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2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
A gemstone in the rough Dec 12, 2008
By Andrew W. Johns
"ResQgeek"
This slim memoir provides a series of glimpses into the life of a soldier during the Second World War. The stories are irreverent and often sarcastic, conveying the author's personality and his cynicism for the "brass" and military policy. While the stories are interesting and do shed light on what life was like for the enlisted soldier in Europe in the closing months of the war, it could be even better with some professional editing. The story is rough and uneven, sometimes jumping from topic to topic and back with little flow. The use of phonetic pseudo-French was also a bit distracting, as the reader struggles to understand what the author was trying to say. The result is a mixed bag, an authentic voice giving us a picture of his often amusing experiences during the war, but it hardly feels like a finished product.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Ralph Bittner's War Story Dec 03, 2008
By Robert R. Fisher
A Soldiers Vignettes of WWII is Ralph Bittner's journal of his time in the Army during WWII, written many years later, and told in a series of roughly connected short stories, or vignettes. Typical of a journal, it is personal, unpolished, and tends to wander.
Ralph Bittner explained that he was an average soldier and that his story was not full of the blood and heroics found in other personal war stories that cover that same period in history. For that kind of personal war history, read George Wilson's If You Survive, or Donald Burgett's Seven Roads to Hell.
Instead or being on the bloody edge of history-making events, the author conveys a sense of being pulled along by history and observing the immediate after-effects. The high points of the story are found when Mr. Bittner conveyed in-depth and personal observations, such as the events near Alron during the Battle of the Bulge.
Initially we are treated to a lot of wise-cracking and barracks stories that quickly become tiresome because Mr. Bittner seems to have self-edited that material a bit too much. In the later entries, the writing style gets closer to the promised unpolished observations, with more realistic language and greater depth.
Because I like these personal war journals, I found this book a quick and easy read after the first few vignettes. Each of these personal journals allows the reader to view the unfolding of a well known story from a fresh perspective. It's the collection of all these perspectives that helps bring history alive. In that vane, this book would primarily interest WWII buffs who are familiar with this material.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 A True History Straight from the Source Dec 02, 2008
By Mr. Truthteller
This book is a fascinating and straightforward account of one soldier's recollections of his time in the U.S. Army in World War II. As an MP attached to the headquarters of the U.S. Third Army, he had an opportunity to view first-hand the actions, and antics, of several well known U.S. generals, most notably Patton. The author puts several myths to rest in this book [which I will not ruin for the reader, or author, by disclosing here].
The author's anecdotes (he calls them vignettes) of his experiences are engagingly, and refreshingly, written in the author's own words. This means that his accounts of what happened and why are not subject to the usual toning down of an editor who might be worried about the politically correct thing to say. This also means that you are subject to the author's individual quirks in his writing style, however, this does allow the author's personality to come through.
Overall, this book, short though it may be, is an invaluable addition to the history of World War II and a must read for any serious student of World War II.
Simple, yet revelaing example of an individual soldier's expereiences Sep 27, 2010
By David Traill
This thin volume captures the experiences of one World War II- era American soldier. The author details typical details of army life, from boot camp to combat in Europe, but is not as thoroughly descrptive as one could find in other examples. This book best serves as an example of one soldier's wartime experiences, and should be treated as such rather than expecting a book that analyzes motives, campaigns, and overall command-level concerns. Easily read, this book gives one more glimpse into a complex era with challenges that so many experienced, but each in their own way.
 Slim personal account of WW II Jun 17, 2010
By Annie Kamp
"Pet Momma"
The author, Ralph Bittner, explains and describes his view of the war through his eyes, the eyes of an every day soldier. His is not a blood and guts recounting of the war but rather the every day things he encountered. He has run-ins with some of the big wigs. His story is told many years later, he says, at the many requests of his family. The book would probably be better enjoyed by those who personally know Mr. Bittner as he has an odd, maybe unique way of writing. His stories are short, amusing and fun, so the reading is a quick glide through the authors experiences during the war. He makes it clear he has a disdain for officers, I assume because he was displeased with not being able to choose his military occupation, as he thought he'd be able to do.
Its a quick and fun read, just get over the authors complaining about the regulations and those in charge.
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