About this title: Originally published in 1949, TO HELL AND BACK was a smash bestseller for fourteen weeks and later became a major motion picture starring Audie Murphy as himself. More than fifty years later, this classic wartime memoir is just as gripping as it was then. Desperate to see action but rejected by both marines and paratroopers because he was too short, Murphy eventually found a home with the infantry. He fought through campaigns in Sicily, France and Germany. Although still under twenty-one years old on V-E Day, he was credited with having killed, captured or wounded 240 Germans. He emerged from ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: 15th Printing Nov. 1955
Binding: Softbound PB Spine Very Well W
Publisher: Permabooks, NY
Description: No Illustratin. Fair Tight Clean PB. No DJ. 6.4 By 4" PB 312 Pgs. Story of guns, guts and teamwork infantry Binding worn spine but tight PB cornersbent. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Bantam
Date Published: later printing thus, 1983
Description: Good+ paperback. 16mo, paperback, 273pp, drawings. edgewear, corners curled, small scrapes, creases spine and top front corner, cover. corners bumped, light yellowing, clean and tight text. letters and numbers stamped topedge. film. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Date Published: 1949
Description: Good Minus Condition. Wear and soiling to covers, pages yellowed; name inside; musty from storage; good solid reading copy still. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilogram. Inventory No: 076317. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Permabooks
Date Published: 1955
Description: Fair. TO HELL AND BACK by Audie Murphy. Permabooks, 1955. Binding: Mass Market PaperbackDust Jacket: . NOTES: 15th Printing. Showing some exterior wear/creasing, contents are overall clean and tight with no owner markings. Permabooks # M-4029Images available upon request. Please email us with any questions. read more
Edition: Reprint
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co, New York
Date Published: 1949
Description: Fair. No Jacket. This book has some shelf wear as well as tanning, tapeing and marks on the cover and pages. The library stamps and stickers are still on this book. The hinges are loose in this book. This book is 274 pages with a gray/blue cover and light blue lettering on the spine. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Owl Books / Holt, New York, NY
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780805070866ISBN:0805070869
Description: NF. Trade paperback, 274 pages. The classic memoir of World War II by America's most decorated soldier, foreword by Tom Brokaw. A clean copy with no owner markings, one page has been folded at tip. teeny bump to bottom tip of cover; spine uncreased. Else Near Fine condition. read more
Edition: New Edition
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Perma Books
Date Published: 1951
Description: Very Good- Mass Market Paperback A decent copy, first Permabooks edition, P119 with thirty-five cent cover price, illustrated cover, normal reading wear but not excessive. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Permabooks
Date Published: 1951
Description: Good. TO HELL AND BACK by Audie Murphy. Permabooks, 1951. Binding: Mass Market PaperbackDust Jacket: . NOTES: Permabooks # 119 Showing exterior wear/creasing, contents are overall clean with no owner markings. Images available upon request. Please email us with any questions. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Bantam Books 1979
Date Published: 1979
ISBN-13:9780553130423ISBN:0553130420
Description: ISBN 0553130420. Mass Market Paperback. First Bantam Books Printing. Tight sound copy in good condition with some spine creasing. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Bantam Books
Date Published: 1988
ISBN-13:9780553232066ISBN:0553232061
Description: Paperback. Second Bantam Printing. Very Good to Near Fine Condition. Tight bright attractive copy with no markings to the book. ISBN 0-553-23206-1. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Bantam Books
Date Published: 1983
ISBN-13:9780553242973ISBN:0553242970
Description: ISBN 0-553-24297-0. Mass Market Paperback. Later Printing. Tight sound copy in Good to very good condition with creasing to spine, edge wear and some browning to edges of interior pages, Original price has been neatly blacked out. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Bantam Books 1983
Date Published: 1983
ISBN-13:9780553232066ISBN:0553232061
Description: ISBN 0553232061. Mass Market Paperback. Later Printing. Small owners name on the top of the title page, otherwise a Tight sound unmarked copy in very good condition with slight spine creasing and some browning to the edges of the interior pages. read more
"I didn't take to this book right away. I was expecting more from the man toted as the most decorated soldier. I didn't "get it" until the last couple of pages. I do now. I like it."
"I'm currently reading this one and it's great! Sure there is blood and guts but mostly emphasizes the relationships between the men. Excellent living history book! Can't wait to finish it!"
"Murphy came from as disadvantaged a background as one could. Physically, he was utterly unimpressive. However, when all others lost their heads, he was the one who did not and took care of his mates as well as possible. He is no well trained writer, but he tells what happened clear and to the point. Worth the read"
Audey Murphy was always a brave soldier. He began with weigh-the-odds courage, but ended up acting like what can best be described as a 'beserker'.
He was first in action after Salerno, and was a gallant soldier. During the Italian campaign a lot of friends and comrades were killed, the Anzio beachhead being the worst place. He even fell in love with a nurse at Anzio who was blown to bits by Anzio Annie.
By the time of the Allied invasion of Southern France, he had begun to 'lose it'. He was convinced he was going to die, and was filled with hate and rage for the Germans.
Of his two most fabulous exploits; in the first, his last remaining buddy from Italy was killed right next to him by a German machine gun. Murphy then became enraged, ran up a hill, directly at the machine gun position - the Germans presumably too surprised to react. He killed the crew of the weapon, then made his way along the German position, killing the Germans with their own HMG.
He basically wiped out a platoon or so of dug-in Germans, which is a pretty impressive feat.
But the next one went beyond even that. His unit was attacked by a larger German force - I think it was a regiment. Outnumbered, they retreated, but Murphy stayed behind, took up position in a burning tank (tank destroyer actually), alternating between calling in artillery strikes using the vehicle's radio, and using its machine gun to fire on the Germans.
The Germans couldn't work out where the firing was coming from, because they never imagined someone could be inside a burning tank that could blow sky high at any moment!
This action ended up with him calling in artillery fire right on top his own position! So he clearly had a death wish. The Germans were forced to retreat; this is the one he won the Congressional Medal of Honour for.
All of this from an 18-19 year old kid!
He suffered terrible shell shock and psychological trauma after the war. The book he co-wrote is very honest; there's no glorification or melodrama, and he describes his mental state very frankly. It's a real glimpse into what it means to experience battle; and a fascinating study of the state of mind we the guys we call heroes."
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