About 10 years ago, my grandfather, Veryln Hofer, wrote a short book recounting his experience in WWII. He was an American GI and was wounded in battle fighting the Germans in France. The book had been sitting on our family bookshelves for a number of years when my father finally gave me a copy. I enjoyed the book so much that I got permission from my grandfather to publish the book. The book is called, "A Wartime Odyssey" with a subtitle of "The Personal Story of One Teenage G.I. Wounded in Battle in WW II." I wasn't sure how to get the word out on this new first-hand account of WW II. I found this wonderful forum where I know there are many patrons who would absolutely love the story my grandfather has to tell. The book is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle verisions. It's only $0.99. It can be viewed here. Here's a quick description: This is the first-hand account of a 19-year-old American G.I. wounded in battle against German forces in France during World War II. This is a one-of-kind look inside what happened to those brave American G.I.’s who became casualties on the battlefields of World War II Europe. Filled with adventure, terror, humor, and honesty, Veryln Hofer recounts his personal wartime odyssey. From the battlefield, to Army hospitals, to a boat ride back home across the Atlantic, Hofer recalls not only the events, but the people who shaped his odyssey with beautiful clarity and insight. The cast of characters Hofer describes paints a picture of the war, the world, and the times that the reader will not soon forget.
Thanx for letting us know jwhofer. Personally I prefer books by the men themselves in war. Photos of maps with arrows and numbers and stats are just not the same.
Thingimibob, I'm not familiar with iBooks. I know it's available on Kindle, which is an ebook. You can download the Kindle app on any computer/smartphone/tablet. It's also in paperback. THANKS for you interest in the book!
These are the stories that has to be preserved. No history book or historian telling the story is never the same like the stories told by soldiers themselves. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Cadillac. I'm not exactly sure. Truthfully, I'm not a military man myself so I'm not fluent in the language and lingo. I'll attach a picture that might answer that question. This is what's written on top of one of my grandpa's photos. To me, it looks like, "2nd Platoon - Co 'C' - 34th Inf Tr Bn - Camp Croft, SC - 1944." Does that help? View attachment 22110
The 34th Infantry Training Battalion was, as the name suggests, a training unit. He would have been assigned to a different unit in Europe. You may find this photo of the 34th Inf. Tr. Bn. at Camp Croft to be of interest. And a very good thread on this Forum regarding the Infantry Replacement Training Centers during WWII, of which Camp Croft was one.
I emailed my grandfather and this was his response: I was a member of Co. A of the 62nd Armored Infantry Battalion of the 14th Armored Division. If they wish to break it down even further, I was in headquarters squad of the first platoon. If the person making the inquiry has any connection to the 14th Armored Division, I would be interested in hearing from him/her. Grandpa
You can download AAR's (After Action Reports) for the 62nd AIB here: http://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p4013coll8/id/3785/rec/1 These reports will give you an overview of what the unit was doing on a day by day basis. November is tough to read is spots, December is mostly readable and the remaining months are good scans. There are some awards listed but I didn't see your grandfathers name. I see in the January records that the 62nd was in the immediate vicinity of Hatten and Rittershoffen, Germany. We have a thread on the battle in that area here: http://www.ww2f.com/topic/3965-hatten-and-rittershoffen-january-1945/ Your grandfather may be interested in reading through the posts and if he can add anything (assuming he hadn't been wounded yet), we would be very interested to hear what he remembers. Several of the people participating in the thread live in the area. Steve
Wow Natman thanks. Although my grandfather is about to turn 90, he does use a computer. I'll pay him a visit and see if I get get him up to speed on using this forum. I have a feeling he will thoroughly enjoy connecting with people here.
We'd be honored to have him as a member here. Let one of the Mods or Admins know if he decides to join so they can make sure he is recognized as a WWII Veteran.
Thanks for sharing your story. All of these stories need to be told. You may interested in the work I'm doing on my fathers story. http://carryingfire.blogspot.com/ https://www.facebook.com/carryingfire Thanks
Update: My grandfather's WWII memoir A Wartime Odyssey (the original topic of this post) is now part of his larger autobiography. I helped him publish this recently. This includes additional details of his life in the run-up to serving in Europe in WII, as well as his experiences coming back on after his injury. The book is called An American Independent: The Life & Times of Verlyn V. Hofer. It's on Amazon inexpensively in paperback and Kindle editions. It's only been available for a few days and it's already got one 5-star review. http://www.amazon.com/American-Independent-Times-Verlyn-Hofer/dp/1530843499/ From the back of the book: Spanning nearly a full century, the autobiography of Verlyn V. Hofer is a slice of pure Americana. Born into a newspaper family in 1925 in Davis, SD, Hofer’s life story provides an intriguing look into the running of a small-town newspaper through several generations. As much a record of the author’s life, this tale is a record of small town American life from the 1920s to the present. The events that shaped one man’s life are chronicled with honesty, humor, and plain-spokenness. From war buddies to weddings, tornados to tricycles, car wrecks to church, newspapers to Nazis – the places, affairs, and people that form the fabric of this saga are not lacking in variety or excitement. In the same style as his memoir A Wartime Odyssey, Hofer paints a one-of-a-kind picture of his life and times that will both enlighten and entertain. My foreword to the book: What I would refer to as the “first edition” of this autobiography is a big, black three-ring binder that appears to be bursting at the seams. It is stuffed full of papers, newspaper clippings, photographs, hand-written letters, emails, obituaries, and even an original Western Union telegram from 1942. This binder represents years of work by my grandfather to create a complete, well-ordered chronicle of his life. For many years, this “first edition” was the one and only copy, and was physically passed between family members to read. There were no Word documents, PDFs, or digital copies of any of the binder’s contents saved to any computer. As I think about that now, it’s a slightly unnerving thought knowing how easily it could have been accidentally lost or destroyed. This book – though not formally published until 2016 – was mainly written during the years of 2001 and 2002. The reader should keep this in mind when crossing ages, years, and other numerical data that require a point of reference. At the end of each of the book’s seven parts, the reader will find a collection of photographs that supplement the text. Please enjoy the autobiography of Verlyn V. Hofer.
Congratulations to you and him. This was surely a labor of love. It's always nice to read first-hand accounts of the people who were involved. I'll give it a read and let you know how it was.
Congratulations on the new book. I really like the cover photo on the book. My great uncle Glenn worked in the newspaper business as a linotype operator before the War. He also was taking correspondence courses in journalism while overseas.
