Research Catalog

Title

Suddenly soldiers : the 166th Infantry Regiment in World War I / Robert Thompson.

Author

Thompson, Robert N., 1953-

Publication

Yardley, Pennsylvania : Westholme Publishing, [2020]

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

xxvii, 234 pages : illustrations, maps, portraits; 24 cm

Summary

"When America entered World War I in April 1917, state National Guard units had never planned to mobilize for this kind of war, and the men who made up the hometown companies of each regiment never imagined that they would be asked to fight in what was then the most savage war in human history--they were 'innocents' being thrown into a horrendous European conflagration. Made up of companies from ten Ohio towns, the 166th Infantry Regiment became part of the famous 42nd Division, known as the "Rainbow Division." They were the third American division to arrive in France, where they fought courageously in the trenches at Lunéville and Baccarat before being a key part of the American effort in the Second Battle of the Marne and the Saint Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne offensives. Despite their initial lack of training in modern warfare and weapons, the 166th Infantry compiled an impressive combat record. However, that record came at a terrible cost, with the regiment suffering over two thousand casualties in just nine months of fighting. While they battled the Germans, these hometown Guardsmen lived in trenches and foxholes for weeks at a time, while subsiding on canned beef and coffee amid near constant rain, deep mud, rats, and body lice that made their lives miserable. Because of poor planning and leadership from higher headquarters, they were often asked to achieve impossible objectives amid withering enemy machine-gun fire without proper logistics or artillery support. Yet, despite these challenges, they would persevere, overcome, and emerge victorious. Using regimental histories and the letters and diaries of the soldiers who fought in France, Suddenly Soldiers: The 166th Infantry Regiment in World War I by historian Robert Thompson tells the compelling story of the young men--'citizen soldiers'--who have always borne the cost of America's freedom with quiet courage."--Book jacket.

Alternative Title

• 166th Infantry Regiment in World War I
• One hundred sixty-sixth Infantry Regiment in World War One

Subject

• United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 166th > History
• United States. Army. Infantry Division, 42nd > History
• United States. Army. Infantry Division, 42nd
• United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 166th
• 1914-1918
• World War, 1914-1918 > Regimental histories > United States
• World War, 1914-1918 > Campaigns > Western Front
• Military campaigns
• Regimental histories
• United States
• Western Front (World War (1914-1918))

Genre/Form

History.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. [221]-225) and index.

Contents

Mobilizing the 4th Ohio -- Over there -- "Valley Forge" -- Into the trenches--Lunéville and Baccarat -- Guardians of the pass--the Champagne defensive -- The Ourcq--river of death -- On the offensive--Saint Mihiel -- The big push--Meuse-Argonne to Sedan -- War's end.

Call Number

JFE 21-4722

ISBN

• 1594163502
• 9781594163500

OCLC

1155082960

Author

Thompson, Robert N., 1953- author.

Title

Suddenly soldiers : the 166th Infantry Regiment in World War I / Robert Thompson.

Publisher

Yardley, Pennsylvania : Westholme Publishing, [2020]

Type of Content

text

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (p. [221]-225) and index.

Chronological Term

1914-1918

Research Call Number

JFE 21-4722