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Whatever it took : an American paratrooper's extraordinary memoir of escape, survival, and heroism in the last days of World War II

Langrehr, Henry. (Author). DeFelice, Jim, 1956- (Added Author).

Now at 95, one of the few living members of the Greatest Generation shares his experiences at last in one of the most remarkable World War II stories ever told. As the Allied Invasion of Normandy launched in the pre-dawn hours of June 6, 1944, Henry Langrehr, an American paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne, was among the thousands of Allies who parachuted into occupied France. Surviving heavy anti-aircraft fire, he crashed through the glass roof of a greenhouse in Sainte-Mère-Eglise. While many of the soldiers in his unit died, Henry and other surviving troops valiantly battled enemy tanks to a standstill. Then, on June 29th, Henry was captured by the Nazis. The next phase of his incredible journey was beginning. Kept for a week in the outer ring of a death camp, Henry witnessed the Nazis' unspeakable brutality--the so-called Final Solution, with people marched to their deaths, their bodies discarded like cords of wood. Transported to a work camp, he endured horrors of his own when he was forced to live in unbelievable squalor and labor in a coal mine with other POWs. Knowing they would be worked to death, he and a friend made a desperate escape. When a German soldier cornered them in a barn, the friend was fatally shot; Henry struggled with the soldier, killing him and taking his gun. Perilously traveling westward toward Allied controlled land on foot, Henry faced the great ethical and moral dilemmas of war firsthand, needing to do whatever it took to survive. Finally, after two weeks behind enemy lines, he found an American unit and was rescued. Awaiting him at home was Arlene, who, like millions of other American women, went to work in factories and offices to build the armaments Henry and the Allies needed for victory. Whatever It Took is her story, too, bringing to life the hopes and fears of those on the homefront awaiting their loved ones to return. A tale of heroism, hope, and survival featuring 30 photographs, Whatever It Took is a timely reminder of the human cost of freedom and a tribute to unbreakable human courage and spirit in the darkest of times.

Book  - 2020
940.54 Langr
1 copy / 1 on hold

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Stamford Checked out
  • ISBN: 9780063027428
  • Physical Description 272 pages : illustrations, map ; 23 cm
  • Edition First edition.
  • Publisher [Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 2020.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references.

Additional Information

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1001 . ‡aLangrehr, Henry. ‡0(DLC)no2020081482 ‡0(NFPL)89960
24510. ‡aWhatever it took : ‡ban American paratrooper's extraordinary memoir of escape, survival, and heroism in the last days of World War II / ‡cHenry Langrehr and Jim DeFelice.
250 . ‡aFirst edition.
264 1. ‡a[Place of publication not identified] : ‡b[publisher not identified], ‡c2020.
264 1. ‡aNew York, NY : ‡bWilliam Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, ‡c[2020]
300 . ‡a272 pages : ‡billustrations, map ; ‡c23 cm
336 . ‡atext ‡btxt ‡2rdacontent
337 . ‡aunmediated ‡bn ‡2rdamedia
338 . ‡avolume ‡bnc ‡2rdacarrier
504 . ‡aIncludes bibliographical references.
520 . ‡a"Now at 95, one of the few living members of the Greatest Generation shares his experiences at last in one of the most remarkable World War II stories ever told. As the Allied Invasion of Normandy launched in the pre-dawn hours of June 6, 1944, Henry Langrehr, an American paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne, was among the thousands of Allies who parachuted into occupied France. Surviving heavy anti-aircraft fire, he crashed through the glass roof of a greenhouse in Sainte-Mère-Eglise. While many of the soldiers in his unit died, Henry and other surviving troops valiantly battled enemy tanks to a standstill. Then, on June 29th, Henry was captured by the Nazis. The next phase of his incredible journey was beginning. Kept for a week in the outer ring of a death camp, Henry witnessed the Nazis' unspeakable brutality--the so-called Final Solution, with people marched to their deaths, their bodies discarded like cords of wood. Transported to a work camp, he endured horrors of his own when he was forced to live in unbelievable squalor and labor in a coal mine with other POWs. Knowing they would be worked to death, he and a friend made a desperate escape. When a German soldier cornered them in a barn, the friend was fatally shot; Henry struggled with the soldier, killing him and taking his gun. Perilously traveling westward toward Allied controlled land on foot, Henry faced the great ethical and moral dilemmas of war firsthand, needing to do whatever it took to survive. Finally, after two weeks behind enemy lines, he found an American unit and was rescued. Awaiting him at home was Arlene, who, like millions of other American women, went to work in factories and offices to build the armaments Henry and the Allies needed for victory. Whatever It Took is her story, too, bringing to life the hopes and fears of those on the homefront awaiting their loved ones to return. A tale of heroism, hope, and survival featuring 30 photographs, Whatever It Took is a timely reminder of the human cost of freedom and a tribute to unbreakable human courage and spirit in the darkest of times."--Amazon.com.
60010. ‡aLangrehr, Henry. ‡0(DLC)no2020081482 ‡0(NFPL)89960
61010. ‡aUnited States. ‡bArmy. ‡bAirborne Division, 82nd ‡0(DLC)n 80109831 ‡vBiography. ‡0(DLC)sh 99001237
61010. ‡aUnited States. ‡bArmy ‡xParachute troops ‡0(DLC)sh 85140685 ‡vBiography. ‡0(DLC)sh 99001237
650 0. ‡aWorld War, 1939-1945 ‡vPersonal narratives, American. ‡0(DLC)sh2008113356 ‡0(NFPL)116846
650 0. ‡aWorld War, 1939-1945 ‡xCampaigns ‡zFrance ‡zNormandy ‡0(DLC)sh 85148319 ‡vBiography. ‡0(DLC)sh 99001237
650 0. ‡aWorld War, 1939-1945 ‡0(DLC)sh 85148273 ‡xPrisoners and prisons, American.
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655 7. ‡aPersonal narratives. ‡2lcgft ‡0(DLC)gf2014026142 ‡0(NFPL)315
7001 . ‡aDeFelice, Jim, ‡d1956- ‡0(DLC)n 91101808 ‡0(NFPL)17392
905 . ‡uteveraert
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