James Megellas was the most decorated officer in the 82nd Airborne division in World War II. He fought in Italy including at Anzio, took place in the invasion of Normandy, parachuted into Holland as part of the disaster of Market Garden and following the Battle of the Bulge took the long road through Germany all the way to Berlin.
Using letters, he had written during the war, interviews with former comrades, and excerpts from memoirs of men he served with from the ranks through to Generals he takes us on almost a day-by-day description of hundreds of days of combat. He gives credit to those who served with him, writing of how being on the front lines for sixty days and longer, through all different types of weather, never bathing or shaving, the average American soldier fought and won against a long serving German army.
The citation for his Distinguished Service Cross (one step below the Congressional Medal of Honor) is as follows:
“First Lieutenant Megellas led his platoon on a combat patrol to secure information and prisoners. Arriving at the enemy observation pose, he crawled forward alone and killed two outpost guards and the crew of a machine gun nest. He brought forward his patrol, attacked the mail enemy defenses and singlehandedly secured three prisoners and killed two more. Two blockhouses were then attached and destroyed. The aggressiveness of this patrol action thoroughly demoralized the enemy in the sector. His mission completed, first Lieutenant Megellas withdrew his platoon through the enemy lines and under mortar fire. He personally carried a wounded man while firing his Thompson submachine gun with one hand. The extraordinary heroism and brilliant leadership displayed by First Lieutenant Megellas enabled his patrol to inflict disproportionate causalities on the enemy, secure vital information and force the Germans to abandon their planned offensive in the area. His conduct was an inspiration to his men and a credit to the United States Airborne Forces.”
Aside from the DSC, he won two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars with “V” and 2 Purple Hearts. Forty years later a bill was introduced to upgrade one of his Silver Stars to the Congressional Medal of Honor based on the recommendation of his commanding officer, but the bill died in Congress.
One of the highlights of the book is his description of the crossing of the Waal River during Operation Market Garden. This dramatic and heroic assault against and entrenched and numerically superior enemy was one of the major battle scenes in the television series Band of Brothers. Reading his description, one will feel as if they are not only in the assault boats, but you will also catch the feelings of the men before the assault.
I had a phone conversation with Mr. Megellas in 2006 (he died in 2020) after I read his book the first time. His matter-of-fact descriptions reminded me of some of the writings of Ernst Junger in his classic Storm of Steel. Unlike Junger, and despite his well-earned pride in his actions during the war, he did not see or feel a higher mystic feeling in the war. As he said, “We realized the more Germans we killed, the faster we would get home.”
