Against All Odds: A True Story of Ultimate Courage and Survival in World War II
Product ID: 525468011
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*The instant New York Times bestseller* The untold story of four of the most decorated soldiers of World War II—all Medal of Honor recipients—from the beaches of French Morocco to Hitler’s own mountaintop fortress, by the national bestselling author of The First Wave “Pitch-perfect.”— The Wall Street Journal • “Riveting.”— World War II magazine • “Alex Kershaw is the master of putting the reader in the heat of the action.”—Martin Dugard As the Allies raced to defeat Hitler, four men, all in the same unit, earned medal after medal for battlefield heroism. Maurice “Footsie” Britt, a former professional football player, became the very first American to receive every award for valor in a single war. Michael Daly was a West Point dropout who risked his neck over and over to keep his men alive. Keith Ware would one day become the first and only draftee in history to attain the rank of general before serving in Vietnam. In WWII, Ware owed his life to the finest soldier he ever commanded, a baby-faced Texan named Audie Murphy. In the campaign to liberate Europe, each would gain the ultimate accolade, the Congressional Medal of Honor. Tapping into personal interviews and a wealth of primary source material, Alex Kershaw has delivered his most gripping account yet of American courage, spanning more than six hundred days of increasingly merciless combat, from the deserts of North Africa to the dark heart of Nazi Germany. Once the guns fell silent, these four exceptional warriors would discover just how heavy the Medal of Honor could be—and how great the expectations associated with it. Having survived against all odds, who among them would finally find peace? Review: Medal of Honor Heros! - This is a very good book. I purchased it from an desertcart recommendation and most of the time I find their recommendations to be exactly what I enjoy reading. This author did not spend anytime at all jumping into the story. Often it seems authors spend and exorbitant amount of time developing the characters. In this case one just jumps right into the story almost making me think I had skipped an intro somewhere. However, once the reader becomes engaged with the story, background information is casually filtered throughout. I was surprised to read in the first few pages about Maurice Footsie Britt. As a young man I remembered him becoming Arkansas Lt. Governor but I really didn't know much else about him. His name and nickname after all is unforgettable. Never had I realized what a hero he was. The author suggested that perhaps if he hadn't had lost an arm in the war he would have been more popularized by the military. Audie Murphy, at least visibly, met the definition of someone that could be showed off to the public. To me it's very difficult to distinguish one Medal of Honor hero from another. Anyone that earned that Medal has paid an incredible price. So this book is about WWII heros and the story is brilliantly told. The story is all tied together and not a series of individual stories. The flow is perfect and exhausting from the standpoint that the reader feels the action. This book is so worth your time! It's amazing. Review: Fantastic History! - Mr. Kershaw has written another excellent history of the combat in W.W. II. This time he focused primarily on four men of the 3rd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army in the European Theater (from North Africa through Sicily, Italy, Southern France, to Germany and Austria). The men he chose for this study all won the Medal of Honor, among many other awards such as the Bronze and Silver Stars. He found stories very much worth telling. What the author has done is follow these remarkable soldiers through their combat experiences with a great amount of detail and an eye for the most riveting aspects of each of their experiences. In fact, I found myself keeping a finger in the footnotes pages so I wouldn't miss any of the pertinent details he puts there (and there are several good ones!). In short, Mr. Kershaw has written a fantastic tribute to these gallant soldiers and the division and regiments to which they belonged. As another reviewer has pointed out, the author missed a finer point on ballistics between the M1 Garand and carbine (nobody is perfect!). But this in no respect takes much away from the over-all impact of this excellent W.W. II history. It is a masterful undertaking, and other than that one flaw, I found it highly informative and well researched! Mr. Kershaw has consulted a vast number of sources to pull this book together. I could hardly put it down and enjoyed reading it tremendously! I highly recommend it to any reader with even a moderate interest in this time period, especially if your interest includes the war in this part of Europe. Don't miss it!
| Best Sellers Rank | #14,568 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #42 in World War II History (Books) #49 in American Military History #173 in United States History (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,356 Reviews |
J**Y
Medal of Honor Heros!
This is a very good book. I purchased it from an Amazon recommendation and most of the time I find their recommendations to be exactly what I enjoy reading. This author did not spend anytime at all jumping into the story. Often it seems authors spend and exorbitant amount of time developing the characters. In this case one just jumps right into the story almost making me think I had skipped an intro somewhere. However, once the reader becomes engaged with the story, background information is casually filtered throughout. I was surprised to read in the first few pages about Maurice Footsie Britt. As a young man I remembered him becoming Arkansas Lt. Governor but I really didn't know much else about him. His name and nickname after all is unforgettable. Never had I realized what a hero he was. The author suggested that perhaps if he hadn't had lost an arm in the war he would have been more popularized by the military. Audie Murphy, at least visibly, met the definition of someone that could be showed off to the public. To me it's very difficult to distinguish one Medal of Honor hero from another. Anyone that earned that Medal has paid an incredible price. So this book is about WWII heros and the story is brilliantly told. The story is all tied together and not a series of individual stories. The flow is perfect and exhausting from the standpoint that the reader feels the action. This book is so worth your time! It's amazing.
