Recon Scout: Story of World War II

by Fred H. Salter

HE LIVED ON THE ABYSS OF DEATHAS A RECON SCOUT IN WORLD WAR II.From Africa’s Sahara Desert, where he met Churchill, to the plains of Tunisia, where he served under Patton, Fred Salter executed daring nightly solo missions, risking his life to gather the vital intelligence the U.S. Army desperately needed. After the battlefields of Sicily came the long, grueling effort to wrench Italy from the grip of the Nazis, and the bloody nightmare of Monte Cassino, the longest battle Americans fought during the war.Salter spares no one, least of all himself, in this tough, clear-eyed account. Refusing to shy away from the horrors and fears of combat, he shares experiences–tragic and glorious–that will haunt him forever.

Genres: Military History, History, Military Fiction, World War II

376 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 27, 2001

Reviews

[JD · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read filled with lots of action and some funny anecdotes about life in the US Army in World War 2. The author had a very interesting service history, starting in the cavalry in 1942 serving alongside some rodeo legends, before re-equipping with scout cars and jeeps to form a reconnaissance unit serving at the sharp end in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. They mostly fought as normal infantry and the author became somewhat of a lone wolf crossing the lines to gather intelligence. Easy to read, although it probably isn't the most well written book. Recommended for World War 2 enthusiasts.

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, you are going to have to sift through terrible cliched writing, hokie sermons from time to time, WAY too much stuff about God, and terrible poetry. But if you do, it's a lot of fun. Salter was on the sharpest end of the spear and while no genius, had plenty of common sense and moxie. He survived all sorts of harrowing escapades and made it home. His Recon unit takes part in North Africa, Sicily and then Italy, climaxing at the Cassino Campaign. More power to him. Readers of every level will find this a rollicking tale of army life with an edge engrossing.

[Dee]

I did not read this book - nor had I ever even HEARD of this book until it popped up as "reading" on my Goodreads page!! I'm writing this non-review because I cannot locate anywhere on this webpage where one can inquire about errors - and I'm hoping that someone at Goodreads is bored enough sitting at home in a COVID quarantine that they'll look into this! While this is the first time that a book I never heard of has shown up on my page, I have, on two separate occasions, also have Goodreads reporting that I have "finished" a book that I have barely started! In both cases, I was reading the book on my Kindle and, the morning after I started the book, Goodreads decided I had finished it - while, in fact, I had read maybe 9%!!!

Maybe someday I will decided to read this book - but it won't be because Goodreads is jamming it down my throat!

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A personal account of a solider in the North African and Italian campaigns. Written thoughtfully many years after the war, this memoir gives an insightful look into the emotions and psyche of an enlisted solider in World War 2. Salter was one of the last cavalry scouts to be trained on horses before the mechanization of the cavalry.

[Dave Knecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to get beyond the history and discover the feelings and emotions that haunt the heart of a WWII hero, this book is it. There are also great historical perspectives along with a special kind of action only experienced by Recon Scouts.

[Mack & Stephanie Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read from an american point of view

great read from from the point of view of the average american foot soldier who served bravely and gallantly for his country