Patton's Lucky Scout

Patton’s Lucky Scout
The Adventures of a Forward Observer
for General Patton and the Third Army in Europe

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Crickhollow Books
Paperback • $18.95 • 308 pages • 6” x 9”
October 2009 • ISBN 978-1-933987-10-1
History / Military (World War II) / Memoir

Trade Orders: Distributed by Itasca Book Distributing
ph: 800-901-3480 • http://www.itascabooks.com
Also available from Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Amazon.com, and other vendors

This is a fascinating, often humorous memoir of World War II by a remarkable soldier, a scout working behind enemy lines for Patton’s famed Third Army on the move.

The stories in this book are the memoirs of PFC Frank Wayne Martin, who served in the 328th regiment of the 26th Yankee Division in the Third Army during World War II.

As part of a group of advance observers, his task was to scout routes and German positions, usually far behind enemy lines, then to report back, often directly to General Patton. Based on these reports and other intelligence, Patton decided where and how to advance. In short, PFC Martin’s mission was to spearhead the Third Army drive across
Europe.

Whether chatting up an enemy sniper in a tree or working with the French or German Underground or going without food for days, this is a memoir of survival. The personal account is full of humor and engaging stories, tales of a historic campaign seen through the eyes of an intelligent, trained observer.

One example of the dry humor: the field cookbook offered in an appendix, a glimpse of GI ingenuity, with eccentric ingredients and offbeat techniques for collecting and preparing food. Julia Child might turn up her nose, but these reflect the real experiences of a scout working beyond enemy lines, with a trench knife, well-tuned powers of observation, common sense, compassion, inventiveness, and a powerful drive for survival.

FRANK WAYNE MARTIN is a World War II veteran who served as a scout for Patton on his march across Europe. He lives in Glendale, a north suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

NANCY MARTIN is his daughter-in-law and compiler of these stories into a cohesive account. She also lives in Glendale / Milwaukee.