Stephen Weiss SIGNED Second Chance US Texas Infantry OSS French Resistance

Description: Second Chance: In Combat with the US 'Texas' Infantry, the OSS, and the French Resistance during the Liberation of France, 1943-1946 by Dr. Stephen J. Weiss, Introduction by Richard Overy Presentation copy inscribed & signed by the author to the top right hand corner of the title page; Military History Publishing UK 2011 1st paperback edition with an Introduction by Professor Richard Overy, 396pp., text generally in decent order albeit with very small creases to the top & bottom corners of some of the pages & heavier ones to the top corners of pages 373 thru' to the end, some staining to the page extremities at the very top, side & bottom, edge wear to covers/corners/top & bottom of spine with a small crease to the front bottom right hand corner, the front, rear & spine have some marks & scratches. Dr. Stephen Weiss, who died in 2020 aged 94, served as a first scout in a rifle squad in the 36th Infantry Division in Italy, France, and Germany during WWII. He landed on D-Day in Southern France. Listed as Missing In Action* in France, he served with the French Resistance and an OSS Operational Group behind enemy lines. For these exploits, he was awarded the French Resistance Medal, two Croix de Guerre, and the American Bronze Star. President Jacques Chirac presented him with the Légion d'honneur in 1999. On 22nd June 2007 he was made an Officier de la Légion d'honneur and in July 2013 he was promoted to Commandeur of the Légion d’honneur. The Order is the highest decoration in France. He was on the front lines in France in the summer of 1944. Caught in a firefight in the Ardèche region, he and seven others were separated from their unit and hunted by Nazi forces. A farmer, Gaston Reynaud, hid the Americans in his hayloft. With help from the French Resistance, they organized their escape. Dressed in police uniforms, they crossed enemy lines, beginning a harrowing journey to safety. *As he wrote to his parents in an MIA telegram during the war: “When I think of writing about this episode, I’m startled as to how close I came to death, to my own demise and oblivion. My sergeant lies dead in a foreign field for the 75 years I’ve survived, haphazardly thinking things over. His life and others like him remain heartbreakingly young forever. Cheated out of what I gained. Twist of Fate, Luck hanging by a thread, and Realities defiance, all combined to savour my survival, while accidentally side-stepping out of ‘harm’s way.’ Blessed are the people, French and American, military and civilian, who did everything to save my life. When I returned to duty, those who knew celebrated my return to duty, older and wiser, but more anxious. A resounding, ‘Thank you! Reality requires additional personal attention!” Will ship by Royal Mail 1st Class Signed for, well packaged. (£5.39/mil) Listing and template services provided by inkFrog Track Page Views With Auctiva's Counter

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Location: London

End Time: 2024-12-28T12:49:03.000Z

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