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    Whatever It Took: An American Paratrooper’s Extraordinary Memoir of Escape, Survival, and Heroism in the Last Days of World War II
    Whatever It Took: An American Paratrooper’s Extraordinary Memoir of Escape, Survival, and Heroism in the Last Days of World War II
    Whatever It Took: An American Paratrooper’s Extraordinary Memoir of Escape, Survival, and Heroism in the Last Days of World War II
    Audiobook6 hours

    Whatever It Took: An American Paratrooper’s Extraordinary Memoir of Escape, Survival, and Heroism in the Last Days of World War II

    Written by Henry Langrehr and Jim DeFelice

    Narrated by Mike Ortego

    5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Published to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day, an unforgettable never-before-told first-person account of World War II: the true story of an American paratrooper who survived D-Day, was captured and imprisoned in a Nazi work camp, and made a daring escape to freedom. 

    Now at 95, one of the few living members of the Greatest Generation shares his experiences at last in one of the most remarkable World War II stories ever told. As the Allied Invasion of Normandy launched in the pre-dawn hours of June 6, 1944, Henry Langrehr, an American paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne, was among the thousands of Allies who parachuted into occupied France. Surviving heavy anti-aircraft fire, he crashed through the glass roof of a greenhouse in Sainte-Mère-Église. While many of the soldiers in his unit died, Henry and other surviving troops valiantly battled enemy tanks to a standstill. Then, on June 29th, Henry was captured by the Nazis. The next phase of his incredible journey was beginning.

    Kept for a week in the outer ring of a death camp, Henry witnessed the Nazis’ unspeakable brutality—the so-called Final Solution, with people marched to their deaths, their bodies discarded like cords of wood. Transported to a work camp, he endured horrors of his own when he was forced to live in unbelievable squalor and labor in a coal mine with other POWs. Knowing they would be worked to death, he and a friend made a desperate escape. When a German soldier cornered them in a barn, the friend was fatally shot; Henry struggled with the soldier, killing him and taking his gun. Perilously traveling westward toward Allied controlled land on foot, Henry faced the great ethical and moral dilemmas of war firsthand, needing to do whatever it took to survive. Finally, after two weeks behind enemy lines, he found an American unit and was rescued.

    Awaiting him at home was Arlene, who, like millions of other American women, went to work in factories and offices to build the armaments Henry and the Allies needed for victory. Whatever It Took is her story, too, bringing to life the hopes and fears of those on the homefront awaiting their loved ones to return.

    A tale of heroism, hope, and survival featuring 30 photographs, Whatever It Took is a timely reminder of the human cost of freedom and a tribute to unbreakable human courage and spirit in the darkest of times. 

    Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.


    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateMay 5, 2020
    ISBN9780063027459
    Author

    Henry Langrehr

    HENRY LANGREHR served in Europe in World War II with the 82nd Airborne Division. He is the recipient of two Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts, and the French Legion of Honor. After the war, he founded a successful construction company, building schools and other civic structures. He lives in Iowa with his wife, Arlene.

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    Reviews for Whatever It Took

    5/5

    24 ratings4 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Wow! What a gripping personal account. The author allows us an indepth look into memories that were kept locked inside for 75 years.
    • 5/5
      Excellent book. Captures the brutality of war and how it affects ordinary people.
    • 5/5
      I appreciated this man taking the time to relive a sore subject for us in the later generation (32) who have only heard short stories from our grandparents. A lot of what was spoken of is very relevant to where my own grandfather was deployed.
    • 5/5
      Henry, a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne, recounts his war time journey. Among the troops parachuted into France right before the Normandy Invasion, he survived when many others did not. Captured by the Nazi's, he endured hard labor in a coal mine, only to escape and make his way back to allied lines.This book was well written and engaging. It gave enough details about the war to paint a broad picture, but not too many details to bog or slow the book down. Henry was, and is, a true hero. Anyone who fights for our country, who is willing to sacrifice themselves, is a hero. Overall, well worth reading.