714th was building the Alaska Highway at this time ! 

David writes .. I would like to share a Christmas card and photo my Great Uncle Vernon Martin sent to his mother in 1944 when he served in the 714th Railway Operating Battalion. The photo is of my Great Uncle (left) boxing with his unit friend. It is hard for me to make out the name of the other guy, but I did include the writing on the back of the photo just in case you may be able to figure it out.

Uncle Vernon's friend was Orlo Guy Leininger and he was a U.S. Army Military Policeman in Alaska between 4 June 1942 and 6 November 1945. birth: 4 June 1917 in Rockford, Mercer, Ohio to Edwin Anton and Lola May Landfair Leininger death: 10 December 1996 in Portage, Porter, Indiana burial: Graceland Cemetery, Valparaiso, Porter, Indiana https://indgensoc.org/orlo-guy-leininger/

The entire purpose of my websites and blogs for the past 25 years has been to collect and share the amazing work of the U.S. Army rail units of WWII and Korea. 

Both my father and uncle were officers and served in rail units in both wars. I've felt this unique service was being lost and forgotten. Luckily, so did the British author, Christian Wolmar. He contacted me about 2 years ago with his idea for this book and  I've worked with him as his research assistant on this project.  I am beyond thrilled to present:

The Liberation Line: The Untold Story of How American Engineering and Ingenuity Won World War II (U.S. Title)

The epic story of the railwaymen who ensured Allied victory in World War Two, published to coincide with the eightieth anniversary of D-Day.

As the Allied forces advanced through France following the Normandy landings, just behind the frontline the US Military Rail Service and their counterparts in the Royal Engineers were at work, ensuring that crucial supply lines were up and running – without them the liberation of France and the invasion of Germany would founder. 

Based on original research, The Liberation Line thrillingly reveals how the railwaymen overcame enemy attacks, sabotage and booby traps to repair many hundreds of miles of destroyed railway tracks and dozens of bridges and tunnels in order to deliver victory. Packed with tales of individual heroism, this is one of the last great untold stories of the war. 

The book will be published in May 2024 in conjunction with the 80th anniversary of D-Day. You can
per-order Amazon here: https://amz.run/76Q4 

 Christian will be doing a US tour with the book if you'd like him to speak to your organization email me. If you are interested in an autographed book or to have Christian speak to your group email me at militaryrailwayservice@gmail.com    Thanks, Nancy  (UK cover top left - US bottom right)

If you have any information on a soldier railroader I would love to hear from you! If your father, grandfather or other relative served let me know something about them. I would love to do a blog post about them. Nancy  email: militaryrailwayservice@gmail.com

You can order a signed copy from me here  

Christian Womar April 4th, 2024 promotional video!