ISBN 978-0-85420-005-4
vi + 132 pages

Introduction; Acknowledgments; Acronyms and Abbreviations; tables

   In 2002 Helion & Company published US Army Infantry Divisions, 1943-45, volume 1 by Yves Bellanger. In our review later the same year, we wrote "Helion reports that volume two of US Army Infantry Divisions will cover OB data with army and corps assignments and lists of commanders for all American infantry divisions...."
   Helion later released a softcover version of the original volume. That, however, turned out to be the end of the line for the series.
   Fortunately, the next volume has finally appeared, albeit with a slightly different title and a new publisher.
   Despite those modest changes, this seems to be the volume promised about six years ago, and it does indeed make a good companion to Bellanger's first book. The original focused almost exclusively on the theoretical TOEs of various US units with exhaustive lists of personnel and equipment: "The chapters include page after page of this kind of material, detailing the organization of every component of an infantry division—including chaplains (with assistants) and the band (five tubas, among other instruments)—with text and charts. Lists of equipment go so far as to include items such as t-squares and plastic triangles for drafting, flashlights, typewriters, and clipboards. The section on clothing and personal gear issued to enlisted men runs two pages and in addition to items such as helmet, boots, and sleeping bag delves into fork, spoon, shaving brush, tooth brush, comb, and razor." This volume, on the other hand, visits the units in the field to look at their actual components in action, plus much more.
   The first chapter, of three pages, amounts almost entirely to a list of the US infantry divisions which served in the ETO, sequenced according to their movement overseas, beginning with the 5th Infantry Division (20 April 1942) and ending with the 97th Infantry Division (3 March 1945).
   The second chapter comprises the heart of the book and covers "order of battle and combat diary" for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 26th, 28th, 29th, 30th, and 35th Infantry Divisions. For anyone who has seen Shelby Stanton's massive and excellent World War II Order of Battle, some of the basic layout for each division will look familiar. Bellanger and Stanton both begin with a list of the organic elements of the division. For example, the 1st Infantry Division looks like this:

Headquarters Company
1st Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop, mechanized
1st Engineer Combat Battalion
1st Medical Battalion

16th Infantry Regiment
18th Infantry Regiment
26th Infantry Regiment

1st Division Artillery:
7th Field Artillery Battalion, 105mm Howitzer
32nd Field Artillery Battalion, 105mm Howitzer
33rd Field Artillery Battalion, 105mm Howitzer
33rd Field Artillery Battalion, 155mm Howitzer

Special Troops:
701st Ordnance Light Maintenance Company
1st Quartermaster Company
1st Signal Company
1st Military Police Platoon
1st Infantry Division Band

   Where Stanton lists only the commanding officers of each division, Bellanger shows COs (even on an acting basis, and including changes in rank) and more. He includes assistant division commanders, division artillery commanders, chiefs of staff, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, G-5, Adjutant General, and infantry regiment commanders, all with the date each officer assumed his position.
   Like Stanton, Bellanger also lists tank battalion, tank destroyer battalions, AA battalions, and their dates of assignment to the division. This volume also adds "Principal Attachments" which, as the heading indicates, gives information about other important additions to the division. The 1st, for example, shows 105th Coast Artillery Battalion while in Tunisia as well as the 1st and 4th Ranger Battalions, 83rd Chemical Battalion, 531st Engineer Shore Regiment, and other formations while in Sicily.
   Next the author provides a table summarizing the division's assignments to higher HQs and the dates of those assignments. Again looking at the 1st Infantry Division, the table has nine entries including II Corps, VII Corps, V Corps, Seventh Army, and First Army.
   The real meat of each divisional entry, however, is something Stanton only hints at. Bellanger has compiled an extensive chronology for each division, beginning with its departure for overseas service and ending with its post-VE Day disposition. These chronologies usually run at least two or three pages. Here's a sample of part of the history of the 1st Infantry.

Between December 1943 and May 1944: The Division was engaged in regular training as well as amphibious assault training in preparation of operation Overlord.

2 February 1944: The Division was assigned to the V Corps.

17 May: The 116th Regimental Combat Team, 29th Infantry Division was attached to the Division until 7 June 1944, for landing at Omaha Beach (CP at Blandford Forum, England).

6 June: The 16th and 116th Infantry carried out an amphibious assault at Omaha Beach in Normandy, France. It suffered heavy casualties. The 18th Infantry landed later the same day.

11 June: The Division captured Balleroy.

12 June: The Division seized Caumont-l'Evente.

13 June: The Division was in action defending the positions in the vicinity of Caumont (CP at Balleroy, France).

14 July: The 5th Infantry Division joined the V Corps and began to relieve the Division on the front line.

15 July: The Division was reassigned to VII Corps to take part in the main attack of operation Cobra.

17 July: The Division was transferred to an assembly area south of St-Lo.

26 July: The Division took Marigny with the 745th Tank Battalion attached (CP at Bois du Hommat).

27 July: The Division, partly motorised, advanced southwest, following the 3rd Armored Division. It seized Fontenay.

31 July: The Division secured crossings on the river See (CP at St Denis-du-Gast).

3 August: The Division captured Mortain, and established defensive positions.

   This chronological outline of the operations of each division proves to be nicely done, and we're not aware of any other source for this kind of detailed, daily information organized on a unit-by-unit basis. Furthermore, it parallels and complements our own unfinished (and languishing) online database of day-by-day unit histories called Armies of the Second World War.
   While the divisional entries and their chronologies comprise the heart of the book, Bellanger expends nearly as many pages in a long chapter of tabular data listing independent units (tank battalions, tank destroyer battalions, AA battalions, cavalry squadrons and groups, field artillery units, engineers, chemical units, Ranger battalions, and infantry units) and their dates of attachments to various infantry divisions.
   As usual with Military Press, this isn't a book for casual reading. However, for anyone seeking thorough daily digests of US divisional movements and operations, plus attachments and detachments of regiments and battalions, this is the go-to source. Of course, also in the tradition of Military Press, this is only volume 1, part 1, and it only deals with twelve infantry divisions. We're reliably informed that part 2, dealing with more infantry divs, will be available in the spring. Perhaps armored, mountain, and airborne divisions will follow?
   In any event, U.S. Army Infantry Divisions 1942-1945: Order of Battle and Combat Diary marks another attractive addition to the line-up of OB and TOE books from Military Press. We were impressed with Bellanger's work back in 2002, but—given its heavy emphasis on daily combat diaries—the new volume is even more to our liking. Although a trifle disappointing in terms of proofreading and copy editing (in several places it's impossible to ascertain if material has been accidentally left out, or if the formatting is simply out of whack), anyone with a hankering for data-intensive books about US infantry divisions (and attached non-divisional units) in Northwest Europe will want to have a look.
   Available from online booksellers, local bookshops, or directly from Military Press.
   Thanks to Military Press for providing this review copy.