MWSA Review
Young Hickory: A WWII Novel by Steven F. Underwood follows the deployment of James Farrell from 1944 to 1945 through attachments to different platoons in the 120th Regiment of the 30th Division in Europe. The book is populated by many and varied characters, some of them fictional and some of them based in reality. The author has undertaken an enormous amount of research to frame a fictitious individual’s experience of World War II from the D-Day Normandy invasion through the Battle of the Bulge and beyond. Many footnotes are included in this work of fiction to differentiate which characters are real people.

Tall and lanky, Jim is tapped to become a runner, miraculously finding his way through enemy lines to deliver information from the front lines—where his company is surrounded on Mortain’s Hill 314—to headquarters and back again. From there we follow him through France, Belgium, and Germany to Magdeburg, short of Berlin. He is wounded several times and finds love in Liege, Belgium, before meeting —while recuperating from significant wounds in a hospital in Cologne—the woman he will eventually marry.

Readers will want to print out the list of characters in the beginning of the book, so as to keep them all straight. A map is also a helpful aid in understanding what was happening and where it was happening.

Review by Betsy Beard (May 2021)

 

Author's Synopsis
The 75th anniversary of the ending of World War II inspired me to write a novel centered on the exploits of a remarkable National Guard division, the 30th, nicknamed ‘Old Hickory.’

Jim Farrell joins the 30th Infantry Division in July, 1944. Injured in a D-Day practice exercise with the 29th Division, he is a replacement in the Old Hickory Division after an accidental bombing attack severely damages the 120th Regiment. It takes time for Jim to assimilate into his new unit, but his observational and tracking skills soon earn him praise. His efforts help Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 120th survive the battle of Mortain.

Wounded in action, Jim goes to Liege for medical attention. There, he meets a young Belgian woman named Lille. He falls madly in love with her. She returns his affection. The tall, handsome Virginian reminds her of Gary Cooper.

He rejoins the 120th where his abilities lead to his addition to the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon of the regiment. He becomes friends with Dave Harris, a native of Greensboro who has visited Jim’s hometown of Alta Vista.

Jim, Dave, and his entire squad distinguish themselves at the battle of Aachen and Jim gains a promotion. He is given a pass to Paris, but he goes to Liege instead. He and Lille consummate their love on a hill overlooking the Meuse River. Jim promises to return. However, his next visit is delayed by the Battle of the Bulge. Once again, Jim and his platoon gain accolades for rescuing survivors of the Malmedy massacre. He is promoted to sergeant and given command of the platoon when his commanding officer is severely wounded.

The Battle of the Bulge has made it difficult for the division to receive mail. As the battle wanes, Jim’s unit receive their delayed mail. He gets five letters from Lille, each promising her love to him. She writes that he has inspired her to go to Antwerp to study nursing. As Jim finishes that letter, another member of the squad reads out loud that an army newspaper reports a movie theater in Antwerp was hit by a V-2 rocket. The theater was playing a Gary Cooper film. Fearfully, Jim opens a letter from a friend of Lille’s. It informs him she was killed by the rocket.

Immediately after receiving the letter, the platoon is sent on a mission to rescue a Belgian family. They arrive at the family’s house in Faymonville, Belgium. It is occupied by a German soldier and the dead bodies of the entire family. Enraged, Jim reacts with murderous intent. His friend, Dave Harris, tries to stop him. Failing that, Dave works to salvage Jim’s psyche as the platoon moves on to the last battles of the war, the crossing of the Roer and Rhine rivers and battles in Germany. Dave constantly reminds Jim of his need to forgive the Germans and himself. Harris is wounded at the battle of Magdeburg. Jim becomes estranged from his unit. It is in the aftermath of a visit to Magdeburg Cathedral that Jim faces his final crisis.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-55571-982-1,

Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle

Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 302