A Ramble Through My War: Anzio and Other Joys

This is a very aptly titled WWII memoir by a former U.S. intelligence officer. Aptly titled because it could certainly have used a little more rigorous editor to eliminate the numerous repetitions and help the narrative flow a little better. That aside, Marshall's memoir is valuable if nothing else for its ground-level description of Anzio--which I had always heard of but never really knew anything about--and the inside look into "order of battle" and "document exploitation." Both are elements of military intelligence whose importance is largely unknown to the general public and Marshall does an excellent job in explaining and showing how it all works. Less important but also interesting are the day to day details of an army on the move from the invasion of Italy all the way into Germany.

Marshall gives the reader a feel for the day to day life of an army intelligence officer in the big war's european theater.

"A Ramble Through My War" is an insightful account of portions of World War II's European Theater through the eyes of a then-young U.S. Army lieutenant. A highlight of this engaging memoir is an inspiring account of the battle for Anzio--its trials and tribulations. It is unfortunate that Charles F. Marshall, a retired business executive, waited until now--55 years since Anzio--to publish this vivid recollection. Today, there are too few former WWII veterans remaining to appreciate this story and too few others who realize how important Anzio and Alsace were to the total scenario of the war in Europe. A Columbia University educated would-be journalist who later settled for a career in the knitting industry, Marshall used a daily diary maintained through most of "his war" to help chronicle the events viewed from his assignment as an army intelligence officer. Although he missed the Anzio landing, Marshall was at the beachhead from early February 1944, through the terror of German counterattacks against Allied troops with their backs against the sea until the breakout in late May and the run to Rome. Much of his G-2 work involved scouring over captured German documents taken from fallen soldiers. "Most German boys carried enough documentation to write their biographies," he explained. Wallet items included birth certificates, baprismal certificates, diaries, driving licenses, personal letters, family photographs and pictures, often nude photos of wives or girlfriends, "stimulating reminders of the joys awaiting their return," Marshall wrote. From these items he and his colleagues amassed amazing bits of information, "a significant contribution to the battle to undo Hitler," Marshall said. In his narrative he interwove the horrors of war with amusing and perceptive commentaries--often blunt, but necessary to the story. After the Allied victory in Italy, Marshall and his intelligence team moved to the invasion of southern France, on to Alsace, later chasing retreating soldiers of the Reich into mother Germany and finally into Austria. Marshall, in his frequent day-to-day accounts, provides details of the U.S. intelligence operation and how the newly gained information helped in coming battles and air attacks. In the closing days of the war and afterwards, Marshall interrogated as host of Germany Prisoner's of war and other German officials, including Lucie Marie, the widow of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. His recovery of Rommel's letters added much to that story of the war. This book was so enjoyable that I searched for Marshall's earlier war volume, "Discovering the Rommel Murder: The Life and Death of the Dessert Fox" published in 1994. It was found still in print and has been ordered.