Frontlines: A World War II Chronicle by John Maino

FRONTLINES chronicles the experiences of World War II veterans, the majority of whom are from Wisconsin. John Maino conveys a sense of what was happening in the Green Bay area in the hours and days before the country was drawn into the most destructive war in world history.

By talking to as many people from that era as possible and digging through as much local research as was available, one thing became abundantly clear: on December 6th, 1941, the Chicago Bears were a bigger concern around town than the Japanese Navy.

The first personal narrative of the book chronicles the experience of U.S. Navy Gunner's Mate Firman Balza of Green Bay. On the morning of December 7, 1941, while getting ready for church services at Pearl Harbor, his ship the USS Maryland was attacked by swarms of Japanese fighter planes.

A must-read for history enthusiasts, veterans, and anyone who wants to understand how ordinary Americans experienced the dawn of World War II.