Historian of the American Experience on D-Day
and
Chronicler of the 29th Infantry Division in World War II

Described by USA Today as "The top living D-Day historian,"
and by bestselling author Carlo D'Este as "The foremost historian of the D-Day experience."

Charles M. Schulz, creator of Peanuts, wrote that Balkoski's book Beyond the Beachhead "is quite amazing... If you want to know what D-Day and Normandy were like, from private to general, from rifle to tank, from beginning to end, this is the book for you."

Joseph Balkoski is Command Historian of the Maryland National Guard and the author of several classic history books detailing the American involvement in D-Day and the Normandy campaign, among them Omaha Beach, Utah Beach, Beyond the Beachhead: The 29th Infantry Division in Normandy, and From Beachhead to Brittany: The 29th Infantry Division at Brest.

NOW AVAILABLE!
From Brittany to the Reich: The 29th Infantry Division in Germany
September - November, 1944

"An excellent example of what a unit history should be. It provides vivid descriptions both of combat and what life was like for Second World War GIs out of action. While focusing on the 29th, this history is an in-depth look at what the US Army in the ETO was really like at the 'sharp end.'" - David C. Isby, author of "Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires."

From Brittany to the Reich: The 29th Infantry Division in Germany is the third volume in Joseph Balkoski's ongoing history of the 29th Infantry Division in World War II. It relates the division's role in the autumn fighting along the enemy's West Wall defenses near the city of Aachen, Germany. It is a riveting tale of brutal and frustrating combat, during which the GIs learned that Nazi Germany was far from beaten. Readers will be introduced to some of the extraordinary soldiers who populated the 29th Division, such as Capt. Waldo Schmitt, who turned down a rear-echelon job after suffering a severe wound on D-Day so he could return to his beloved 115th Infantry; and Sgt. Edward Humphrey, raised in England amid the world of fox-hunts and falconry, who ended up a simple GI with the 29th Division and the recipient of two Silver Stars.

CLICK HERE to view a YouTube video on the men portrayed in From Brittany to the Reich.

CLICK HERE to read selected excerpts from From Brittany to the Reich.

---

BOOKSTORE
We now take credit card orders!

DISCOUNT! On orders of three or more books of any titles, you may take 20% off the list price of the order.

If you wish to order books and pay by major credit card, please use the "ADD TO CART" buttons below and follow CHECKOUT instructions. If your order totals 3 or more books, use the "Discount Price" button rather than the "Full Price" button.

If you wish to order books and pay by check or money order, follow the instructions HERE.

SHOPPING CART - (Use only if paying by credit card)

---

LATEST NEWS: JANUARY 2012

Joe Balkoski's most recent book on the 29th Infantry Division, From Brittany to the Reich, has now been released in an electronic version for the Amazon Kindle reader. It is available for only $4.99 on the Amazon.com "Kindle Store" website.

A spreadsheet listing the entire complement of personnel for the 115th, 116th, and 175th Infantry Regiments of the 29th Division from D-Day to V-E Day is now available on this website (see "Historical Information," below). Joe soon hopes to add the personnel of non-infantry units as well. These rosters are based on the original 29th Division morning reports obtained from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, MO.

Joe new book on the 29th Infantry Division, tentatively titled Our Tortured Souls: The 29th Infantry Division in the Rhineland, November - December 1944, is finished. Joe is waiting to hear from several interested publishers, and he hopes to have the book in print by late spring or summer 2012. The book, Volume IV in Joe's ongoing history of the 29th Infantry Division in World War II, tells the story of the division's vital role in the US Army's November offensive on the Western Front, which General Bradley hoped would bring the Allies to the Rhine River by Christmas. It is a riveting story of heroism and tragedy, during which thousands of 29ers became casualties in a campaign that ultimately failed to bring about Nazi Germany's downfall by early 1945.

Stay tuned for publication information!

Joe hopes to complete his history of the 29th Division in World War II in five volumes, so one more volume should follow this one.

Don't forget... If you're ever in Baltimore, please pay a visit to the 29th Infantry Division Museum and Archives in the Fifth Regiment Armory on (where else?) 29th Division Street. For information, see our Facebook page (below). Appointments are required. Call 410-576-1496. Thanks!

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

From Beachhead to Brittany: The 29th Infantry Division at Brest is the long-awaited sequel to Beyond the Beachhead: The 29th Infantry Division in Normandy. After a brutal hedgerow campaign, the Allies broke out of Normandy and raced east toward Paris. But the top brass had other plans for the battle-hardened 29th Division, which had landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day and fought fiercely for every foot of ground in Normandy. The 29th must now turn west and seize the vital port of Brest, at the far western corner of Brittany. The troops expected the effort to take a week. It would instead last almost four.

CLICK HERE to read selected excerpts from From Beachhead to Brittany.

---

HISTORICAL INFORMATION, 29th INFANTRY DIVISION

COMMENTS ON JOSEPH BALKOSKI'S WORKS:

Beyond the Beachhead: The 29th Infantry Division in Normandy
(2005 edition with new chapter on liberation of Vire)

Omaha Beach: D-Day, June 6, 1944

Utah Beach: The Amphibious and Airborne Operations on D-Day, June 6, 1944

PLEASE JOIN OUR FACEBOOK PAGE!
29th Infantry Division Archives

NEW 29TH DIVISION PAINTING BY LARRY SELMAN RELEASED!

Titled Clearing the Vierville Draw, the painting depicts the scene on the Dog Green sector of Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944, as members of the 29th Division's 121st Engineer Combat Battalion prepare to demolish the enemy's anti-tank wall in front of the Vierville Draw. The accomplishment of this mission was pivotal to the American success on D-Day.

The painting, limited-edition prints of which are now available for purchase, was commissioned as a fund-raiser for the 29th Infantry Division Museum and Archives, located in Baltimore, MD, and overseen by the non-profit Maryland Military Historical Society (see "Links" below). For information on the print, please contact the Society HERE.

If you wish to purchase a print signed by the artist, please use this site for your order. The cost is $121, plus shipping. All proceeds go directly to the Maryland Military Historical Society, an accredited non-profit 501(c)-3 organization. Thus, purchases of the print (but not our books) are tax deductible. To purchase a print by credit card, please use the "ADD TO CART" buttons on the Shopping Cart above and follow Checkout instructions. Thanks for supporting 29th Division history and its wonderful Museum!