The Lost Battalion

"[In October 1918] the Seventy-seventh American Division attacked in the Argonne. One mixed battalion of companies from two regiments got as far as it could. Germans closed in the rear, surrounding 600 men. Six days later, after incredible hardships, the wounded and an unharmed 194 were relieved... [The authors] have reconstructed every dramatic hour of the six-day siege... Correcting myths, cleaning up official whitewashes, Johnson and Pratt succeed in telling a more dramatic story than all the myths and official embroideries put together." - New York Times-"The reissuing of this classic book ... is to be welcomed by students of the First World War and those with a general interest in warfare and the fighting man... Written by a journalist who covered the war and a historian of some repute this book ... is a detailed account of a remarkable series of events. The pace of the writing will keep the reader turning the pages for more, but the book is more than just an adventure yarn. Indeed, its relevance to the modern officer is obvious as its incisive observations about leadership, motivation and morale still have much contemporary relevance."-The Wish Stream, Vol 54, Summer 2000