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of the best Americans I have ever known.” For his heroism at Buna, Bottcher was given a rare battlefield commission as a captain and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Bottcher was killed in Leyte on November 28, 1944. Although he had achieved the rank of major, he was making a lone reconnaissance behind enemy lines in the Ormoc Valley when he was cornered in a rice paddy by a Japanese patrol. He held off the Japanese for four hours, but was finally killed by two rifle slugs to the head. Legend has it that advancing American soldiers of the 32nd Division found him facedown in a puddle of mud, still gripping his pistol. He is buried in the Manila American Cemetery. Today a memorial to Herman Bottcher stands in the village of Buna.

General Edwin Forrest Harding went on to become commanding general of the Panama Mobile Force, where he trained units in jungle warfare. Unlike Eichelberger, he never took the opportunity to justify himself in a postwar memoir. In 1946 Harding retired to Franklin, Ohio, to the stately family home. He remained the favorite general of 32nd Division veterans. One veteran said, “His greatest fault was that he loved his troops and could not stand to see them slaughtered.” At a reunion, they presented General Harding with a Bronze Red Arrow plaque, which he treasured.

On June 21, 1943, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Lieutenant Colonel Simon Warmenhoven was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Henrietta “Mandy” Warmenhoven saved every one of her husband’s 160 letters.

Notes

IN PUTTING THIS BOOK TOGETHER, I have used countless interviews—with veterans of the march and the campaign, and wives, children, grandchildren, and friends of the participants—to elaborate on the official army narrative. I have also used self-published books, diaries, newspaper articles, and veterans’ printed recollections to bring the human history to life. Major Herbert M. “Stutterin’” Smith wrote three informative books about his experience: Four Score and Ten; 0-241957; and Hannibal Had Elephants II. The Indiana author Wendell Trogdon wrote a wonderful biography of Gus Bailey called Out Front: The Cladie Bailey Story. Sam DiMaggio dictated his biography to his son J. P. DiMaggio; it’s called “I Never Had It So Good.” Captain Alfred Medendorp left behind two detailed accounts of the march and the ensuing war. The first is an official document published by the Ground General School in October 1949, titled “The March and Operations of Antitank and Cannon Companies…(Personal Experience of a Patrol Commander).” The second is an extensive (over one hundred pages), untitled collection of personal memories. Walter Shauppner left behind a diary in which he detailed the day-by-day activities of the 127th Infantry Regiment, beginning with its arrival at Port Moresby Harbor. Lawrence Thayer wrote a revealing account of the 128th’s experiences. Clarence Jungwirth wrote Diary of a National Guardsman in WWII, an informative account of his experiences from 1940 to 1945. Paul Lutjens left behind a diary and the text of his lecture on the Papuan campaign. General Edwin Forrest Harding’s diary is also an excellent source of information. Courtesy of Walter Hunt, Jim Hunt’s brother, I have Lieutenant Hunt’s diary and an enlightening letter that Hunt sent to Major Herbert Smith after reading one of Smith’s books. Jim Boice’s diary was very useful, as were Lieutenant Colonel Bill Sikkel’s recollections and those of Gordon Zuverink, Herb Steenstra, and Stanley Hollenbeck. Simon Warmenhoven’s letters were important sources of information. The letters provided me with insight into a remarkable man. Art Edson’s letters were also very helpful. Maclaren Hiari’s account of his father’s experiences as a carrier for the Allied Forces in New Guinea was also quite helpful. The Wisconsin Veterans Museum (and its very capable staff) proved to be a treasure trove of information. The museum has a large collection of letters, diaries, audio interviews, and photographs donated by veterans and/or their families.

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