New, Original Unit Histories. New, Original Unit Histories.For a wide variety of reasons, some outfits -- especially below the division level -- do not have a published history that chronicles their wartime achievements. Aegis can produce legitimate, serious histories of practically any US Army regiment or separate battalion, in a variety of formats from pamphlet to full-length, bound book. Below is an example of a unit history produced by Aegis, which was commissioned by the 70th Infantry Division Association and provided to the veterans of the 276th Infantry Regiment and their progeny -- as well as many historians, archival collections, and libraries.
by Keith E. Bonn
About the Author. Keith E. Bonn is a retired United States Army infantry officer whose service included extended tours with the 82d Airborne Division, 2d Infantry Division on the Korean DMZ, the 7th Light Infantry Division, and Joint Task Force-Bravo in Central America. A former assistant professor in the Department of History at the United States Military Academy at West Point, among several other books, he is the author of When the Odds Were Even: The Vosges Mountains Campaign, October 1944 - January 1945 (Presidio, 1994), the first comparative history of this important and often overlooked campaign. A master parachutist and ranger, he holds a B.S. from the USMA and an M.A. and Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago. He is currently an associate professor of history for American Military University in Virginia and a contracted consultant to the United States Army for future battle doctrine.
Content. This book provides a comprehensive account of the activation, training, and combat operations of the 276th Infantry from 1943 to 1945. From training at Camp Adair, Oregon, and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, to deployment from Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts, to arrival in Marseilles, the book recounts and analyzes each pre-combat phase for its impact on the Regiment's combat in the Vosges and Saar. The Regiment's combat accomplishments as part of Task Force Herren are covered in great detail, including the repulse of the Germans' NORDWIND offensive near Wingen-sur-Moder, Lichtenberg, and Baerenthal. The book continues with the Regiment's combat as part of the 70th Infantry Division—including supporting elements of the regimental combat team— covering the Oeting raids, the assault on Forbach, and the pursuit of German forces into Saarbrücken and beyond. All-new, professionally created maps and charts illustrate the action in the major battles. Special feature sections spotlight the weapons used by both sides, as well as the enemy units faced by the Regiment in combat. There are special feature sections about the backgrounds and records of each of the German formations which opposed the 276th, including the 6th SS-Mountain Division NORD, the 347th Infantry Division, and the 257th, 361st, and 559th Volks-Grenadier Divisions. Special sections also include biographical sketches of major personalities important to the Regiment's history and rosters of battle casualties and decorations.
Significance. Beyond a simple battle history, here is a comprehensive portrait of a late-war US Army infantry regiment, through the tumult of activation and training, repeated stripping of personnel as replacements, and abrupt commitment to combat without requisite preparation or supporting units. With Fire and Zeal is the story of American infantrymen hurled into battle not fully prepared and improperly organized for combat, who nevertheless succeed and ultimately overcome the shortcomings beyond their control to become a first-class fighting outfit. With Fire and Zeal is definitely not a unit "yearbook." It is an account of hard-nosed reality, designed to be a fitting tribute to the men of this Regiment who came, saw, and overcame adversity—from many sources, beyond those induced by weather and the enemy—in the snowy forest battlefields of the Low Vosges and the muddy fields of the Saar.
Major units about which there is significant information in this book (others are mentioned or portrayed on maps) include:
101st Cavalry Group
106th Cavalry Group
117th Cavalry Squadron
12th Armored Division
14th Armored Division
749th Tank Battalion
781st Tank Battalion
648th Tank Destroyer Battalion
3d Infantry Division
36th Infantry Division
42d Infantry Division/Task Force Linden
44th Infantry Division
45th Infantry Division/Task Force Harris
63d Infantry Division/Task Force Herren
65th Infantry Division
79th Infantry Division
94th Infantry Division
100th Infantry Division
103d Infantry Division
21st Panzer Division
25th Panzer-Grenadier Division
17th SS-Panzer Grenadier Division
"Götz von Berlichingen"
6th SS-Mountain Division NORD
347th Infantry Division
719th Infantry Division
19th Volks-Grenadier Division
36th Volks-Grenadier Division
256th Volks-Grenadier Division
257th Volks-Grenadier Division
361st Volks-Grenadier Division
553d Volks-Grenadier Division
559th Volks-Grenadier Division
168 pages in 8½" x 11" format; paperbound with fourcolor cover; 8 original maps; 20 combat art drawings by Mr. Tex Bennett, veteran of the 276th Infantry Regiment in WWII; extensive footnotes; bibliography; index; glossary. ISBN: 0-9666389-0-5. $29.95.
