A Dangerous Assignment: An Artillery Forward Observer In World War 2

by William B Hanford

Merriam Press World War 2 Memoir No. 11 First Edition 2016 Corporal Bill Hanford had one of the U.S. Army's most dangerous jobs in World War artillery forward observer (FO). Tasked with calling in heavy fire on the enemy, FOs accompanied infantrymen into combat, crawled into no-man's-land, and ascended observation posts like hills and ridges to find their targets. But beyond the usual perils of ground combat, FOs were specially targeted by the enemy because of their crucial role in directing artillery fire. Hanford spent much of his time fighting in the Vosges Mountains in eastern France and then in Germany in late 1944 and early 1945. Rare memoir of a risky job performed by relatively few troops. Honest and observant narrative describes the good, bad, and ugly of the war. Covers World War II's closing months in eastern France and Germany. Originally published by Stackpole Books in 2008 and discontinued by them in 2015, this brand new edition from Merriam Press has a completely revised and improved design with additional photos. 23 photos.

226 pages, Paperback

Published April 14, 2016