New Book Alert: Soldiers of Freedom: The WWII Story of Patton's Panthers and The Eidelweiss Pirates (Volume Five of The World War Two Series) by Samuel Marquis; Courageous and Valorous Novel of Some of WWII's Most Unsung Heroes

New Book Alert: Soldiers of Freedom: The WWII Story of Patton's Panthers and The Edelweiss Pirates (Volume Five of The World War Two Series) by Samuel Marquis; Courageous and Valorous Novel of Some of WWII's Most Unsung Heroes

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews




Spoilers: Remember when being Anti-Fascist was a good thing?

Samuel Marquis remembers.


He has written a series of books about World War II and its various battles, figures, and events from different sides.

The fifth book in this series captures two groups of unsung heroes that deserve some long overdue praise. This historical fiction novel which reveals great courage, valor, and sacrifice gives them the praise they deserved.

One group are Patton's Black Panthers, the all-black regiment of tank drivers which were led by General George S. "Old Blood and Guts" Patton himself. The other group are the Eidelweiss Pirates, a group of young German civilians who rebelled against the Nazis by openly defying laws and fighting against members of the Hitler Youth.


This book has three characters, two real one fictional but based on a real person, to divide the narrative into two different stories. Both stories cover many of the same themes of fighting against hatred and bigotry, particularly on one's home front, and come together in one exciting climactic moment.

Of the real life protagonists one is very well known and the other less so and it is the story of the lesser known person (as well as the fictional protagonist) that makes this book. The lesser known protagonist is William H. McBurney, an African-American New Yorker, the son of a WWI vet who cautions his son about enlisting in the war, that he will still face racial discrimination at home. In fact when he first walks into the recruitment office in 1942, the officer tells him that the Air Corps does not accept African-Americans, "It just ain't done," he says. Undaunted and determined to serve his country, McBurney signs up for the armed services tank corps.


McBurney's basic training is a real eye opening experience of what it's like to be an African-American enlisted man under mostly white commanding officers in the 1940's. He and his fellow trainees such as his eventual best friend, Leonard "Smitty" Smith are subjected to discrimination in the town and on base. Many of the white soldiers subject the black soldiers to humiliating actions like forcing them to get outside of a barely crowded bus and walk several miles back to base. In Fort Hood. Central Texas. Even German POW's are revealed to be treated better than the African-American soldiers and subject the black soldiers to abuse without any recriminations from their white captors.

It would make most people say "F$#@ it, these people aren't worth fighting or dying for." But that's what makes McBurney and the rest of the battalion's actions so courageous. They are willing to fight for their fellow Americans despite the cruelty and racism encountered on the home front. McBurney doesn't just want to make history, he wants to change it, so that people can really see what African-Americans can do.

Luckily, McBurney and co. have some very powerful allies in their corner. One is Lt. Col. Paul "Smooth" Bates, their commanding officer AKA, "The Great White Father." Bates is the head of the 761st Tank Battalion, "The Black Panthers." He defends his men from any racist shenanigans, including defending one of them, 2nd Lt. John "Jackie" Robinson (Yes, that Jackie Robinson) when he is set up in a sham court martial trial that is driven mostly by racism. Bates believes in the battalion and is a true father to his men.

The other ally is "Old Blood and Guts" Patton himself. When he asks for a tank battalion and gets the Black Panthers, he says "I don't care what color you are as long as you kill those K*&#t SOB's!" (Go ahead, picture the George C. Scott voice in your head. I know I did.) Patton gives the order and off the 761st go to make history and fight in the Battle of the Bulge and cross the Rhine into Germany.

Another character dealing with prejudice and hatred at home is Angela "Mucki" Lange. Angela is a fictionalized version of Gertrud "Mucki" Koch who was a real life Eidelweiss Pirate. Ever the stickler for historical accuracy, in his Afterwards, Marquis said that he chose a fictional version of Koch because many of the events in Koch's life did not correspond with the narrative of the book. Either way, the Eidelweiss Pirate's story is a great addition to this book of heroism and sacrifice from people with whom many Readers may not be familiar.


