I’ve been struggling to keep up with the books I’ve been getting to review lately, which is a total first world problem, I know. When The Last Hill by Bob Drury and Tom Calvin showed up at my door and I noticed its November release date, I had an idea: ask my dad to review it. He shared his love of World War II history with me my whole life, so it made sense to give a little bit back to him. Plus, the book releases on the birthday of his dad, who served in WWII and a few days before my dad’s birthday as well.

So, here are his thoughts on The Last Hill.

“When handed the book The Last Hill by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin and seeing the cover art, I immediately thought of a couple of popular movies – The Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan.   There are an innumerable amount of books written on the war and even more to come.  It’s said that in war, ‘the uncommon is common place’.  It’s doubtful that the general public will ever know of all of the stories, happenings and heroics due to the sheer volume of them.  But occasionally you run across a story that is unknown to most people

The 2^nd Rangers were integral in the landings during D-Day and also in the push across France.  While this could’ve been a stale draft about the ‘facts as we know them’ from many of the other books that have been written, this one delves into how the Rangers came to be, the struggle to get them equipped, trained, and in the field.  While most Americans have heard of the Rangers and are at least somewhat familiar with how the group operates, that was far from the humble beginnings of the unit.

It’s surprising to learn that most of the military commanders had no idea as to who the Rangers were, how they were trained, and especially how to use them to their fullest extent in combat.  Throughout most of their history in WWII, they seemed to be more of an afterthought and a ‘stop-gap’ for the regular Army troops – not the ‘behind the lines commandos’ for that they are now known. 

The Last Hill goes into some detail as to the training, lack of direction and equipment almost brought an end to the unit before they even got started.  This was an all-volunteer group from which the participants could resign at any time and go back to their original unit.  But the ones that stuck it out were battle ready and the “unusual skills” they developed in training came in hand time and time again and is what kept some of them alive and victorious.

This book is told from the soldier’s point of view and much of the story is in quotes from the participants (or at least from their letters/diaries if the person had died).  It’s tough to say whether or not all of the quotes are accurate but there must be some ‘poetic license’ granted after so much time has passed.  The events discussed (Pont du Hoc, Hill 400, etc.) are eye-opening to say the least and somewhat go against what’s been portrayed from Hollywood.  The reality is much more brutal, bloody, and the razor’s edge of how the events could’ve turned out opposite of how they did is stark and jarring.

While reading the book and waiting for mention of either movie to be discussed or mentioned doesn’t come until the very end and only briefly – to compare the movies against what the book said actually happened.  There were a few mentions of General Patton and it seems like the author at times went out of his way to belittle the general unnecessarily.  Patton was no saint, but he wasn’t totally flawed either – as is suggested.  Some other disparaging comments were made about the leadership in the war and some of the comments were earned (like not knowing how to properly use these uniquely trained units – then overusing them as substitutes for regular troops on attacks).

Overall the book is informative, moves the action along and is a good read.  It’s recommended for anyone interested in the background through the final encounters of WWII.”

Thanks to my dad, Daniel, for helping me out and making a guest appearance as a reviewer for literaryhype! And thanks to my friends at St. Martin’s Press for the free copy that is now my dad’s birthday present. Lol.

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