| Half Past When - An American with the Fighting French
(1944)
|
| Front Cover |
Book Details |
|
| Genre |
Non-Fiction |
| Subject |
France combattante; World War, 1939-1945 - Campaigns - Africa, North; World War, 1939-1945 - Personal narratives, American |
| Publication Date |
1944 |
| Format |
Hardcover |
|
|
|
|
| Product Details |
| LoC Classification |
D761.9.F7 D3 |
| Dewey |
940.5344 |
| Edition |
[1st ed.] |
| No. of Pages |
275 |
| First Edition |
Yes |
| Rare |
No |
|
| Notes/Review |
"The incredible is commonplace in war."
My favorite type of war book is the personal narrative. These are typically divided into two types, one written by war correspondents and the other written by the combatants themselves. This book is a sort of hybrid, then. Hassoldt "Bill" Davis was a travel writer before the war. The story starts with him in the Congo with the Free French. He is a sort of free-lance war correspondent. As such, he had difficulties getting credentials to cover the fighting. To remedy this, he joined the French and fought with them as a lieutenant.
He switches back and forth between rolls of combatant and correspondent, covering a surprising amount of territory in Africa - from the Congo to Cairo, Morocco to Mozambique. He spends time in the trenches and on patrol, and he dines with generals. An odd mix, really.
Davis was a keen observer and had a way with words. I will read some of his other work, likely his travels with the Denis-Rooseveldt expeditions. |
|