A Teen's War...Training, Combat, Capture

[kaben3]

Ok bear with me here, posting for the first time using an
I-Touch while away
I just finished this book by a member of the 423rd
/106th, his name is Hal Richard Taylor. He gives great insight
into his training, combat, and his capture as a POW. He gives
personal insights by sharing family letters, his letters home,
telegrams from the Army, and copies of letters register during
his training. Hal goes back to visit the places he was kept and
worked as a POW in the late 1990's.
The book is 263 pages. I had purchased off of Amazon about 6 months ago. You should add to your reading list.

[Diana E]

Thank you for the recommendation. This looks like one I'd get a lot out of.

[connie]

A Teen's War..



Amazon www.amazon.com/Teens-War-Training-Combat-Capture/dp/158500491X

Good Reads: has link to Amazon and other sources for this book
www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/2901292-a-teen-s-war

This review was found under Good Reads:

A Teen's War: Training, Combat, Capture
by Hal Richard Taylor
Jeff Cheney's review Jul 09, 2009
really liked it

Well, this book was interesting for me because Hal is a semi-distant relative of mine (my great grandfather's cousin). It's fairly obvious that Taylor isn't the most practiced writer in the world as there are numerous errors with the mechanics of the book (and even some half-finished sentences). You have to consider that, originally, this book was only published on the internet though. His story, however is interesting enough to keep you reading. Towards the end of the book, there are lots of letters that are thrown into the book that get tiresome to read (letters that are sent to Taylor's parents as friends express their condolences over the news of their son's capture) and there is another section where he throws in just about the entire military policy for POW letter writing...which is unnecessary and could have been summed up in his own words rather than copied verbatim over the span of four pages. There were many moments in the book, though, where I found myself laughing or being scared with the soldiers and really felt the emotions that where churning in that particular situation. It's a good read overall and fairly easy so pick it up if your into this kind of thing.

Author House: (another source for the book): www.authorhouse.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/222863-A-Teen-s-War-Training-Combat-Capture

review here:
A Teen's War describes the experiences of a small town boy in the latter stages of World War II. Portions originated from letters written home about induction, training, and time overseas with the 423rd Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division and that unit's short period of combat in the Battle of the Bulge.
Details of capture and escape came from items the author wrote in prison or shortly after returning home in 1945. The material also includes comments of home folks as they reacted to missing reports.

The story is unique compared to most war books, for it contains none of the pedantic pretenses of most military histories, filled with strategy or the so-called 'Big Picture.' Instead, A Teen's War tells how a young, private soldier became aware of reality and the world around him despite his limited view.

All readers who have ever heard the words, 'missing in action,' will find this book interesting. Readers who were prisoners of war themselves, particularly of the Germans, will recall those hellish times and understand that recollection enables one to live and to cope with the realities of today.