“One Hell of a War” is a fascinating blend of first-hand accounts and the strategic decisions that led to them based on the history of the 317th Infantry Regiment from its initial activation in World War II through the end of the war. This book has all the elements everyone loved in “Band of Brothers” with the added integration of the strategic leadership decisions of Patton, Bradley and Eisenhower. Most interestingly, it contains well written and thought-provoking excerpts of the late Colonel James Hayes, who served with the regiment during its entire wartime service. The history books do not say a great deal about the 317th Infantry Regiment of the 80th Infantry Division in WWII. However, it was a regiment that accomplished rather startling results: first bridgehead across the Moselle, cleared out La Grande Couronne de Nancy, participated in the capture of Metz -- the first time in history that the fort had ever fallen to an assault, and, of course, participated in the Battle of the Bulge as one of the first regiments to arrive in the area after the German assault had broken the line. It suffered extremely severe casualties and contained some of the best men ever known. Praise for One Hell of a War... "One Hell of a War" is one of those books you simply can’t put down. It should come with a carrying handle and a sign warning "Do Not Disturb"…one of the most enjoyable WW2 books to date. -Phil Hodges for War History Online I love to read WWII history, and One Hell of a War takes the reader into the foxhole and onto the battlefield like no other book I have read … this is a must read book. -Jim Ravella, President, Folds of Honor Foundation It would be wonderful if every unit who fought during the war had a book like this portraying what was accomplished and how terrible war is for the men who actually fight it. -Gayalyn Wojtowicz, daughter of S/Sgt. Guyowen H. Howard, Sr. 317/B OUTSTANDING! “One Hell of a War” is a magnificent and masterfully told story that effortlessly weaves together the historical operations of one of Patton’s infantry regiments and first-hand accounts like no other book that I have read. A book this excellent is a rarity and should be on every professional reading list. -Colonel Frank Athanason, USA (Ret), Past National Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart Dean Dominique's careful research and editing of Colonel James Hayes' combat memoirs rings true in a book that is both a scholarly work and an exciting read. Trust me, when you reach the section about the fighting and cold weather during the Battle of the Bulge, you'll want to put on a coat; it's that good. -Alexander Barnes; Author of "In a Strange land; The American Occupation of Germany 1918-1923." A remarkable story about an infantry regiment during WWII that played a key role in operations in Europe. Dean does a masterful job of weaving the personal accounts into the historical context of the major operations. With so few WWII veterans left, books like these are valuable resources. -Rich Killblane, Author of "The Filthy Thirteen; From the Dustbowl to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest: The 101st Airborne’s Most Legendary Squad of Combat Paratroopers." Dean Dominique's new book, “One Hell of a War," knocks it out of the ballpark and is one of the best books I've read…You won't be able to put it down. -Andrew Z.

    He trained as a tank gunner and was drafted overseas to join the Allied campaign in South Asia. After further training in India, his regiment, the 25th Dragoons, was deployed to Burma, taking part in deadly combat as the Allies fought to contain the invading Japanese forces. Gordon was seriously injured, but recovered to be able to re-join his squadron, before eventually returning home after almost four years, when the war ended.Some time after returning to civilian life Gordon Heynes wrote a fascinating account of experiences, and it is that account that is contained in this book, published by his grandsons, Neal and Gary Bircher. Gordon’s story serves as a valuable historical document, but is also much more than that. His captivating matter-of-fact style – for example, infusing depictions of bloody battle scenes with observations of local wildlife – brings his story starkly to life, and it makes for truly compelling reading.

    Tom's story, told in his own words, let's us share in his transformation from a college boy to a skilled fighter pilot, taking on the best the Luftwaffe has to offer. Excitement and surprises abound! Tom experiences the best—and the worst—of not only the skilled and ruthless enemy, but of our own military as well. Ranging from patient flight instructors to a psycho in the back seat, you can face it along with Tom. Join in the shocking realization of what the war means—REALLY means—as he and his mates witness devastation and heartbreak such as they never dreamed possible. Providing high altitude, high speed fighter escort for the growing numbers of Eighth Air Force bombers puts him in the midst of the most transformative period of the air war, including the famed "Big Week". Drawn from authorized Eighth Air Force mission descriptions, and supported by extensive historical research, "Red Flight, Break!" takes you on the long journey to victory. The story is fiction, but the history is real! Fasten your seat belt and come along!

     Through the course of the next six months it would see some of the most ferocious fighting of the entire war. As soon as they landed they drove quickly into the Netherlands to prepare for an offensive into Nazi Germany. Their movements were dramatically altered as the German forces attempted to launch a momentous counter-offensive against the allies. The 84th division was sent to Belgium to plug a gap in the Allied line and fought back against the last ditch effort of Nazi forces. Draper takes the reader through every engagement that the division took part in from the first shots fired in anger through to crossing the Rhine into Germany and finally taking Hannover and making contact with Soviet forces in May 1945. Lt. Theodore Draper’s book is a unique account of the allied invasion of Germany. Rather relying on secondhand stories of the division’s actions months after the events had occurred, Draper was encouraged to go direct to the source, to the men themselves, from the commanding general to any private, for the most complete, firsthand information on every action. This book is largely based on hundreds of pages of such interviews, most of them within 48 hours of the unit’s relief and many of them while the unit was still fighting. “Though ostensibly a divisional history, Draper’s well-informed and interesting account is useful for an understanding of the war on the western front in general.” Robert Gale Woolbert, Foreign Affairs “This is the whole operation of the battle of Germany on the broad and individual level, the Siegfried Line, the fight to the Rhine, the Ardennes, the mad race to the Elbo, with credit attributed to men, companies, battalions where it is due.” Kirkus Reviews Theodore Draper was an American historian and political writer. He wrote many notable books during his career on a variety of subjects. During the Second World War he was inducted into the U. S. Army and worked in the historical section of the 84th Infantry Division. His book The 84th Infantry Division In The Battle Of Germany : November 1944-May 1945 was first published in 1946 and he passed away in 2006.

