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11th Armored Division
Friends and Families

A new book by
Anna Rosmus, Valhalla Finale
|
Dorfmeister (dorfmeisterdruck@t-online.de)
has released my new book Valhalla Finale.
Dan O'Brien (current 11th
Armored Division Association President) wrote the preface. As you may
recall from the pictures I showed during the last reunion, the 11th AD
is heavily represented.
In 1945, American
intelligence officers debated a “Valhalla Finale” in the Danube
region. General George Smith Patton was pacing the floor as his men
seized the “Regensburg-Passau-Linz Corridor”. To indicate the
complex operations, Valhalla Finale features photographic impressions
from Bavaria’s border with Czechoslovakia and Austria. It reflects
individual memories and the enormous power that American commanders
applied with such remarkable restraint.
During combat, most
soldiers neither owned nor carried a camera, film was hard to come by,
and official images were divided among many locations. Fortunately,
General Stanley Eric Reinhart, Jr., whose father captured Regensburg
and Passau before he was appointed Military Governor of Upper Austria,
was among those who offered his private treasure trove.
Granting a greater public
access to combined sources allows veterans to relive their own
history, and civilians glimpses at a past they might have few clues
about until reading the book.
Readers can follow
American soldiers from Camp Lucky Strike in France to Germany, Austria
and Czechoslovakia. In hundreds of previously unpublished photos from
1945, they see them marching, build bridges, evacuate casualties, take
prisoners and help rebuilding a country.
Valhalla Finale has 348 pages,
bilingual subtitles, and a hardcover. It weighs four pounds, and is
available for $95 (including shipping and handling). Schools and
libraries might appreciate it as a teaching tool. It is also a nice gift
idea for family, colleagues and friends. If you are interested, please
contact Anna Rosmus via email at passau11@yahoo.com
.
Thank you for coming in
1945!
Anna Rosmus
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