Jeep Show

A compelling glimpse into a little-known aspect of WWIl military service. Enlisted entertainers
(Military Occupation Specialty 442) brought moments of joy to troops on the front lines … His meticulous research shines through in historical details about Army life in WWII and “Jeep shows” – three-man performance teams who would stage up to eleven shows daily, often pulling soldiers from the audience to participate. The author honors the legacy of real-life entertainment soldiers like Mickey Rooney, Red Skelton, and Sammy Davis J.r

“Jeep Show” will appeal to fans of “Band of Brothers” and “Saving Private Ryan” while offering a fresh perspective on World War I through the lens of entertainment and morale-building efforts.

The story of an ordinary soldier in World war II who is tasked with an extraordinary mission, Jeep Show: A Trouper at the Battle of the Bulge is a novel by Robert B. O’Connor who chronicles the astonishing journey of Jim Tanzer, a thirty-year-old dance instructor who enlists in the Army in 1943 to fight the Nazis. Jim’s showbiz background lands him in the Morale Corps as an Entertainment Specialist.

Shipped to Europe and tasked with performing in Jeep shows (small variety acts put on for combat infantry just behind the front lines) Jim travels throughout the Combat Zone with squad leader Mickey Rooney – the Hollywood movie superstar who was also in the Morale Corps (as he was in real life).

Their performances, more than just entertainment, are a beacon of hope, bringing brief moments of song, dance, and laughter to weary troops, letting them know they are not forgotten.

Jim’s story becomes intertwined with history when he is caught in the Battle of the Bulge. In Bastogne, he joins Team SNAFU, a makeshift unit supporting the 101st Airborne Division. Jim’s courage and determination in the face of overwhelming odds is a testament to the human spirit. Jeep Show is fiction based on little-known aspects of the U.S. World War II effort seen through the eyes of an unlikely hero.

As a novelist, Robert B. O’Connor skillfully intertwines Jim’s personal journey with the broader canvas of World War II, shedding light on the Army’s extensive morale-boosting efforts. O’Connor peppers the narrative with fascinating details about the show business world of the 1920s, 30s, and early 40s, while also capturing the grim realities of war.

Critique: Although a work of fiction, Jeep Show: A Trouper at the Battle of the Bulge brilliantly draws upon real people, places, and events drawn from the European theatre of World War II. A fun and fascinating read from start to finish, one one that rises to an impressive level of literary excellence, Jeep Show is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university World War II themed fiction collections.

O’Connor’s historical novel highlights the “Jeep shows” that entertained soldiers during World War II. Jim Tanzer (based on the real-life Jim Hetzer) is a song-and-dance man who enlists in the military to fight in WWII.

He’s quickly assigned to the Morale Corps at Camp Sibert. “You’ll be entertaining combat soldiers in places where the USO can’t go,” his captain tells him. One of his fellow enlisted men is Mickey Rooney (who actually was in the Morale Corps during the war). They are two among a cast of more than 50 in a show called Hip Hooray that travels to New York and London before it’s disbanded in favor of “Jeep shows,” in which teams made up of one driver and two performers are sent out in a Jeep to perform for the troops. Jim, Mickey, and their friend Wes are one such team traveling to various battlegrounds, including the Ardennes and the famed Battle of the Bulge. The action hops back and forth in time, providing readers with depictions of an 11-year-old Jimmy’s introduction to Vaudeville and his relationship with his wife, Stella.

It seems odd to call a World War II novel “delightful,” but that’s exactly what you get with O’Connor’s mix of history and fiction as battles rage on and enlisted men entertain the troops. The narrative covers a wide swath, from drama onboard ships to dealing with nasty weather to, of course, the travails of the injured (including Jim) and the dead during the war. It’s a fascinating look at a part of the military that many folks probably have never heard of. The characters, both real and imagined, are well drawn, and the author has a knack for dialogue that rings true. There’s also humor, thanks in no small part to Rooney’s presence. The interjection of real-life characters, particularly Rooney, isn’t jarring; in fact, it serves as a useful reminder that Jim Hetzer was a very real person. This is a compelling mix of showbiz and war, laughter and tears—a fine line that O’Connor walks well. A wild ride with entertainers serving during WWII.

