The Lucky Ones: The Legacy of Norbert Gerling WWII Tank Destroyer : Yorkshire Publishing : 9781950034116 : 1950034119 : 12 Feb 2019 : Two months prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, a young man from the rural farming community of Henley, Missouri received his draft notice and, within the passage of days, was inducted as a soldier in the U.S. Army. Though Norbert Gerling entered the service for a one-year term, Pearl Harbor changed everything, thus compelling him to remain in the military for the duration of the war. This book chronicles Gerling's initial training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and his eventual assignment to Company C, 609th Tank Destroyer Battalion. The veteran describes his experiences traveling 1,200 miles across the battered European landscape as a gunner aboard an M-18 Hellcat tank destroyer. Based upon reflections and interviews with the late Sergeant Gerling, and cross-referenced with scores of historical resources, this book affords the reader the opport