Blood in the Argonne: The "Lost Battalion" of World War I

Campaigns and Commanders Series

By: Alan D. Gaff

Narrated by: Kirk Winkler

In this unique history of the "Lost Battalion" of World War I, Alan D. Gaff tells for the first time the story of the 77th Division from the perspective of the soldiers in the ranks.

On October 2, 1918, Maj. Charles W. Whittlesey led the 77th Division in a successful attack on German defenses in the Argonne Forest of northeastern France. His unit, comprised of men of a wide mix of ethnic backgrounds from New York City and the western states, was not a battalion nor was it ever "lost", but once a newspaper editor applied the term "lost battalion" to the episode, it stuck.

Gaff draws from new, unimpeachable sources, such as sworn testimony by soldiers who survived the ordeal, to correct the myths and legends and to reveal what really happened in the Argonne Forest during early October 1918.

©2005 University of Oklahoma Press (P)2015 Redwood Audiobooks

Might be a good read.

The narrator's condescending, bored, uninspired performance utterly destroys any possibility of enjoying this story. The tone the narrator sets, is one of an indifferent teacher, reading a despised story, to a roomful of imbeciles. Seriously, if the narrator's internal monologue is in any way similar to his performance in this story, he'd best be put on suicide watch.

Awful narration ruins good story.

Narration is slow, slow, slow and labored, labored, labored. I wanted to learn about this storied battle, but I just could not listen to it all.

Content focuses too much on preparatioattorney battle, not enough on battle itself.

Book obviously written by academic overly concerned with technically correct detail devoid of colorful battle description.