Inside the Battle of the Bulge: A Private Comes of Age

"Inside the Battle of the Bulge" is the first hand account of Private Roscoe Blunt during the Battle of the Bulge and the last five months of WWII in Europe. The book makes you feel that you are right there with Private Blunt as he enters into battle across Belgium and Germany as the American forces meet up with the Russians. Private Blunt takes you into real life combat, and makes you feel the emotions that a solider experiences on the frontlines. Private Blunts knowledge of the German language allowed him some experiences that the common solider may not have experienced. The book is a short read at 200 pages, and you will not want to put the book down. This is one of the better WWII soliders accounts that I have read, along with the "With the Old Breed" about the War in the Pacific during WWII.

Inside the Battle of the Bulge is a must read for any one interested in personal accounts of WWII veterans. Blunt provides an honest first hand account of his days as a front line soldier fighting in the final months of the war. His recollections are vivid and touching. He is able to relate relative highs and unimaginable lows in a very, very impressive fashion. His accounts of passing through Belgian cities once occupied by Nazi forces are breathtaking. His memoirs of passing through the Nazi deathcamps is gut wrenching. This is really just a terrific read of a momentous and historical event.

"Inside The Battle Of The Bulge", by Roscoe C. Blunt, Jr. Westport, CT, Praeger, 1994.If you are looking for a book that tells the story of the Battle of the Bulge, (Dec, 1944), without listing a lot of movements of this numbered division against that Panzer group, and if you are looking for a more personal and human history of the battle, then Private Blount's memoirs are for you. The sub-title of this book is, "A Private Comes Of Age". The author traces not only his march across Europe, from the logistical landing at Normandy (after the battle) up to the 84th Infantry Division's reaching the Elbe River, but also the lessons he learned about man's inhumanity to man. He grew up in the European campaign. Unlike similar personal history books, the author presents an extra added attraction: records of the reactions of German soldiers and civilians. Young Blount had learned German in high school, so this personal memoir, written from notes he had made fifty years ago, is filled with comments from German soldiers and civilians. For example, there are some entertaining memories such as a short and chubby German woman who berated the advancing American troops, until Blount smacked her on the behind with the stock of his M-1. On the serious side, Private Blount describes in vivid detail the wounds suffered by both American and German soldiers, and how it was possible to become insensitive to such suffering. His description, however, of the concentration camp victims at "Nord Stalag III, Ohrdruf, is heart rending, on pages 173-174. The author pulls no punches in describing the officers of the American army. In fact, his account of some incidents, such as the lieutenant being awarded a Bronze Star, while not even mentioning the efforts of Pvt. Blount in destroying an enemy tank , makes you wonder if the country should shut down West Point. Further, his narrative of his court martial for fraternization with the Germans (since he was able to speak German) makes you wonder about the commonsense of some of the officers of the time. Over the last fifty or so years, Roscoe Blount has been "an award winning investigative journalist", (according to the back flap of the book cover), so the writing in this book is excellent. I would recommend this book to any one seeking a glimpse of how it was in the American army in Europe during the last crucial year of the war.