Customer Reviews

Hell's Highway: A Chronicle of the 101st Airborne in the Holland Campaign, September-November 1944

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There is a wealth of information on the United States Army's airborne forces during the Second World War. This book, by a former Technical Sergeant in the 101st Airborne Division, recounts in some detail the struggle the 101st had to keep open the road to Arnhem during the Allied airborne landings in Holland.

The book is mainly a series of anecdotes collected by Koskimaki, who apparently has interviewed numerous of his comrades in the decades since the war. There is no real analysis of what's occurring, just recounting of series of events one by one, sometimes with several soldiers providing different viewpoints of the same event. He includes experiences of his own when appropriate.

I think that this book is valuable as far as it goes. It is, as I said, rather light on analysis or overall strategy, and discussion of what was happening in terms of the general battle, as opposed to the individual battles. The accounts of the various bits of fighting, however, are valuable and interesting, and on that level I recommend the book heartily.

All three of George Koskimaki's books are first rate historical tributes to the brave men of the 101st AB during World War II. I believe one has to understand these books were written by a paratrooper for his brother paratroopers that lived, ate, slept, fought and died with him during that time...just as much as they were written for future generations and military history readers. In saying this, you will not receive a book written in novel format by a military historian. This is oral history by the author and his fellow paratroopers, specifically on their experiences and the actions of their division. This is not a thorough history of all actions by all army groups during D-Day, Operation Market Garden ( Holland Drop ) and the Bulge ( Bastogne ).
If your a WWII paratrooper enthusiast, or for anyone interested in more detail on the 101st combat actions during WWII, these books are a great addition to your library. The historical importance of first hand accounts is worth the price of the book alone.

I enjoy anything that is well researched and historically correct on WWII and this book was it was well written and and researched. I have read other books from this author and have enjoyed them..