80th Infantry Division - Publications

80th Infantry Division Publications

Our list of 80th Division publications has grown over the years, so we recently split this page into several resources:

World War I Publications (click here)
World War II Publications (scroll down)
Post-World War II Publications (click here)

80th Infantry Division Publications
WORLD WAR II

Published Books
Academic Titles
"Official" 80th Division WWII Publications

80th Infantry Division Publications
WORLD WAR II - Published Books

You Can't Get Much Closer Than This:
Combat with the 80th "Blue Ridge" Division in WWII Europe
A.Z. Adkins, Jr. and Andrew Z. Adkins III
$18.95, published by Casemate Publishing
This is a story of a young soldier at war, a junior officer's coming of age amid pulse-pounding combat. After the Citadel and Officer Candidate School, Andrew Z. Adkins Jr., was sent to the 80th Infantry Division, then training in the California-Arizona desert. There, he was assigned as an 81mm mortar section leader in Company H, 2nd Battalion, 317th Infantry Regiment.

When the division completed training in December 1943, it was shipped in stages to the United Kingdom and then Normandy, where it landed on August 3, 1944. Lieutenant Adkins and his fellow soldiers took part in light hedgerow fighting that served to shake the division down and familiarize the troops and their officers with combat. The first real test came within weeks, when the 2nd Battalion, 317th Infantry, attacked high ground near Argentan during the drive to seal German forces in the Falaise Pocket.

Thereafter, the 2nd Battalion, 317th Infantry, took part in bloody battles across France, sometimes coping with inept leadership and grievous losses, even as it took hills and towns away from the Germans. In the fighting graphically portrayed here, Adkins acted with skill and courage, placing himself at the forefront of the action whenever he could. His extremely aggressive delivery of critical supplies to a cut-off unit in an embattled French town earned him a Bronze Star, the first in his battalion.

Infantry Lieutenant
Gid B. Adkisson, III
Gid B. Adkisson, Jr., was one of eight million American men swept into the U.S. Army during the turbulence that was World War II. An earnest West Texas farm boy attending Texas A&M, Gid Jr. found himself vying for a lieutenant's commission a full year before he was scheduled to graduate, and fighting in France, Luxembourg, and Germany as an infantry company officer between August 1944 and the end of the war; 317th Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion Company A. The book chronicles his combat experiences plus those of ten of the men who served with him. He was recuperating from his third combat wound when peace finally settled on Europe. The book closes with reflections on how the war impacted his life.

The Ordinary Extraordinary Soldier: The Letters and Journey of WW2 Mechanic Staff Sergeant George Henderson 80th Infantry Division
by Brandon H. Bakke
How did George Henderson fit into the big picture of the war? I wanted to answer this question. He was my grandfather, and our family knew very little about his journey in WW2. When my mother and aunt discovered over 300 letters he wrote to my grandmother during the war I knew the answers to this question were out there to be found.

Sergeant George Henderson was a mechanic who never shot a bullet at the enemy and yet earned a Bronze Star for doing his job so well he impacted the outcome of the war. George was a member of the 80th Infantry Division. He was a 25 year-old young man from Washington State, recently married, and expecting his first child when he headed to Europe to fight the Nazis.

George Henderson was an ordinary soldier because there are thousands of others just like him. He was extraordinary, however, because like so many others, he answered the call, worked hard to prepare, was good at his job, stayed committed through adversity, and was a remarkable teammate. He took great pride in being a part of the 80th Infantry Division, a Division that raced through France pushing back the German Army, broke through the Maginot Line, participated in the Battle of Bulge, captured thousands of Germans, liberated concentration camps, and ultimately fired the last shot of World War 2 in Europe.

More than anything, this is a story of a man whose love of country brought him to war, his pride in his Division inspired him and made him proud to be in Europe under General George Patton, and his love for his wife and his not-yet-born baby which kept him motivated to get home.

With Patton's Army in World War II: Stories of a Young GI
Bob Burrows
This, inevitably, will be one of the last first-person GI memoirs of World War II. Bob Burrows passed away when this book was in final edits.

