William Abbott

1945 William Abbott

Thousands of books have beenwritten about World War II.¿ Most havedealt with the War's historical aspects, strategies, or the heroism andoutstanding acts of the men who did the fighting."1945" is not about heroes. Infact, it is not about "men"; its primary characters are "boys." By 1944, everyman in his twenties or thirties had already been conscripted.¿ Subsequently, almost all draftees at thisstage of the war were eighteen years of age. To put this in perspective; intoday's world they would not be considered sufficiently mature to buy a can ofbeer or pack of cigarettes.¿ No parentlikes to see his son go to war but these were children. In January 1945, everyone knewthe war didn't have long to go and just as tension mounts towards the end of arace, anxiety and impatience became people's primary reactions to the news eachday. Readers of this book will gain insight of the heretofore little told andappreciated emotions of the men in the Armed Forces and their families at home:hope, fear and prayers that it all would end before something tragic happenedto a loved one who had been lucky enough to survive to this point.