It’s not every day that we come across a historical work with as much life in it as we see in Left for Dead at Nijmegen: The True Story of an American Paratrooper in WWII. The level of research and attention to detail that went into the retelling of Eugene Metcalfe’s harrowing tale of survival is shown in spades. The reader has no problem understanding not only the physical situations faced by the main character but also the emotions and state of mind.
The author of this incredible story is hard to identify. Marcus A Nannini is certainly the one who organized and wrote the book, but he did such a good job putting it together that you just can’t help but think it is Gene himself telling you his own story. To add to that effect, Nannini puts a lot of focus on Gene’s sense of humor and personality.
The conversations between important members of the SS as well as many other details seem almost too good to be true from a historical perspective. Nannini dutifully constructs images and characteristics of the POW camps that his subject was forced into that were previously unknown. This work, therefore, is as important to historical study of the period as it is a riveting and fascinating tale.
The story starts off with Gene Metcalfe at school and illustrates his departure from his home, family and friends. Looking to do his part, Gene sets off and quickly finds himself shipping off. From the title, the reader knows there is going to be a traumatic event from the get-go, but what transpires afterwards is quite unpredictable. Left for dead, captured, moved from camp to camp, and bearing witness to many horrifying things, it is hard to believe at times that Gene is going to make it. Even more impactful are the ways that Gene gets himself through the atrocities he experiences.
The writing is direct, simple, and honest, relaying the same feeling that you get from the main character. Left for Dead in Nijmegen, written by Marcus A Nannini and published by Casemate, a resounding recommendation to readers of historical novels.
Pages: 256 | ASIN: B07QM86WDW
MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW, 06-10-2019
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/lbw/jun_19.htm
Critique: "Left for Dead at Nijmegen: The True Story of an American Paratrooper in World War II" is an extraordinary and simply riveting memoir that will prove to be an immediate and enduringly valued addition to both community and academic library World War II Military History & Biography collections.”
Book Review
Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite
Left for Dead at Nijmegen: The True Story of an American Paratrooper is a nonfiction biography written by Marcus A. Nannini, who spent several years interviewing Gene Metcalfe, who was determined to become a paratrooper, enlisted and was part of Operation Market Garden, a paratrooper landing in Nijmegen, Holland. It was his first foray into the field of battle, the culmination of years of training in every aspect of the paratrooper’s skills in war-craft.
Operation Market Garden was, from the outset, a poorly timed and executed operation, one for which the Germans almost seemed to have advance notice. For Metcalf, his inability to hear the order to retreat resulted in an injury that led one of his comrades to believe he was dead. While he was stunned and rendered unconscious for a while, Metcalf was indeed not dead. Over the next 24 hours, he would be imprisoned in a strange castle-like building and interviewed by Heinrich Himmler himself. Thereafter, until the war ended, he would languish in a series of gulags wherein Allied soldiers were deprived of food, forced into hard labor and doomed to die slow and agonizing deaths.
Left for Dead at Nijmegen is a stunning and beautifully written recounting of Gene Metcalfe’s experiences beginning with his life-changing decision to quit school and enlist to become a paratrooper. While the story is written by Nannini, I consistently felt Metcalfe’s presence within the telling, and the photographs included in the book increase the impact and credibility of Metcalfe’s story. I enjoyed seeing the young soldier through the author’s eyes, especially his artistic and humorous side, and I loved the stories of how he would get in trouble in school and boot camp for his cartoons. I was thrilled to see a few of his drawings were included in the back of the book and couldn’t help but chuckle at the one entitled “das brot.”
What struck me most vividly, however, was the brutal truth behind the treatment of those prisoners of war in the German gulags. While most of us think the Geneva Convention ensured that somewhat tolerable conditions for prisoners was the rule, this book shows how soldiers held by the Germans were often literally starved and worked to death. As I read, I couldn’t help but remember the photographs I’ve seen showing the condition of surviving prisoners of war taken when US troops entered the gulags and death camps of Germany. Those images and Metcalfe’s story paint an unforgettable picture of the suffering and privation inflicted in those camps. Left for Dead at Nijmegen: The True Story of an American Paratrooper is an important work, one that exemplifies the sacrifices made by our military and reveals the reality of the POWs’ struggle to survive under the harshest of situations. It’s most highly recommended.
Local World War II veteran Eugene (Gene) Metcalfe, accompanied by his wife, daughter and granddaughter, witnessed military parachutists float to a small farmer’s field during a re-enactment of a daring mission in which Metcalfe participated 75 years ago in the Netherlands.
Metcalfe, who will turn 97 in December, was 22 years old at the time. He was wounded by enemy artillery during a firefight with a German tank division. Left for dead, he was taken as a prisoner of war.
The British 1st Airborne Division led the airborne assault that was part of British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery’s ill-fated plan for Operation Market Garden. Paratroopers from the U.S. Army’s 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions and Poland’s 1st Independent Parachute Brigade also were dropped.
The Netherlands’ highest military award, the Orange Lanyard of the Military Order of William, was presented to Metcalfe, assigned to the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, and a comrade, Robert C. Blankenship.
