From Hippocrene Books: When Ralph Hauenstein became a reserve officer, he thought the skills he’d gained as a newspaperman might be useful.  Indeed, he spent World War II gathering information from sources as diverse as soldiers reluctantly reporting on one another and code books pulled from downed German planes.  The story of Colonel Hauenstein’s war is also the story of the European Theater of U.S. Operations, the American command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who spun between ETOUSA and his international position at Allied headquarters, SHAEF, with dizzying speed.  SHAEF dominates histories of the time; ETOUSA is comparatively little studied and understood, but as Hauenstein explains, it is a major factor in the Allied victory in Europe.

Donald Markle shapes Ralph Hauenstein’s remembrances into an informative, entertaining book that will spark debate among history buffs.

Excerpt: “As the date for the invasion of Europe drew nearer, General Eisenhower and several members of his staff established a temporary headquarters for the Allied command at Portsmouth, on the southern coast of England, because of that location’s proximity to the shores of Normandy.  The area was in what we called a virtual state of quarantine preceding the actual invasion.  No one left the area, and only essential personnel were allowed to enter — it was in effect a lockdown.” pg. 107