For your patrons who read the beloved bestseller, Flags of Our Fathers, here are two titles from Osprey Publishing with a more lighthearted approach to military history.
Did you know that when soldier in WWII referred to a butcher shop, he was referring to the hospital? Or that if a soldier pointed out a Victory Girl to his friends, he meant she was promiscuous?
In Fubar: Soldier Slang of World War II, the author takes a frank look at the slang used by the men on the ground and shows how, even in the heat of action, they somehow managed to retain their sense of humor, black though it might have been.
Did you know they started “hearing through the grapevine” during the American Civil War? Or that “over the top” originally came from the British Army during WWI, when it meant to go over the top of the trench and into attack?
In Sticklers, Sideburns, and Bikinis, you’ll be surprised by how many terms and phrases popular today with soldiers and civilian alike originated in the military.
-Erica