Customer Reviews

Through My Eyes (Hellgate Memories World War II)

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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.

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.

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.

I just got "Through My Eyes" and I am already on Chapter 10. I simply love it! Weckstein's anecdotal style makes this a very quick, enjoyable read. The paragraph describing "S.O.S." made me laugh the hardest I have in a long time. I laughed so hard, my wife had to come and check on me to see if I was OK. As the webmaster for the 91st Division, I highly recommend this book.

I'm glad Mr. Weckstein wrote down his WWII memoirs. I wish that more veterans would follow his lead. There is much to learn about human nature & the privilege given to glimpse into the private hell of wartime active duty is a sacred trust. However, Mr. Weckstein's needed an experienced writer to make his story more palatable. He uses one recurring dream-sequence where he imagines his German counterpart which goes on & on... & on. I would have appreciated more reality about his comrades. To be sure, Mr. Weckstein is a hero with a story that must be told. However, there are better 1st person WWII narratives.

This is an incredibly exciting story of a average young man who goes through unbelievable war time situations and comes out of them unscathed. He describes his accomplishments with humlity that makes this book very readable. He is responsible for the preservation of one of the world's architectural treasures. This took great courage and he explains it vividly. I strongly recommend this book if you want a down-to-earth explaination of what the infantry went through in WWII

If you enjoy books about WWII, this is a must for you. It captures one soldiers life from pre-war to life in the army throughout the fighting in Italy and how he came to save the Tower of Pisa.

It is always an interesting look at history when you read it first hand from those who were a part of making it happen; like WWII veteran Leon Weckstein does with his well told chronicle of war in Italy "Through My Eyes." Not only does he take us through those campaigns and battles as an eye witness, but he gives us some insightful and emotional views of what happened.

This is not your normal memoir taken from some diary or journal - his story reads at times like an action novel with feelings and sensitivity. His choice of phrasing and words makes for some good reading; however, the actual events he writes about and his personal relationships are what drive this book. How fate, divine intervention or perhaps his own actions stopped the destruction of the historic landmark "The Leaning Tower of Pisa" is something that caught my fullest attention. I had first laid eyes on that tower as a 19 year old teenager hitch hiking across Europe in 1965; it is hard to imagine what a great loss to the world that destruction would have been. He did have orders to destroy the place and its fate was in his hands for a period of time. What happened makes for a great story but there are several other instances and experiences in his book which are enthralling and will hold your attention.

Weckstein has natural storytelling ability for describing what he experienced. This is truly a gift for the ages. We are fortunate to have had men like him to sit down and tell their stories. This is real history about real men in war. A must read for all history and WWII buffs. I thoroughly enjoyed reading his book and it is on my personal list of books you might consider reading!