On 3 February 1941, the First Maryland Infantry Regiment, Maryland Army National Guard, was inducted into federal service as the 115th Infantry Regiment and sent to join the 29th Infantry Division. They arrived in England on 11 October 1942, and then were attached to the 1st Infantry Division in preparation for the D-Day invasion. They moved with the 1st Infantry Division from 2 June 1944, and remained with 1st Infantry Division until 7 June 1944, when they returned to the 29th Infantry Division for further operations. Their participation in the Normandy Campaign continued until it was over on 24 July 1944. They immediately moved into the Northern France Campaign on 25 July 1944, which continued until it was over on 14 September 1944. During this period the 115th Infantry Regiment was engaged in one of the war's forgotten chapters, "The Battle of Brest". The Battle for Brest was one of the fiercest battles fought during Operation Cobra, the Allied breakout of Normandy which began on 27 July 1944, during the Battle of Normandy during World War II. The 115th Infantry then started participation in the Rhineland Campaign on 15 September 1944, whereupon the 115th Infantry crossed from France to Belgium and the Netherlands both on 27 September 1944, and entered Germany on 30 September 1944.

Excerpt from 115th Infantry, U. S. An;, In the World War Many volumes will be written discussing the causes, describing the decisive battles and delineating the character and ability of the leading generals. The general progress of the great struggle will be told in detail. The location of army corps will be indicated, and the way they fought. _divisions will be followed with some interest probably, but little notice will be given to the life and activities of individual regiments, for in this gigantic con ict, where millions are struggling, a regiment is a very insignificant factor. The historian, as -he weighs the forces that determined the course of the war and the final result, will attach little importance to the work of the l l5th Infantry. But mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, wives, sweethearts and children will be more interested in the regiment son or brother or father was in, than in the war itself. So, for the sake of those loved ones who stayed at home, writing letters, sending candy, cakes and tobacco, knitting sweaters and socks, saying prayers - for the sake of those who kept the Home Fires Burning - for the sake of keeping fond memories fresh and noble deeds alive, we tell the story of the l l5th Infantry.' About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Balkoski's acclaimed multi-volume history of the U.S. 29th Infantry Division in World War II covers the division's vital role in the U.S. Army's November offensive, which Gen. Omar Bradley hoped would get the Allies to the Rhine River by Christmas. A riveting story of heroism and tragedy.

The 29th Infantry was on the front lines on D-Day, Battle of Normandy, and was the first division to cross the Elbe into Germany. When, on January 17, 1946, the 29th Infantry Division was deactivated, 28,776 soldiers had been killed, wounded, taken prisoner or missing. In September 1944, Joseph H. Ewing joined the famed 29th Infantry Division of the Maryland-Virginia National Guard as the unit was readying to storm the port city of Brest, France. In Germany, he led his rifle platoon in making an assault crossing of the Roer River at Julich, which led to the division’s drive on Munchen-Gladbach. During quiet periods on the Roer, Col. Ewing typed and edited a newspaper he titled Chin Strap. The scant-copy newspaper was circulated within the company and also caught the eye of battalion headquarters. The publication earned Col. Ewing the nicknames “Strap” and “The Strap.” At the end of World War II, Col. Ewing was assigned to Fort Meade and the War Department Historical Division in the Pentagon, and decided to author the official history of the 29th Division in World War II. This fascinating account of the division’s wartime history is the result of Col. Ewing’s combat experience and civilian career in journalism.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The combined British Expeditionary Force and American II Corps successfully pierced the Hindenburg Line during the Hundred Days Campaign of World War I, an offensive that hastened the war’s end. Yet despite the importance of this effort, the training and operation of II Corps has received scant attention from historians. Mitchell A. Yockelson delivers a comprehensive study of the first time American and British soldiers fought together as a coalition force—more than twenty years before D-Day. He follows the two divisions that constituted II Corps, the 27th and 30th, from the training camps of South Carolina to the bloody battlefields of Europe. Despite cultural differences, General Pershing’s misgivings, and the contrast between American eagerness and British exhaustion, the untested Yanks benefited from the experience of battle-toughened Tommies. Their combined forces contributed much to the Allied victory. Yockelson plumbs new archival sources, including letters and diaries of American, Australian, and British soldiers to examine how two forces of differing organization and attitude merged command relationships and operations. Emphasizing tactical cooperation and training, he details II Corps’ performance in Flanders during the Ypres-Lys offensive, the assault on the Hindenburg Line, and the decisive battle of the Selle. Featuring thirty-nine evocative photographs and nine maps, this account shows how the British and American military relationship evolved both strategically and politically. A case study of coalition warfare, Borrowed Soldiers adds significantly to our understanding of the Great War.

Biographical sketches and reproductions of newspaper accounts of men and women from the Casper, Wyo. area who served in or were employed by the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II.