Trained as a photo reconnaissance unit, the U.S. Marine Observation Squadron 251 ended up serving as a fighter squadron for the duration of World War II, shooting down 32 Japanese aircraft. They earned several awards for outstanding performance, including the Presidential Unit Citation. This book is the first to cover the history of the VMO-251, one of the Marine Corps' longest-serving squadrons. The author traces their operations from the unit's activation on December 1, 1941, through Guadalcanal, the reduction of Rabaul and their missions over the Philippines in 1945.

Merriam Press Military Monograph 68. Fifth Edition (March 2012). This is the story of the 270th Engineer Combat Battalion and its role in what Studs Terkel called "the Good War." The author's grandfather was a combat engineer, assigned to the 270th Engineer Combat Battalion, 70th Infantry Division, and saw action from February to May 1945. Steve started trying to piece together his grandfather's service but had little to start with and obtaining more information was difficult. He tried contacting other member's of his grandfather's unit, but some did not respond. After seven years of research, interviews and hard work, Steve has pieced together a history of the unit, from their training with the 70th Infantry Division at Camp Adair, Oregon, to their movement overseas and arrival in France in January 1945, their journey to the front were they entered combat in early February 1945 in France and continues on through their operations up to the end of the war in Germany in May 1945. He also includes much information on the duties of combat engineers, including the building of bridges, the placement and removal of minefields, the building and maintenance of roads, the detection and deactivation of booby traps, and the demolition of fortifications and anything else that stood in the way of the advancing American forces. Also covered is the equipment they used and the unit table of organization and equipment. Contents: * Introduction; * The Strategic Situation; * The Training of Engineers; * 3-16 February 1945: General Actions; * March 1945; * April-May 1945; * Appendices: * Explanation of Serial Numbers; * Example of C/270 Morning Report; * Sample Minefield Report; * Officers of the 270th, 31 May 1945; * Bronze Star Recipients; * Other Awards; * 270th Casualties; * Order of Battle of C/270; * Infantry Perspective; * Bibliography; * 42 photos; * 13 maps; * 11 illustrations; * 2 tables.

Merriam Press Military Monograph 79. Fourth Edition (August 2012). This is the story of the battle of Wingen-sur-Moder, an important village leading to the Alsatian Plain. If German forces had captured this town in the early days of Operation Nordwind, and had been able to release their reserve Panzer divisions into the plain, the war might have been lengthened. Colonel Cheves commanded the US forces involved in the battle. 2nd Bn of the 274th, along with troops from the 276th and supporting elements, defeated two battalions of the battle-hardened 6th SS Mountain Division (Nord). Operation Nordwind, launched December 31, 1944, was Hitler's last major offensive. Its' objective: take Alsace Lorraine, split the U.S. Seventh and Third Armies, link up with the Germans in the Colmar Pocket and continue south, routing the French Army. The 2nd Bn, 274th Infantry, was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for its' actions in Wingen-almost unheard of for a unit in its initial combat. 15 photos, 5 illustrations, 6 maps, 2 tables.