The Fighting 30th Division: They Called Them Roosevelt's SS

...read this book mainly for the perspective of the GIs who fought and bled to give the Old hickory Division its well earned reputation. In the words of former infantryman Jim Nolan "The 30th was topnotch". ― The Journal of America's Military Past In World War I the 30th Infantry Division earned more Medals of Honor than any other American division. In World War II it spent more consecutive days in combat than almost any other outfit. Recruited mainly from the Carolinas and Georgia and Tennessee, they were one of the hardest-fighting units the U.S. ever fielded in Europe. What was it about these men that made them so indomitable? They were tough and resilient for a start, but this division had something else. They possessed intrinsic zeal to engage the enemy that often left their adversaries in awe. Their U.S. Army nickname was the “Old Hickory” Division. But after encountering them on the battlefield, the Germans themselves came to call them “Roosevelt’s SS.” This book is a combat chronicle of this illustrious division that takes the reader right to the heart of the fighting through the eyes of those who were actually there. It goes from the hedgerows of Normandy to the 30th’s gallant stand against panzers at Mortain, to the brutal slugs around Aachen and the Westwall, and then to the Battle of the Bulge. Each chapter is meticulously researched and assembled with accurate timelines and after-action reports. The last remaining veterans of the 30th Division and attached units who saw the action firsthand relate their remarkable experiences here for the first, and probably the last time. This is precisely what military historians mean when they write about “fighting spirit.” There have been only a few books written about the 30th Division and none contained direct interviews with the veterans. This work follows their story from Normandy to the final victory in Germany, packed with previously untold accounts from the survivors. These are the men whose incredible stories epitomize what it was to be a GI in one of the toughest divisions in WWII. Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS FOREWORDS INTRODUCTION PART ONE NORMANDY AND NORTHERN FRANCE Normandy Campaign: 6 June–24 July 1944 Northern France Campaign: 25 July–14 September 1944 1 HELL IN LE BOCAGE! 2 THE “BREAKOUT” 3 “THE ROCK OF MORTAIN” PART TWO THE RHINELAND CAMPAIGN 155 Rhineland Campaign, Part 1: 15 September 1944—15 December 1944 4 TO THE EDGE OF THE REICH 5 AACHEN! 6 ADVANCE TO THE EAST PART THREE THE ARDENNES Ardennes-Alsace Campaign, 16 December 1944–25 January 1945 7 THE THIN GREEN LINE 8 COUNTEROFFENSIVE PART FOUR GERMANY AND VICTORY Rhineland Campaign, Part 2: 26 January–21 March 1945 Central Europe Campaign: 22 March–11 May 1945 9 SETTING THE PACE 283 10 THE FINAL PUSH 292 EPILOGUE APPENDIX A: Units of the 30th Infantry Division APPENDIX B: US Army Organizational Structure ENDNOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX
ASIN: 161200301X
VSKU: DBV.161200301X.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:King, Martin|Hilborn, David|Collins, Michael
Binding: Hardcover
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: Gently used with minimal wear on the corners and cover. A few pages may contain light highlighting or writing, but the text remains fully legible. Dust jacket may be missing, and supplemental materials like CDs or codes may not be included. May be ex-library with library markings. Ships promptly!