Book excerpt: “‘The most rigorous service which a soldier is called upon to perform is the duty of a ground combat soldier. He is the man who must wade in the mud, endure heat and cold, and sleep on the ground. That is the toughest kind of service.’ These words, spoken from the floor of the United States Senate on April 19th, 1945 reflect the sincere feeling of the American people toward the Queen of Battles. “Through the medium of TIMBERWOLF TRACKS, it is our intention to present an honest commentary on the fighting in Europe incurred by the U.S. Infantryman...specifically the ground combat soldier who wore the green and silver patch of the Timberwolf. His lot was not a glamorous one; he fought, ate, slept in mud, snow and hail; his battle-weary body answered the call to move up time and time again while his tortured mind heroically withstood the numbing shock of having time-honored buddies fall by the wayside. His moments of praise were fleeting and none too consoling—still he wore the blue and silver Combat Infantryman Badge with an intense burning pride and he gloried in the record and achievements of his ‘outfit.’ His was the supreme satisfaction of a job well done. “The 104th Infantry Division did not win the war. We make no such far-reaching claim...but the Timberwolves did play a most effective role in crushing the iron fist of Nazidom. The record, compiled by the men of this fighting division, is in the words of the Commanding General ‘second to none’. It is appropriate that such a record be preserved. In the following pages, Americans may find a justifiable gratefulness that such men as these stood so valorously between them and slavery.”