The book did not flow as smoothly as it could have. It seemed hurried in places, but mainly the character Tessa really annoyed me. In this day and age, she just seemed too casual at jumping from bed to bed. Granted it does happen in real life, but in this book it just seemed too much for my liking.

I'm a big fan of both Osprey and Robert Rush, who are an outstanding publisher and historian respectively. The approach of this books is innovative and interesting. We follow a fictional soldier, Michael, from his enlistment in a New York National Guard regiment in 1938 through his discharge from military service in 1945. Along the way, we learn about his clothing, equipment, tactics and training. The writing is excellent.

Unfortunately, the execution is not up to Osprey's usual high standard. There are too many typographical errors, the maps are mediocre and difficult to correlate with the text, and the color plates are also mediocre.