    Author Max Miller spent many weeks at sea gathering material for his book, and presents his observations in an easy-to read fashion. Carrier! is intended to provide civilians with a glimpse into what life aboard these massive ships was like during World War 2.*New 2019 edition includes footnotes and images.

    Bryan Hale and Bluebird Squadron fight on into the autumn of 1940, chasing down the new threat of ‘Jabo’ hit-and-run raids by bomb-laden enemy fighters over the capital’s rooftops.Bryan’s chance encounter in a London pub with Jenny, an acquaintance from his school-days, starts them both down the road to a relationship that neither wants or can afford. But the deadly perils of London’s Blitz ignite a passion that neither can resist.Bluebird Squadron rotates out of the front-line to Scotland. Bryan transfers to night-fighters, partly to sate his desire for combat, but also to stay close to Jenny.Struggling with fledgling radar technology, Bryan and his operator, Tommy Scott, eventually become calculating hunters of the night, stalking and slaying Nazi raiders in a chilling, deadly game of cat-and-mouse in England’s pitch-black winter skies.The stresses of combat, the loss of friends and the daily grind of mortal danger weigh ever more heavily. As the new year dawns on the battered, bohemian streets of the blitzed capital, Bryan’s life begins to fray and unravel.

    Told through remarkable first-hand descriptions, with dramatic images and attention to detail, The Aviators is an action-packed narrative of the helicopter pilots, crew chiefs, and door gunners as they fight an elusive, ruthless enemy, put their lives at risk to rescue fellow soldiers, and come to grips with the realization that their lives are changing forever. After each riveting story—from a horrific Scout helicopter crash, to a valiant attempt to rescue POWs held in a jungle prison camp, to a covert flight into remote areas of Cambodia, and many more—the book addresses the question not often asked: What happened to those heroic men after Vietnam?

    A first hand account of my tour of duty in Vietnam.

    CRACK! AND THUMP is Scheffel's chilling account of ground combat of a young company-grade officer who fought with the 9th Infantry Division in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. Scheffel vividly recalls the terror, mind-numbing fatigue, raw emotions, and horrific conditions fighting men endured to achieve victory in World War II.

    

    Then one day I found myself in a foreign country carrying an M-16 rifle and a medical bag fighting a war I knew little about. Within weeks of my arrival in Vietnam the Tet Offensive exploded all around me, changing my life, the war, and the entire world. I witnessed death on a daily basis and became known as Baby-san Bac-si, the baby-faced combat medic.

    

     Between December 27, 1942, and December 17, 1944, he shot down forty Japanese aircraft. This achievement meant that he was the U.S.A.’s top flying ace through the course of the Second World War. George C. Kenney, commanding officer of the Fourth Air Force, knew Bong well and his biography of the young hero brings Bong’s short career in the air force to life. One of Kenney and Bong’s first encounters had been when Bong had been cited and temporarily grounded for looping the Golden Gate bridge, flying at low level down Market Street in San Francisco, and blowing the clothes off an Oakland woman’s clothesline. Kenney reprimanded him saying ““there is no need for me to tell you again that this is a serious matter. If you didn’t want to loop around that bridge or fly down Market Street I wouldn’t have you in my Air Force, but you are not going to do it any more and I mean what I say.” Yet, Kenney was also aware of Bong’s flying skill and although he might have been a bit of a daredevil he acknowledged that for the U. S. Air Force to pose a serious threat to the Japanese “We needed kids like this lad.” Dick Bong: America's Ace of Aces is a remarkable book that uncovers the short, but fascinating, career of America’s greatest fighter pilot. It is full of brilliant insights provided by Kenney who was able to watch this young man develop before his life was cruelly cut short testing a jet aircraft shortly before the war ended. “Both flight enthusiasts and students of the second world war will read with considerable interest of the events of Dick Bong's life in a book which sticks close to its subject” Kirkus Reviews George C. Kenney was a United States Army Air Forces general during World War II. He is best known as the commander of the Allied Air Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA), a position he held from August 1942 until 1945. Kenney wrote three books about the SWPA air campaigns he led during World War II. He also wrote The Saga of Pappy Gunn in 1959 and Dick Bong: Ace of Aces in 1960, which described the careers of Paul Gunn and Richard Bong, two of the most prominent airmen under his command. He passed away in 1977.

     I include my own thoughts about bravery and what it takes to fly into a HOT Landing Zone and hoover there while determined well-trained warriors do their best to shoot you down. You might have wondered if You have the courage to do that? I believe You do, but you havn't been in a situation where that level of courage was needed. You would be amazed to know the level of YOUR courage when the circumstances call for you to stand up, and like many of us who went through our fear and shot back at the enemy trying to kill us, combat, took on an almost holy quality. The desire to kill your enemy can be a big part of PTSD, many warriors felt it and some even feel it today. Because it was so powerful I discuss it through out the book.