Guard wars : the 28th Infantry Division in World War II / Michael E. Weaver.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Weaver, Michael E., 1962-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Pennsylvania. National Guard. Infantry Division, 28th.

Pennsylvania.

United States. Army. Infantry Division, 28th.

United States.

World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Western Front.

World War, 1939-1945.

World War, 1939-1945--Regimental histories--United States.

United States--Armed Forces--Organization--History--20th century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (382 p.)

Place of Publication:

Bloomington : Indiana University Press, c2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

An inventive study of relations between the National Guard and the Regular Army during World War II, Guard Wars follows the Pennsylvania National Guard's 28th Infantry Division from its peacetime status through training and into combat in Western Europe. The broader story, spanning the years 1939 1945, sheds light on the National Guard, the U.S. Army, and American identities and priorities during the war years. Michael E. Weaver carefully tracks the division s difficult transformation into a combat-ready unit and highlights General Omar Bradley's extraordinary capacity for leadership which turned the Pennsylvanians from the least capable to one of the more capable units, a claim dearly tested in the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest. This absorbing and informative analysis chronicles the nation's response to the extreme demands of a world war, and the flexibility its leaders and soldiers displayed in the chaos of combat."

Contents:

Introduction : background and issues

Relations with the army and state identity

Readiness and training, 1939-1941

Peacetime maneuvers, 1939-1941

The Pennsylvania National Guard and American society

Social class, recruiting, and ideology

The October purge

Stateside training, 1942-1943

Training in Wales, 1943-1944

From Normandy to the West Wall

Battle of the Hürtgen Forest : a leadership failure

Battle of the Bulge : stubbornness and flexibility

Winter battles

Conclusion

Appendix 1: The execution of Private Slovik

Appendix 2: The reestablishment of the Pennsylvania National Guard.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-282-97587-0

9786612975875

0-253-00493-4

OCLC:

695996376