This morning I returned to my usual research room at Pritzker Military Museum and Library in Chicago. I try to be here one day a week to do research and write, because it is a fantastic research library and the staff is amazing. Today I was shown a new acquisition, the After action report: Third US Army, 1 August 1944 – 9 May 1945. Vol I, the operations.
The book is old and gigantic and over 3 inches thick and beautiful. I had to use gloves to see it. You can download a PDF of this book at the link above. It contains all the operations reports for the Third Army with photographs on almost every page and more maps than I can count! It is an incredible resource for examining the high level part of the war through the eyes of the Third Army.
So what if you are like me and research more of the individual soldier story rather than a high level story? Is this book useful?
Absolutely.
- There are photographs and maps which add context to the story of your soldier who was part of the Third Army.
- Official reports are in the book in full text so you can see the historical context of what the Third Army and specific divisions were doing and where they were in battle.
- There are statistics on casualties, replacements, material, battles, and other facets of war which again, add context.
This book is available upon request at the library and is held in the Rare Book Room. While I enjoy the fact it is available as a PDF online, I can’t wait to use the book again soon for client work.
What cool books have you discovered at your favorite research locations?
© 2015 Jennifer Holik
Leave a Reply