(PRLeap.com) ""The Sons of Bitche" is the fascinating story of the U.S. Soldiers, French civilians and German troops caught up in one of the lesser known, but no less brutal series of World War II battles in Europe in 1944," said retired Lt. General Paul T. Mikolashek, former Commanding General of the U.S. Third Army and the first ground commander in Afghanistan after 9/11. The book is written "from the perspective of the young American Soldiers who endured incredible hardships overcoming the rugged terrain, frigid winter weather and a determined foe," he said. "It brings to life the challenges they faced−and the skills, training and imagination they used−to prevail and rise to victory in the so-called 'Champagne Campaign' in the Vosges Mountains of eastern France."The new historical-fiction is inspired by the World War II heroics of the U.S. 100th Infantry Division in France, known as the "Sons Of Bitche" after one of 400 towns they liberated 80 years ago this March. Mikolashek, the retired commander of the U.S. Third Army, the dominant ground force led during WWII by Lt. General George S. Patton, said "The Sons Of Bitche" also is "the story of the terrible tragedies faced by the local populace of Alsace, France, and the horrors of the German occupation before their liberation by the 100th Infantry Division. There are great lessons in this book about teamwork, leadership and the human dimension of war," he said.
"The Sons Of Bitche" is centered on the critical, yet nearly forgotten third and southern front against Hitler, with the 100th blasting through the vaunted Maginot and Siegfried defensive lines, among the stiffest spots of the front. The book also is about daily life for the French Alsatians forced to endure nearly five years of Nazi occupation and the ensuing hardships of war along the Rhine River border with Germany. From the perspective of a seven-year-old in 1945, who saw the first American tanks streaming into his hometown, through the gunsights of the Army troops themselves, and through the tears of a French-American born in Pittsburgh who patiently awaited the arrival of his fellow Americans in France to save his family from the Nazis, the book tells a colorful story of triumph over tragedy.
"As an avid reader of WWII genre, I found "The Sons Of Bitche" hard to put down. It's an engaging story from the beginning right through till the end," said Tom Culligan, former CEO of Raytheon International, Business Development and Congressional Affairs.
Said retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and Doctor Robert S. Michaelson, son of Samuel "Mickey" Michaelson of the 100th Infantry Division in France: "Most WWII veterans had no desire to talk about the war. My father never did. I had no idea what he went through. Then "The Sons Of Bitche" filled in many of the gaps so much that, by the end, I had tears in my eyes."
Visit at: www.thesonsofbitche.com
"The Sons of Bitche" is a 166-page paperback with a retail price of $16.00 (eBook $11.00). The ISBN is 979-8-89499-333-1. It was published by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For members of the press, to request a review copy or author interview, please visit https://bookstore.dorrancepublishing.com/pages/media-requests or to buy the book, visit our online bookstore at https://bookstore.dorrancepublishing.com/products/the-sons-of-bitche-inspired-by-the-wwii-heroics-of-the-u-s-100th-infantry-division-in-france
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Natasha Hlinka
Dorrance Publishing
http://www.dorrancepublishing.com
You can see the original version and more on PRLeap here: http://www.prleap.com/pr/303831/a-story-of-strength-to-remember-the-anniversary-of-a-wwii-infantry-division-and-their-bravery
