When WW2 ended, the historians who wrote of America's involvement went to unprecedented lengths to censor and sanitize the grittier details. Walt Whitman once wrote of war in general: "The real war will never get in the books."
In this original presentation, historian Mark Bando shows the reader a real slice of WW2 that was previously known to only a handful of individuals at the combat squad level. These are the types of incidents that are normally left out of conventional history books. Although not 'history' in the academically accepted sense, these incidents did happen, and need to be recorded for posterity. You will discover stories about insubordination, sexual encounters, brawls with other servicemen, accidental deaths from parachute mishaps or unexpected firearms discharge, mayhem and summary execution on the battlefield.
These are stories that are not openly discussed by combat veterans and are usually only whispered between individuals at military reunions.
The tales range from sad to hilarious, from surprising to horrible, but they are real. These are not the creations of a screenwriter or some novelist's pipe dreams; they are actual events that had a lifelong impact on the soldiers who experienced them. Such a collection could only have resulted from 35 years of research on the 101st Airborne Division, which entailed interviews with almost 1000 veterans who wore the 'Screaming Eagle' patch in WW2.
No other researcher has devoted as much time to obtaining original source information from WW2 101st survivors. Three quarters of the veterans interviewed for this book have since passed away. This is an entertaining smorgasboard of forbidden tales, from a unit of high spirited, bold volunteers who pioneered a new form of warfare.
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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Engaging, raw story of war from a master historian,
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This review is from: AVENGING EAGLES: Forbidden tales of the 101st Airborne Division in World War 2 (Hardcover)
Mark Bando is one of America's foremost historian/authors focused on the 101st Airborne Division of the Second World War. Unlike his previous works, which fall into more typical veins of WWII historiography (research and synthesis by the historian/authors), "Avenging Eagles: Forbidden Tales of the 101st Airborne Division in World War 2" is less about what Bando the writer can achieve versus what Bando the researcher/interviewer/friend can achieve in bringing long hidden stories from the men he so admires and dedicates his time to, to life. "Avenging Eagles" represents a collection of reminiscences by 101st veterans that Bando had collected over the years based on literally thousands of interviews. Bando's synthesis and presentation presents a raw, less sanitized and processed for the masses story of war than most readers have ever gotten. The good, bad and ugly is here - and lots of the latter too. Much of the book is downright disturbing in its honesty and frankness - shattering many myths about the 'white as snow American paratrooper'. This is not to say that these men were not valiant, courageous and heroic - they were; rather Bando presents and honest view from the horse's mouth that shows how war changes boys to men and men to near animals. As Bando himself points out in his acknowledgements, many respected historians and veterans had mixed feelings about him even tackling such a project since it would be controversial to say the least. Bando forged ahead with these fears in mind and created a respectful and fitting tribute to the men who told their stories. This book may not be easy to get (Bando self published it - I believe he still has copies) but it is worth finding!! 4.5 stars.
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