Thank you to NetGalley for this e-copy of Task Force Hogan by William R Hogan who writes this book about his father and the courageous battles he fought to liberate Europe from France to Belgium to the heart of Germany in the dying days of WW2.Faced with many obstacles including depleted supplies and food, Sam Hogan and the 3 rd Armored Division spearheaded a campaign to liberate Berlin.and end WW2.Set during the summer , fall and winter of 1944-45, this book puts you right in the forests with the US troops fighting German troops that had bigger tanks and more desperate fighters .They liberated the concentration camp Nordhousen and came face to face with unimaginable cruelty . The US troops did not give up and many paid the ultimate sacrifice.A very engaging book that is perfect for history buffs like me.

Task Force Hogan by William Hogan is the story of the author's father, Sam, in World War II as his unit made the push to end the war in Europe. The author drops the reader directly into combat as Sam drives his tank battalion into the teeth of the Nazis.

I need to add a major disclaimer to the rest of this review. I am a West Point graduate, tank commander, and combat Veteran like Sam Hogan who the book is about. I believe this could possibly make my criticisms from here somewhat narrow. I am very familiar with a lot of things this book is about and it may color my view of how it is presented. The author, William Hogan, does have an easy style and the book reads well. The research was clearly extensive, although invented dialogue does exist in the book which is not ideal.

My major issue comes down to who is this book's audience. If it's for military historians or people who know a lot about World War II, this book comes off as too much of a novel with too many cliches or explanations of basic military concepts. For someone who wants a realistic novel about World War II, then this book drops you into combat without nearly enough backstory on all the people you meet throughout the book. Unfortunately, I feel this book tried to write to two different populations of readers but will not fully satisfy either one.

My disclaimer still applies. I would not say this is a bad book in any way. I would say that it needed to choose what it wanted to be and then wrote to that audience only.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and William Morrow Books.)

Fairly entertaining as well as educative, and perfect for WWII history buffs that love to read the development of the conflict from the viewpoint of the "grunt," or in this case a group of grunts led by Sam Hogan, who spearheaded the invasion of Normandy up to the surrender of Germany.

Despite the writing style, it isn't meant to be a novel, it's a true story written by the son of Hogan, the commanding officer of this task force. It's not quite Band of Brothers, but has a similar feel that will be noticeable, maybe the author did go for it deliberately. It didn't have the same colourful and lovable characters that Easy Company did, or maybe it was that the writing didn't make them as riveting and charismatic. It was dry and matter-of-fact at times, which contributed to a sense of not finding the story as immersive as it could've been.

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An exciting historical look at a tank command during WW2. The bravery shown by these men in the harsh conditions and warfare was incredible. A truly inspiring novel. A great read!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

While I'm sure there's some unconscious bias by the author since his father was in the battalion, overall it was a good history book that brought to life a battalion and aspect of the war quite well.