Messengers Of The Lost Battalion

Rating:
Summary: A testimony to resource endurance and bravery.
Review: A son's tribute to his father and the forgotten men who his father served with, during the bloody campaigns in Europe towards the end of WWII. This is a well-researched book which is made by the first hand accounts of the men who were there, from the monotony of Panama, to the terrifying accounts of life at the sharp end of war. This story is splendidly told in a straightforward manor, pulling no punches and blending the heroism and sheer courage of the soldiers who fought in a war that should never be forgotten. Yet this book is about a Battalion of men who have been forgotten by the very armed forces who they fought for and along side and paid their duties in blood. Of all the books I have read on airborne forces in WWII, only 'PARATROOPER' by Gerard Devlin briefly acknowledges that the 551 existed and took part in subsequent operations after the invasions of Normandy and the South of France. If you have an interest in reading Unit memorials and histories, then this is a book to add to your collection.

Rating:
Summary: A testimony to resource endurance and bravery.
Review: A son's tribute to his father and the forgotten men who his father served with, during the bloody campaigns in Europe towards the end of WWII. This is a well-researched book which is made by the first hand accounts of the men who were there, from the monotony of Panama, to the terrifying accounts of life at the sharp end of war. This story is splendidly told in a straightforward manor, pulling no punches and blending the heroism and sheer courage of the soldiers who fought in a war that should never be forgotten. Yet this book is about a Battalion of men who have been forgotten by the very armed forces who they fought for and along side and paid their duties in blood. Of all the books I have read on airborne forces in WWII, only 'PARATROOPER' by Gerard Devlin briefly acknowledges that the 551 existed and took part in subsequent operations after the invasions of Normandy and the South of France. If you have an interest in reading Unit memorials and histories, then this is a book to add to your collection.

Rating:
Summary: Absorbing ode to men of a maverick and doomed unit
Review: Extraordinary melding of perhaps three different stories: 1) the pre-combat misadventures of a highly-trained paratroopers with a high degree of contempt for authority; 2) a gripping firefight-by-firefight description of combat in the Cote D'Azure, the Maritime Alps, and the Bulge counteroffensive; and 3) a highly personal attempt to come to terms with the memory of the author's father, who had served the "lost battalion" as a messenger. The first story places the men of the 551st, in the frequency, degree, and originality of their misbehavior, in the company of some of the all-time "bad boy" units in history, such as Pappy Boyington's black sheep and the Civil War Louisiana Tigers. Hollywood's raffish military types have nothing on these guys. The second story, the detailed combat description, is so gripping that I had to give up reading the book on Metro; I kept missing my stops. It is part homage to the men, part vivid description founded on exhaustive research, and part indictment of the military bureaucracy and of bad decisions by individual commanders. The third, personal, story was for me, less accessible. Mr. Oraflea conveys his feelings with such intensity, and with such powerful writing, that I felt his pain all too intensely. It is the synthesis of these three stories-- and all of their substories -- that makes this such a distinctive work. I look forward to reading more from Mr. Oraflea.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding effort by Mr. Orfalea
Review: Some histories need to be written, and Gregory Orfalea did it for personal reasons and he produced a great book. Twenty years ago I met and got to know one of the survivors of the 551st PIR. He never mentioned anything about it's history or his experiences, so I never pushed the issue. At the time, the 551st was just another battalion who fought in WWII, my knowledge of that war was (and still is) limited. It would have been a travesty if these men had been forgotten. Thanks to Greg Orfalea, the record has been set straight.

Rating:
Summary: A haunting, gut-wrenching tale of World War II
Review: The story is Gregory Orfalea's search for who his father was a half-century ago. Many of us arrive at the time of our fathers' deaths and wonder what our fathers were really like. Greg began by looking up veterans of the 551st. Thus begins a haunting tale of a group of men who trained to the nth degree, fought the bloodiest battles, suffered unbelieveable losses and disappeared from the pages of history. The 551st attack on the last SS foothold west of the Salm River during the "Battle of the Bulge" compares with the charge of the "Light Brigade" at Balaklava, except that the 551st didn't have a poet to immortalize them. The Army simply sent the few survivors to four other airborne units and closed the book.

Read this book to get an idea of how bad war can be. After you finish it, go hug your father, if you are lucky enough to still have him, "buy" him a cup of coffee and get him to tell you "how it was" when he was young.

Rating:
Summary: A masterful job of telling an interesting story in detail.
Review: This is a superbly written account of the 551st airborne in WW II. The author tells the whole story by piecing together many small interesting individual stories much like Bruce Catton did with his civil war books. The individual stories are interesting with much detail of the personal adventure of the men who lived this adventure.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful tribute
Review: Upon the death of my grandfather, I was sitting around the house with my family and was informed of the existance of this book. I had no idea that my grandfather was part of a publication. I haven't read the book and it honestly isn't a typical interest of mine, but I plan to read it. My grandfather was part of the 551st and especially after his death, I find it an honor to be his granddaughter. Thank you, Mr. Orfalea. I'm sure you feel the same way about your father.