Rating: 
Summary: Strike And Hold
Review: I found Mr. Burriss' book to be very compelling. His book gives the reader background information regarding the circumstances that led to the writing of this book. He gives his perspective then and now regarding his participation in some of history's greatest battles and the 504th PIR's greatest feats of arms. He gives the reader who is not intimately familiar with military history an overview of the campaigns of the 82nd Airborne in Sicily, Italy, Holland, Belgium, and Germany. But, in order to give the reader a picture of what life was like as a platoon and company commander with arguably the best division in World War II, he relates his first hand experiences and those of others who fought with him in a very well written manner.Unlike Mr. Gudmens, I found Mr. Burriss' combination of his first hand experiences along with that of others, his perspectives then and now, and an overall picture of campaigns to be very useful in getting a fuller picture of what happened during combat against German forces. Every combat veteran will remember certain aspects of a firefight, artillery barrage, attack, etc., while another who was there will remember things differently. Mr. Burriss' is thoughtful enough to include the accounts of others who were there in order to give the reader the benefit of multiple perspectives. His book begins with his journey after 50 years to the battlefields of his youth. There he visits the places where he and his men fought with incredible bravery against, in many cases, overwhelming odds. Mr. Burriss visits the graves of his men in Italy, Holland, and Belgium, whose bravery still serve to inspire him today. He tells of the poignant reenactment of the crossing of the Waal River in Holland and the appreciation of the Dutch people who, even today are extremely grateful for what the Americans sacrificed so that they could be free of German oppression. It makes one wonder about why there is not a similiar feeling among Americans regarding our freedom and the price paid in blood to maintain it. Mr. Burriss gives the reader his background before the war, the training as an original member of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, the journey to North Africa, and the subsequent campaigns in Sicily, Italy, Holland, Belgium, and Germany. His first hand description of the battle at Anzio when his battalion stopped a German Panzer breakthrough that threatened to push the Allies into the sea, the courageous assault crossing of the Waal River to capture the railroad and highway bridges in Nijmegen in arguably the greatest feat of arms in WWII, and the clash with the 1st SS Panzer Division in the Battle of the Bulge are priceless. Mr. Burriss tells of how his lightly armed men fought and destroyed superior numbers of German infantry and armor time and time again, but at a very heavy loss of some of the best men that America has ever produced. The last page of the book, which is very poignant, reveals the real reason why Mr. Burriss wrote it. Any citizen that wants their children to know the real price of freedom should buy this book. I purchased additional copies for my sons and my brother, and intend to purchase additional copies for the town's library and high school.
Rating:
Summary: Strike And Hold
Review: I found Mr. Burriss' book to be very compelling. His book gives the reader background information regarding the circumstances that led to the writing of this book. He gives his perspective then and now regarding his participation in some of history's greatest battles and the 504th PIR's greatest feats of arms. He gives the reader who is not intimately familiar with military history an overview of the campaigns of the 82nd Airborne in Sicily, Italy, Holland, Belgium, and Germany. But, in order to give the reader a picture of what life was like as a platoon and company commander with arguably the best division in World War II, he relates his first hand experiences and those of others who fought with him in a very well written manner. Unlike Mr. Gudmens, I found Mr. Burriss' combination of his first hand experiences along with that of others, his perspectives then and now, and an overall picture of campaigns to be very useful in getting a fuller picture of what happened during combat against German forces. Every combat veteran will remember certain aspects of a firefight, artillery barrage, attack, etc., while another who was there will remember things differently. Mr. Burriss' is thoughtful enough to include the accounts of others who were there in order to give the reader the benefit of multiple perspectives. His book begins with his journey after 50 years to the battlefields of his youth. There he visits the places where he and his men fought with incredible bravery against, in many cases, overwhelming odds. Mr. Burriss visits the graves of his men in Italy, Holland, and Belgium, whose bravery still serve to inspire him today. He tells of the poignant reenactment of the crossing of the Waal River in Holland and the appreciation of the Dutch people who, even today are extremely grateful for what the Americans sacrificed so that they could be free of German oppression. It makes one wonder about why there is not a similiar feeling among Americans regarding our freedom and the price paid in blood to maintain it. Mr. Burriss gives the reader his background before the war, the training as an original member of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, the journey to North Africa, and the subsequent campaigns in Sicily, Italy, Holland, Belgium, and Germany. His first hand description of the battle at Anzio when his battalion stopped a German Panzer breakthrough that threatened to push the Allies into the sea, the courageous assault crossing of the Waal River to capture the railroad and highway bridges in Nijmegen in arguably the greatest feat of arms in WWII, and the clash with the 1st SS Panzer Division in the Battle of the Bulge are priceless. Mr. Burriss tells of how his lightly armed men fought and destroyed superior numbers of German infantry and armor time and time again, but at a very heavy loss of some of the best men that America has ever produced. The last page of the book, which is very poignant, reveals the real reason why Mr. Burriss wrote it. Any citizen that wants their children to know the real price of freedom should buy this book. I purchased additional copies for my sons and my brother, and intend to purchase additional copies for the town's library and high school.
