Strike and Hold: A Memoir of the 82nd Airborne in World War II
Affiliate disclosure: purchases made through links on this site may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you.
Best for readers who...
Good fit if you want...
- You want lean, moment-to-moment battlefield storytelling from a single soldier’s eyes.
- You appreciate memoirs that focus on small-unit life, leadership under fire, and dry humor amid hardship.
Maybe skip if...
- You prefer sweeping operational histories or heavily sourced academic analysis.
- You expect polished literary flourish or long reflections on politics rather than immediate combat detail.
- You only want something with very current references and examples.
Summary
T. Moffatt Burriss recounts his jump into Sicily, fierce fighting in Italy and Normandy, and the brutal close-quarters combat that forged brothers in arms. Plainspoken, vivid episodes put you in the mud, the hedgerows, and the tense moments between orders and survival.
Edition on file: 2000 • Potomac Books Inc • 256 pages • ISBN 9781574882582.
Why this book now
This personal account keeps the human stakes of mid-century warfare tangible for readers seeking firsthand perspectives beyond grand strategy.
Reader guide
Quick signals that help you decide faster.
Reading commitment
Balanced Moderate time
At 256 pages, this brisk memoir reads like a series of sharp vignettes—easy to finish in a weekend but dense with scenes that reward slow attention.
What stands out here
This Potomac Books edition preserves Burriss’s straightforward voice and includes any maps or notes that ground his movements, emphasizing soldier-level detail over scholarly apparatus.
Best way to approach it
Read it aloud or in short sittings to savor the dialogue and tense action sequences; pause between chapters to let individual engagements and decisions sink in.
30-second preview
Two quick cards, fifteen seconds each.
Card 1 of 2
Was this page helpful?
Quick thumbs only. No login.
Loading feedback…
Similar books on UPB
Nearby picks ranked by author, shelf fit, publisher, era, and record quality.
Recommendation cards are not ready for this book yet.
Preview links
Optional external previews if you still want to check before buying.
The likely reading experience leans toward context, explanation, and subject matter that rewards curiosity more than speed-reading. Net effect: a mid-length read that should balance momentum with detail.
Book overview built from edition details and related-book context.