GUARDIANS OF THE PASS: America's Rainbow Division Against the Final German Offensive of World War I

1-253300

Details how the Champagne-Marne Defensive in July 1918 occurred at a crucial moment in World War I and proved to be the turning point of the war; and in specific, focuses on the one American division defending Paris, the 42nd -- the Rainbow Division -- a unit created from National Guard units from twenty-six states. Untested and new, many in the American Expeditionary Force and French Fourth Army doubted the Rainbow's ability to hold back the surprise German onslaught and prepared for the worst. However, these National Guardsmen, along with their French allies, not only held their ground, they also handed the enemy a devastating defeat that proved crucial to the outcome of the war. Contains 40 illustrations.