Normandy 1944: A Young Rifleman's War

by Dick Stodghill

This is the Battle of Normandy, neither glamorized nor sanitized, as seen from ground level during the bloody summer of 1944 the personal experiences of an 18-year-old 4th Infantry Division rifleman who joined his company shortly after D-Day. He quickly came to admire and respect the men of G Company, then was close by as one by one many of them died during the horrific fighting in the fields and streets of a normally beautiful and tranquil land. Here are the realities of that opening the casualty blanket rolls, seeing the dead being buried in mattress covers, the sounds, the smells and the fears of men in infantry combat. A glimpse, too, of the boys who fought the battles of World War II as they grew up or matured during the Great Depression, the rigors of infantry basic training, life in England in the weeks leading up to D-Day.

299 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 2006

Reviews

[Abe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most honest story of WWII that I have ever read. It does not dwell on heroics but tells a story as it really happened. The author is brilliant in the way he describes the realities of war and of the fighting man. The drudgery and treachery of war comes alive in the telling. The shortcomings of leadership and downright incompetence of some are not spared from the pen. Respect and even compassion at times for the enemy is unusual in a story of this nature. Dick Stodghill has made a lasting impression on me. He is what a real soldier is made of. He loathed what he had to do, but did his duty for his country.

[Chris Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, written in a first person-call it as I see it perspective. The author writes of his battles through the Normandy region as a rifleman assigned to G-Co/12th IR/4th ID. It was similar experience to watching an episode of Band of Brother for me, except I knew the writer was in the same rifle company as my grandfather. I highly recommend.

[Zadaconnaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a realistic look at war, and the history made in 1944.I learned much about what really went on in Normandy, without the John Wayne heroics or blood and gore of other movies/books.

Well written, and one can see what went on behind the lines, as well on the front line.