The Deadly Brotherhood - by John McManus (Paperback)

About the Book

This insightful and revealing portrait of men at war allows readers to experience World War II action firsthand through the testimonies of the combat troops who were there--what they saw, did, and felt.

Book Synopsis

In his book Men Against Fire, [historian S. L. A.] Marshall asserted that only 15 to 25 percent of American soldiers ever fired their weapons in combat in World War II. . . .
Shooting at the enemy made a man part of the "team," or "brotherhood." There were, of course, many times when soldiers did not want to shoot, such
as at night when they did not want to give away a position or on reconnaissance patrols. But, in the main, no combat soldier in his right mind would have deliberately sought to go through the entire ear without ever firing his weapon, because he would have been excluded from the brotherhood but also because it would have been detrimental to his own survival. One of [rifle company commander Harold] Leinbaugh's NCOs summed it up best when discussing Marshall: "Did the SOB think we
clubbed the Germans to death?"

Review Quotes

"Gripping . . . These men were common warriors who fought with uncommon courage and thus shaped the destiny of our great nation."
--FORMER SENATOR BOB DOLE

"A RIVETING AND EXTREMELY WELL-RESEARCHED ANALYSIS OF THE VIOLENT WORLD FACED BY THE AMERICAN GI DURING WORLD WAR II . . . Anyone who wishes to understand the experience of our citizen army of fifty years ago should read this book. Highest recommendation."
--ERIC BERGERUD
Author of Fire in the Sky: The Air War in the South Pacific

"Do you want to know what the World War II foot soldier felt and how he fought? What he ate and how he liked it? What his life was like during periods he was not in combat? The Deadly Brotherhood goes a long way towards answering such questions. . . . Each chapter contains a wealth of supporting comments. This approach produces an extreme degree of authenticity. . . . This fine book provides a comprehensive understanding of a World War II infantryman's troubles and travails."
--Military Review

"An exciting, moving book told in the words of those men who actually fought the enemy face-to-face on the front lines--the infantry, combat engineers, armor, and Marines; those unfortunate souls for whom war was a minute-by-minute struggle against terrifying odds."
--E. B. SLEDGE
Author of With the Old Breed

Look for these thrilling books of American heroism at war

DARBY'S RANGERS
We Led the Way
by William O. Darby
with William H. Baumer

DEATH TRAPS
The Survival of an American Armored Division in World War II
by Belton Y. Cooper

WAR PILOT
True Tales of Combat and Adventure
by Richard C. Kirkland

WOODBINE RED LEADER
A P-51 Mustang Ace in the Mediterranean Theater
by George Loving

About the Author

John C. McManus formerly was assistant director of the University of Tennessee's Center for the Study of War and Society. He now lives in St. Louis where he teaches history at a local college.