Between the Lines and Beyond: Letters of a 101st Airborne Paratrooper

by Guy Whidden

Guy Whidden, II is a veteran 101st Airborne paratrooper. As the title suggests, Guy s censored letters often forced his family to 'read between the lines' to figure out the subtle messages he was sending. Through Guy s letters and narrative, we relive many of his Army training, the voyage to England, his historic jumps into Normandy on D-Day and into Holland during Operation Market Garden, and being seriously wounded by a German morter shell that killed three of his friends...nearly causing his own leg to be amputated. This book gives a realistic and yet light-hearted look at what Guy went through during that period of his life. But it does not stop there. Guy is still busy! An epilogue relates his activities since WWII including his re-jump into Normandy in 1994.

Genres: World War II

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I play bridge with Guy, I found myself enjoying this book more, perhaps, than those who do not know the author. His parents kept all the letters Guy wrote after he joined the Army at age 16, and they are fascinating to read, but I will admit they do get a trifle repetitive, and I especially wished for more detail, esp. once he got to England and prepared for the Normandy jump. Obviously, though, these letters were censored, and knowing this, the soldiers edited their own letters ahead of time. So, very little detail about the war, preparations, etc. comes through in the letters although, to be fair, occasionally Guy interrupts the chronology to inject the detail the reader is thirsting for. Even then, though, I longed for more. He does devote a chapter to the Normandy jump and the days that followed. Harrowing as that chapter is, dare I admit I would have still enjoyed more of Guy's reminiscence, even greater detail, perhaps his later thoughts as opposed to mostly completing the book with his letters? I realize the purpose of the books is to showcase the letters, but I was also hoping for more of a biography.

All that being said, Guy's story is amazing, and the details of his life once he left the Army continue to inspire. At age 70, he jumped into Normandy again, as part of the 50th anniversary of D-Day. How does one do that at seventy and also run marathons???

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains a huge number of letters that a paratrooper wrote to his family while serving in WWII. The letters give you a glimpse into the training and some of the daily thoughts a trooper experienced. The author adds notes to augment his letters home to clarify what he could not, at the time, include due to censorship by the army. My motivation for reading this book was because Mr. Whidden was with my great uncle George Lineberry when he was killed and I wanted to learn more about those circumstances and possibly learn more about my great uncle. These troopers clearly saw some very tough action by fighting at Normandy and Holland in the 101st Airborne. This was a easy read that doesn't have foul language or blood and guts details yet clearly shows the reader the hardships.