The 29th Infantry Division, a Century and a Half of Epic History

The Blue-and-Gray Division, the US 29th Infantry Division, distinguished itself most notably from Omaha Beach, where it suffered terrible losses, through "the hell of the bocage", all the way to Saint-Lô; but its military history continued through the gruelling Battle of Brest and into Germany, across the Rhine plains, where the fighting remained fierce from village to village until the crossing of the Roer. Combat continued amid a Reich in ruins, all the way to the Bremen sector where the division was assigned to occupation duties, with the last units being demobilised in February 1946.

This thoroughly documented work presents the history of this division from its origins and rich traditions at the end of the 18th century, during the War of Independence. We follow it through the Civil War, where its ranks, drawn from Maryland and Virginia, would make it a "Blue-and-Gray" division, bringing together recruits from both Northern and Southern states. It fought in the First World War before being reactivated on 3 February 1941 from National Guard personnel. Trained in the USA and then in England, it was committed from D-Day to the final victory, distinguishing itself brilliantly but at the cost of more than 20,000 casualties — roughly equivalent to its original strength.

This rich history is presented here drawing on the finest sources, accompanied by an exceptionally abundant iconography, allowing the reader to follow it step by step from England to northern Germany. Numerous maps — particularly for the German campaign — many testimonies, and nearly a hundred unpublished photographs drawn from T5 Barry's album all allow a complete immersion within this iconic unit.