To Hell and Back: The Classic Memoir of World War II by America's Most Decorated Soldier Kindle Edition

A classic war book. The depictions of the characters and their language makes you feel like you’re there. You can feel both the terror and the heroism of the characters. Murphy doesn’t claim to be perfect, but you get a real taste of what he went through. This isn’t Hollywood. This gives you more of a feeling of what the whole long slog was like. The cold, the mud, the fatigue,the fatalism, and the battle fatigue.

I was pleasantly pleased with this WW II historical book and I have read quite a few Military History books in my life, since I am a Retired 20 years active duty Marine.

"I am well acquainted with fear. It strikes first in the stomach, coming like the disemboweling hand that is thrust into the carcass of a chicken. I feel now as though icy fingers have reached into my mid-parts and twisted the intestines into knots." -Pg. 96.I assume this vivid description was probably written by a ghost writer who helped Audie with the book, but it graphically describes what vivid accounts are contained in Audie' recounting his experiences on the battle field. I roomed in graduate school with a student who had been an officer of a roving band of fighters in the Vietnam war. I would ask him about his experiences and some of his stories of killing prisoners and keeping a small gun in case he was captured in order to take his on life so that he wouldn't be tortured, were chilling. He finally said, "I cannot explain war to you, you have to have been there to experience it first hand in order to understand war." His words rung true in reading Audie Murphy's memoir "To Hell and Back", and seeing from Audie's eyes, the incredible story of his life on the front line. His division lost 4,500 men over a 7 month period. His friends and companions that he started off with were all killed. At times his determination and drive turned him into a one-man killing machine and his own personal war.I grew up not caring for Audie Murphy's movies, as this clean-cut young man, with the boyish face, he did not look like the Medal of Honor winner that I pictured in my mind and didn't fit in with the movie roles that he was in as the lead hero. But after reading his book, I watched his movie of the same title of his war experience with a renewed fascination and appreciation for his accomplishments and what he endured. To those that watched the movie too, the book is more in depth and the accounts of the casualties are more graphic. I have never been to war, but I have a better appreciation for those that have given their all after reading his account. We are fortunate to have the latest Medal of Honor recipient, Dakota Meyers, from the adjoining county. After reading Audie's book, I have ordered Dakota's book "Into the Fire". This is a true hard-to-put-down book with riveting action. One wonders that if Audie had lived, if he may have beaten Reagan to the Commander In Chief position!

Audie Murphy's To Hell and Back is one of the quintessential front-line soldier accounts of the Second World War. The book is not a memoir or autobiography, since Murphy wrote little of it himself and describes little of his life before or after his combat experiences. Nor does Murphy even mention any of awards, including the Medal of Honor, or the fact that he served the entire war in B Company, 1-15th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division. The book focuses entirely on the period July 1943 to March 1945, with most of the emphasis on the Anzio, Southern France and Vosges campaigns. On the negative side, Murphy's account is extremely self-effacing and at times is more focused on his squad members, whose GI Joe conversations appear fake and silly. Nevertheless, Murphy's comrades appear as real human beings and the reader will regret the death of each. To Hell and Back is not particularly well written - it is in fact a rather pedestrian account that wanders at times - but what it lacks in style it delivers in frank reality. Murphy's wartime account is often brutal - sometimes humorous - but it makes other more recent homogenized efforts like Band of Brothers seem contrived in comparison. Currently, the myth has been propagated that only highly trained specialists in peak physical and mental condition should engage in close infantry combat. Audi Murphy, the scrawny, orphaned teenager from Texas who was rejected by the marines and paratroopers, stands to discredit that myth. In combat, Murphy found his niche in life. With a carbine in his hands, Murphy became a real killer. Quick reflexes, common sense and a certain amount of luck gave him the edge and allowed him to survive all his original squad mates. A great deal has been written and speculated about Murphy's psychology and motivations; there is no doubt that he sought out combat even when he could have avoided it. Was he a war-lover or have a death wish? No. Murphy fought because he was good at it. As the main character in the French film Capitaine Conan noted, "millions were in the war but only a few thousand actually fought it." Murphy was one of those soldiers who was never content just to survive the war but rather, he was strongly motivated to play an active role. While Murphy never cracked under the strain of nearly two years of combat, there is little doubt that the war marked him indelibly. By Anzio, Murphy had become imbued with a tough, no-nonsense set of values. At the end of To Hell and Back, Murphy writes, "when I was a child, I was told that men were branded by war. Has the brand been put on me? Have the years of blood and ruin stripped me of all decency? Of all belief? Not of all belief. I believe in the force of a hand grenade, the power of artillery, the accuracy of a Garand. I believe in hitting before you get hit, and that dead men do not look noble." Unfortunately, the weakest aspect of To Hell and Back is the author's failure to paint a complete portrait of himself. Important issues, like how did a combat-wise Sergeant Murphy deal with his inexperienced lieutenants in Anzio or France are virtually ignored. The fact that Murphy rose from squad leader, to platoon sergeant, to platoon leader to company commander in the same company is never addressed, but would have been very interesting. How did Murphy handle the transition from enlisted, to NCO to commissioned officer surrounded by his peers? To Hell and Back is enhanced by the fact that it was written only shortly after the war when memories were still sharp, but the rush to publish a "blood and guts" account undermines the value of Murphy's story. The brief introduction by Tom Brokaw also appears a blatant attempt to market a dead hero, as if his name was brand-name merchandise. Brokaw says nothing of value in this introduction, and it should have been written by somebody who actually knew the man, rather than some publicity-hog talking head from NBC who never met him or served in the military. Hopefully, the reprint of To Hell and Back will help to keep alive the notion that America can produce fine soldiers from places other than West Point. Murphy's book should also be compared with other war memoirs from other authors and other wars. Recently, I read the Persian Gulf War memoir entitled The Eyes of Orion, and was struck by the authors' near-obsession with post-war graduate school plans while remaining virtually oblivious to their potential for battlefield death. Murphy said, "until the last shot is fired, I will go on living from day to day, making no postwar plans." Compared with the pretentious, homogenized, backbiting Band of Brothers, Murphy's book seems incredibly modest and civil. Although Murphy's unit suffered heavy casualties and was often short of food in the front-line, the author never complained about his superiors or the US Army. Murphy's unselfish and uncritical reflection of his wartime service should stand as an example of others who serve and write.

This is a unique insigh on what a soldier (Audie Murphy) goes through during WW2 and what comes after.

I have great respect and appreciation for these brave men who served our country. Their valor and commitment are incredible. We should never forget their sacrifice for our freedom. Hopefully we learn the tragedy of war and pray that peace will come with the second coming of Christ!

Almost done, a bit slow to start, but picks up and my God, what a true story! No idea how Murphy survived so long!

This book is by far better than the film, Audie Murphy was a hero, outstanding in his bravery.

High quality

Not much more to say except that the hype is real. This is one of the books that defines the character of a true hero, well written, detailed and gritty.An excellent read

Am going to read it again