<p>Despite the huge proliferation of books about almost every conceivable aspect of World War II, few accounts manage to recreate the personal experience of war in a combat zone. Each veteran brought his own memoir with him, ricocheting around in his head, but few have had the combination of literary skill, self-knowledge, and desire to get it down on paper. Private Steve Weiss of the 36th "Texas Infantry, U.S. Army, is one of the few who had that elusive combination, and even so, it took him almost a lifetime to put it all together. In "Second Chance: In Combat with the US "Texas" Infantry, the OSS, and the French Resistance during the Liberation of France, 1943-1946", Weiss, a psychotherapist who possesses a doctorate in War studies, sheds much of that aspect of his life to explore the kid who hit the beaches of Southern France in 1944. Although this part of the memoir could easily make a rousing adventure story - Weiss and his buddies, separated from their unit, spend time with the French Resistance and the OSS and Weiss winds up with a Croix de Guerre from the former and a silver plaque from the latter - the author is too honest to make it just a series of clips from a Hollywood movie. Almost constant anxiety, clumsiness in operating among dangerous men who speak a language he speaks and understands imperfectly, participating in a botched execution of a French collaborator - all of these stories come across the authentic voice of a kid trying to be tougher and more worldly than he was - or is. Once transferred back to the infantry and sent to the killing grounds in Germany, Weiss lives through a nightmare rather than an adventure - he and others desert, he gets court-martialed, sent to prison, is helped by a sympathetic psychologist, and winds up as an Army photographer. All of these decidedly un-heroic actions receive the same unblinkingly honest treatment, as do his post-war peregrinations as a photographer of generals and movie stars and a poignant love affair with a French woman. At the end of "Second Chance", the older Weiss, by now the only American to have received the Medaille de la Resistance Francaise and hold the rank of Officier in the French Legion of Honor, looks up many of the people he met during the war, from Resistance comrades to the officers whose incompetence contributed to his decision to desert. Some are changed and some are dead, but all are bound by a shared experience of war that transcends the decades and even mortality itself. Few memoirs convey both the sordidness and exaltation of life in war more honestly than "Second Chance". It succeeds as an historical and psychological study, one of value to any serious student of the human side of war.</p>

Second Chance: In Combat with the Us 'Texas' Infantry, the OSS, and the French Resistance During the Liberation of France, 1943-1946

History

Stephen J. Weiss

Military

Military History Publishing

<p>Historians of the Marine Corps have conducted significant research on the development of the Fleet Marine Force's amphibious assault mission. However, little has been written about the evolution of the defense battalion. From 1900 until 1940, advanced base defense's significance in Naval strategy surpassed or equaled amphibious assault. During 1940 and 1941, establishing defense battalions fell to the Corps' second priority. Likewise, few studies have examined Thomas Holcomb. As Commandant from 1936 through 1943, he installed the Corps as the premier seaborne support force and supervised its massive expansion. Commandant Thomas Holcomb was an excellent strategist, manager, and publicist. Understanding his actions will help illuminate the mentality and institutions of the military and government prior to World War II. The defense battalion provides a case study for examining Holcomb's leadership. Defense battalions also clearly found their roots in long standing advanced base defense theory. As Commandant from 1936 to 1943, Holcomb directed the Corps' expansion including the creation of the heavily armed defense battalion. On a tactical level, planners designed these units to defend island outposts against air, sea, and amphibious assaults Likewise, in holding island bases in the central and western Pacific, defense battalions fit into the grand strategy of the United States Navy. They comprised one half of the Corps' dual missions: amphibious assault and base defense. Finally, defense battalions served an equally pivotal public relations function Holcomb struggled to market the Marine Corps as a vital and unique branch of the American military. Serious challenges confronted Commandant Thomas Holcomb. For example, he was plagued by lack of funds, promotion stagnation, slow supply lines, and the isolationist tendencies of Congress and the American public. Throughout this study, the Corps' complete dependence on outside forces becomes abundantly clear. Sometimes Holcomb benefited from events beyond his control. Other times, he fought to turn seemingly damaging events into advantages for the Corps.</p>

Thomas Holcomb and the Advent of the Marine Corps Defense Battallion 1936-1991

Ulbrich, David J.

Marine Corps History Office

Despite the huge proliferation of books about almost every conceivable aspect of World War II, few accounts manage to recreate the personal experience of war in a combat zone. Each veteran brought his own memoir with him, ricocheting around in his head, but few have had the combination of literary skill, self-knowledge, and desire to get it down on paper. Private Steve Weiss of the 36th "Texas Infantry, U.S. Army, is one of the few who had that elusive combination, and even so, it took him almost a lifetime to put it all together. In "Second Chance: In Combat with the US "Texas" Infantry, the OSS, and the French Resistance during the Liberation of France, 1943-1946", Weiss, a psychotherapist who possesses a doctorate in War studies, sheds much of that aspect of his life to explore the kid who hit the beaches of Southern France in 1944. Although this part of the memoir could easily make a rousing adventure story - Weiss and his buddies, separated from their unit, spend time with the French Resistance and the OSS and Weiss winds up with a Croix de Guerre from the former and a silver plaque from the latter - the author is too honest to make it just a series of clips from a Hollywood movie. Almost constant anxiety, clumsiness in operating among dangerous men who speak a language he speaks and understands imperfectly, participating in a botched execution of a French collaborator - all of these stories come across the authentic voice of a kid trying to be tougher and more worldly than he was - or is. Once transferred back to the infantry and sent to the killing grounds in Germany, Weiss lives through a nightmare rather than an adventure - he and others desert, he gets court-martialed, sent to prison, is helped by a sympathetic psychologist, and winds up as an Army photographer. All of these decidedly un-heroic actions receive the same unblinkingly honest treatment, as do his post-war peregrinations as a photographer of generals and movie stars and a poignant love affair with a French woman.  At the end of "Second Chance", the older Weiss, by now the only American to have received the Medaille de la Resistance Francaise and hold the rank of Officier in the French Legion of Honor, looks up many of the people he met during the war, from Resistance comrades to the officers whose incompetence contributed to his decision to desert. Some are changed and some are dead, but all are bound by a shared experience of war that transcends the decades and even mortality itself. Few memoirs convey both the sordidness and exaltation of life in war more honestly than "Second Chance". It succeeds as an historical and psychological study, one of value to any serious student of the human side of war.

Second Chance: In Combat with the US 'Texas' Infantry, the OSS, and the French Resistance during the Liberation of France, 1943-1946

Flying an Unarmed Auster for the Royal Artillery in the Korean War

Jarvis, Derek

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