Bob Burrows had a safe, behind the lines job that was interesting and supported a large and important program: a driver for XII Corps G-5, Office of Civil Affairs. Best of all, the job virtually guaranteed that he would make it home safely.

But Bob Burrows hadn't signed up for a rear echelon job. Frustrated in his attempts to become an aircrew member or to join the Marines, he applied several times for a transfer to the Infantry. His request was finally approved in the wake of the German Ardennes offensive and on Christmas Day 1944, he joined the Intelligence staff, 2nd battalion, 317th infantry regiment, 80th "Blue Ridge" Division . But this wasn't a job reading intelligence reports or interrogating POWs. His job was to accompany the attacking infantry and report back to the battalion and regiment commanders.

And what an adventure it was. His job often took him ahead of the infantry, usually only with a driver and perhaps one other soldier. During the Bulge campaign he was the only survivor of a group of six gathered to plan next steps when a German shell scored a bullseye. During the Spring campaign, he and a single other soldier accepted the surrender of more than 30 Germans holed up in a house.

This isn't an "as told to" book; this is truly Bob's story. Shortly before he passed away, he completed his final review of the proofs and sent an extensive set of comments. Soldier diaries will continue to be found in desk drawers and attics and many will be turned into books by children or professional writers. But there won't be many more where the veteran actually wrote the book and saw it through to the final stage of the production process.

James F. Clark, 317th Service Company - Recollections
Merle Clark, son of 80th Division veteran James F Clark, recently created an outline of his dad's experiences in World War Two as a truck driver in the 317th Infantry Regiment, Service Company. This PDF includes historical text and dozens of photographs and maps of the 317th's march through the ETO.

Books by Bill Costley, C-319: Last 100 Days E.T.O.
Written by Bill Costley of the 319th Infantry Regiment, 80th Division. Books are $15 each and include shipping. Order directly from:

Bill Costley
3152 Via Arcilla
San Diego, CA 92111-4613

Volume One: Oberscharfuhrer 6.SS-GEBIRGS DIVISION NORD
Volume Two: Platoon Sergeant 80TH BLUE RIDGE INFANTRY DIVISION
Volume Three: Obergefreiter JAGER BATTALION LIGHT INFANTRY DIVISION
Volume Four: Gefreiter 5TH PARACHUTE DIVISION (FALLSCHIRMJAGER)

One Hell of a War: Patton's 317th Infantry Regiment in WWII
Major Dean Dominique and Colonel James Hayes
$24.99, 273 pages, 6" x 9" paperback with b/w photos, map.
An accurate and historical book from the 317th's (80th Infantry Division) Activation at Camp Forrest, Tennessee: July 15, 1942 through the end of the war May 8, 1945 and beyond.
Published by Wounded Warrior Publications
Available on Amazon
Discounts offered on Wounded Warrior Publications' website.
Facebook page has day-by-day accounts from 70 years ago.

BATTLEFIELD DIARY by Joseph Drasler
Joseph Drasler served with L Company, 317th Infantry Regiment during WWII. This extraordinary personal diary describes the time from his arrival as a replacement in early November 1944, through the Battle of the Bulge and BLOODY KNOB, and through the end of the war, including the occupation. This diary was recently donated to us. With a little work and editing, it is now in PDF format and searchable, with an index.

The Box from Braunau: In Search of My Father's War
Jan Elvin
$24.95, published by American Management Association
The Box from Braunau is both a memoir of a father-daughter relationship damaged by the ghosts of war, and a chronicle of a World War II veteran whose return to civilian life was permanently scarred by nightmares of combat and concentration camps. We explore the lives of Bill Elvin and his daughter through excerpts from the diary he kept during the war and private letters, as well as newspaper articles he wrote as a journalist on his return.

We follow him from his first days on the battlefield as a lieutenant in Patton's Army to his time at the Ebensee concentration camp where he witnessed first�hand the prisoners' sufferings brought about by Nazi atrocities. Through his life, we gain a new understanding of the War and its effects on the men and women who fought in it. Featuring exclusive interviews with family members and fellow soldiers, as well as with survivors of the camps, The Box from Braunau is an illuminating look at war through the eyes of one family.

