Harry Thompson's book now available
Harry Thompson's book is a story of courage when the only choice he had was to simply do the right thing. Patton's Ill-Fated Raid is Thompson's story of World War II as he remembers his experiences as non-commissioned military, non-famous, ordinary citizen who was drafted before Pearl Harbor into regimented life where danger seemed to be everywhere.
Here is courageous survival: boot camp, maneuvers where it was not unusual for someone to be killed, transportation across an ocean to face enemies on unfamiliar terrain, capture on the second day of the Battle of the Bulge, imprisonment in German POW camps where the captors spoke an unfamiliar language, a forced walk across 241 miles of European soil, bombing by both the enemy and his own American Air Force and of waiting, praying, and believing he would survive. In all these situations, Thompson had no choice other than to make the courageous choice simply to do the right thing.
Thompson tells of imprisonment in Hammelburg, the same POW camp with the son-in-law of General George S. Patton, and what happened when Patton made a raid on Hammelburg. Somehow Thompson found courage when caught in situation after situation not of his own making. Thompson, now 88 years old, tells his story of patriotism with realistic scenes of what he experienced and catches the reader off-guard with his appreciation of the beauty of the land across which he was walking and with his unexpected moments of humor.
Thompson believes his experiences and especially stories he and other POWs experienced during Patton's raid on the camp at Hammelburg during WWII need to be told. One cannot read his book without appreciating what it took for the ordinary military and their families to survive and what it means to hear him say now, more than 50 years later, "I wish I were young enough to do it again."
Harry Thompson was a member of 924th FA Bn., captured Dec. 17, 1944, at Bullingen. The book covers his wartime experiences, has 288 pages and 60 photographs.
Patton's Ill-Fated Raid by WWII POW of Germany Harry Thompson is published by Historical Resources Press and will be available Nov. 11. The pre-publication price is $29.95 which includes shipping. After Nov. 11 the price will be $29.95 plus $4.95 shipping. To order send check or money order to Historical Resources Press, 2104 Post Oak Court, Denton TX 76210-1900.
