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BLESS 'EM ALL - VOL II - LEYTE MINDORO
The 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment
by William T. Calhoun and Paul F. Whitman
Large Format Landscape, 13 x 11 in, 33 x 28 cm
308 pages




Volume II follows the Regiment, now a Regimental Combat Team, to Leyte and Mindoro, and sets up the preparation for the retaking of Corregidor



     The acclaimed WWII History website Bless 'Em All traces the 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment through its inception, it's time in Australia, and through all its missions. It also shows how the 503d went, within a few months, from accomplishing the most successful parachute assault of the war to exemplifying the most stupid use of elite paratroopers during WWII.

     Websites though, are ephemeral, transitory beings, likely to disappear at the slightest wisp of late payment of their hosting fees. OK, it's a commercial world, we understand.
For that reason, I decided that I should make a permanent version of the BLESS 'EM ALL website, something that could survive a few decades on your bookshelf.  Something you'd be proud to leave on your coffee table. Something you could read without the necessity of batteries.
  
     “BLESS ‘EM ALL” is a hardcover reference series, part of a major publishing event to establish in print the history of the 503d PIR to fresh generations of "ROCK REGIMENT" veterans, their families and their friends.

     Published as four books, VOLUME I, released April 2017, deals with the formation of the 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment, its time in Australia, New Guinea, and Noemfoor. It reflects the view from the 2nd Battalion, based on a wealth of materials, including official papers, daily reports and journals.

     VOLUME II, released December 2017,  follows the Regiment, now a Regimental Combat Team, to Leyte and Mindoro, and sets up the preparation for the retaking of Corregidor.

    VOLUME III deals with the retaking of Corregidor, one of the defining battles of WWII.  It is everything you wanted to know about Corregidor 1945, but were afraid to ask.

....VOLUME IV - published July 2019: The Regiment, now christened "The Rock Regiment" is recuperating on Mindoro when it is transferred to the 6th Army and assigned to assist the 40th Division, which is having difficulties on Negros. What follows is the sad use of a lightly armed parachute regiment, the use of the wrong weapon, for the wrong reasons, simply because they were available. It was like using your prize axe to break rocks. 

     
Q: Can I see a preview?   A: Sure, I don't expect you to judge the book by its cover. Click here for the preview.
     
Q: What is the price of the book?  
HIDEOUS!!! .  But it can be less if you find a coupon code.  (Price is on the Preview Page)

     
Q: That's fucking outrageous!! Why is it so expensive?   A: "BLESS 'EM ALL" is released as print-on-demand product by the Blurb printing company based in San Francisco. The cost of print-on-demand books depends on their physical size and  the number of pages which they contain, the type of cover, end-pages, etcetera.. It's not so much like a book but 192 double-sided color prints bound traveling together. Each book is individually printed and bound. This book is hardcover,  full color on quality paper, and presented in a large coffee-table size of 13 x 11 inch (33 x 28 cm) format,  and delivers in at 392 pages.   Blurb's actual printing costs are 95% of the price that you pay.  You heard that right! To that, they add shipping.  Complain to them, not to me, I have to pay their prices too. 
     
Shipping Weight?   It arrives at a kerb weight of 2.8 Kg, which is a poofteenth of an ounce over 6 pounds weight. Definitely not the book to read on a long plane flight.
     
Q: Are there discount vouchers or  coupons available to lower the price?   A: Yes, but you have to look for them. They're worth finding. I suggest you Google the words "Blurb.com,  Discount, Coupon" and the current month.  Sometimes you can score between 10% and 30% depending on how much they need their cash-flow in San Francisco.
     
Q: Why not list it on Amazon?   A: Amazon require a sale price of the full Blurb printing costs + 40%.  You want to pay Amazon 140% of what the Blurb price is?
     
Q:  Can I get a PDF FILE of the book?   Yes, a PDF version is available for  US$9.99. You might want to get a PDF file before you consider lashing out for the printed hardcover version. Be wary, though, for the book is so large,  downloading its 500+ megabite size will take a considerable time.
     
Q: There's a PICTORIAL COMPANION VOLUME released by the same publisher. What's the difference?   While Bill Calhoun was still alive, I worked with him on creating a stand-alone book of his photograph collection. It can be read together with the main work, or as a photo-book in its own right.
     
Q: You've released other books in a special ePub version for Apple iPad tablets.Are there plans for an E-version for it?  A: Not at this stage. The book's layout, fonts and layouts were conceptualized for print production. (E-Versions change the fonts and line spacings. It's possible to produce the book as a series of graphics, yes, but it would take me months - and it would interfere with my current plans.  If you're a cheap Charlie, read the website.
     
Q: How do I buy it?    Only through the publisher - and you get there via the PREVIEW PAGE.




REAR COVER



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