This refreshing take on military fiction masterfully balances the gravity of war with unexpected moments of fun and camaraderie, touring readers through the European front with a hero who reads Variety and plans to write a parodic play called Spamlet. The storytelling is fleet and crisps, alive with crack comic dialogue (“Nobody does cross-dress like the Army”), as Jim falls in with a ragtag support unit called Team SNAFU. Says a sergeant: “Summa these numbskulls can’t even know how to march. How they gonna fight?” O’Connor’s portrayal of the Battle of the Bulge is both historically accurate and deeply personal for Jim.

The transition from performing for troops to becoming combatants themselves creates a compelling narrative arc, connected to an epochal struggle. Still, even among the novel’s many laughs, O’Connor never diminishes the urgency of the mission of the (fictional) Morale Corps, demonstrating how entertainers brought crucial moments of joy to soldiers amid the brutal reality of combat. This warm, convincing portrayal of backstage banter, improvised performances, and the bonds formed between performers adds layers of warmth and humanity.

– Booklife, November 2024

An unexpectedly delightful World War II novel that expertly blends history with fiction. O’Connor provides a rich depiction of wartime life, from dramatic moments aboard ships and coping with harsh weather to the emotional toll of injuries and loss. The story delves into an often-overlooked aspect of military history: the entertainers who brought much-needed relief to soldiers.

The characters, both historical and fictional, are fully realized, and O’Connor’s sharp dialogue feels authentic. Humor, particularly stemming from Rooney’s involvement, adds a lightness that contrasts with the otherwise somber setting. 

– Frank C. Everards, normandy1944.info

The main character in this novel of the Battle of the Bulge, Jim Tanzer, is no longer a kid growing up in the Depression.  He is a husband and a father who happens to become an entertainer with Mickey Rooney.  From day to day he also becomes a combatman, a wartime linguist, and a witness to some of the worst gore and genocide which the War in Europe presents in terms of raw human conflict.

Jeep Show is also a running parody on the searing bastards on both sides of the struggle for survival.  Their show lampoons everyone from Patton to FDR.  Their audiences not only love the often ad-libed song and dance, they need it, because they aren’t going to get it from anyone else. The Jeep Show performers, including a mule, seem to know that they have been given an on-command break, which might be their last.

Winning is surviving, as would be demonstrated again in Korea and Vietnam.  The performer/Soldiers real victory in the 20th Century is that they have defended some of their humanity. Read it, and pass it along to anyone who may have come anywhere close to those places mentioned above.

– Timothy W. Karstrom, Lieutenant Colonel, USAR, Retired

We’re all aware of the heavily produced shows the USO did with Hollywood stars in the rear areas, but I had never heard of the tiny groups Uncle Sam sent to the front lines, to try and raise the morale of battle worn troops: 3 or 4 entertainers in a jeep with a driver, who would perform songs and skits in 10+ shows in a day. Jeep Show begins in 1944 , when the Allies were taking back Europe from the Germans, but the war still had a year of misery and death ahead.

O’Connor says he was inspired by the letters of song-and-dance-man US Army Private Jim Hetzer, who left his comfortable life at age 29 to join the war effort, and landed in Jeep shows with Private Mickey Rooney to entertain the troops, literally between firefights. Rooney was an established movie star, though his fame afforded them little in terms of safety or special treatment.

It took me a few pages to appreciate the clever ambiguity of the subtitle. Carefully researched, punctuated by the cornball humor of the time, Jeep Show puts the reader squarely in the action, in intense fighting. Private Jim Tanzer (based on Hetzer), is in the foxholes, running messages carrying his M1 carbine, dodging enemy fire and bombs with various regiments to get back to his unit, Morale Corps Battalion 6817. It is an incredible story, well told, a must-read for historical fiction buffs.

– Will Sonnet, author, Duck Hunting in Quicksand

Jeep Show is a remarkable, painstakingly researched book about World War II and the men who fought it – and, particularly, the men who entertained them on the front lines during the Battle of the Bulge. O’Connor takes us through what our soldiers went through, from boot camp to the battle and back, as told through the eyes of Jim Tanzer, a dance teacher turned trouper. It’s an amazing, fascinating read about one of the turning points in world history.

– John Waggoner, former USA Today and AARP Magazine Columnist