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Hang Tough: The WWII Letters and Artifacts of Major Dick Winters
The compelling WWII correspondence and artifacts of Major Dick Winters, commander of the Band of Brothers.
Major Dick Winters of the 101st Airborne gained international acclaim when the tale of he and his men were depicted in the celebrated book and miniseries Band of Brothers . Hoisted as a modest hero who spurned adulation, Winters epitomized the notion of dignified leadership. His iconic World War II exploits have since been depicted in art and commemorated with monuments.
Beneath this marble image of a reserved officer is the story of a common Pennsylvanian tested by the daily trials and tribulations of military duty. His wartime correspondence with pen pal and naval reservist, DeEtta Almon, paints an endearing portrait of life on both the home front and battlefront—capturing the humor, horror, and humility that defined a generation. Interwoven with previously unpublished diary entries, military reports, postwar reminiscences, private photos, personal artifacts, and rich historical context, Winters’s letters offer compelling insights on the individual costs and motivations of World War II service members.
Winters’s heartfelt prose reveals his mindset of the moment. From stateside training to the hedgerows of Normandy, his correspondence immerses readers in the dramatic experiences of the 1940s. Via the lost art of letter writing, the immediacy and honesty of Winters’s observations takes us beyond the traditional accounts of the fabled 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment’s Easy Company. This engaging narrative offers a unique blend of personal wit, leadership ethics, and broader observations of a world at war. Hang Tough is a deeply intimate, timely reflection on a rising officer and the philosophies that molded him into a hero among heroes.
Hang Tough “will help people better understand the man I knew and respected so much. Folks should know what we all went through during the war.” —Bradford Freeman, Foreword
Major Dick Winters of the 101st Airborne gained international acclaim when the tale of he and his men were depicted in the celebrated book and miniseries Band of Brothers . Hoisted as a modest hero who spurned adulation, Winters epitomized the notion of dignified leadership. His iconic World War II exploits have since been depicted in art and commemorated with monuments.
Beneath this marble image of a reserved officer is the story of a common Pennsylvanian tested by the daily trials and tribulations of military duty. His wartime correspondence with pen pal and naval reservist, DeEtta Almon, paints an endearing portrait of life on both the home front and battlefront—capturing the humor, horror, and humility that defined a generation. Interwoven with previously unpublished diary entries, military reports, postwar reminiscences, private photos, personal artifacts, and rich historical context, Winters’s letters offer compelling insights on the individual costs and motivations of World War II service members.
Winters’s heartfelt prose reveals his mindset of the moment. From stateside training to the hedgerows of Normandy, his correspondence immerses readers in the dramatic experiences of the 1940s. Via the lost art of letter writing, the immediacy and honesty of Winters’s observations takes us beyond the traditional accounts of the fabled 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment’s Easy Company. This engaging narrative offers a unique blend of personal wit, leadership ethics, and broader observations of a world at war. Hang Tough is a deeply intimate, timely reflection on a rising officer and the philosophies that molded him into a hero among heroes.
Hang Tough “will help people better understand the man I knew and respected so much. Folks should know what we all went through during the war.” —Bradford Freeman, Foreword
304 pages, Hardcover
First published October 27, 2020
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366 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 18, 2021
i'm not one to read historical novels, let alone re-tellings of WWII, but this book was not a complete bore (surprisingly). i really liked the personal aspect of the fighting, specifically the letters sent home. i also liked the fact that the relationship between the writer and recipient was platonic, and not necessarily romantic. i think that factor made the book a lot less cheesy than it could've been. they did not end up together in the end, which i can't say i was expecting. don't know how to feel about the strong hints of misogyny throughout; that's why i bumped off 1.5 stars. all in all, solid read. 3.5 ☆ (rounded to a four so that a specific someone does not hate me)
April 29, 2025
This book wasn't a standard biography like I thought it was. Instead, it's a collection of transcribed letters with added context and clarifications. it's certainly *not* your typical wartime soldier book - and that sets it apart.
If you're not already familiar with the chronology and geography of WWII, you may struggle to place everything... but the book is still a good read.
If you're not already familiar with the chronology and geography of WWII, you may struggle to place everything... but the book is still a good read.
December 31, 2025
I liked this book. I didn't love it. Part of me wonders if some of these personal letters that make up the chapter of the book should be left personal? I understand the love of Major Winters and the entire World War 2 Army. Yes, entire. The Greatest Generation indeed. My hang up is saturation. And profiteering.
Anyway, this book does offer a different perspective from all of the other books about Easy Company and its leader, Major Winters. Any reader of the other books or anyone that has watched the series will find familiarity. The events are discussed again. The letters offer a more personal touch to them all, however. A little more of Major Winters' character emerges. His whit. Sarcasm. Concerns. Love. Hate. All of those emotions that he. probably felt were safely protected in personal letters to a dear friend.
Now we have them, in the form of a book, and the stories are retold once more. Like I said, I love it, but I also don't.
