The Simple Sounds of Freedom : The True Story of the Only Soldier to Fight for Both America and the Soviet Union in World War II (Signed)

Taylor, Thomas H.; Beyrle, Joseph

Random House, 2002

Flat signed by Thomas H. Taylor and Joseph R. Beyrle on front end page. From the library of Benjamin B. King. Hardcover and dust jacket. Good binding and cover. Minor shelf wear. Clean, unmarked pages. Related ephemera included. xvi, 312 p., maps, 24 cm. 

As the twentieth century closed, the veterans of its defining war passed away at a rate of a thousand per day. Fortunately, D Day paratrooper Joseph Beyrle met author Thomas H. Taylor in time to record The Simple Sounds of Freedom, the true story of the first American paratrooper to land in Normandy and the only soldier to fight for both the United States and the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany. 

Thomas H. Taylor, a veteran of the 101st Airborne Division, was awarded the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars for valor, the Purple Heart, and five other decorations for his service in Vietnam. 

"Benjamin B. King was an intelligence officer for the British Royal Air Force during World War II. After World War 2 broke out in Europe in September 1939, he joined the British Royal Air Force as a 'penguin' who could not fly because of eyesight problems. He was assigned to Coastal Command at the airbase in Wick in the very north of Scotland, which provided defense for Britain in the North Sea, engaging the Germany Navy and Air Force. After his stint at Wick, Ben was transferred to the vital but vulnerable British base at Gibraltar off the coast of Spain, where the British monitored German and Italian military operations in the Western Mediterranean. While in Gibraltar, one of his tasks was to listen to Luftwaffe radio communications and track the movement of German and Italian airplanes. After Gibraltar, Ben was called back to Britain and assigned to the secret British code-breaking operations at Bletchley Park in England, which played a critical role in the Allies' war effort by monitoring and decoding German military communications and ultimately breaking the German Enigma code." - Obit.