The Longest Winter
Encyclopedia
Alex Kershaw
Alex Kershaw is the British author of several popular books about World War II, notably the New York Times best-sellers The Bedford Boys and The Longest Winter. He has lived in the US since 1994....
and published in 2004 by Da Capo Press
Da Capo Press
Da Capo Press, is an American publishing company with headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1964 as a publisher of music books, as a division of Plenum Publishers. it had additional offices in offices in New York City, Philadelphia and Emeryville, California...
. It became a New York Times bestseller.
It tells the story of the eighteen men of an intelligence platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
under the command by Lieutenant Lyle Bouck
Lyle Bouck
Lyle Bouck, Jr. enlisted in the U.S. National Guard at age 14. During World War II, he was a 20 year old Lieutenant in charge of the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division...
. Placed in a front-line position, the soldiers fought fiercely outside the village of Lansareth to prevent the German advance on the morning of the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
.
Platoon's actions
The Intelligence and Reconnaissance PlatoonISTAR
ISTAR stands for Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance. In its macroscopic sense, ISTAR is a practice that links several battlefield functions together to assist a combat force in employing its sensors and managing the information they gather.Information is collected on...
from the 394th Infantry Regiment of the 99th Infantry Division was the most decorated platoon of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
for action on the first morning of the Battle of the Bulge defending a key road in the vicinity of the Losheim Gap
Losheim Gap
The Losheim Gap is a long, narrow valley at the western foot of the Schnee Eifel, on the border of Belgium and Germany. Most accounts of World War II describing the Battle of the Bulge focus on the attack by the Germans around Battle of Bastogne and the Battle of St. Vith, while the Germans'...
. Led by 20-year old Lieutenant Lyle Bouck Jr.
Lyle Bouck
Lyle Bouck, Jr. enlisted in the U.S. National Guard at age 14. During World War II, he was a 20 year old Lieutenant in charge of the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division...
, the unit of 18 men held off an entire German battalion of over 600 men during a 20-hour long fight, inflicting between 400 and 500 casualties on the Germans. The platoon seriously disrupted the entire German Sixth Panzer Army's schedule of attack along the northern edge of the offensive. At 1630 on 16 December, about 50 German paratroopers finally flanked the platoon and captured the remaining 15 soldiers. Two who had been sent on foot to regimental headquarters to seek reinforcements were captured, and a third was killed.
All eighteen survived imprisonment as prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. Due to their capture, the blur of events during the first week of this massive campaign, and their release and return home, the U.S. Army did not recognize the platoon for its actions for thirty-seven years. On January 15, 1981, the entire platoon was recognized by President Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
with a Presidential Unit Citation, and every member of the platoon was decorated, including four Distinguished Service Crosses
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
, five Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
s, and ten Bronze Stars
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
with V for Valor
Valor device
The Valor device is an award of the United States military which is a bronze attachment to certain medals to indicate that it was received for valor...
, making the platoon America's most decorated of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
External links
- Interview with Alex Kershaw at the Pritzker Military LibraryPritzker Military LibraryThe Pritzker Military Library is a research library for the study of military history in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded in 2003 by COL James N. Pritzker, IL ARNG to be a non-partisan institution for the study of "the citizen soldier as an essential element for the preservation of...