Reference Reviews

Reference for Students

World War II. By G. Kurt Piehler. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2007. 1 vol. 225 p. $65.00. ISBN 10: 0-313-33400-5; 13: 978-0-313-33400-9.

World War II Using oral histories collected for an archive at Rutgers, this author has compared the differences among soldiers, men and women, based upon their service branch. It is a unique approach to the war and our military units. A 3-page timeline is followed by an "Overview." Chapters are "The Navy," "The Army," "The Army Air Force," "The Marine Corps," "The American POW Experience," "Aftermath of War," and "The Words of Soldiers: From Letters, Memoirs, and Reports." Each chapter ends with a bibliography. A few black and white photographs and reproductions of posters illustrate the text. An 8-page bibliography offers additional resources. This discussion of the services then would be an excellent introduction to the study of the military services today to see if they had changed a great deal or if the same culture was in place. An excellent resource.