Surviving Three Shermans: With the 3rd Armored Division into the Battle of the Bulge: What I Didn’t Tell Mother About My War

"A WWII soldier’s rosy letters home are juxtaposed with his recollections of combat’s harrowing on-the-ground reality in this immersive debut memoir...With its unique vantage point, this is a noteworthy addition to the literature of WWII." ― Publishers Weekly

In 1943, eighteen-year-old Walter Stitt enlisted in the U.S. Army, ready to serve his country. From his time in basic training at Fort Polk in Louisiana, throughout his time as a tank gunner in the 33rd Armored Regiment, to his post-injury service in England, he wrote home to the family he had left at home.

Unbeknown to him, his mother carefully numbered and saved the letters, treasuring them until her death. This book brings together the very different two versions of Walter’s war: the version that a teenage soldier could reveal to his parents and younger siblings without scaring them or invoking the censor’s pen, and the full and often terrifying details of serving as a tank loader and gunner in France, Belgium and Germany, remembered so clearly eighty years later. Walter explains the forced omissions and partial truths his teenage self offered to comfort his family while he survived the destruction of three Sherman tanks, the death of three crew members, and two wounds.

Coming from West Virginia, Walter’s Appalachian roots and values are apparent through the memories he held dear as a soldier and the values he clung to while fighting in one of the darkest periods of human history. His memoir recounts his experiences of serving during World War II while honoring those who served and made the ultimate sacrifice.

Walter Boston Stitt, Jr., is a World War II veteran who served as a corporal in the 33rd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division. Stitt was a tank loader and gunner and fought in both France and Belgium, earning two Purple Hearts for his service. Stitt has since been awarded the French Legion of Honor for helping liberate France from Nazi Occupation. Stitt attended Wittenberg University and graduated from Hamma School of Theology in 1965. He has served in the Lutheran church as minister and pastor in Louisville, Kentucky; South Bend, Indiana; and Springfield, Ohio.