Author Steven James Hantzis will give an illustrated talk about the harrowing circumstances faced by the brave GI railroaders in India during World War II.  In a theater of war long forgotten and barely even known at the time, the author’s father, James Harry Hantzis, and his fellow soldiers labored at a thankless task under oppressive conditions. Nonetheless without the men of the 721st Railway Operating Battalion the Allied forces would have been defeated in the China-Burma-India conflict in World War II.

Hantzis draws on his 12 years as a railroad brakeman-conductor and intimate knowledge of the industry and its culture to illustrate the remarkable story of the extraordinary men of the 721st, who moved an entire army to win the war.  Hantzis will speak on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Boothbay Railway Village, 586 Wiscasset Road, Route 27 in Boothbay. Admission is free, a donation of $5 is suggested.

Hantiz’s book “Rails of War: Supplying the Americans and Their Allies in China-Burma-India” is “an incredible look at the monumental task of these logistics superheroes. . .  These unsung members of our Greatest Generation worked miracles, and Steve Hantzis does a wonderful job capturing the danger, the difficulty, and the rewards in a very personal way,” said Gen. Gene Renuart, USAF (Ret.).  “Rails of War: Supplying the Americans and Their Allies in China-Burma-India” will be available for purchase at the talk.

Hantzis is a retired Grand Lodge representative for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. He worked 12 years for Conrail. Both his father and his great-grandfather were railroaders.