THE VALIANT DIE ONCE by Colonel James H. Hayes
Immediately after graduation from the Military Academy, James Hayes attended the basic infantry course at Ft. Benning and upon completion of that course in September 1942, was assigned to the 80th Division at Camp Forrest, Tennessee. His initial assignment was as platoon leader in G Company of the 317th Infantry Regiment. He assumed command of G Company in December of 1942 and commanded it through the early Tennessee Maneuvers. He was later assigned to the staff of the 2d Battalion of the as the Regimental S-2 (Intelligence) and promoted to Major in March of 1944.

When the 80th Division joined the Third Army in August 1944 he served as S-2 during the dash to the Moselle River, assumed command of the 2d Battalion in mid-September and commanded it during the fighting in and around the Pont-a-Mousson/Metz area. He was slightly wounded and hospitalized with pneumonia in November 1944; returning in mid-December 1944 he became the Regimental S-3 (Operations), in which capacity he served during the Battle of the Bulge and the subsequent fighting leading to victory in Europe. He assumed command of the 1st Battalion of the 317th shortly after the end of the war and held that position until returning to the US in December 1945. He stayed in the Army after the war and retired as a Colonel with 27 years of military service. He received the Silver and Bronze Stars for gallantry in action as well as the Purple Heart. His Army unit helped liberate Buchenwald. James Hayes was also a veteran of the Korean War.

His memoir, "The Valiant Die Once," includes his service in World War II with the 80th Infantry Division. We are fortunate to provide "The War Years"� portion of his memoir.

Books by Robert T. Murrell, M-318
Compiled by Robert T. Murrell, former National Secretary of the 80th Division Veterans Association, these publication provides the histories of the 80th Infantry Division. All available on Amazon for $24.95 (except where noted).

Voices of the Blue Ridge Division - 80th Division Battle of the Bulge Stories
29 stories of men who experienced the tough fighting and the horrendous weather during the Battle of the Bulge. Told by men who were there.
Veteran Contributors: Denis E. Bergeron, Edgar Bredbenner, Bob Burrows, Walter Carr, Albert Dian, Joseph Drasler, George Ellig, Vernon Frazier, John B. Masterson, Kenneth Roettger, Lionel Rothbard, Herman Skerlong
Compliments of "The Bulge Bugle," edited by Leon Reed.

A Combat Engineer with Patton's Army: The Fight Across Europe with the 80th "Blue Ridge" Division in World War II
by Lois Lembo & Leon Reed
George Patton is renowned for his daring tank thrusts and rapid movement, but the many rivers and obstacles his Third Army encountered crossing Europe required engineers spearheading his advance. A Combat Engineer with Patton's Army is the untold story of Frank Lembo, one of Patton's men who helped move the American command in the battle of Argentan in the Normandy Campaign, in the high-speed pursuit of the German Wehrmacht eastward across France, and in the brutal battles waged during the Battle of the Bulge and during the final combats along the borders of the collapsing Reich.

Including dozens of previously unpublished photographs, "A Combat Engineer with Patton's Army: The Fight Across Europe with the 80th 'Blue Ridge' Division in World War II" offers the rare perspective of what day-to-day warfare at the ground-level looked like in the European Theater through the eyes of one of the men spearheading the advance.

Those Who Hold Bastogne: The True Story of the Soldiers and Civilians Who Fought in the Biggest Battle of the Bulge
Peter Schrijvers, a native of Belguim and a US military historian, writes the first complete history of the month-long battle for Bastogne in 1944-45 based on American, German, and Belgian sources.

In this dramatic account of the 1944�45 winter of war in Bastogne, historian Peter Schrijvers offers the first full story of the German assault on the strategically located town. From the December stampede of American and Panzer divisions racing to reach Bastogne first, through the bloody eight-day siege from land and air, and through three more weeks of unrelenting fighting even after the siege was broken, events at Bastogne hastened the long-awaited end of WWII. Schrijvers draws on diaries, memoirs, and other fresh sources to illuminate the experiences not only of Bastogne's 3,000 citizens and their American defenders, but also of German soldiers and commanders desperate for victory. The costs of war are here made real, uncovered in the stories of those who perished and those who emerged from battle to find the world forever changed.

