From Beachhead to Brittany: The 29th Infantry Division at Brest, August-September 1944 [Hardcover]

It is easy to think that once the Allies stormed Normandy that they raced east towards Berlin. Just as easy to assume that the bloodied 29th might have had a respite from the carnage. In fact, there was a terrible price to pay to finish off the Germans in western France, centered on Brest.

The fight was not long but it was not easy. From late August 1944 to the middle of the next month, a series of direct assaults on well-fortified, desperate German strongholds in Brittany killed and wounded hundreds of Americans in what ended up being a less than critical capture of the ports of Brest, best known for its formidable sub pens.

Worse, several generals thought that this would be easy, mopping up undersupplied, poor morale German troops eager to surrender, leading the commanding officer of the American efforts to expect fast movements and quick results. Only the Americans were short of men and ammunition and many of the Germans, for much of the time, were not easily convinced of their need to surrender. Hundreds died on both sides. The 29th had to meld scores of replacements into each regiment, trying to train and assimilate them during their few days off the fighting line. This introduction to real warfare did help, yet it also underscored the desperate situation of combat units with sky-high casualty rates.

Major General Charles Gebhardt, Jr., the demanding commanding general of the 29th Infantry Division charged with taking Brest, pushed all his men hard, expecting quick results against an underestimated enemy. Instead, fighting with desperation and much greater numbers than intelligence estimated, the Germans displayed their commitment to the Nazi cause at great expense to the Blue and Gray, a proud fighting force from Maryland and Virginia, manned by many former National Guardsmen, underappreciated by surly West Pointers.. As Command Historian of the Maryland National Guard, Joseph Balkoski does the 29th a great service and honor with his detailed writing. The unexplained, unexpected disappearance of the general after the battle is over, for four days in southwest England for a little R & R, coupled with his plan to open a brothel in France for his weary men, left a sour taste in the mouths of his superiors and detracted from the hard-fought results of the fighting. Later, historians would argue that Brest was not needed by the Allies, but the decision to abandon plans for the port came about only after the battle, when most Allied troops were hundreds of miles east and north of now isolated, distant Brest.

The stories are told with the direct, crisp voice of the division historian, an experienced author of earlier histories of the fighting 29th. The maps are simple, even primitive, but illustrate the complicated movements. There are many foot soldiers, many unsung heroes, and good history lessons to be learned and remembered, with gratitude to the fighting men of the 29th.

The Brittany Campaign has been one of the least written about and understood actions in WW2. In this book Balkoski continues to track the 29th Infantry Division from his classic book on d-day (Beyond the Beach head) from Normandy up to their move to Holland - covering their actions at Brest. No one is better suited to tell this story, as no one knows the 29th Division like Balkoski who has studied that unit all his life.

I have personally talked to a number of veterans of both the Normandy and Brittany fights, and to a man they all said Brittany was tougher. Partially because the Germans had nowhere to go, partially because many were well trained German paratroops, and partially because the defense was commanded by General Ramcke (who is arguably one of the more interesting German Generals of the war) who told his men that every shell used on them in Brittany was one less that would fall on Germany.

This book focuses on the 29th Division, as it should, and like his other books is very well done. Material on the Ranger Battalions is included as they fought under 29th command but little is covered of the other divisions talking part. The combat outside (and inside) the city was brutal; with events happening that put some of the more popular movies and TV shows to shame.

I think the entire question of why capture Brest, and its importance to the ETO campaign still needs to be examined in more detail, but it does not impact the fact that for a few weeks in August and September 1944, some of the toughest fighting in the war took place in Brittany- and has all but been forgotten.

As a sequel to Beyond the Beachhead, in which we see a Green National Guard unit transform into a combat ready unit and survive its first engagement, this volume takes that unit and shows how it adjusted to extended combat and became a veteran division. One can only hope a final volume in this series will take the story one step further and show the transformation into the professional combat organization it was by the end of the war.

I have read 4 of Joe Balkowski's books and I highly recommend all of them. This book like his others has great detail, contains new material, is well documented and written in a style that flows and is easy to read. His conclusions are well founded and explains the actions of the military leaders by giving the reader thier thought process behind the decisions.

Refreshing in it's thoroughness.