165th Infantry
166th Infantry
167th Infantry
168th Infantry
42nd Division
69th New York Infantry
83rd Brigade
84th Brigade
A01=Robert Thompson
AEF
Alabama National Guard
Author_Robert Thompson
Category=JWK
Category=NHW
Category=NHWR5
eq_bestseller
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
Father Francis Duffy
Iowa National Guard
John J. Pershing
Joyce Kilmer
Meuse-Argonne offensive
New York National Guard
Ohio National Guard
Rainbow Division
San Mihiel offensive
William Donovan
World War I
Product details
- ISBN 9781594164095
- Weight: 481g
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 17 Nov 2023
- Publisher: Westholme Publishing, U.S.
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
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The 42nd Division, or “Rainbow Division” as it was known popularly, was composed entirely of unproven National Guard units hailing from twenty-six different states and the District of Columbia. For that reason, there were many who thought the division would never see combat when it deployed to France in October 1917. However, the division would spend 164 days in combat during World War I, a number exceeded by only two other American divisions. Despite the doubts of General John J. Pershing and many senior American officers regarding their ability to serve in combat, the division would come to be viewed by the Allies and their German opponents as one of the best combat divisions in the American Expeditionary Forces. As a result, the Rainbow Division was chosen to lead the American offensive in the Saint Mihiel salient, the first offensive planned and led by the American army in World War I. The division went on to play a critical role in the final offensive of the war in the Meuse-Argonne, where these battle-hardened National Guardsmen were the first Allied unit to finally break through the main German lines of resistance, the heavily fortified Kriemhilde Stellung, which had stopped assaults by three other American divisions.
Approach to Final Victory: America's Rainbow Division in the Saint Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Offensives by historian Robert Thompson, chronicles the efforts of the Rainbow Division during these final two Allied offensives that were key to the ultimate Allied victory. Based on letters, journals, action reports, and unit histories, the challenges, set-backs, and accomplishments of the division stand as a fitting symbol of American valor and sacrifice during the “war to end all wars.”
Approach to Final Victory: America's Rainbow Division in the Saint Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Offensives by historian Robert Thompson, chronicles the efforts of the Rainbow Division during these final two Allied offensives that were key to the ultimate Allied victory. Based on letters, journals, action reports, and unit histories, the challenges, set-backs, and accomplishments of the division stand as a fitting symbol of American valor and sacrifice during the “war to end all wars.”
ROBERT THOMPSON is a historian and former career military officer. He has a BA in history from Texas Tech University and a graduate degree in military studies from American Military University. He is author of a number of books, including Suddenly Soldiers: The 166th Infantry Regiment in World War I and Nine Desperate Days: America’s Rainbow Division in the Aisne-Marne Offensive, both of which were finalists for the Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award. He lives near St. Louis, Missouri.