Anyway, this book does offer a different perspective from all of the other books about Easy Company and its leader, Major Winters. Any reader of the other books or anyone that has watched the series will find familiarity. The events are discussed again. The letters offer a more personal touch to them all, however. A little more of Major Winters' character emerges. His whit. Sarcasm. Concerns. Love. Hate. All of those emotions that he. probably felt were safely protected in personal letters to a dear friend.
Now we have them, in the form of a book, and the stories are retold once more. Like I said, I love it, but I also don't.
November 20, 2020
Hang Tough is an intimate glimpse into the mind of a true hero and icon in his own words. The thoughtful commentary woven throughout Winters' letters by never feels intrusive, but rather adds appropiate context and color. A must read!
September 30, 2021
"Hang Tough" was one of the most interesting books I have read. Once read, one gains an enlightened view on not only the experience of an airborne commander's journey through the years of WWII but also the 40's themselves. I read this book in two days, and couldn't put it down. If this book looks interesting, I would also recommend watching HBO's hit series "Band of Brothers".
December 7, 2023
Dick Winters is an iconic figure, and this book sheds light on a side of him that is largely absent from depiction in Band of Brothers. While he was definitely the humble and competent leader he was in the show, these letters to his pen-pal Dietta (mixed signals on if the relationship was a romantic or platonic one) chronicle his personal thoughts, concerns, opinions, discipline, and accounts of his experiences throughout the war.
While the show captures the quaker-raised Dick as hesitant towards combat and meek in his demeanor, these letters display a soldier eager to get into and stay in the fight. While his writing does change over time as he goes from a paratrooper recruit to battalion commander, he maintains a degree of playful bravado throughout the war in his communications to Dietta.
One thing that stuck out to me about this book was just how normalized the action of killing and possibility of being killed were in their correspondence. This reality was sobering in the toll it took on him, but also inspiring to see his continued discipline, dedication and faithfulness despite the ever growing cost and effect it had on him. He was an incredible and selfless leader.
While the show captures the quaker-raised Dick as hesitant towards combat and meek in his demeanor, these letters display a soldier eager to get into and stay in the fight. While his writing does change over time as he goes from a paratrooper recruit to battalion commander, he maintains a degree of playful bravado throughout the war in his communications to Dietta.
One thing that stuck out to me about this book was just how normalized the action of killing and possibility of being killed were in their correspondence. This reality was sobering in the toll it took on him, but also inspiring to see his continued discipline, dedication and faithfulness despite the ever growing cost and effect it had on him. He was an incredible and selfless leader.
August 13, 2024
This book took me a bit to get into, but it was fascinating to read. I think the part that struck me the most was how different Winter's tone in his letters was after Normandy. He was far more sarcastic almost scathing even. After a time, that evened out a bit. It was crazy the change you could see between before and after combat.
I also appreciated how careful he was not to lead DeEtta on and to try and protect her feelings. I love all the advice he gave her and their teasing.
It's always dangerous to see your hero's close up, but reading Winter's letters to DeEtta didn't make me lose my fondness for this man or my respect for him. It did make him seem more like a man and less up on the pedestal but in a good way. It reminded me that he loved being a paratrooper but had little respect for much of the rest of the military. He loved his men but held himself at a distance from them. He was proud of his actions in Holland. He was proud of being a Major. He always wanted to do right by his men. He was good friends with Nixon and Welsh, and thought highly of Talbert and Moose.
This was an excellent addition to my books on Winters. I kinda want to read them in a semi-chronological order.
I also appreciated how careful he was not to lead DeEtta on and to try and protect her feelings. I love all the advice he gave her and their teasing.
It's always dangerous to see your hero's close up, but reading Winter's letters to DeEtta didn't make me lose my fondness for this man or my respect for him. It did make him seem more like a man and less up on the pedestal but in a good way. It reminded me that he loved being a paratrooper but had little respect for much of the rest of the military. He loved his men but held himself at a distance from them. He was proud of his actions in Holland. He was proud of being a Major. He always wanted to do right by his men. He was good friends with Nixon and Welsh, and thought highly of Talbert and Moose.
This was an excellent addition to my books on Winters. I kinda want to read them in a semi-chronological order.
July 10, 2024
sweet, dramatic, introspective, and wholesome. you’d think reading correspondence from a WWII veteran and his… friend… would be boring but winters is such a good writer and maybe it’s just my nosy nature but i found his letters so interesting. the ending was so wholesome and even though poor deetta was thoroughly friendzoned i’m glad they got to reconnect after the war. really interesting and so sweet. highly recommend if you’re into the BoB crew/want more of an insight into winters as a person. he’s a cool guy. the og diva. i went “oooh” and “awwww” so many times reading this. that’s all you need to know really.
January 30, 2021
Interesting perspective of the author and events. I get the part about this letters and friendships created in them being a part of the healing process and the mental sanity of this soldiers. Also, a very human and real perspective. No bullshit, no fake heroism, they try to do their best and try every day to have the strength to do it. Tremendous courage to serve others, to be altruistic in the defend of those that could not defend themselves. These guys were really amazing.
