Surrounded by Heroes: Six Campaigns with Divisional Headquarters, 82d Airborne, 1942–1945

By: Leonard Lebenson

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Synopsis: This WWII memoir offers a rare behind-the-scenes view of the 82nd Airborne and its heroic contributions to Allied victory in Europe and Africa. Joining the army in 1942, Leonard Lebenson was recruited into the 82nd Airborne for his skills as a typist and draftsman. Lebenson thus gained a ringside seat for some of the greatest campaigns of World War II—from the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, and France, to the Netherlands, the Bulge, and the drive on Berlin. Throughout the campaigns, Lebenson was at the division&’s nerve center, typing orders, drafting battle maps, and acting as liaison. A rare enlisted man with top-secret status, he was in the room with Gen. Patton, Field Marshal Montgomery, &“Jumpin&’ Jim&” Gavin, and other luminaries who came through headquarters. But Lebenson also saw battle up close—by ship, plane, glider, parachute, and Jeep. With the rest of the All American Division, he was on the ground in Africa and the Ardennes, facing ever-present enemy fire. Rising from private to master sergeant, Lebenson thought that he had &“the best job in the army.&” In this revealing memoir, however, he never fails to give full credit to the men on the firing line who suffered the greatest hardships and casualties.