Five Came Back

Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War by Mark Harris  511 pp.

While many in Hollywood found ways to support the home front in World War II, five of its top movie directors entered the military and took on the frequently dangerous job of documenting the war. John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens were all famous in their field for award winning films. As members of the Army, Air Corps, and Navy each was tasked with filming the fighting, the destructive aftermath of battles, the amazing work of the bomber and fighter pilots, and the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps. Frequently these men were in harm's way. There were often fights with the powers in charge over what they could and could not include in the films they made with Huston having the most difficulty over the controversial films he made. Capra spent the bulk of the war supervising the production of the "Why We Fight" series. Ford, Stevens, and Wyler suffered some form of what we now call PTSD after their experiences. Stevens (understandably) never got over what he saw in the concentration camps. Ford and Wyler both suffered physical injuries and Wyler lost most of his hearing from exposure to the loud noise while filming in a P-47 Thunderbolt. This book was interesting, if dry in spots. There is much revealing about the personalities of these men with Capra and Ford coming off as the worst of the five for their arrogance and bigotry. 

The Dead and Those About to Die

The Dead and Those About to Die: D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach by John C. McManus  367 pp.

During World War II the U.S. Army 1st Infantry Division, aka The Big Red One, had already fought in North Africa and Sicily and most thought they were due to be sent home when things drastically changed. Their beloved commander, Major General Terry Allen and his deputy, Brigadier General Teddy Roosevelt, Jr. were transferred to other commands and Major General Clarence Huebner was put in command. The division was sent to England in preparation for the planned invasion of Europe. I never realized the extent of training that went on prior to the invasion of Normandy. After watching many war movies, I also did not realize that the soldiers were actually given assigned places based on what type of artillery they carried on the Higgins boats (the landing craft used to take the men to the beach). The 1st Division suffered massive losses during the landing at the eastern end of Omaha Beach due, in part to the failure of air support to bomb the armed pillbox guard posts above the beach. The other reason for the high losses was the extreme weight each soldier carried which made it difficult to run while being relentlessly fired upon by the Germans. In spite of these difficulties many of managed to survive and go on to help defeat the Nazis and end the war. This book contains a lot of first person information from the soldiers and commanders. The title of the book comes from a quote made by General George A. Taylor on Omaha Beach, "There are two kinds of people who are staying on this beach: those who are dead and those who are going to die. Now let's get the hell out of here." I first learned of McManus' books when my son was in his military history class at the Missouri University of Science & Technology, where McManus is the Curator's Distinguised Professor of Military History.