{"product_id":"steeles-battalion-the-great-war-diaries-the-great-war-diaries-9798986016986","title":"Steele's Battalion: The Great War Diaries: The Great War Diaries","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA scholar finds diaries in an old steamer trunk. \u003c\/strong\u003eThe diaries tell the story of a young man, Ned Steele, who embarks on a journey from Detroit to Germany.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNed joins the Army in 1914, earns a commission in 1917, leads a machine gun company on a Flanders hill, and then a machine gun battalion in the AEF in France. In between, Ned finds romance, terror, exhaustion, friendship, death, and the misery of\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e World War One...\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e23\u003c\/em\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003erd\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003cem\u003e November, Colline Mortelle..\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eI have seen the Inferno from the edge of Purgatory...mud, wire, holes, water, and the remains of man, beast, and civilization. There is no sadder sight than a ruined town...No training can get anyone ready for this [expletive].\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eI could never have imagined what a howitzer shell landing so close could have felt like.... machine-gun bullets hum like giant bees or kazoos in the air and sound like meat hooks hitting a side of [expletive] beef when they hit...Sgt. Thorsten and I went down to the \"front line\"...like [expletive] animals in unbelievable filth and indescribable stink...in the forward posts, we endured a small bombing raid...Don't think I've ever been so [expletive] humiliated in my life....\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Get ready...\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e the voice on the telephone said softly....the night stillness was ever-so-gently broken by the rumbling of heavy guns, followed by the \u003cem\u003ecrack\u003c\/em\u003e of light howitzers...then, the \u003cem\u003eshush-shush-shush\u003c\/em\u003e of shells passing overhead...then, the ground seemed to \u003cem\u003eexplode\u003c\/em\u003e...\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Maxims opened fire, the \u003cem\u003ebzzz-bzzz-bzzz \u003c\/em\u003eof the bullets ending abruptly in a muddy torrential blizzard of \u003cem\u003ethut-thut-thut\u003c\/em\u003e as they hit the hill...Half of Steele's guns were on the west side of the hill...where most of the bullets were falling...\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe telephone crackled again.... \"\u003cem\u003eSteele!\u003c\/em\u003e\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"On our left and right,\" the voice said. \"Missions 6 and 9.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eOut\u003c\/em\u003e,\" Steele answered, grabbing his company phone and Missions List. \"1\u003csup\u003est\u003c\/sup\u003e Platoon fire Mission 6, \u003cem\u003estanding\u003c\/em\u003e; 2\u003csup\u003end\u003c\/sup\u003e Platoon Mission 9, \u003cem\u003estanding\u003c\/em\u003e...\u003cem\u003eForward\u003c\/em\u003e post \u003cem\u003enow!\u003c\/em\u003e\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis machine guns opening fire...and \u003cem\u003ekept firing\u003c\/em\u003e...\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Fire Mission 5, \u003cem\u003esweep left to right\u003c\/em\u003e...\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"B Boy Company: my flank is open. Give me your Mission 12, and a \u003cem\u003elot\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eof\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eit\u003c\/em\u003e.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Fire Mission 12, \u003cem\u003estanding\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eSplit fire\u003c\/em\u003e.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"B Boy again. Shift east two hundred; you're too bloody close...\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Out\u003c\/em\u003e. Give me 1\u003csup\u003est\u003c\/sup\u003e Platoon...\u003cem\u003esweep\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eleft\u003c\/em\u003e two hundred...\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Give me 3\u003csup\u003erd\u003c\/sup\u003e Platoon...Mission 9, \u003cem\u003estanding\u003c\/em\u003e...\" Steele's guns kept firing...he kept adjusting...\"Give me 2\u003csup\u003end\u003c\/sup\u003e Platoon...Mission 7, \u003cem\u003estanding bump left\u003c\/em\u003e...\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Jdb Communications, LLC\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/06\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798986016986\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 398\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.17lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.89d","brand":"John D. Beatty","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45396536295605,"sku":"9798986016986","price":21.21,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_b2a0a66c-8f19-4006-80df-05ef8c9283a5.jpg?v=1747750234","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/steeles-battalion-the-great-war-diaries-the-great-war-diaries-9798986016986","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}