American Iliad: The History of the 18th Infantry Regiment in World War II

Rating:
Summary: Superbly researched and chronicled Regimental history
Review: American Iliad: The 18th Infantry Regiment in World War II by Robert Baumer and Lieutenant Colonel Mark Reardon (not to be confused with a similarly titled book dealing with the US Civil War) is a tour de force as a regimental history. Baumer and Reardon have compiled a comprehensive story of the regiment from its inception to the occupation of post-war Germany. The 350-odd pages are almost devoid of reference to other units except in cases where discussion of non-18th units is necessary for context or in cases where 18th units were integrated into non-18th parent groups. Thus this truly is a story of a single regiment that fought as part of the Big Red One (US Army 1st Infantry Division) from North Africa to D-Day to the Huertgen and the Ardennes to the Ruhr and the fall of Nazi Germany. The book is broken up into eleven chapters, starting with prewar organization/training, the long boat ride to war and the regiment's first battles in North Africa (chapters 1 and 2). These first two chapters provide ample and substantive background on which to place the battle successes (many) and losses (relatively few tactically but often large in terms of human life). The next four chapters describe actions in North Africa and Sicily. Chapter 3, The Battle for Longstop Hill is a particularly fascinating one. While Longstop was in many ways unpleasant for the 18th it was a major turning point for the regiment (and in many ways the US Army as a whole) in North Africa. Respect from their British comrades was earned the hard way at Longstop. Chapters 7-9 are centered on D-Day and the fight across France and the low-countries to the Westwall (Siegfried Line), while the subsequent chapter (10) deals with the Battles of the Huertgen Forest and Ardennes (the Bulge). This latter chapter (and the section dealing with combat around Mortain, France in chapter 8) reveals a lot about the fighting spirit of the men in the 18th Infantry Regiment. Certainly the Battle of the Huertgen was one of attrition that the Americans ultimately won, with many regiments taking part but few coming out the other end - the 18th was one of the latter. While not a major player in the Battle of the Bulge, the 18th did its part to stem the tide of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS. The last chapter deals with the final battles in Western Europe for the 18th and is fresh in many ways since less is generally dedicated to these battles on the western front to those final days on the eastern front and the Battle of Berlin.

Strangely, Bauman and Reardon crafted a full and detailed story of the 18th Infantry Regiment in WWII worthy of 5 stars from a historical-standpoint with little literary flare. American Iliad is often difficult reading from a standpoint of pure reading pleasure. This reader was reminded of A Time for Trumpets by Charles Macdonald, another classic from the standpoint of content but one far from a classic read for pleasure. Much of American Iliad runs from one thought to another with little break or reason, despite its factual prowess. The authors have used just eleven chapters to tell a 359-page story and each chapter runs start to finish with no breaks. Thus, while a given chapter can deal with multiple battles or events the authors have chosen not to make use of sub-chapter breaks in the text to help the flow. Unfortunately the lack of such breaks also contributes to the difficulty of the read since there are few logical places to rest except for between chapters. For those who have ample time to dedicate to their reading and can move through what is thick and dense (historically) prose this may not be a real problem. However, even for the more serious historical reader may find American Iliad hard reading, not for lack of content certainly, but for flair and style that can make dense reading more enjoyable. Yet, this is a historical work and the first goal of the authors should have been to provide accurate and factual text - this they have done exceedingly well. That the prose is not like that of C. Ryan or S. Ambrose can thus be forgiven, even if it makes the reading a bit more tedious.

In the end Bauman and Reardon have crafted a solid 4 star book (giving each star more weight for historical significance of the work than the authors' story-telling abilities per se) that should be read by any serious student of WWII history, especially those with an interest in single unit histories. Veterans and soldiers currently assigned to the remaining battalion of the 18th Infantry Regiment have been given a rare gift of unit history that they are certain to cherish.



Rating:
Summary: Combat, lots of combat
Review: An unusually well-researched and well-written book about an unusually combat-experienced unit. It is no exaggeration to state that the 18th Infantry Regiment saw more combat than most US regiments in WWII. So, if you are into the history of the 18th Infantry, the 1st Division or just generally interested to examine the performance and spirit (the role of regimental pride in the WWII US Army has surely been underestimated) of a distinguished US Army infantry regiment in WWII this book is for you.

The text is enhanced by some great maps. The book also contains details about the German units encountered - an important context that not all regiment-focused books have.

Rating:
Summary: Well Researched WW2 Account at Its Finest
Review: I am always on the lookout for quality books on WW2 military history, even more so given the recent opening of the World War 2 Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C. I have tried to gain a better perspective on what that generation experienced through military history books dealing with that era. Some books are packed with just a bit too much information and others lack depth in regards to research. Let's face it, after sixty years authors must face the fact that they have to "raise the bar" just a bit higher in order to produce something better than a re-hash of previous works. Despite a somewhat misleading main title (there is a Civil War book out there with the same name), AMERICAN ILIAD contains a lot of new information, which is deftly woven into a gripping and entertaining tale. The accounts of the fighting at St. Cloud during Operation TORCH are especially informative, as is the narrative dealing with Longstop Hill, D-Day, Aachen, and the Battle of the Bulge. As you may have surmised, this unit was everywhere! The publisher notes that AMERICAN ILIAD provides readers with a penetrating insight into the development of our Army during WW2 as seen through the experiences of a single infantry regiment. By narrowing the focus to a managable size, the story of the men who fought with the 18th Infantry Regiment is more easily understood. I must agree with the publisher as the book seems to capture just the right mix of personal stories and strategic perspective. A must read for fans of the common foot soldier and more specifically, the "Big Red One".

Rating:
Summary: Well Researched WW2 Account at Its Finest
Review: I am always on the lookout for quality books on WW2 military history, even more so given the recent opening of the World War 2 Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C. I have tried to gain a better perspective on what that generation experienced through military history books dealing with that era. Some books are packed with just a bit too much information and others lack depth in regards to research. Let's face it, after sixty years authors must face the fact that they have to "raise the bar" just a bit higher in order to produce something better than a re-hash of previous works. Despite a somewhat misleading main title (there is a Civil War book out there with the same name), AMERICAN ILIAD contains a lot of new information, which is deftly woven into a gripping and entertaining tale. The accounts of the fighting at St. Cloud during Operation TORCH are especially informative, as is the narrative dealing with Longstop Hill, D-Day, Aachen, and the Battle of the Bulge. As you may have surmised, this unit was everywhere! The publisher notes that AMERICAN ILIAD provides readers with a penetrating insight into the development of our Army during WW2 as seen through the experiences of a single infantry regiment. By narrowing the focus to a managable size, the story of the men who fought with the 18th Infantry Regiment is more easily understood. I must agree with the publisher as the book seems to capture just the right mix of personal stories and strategic perspective. A must read for fans of the common foot soldier and more specifically, the "Big Red One".