I found a signed copy of this book on ebay and read it cover to cover the day it arrived. It's not a new book, and I imagine some of you have read it, but it was new to me. I have been familiar with Hal Baumgarten's D-Day story for many years now, as he is included in most every documentary about D-Day that's ever been made, most recently "Surviving D-Day" on The History Channel. When he talks about his fallen comrades he speaks of each man respectfully by name and also what city and state they came from, which makes each man, each loss more personal. The book is only 112 pages and includes about a dozen or so pages of photographs, but it is the most interesting first-hand account I have ever read by a man who landed with the first wave on Omaha Beach on June 6th, 1944. I highly recommend this book to anyone who hasn't already read it!
I received this letter from my WWII buddy, Dave Wagner of the 39th Engineers
Good morning Marion,
I was searching through a pile of my books and came across a magazine called
" After the battle number 52". This issue is devoted entirely to Anzio.I do not know if you have this issue. If you don't, you should. The book is loaded with scores of photographs.
Please let me know if you have it. If you do not have it I will be very happy to send it out to you.
Have a nice weekend and best regards to Lee.
Dave
Of course that prompted me to look it up and I found the above site. It's great!
They company is located in England, but they DO have distributors in the US and several other countries. That is very helpful since many of us wouldn't want to ship from another country and pay the additional shipping fees. Cool!
I will definitely order the Anzio issue. There are also several more of interest to me, including ones related to the capture of Rome, etc.
Rocky, there is also a Cassino book. Looks great. Has over a thousand color and black and white photos and sketches.
Oh, the book and magazines are not limited to WWII. Here's a paragraph from the site:
For over 35 years, After the Battle has been presenting the history of the world's conflicts through 'then and now' comparison photographs. From the Zulu wars, through the First and Second World Wars; to the Falklands, all are researched on the actual battlefield to show how they appear today.
Our quarterly magazine concentrates on the Second World War, the comparison photographs adding a new dimension to recent history. As well as major battles, local actions are explored and other features include the recovery of aircraft and vehicles on land and sea, the making of war films and the preservation of military artifacts.
Published quarterly on the 15th of February, May, August and November, each issue contains 56 pages of text, uncluttered by advertisements, with an average of over 150 photographs.