M**T
Fantastic History!
Mr. Kershaw has written another excellent history of the combat in W.W. II. This time he focused primarily on four men of the 3rd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army in the European Theater (from North Africa through Sicily, Italy, Southern France, to Germany and Austria). The men he chose for this study all won the Medal of Honor, among many other awards such as the Bronze and Silver Stars. He found stories very much worth telling. What the author has done is follow these remarkable soldiers through their combat experiences with a great amount of detail and an eye for the most riveting aspects of each of their experiences. In fact, I found myself keeping a finger in the footnotes pages so I wouldn't miss any of the pertinent details he puts there (and there are several good ones!). In short, Mr. Kershaw has written a fantastic tribute to these gallant soldiers and the division and regiments to which they belonged. As another reviewer has pointed out, the author missed a finer point on ballistics between the M1 Garand and carbine (nobody is perfect!). But this in no respect takes much away from the over-all impact of this excellent W.W. II history. It is a masterful undertaking, and other than that one flaw, I found it highly informative and well researched! Mr. Kershaw has consulted a vast number of sources to pull this book together. I could hardly put it down and enjoyed reading it tremendously! I highly recommend it to any reader with even a moderate interest in this time period, especially if your interest includes the war in this part of Europe. Don't miss it!
A**N
A must read about the war, but not the best written.
The heroism of the main characters and the suffering they all experienced especially the loss of their comrades is unforgettable. It’s hard to fathom having the courage that these soldiers had. This is a very well researched book but the writing style just didn’t grab me. But, it’s well worth reading.
S**R
Great book
Would recommend to anyone who is interested in this time period and would like to know more details about what those who fought whether through. Amazing men
D**S
Memorable WWII story I highly reommend
Wow. What a story. I can see myself re-reading this book more than once.
M**N
Excellent book on combat
I have read many books about true combat. This book is by far the best book ever on combat. The telling of the lives after the war of the Medal of Honor winners makes one feel strong emotions. Can't say enough about how good this book is.
J**O
Spectacular Story Brilliantly Written
Of the dozens of books I’ve read about WWII, this one stands out for both its piercing literary brilliance and nearly unimaginable stories of battlefield valor and selfless pursuits of victory over evil. Alex Kershaw is a national treasure on par with great historical writers including James Hornfischer and James M. Scott. All combine vibrant storytelling skills with relentless attention to facts and details. We owe Mr. Kershaw our profound gratitude for the heroic lives he shared with us. One can only imagine what Audie Murphy might have said of this book had he lived long enough to read it.
J**S
Definitely one better to Listen/Read
This was amazing and heart wrenching and the same time. No holds barred. We follow four soldiers, Maurice "Footsie" Britt, Michael Daly, Keith Ware, and Audie Murphy through their experiences through WWII, close to 2 years of campaign to free Europe from Hïtler and the N@zi grip. From French Morocco to Hïtler's Mountain Top Fortress. These men being part of the "Marne Men" go through some terribly terrific ordeals and Kershaw does an amazing job of capturing and keeping you attention. I definitely want to check out some more from this Author. My absolute favorite Quote at the end was from Michael Daly when he was read his last rites as he was passing in July 2008. He said "[the] world needs peacemakers. Any one can shoot a gün." AMEN! Wish we still had the mentality as the people back then. Things were a lit simpler back then too. What those meen went through to stop evil and then them not wanting anyone else to go through that. One man was actually worried his kids would follow in his footsteps and try to live up to the medals he had received in WWII. One thing they all seemed to have in common, and I don't know if the thoughts were the same for every soldier, but these guys didn't accept these medals for themselves, they said they carried them as a memorial to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. That blew me away. Gonna focus on some lighter stuff for a while.
S**R
No what i expected
Uma desilusão. A premissa parecia interessante, mas o livro não conseguiu concretizar aquilo a que se propunha. A narrativa é arrastada e confusa, tanto que não consegui chegar ao fim. Tinha expectativas mais altas, mas infelizmente não correspondeu.
A**I
5*
Made me really emotional.
K**N
Great read
Great read, but too bad that the writer never mentioned the role that the Canadians played, and hence helped win the war.
Z**Z
Elsenborn Ridge - like the battle of Thermopylae, but in 1944
They were no super soldiers, and they were far fewer than 300. They were ordinary men in an extraordinary situation. Their actions demonstrate the value of stubbornness in defense against a numerically vastly superior enemy suffering from hubris and impatience. Surviving the brutal conditions of German POW camps turned out to be the even greater challenge.
K**.
Book was used
This was a gift. Book was clearly used
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