Rating: 
Summary: A Warrior from the Greatest Generation
Review: In his personal memoir, Strike and Hold, L. Moffatt Burriss relates an account of his World War II experiences as a platoon leader, then company commander in the 504th PIR of the 82nd AD. After a brief introduction describing his training and shipment oversees, Capt. Burriss describes three important engagements, which he participated in. The first was a drop into Sicily, the second was the struggle to maintain the beachhead at Anzio, and the third was the drop into Grave, Holland as part of the Market-Garden operation. Of the three, the operation at Grave, the crossing of the Waal River, and the subsequent capture of the Nijmegen bridge strikes me as the most traumatic of Burriss' combat experiences. The Waal crossing and attack were sheer hell and Burriss' account describes it in agonizing detail. Especially distressing to this reader was the account of the stalled British armored column, under General Horrocks. As their paratrooper comrades were being slaughtered at Arnhem, Captain Carrington (subsequently Lord Carrington) was brewing tea and waiting for orders to advance. This after the 504th had fought and died to gain the bridgehead to allow the Brits to advance. Capt. Burriss was also present at Cheneux, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. Unfortunately for this reviewer, he says little about it. The reason is unknown. Either he had little recollection of the event, or there wasn't a great deal to tell. In any case, Capt. Burriss has written a moving and poignant remembrance of the Second World War, and his reasons for fighting the war, and his speculation on whether today's generation could make such a sacrifice make this book a "should read" for any reader interested in why we fought.
Rating:
Summary: A Warrior from the Greatest Generation
Review: In his personal memoir, Strike and Hold, L. Moffatt Burriss relates an account of his World War II experiences as a platoon leader, then company commander in the 504th PIR of the 82nd AD. After a brief introduction describing his training and shipment oversees, Capt. Burriss describes three important engagements, which he participated in. The first was a drop into Sicily, the second was the struggle to maintain the beachhead at Anzio, and the third was the drop into Grave, Holland as part of the Market-Garden operation. Of the three, the operation at Grave, the crossing of the Waal River, and the subsequent capture of the Nijmegen bridge strikes me as the most traumatic of Burriss' combat experiences. The Waal crossing and attack were sheer hell and Burriss' account describes it in agonizing detail. Especially distressing to this reader was the account of the stalled British armored column, under General Horrocks. As their paratrooper comrades were being slaughtered at Arnhem, Captain Carrington (subsequently Lord Carrington) was brewing tea and waiting for orders to advance. This after the 504th had fought and died to gain the bridgehead to allow the Brits to advance. Capt. Burriss was also present at Cheneux, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. Unfortunately for this reviewer, he says little about it. The reason is unknown. Either he had little recollection of the event, or there wasn't a great deal to tell. In any case, Capt. Burriss has written a moving and poignant remembrance of the Second World War, and his reasons for fighting the war, and his speculation on whether today's generation could make such a sacrifice make this book a "should read" for any reader interested in why we fought.
Rating:
Summary: Strike and Hold
Review: One of the best WW2 books I have ever read. Could not put it down. It is real. It is unique, not a re-hash of all the other books out there. You are there with the author. You can tell it is written from experience. GLad I ran across it!!
Rating:
Summary: Strike and Hold
Review: One of the best WW2 books I have ever read. Could not put it down. It is real. It is unique, not a re-hash of all the other books out there. You are there with the author. You can tell it is written from experience. GLad I ran across it!!
Rating:
Summary: An excellent first-hand account
Review: Strike and Hold follows the author and his unit in the 82nd Airborne from the invasion of Sicily to Italy, to Operation Market Garden in Holland, to the Battle of the Bulge, and the conquest of Germany and Berlin. It is a personal account of the day to day battles fought by Captain Burriss and his comrades in the foxholes. His memories of each battle are detailed and vivid, and he supplements them with extended passages written by other soldiers who fought by his side. Each major battle is covered extensively, and the book ends with his return to Holland in 1994 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the crossing of the Waal River. The book has a very personal feel to it, as Burriss holds very little back. He doesn't say much about high level strategy, but tells the story of the everyday foot soldier slugging it out with the Germans under the most miserable conditions imaginable. His story reads very much like Stephen Ambrose's Citizen Soldier, except that Burriss was there himself, and all of the contributors whom he quotes at length were there with him. I cannot emphasize enough what an excellent personal account this is.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a history, not a memoir
Review: T. Moffatt Burriss failed in his attempt to give HIS memoir of fighting with the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment during World War II. The book bounces from a historical narrative to a personal memoir, to a collection of others memories. All combined, this becomes a disorganized account of one of the best fighting units of World War II. Mr. Burriss is undoubtably a brave man with combat jumps and many front line combat days, but he should have either written a memoir or a history. His attempt to do both failed.
Rating:
Summary: Not a history, not a memoir
Review: T. Moffatt Burriss failed in his attempt to give HIS memoir of fighting with the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment during World War II. The book bounces from a historical narrative to a personal memoir, to a collection of others memories. All combined, this becomes a disorganized account of one of the best fighting units of World War II. Mr. Burriss is undoubtably a brave man with combat jumps and many front line combat days, but he should have either written a memoir or a history. His attempt to do both failed.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book!
Review: There are a lot of details and stories in this book that I have not found anywhere else. I really enjoyed the personal touches. The additional perspectives from other paratroopers was appreciated. My uncle (S/Sgt David "Rosie" Rosenkrantz, MIA 9/28/44 Holland) was in H Company, 504. He was in some of the same battles and it sounds like they fought side-by-side at times.
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