Boy Soldier.

Ervin V. Galantay

Military Press-Hungary

What could be labeled <<the rise and fall of the Vannay Battalion>>, Boy Soldier is an in-depth account of the 1944-1945 Russian siege of Budapest written from the author's day-to-day diary. At the age of 14 Ervin Galantay was thrown into the role of urban guerrilla and assigned to the ill-fated battalion that was created and led by Laszlo Vannay. The author recounts the politics and tactics of the battles from a first-person perspective and provides insight into what some historians refer to as a <<must read>> for anyone interested in urban combat. Lieutenant General Daniel Petrosky, Commander, Eighth US Army, Korea writes, <<The lessons learned from the WWII siege of Budapest have great applicability today and demonstrate what a well-led, motivated and out-gunned unit can do in an urban defense against a superior foe>>.

The almost savagely innocent description of the events, scenes, sounds, smells and the author's feelings combine to make a gripping read out of this historic reference. Recognised as one of the foremost experts on urban combat, Professor Galantay has compiled a thought-provoking account of a 60-year-old battle; one that sheds light upon and answers many questions asked of the current battlefield scenario of today's warfighter (see The Vertical Battlefield Complete Guide to Urban Warfare Systems that accompanies this issue).