One Man's War

by P.M. Kippert

One Man’s War is a gripping novel that follows the journey of one man, Bob Kafak, through his experiences as a rifleman in a frontline company during World War II. It makes visceral the fear, the filth, and the cold that were his constant companions.

Kafak is a reluctant hero who intentionally pisses off the brass to avoid promotion because he has seen too many of his commanding officers get blown to pieces and he doesn’t want to be next. He fights from the beaches of Anzio in Italy and battles up through the South of France toward Germany, facing one terrible heart-pounding encounter after another. Seen through Kafak’s thick-lensed army-issued glasses, the wider implications of the war remain blurry while he focuses on the simple, urgent needs of survival: keep your head down, keep your feet dry, gain the next six feet of ground, and concentrate on what tomorrow will bring. 

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

272 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2016

Reviews

[Nooilforpacifists · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, thinly fictionalized tale of a GI at Anzio and then moving up Southern France. But it really IS one man's war: the narrator is so solipsistic that no one else seems real, save as a collection of characturers (red neck, Brooklyn accent, pretty nurse). And he's no deep thinker: one man takes it one day at a time.

Which, to be fair, is how most private soldier survived.

[Tom Bromley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from Goodreads. It is a novel detailing one man's account of his war experience during WW II. It is a gripping and honest book about the hell these men experienced while fighting and the anguish of war. I found the book fascinating and informative.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

War is Hell and this book brings World War II to the reader with all of the grit and fear that goes with such a horrific experience. The main character Bob Kafak, is on the front lines. He can't see the big picture, he has to endure the day to day shelling and rain and mud and cold and at times boredom. He is often close to the German lines and is involved in a lot of fighting from the beaches of Anzio to the south of France. He chooses not to be promoted to a higher rank because he sees so many of the officers get killed. So while the higher ups are controlling the moves of the armies, the reader is getting a day by day look at what actually goes on with an individual soldier whose goal is to stay alive despite all that is going on.

This is not my normal genre of book but I definitely enjoyed the novel. I thought that the main character was very well created and very real. He was definitely a good representation of a soldier of the time. I was also very interested in the parts of the story that took place in France. My father was in WWII and was in southern France and like the author's father, never talked about the war until very late in his life.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a gritty real story about WWII from the soldiers' point of view. But it can also be enjoyed by a reader who wants to read a real coming of age story about a young man who gets drafted and learns what's important in life during his time at war.
(Thanks to the author for providing a copy of this book for a fair and honest review.)

[John McNair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was initially less than impressed with this novel, but I must say it grew on me. When I read in the epilogue that the author wrote it to honour his father, and based the story on his father's war, I saw it in a much better light. It's fairly graphic and describes an infantryman's war at the squad level. All based on factual 3rd (US) Infantry Division deployments from Anzio through to France (but never describing the strategic situation until the end; this had been stated in the prologue as an explanation for manner in which it was written). At least here is an author who understands how soldiers talk! The language is invariably very base but appropriate and realistic. So is the mentality of the soldiers and the uniquely American approach to fighting battles - lots of firepower and not a lot of maneuver. The description of how main characters were killed off, and the hospital stays, resonated as very factual (although i must say the protagonist was extremely resilient and recovered really very well from his many wounds and illnesses, although I recognize he was only 19 years old). You can read this in a few days, and it's an easy read. And a good one.

[Duane Gosser · Rating 3 out of 5]

An engaging first person account from a rifleman in WW2. Saving his father's experiences as an infantryman was a wonderful gift for Mr. Kippert's father as well the rest of us. The memories of men willing to serve and die not as heroes but normal average citizens doing their duty for their country is a lesson for all of us in the age of "ME"

[John Nellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good fictional novel where the main character is based on the authors real father. Some of the incidents in the book are based on those experiences. I really thought the author did a good job portraying a soldier of the 3rd infantry divisions experiences during the Anzio and southern France campaigns in WW2.

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bob Kafak’s time as a frontline soldier is realistically portrayed in P. M. Kipper’s “One Man’s War”. As a rifleman in a frontier company, Kafak does the job he is ordered to do. He turns down promotions, because he has witnessed the fate of his commandeering officers and he wants to avoid getting killed.


As a private, he appears to take each day as it comes. Some days are more challenging such as, “The next day they ran into a German rearguard action. The firefight was short but intense. Machine guns, small arms, mortar fire. The company was momentarily pinned down, but then half a dozen tanks came up and broke the German resistance. The Krauts retreated. They lobbed a few more mortar shells as they were leaving. One of them landed near Andover. Took off his legs, one mid-thigh, the other just below the knee. He was shrieking from the pain. Kafak ran over to him shouting for a medic.” (p.200)


The book is an interesting read. It does not glorify war as we see in Hollywood films; this is just an account by an ordinary soldier during WWII.


Thank you GoodReads for the book.

[Polly Krize · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I felt that this book really detailed the experiences of a WWII soldier fighting his way from Anzio, Italy, up through France and into Germany. Gritty and real, Bob Kafak, rifleman, seems the epitome of a simple soldier surviving brutal conditions, keeping his head down and fighting in a war sometimes difficult to understand.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy via Netgalley in return for a honest review.
This is a heartbreaking insight into the Second World War that grips you from the first page.
It gives you a real feel for how every inch of ground was fought for and what it cost.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely liked this book. It follows a young man naned Bob Kefak from Anzio to the fighting in southern France before he is severely wounded. It has memorable characters and a realistic look at war. Well-worth reading.

[Chaplain Stanley Chapin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

A exceptional account of the fear, grit, boredom, anxiety, death and BS of real combat. It is refreshing to read accounts of real action, not the so called Super Heroes.