Angela is horrified by the actions as many of her fellow Germans join the Nazi Party and commit various atrocities against Jews and other minorities. She particularly despises the Hitler Youth, young boys and their female counterparts, The League of German Girls, children barely in their teens who attack others based on Hitler's teachings. The Pirates are organized according to region. Angela's division of the Eidelweiss Pirates, the Navajos of Cologne operate within the city of Cologne. She and the other Pirates spray paint anti-Nazi slogans on the walls, engage in protest rallies, and fight members of the Hitler Youth. They have code names and meet in secret meetings, boys and girls together (unlike the gender segregated Nazi groups), to sing protest songs and organize large resistance movements. The Pirates are so secretive that they don't know each other's real names nor who is in them unless they recognize their dress, the Eidelweiss symbol on their lapels, or their traditional greeting (which is the opposite of the Heil Hitler salute). This intense secrecy reveals how dangerous a fascist government is when a simple act like speaking out against it has to be so shrouded in secret because of potential arrest or execution.


Angela has good reason to be secretive. Her father Co. Gunther Lange is a widowed disabled former Wermacht colonel. While he hates the Nazis, he continues to serve on the Cologne home guard. He knows of his daughter's activities but turns a blind eye to them for the time being (though cautions her for her safety). The feisty Angela however is ashamed at the savagery and hateful brutality of her fellow countryman and what her country has been reduced to. She continues to fight despite her father's objections and the prying suspicious eyes around her, particularly from her father's army colleagues and the Cologne Gestapo which know of her through her father.

Both McBurney and Angela's stories have many thrilling detailed moments which are suspenseful and heartwrenching, revealing the reality of war. McBurney gets caught in the middle of several battles and loses many of his colleagues. One particular moment which features him suffering tremendous anguish over the loss of a fellow soldier hammers home the thought that the person that just a few minutes ago you were making plans to have a drink with after the war, could disappear just like that.

Always over McBurney's head lies the questions. Will the actions of the 761st Battalion change things for African-Americans at home? When they return to the United States, will they be subjected to the same prejudices? If they are, is America really a country worth fighting for if everyone isn't treated as equals by law or in the eyes of many? These are not easy questions to answer and McBurney tries to let his actions speak for himself revealing that courage and sacrifice are always worth it, even if you don't see the immediate results right away.


Angela's courage is also tested throughout the book. Many of her fellow Pirates, including one who becomes her lover, are tried and face public execution. In a tense moment, Angela has to decide to attend their execution and risk being exposed to the Nazis or staying home and grieve in private, keeping her identity a secret.

She is arrested a few times and brutally tortured to get her to admit being Mucki and revealing the names of the other Navajos of Cologne. Like McBurney, Angela faces these events with valor and bravery.

The book falters slightly when the narrative turns to the most, well, sung of the protagonists: Patton. If you are interested in military history, you might enjoy the confabs between the generals and dry discussions of strategy and battle. But if you are more interested in the personal stories, you might want to skim Patton's chapters. However, Marquis's portrayal of Patton is interesting when the book veers towards the general's quirks and eccentricities. For example he is shown a great believer in reincarnation and believed that he had been soldiers and warriors in all of his former lives such as a Roman legionnaire, a Viking berserker, and a cavalryman in Napoleon's army. (True story too. In fact, he attributed his past lives to his success as a general during WWII.)

He also is written as a blunt outspoken leader with a keen sense of military strategy and a very large ego. In the book, anyway, he has a tendency to turn every battle and meeting into another episode of "The General George S. Patton Show" with other generals, his army, and the enemy as special guest stars


Soldiers of Freedom tells the true story of the 761st Black Panthers Tank Battalion and the Eidelweiss Pirates and brings them to life. They were, as the title suggests soldiers of freedom and heroes who are finally getting the praise they deserved.