Death and Life in the Big Red One: A Soldier's World War II Journey from North Africa to Germany

— Vol. 22: of North Texas Military Biography and Memoir Series

Published: March, 2023  Pages: 400  Features: 19 b&w illus. 5 maps. Notes. Bib. Index.

Joe Olexa enlisted in the US Army in December 1940, figuring that if he was going to be in a war, he might as well start training. Assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, nicknamed “The Big Red One,” he served in Company L of its 26th Infantry Regiment for the next four years. Along the way he trained with the division in maneuvers in the United States; shipped to England in 1942; landed at Oran, Algeria, in the Operation Torch landings of November 1942; and fought in Tunisia, Sicily, Normandy, Belgium, and Germany. more... about Death and Life in the Big Red One: A Soldier's World War II Journey from North Africa to Germany