WWII Veterans, and Forensic Scientists Solved the Mystery of the Bulge's Lost Soldiers
ISBN: 1596090855
Author:
Bill Warnock
Publicate Date: 2005-10-25
Publish: 2005-10-25
List Price: $24.95
Average Customer Rating: 5.0
Format: Hardcover
 |
|
|
|
|
Amazon Lowest New Price: $24.95
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $9.90
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Customer Review: |
|
1: Definitely recommend
Excellent writing, the content is very interesting. If you have been to the Huertgen, you can understand what a challenge it would be to recover these soldiers. Great work, Bill Warnock, and even greater that you mentioned Will Cavanagh. Terrific tour guide and writer!
|
2: Outstanding
I collect information and write about local servicemen who died in World War II. That's how I came across this book, just typed in the name of our town and the book came up as a reference. Just the title was intriguing. Little did I know I was going to discover what may be the best book concerning WW II that I've read, and we're talking hundreds! Bill Warnock is an excellent writer. I found myself feeling, smelling and hearing the sounds of the Belgium forests as the group went about their searches. He was able to introduce us to these men who had been lost, put a face on them if you will, the way I've tried to do with our local boys over the years so that the youngsters of today will see them as real people. His passion and devotion to "the cause" as well as the other men involved in this endeavor is overwhelming. I also was fascinated by the forensic information and about how the Henri-Chappelle cemetery was built and maintained . . . I had no idea how they kept the crosses so straight! I've ordered two more of the books for others, one for a friend and another for my son who's a history teacher. I wish every high school student in the U.S. was required to read this book, to see these fallen soldiers as like themselves but also understand that sometimes our government does do something right. I was pleased at the expense and respect that was expended even 60 years after the fact.
|
3: Dead of Winter
Bill:
Great book and a great testament to the members of the greatest generation who gave all during the battle of the bulge. A easy read and very informative. Known Bill since we were both kids but it has been a long time since I seen him. Your tireless pursuit of closure to the families of the MIAs from the Bulge is commendable. Your portrayel of the compassion that many locals still feel for for the American GI in Europe is very neat. Keep it up and write another book.
|
4: Aftermath Of Battle
"The Dead Of Winter" by Bill Warnock, Subtitled: "How Battlefield Investigators, WWII Veterans, And Forensic Scientists Solved The Mystery Of The Bulge's Lost Soldiers". Chamberlain Bros. Penguin books, New York, 2005.
The subtitle sums up the entire book. Bill Warnock, however, has written a book that combines History with story-telling, with the science of forensics, with the lives of Americans and Belgians, and with the honor of being World War II veterans who had fought and bled in the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944. The book is excellent.
While serving with the United States Air Force, the author opts for an assignment in a small corner of Europe, near some of the more important battlefields of the Second World War. His life has not been the same since. His initial curiosity becomes what appears to be a life-long obsession, as Warnock and his Belgian friends search for the remains of those soldiers long since dead on the battlefield. But, it is not enough just to find the remains, Mr. Warnock follows through with modern techniques of identification of the deceased, and documents the entire process in an interesting and understandable fashion. While working on each individual solider, Warnock develops a story-book tale of how that individual lived prior to the war, how he entered the U.S. Army, and the probable cause of his death. It is surprising to me how many of the subjects of this book were members of ASTP, Army specialized Training Program. Further, I was surprised to see that my alma mater, Manhattan College (see page 238) had ASTP training. (Manhattan College is in the Bronx.)
Warnock's book is enjoyable and well documented. For example, Appendix B, entitled, "U.S. Army Dog Tags In world War II", had me pulling out my Navy dog tag (now fifty years old) for comparison. The dog tag had "...corners rounded and edges smooth" (page 286), with blood type and religion and service number, as in the appendix, but, in the left corner, mine had the term, "USN".
One little issue: page 118 had "... Camp Myles Standish near Taunton, Massachusetts." Myles Standish is about 30 miles, or so, from Taunton. The camp, now Myles Standish State Forest, IS located in the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts, best known, I would think, for being the place where the Pilgrims came ashore in 1620.
|
5: Exceptional!
This brilliantly written story follows the efforts of a group of people who dedicated themselves to locating the lost remains of the men who served with the 99th Infantry Division at the Battle of the bulge. THE DEAD OF WINTER begins with an introduction of two Belgian artifact hunters, Jean-Louis Seel and Jean-Philippe Speder who, in 1988, stumbled upon the remains and dog tags of an American soldier.
Readers will gain a true respect for the difficulty involved in researching, reconstructing and execution of actual artifact hunting undertaken by the dedicate group to find and identify the remains of American soldiers lost for half a century. For each of the soldiers that the team finds, Warnock gives the reader a detailed synopsis of his life (including excellent pictures of the soldiers and their surviving family members). Next he recreates how the soldier died on the battlefield and how he paid the ultimate sacrifice for his country. It is certainly a fitting tribute to these men and their accomplishments.
The author also gives an excellent overview of the contributions of the 99th Infantry to the Battle of the Bulge. The overview is supported by numerous first hand accounts. This covers the Bulge from the tactical, logistical and personal levels. Thanks to Warnock and his teams efforts, many lost members of the 99th Infantry have found their rightful place and final tribute.
The book is exceptionally well written and will be greatly appreciated by history lovers.
|
|
|
|
|
