Where the Birds Never Sing

The True Story of the 92nd Signal Battalion and the Liberation of Dachau

The inspiring story of Joe Sacco and his part in the greatest battles of World War II, from Omaha Beach to the liberation of the concentration camp at Dachau, Germany.

In his riveting debut, Where the Birds Never Sing, Jack Sacco recounts the realistic, harrowing, at times horrifying, and ultimately triumphant tale of an American GI in World War II. Told through the eyes of his father, Joe Sacco—a farm boy from Alabama who was flung into the chaos of Normandy and survived the terrors of the Bulge—this is no ordinary war story. As part of the 92nd Signal Battalion and Patton’s famed 3rd Army, Joe and his buddies found themselves at the forefront—often in front of the infantry or behind enemy lines—of the Allied push through France and Germany.

After more than a year of fighting, but still only twenty years old, Joe was a hardened veteran, but nothing could have prepared him for the horrors behind the walls of Germany’s infamous Dachau concentration camp. Joe and his buddies were among the first 250 American troops into the camp, and it was there that they finally grasped the significance of the Allied mission.

Surrounded and pursued by death and destruction, they not only found the courage and the will to fight, they discovered the meaning of friendship and came to understand the value and fragility of life. Told from the perspective of an ordinary soldier, Where the Birds Never Sing contains first-hand accounts and never-before published photos documenting one man’s transformation from farm boy to soldier to liberator.

Stories that should never be forgotten...

Superbly written and wonderfully narrated. All at once awesome and heartbreaking. I'm thankful the author preserved his father's memories.

The truth!

I was totally into the story and the memories. I wished my dad had talked more about his experiences during WWII. Now I felt more about why he did not and why he had bad memories. My daughter, her husband, and my 9 and 11 year old sons visited many of the areas in France, Germany, and Switzerland. But the visit to Dauchau was to me the most soul marking. To hear what Joe saw and felt brought me to tears. The book talked like a 20 year old, and that made it so much better.

great book!

a powerful and personal WWII story.
the first person perspective really helps captivate and bring you in on what it was like to be a soldier.
I’ve read the book previously and I’m now I’m listening to the audio book…
Highly recommend!

A Must Read

History is best told by those who were there. The reader is fantastic. Thank you to the greatest generation who served and fought for our freedom.