Vivid in recounting tactics, but emotionally flat

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	• If You Survive George Wilson Ballantine Books, 1997 - 292 pages average customer review:based on 52 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The facts of war

Where officers like this when I was in Vietnam? This is the last of a dying breed, boys. Better pay attention.

I was lucky as the majority of the people that taught me how to play soldier were part of the old brown shoe Army just finishing up their 20 years.

I was so lucky. And, I truly miss men like this. They are not making them anymore.

Fascinating... and clean

I have read several non-fiction books on WWII, and I think this may be my favorite. Not only is it fascinating to hear everything from a first person account, but it was nice for once to not have to cringe every few minutes over four letter words. Yes, I realize that such language was quite common (and still is) in the military, but 95% of the time quoting such language does nothing to communicate the story. Don't misunderstand, he tells it like he saw it, including the horrors of war.

I strongly recommend this book to any and all who want to get a taste of what war in general, and WWII specifically, is really like.

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5 stars all the way

One of my favorite books about WW2 of all time next to With the old Breed and Helmut for my Pillow. If you liked those book then this is a must read for you. I couldn't put this book down, often staying up well past 2 in the morning just to finish certain chapters. And more than a few times I found myself choking back tears. How anyone gave this less than 5 stars is beyond me, they must have been looking for Shakespeare.

Excellent, truly as if you are there.

George Wilson doesn't waste words on pretty details, he just describes what happened, clear and real, and what his thoughts and feelings were. So, perhaps not the most elegant of autobiographical books, but certainly compelling, realistic and very, very informative. And able to touch you.
A little hesitant in the beginning, after a few chapters the books start rolling, and never stops, but gets better and better all the time. I couldn't put it down.
Excellent book!

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Vivid in recounting tactics, but emotionally flat

This is an excellent and vivid narrative of the war from the critically important perspective of a junior lieutenant platoon commander. War stories necessarily require a grain of salt, but Wilson's detailed recounting of tactics and conditions of the war in France after D-Day convince me that he was a good commander. The tactical choices facing the commander and the limited preparation provided by training are fascinating and are very well conveyed.

On the whole, though, the book is not well written. The language is stilted, and Wilson can only superficially relate the war on an emotional level. Of course, one's heart goes out to the man given what he experienced in combat. At one level, the book glorifies war in its portrayal of the courage and tactical shrewdness on both sides. But, on balance, this is an anti-war book. While Wilson can not really let you under his skin, he does compellingly portray the horror of combat.

This is a good read, and I would recommend the book to the general reader as well as to WWII aficionados.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

"If you survive your first day, I'll promote you."

So promised George Wilson's World War II commanding officer in the hedgerows of Normandy -- and it was to be a promise dramatically fulfilled. From July, 1944, to the closing days of the war, from the first penetration of the Siegfried Line to the Nazis' last desperate charge in the Battle of the Bulge, Wilson fought in the thickest of the action, helping take the small towns of northern France and Belgium building by building.

Of all the men and officers who started out in Company F of the 4th Infantry Division with him, Wilson was the only one who finished. In the end, he felt not like a conqueror or a victor, but an exhausted survivor, left with nothing but his life -- and his emotions.

If You Survive

One of the great first-person accounts of the making of a combat veteran, in the last, most violent months of World War II.

From the Paperback edition.

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