Dillon Summers, a driver for artillery forward observers of the 391st Armored Field Artillery Battalion, 3rd Armored Division, seldom talked about his experiences in World War II. Using several letters and V-mails that he wrote to his family members from England and the combat zone as well as his units’ histories, however, the author traces Dillon’s steps, detailing his experiences from induction through State-side training to embarkation for England and then his training on the Salisbury Plain.

The book traces his steps from the breakout from the Normandy bocage during Operation COBRA, the chasing of the Germans from France and Belgium, and into Germany. It provides vivid descriptions of the battles in which he was engaged as a vital but too often unsung part at the tip of the spear that was the 3rd Armored Division.

My thoughts: A masterful story, woven from a handful of letters, a few family stories, and great research.

Dillon Summers’ actual combat with his unit began in late June 1944, when they landed on Omaha Beach. Historian Dennis Peterson gleaned details of battles from many sources and include memories of men who were there. These are especially valuable since Summers, who was the author’s uncle, didn’t talk about his extensive service in Europe and Germany. 

Even though Summers was given a furlough to come home in early December 1944, the author continued to follow his unit. It’s hard to imagine having to return to that terrible war, although he was spared the Ardennes Campaign. Only eight letters from Summers during the war were saved, but they keep bringing the reader back to the human story of a young American who left family at home to help liberate Europe from Nazi tyranny. 

He lived through terrible months and was awarded two Bronze Stars, then to witness the gruesome cruelty and inhumanity of one of the concentration camps after VE-Day. It’s a wonder he came home and lived a “normal life,” one remembered by a nephew who keeps his memory alive with this fine history.

The Author: Dennis L. Peterson is an independent author, historian, and editor with numerous published credits in regional and national journals and magazines. A former history teacher and history curriculum writer, his areas of special interest include Southern history, the War Between the States, the Great Depression, and World War II. A native of East Tennessee, he now lives in Taylors, South Carolina.

KnoxTnToday did a terrific review of the book.

Here is Dennis’s Amazon Author page.

Please have a look at his website. The first thing you’ll notice is the compelling tales he’s shared on Our American Stories with Lee Habeeb.