Baptism of Fire — Michael Winston

This first volume in the Sgt. Smith WWII trilogy follows a squad of First Infantry Division soldiers to the Tunisian desert of North Africa in their first experience of war. As members of the “Big Red One,” the most famous division in the American army, they do battle with the most famous units in the German army; Rommel's Africa Corps, as well as the 10th and 21st Panzer Divisions. Although this three-part series is told in novel format, it is a true story, based upon documented accounts as well as stories my father told me. This is a vivid, unvarnished odyssey into the slit trenches of World War II, a gritty look at a war we should never forget. Volume 2: "Soldiers in the Sun: Sgt. Smith in the Campaign for Sicily" now available.