The Lost Battalion (1966) Irving Werstein-HC-DJ-VG-WWI

Description: For sale is the hardcover book titled, "The Lost Battalion: a Saga of American Courage in World War I," (1966) by Irving Werstein. This is a book about the 1st Infantry Battalion, 308th Infantry, 77th Division in World War I, who ended up surrounded by Germans deep in the Argonne forest. While completely surrounded by the enemy, the Battalion Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Whittlesey, refused to surrender, despite the enemy's repeated offers to do so. To make matters worse, he was also receiving friendly fire in addition to enemy fire. Desperate to get the word to his higher headquarters to stop targeting his position, a pigeon named Cher Ami, was able to get a message out. Of the 550 men that went into the forest, after the 5 day siege, 63 were missing, 107 were dead, and 190 were wounded. Tragically, Lieutenant Colonel Whittlesey would take his own life by jumping overboard not long after visiting Arlington Cemetery and the unveiling of the then new Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Whittlesey was reported to have said at the ceremony that he wondered if one of his soldiers might not be in the Tomb. Cher Ami, while carrying the message out to the higher HQ, was shot and lost a leg and is now in the Smithsonian Museum. The author of the book was also a veteran and conducted extensive research for this book. This will be shipped via USPS Media Mail.

Price: 24.5 USD

Location: Reston, Virginia

End Time: 2025-02-02T17:26:11.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD