Book Description

Few units in the U.S. Army can boast as proud a unit history as the Third Infantry Division; it fought on all of the Europe and North African fronts that American soldiers were engaged against the Axis forces during World War II. The 3rd Infantry Division saw combat in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, Germany and Austria for 531 consecutive days. In this official division history written by the officers who served with the unit at the time serves as a fascinating memorial and a detailed history of the “Marne Division” during World War II. The 3rd Inf. Division made landfall in Fedala on the 8th November 1942 as part of Operation Torch during the Allied invasion of North Africa and was engaged in heavy fighting before the German and Italian troops were finally levered out of the continent. The division was back in the thick of the fighting in Sicily under the command of such famous leaders as Generals Lucien Truscott, Omar Bradley and George S. Patton. As part of General Mark Clark’s U.S. Fifth army it engaged in some of the bloodiest engagements of the Italian campaign at Salerno beaches, Volturno river, Monte Cassino and Anzio. Under their old division commander General Truscott they formed part of the force that landed in Southern France and battled into the heart of Germany before the eventual capitulation of the Nazi High command in 1945. Richly illustrated with maps and pictures throughout.