The Amazing Story Found in a World War II Footlocker

I have just finished reading a book that I can highly recommend to anyone interested in delving into the inner workings of the officer corps of the U.S. Army in Western Europe during World War II. It is titled Contents of a WWII Footlocker: A Memoir of the U.S. Army Third Armored Division by Edith Nadine Brackman.

The book is predominantly composed of the many letters written by Brackman's father, Oliver William Brackman Jr., to his parents and sister just before and throughout the war. It describes the people, places, and events of his military career from enlistment as a lowly ROTC lieutenant; through his training at Camp Polk, the Desert Training Center, Camp Pickett, and Indiantown Gap; to his deployment to Europe and further training in England; throughout the war itself; and ending with his address to soldiers at a 1963 Memorial Day service. Brackman provides context for the letters by interspersing her own commentary and excerpts from the book Spearhead of the West among the chronologically presented letter transcripts.

My interest in Brackman's book was the fact that her father, like my uncle, whom I wrote about in my book Dillon's War, served in the 3rd Armored Division. Also, both men fought in the field artillery units of that Spearhead division. In fact, my uncle's specific unit, the 391st Armored Field Artillery Battalion, is mentioned at least seven times in the book. Moreover, the combat command of which the 391st was a part, CCB, is also mentioned even more often. It was gratifying to have the findings of my research and writing confirmed by Brackman's letters and his daughter's own writing.

Brackman closes her book with a discussion of her efforts to research a Totenkopf ring she found in her father's footlocker. Totenkopf rings were awarded to Nazi SS "Death's Head" squad members who had demonstrated their loyalty and commitment to the Nazi cause by perpetrating some callous, remorseless atrocity against humanity. Brackman's father had taken the ring from the body of a high-ranking SS officer he had killed in combat. The account of Ms Brackman's quest for information about the ring and the man who had worn it is intriguing indeed.

If you, like I, have an interest in World War II, especially the actions of the 3rd Armored Division or any unit within it, you'll love this book as I did. And if you, like I, had a family member or other relative who served in the war, it will inspire you to dig out and share their story with others just as Brackman has done.