Through My Eyes (Hellgate Memories World War II) [Paperback]

Leon Weckstein (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book tells us about the men of the 91st Infantry Division and it does it magnificently. -- Roy Livengood, Historian, 91st Infantry Division Association

About the Author

Leon Weckstein was born in New York City in 1921. After graduating high school in Los Angeles, he was drafted in to the army where he served until his discharge in October, 1945. A retired manufacturer of high-end bedding and interior design products, he now lives with his wife, Mimi, in Marina Del Rey, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Hellgate Press; 1st edition (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555714978
• ISBN-13: 978-1555714970
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,353,889 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review by one who was there, September 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Through My Eyes (Hellgate Memories World War II) (Paperback)

I wrote the Foreword to this book. Leon Weckstein and I both served in the 363rd Infantry. His book follows the trail of the 91st through training in Oregon. In April, 1944 the 91st shipped out to North Africa for Operation Vendetta, then to Italy where it fought out the war. Weckstein knows what it was like to endure combat in the mountains of Italy. Those who don't should read his book. For those veterans of the 91st, my book, POWDER RIVER! is now out of print. The original history published in 1947 has been reprinted by the Battery Press and is once again available.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Graphic eyewitness account of the brutality of World War II!, June 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Through My Eyes (Hellgate Memories World War II) (Paperback)

In this new book, Leon Weckstein tells his personal story of World War II in the mountains of Italy. This book drives home the horrors of war and its impact on soldiers and civilians alike. If you understand the need for realism and enjoy reading about the ordinary soldiers of World War II, this book is for you.

It also is a rare look at the "forgotten front," northern Italy, after most of the world's attention was on the action in western Europe. Its also one of the few books written by a veteran of the 91st Infantry Division.

Read this book and you'll understand why Weckstein and others like him are called "the greatest genreration." They didn't like war or the military, but they had a job to do and they did it well.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Through My Eyes Lives Up to its Title, July 18, 2004

By 

Stan Seleen (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Through My Eyes (Hellgate Memories World War II) (Paperback)

Leon Weckstein has written a book that lets one see the Italian campaign from the viewpoint of a single soldier. It is exactly the book that I needed to know more about what my own father experienced as an enlisted man in the 91st Division. Weckstein's description of his experience enhances what my father told us of his experience and means much to us. Though my father was in the 362nd Infantry and Leon was in the 363rd, their experiences were probably similar since the units were working on the same objectives as they fought to dislodge the Germans from town after town and from the mountain tops along Highway 65 in Italy.

Weckstein's courage, skill and love of the Italian people all make this a worthwhile book.