Grunts, John C. McManus
Grunts, John C. McManus
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Grunts
Inside the American Infantry Combat Experience, World War II through Iraq

Author: John C. McManus

Narrator: Joe Barrett

Unabridged: 18 hr 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/09/2018

Synopsis

From the acclaimed author of The Dead and Those About to Die comes a sweeping narrative of six decades of combat, and an eye-opening account of the evolution of the American infantry. From the beaches of Normandy and the South Pacific Islands to the deserts of the Middle East, the American soldier has been the most indispensable—and most overlooked—factor in wartime victory. In Grunts, renowned historian John C. McManus examines ten critical battles—from Hitler’s massive assault on US soldiers at the Battle of the Bulge to counterinsurgency combat in Iraq—where the skills and courage of American troops proved the crucial difference between victory and defeat. Based on years of research and interviews with veterans, this powerful history reveals the ugly face of war in a way few books have and demonstrates the fundamental, and too often forgotten, importance of the human element in serving and protecting the nation.

About John C. McManus

John C. McManus is an award-winning professor, author, and military historian. He is one of America’s leading experts on the history of modern American soldiers in combat and he has written numerous well received books on the subject. He is a full professor of US military history at Missouri University of Science and Technology and he frequently serves an expert for documentaries. A veteran of many battlefield tours, he has traveled thousands of miles to give lectures on military history and research the realities of combat for American soldiers.

About Joe Barrett

Joe Barrett, an actor and Audie Award and Earphones Award–winning narrator, has appeared both on and off Broadway as well as in hundreds of radio and television commercials.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Arthur on August 22, 2021

An 18 and a half hour unabridged audiobook. There's a certain truism to the old adage about "there is only infantry, every other unit is just support" (paraphrased). While listening to this book I was also seeing social media and news accounts about the fall of Kabul to the Taliban. I knew there are......more

Goodreads review by Chris on May 01, 2013

A really great read, depending on why you decide to dig into it. If you're looking for an enthralling perspective into the hairiest, most gritty infantry conflicts waged during the twentieth century, you're going to enjoy yourself quite a bit. The evangelizing for the role of infantry in modern combat......more

Goodreads review by Sherrie on July 21, 2024

Up front I have to say that I've been reading about WWII (especially the military strategy) for 15+ years at this point and I'm finally...done. It's just not interesting to me anymore. I think this is at least in part due to the current political climate and the disgust I have for people who think N......more

Goodreads review by Patrick on December 18, 2019

Very detailed description of 10 historical battles, taking the perspective of the individual officers, NCOs and soldiers, showing the importance and development of the infantry in the 20th century. The meticulous collection of thousands of diary entries and war reports gives the 10 chapters a very m......more

Goodreads review by Joe on July 29, 2019

Great way to look at the realities that people in the Infantry have to go through. It covers the experiences in WWII (European and Pacific theaters), the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, and the recent war in Iraq. Would recommend it to anyone intersted in military history.......more

Quotes

“Few authors capture the essence of the human dimension of war as well as John C. McManus. Combining an engaging, highly descriptive writing style with exhaustive research, McManus provides readers with a true ‘foxhole’ perspective.” Military Review

“A superb book—an American equivalent to John Keegan’s The Face of Battle. I sincerely believe that Grunts is destined to be a classic.” Dave Grossman, author of On Combat

“John C. McManus’s Grunts contains some of the most vivid accounts of close combat ever recorded in literature. The reader has the sense of being actually present in the battles. His descriptions show precise details of combat at the closest personal levels and with absolute authenticity.” Bevin Alexander, author of Inside the Nazi War Machine

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