No Surrender: A World War II Memoir

by James Sheeran

Overview

The Nazis caught him, but they couldn't hold him—a gripping WWII memoir from a D-Day paratrooper and American hero.

A paratrooper in the 101st Airborne, James Sheeran was just a kid when he floated into Normandy on D-Day-only to be captured soon afterward by the Germans. Escaping from a POW train bound for Germany, Sheeran traveled behind enemy lines in France, eventually fighting alongside the French Resistance.

After hooking up with Patton's advancing army, he fought admirably in Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge, and was ultimately awarded the Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, and the Chevalier of the Order of the Legion of Honor.

Sheeran's breathtaking chronicle of his capture, daring escape, fierce guerilla resistance, and valor under fire is an unforgettable testament to the spirit of the American soldier.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101486283
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	02/01/2011
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	304,985
File size:	352 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

James Sheeran was named a chevalier of the Order of the Legion of Honor-France's highest order-for his heroic experiences during World War II. He was also awarded a lifetime achievement award by the New Jersey Assembly and the Congressional Bronze Star by the U.S. A former mayor of West Orange, New Jersey, he died in July 2007.

Editorial Reviews

Readers will marvel at the heroics of this 19-year-old paratrooper after he floated down on D-Day into Nazi-occupied France. In this account of courage and endurance, Sheeran (who died in 2007) was a private with the 101st Airborne when he was captured by the enemy, rounded up with other POWs and marched through American bombs and aircraft strafing to a German camp, chatted up by Axis Sally, and herded before the French in Paris for Gestapo newsreels. He covers it all: the starvation, the exhaustion and hopelessness of captivity, and the suffocating boxcars of the prisoner train. Eventually, the plucky private and his pals escape into the dark and freedom. Each of Sheeran's chapters is devoted to a grander feat of daring than the last—joining the Resistance, battling the Germans toe-to-toe, repeating the same feat his father performed in the previous war. This is a moving portrait of a humble man who was awarded a Bronze Star and named a chevalier of France's Order of the Legion of Honor, going on after the war to become a respected New Jersey politician. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for No Surrender: A World War II Memoir

"[An] account of courage and endurance....Each of Sheeran's chapters is devoted to a grander feat of daring than the last."--Publishers Weekly

"A riveting account of war and survival in the European theater of operations."--Colonel Cole C. Kingseed, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Beyond Band of Brothers

"Sheeran's vivid, personal account of warfare represents an important piece of history. I highly recommend this riveting, action-packed book."--Marcus Brotherton, author of We Who Are Alive and Remain, A Company of Heroes, and Shifty's War

"James J. Sheeran, a resourceful Screaming Eagle, delivers his own thrilling story with powerful emotion in No Surrender. His escape from a Nazi POW train, fighting with the French Resistance, the sacrifices of his elite 101st Airborne at Bastogne, it all jumps from the pages in suspenseful detail."--Forrest Bryant Johnson, author of Phantom Warrior and Hour of Redemption

"Sheeran so seamlessly and descriptively weaves his story that from the first sentence, I couldn't put the book down. I devoured every detail, from his capture on D-Day to his harrowing escape, to the wild twists of fate and colorful characters he encounters as he finds his way back to I Company. Another courageous Screaming Eagle, yet he shows us the war from a completely different angle. An invaluable addition to the books by the brave men and women who fought the greatest war in history." --Robyn Post coauthor of Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends

From the Publisher