Author Retraces Steps Through WWII
In S. Joseph Krause’s new novel, Falling Out and Belonging: A Foot-Soldier’s Life, readers are taken on a vivid, gritty, and historically accurate journey into the life of a young infantryman during World War II. Thanks to the sponsorship of the Columbia University Club of Cleveland and the Friends of Lakewood Public Library, Lakewoodites will have a chance to meet the author in person and listen to him discuss his experiences writing the book and surviving World War II on Saturday, March 1 at 2:00 p.m. in the New Main Library Auditorium.
The novel portrays in journal-based detail the stressful day-to-day experiences of combat infantrymen as they go into continuous attacks, enduring the unendurable. Shared loyalty helps keep the men going, along with their jaundiced attitude toward the Army’s notorious foul-ups. Amid the constant fear there is comradeship and an unspoken sense of belonging, a “culture of caring,” as articulated by their chaplain. There are, however, some who “fall out,” unable to take it anymore.
Specifically traced are the bonds of six comrades in arms, three of whom are killed, three wounded, as their combat roles play out. The novel is divided into four parts, each of which examines an aspect of the brutal realities of war. Part One deals with the naïve ideas of the innocent recruits, who are gradually sobered by incidental casualties on the way up, which initiates them into the wartime inconsequence of death. Part Two takes readers into the fierce Battle of Hurtgen Forest where, in a typical attack, a revered sergeant takes out a machine gun nest while covered by the narrator, only to be killed by an unseen sniper. An officer insisting on night action gets his legs blown off by a mine, and twists on another that kills soldiers nearby.
Part Three records the Luxembourg campaign. On their way to Osweiler, one of the towns along the Sauer River that the Germans wanted to roll through, the guys find themselves pinned down out in the open, in foot-deep snow, fearing the worst. Posted in the woods outside of town, the remnant of their company repels several attacks, but success comes at a high price. In Part Four, the narrator is wounded and recuperates in a rear-echelon element. Though he is relieved to be back from the Front, this soldier can’t abide rear-echelon debauchery and prefers the world of reality.
During World War II, Krause served with the 4th Infantry Division during two of its bitterest campaigns. Thanks largely to the G.I. Bill of Rights, he earned a master’s degree from Yale and a Ph.D. from Columbia University. A retired English professor, Krause has published numerous articles and is the author of another book, Mark Twain As Critic. Following Fulbright Professorships at the Universities of Copenhagen and Tübingen, he lectured in Holland, Germany, Portugal, Rome and Warsaw. Invited to a ceremony in Luxembourg, presided over by the U.S. Ambassador, Krause was recently awarded a medal for his company’s role in the Breakthrough. More information is available at www.footsoldierstory.com.