Blankenship’s son, Richard, accepted the award for his father, who died of a heart attack in 1970.
“I was called the Liberator everywhere I went,” said Metcalfe in an interview after his return home. “I’ve been called a lot of things but can you imagine, Liberator?”
He and his wife, Paulette, were guests of the Netherlands government. His daughter, Tracy, and her daughter, Paige, accompanied them.
The friendliness of people most impressed Metcalf and their desire to express their gratitude for events that happened years ago.
“It was beyond anything I could have imagined. Seventy-five years ago, they don’t even know you’re alive and now everyone wants to get to know you and show their appreciation,” he said. “The Dutch people are just so grateful. It was just like coming home. The people are so proud of their heritage.”
A crowd of 100,000 attended one ceremony, said Metcalfe. He presented copies of his biography, “Left for Dead at Nijmegen,” written by Marcus Nannini, to the former Dutch queen, Princess Beatrix, and other dignitaries.
He chatted with Britain’s Prince Charles, who wore camouflage fatigues and the parachute regiment’s maroon beret.
“We had a nice little talk. He asked me how things were in the States.”
Metcalfe presented him a book.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he attended to pay tribute to the World War II heroes. He said that Operation Market Garden showed “the importance of forces from different countries being able to operate together and that is exactly what NATO is about.”
“This blew my mind,” said Metcalfe, referring to his reception. “People would come out of nowhere and asked ‘can we have a picture with you? I told the little ones that you should be very proud of your heritage.”
Metcalfe and his wife had returned to the area in 1961. He wanted her to see where he had spent a major part of his war life.
Metcalfe was imprisoned at Stalag VII-A where he was forced into slave labor until May 1945.
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In order to wear the Orange Lanyard, the unit must first be accepted into the Military Order of William, a chivalric order established in 1815. Afterward, individuals who were a part of that unit during the time of acceptance may wear the brightly colored orange cord on their left shoulder.
The 82nd Airborne Division was awarded the Order of William on Oct. 8, 1945.
Gene Metcalfe’s full story can be found in the book “Left for Dead at Nijmegen,” written by Marcus A. Nannini.
According to an award citation, the events that followed were harrowing. As the next set of boats was preparing to land, an enemy machine gun opened fire from their left flank, wounding several men and pinning down the larger landing. Blankenship moved across 100-yards of open terrain by crawling and moving by leaps and bounds until he was within 50-yards of the machine gun. He fired upon the four-man crew with his rifle, killing them. Blankenship became aware of a concealed enemy sniper five yards from his position. The sniper was firing on Blankenship’s scout. With no time to reload his then empty rifle, Blankenship tackled the German and knocked him out with his fists. He then led two of his men within 15 yards of a flak-wagon and neutralized it with hand grenades.
Blankenship was awarded the Silver Star in December 1944. He died of a heart attack in 1970.
“We really didn’t know much about his story as kids growing up,” said his son Richard. “He never talked about his time in the war, not until the final few years before he passed.”
The Orange Lanyard award was pinned onto Metcalfe’s coat, and Richard Blankenship was given the award in a small display case.
“I was very honored to present the Orange Lanyard to Mr. Metcalfe and a relative of Mr. Blankenship,” said Dutch Army Col. Timo Beaufort, deputy commander of 11th Air Mobile Brigade, who presented both awards. “It’s a dream for every modern time soldier to commemorate the veterans, especially the ones who liberated the Netherlands.”
“It is a lot more pleasurable than it was 75 years ago,” Metcalfe said about returning to the area. “The Dutch people are just so grateful. It’s just like coming home.”
Ten hours after landing, the 22-year-old paratrooper was involved in a firefight with a German tank division, where he was wounded by an enemy artillery round. Left for dead, he was eventually discovered by German troops and taken as a prisoner of war.
“This is beyond anything I could have imagined. Seventy-five years ago, they don’t even know you’re alive,” he joked, “and now everyone wants to get to know you and show their appreciation.”
Robert Blankenship was a first lieutenant and platoon commander of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, an airborne unit that descended with gliders during Operation Market Garden.
On Sept. 20, 1944, Blankenship crossed the Waal River in the first boat of an assault wave during a daring daylight operation designed to establish a bridgehead and gain ground into enemy territory.
Nine silhouettes bloomed out from the rear of an aircraft and drifted toward the soil of a small field outside the town of Groesbeek, Netherlands.
The descending figures belonged to the 11th Air Mobile Brigade of the Dutch Army and carried something special to be presented in honor of two men who had made the same descent 75 years ago.
The Netherlands’ highest military award, the Orange Lanyard of the Military Order of William, was presented to U.S. Army World War II veterans Gene Metcalfe and Robert C. Blankenship, whose son, Richard Blankenship, accepted the award on behalf of his father on Sept. 18, 2019.
Both men were assigned to the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and had participated in Operation Market Garden, dropping into the region on September 17, 1944, which led to the liberation of Dutch cities from Nazi Germany forces.
