Braided in Fire: Black GIs and Tuscan Villagers on the Gothic Line 1944

by Solace Wales

Overview

BRAIDED IN FIRE is the stirring author's search to understand the drama that unfolded between the Italian peasants and African-American infantrymen of the 366th Infantry Regiment, - attached to the celebrated "Buffalo Division, 92nd Infantry"- whose lives were lost, or changed irrevocably by a village battle in Tuscany during the Battle of Garfagnana.

Cultures and relationships are intertwined to become BRAIDED IN FIRE in Sommocolonia, a medieval Tuscan village in the Apennines directly on the highly fortified Third Reich's 'Gothic Line' stretching across northern Italy. Only at Sommocolonia did attacking German troops break through that formidable line, with dire consequences to the inhabitants and their defenders, a handful of black GIs, who were outnumbered three to one by the Axis troops. In the desperate fight, Lt. John Fox sacrificed himself with supreme heroism. (He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor 52 years later.) Although the military action, (and tragic inaction of certain senior white officers), is described in detail, BRAIDED IN FIRE is not just military history, but tells of the human toll of war: the drama, the folly, the heartache – all present in grand measure for two peoples marginalized over the years for reasons of race and economic circumstances.

BRAIDED IN FIRE is a celebration of human dignity in desperate circumstances. This book is painted in a narrative befitting the beauty and rich hues of the Tuscan hills and its people, juxtaposed by the toils of a segregated America in black versus white, even while in Army green. Together these two worlds are BRAIDED IN FIRE with all of the passion, heartbreak, and violence of war, ultimately providing the reader with a redemptive peace, and cultural harmony.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940162636106
Publisher:	Knox Press
Publication date:	06/30/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Our author is Solace Wales. Former director of the International Child Art Center in San Francisco, Ms. Wales, and her artist husband have lived part of the year in Sommocolonia since the early 1970s 1975. Ms Wales has interviewed both the villagers in Italy and surviving Buffalo Soldier African-American veterans and their families across the United States. In 1997, she was invited by the White House to attend the long overdue ceremony where President Clinton recognized African Americans serving in WWII including BRAIDED IN FIRE's protagonist, Lt. John Fox.

Ms. Wales is the Representative to Other Countries for Associazione Ricreativa Sommocolonia ‘Association for the Renewal of Sommocolonia,’ (ARS), a non-profit organization formed in 2011, The museum attracts a large Tuscan audience as well as many tourists who will want to learn more about the village experience through BRAIDED IN FIRE. Wales will do fund raisers for the new museum in the US, England and elsewhere creating a wider audience. On the 75th anniversary of the Sommocolonia battle, December 26, 2019, the museum, honoring men of the 366th Infantry Regiment who fought in the battle, will host a commemoration bound to attract major media attention.

Editorial Reviews

Braided in Fire tells the story of Lieutenant John Fox....His sacrifice went unrecognized by the U.S. government simply because he was black. Wales has invested decades in researching this instance of forgotten valor, producing a rich tapestry of the experiences of the black GIs and Italian villagers that engulfed Sommocolonia. The result is a moving meditation on the cost of war and a tribute to the African Americans who fought for a country that treated them like second-class citizens.

Professor of History, Temple University, author of Facing Fearful Odds: The Siege of Wake Island - Gregory J.W. Urwin

Braided with Fire vividly recounts the intertwined histories of Sommocolonia and the black 366th Infantry Regiment, which intersected during the German Winter Storm Offensive in December 1944. At the center of Solace Wales' story are the brave Biondi family and forward artillery observer Lieutenant John Fox, who won the Medal of Honor for his heroism. Thoroughly researched and dramatically retold, Braided with Fire adds a valuable new page to our understanding of World War II.

P.J. Moran Assistant Professor of Military History, the University of Notre Dame - Ian Ona Johnson

Solace Wales contributes a remarkable, unique account which is not available anywhere else. . . Because of her gracious literary style, she vividly captures the ways in which the African American soldiers and the Italians of Sommocolonia's lives became intertwined. The book breaks new ground.

author of My Father's War: Fighting with the Buffalo Soldiers in World War II - Carolyn Ross Johnston