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

In this highly anticipated sequel to Beyond the Beachhead, historian Joseph Balkoski follows the U.S. 29th Infantry Division out of Normandy and into Brittany in the northwest corner of France, where the division was tasked with seizing the port of Brest. The German defenders, including elite paratroopers, fought fiercely for every inch of ground and inflicted heavy casualties on the Americans during bloody house-to-house fighting. By the time the Germans surrendered, the Allies had taken other ports, thus rendering Brest nearly useless and casting doubt on the decision to capture it in the first place. Balkoski tells the story of the battle, from the generals who ordered the attack to the infantrymen who slogged through the streets of Brest.