The Lost Battlaion: A Private's Story

by John W. Nell

Personal account by U.S. Army Private John W. Nell of the Lost Battalion during World War I.

124 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Although the war is over the memories still go on in my dreams. I still see the desperate fighting, and hear the groans of the wounded. The World War cost the United States more than 342,000 wounded and approximately 53,000 killed in action. There were 9,665,000 men killed in the World War, all for the craze of territory expansion, greed, and the almighty dollar. Yet the ‘War Dogs’ and the politicians pay hypocritical homage to the dead, saying: ‘They died gloriously for their country.’ Like Hell. The ones I saw died pitifully, just doing their duty.”

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the true story of the Lost Battalion as told by Private John W. Nell. Although the prose is not as polished as some of the other personal accounts of war that I have read, this book provides a raw and disturbingly lurid picture of the horror that was WWI trench warfare.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of 600 American soldiers in WWI who were trapped, and treated brutally in prison, then rescued by 194 brave men. Miraculous rescue.

[Rebecca Upjohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving first-hand account of private John Nell who was a WWI doughboy of the "Lost Battalion" in the Argonne Forest in October 1918.