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A brutal siege. A forgotten heroine. A war-torn romance. And a historian determined to uncover the truth. Untold millions who saw and read
Band of Brothers can finally know the whole story of what happened to American soldiers and civilians in Bastogne during that arduous Winter of 1944/45. In the television version of
Band of Brothers, a passing reference is made to an African nurse assisting in an aid station in Bastogne. When military historian Martin King watched the episode, he had to know who that woman was; thus began a multi-year odyssey that revealed the horror of a town under siege as well as an improbable love story between a white Army medic, Jack Prior, and his black nurse, Augusta Chiwy, as they saved countless lives while under constant bombardment. Based on the recent discovery of Prior's diary as well as an exhaustive and occasionally futile search for Augusta herself, King was at last able to bring belated recognition of Augusta's incredible story by both the U.S. Army and Belgian government shortly before she died. This is not only a little-known story of the Battle of the Bulge, but also the author's own relentless mission to locate Augusta and bestow upon her the honors she so richly deserved.
About the author
Martin King is a highly qualified British military historian, author, and lecturer who's had the honor of reintroducing many U.S., British, and German veterans to the World War II battlefields where they fought. He lives in Belgium near Antwerp, where he spends his time writing, lecturing, working with veteran organizations, and visiting European battlefields. Widely regarded as a leading authority on European military history, General Graham Hollands referred to him as the Greatest living expert on the Battle of the Bulge. Steven Ambrose called him Our expert in the Ardennes. Fellow writer and notable historian Professor Carlton Joyce said, He really is the best on the Ardennes. In 2015 his documentary feature Searching for Augusta received no less than seven Emmy Awards for Best Historical Documentary.
