From Brittany to the Reich: The 29th Infantry Division in Germany September-november 1944 - Softcover

My relationship with 29th Infantry Division veterans has now endured for thirty years. The division has become my second family, and I realize that my insights into the unique military organization that was the 29th Division are entirely due to the generosity of the veterans, who opened up their memories to me in ways I never thought possible. My friendships with the 29th Division veterans have been the greatest of my life.

The 29th Infantry Division is one of the U.S. Army's most historic units. Raised in 1917, it fought in the great Meuse-Argonne offensive in 1918. Reconstituted after World War I and comprised of Maryland, Virginia, and District of Columbia National Guard units, the 29th was again called into federal service on February 3, 1941. What was supposed to have been one year of active duty turned into nearly five. In eleven months of World War II combat starting on Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944, the 29th Division suffered 28,000 battle and non-battle casualties, one of the highest casualty rates of any American unit from 1941 - 1945. The story of the 29th Division is one of sacrifice and devotion to duty that all Americans should know.