Author Shares Grandfather’s War Stories of WWII Unsung Heroes in "When the Beaches Trembled: The Incredible True Story of Stephen Ganzberger and the LCIs in World War II"

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — When Stephen Ganzberger enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the outset of World War II, he never imagined what would await him and his shipmates in the Pacific Islands. When the Beaches Trembled: The Incredible True Story of Stephen Ganzberger and the LCIs in World War II is a vivid narrative written by Zach S. Morris, grandson of Ganzberger, who spent more than ten years gathering interviews, maps, photos, and declassified military documents in order to share this untold story.    

"I first became captivated by history from listening to my grandfather tell me war stories growing up, and from then on I was hooked," explains Morris. "While my original plan was to document all his WWII experiences over the course of several interviews spanning the summer of 2011, he passed away two days after our only interview, which set me on an entirely new journey that would lead to shocking discoveries and the creation of my book."

Stephen Ganzberger was stationed aboard the Navy’s newly designed amphibious ships called Landing Craft Infantry (LCIs) that were small but capable of landing large numbers of troops and equipment directly onto enemy-held beaches during some of the fiercest combat of the war.  Designed with a flat bottom, LCIs were square-sterned and blunt-browed, drew only a few feet of water, and could carry up to 200 men.  As part of General Douglas MacArthur’s South Pacific campaign, Ganzberger faced death from Japanese bombers, torpedoes, and kamikaze attacks. All during the largest naval conflict in history.

In his book, Morris takes us chronologically through his grandfather’s WWII journey as he earned seven battle stars aboard two LCIs, but also explains the story of the creation of the LCIs at the start of the war and the epic tale of LCI Flotilla Five as they fought valiantly through the South Pacific. The book was written as a tribute to the "Greatest Generation" and is filled with the deeply personal accounts of other veterans, including the late Congressman John D. Dingell Jr., a lifelong friend of Ganzberger.

Morris, an award-winning senior financial analyst and certified screenwriter, continues to share his extensive knowledge of WWII history by volunteering as editor-in-chief of LST Scuttlebutt, the quarterly magazine newsletter of the U.S. Landing Ship Tank (LST) Association—composed of Navy and Coast Guard veterans who served aboard LSTs in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Like LCIs, LSTs were another type of landing ship used to win the Second World War.

When the Beaches Trembled: The Incredible True Story of Stephen Ganzberger and the LCIs in World War II is released today, February 1st, and is available in paperback for $19.99 on Amazon.com ($2.99 on Kindle).  For more information, please visit www.zachsmorris.com.

Daphne Ortiz
Statement PR
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SOURCE Zach Morris