By Joseph P. Olexa, edited by James R. Smither.
Denton: University of North Texas Press, 2023.
ISBN 978-1-57441-898-9.
Photographs. Maps. Bibliography. Index. Pp. xx, 321.
$34.95.
As the title suggests, Death and Life in the Big Red One provides a combat travelogue of the 1st Infantry Division in World War II. As part of Operation TORCH in November 1942, the division shares one of the longest journeys of any Army combat unit in that war. Joseph Alexa’s path covered Algeria, Tunisia, Sicily, D-Day at Normandy, France, Belgium and into Germany. The division then went on without him through Germany and Austria, ending up in Czechoslovakia. The basis of the story is provided by editor James R. Smither’s discovery of an unpublished manuscript written by Joseph Olexa in the 1970s. Like other recent books based on wartime letters, diaries and oral histories, these stories extend our appreciation of World War II as that war’s veterans disappear. Smither also accessed letters, family input, and archives to assist his editing of Olexa’s large draft. While Olexa did keep a diary for a short while, he found it not feasible for his situation.
Olexa’s perspective is that of a frontline infantry platoon sergeant in 3d Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment. While he was overseas for over two-and-a-half years, he was in combat assignments for sixteen months. He provides the Holy Grail of insight into what really happens at the front. Appropriately, he depicts what a combat infantryman cares about—clean weapons, digging in, care of his men, food, and the Almighty—not necessarily in that order. The length of his combat subjected him to a number of special assignments and situations. He also shares his enlisted viewpoint concerning the relative worth of various company-grade officers, as well as his fellow sergeants and the strange behaviors that occur during combat.
Smither shows the value of an editor on a grand scale. Dedicated to save Olexa’s story, his modifications do not interfere with informing the reader with the truth about combat. He shortens the story, keeping it interesting. Using italics, Smither summarizes periods of less general interest. He also introduces archival reports and the numerous secondary sources on the 1st Infantry Division to augment Olexa’s memory.
Olexa had suffered a couple of blows, at least one of which damaged his recall. Smither persists, explaining Olexa’s intent. To some extent, the story displays the reality of how erroneous reporting of combat events occurs. Olexa’s own text is plain, sometimes lacking complete thoughts, but it compensates with its visceral descriptions and his capture of the environmental conditions faced by the infantry.
Prior to combat, Olexa and the 1st Division moved around the United States nine times before shipping out. At its three-month stay at Camp Blanding, Florida, the division was reorganized, re-equipped, and redesignated as the 1st Infantry Division. Showing spirit, many of its troops also had time at Blanding for a brouhaha with elements of the 36th Infantry Division from Texas. Besides their similarly long combat paths, both divisions were among those to suffer the most casualties and amass the most Medals of Honor.
The text is augmented with a section having a few very apropos photographs spanning the war. It also carries a few mostly regional maps of pertinent battlefields. An excerpt of the Aachen, Germany, town plan depicts his battalion’s position during his platoon’s exceptionally costly engagement. There is no division troop list which usually adds to the reader’s understanding. Despite that the format requires readers to cope with both Olexa’s and Smither’s styles, and accept frequent consult of valuable footnotes, it is a worthy read for its insights. That likely was what Smither determined when he first perused the manuscript.
Lieutenant Colonel Ralph V. Little, Jr., USA-Ret.
Jacksonville, Florida