Argentan - 3 part article by Tristan Rondeau
An excellent historical article by Tristan Rondeau, a young French student, who captures the significance of the 80th Division's "Baptism of Fire." These articles were initially published in the French historical review Normandie 44 Magazine, issues 6, 7 and 8 (February-May-August 2013), by the editions Heimdal. English translation provided by Dennis Adams.

Mother of the Company: Sgt. Percy M. Smith's World War II Reflections
by Philip M. Smith
Available from: Amazon.com
Available from: Texas A&M University Press
The letters of Sgt. Percy Smith (G Company, 317th Infantry Regiment, 80th Division), a World War II soldier, and his memories as an aging veteran reveal how military training, wartime, and occupation brought out strengths, vulnerabilities, and changing judgments about fellow soldiers, military leadership, the enemy population, and home. Capturing the story of a common enlisted man from embarkation to discharge, the letters and stories in Mother of the Company: Sgt. Percy M. Smith's World War II Reflections also provide an intimate window conveying his feelings for his wife, though tempered in expression as well as subject to censorship. The letters add depth to the story of this soldier, and they expand the narrative to capture more of the experience of all veterans who felt at risk and needed comfort during and after the war.

TOO MANY MEMORIES: The Recollections of an Infantryman who Served under General Patton from Normandy to Austria
by James O. Smith and Charles M. Smith
Available from: Amazon.com
These are the firsthand memoirs of a soldier that survived the meandering journey from France to Austria while serving in Pattons Third Army. PFC James O. Smith (Company D, 319th Infantry Regiment)was a part of a mortar platoon giving support to the infantry companies as they pushed the Germans into their homelands and their surrender on May 8, 1945. His memoirs give an insite into the demanding situations and sometimes mundane daily movements. He continued to serve during the occupation of Germany until October 1945.

Farebersviller 1944
Jeff Wignall
Available from Amazon.com or from the author. A WWII family story with an extensive history of Company A, 318th Regiment, during the Fall of 1944. 175 pages, 7" x 10" softbound, also available in Kindle version.

80th Infantry Division Publications
WORLD WAR II - "Academic Publications"

The Fighting Blue Ridgers: Combined Arms Capabilities of the US Army's 80th Infantry Division in World War II, 1944-1945
A Master's Thesis by Brannon Price, University of Southern Mississippi; Spring 5-1-2019

The 80th Division in World War II: Education, Training, and the Application of Operational Art (2018)
A Monograph by MAJ Paul P. Cheval US Army; School of Advanced Military Studies, US Army Command an General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS
The military history of the 80th Infantry Division in World War II provides important insights for modern US Army leaders as they prepare for combat with a peer or near-peer adversary. The 80th Infantry Division entered combat operations in Europe following two years of maneuver training under the same key leaders, all educated at the US Army's premier schools during the interwar period. Schooling and training exposed 80th Infantry Division's leaders to modern operational art in all but name. Despite this unusually stable, robust, and lengthy period of training time prior to entering combat, the 80th Infantry Division struggled to apply phasing and transitions to maintain tempo and manage risk to prevent culmination at Argentan and while crossing the Moselle River. The 80th Infantry Division's initial struggles and subsequent successes in both battles provide insights for modern US Army leaders with respect to the writing, application, and training of Army tactical doctrine, and the risks associated with modularity as a mindset.

80th Infantry Division Publications
WORLD WAR II - "Official Publications"

80th Infantry Division Pictoral Booklet
Compiled by the Division Special Services Section, aided by T/5 John Wirt, the Camp Phillips Public Relations Section, and the Signal Library, Camp Phillips. [PDF, 51p, 25MB]

Forward 80th: The Story of the 80th Infantry Division
"Forward 80th" is a small booklet covering the history of the 80th Infantry Division. This booklet is one of the series of G.I. Stories published by the Stars & Stripes in Paris in 1944-1945. Provided by LoneSentry.com