Historical Society of Palm Beach County - News - The organization maintains an active research facility in the Paramount Building in Palm Beach. The collections relate to the heritage of all communities in Palm Beach County.

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	HISTORICAL SOCIETY HOSTS LECTURE AND BOOK SIGNING WITH BEST-SELLING AUTHOR ALEX KERSHAW PALM BEACH, Fla. (March XX, 2005)--World War II veterans from all parts of Palm Beach County attended a special Historical Society of Palm Beach County lecture featuring best-selling author, Alex Kershaw. His latest book, *The Longest Winter,* is the remarkable true story of America ’s most decorated platoon that halted Hitler’s massive offensive at the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church of in Palm Beach was filled to capacity, and among the 200 guests were two of the surviving platoon members, Lieutenant Lyle Bouck and Vernon Leopold, whose courage and endurance were profiled in the book. The event was sponsored by Pioneer Linens and Harris Private Bank. Kershaw is the author of The Bedford Boys and two biographies, Jack London and Blood and Champagne : The Life and Times of Robert Capa. He released The Longest Winter in December 2004, the 60 th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. The book is a profile of true American heroism, chronicling the lives and struggles of a small platoon of 18 young American men who faced the main thrust of the entire German assault at the Battle of the Bulge. Vastly outnumbered, they fought three German assaults in a fierce daylong battle, killing over 500 German soldiers and defending a strategically vital hill. The men surrendered only after running out ammunition. As POWs, the platoon struggled to survive in captivity enduring trigger-happy German guards, Allied bombing raids and a daily ration of thin soup. Remarkably, each member of the platoon survived the ordeal. General Eisenhower later called their actions “…the most outstanding tactical maneuver in World War II.” For more information about the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, or to learn about upcoming lectures, visit www.historicalsocietyofpbc.org, or call (561) 832-4164. Return to News Room