Lines of Battle

March 31, 1987
Arranged in chronological order, this collection of some 100 letters from soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines offers a very personal view of World War II and a sense of immediacy that is remarkable. The correspondence ranges from a GI's final message, written from Bataan, to a private's advice to his unexpectedly drafted father; from a general's letter of condolence to journalist Ernie Pyle's widow to a marine's revelation to his mother that he lost a leg in battle; from an airman's description of the mercy-killing of a comrade trapped in a burning plane to a soldier's reaction to the news of the A-bombings. Several letters are by well-known figures (William Halsey, George Patton, John Kennedy, among them), but these obviously were included for the eloquence of emotion expressed rather than because of the writer's renown. Tapert is the author of Despatchesstet from the Heart. Photos.

May 1, 1987
Tapert offers a collection of letters written during World War II by American servicemen to their friends and relatives. Arranged chronologically, the letters represent the air, land, and sea services and cover the European, Pacific, and North African theaters of operation. The letter writers represent all ranks of the military from the humblest to the exalted, including a letter from John F. Kennedy to his parents. The more poignant letters are those penned by men who later died in battle. The photographs illustrate the military mail service and include a number of the letter writers. Mainly for popular collections. George F. Scheck, Naval War Coll. Lib., Newport, R.I.

Copyright 1987 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.