Brothers in Arms: One Legendary Tank Regiment's Bloody War from D-Day to VE-Day

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This is a poignant story of the young men’s pure innocence, their loss of innocence seeing their friends’ tragic demise, their unthinkingly, enthusiastic and eager readiness to take part in warfare, and the unfortunate racialization experienced. Yet, it made them tough, self-aware, and disciplined. Their camaraderie made them brothers. A slam dunk . . . Well written, well researched and an excellent read . . . Abdul-Jabbar does an incredible job of weaving [the personal stories] into the context of the war as it unfolded.”— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Jones writes of his brothers and their Afghan experience, from its adrenalin-filled highs to the many lows, with passion and candour.' – Major Adam Jowett, bestselling author of No Way Out

Brothers in Arms by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Anthony Walton Brothers in Arms by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Anthony Walton

Through compelling eye-witness testimony and James Holland's expert analysis, Brothers In Arms brings to vivid life the final bloody scramble across Europe and gives the most powerful account to date of what it was really like to fight in the dying days of World War Two. Turns out that he is also a thoughtful, active man with an interest in social justice and history. That's where this book comes in. The 761st Tank Battalion was brought to his attention because, it turns out, he knew one of its members growing up - he just didn't know his story. Abdul-Jabar does not pull any punches in this book. His words are vivid and work efficiently in sharing the facts with the audience in addition to creating a narrative with melodic flow. Entrenched in the nonsensical racism of their day, the 761st experienced their hardest battles at home, in the US. Seeing the contrast in their treatment abroad versus their treatment in the US, and by White US soldiers, gives the reader a true sense of how these men redefined what it means to be patriotic. These men fought for a country they loved despite the complexities of such a love—despite being hated, treated poorly, and viewed as less than human due to the color of their skin. This is the American history we need to be more present in our educational system and media, because overall, this is a story of human achievement and empathy. The 761st Tank Battalion was one of the lead elements of General Patton's push into Germany during the last months of World War II. They were sort of a hybrid unit that was spread out among infantry units, designed to work with infantry. This simple fact would have hurt their unit's fame if they had been an all-white unit - their actions were just tossed in with other unit's statistics they fought with for just a few days. But, when you toss in the obvious racism of the day (multiple citations were sent up the chain of command, only to be tossed in the trash or ignored. This was corrected in the 1990's by an independent commission), you can see why no one heard of these soldiers.I heard Kareem speak last week in Beverly Hills and he talked about this , saying that most white people had never heard of the 761st. Well I had to admit to being a white person who had not, so I read his book. The thing of course, that sets the 761st apart from other brave troops who saw vicious combat and were killed and maimed is the despicable and unfathomable way they were treated by both civilians and white fellow troops at all points at all times. It's so frustrating and sad and I got teary on several occasions. So anything to do with that subject was very effective. What keeps me from giving it a higher rating is sentences like these:

Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Batt… Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Batt…

Although the men said they would never return to Louisiana or Texas, surviving veterans attended a monument memorial dedicated to the 761st Tank Battalion at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 10, 2005. The monument is located on 761st Tank Battalion Drive. The townspeople were hospitable and apologized for their family members’ behavior during the 1940s. But Kareem and Walton needed to do a better job of researching what I will call the technical aspects of armored combat during World War II. Calling a German tank a "panzer tank" is like calling a horse a "horse animal." Also, there was no such thing as a "Mark IV Panther." The Mark III and Mark IV were the mainstay of the German armed forces for most of the war. The much more powerful Mark V was the Panther, and its design was inspired by the excellent Soviet T-34. The famous and even more powerful Tiger was the Mark VI.Brothers in Arms" also retells an important part of military history. The flawed and bloody campaign for the Saar, a low point in Patton's career, has been almost completely overshadowed by the Battle of the Bulge and the final drive through Germany (in both of which the 761stalso fought) and receives deserved attention here.

Brothers In Arms Books - Goodreads Brothers In Arms Books - Goodreads

I am trying to be more concise in reviewing this book. There is so much history to absorb, but, at times, I found it difficult and painful to read. A touching profile of men who fought overt and subtle racism for the chance to prove their mettle, and a poignant reminder of the unreasonable prejudices of that era that almost kept them on the sidelines.”— Sacramento Bee An inspirational, moving account of courage and comradeship on the part of exceptional men.”— Military History Does not disappoint... Holland takes us down to the individual's experience' Times Literary SupplementFor a history like this, it helps to provide some broader context of what is going on around the unit. Here, the book suffers. The commentary on the Sherman tank and the broader war is sometimes accurate, but all too often veers into questionable, controversial, or flat out incorrect areas. As one example, the authors at times confuse the term panzer (shorthand name generally for German tanks) with Panther (the Panzer Mark V German tank.) From the bestselling author of Normandy '44 and Sicily '43, a brilliant new history of the last days of the war.

Brothers in Arms: Real War. True Friends. Unlikely Heroes. Brothers in Arms: Real War. True Friends. Unlikely Heroes.

As they fight furiously, are pushed to their limits, hemmed in by IEDs and hampered by the chain of command, Gez starts to wonder what is the point of it all. The bombs they uncover on patrol, on their stomachs brushing the sand away, are replaced the next day. Firefights are a momentary victory in a war they can see is unwinnable. Gez is a warrior – he wants more than this. But then death and injury start to take their toll on The Firm, leaving Gez with PTSD and a new battle just beginning. The men experienced painful memories of innate hostility from the civilian population during Basic Training at camps in Louisiana and Texas. In addition, there was something amiss about parity and respect from their white peers and commanding officers. The exceptions were Lieutenant Paul L. Bates and Captain David Williams who developed a close and harmonious relationship with the men. Villagers and townspeople in Europe greeted the Tank Battalion with warmth and respect.With "Brothers in Arms, The Epic Story of the 761stTank Battalion, WWII's Forgotten Heroes", Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who has become a capable historian in his post-NBA years, and Anthony Walton, finally do justice to the remarkable but almost completely unknown story of the 761st Tank Battalion, whose motto was "Come Out Fighting!" If you could choose which two limbs got blown off, what would you go for?’ Danny said. ‘Your arms or your legs?’ A brilliant and moving narrative that through its imagery helps the reader appreciate the hardness of battle.”— Charlotte Observer