MWSA Review
Task Force Hogan by William R. Hogan is a gripping account of the exploits of Task Force Hogan in World War II. From the early days just after the Normandy invasion on D-Day to V-E Day and post-war duties, author Hogan weaves a spell-binding tapestry of action, suspense, heart-felt joy, and heart-wrenching despair of the Third Battalion, Thirty-Third Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division as they make their way across France from Normandy on into Germany.
From their starting positions in the bocage-laden death traps of northern France, Hogan tells of Lieutenant Colonel Sam Hogan, the author’s father, as he commands his task force in a mad dash across France, through Belgium, into Germany, back into Belgium as they help defend against the German offensive leading to the Battle of the Bulge, and back into Germany to close out the war. The author meticulously details the unit’s valiant stand against the German offensive at Mortain, receiving a Presidential Unit Citation for these actions, as well as their subsequent non-stop advance.
While many books have been written about the 101st Airborne Division and their heroic deeds in holding out at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, less has been written about other such units involved in this battle. The author documents Task Force Hogan’s courageous stand against the opposing German forces. Surrounded by enemy troops and with their unit doctor running low on medical supplies, they were forced to attempt to replenish these supplies through the use of artillery shells filled with the necessary items. Neither this nor the attempt to use C-47 cargo planes for resupply was successful in its mission. In riveting detail, Hogan describes the retreat of the remaining 400 men of the task force through ten miles of enemy-held territory back to friendly forces. Hogan’s book is a welcome addition to the library of literature documenting these other unsung heroes of the Bulge.
From start to finish, Task Force Hogan is well written and easy to read. This book would serve well as either a supplementary reading in a general World War II history class or as a resource for military scholars, offering an in-depth look at the personal aspects of the Greatest Generation as they dealt with the trauma of the Second World War. One cannot go wrong in purchasing this book.
Review by Daniel E. Long (June 2025)
Author's Synopsis
At 28, Samuel Hogan was the youngest tank battalion commander during WWII. He was responsible for the lives, welfare and mission accomplishment of his 500 soldiers riding to battle on Sherman and Stuart tanks. With courage and compassion, he led his troops in some of the toughest battles of the European Theater. They were the only tank battalion in the path of both major German offensives in the West: Mortain and the Battle of the Bulge. For their actions at Mortain, the unit was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation in March 2020. As part of the mighty 3rd Armored Division, the Task Force was one of the first units into Belgium, first to cross into Germany since Napoleon, first to capture a major German city (Aachen), and participated in the longest single-day advance against enemy resistance in military history (90 miles). They are best known for their part in the Bulge, where they rode back from their advance positions in Germany to meet the enemy counteroffensive. Arriving with fuel tanks half-empty, they fought a skilled delaying action against numerically superior forces until they were surrounded by enemy infantry infiltrated through the woods. Refusing an enemy surrender ultimatum, the under-strength battalion continued to harass the Germans by calling artillery and direct fire from their hilltop redoubt at Marcouray. On Christmas Day, short of fuel, ammunition and medical supplies, they were ordered to destroy their equipment and make their way back to friendly lines on foot. This was successfully accomplished and by early January they were rearmed and participated in the elimination of "the bulge." A rip-roaring ride, this is a human story written as a nonfiction narrative, impeccably researched. Ride with Task Force Hogan!
Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle
Review Genre: Nonfiction—History
Number of Pages: 320
Word Count: 95,000
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