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During
World War I, soldiers in the American Expeditionary Force rarely
fought in the newly developed tank, and those who did manned British
and French tanks since American models did not become available
until after the war. Harris joined the Tank Corps because it was
considered the elite unit of the ground forces and had a certain
amount of romance connected with it. Initially assigned as a driving
instructor, he later saw action at the St. Mihiel salient and on
the Meuse-Argonne front. This book, which offers an extensive preface,
summarizing Harris's life before, during, and after the war, along
with some penetrating insights into his character, collects 46 letters
he wrote home while in service. As they show, Harris saw war as
a game not unlike the football games he played in his youth. Although
he spent only 18 months in Europe, he looked upon it as a bold adventure,
surviving the bad periods and enjoying the better moments. He returned
from war apparently unscathed in both body and mind. The letters
provide an entertaining if hardly probing portrayal of World War
I from a tank officer's point of view.
Harris
saw war as a game not unlike the football games he played in his
youth. ... He looked upon it as a bold adventure, surviving the
bad periods and enjoying the better moments. The letters provide
an entertaining ... portrayal of World War I from a tank officer's
point of view. Recommended for academic and public libraries. -
LIBRARY JOURNAL.
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