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Surviving Three Shermans: With the 3rd Armored Division into the Battle of the Bulge: What I Didn’t Tell Mother About My War
"A WWII soldier’s rosy letters home are juxtaposed with his recollections of combat’s harrowing on-the-ground reality in this immersive debut memoir...With its unique vantage point, this is a noteworthy addition to the literature of WWII." ― Publishers Weekly
In 1943, eighteen-year-old Walter Stitt enlisted in the U.S. Army, ready to serve his country. From his time in basic training at Fort Polk in Louisiana, throughout his time as a tank gunner in the 33rd Armored Regiment, to his post-injury service in England, he wrote home to the family he had left at home.
Unbeknown to him, his mother carefully numbered and saved the letters, treasuring them until her death. This book brings together the very different two versions of Walter’s the version that a teenage soldier could reveal to his parents and younger siblings without scaring them or invoking the censor’s pen, and the full and often terrifying details of serving as a tank loader and gunner in France, Belgium and Germany, remembered so clearly eighty years later. Walter explains the forced omissions and partial truths his teenage self offered to comfort his family while he survived the destruction of three Sherman tanks, the death of three crew members, and two wounds.
Coming from West Virginia, Walter’s Appalachian roots and values are apparent through the memories he held dear as a soldier and the values he clung to while fighting in one of the darkest periods of human history. His memoir recounts his experiences of serving during World War II while honoring those who served and made the ultimate sacrifice.
In 1943, eighteen-year-old Walter Stitt enlisted in the U.S. Army, ready to serve his country. From his time in basic training at Fort Polk in Louisiana, throughout his time as a tank gunner in the 33rd Armored Regiment, to his post-injury service in England, he wrote home to the family he had left at home.
Unbeknown to him, his mother carefully numbered and saved the letters, treasuring them until her death. This book brings together the very different two versions of Walter’s the version that a teenage soldier could reveal to his parents and younger siblings without scaring them or invoking the censor’s pen, and the full and often terrifying details of serving as a tank loader and gunner in France, Belgium and Germany, remembered so clearly eighty years later. Walter explains the forced omissions and partial truths his teenage self offered to comfort his family while he survived the destruction of three Sherman tanks, the death of three crew members, and two wounds.
Coming from West Virginia, Walter’s Appalachian roots and values are apparent through the memories he held dear as a soldier and the values he clung to while fighting in one of the darkest periods of human history. His memoir recounts his experiences of serving during World War II while honoring those who served and made the ultimate sacrifice.
- GenresWorld War II
206 pages, Hardcover
Published July 15, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 7, 2025
Annotated WWII memoirs can be all over the place. Those done by well meaning but ignorant family members can be painful to read- those by breathless American Journalists even worse- but when the soldier themselves can go over their words with informed sensibilities - you can get something special- and this is the case with Surviving Three Shermans. Walter Boston Stitt, Jr. is a well known and respected Lutheran theologian and Pastor- but religion is not a theme in these memoirs of his of WWII. Stitt trained with one armoured Division- then got transferred to the famous 3rd Armored Division as it was clawing its way across Europe in 1944-45. His mother had kept all his letters - so Stitt can show us what he told the homefront- and we get the whole truth all these years later- long after his mother has passed.
My father went through much of the same training circuits- so I loved hearing about the Army that prepared the young lads for their foreign service. Many books on WWII under play the importance of the training in eventual allied Victory- and this book really spends some time discussing that phase. Knowing what we know about the passage of the war during Stitt's training and the changes of doctrine that took place - it's really impressive how many people the American army supplied and trained in this era. Readers of all stripes will appreciate that Stitt likes to entertain and self deprecate with his sidebars so the book makes for easy reading all the way around.
There are some adult themes in this book but little graphic injury description so this is a good book for the Junior reader over 11/12 years with a historical interest. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast, this is a great resource on the war as it was really lived and fought. The Gamer will not find much scenario help , but understanding the flow of armoured warfare for the soldiers (train, train, train, train, replenish, service your gear, train-or fight instead of train) will help to pace future gaming and understand how to add stowage. The Modeler will get help with many diorama ideas and how tanks are lived in. The Military enthusiast gets a good look at tank crews and their tendencies and lifestyle in the 1940s- and the fibs they might have told their mothers. It is a fun and interesting book with some lessons for possible future soldiers.
My father went through much of the same training circuits- so I loved hearing about the Army that prepared the young lads for their foreign service. Many books on WWII under play the importance of the training in eventual allied Victory- and this book really spends some time discussing that phase. Knowing what we know about the passage of the war during Stitt's training and the changes of doctrine that took place - it's really impressive how many people the American army supplied and trained in this era. Readers of all stripes will appreciate that Stitt likes to entertain and self deprecate with his sidebars so the book makes for easy reading all the way around.
There are some adult themes in this book but little graphic injury description so this is a good book for the Junior reader over 11/12 years with a historical interest. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast, this is a great resource on the war as it was really lived and fought. The Gamer will not find much scenario help , but understanding the flow of armoured warfare for the soldiers (train, train, train, train, replenish, service your gear, train-or fight instead of train) will help to pace future gaming and understand how to add stowage. The Modeler will get help with many diorama ideas and how tanks are lived in. The Military enthusiast gets a good look at tank crews and their tendencies and lifestyle in the 1940s- and the fibs they might have told their mothers. It is a fun and interesting book with some lessons for possible future soldiers.
December 20, 2024
4.5 Stars
A collection of wartime letters with sidebars explaining what was happening in the war during the time the letters were written as well as explanations of equipment and other details with photos.The true heart of this book is the author recalling what really was happening in contrast to the rosy tone of his letters home to his mother. For example he writes home asking for a new razor but never mentions he lost his other one when his tank is knocked out with him in it. With the author apparently being a retired clergyman the clearness of the writing stands out. I wonder if this is going to be one of the last recently published autobiographies of this generation and war written at this level.
A collection of wartime letters with sidebars explaining what was happening in the war during the time the letters were written as well as explanations of equipment and other details with photos.The true heart of this book is the author recalling what really was happening in contrast to the rosy tone of his letters home to his mother. For example he writes home asking for a new razor but never mentions he lost his other one when his tank is knocked out with him in it. With the author apparently being a retired clergyman the clearness of the writing stands out. I wonder if this is going to be one of the last recently published autobiographies of this generation and war written at this level.
January 22, 2026
A series of letters that Walter wrote to his family back home from Basic Training through his service in the war. The letters are interspersed with what he remembers really happened, but he couldn’t share with his family. This book was very poignant to me as I could understand better what my dad went through in the 8th Armored Division as the two divisions had some overlapping.
February 25, 2026
A little boring
The book contains a lot of his letters to home. It was after a couple of hundred pages before one gets to read about the tanker’s combat experiences which wasn’t that much in detail. He explained his experiences from July 44 til around Christmas.
The book contains a lot of his letters to home. It was after a couple of hundred pages before one gets to read about the tanker’s combat experiences which wasn’t that much in detail. He explained his experiences from July 44 til around Christmas.
August 13, 2024
Letters home from a WWII Veteran and his experiences in World War Two. Can not recommend enough!
December 24, 2025
Rambling and boring. The co-author could have used the soldier’s letters as a background to elicit a more interesting story, but did not. The result was just plain boring.
May 10, 2026
Outstanding
This book is well worth the read. It takes you thru training...combat in Europe...and then all of his adventures afterwards.
This book is well worth the read. It takes you thru training...combat in Europe...and then all of his adventures afterwards.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews