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The Liberator by Alex Kershaw
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The Liberator

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The Liberator by Alex Kershaw
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Oct 30, 2012 | ISBN 9780307888013

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  • Oct 30, 2012 | ISBN 9780449012642

    663 Minutes

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Praise

“Exceptional….The Liberator balances evocative prose with attention to detail and is a worthy addition to vibrant classics of small-unit history like Stephen Ambrose’s Band of Brothers….From the desert of Arizona to the moral crypt of Dachau, Mr. Kershaw’s book bears witness to the hell that America’s innocents came through, and the humanity they struggled to keep in their hearts.” Wall Street Journal

“A revealing portrait of a man who led by example and suffered a deep emotional wound with the loss of each soldier under his command….The Liberator is a worthwhile and fast-paced examination of a dedicated officer navigating — and somehow surviving — World War II.” Washington Post

“Kershaw’s writing is seamless. He incorporates information from a vast array of sources, but it works – you get a sense of the different voices coming into the story….A gripping read.” Minneapolis Star Tribune

“A history of the American war experience in miniature, from the hard-charging enthusiasm of the initial landings to the clear-eyed horror of the liberation of the concentration camps….An uncynical, patriotic look at our finest hour.” —The Daily Beast

“Kershaw has ensured that individuals and entire battles that might have been lost to history, or overshadowed by more ‘important’ people and events, have their own place in the vast, protean tale of World War II….Where Kershaw succeeds, and where The Liberator is at its most riveting and satisfying, is in its delineation of Felix Sparks as a good man that other men would follow into Hell — and in its unblinking, matter-of-fact description, in battle after battle, of just how gruesome, terrifying and dehumanizing that Hell could be.” —Time.com

“Kershaw’s accounts of the battles Sparks survived are clear and grisly and gripping.” World War II

“[Kershaw] is a captivating narrator, hammering home the chaos and carnage of war, sparing no sensory detail to paint a cohesive picture.  [His] portrayal of his subject (based on interviews with Sparks, who died in 2007, and other survivors) makes for a riveting, almost epic tale of a larger-than-life, underappreciated figure.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“This engrossing wartime narrative offers a fresh look at the European campaign and an intimate sense of the war’s toll on individual participants.” Kirkus Reviews

“Inspiring….A gripping and superbly told account of men in war.” Booklist

“Alex Kershaw’s gripping account of one man’s wartime experiences has both the intimacy of a diary and the epic reach of a military history.  The Liberator reminds us of the complexity and moral ambiguity of the Second World War.” —Amanda Foreman, author of A World on Fire

“A searing, brilliantly told story of the heroism and horror of war, Alex Kershaw’s The Liberator is a book that’s impossible to put down. A must read for anyone who loved Band of Brothers.” —Lynne Olson, author of Citizens of London
 
“Alex Kershaw, long acclaimed for his terse, lightning-fast narratives of true wartime action and heroism, reaches his full maturity with this sweeping saga of a legendary infantry unit and the leader who spurred it to glory.” —Ron Powers, co-author of Flags of Our Fathers

“A literary tour de force.  Kershaw brilliantly captures the pathos and untold perspective of WWII through the eyes of one of its most courageous, unsung officers – a great leader, who always put his men first.  The Liberator is a compelling, cinematic story of the highest order.” —Patrick K. O’Donnell, combat historian and author of Dog Company

Table Of Contents

Contents
 
Prologue – The Graves

PART ONE – THE DUSTBOWL
Chapter 1 – The West 
Chapter 2 – Off To War

PART TWO – ITALY  
Chapter 3 – Sicily
Chapter 4 – The Race for Messina
Chapter 5 – Mountain Country   

PART THREE – ANZIO
Chapter 6 – Danger Ahead  
Chapter 7 – Hell Broke Loose
Chapter 8 – A Blood Dimmed Tide
Chapter 9 – The Battle of The Caves 
Chapter 10 – Crossing The Line
Chapter 11 – The Bitch-head
Chapter 12 – The Break Out
Chapter 13 – Rome 

PART FOUR – FRANCE
Chapter 14 – DAY 401
Chapter 15 – The Champagne Campaign
Chapter 16 – The Vosges

PART FIVE – GERMANY
Chapter 17 – Black December 
Chapter 18 – The Breaking Point
Chapter 19 – Defeat
Chapter 20 – The River 
Chapter 21 – The Siegfried Line
Chapter 22 – Cassino on The Main
Chapter 23 – Downfall

PART SIX – THE HEART OF DARKNESS
Chapter 24 – The Day of the Americans
Chapter 25 – The Hounds of Hell
Chapter 26 – The Coal Yard
Chapter 27 – The Linden Incident
Chapter 28 – The Long Day Closes

PART SEVEN – LAST BATTLES
Chapter 29 – The Last Days 
Chapter 30 – Victory in Europe 
Chapter 31 – Peace Breaks Out
Chapter 32 – The Last Battle 

Acknowledgments
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index

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