Any books about non combat soldiers?

[Major Tom]

Having read and enjoyed hundreds of books about our brave men in combat, I was wondering if there are any books out there about the guys in the rear areas? IE: cooks, drivers, HQ personel, armament repair, etc.

[gwp]

For this site I would start with Roy F Dunlap's Ordnance Went Up Front.

http://www.amazon.com/Ordnance-Went-Front-Roy-Dunlap/dp/B000WYC92Q

[dave]

Here in a MI town there is a dispute going on having to do with a law involving veteran rights, the city consul is maintaining that if vet was not in combat he is not a veteran!
Does not involve me but I was sent into a 'combat zone for 5 months but was never 'in combat', so I must be in limbo!

[gwp]

Here in a MI town there is a dispute going on having to do with a law involving veteran rights, the city consul is maintaining that if vet was not in combat he is not a veteran!
Does not involve me but I was sent into a 'combat zone for 5 months but was never 'in combat', so I must be in limbo!

From: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/38/101

38 U.S. Code § 101 - Definitions

(2)The term “veteran” means a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable.

[PhillipM]

Red Ball Express.

https://books.google.com/books?id=3jJnAAAAMAAJ&source=gbs_similarbooks

[gpw_42]

Couple suggestions:

1) WW2 Ordnance; tank recovery and repair: http://www.amazon.com/Death-Traps-Survival-American-Division/dp/0891418148
2) OIF women in the Army, from a female military intelligence sergeant's perspective: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393060985
3) Life in the US Army, 1898-1941, not focused on any particular branch/MOS: http://www.amazon.com/The-Regulars-American-Army-1898-1941/dp/0674024028

Surely there is more out there...
Steve

[M2Phil]

There is a fellow that posts on the CMP forums, Mr. Robert C. Lovell, who served as a radio operator in an armored artillery unit in the ETO toward the end of the war. He wrote a sizable memoir titled "Unlikely Warrior: A Small Town Boy's View of WWII" and it goes into great detail regarding his experiences as a kid before going into the army, his training period and of course, going to war. Very readable and quite enjoyable. According to the latest info, the book will be back in print shortly. Highly recommended, along with "Ordnance Went Up Front", and "The Regulars" mentioned above. The other suggestions are just as good, no doubt, I just haven't read them. Yet.

[gwp]

Couple suggestions:
3) Life in the US Army, 1898-1941, not focused on any particular branch/MOS: http://www.amazon.com/The-Regulars-American-Army-1898-1941/dp/0674024028

Surely there is more out there...
Steve

I purchased this as a used library book from Amazon for $4.56 shipped. It looks like a good read.

[civil defense]

Here is a book about the creation and training at Camp Hood. The Army Service Forces are featured. 180 photos.
http://www.amazon.com/Fort-Hood-World-Images-America/dp/1467134716/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1447903390&sr=8-2&keywords=fort+hood&pebp=1447903399734&perid=0TNRXJ1Y950BM627PF78
Above is the amazon link.

[retread12345]

Try. the Ghost Soldiers. Give a fine account of a clandestine US Army unit in the ETO who were assigned to delude and dupe enemy units with sound effects. Very good reading. As an aside the designer Bill Blass was a member and used inflatable vehicles to foil air observation

[togor]

The Good War by Studs Turkel, which came out in '84, has a lot of oral history snippets in it from all kinds of people, including support troops that never got near the front.

[blackhawknj]

"Death Traps" by Belton Y. Cooper. Talks about his experiences as an maintenance officer in the 3rd Armored Division.

[M1Tommy]

A decent read and some good tales by an F-105 crew chief. I know the man who authored this, a decent curmudgeonly type, IMO.

CREW CHIEF, "be he ne'er so vile" , by William Buzz Barron.

LINK:
https://www.amazon.com/CREW-CHIEF-neer-William-Barron/dp/152297573X

I have read it, and have given copies to my son (coincidentally a crew chief nowadays) and my jarhead pilot nephew.

Tommy

[CJCulpeper]

Here in a MI town there is a dispute going on having to do with a law involving veteran rights, the city consul is maintaining that if vet was not in combat he is not a veteran!
Does not involve me but I was sent into a 'combat zone for 5 months but was never 'in combat', so I must be in limbo!

That person is huffing paint straight from the can.

[bnrg]

Another crew chief book is 'Flying Tiger, a crew chiefs story' by Frank Losonsky. He was in the first group in the AVG and is a pretty good read. Short book (~100 pages) but many great photos.

[musketshooter]

It is too bad that there is so little about the rear area forces. My father was in canon company 110 of the 28th Division. I have read every book I can find on the 28th and there is hardly any mention of the cannon company's attached . There were 3.
I do have a firing log from the 204th Field Artillery Battalion. The log begins on 12 July 1944 and ends on 8 May 1945. I contacted the Army History unit in Pennsylvania and they had no interest in getting it. Kind of a shame.