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    If You Survive: From Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge to the End of World War II, One American Officer's Riveting True Story
    If You Survive: From Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge to the End of World War II, One American Officer's Riveting True Story
    If You Survive: From Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge to the End of World War II, One American Officer's Riveting True Story
    Audiobook8 hours

    If You Survive: From Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge to the End of World War II, One American Officer's Riveting True Story

    Written by George Wilson

    Narrated by Brian Keeler

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    George Wilson has garnered much acclaim for this shattering and enlightening memoir. Detailing his odyssey from July, 1944 until the following summer, If You Survive is a startling first-person account of the final year of World War II. Wilson was the only man from his original company to finish the war. As a Second Lieutenant, he went ashore at Utah Beach after the D-Day invasion amidst burned vehicles, sunken landing craft, and broken fortifications. From the breakthrough at Saint-LO, to the Battle of the Bulge, to the final push on Germany, Wilson survived ferocious battles and bitter weather. After earning several decorations and a promotion to First Lieutenant, Wilson was wounded. But he healed quickly and returned to duty. Wilson's account is an incredibly moving, continuous stream of devastating combat experiences that will make readers wonder how any infantryman could have survived this war. Brian Keeler's narration thoughtfully conveys this riveting tale of survival in the face of impossible odds.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateMay 9, 2014
    ISBN9781490633183
    If You Survive: From Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge to the End of World War II, One American Officer's Riveting True Story

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    Reviews for If You Survive

    4/5

    51 ratings4 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This is one infantry officer's memoir, from June 1944 to May 1945, from Normandy to Germany. George Wilson is unique in that he survived, most of his comrades who landed in Normandy never made it as they were killed or wounded along the way. Wilson has a lot of good stories (I was reminded of scenes from the movie The Big Red One). He often focuses on personal and tactical mistakes and so it's a useful book for those seeking battle lessons and consequences. I think he survived because he was always defensively considering the enemies next move and didn't let his guard down, and he let his mind control his emotions (standing straight up during tree-bursts for example when others naturally lay prone and became more exposed). Overall this is the best memoir of this theater I have read, it is obviously comparable to Band of Brothers which lacks the single POV cohesion this book has.
    • 5/5
      One of the best first person accounts of the war in Europe viewed from one soldier's perspective.
    • 5/5
      Accessible and fascinating account of a soldier's amazing war-time experience.
    • 3/5
      The personal story of Lt. George Wilson, one of the "Ninety-Day Wonders," who fought with the Fourth Infantry Division from July 1944 to the end of the war. He was in combat for so long eating K-Rations that during a stint in a hospital in England he had to be fed a soft diet until he readjusted to a normal diet. A man of exceptional character and responsibility, Lt. Wilson very quickly rose from the position of raw recruit to squad leader to platoon leader to company commander toward the end of the war. Inexplicably he was never granted the captaincy that he earned through eight months of continual frontline combat in Normandy, the Hurtgen Forest, the Battle of the Bulge and beyond. Lt. Wilson is a good storyteller and writes with modesty, graciousness and humor.