February 7, 2025
As someone who has read A LOT of various things about Easy Company and those who served in it, I find this book fantastic. This book gives readers a deeper view into the personal side of one of our country's most decorated soldiers. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone whether you know anything about Band of Brothers or Easy Company!
December 20, 2020
Beautifully written, and if you are a fan of Band of Brothers, it’s a must read. Used the audiobook version. My only complaint was the extreme number of mispronunciations. There were times when it was painful to listen, but grit your teeth and enjoy the story!
August 30, 2021
Nothing tells history better than letters in the moments from those who lived it.
November 16, 2021
A great book that allows you to see inside the mind of one of America's celebrated heroes following him from very early in his enlistment through tho the end of the war in Europe.
February 10, 2022
I feel blessed to be able to get a glimpse of the past through these letters.
April 1, 2025
This was an interesting book that used the letters of Major Winters to his pen pal during the war to capture what he was feeling and doing from boot camp until the end of the war.
April 7, 2022
Hang Tough – those two words make you think of one person – Major Richard Winters.
While Richard himself wrote about the war, as did many others, this book talks in detail about the personal correspondence and artefacts of Major Winters. What he said. Who did he say it to? What artefacts came home with him after the war?
Major Winters graced the international stage with the release of Stephen Ambrose’s book entitled Band of Brothers and then the HBO series of the same name. Through all documentation, he is portrayed as a modest hero. Someone who did not like the adulation that came with everything he had achieved. But when the international acclaim of the series landed at his door, he knew his life had now changed.
There are two personas to Richard Winters. They are military and personal. Hang Tough shows you a little of both, but mainly focusing on the latter. The book introduces us to DeEtta Almon, his war-time pen-pal and naval reservist.
Richard Winters correspondence painted pictures for Ms Almon. He was able to tell of the horrors he’d seen but the humour he’d encountered. He was able to talk about life on the battlefront and retain that Winters humility that we have come to know. The book gifts us diary entries, photos and military reports. Add into that, his letters home. The letters that really dictate what was going through his mind.
Hang Tough puts the ‘personal’ into ‘Major Richard Winters’. It enables the reader to see how he viewed the war. It enables the reader to see the importance of what he was living through. It enabled the reader to understand him better than we ever have before.
This book is incredibly well researched. I’ve seen reviews that say most of it you will already know from Band of Brothers. Of course, some of it will be repetitive. It can’t not be. Lots have been written about Easy Company. But as I’ve said, this book makes Richard Winters personal. It takes him from being a leader and almost makes him a friend. As you read the letters home, it’s as if they are being written to you personally.
This book is beautifully written with the utmost respect to their subject matter. Respect the man and honour the history. Thank you to our authors.
Currahee
While Richard himself wrote about the war, as did many others, this book talks in detail about the personal correspondence and artefacts of Major Winters. What he said. Who did he say it to? What artefacts came home with him after the war?
Major Winters graced the international stage with the release of Stephen Ambrose’s book entitled Band of Brothers and then the HBO series of the same name. Through all documentation, he is portrayed as a modest hero. Someone who did not like the adulation that came with everything he had achieved. But when the international acclaim of the series landed at his door, he knew his life had now changed.
There are two personas to Richard Winters. They are military and personal. Hang Tough shows you a little of both, but mainly focusing on the latter. The book introduces us to DeEtta Almon, his war-time pen-pal and naval reservist.
Richard Winters correspondence painted pictures for Ms Almon. He was able to tell of the horrors he’d seen but the humour he’d encountered. He was able to talk about life on the battlefront and retain that Winters humility that we have come to know. The book gifts us diary entries, photos and military reports. Add into that, his letters home. The letters that really dictate what was going through his mind.
Hang Tough puts the ‘personal’ into ‘Major Richard Winters’. It enables the reader to see how he viewed the war. It enables the reader to see the importance of what he was living through. It enabled the reader to understand him better than we ever have before.
This book is incredibly well researched. I’ve seen reviews that say most of it you will already know from Band of Brothers. Of course, some of it will be repetitive. It can’t not be. Lots have been written about Easy Company. But as I’ve said, this book makes Richard Winters personal. It takes him from being a leader and almost makes him a friend. As you read the letters home, it’s as if they are being written to you personally.
This book is beautifully written with the utmost respect to their subject matter. Respect the man and honour the history. Thank you to our authors.
Currahee
March 6, 2021
If you know me, you know I love to read WW2 history. It all started with Steven Ambrose’s Band of Brothers. The story of Easy Company 506th of the 101st Airborne. This company was lead by Pennsylvanian Major Dick Winters. Spielberg and Hanks made the miniseries and the legend grew. Winters died in 2011 so I was surprised to find there was another book. In my view more on Winters can never be bad. This is basically a compilation of letters wrote during the war to his female pen pal DeEtta Almon . Winters wrote great letters, unfortunately her letters back to him disappeared. Winters’ banter sometimes seems sexist but I imagine she gave as good as she got. It was interesting to see how Winters writing changed as his frustration with the war grew. He is a great American hero though he would never own that. Thanks to the writers who compiled this and filled in the story. A must those who can’t get enough of the Band of Brothers
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews