World War II Japanese American Soldiers Orville C. Shirey Americans The Story of the 442nd Combat Team 1946 Documenting the Most Decorated U.S. Army Unit

442nd Combat Team

First Edition

Shirey, Orville C. Americans: The Story of the 442nd Combat Team published in 1946 documents the wartime record of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated Japanese American unit whose service in Europe became one of the most celebrated chapters in United States military history during World War II. Composed largely of Nisei soldiers, many of whom volunteered while their families were incarcerated in American internment camps, the 442nd earned recognition for extraordinary battlefield performance in Italy and France. The unit became the most decorated formation for its size and length of service in the history of the United States Army, and its campaigns formed a central narrative in postwar discussions of Japanese American loyalty and civil rights.

Shirey, Orville C. Americans: The Story of the 442nd Combat Team. Washington: Infantry Journal Press, December 1946. First edition, first printing. The volume provides a detailed history of the regiment’s wartime operations including the Rome Arno Campaign, the Battle of Bruyères, the Champagne Campaign, the Po Valley Campaign, and the rescue of the “Lost Battalion” in the Vosges Mountains. The introduction summarizes the contemporary view of the unit’s performance: “The record of these men speaks for itself. The Nisei, as individuals and as a unit, rank with the greatest soldiers who ever served their country in time of war.” The book includes photographs of combat operations and troop movements along with rosters of officers and enlisted men and a full accounting of the regiment’s decorations and citations. Images depict events such as Lt. Daniel K. Inouye engaging enemy positions, machine gunners in defensive positions, communications crews maintaining field lines, and soldiers navigating steep mountainous terrain during European campaigns.

Published shortly after the war, the book formed part of the early historical record documenting Japanese American military service at a time when the legacy of wartime incarceration and discrimination remained unresolved. The 442nd’s achievements, symbolized by its shoulder patch bearing a torch and the motto “Go for Broke,” became a powerful symbol of Japanese American patriotism and sacrifice. This copy includes two loose photographs likely depicting Japanese American soldiers at a mountainous tent encampment, possibly in Italy or France where the regiment fought extensively. One photograph shows a soldier wearing a helmet and sleeveless undershirt standing before rows of tents at what appears to be a temporary bivouac site, while another shows a soldier preparing equipment in front of a similar camp with a visible torch shoulder patch associated with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Hardcover volume measuring approximately 8.75 × 11.25 inches. 151 pages including black and white photographs and color maps. Ex library copy from the University of Rochester with bookplate and institutional stamps. No dust jacket. Pages clean and text block firm. Very good condition overall and an important early printed history of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

Item #20750

Price: $1,850.00