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Lost Battalions: Going for Broke in the Vosges, Autumn 1944
The amazing story of the Japanese-American Nisei of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team fighting the Nazis in northeastern France. "Lost Battalions" chronicles the fate of the 1st Battalion of the 141st “Alamo” Regiment, cut off for five days behind German lines, and the Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team which came to the rescue. At the same time, only five miles north, a 1000-man battalion from Salzburg, Austria, simply “vanished.” The mountain troops sent to link up with them soon found themselves surrounded and holding a mountain pass against overwhelming odds. "Lost Battalions", as told by the men from both sides of the war, is an extraordinary story of courage, honor, dishonor, and humanity.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published March 18, 1997
30 people want to read
About the author
Franz Steidl
2 booksFranz Steidel served as an infantry platoon leader in the Vietnam War. He obtained his commission through the Army Reserve Officer Training Corp (R.O.T.C.) at Kent State University, Class of 1968. His wife is the daughter and niece of Nisei veterans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Mr. Stedl was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Purple Heart Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. In addition, he was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB), Parachute Badge and the coveted Ranger Tab.
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January 12, 2026
Excellent account of the autumn fighting in the Vosge Mountains (Eastern France). The focus is predominately on the 442nd Infantry Regiment effort to relieve the 1st Battalion of the 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division from 24 October - 30 October, 1944. It was a horrific fight which resulted in the deaths and wounding of hundreds of soldiers on both sides.
The 442nd was comprised almost entirely of second-generation American soldiers of Japanese ancestry (Nisei). The regiment fought in the European Theatre: Italy, France, and Germany. More than 12,000 Nisei (second-generation Japanese American) volunteered to serve. A total of 2,686 men from Hawaii and 1,500 from mainland U.S. internment camps were selected along with other Japanese-Americans who lived outside of the "exclusion zone" (Hawaii, Alaska, California, Oregon, Washington) and therefore were not interned. Many of the soldiers from the continental U.S. had families in internment camps while they served in combat. Meaning to risk everything in order to achieve victory, the unit's motto was "Go For Broke". The 442nd would earn seven Presidential Unit Citations (five in one month - a record that has never been surpassed or matched). The unit had a reputation for being very effective.
Although they were permitted to volunteer to fight, Americans of Japanese ancestry were generally forbidden to fight in combat in the Pacific Theater. No such limitations were placed on Americans of German or Italian ancestry, who were assigned to units fighting against the Axis powers in the European Theater.
However, the book also covers a German infantry battalion that was also cut-off during the battle. The German 202nd Mountain Infantry Battalion was besieged by American forces approximately one mile from where the American Battalion was cut off. What followed was a desperate fight by both the American and German forces to relieve their units while holding off the relief forces. Heavy infantry combat in mountainous terrain. Many medals were awarded afterwards - more than a few posthumously.
Franz Steidel is a graduate of the Army R.O.T.C. (Kent State, Ohio), and he did a tour in South Vietnam as an infantry officer. He is familiar with ground combat and that shows in the writing. He does a very good job focusing on the life of an infantry soldier in which life and death might be separated by a tree stump or a slight depression in the ground. He presents a balanced account with interviews of Germans and American veterans, and he does not engage in flag waving rah-rah history. Additionally, despite the fact that the focus is on a unit comprised of citizens whose families had been incarcerated by their government with no due process, there is a surprising lack of bitterness. This is an intense account. It moves at a brisk pace and is engrossing. I do believe it will appeal to both the military history buff and the casual reader.
The 442nd was comprised almost entirely of second-generation American soldiers of Japanese ancestry (Nisei). The regiment fought in the European Theatre: Italy, France, and Germany. More than 12,000 Nisei (second-generation Japanese American) volunteered to serve. A total of 2,686 men from Hawaii and 1,500 from mainland U.S. internment camps were selected along with other Japanese-Americans who lived outside of the "exclusion zone" (Hawaii, Alaska, California, Oregon, Washington) and therefore were not interned. Many of the soldiers from the continental U.S. had families in internment camps while they served in combat. Meaning to risk everything in order to achieve victory, the unit's motto was "Go For Broke". The 442nd would earn seven Presidential Unit Citations (five in one month - a record that has never been surpassed or matched). The unit had a reputation for being very effective.
Although they were permitted to volunteer to fight, Americans of Japanese ancestry were generally forbidden to fight in combat in the Pacific Theater. No such limitations were placed on Americans of German or Italian ancestry, who were assigned to units fighting against the Axis powers in the European Theater.
However, the book also covers a German infantry battalion that was also cut-off during the battle. The German 202nd Mountain Infantry Battalion was besieged by American forces approximately one mile from where the American Battalion was cut off. What followed was a desperate fight by both the American and German forces to relieve their units while holding off the relief forces. Heavy infantry combat in mountainous terrain. Many medals were awarded afterwards - more than a few posthumously.
Franz Steidel is a graduate of the Army R.O.T.C. (Kent State, Ohio), and he did a tour in South Vietnam as an infantry officer. He is familiar with ground combat and that shows in the writing. He does a very good job focusing on the life of an infantry soldier in which life and death might be separated by a tree stump or a slight depression in the ground. He presents a balanced account with interviews of Germans and American veterans, and he does not engage in flag waving rah-rah history. Additionally, despite the fact that the focus is on a unit comprised of citizens whose families had been incarcerated by their government with no due process, there is a surprising lack of bitterness. This is an intense account. It moves at a brisk pace and is engrossing. I do believe it will appeal to both the military history buff and the casual reader.
Displaying 1 of 1 review