The Beardless Warriors

Penned by one of the greatest and most prolific writers of the 20th century and based in part upon his own experiences in one of the greatest conflicts of the 20th century, this is a novel that needs to be read -particularly by those in power anywhere who would send their troops to war. This is the most utterly enveloping account of front line combat I have ever read. The story is about a mere three weeks in the life of a young man named Hackameyer who participates in the latter offensive in Europe in the closing days of World War II. We are immersed entirely in the body of this introverted, easily confused kid who has sprung from a dead-end family that gave him nothing but self-doubt, only to find that it seems our one true talent in life is killing. While all the typical genre devices of the two-fisted World War II tale are here (the fatherly Sergeant, the pacifist religious guy, the incompetent private), this is NOT typical fare. We are THERE. We can feel the reverberation of the shells as they hit all around us. We are sick to our stomach at the squeaking sounds of the tank treads and the groan of the engines as they smash through the brush. We feel for the characters Hackameyer gets attached to, and we hate the ones he hates. We exhult in Hackameyer's accomplishments, even while we, as readers outside the character can plainly see the dangerous line he is treading between hero and maniac. We want desperately the same things Hackameyer wants - a home on a ranch with a real father. This should be read by anyone who wants to understand the experience of the soldier - ANY soldier on the front line.

"The Beardless Warriors", by Richard Matheson, sub-titled, " A Novel of World War II". A Tom Doherty Associates Book, New York, May 2001, but first copyrighted in 1960.According to the fronts piece, this is a work of fiction based upon the experiences of the noted writer, Richard Matheson, when he was shipped as an 18-year-old replacement into the European Theater of Operations in late 1944. Matheson portrays the development of Private Hackermeyer from a stumbling, inexperienced and frightened young soldier to a competent killer, who ignores the surrendering gestures of German soldiers. He has become so proficient in shooting his M-1, that Hackermeyer automatically registers on the target, pulls the trigger and then begins to scan for more. Although written as fiction, there are two separate analyses of the wisdom of using young men as soldiers; these analyses are couched in dialogue among squad members. (Sergeant Cooley states, "I ain't running a rifle squad, ...I'm running a kindergarten.") There is also some discussion about life after death, resulting in Hackermeyer's introspection on that subject, on the death of his mother, and on life back in Brooklyn, NY. The writing is excellent and Richard Matheson vividly establishes the range of feelings among the young soldiers, ranging from absolute terror to complacent acceptance, during the various attacks and defensive actions that take place in a very short calendar time. In my opinion, Matheson has captured day to day combat better than most writers.

This is a very impressive novel, and one that needs to be much better known. Matheson gives a very compelling look at one week in combat.The novel is short and reads quickly. This would be a fine assignment in a class that covers World War II. It would give young readers a vivid picture of life in an infantry squad.Matheson is unsentimental without being bitter. There are no big speeches on the horrors of war, or the unfairness of it all. Basically, his characters struggle to survive against the physical dangers and the psychological dangers that combat poses. Very interesting to read this book now, in light of all the "Greatest Generation" talk. "The Beardless Warriors" gives a very clear picture of what WWII GIs faced, but it is not celebratory in the least.

Matheson waited fifteen years after his experiences as boy soldier before he wrote this account. It recounts the conflicts--temporal and otherwise--suffered by an eighteen-year-old tossed into the butchery of the final assaults upon nazi Germany late in the war. The Germans are resisting nastily, and the Americans, before the days of thermobaric bombs and a Congress given to polls before strategy, are pushing hard to end the war. The results of such necessary (at the time) savagery are personified here. Young Everett Hackermeyer, a Brooklynite who knew neither love nor humor as a boy, is thrust into such horrors. He, a failure before donning the helmet and grabbing the M1, learns he is adept at soldiery--and, as the realities and blood pass, learns the true meaning of why he is, what he was, and what can be. Buy this.

I first read this book in about 1965, and it served at the inspiration for me to serve in the United States Army (Infantry) for 24 years. The book captures the essence of being an infantryman, the misery, the terror and heroism. It demonstrates the true meaning of war at the lowest level. The soldiers fight not for the country, but for each other. If you want to learn about soldiers and the profession of arms, this is the book to read. The military books about the generals and admirals cannot convey real combat operations as Mr. Matheson does. Of course, they just order the deaths of young soldiers. This books makes you feel the deaths.