H-0945: A Common Soldier’s Story of WWII by Karl F. Hollenbach is a non-fiction memoir about the author’s experiences in the United States Army at the close of World War II. Drafted into the military in 1943, Hollenbach attended basic training before being shipped over to Germany. The memoir chronicles his journeys through Germany and France to the end of the war and the subsequent occupation of Germany and France by the Allied forces. It also touches briefly on his life after World War II.

Mr. Hollenbach presents a unique view of life in Europe after World War II. Contrary to many memoirs of the time, it was interesting to read about Hollenbach’s time going to school while in the army in France. I found it fascinating that the army set up courses for the enlisted men, giving them the opportunity to study while serving their country. Throughout the book are photographs and documents obtained during Hollenbach’s time in the military. It was nice to put a visual to the narrative. I wish one of the letters had been typed up though as it was very difficult to read the handwriting. One of the more curious elements to me was the lack of milk provided to soldiers. I wish the author had explained why this was so. I also felt the second half of the book lacked some editing and could use a second look. Overall, though, H-0945: A Common Soldier’s Story of WWII was a different type of memoir and an informative read

World War II was drawing to a close when Karl F. Hollenbach received his notice to appear and was inducted into the army in 1943 as part of the Army Special Training Program. The A.S.T.P. was a program for soldiers to complete basic training, then attend a university where the program was available. Maybe Karl’s war wouldn’t be so bad after all. However, everything changed for Karl during his basic training; the A.S.T.P. was cancelled and he was reassigned to the 106th Infantry Division. Soon after, he was reassigned again to the 1471st Engineer Maintenance Company, narrowly missing deployment with the 106th which would receive heavy losses during the Battle of the Bulge.

Karl’s military career almost ended early when, on 17 January in 1945, he survived a horrendous train wreck in Saint Valery En Caux, France, where 120 U.S. soldiers died and 200 more were injured. Somehow spared, Karl spent the next year serving in parts of France and Germany where he was able to visit many historical areas. After his honorable discharge in 1946, Karl joined the inactive Reserves where he spent several years with a unit in the Engineer Aviation Battalion and was formally discharged with the rank of tech-sergeant in 1953.

Many stories have been written of one of the worst conflicts in American history, usually from the point of view of the combat soldier. In this story, Hollenbach describes World War II from the eyes of a young enlisted man in a service organization. I found the story to be an interesting look at a dark time in American history. However, some of the chapters seemed a bit disjointed, but overall, an easy to read and fascinating story.