About This Book

When America entered World War I in April 1917, state National Guard units had never planned to mobilize for this kind of war, and the men who made up the hometown companies of each regiment never imagined that they would be asked to fight in what was then the most savage war in human history—they were “innocents” being thrown into a horrendous European conflagration. Made up of companies from ten Ohio towns, the 166th Infantry Regiment became part of the famous 42nd Division, known as the “Rainbow Division.” They were the third American division to arrive in France, where they fought courageously in the trenches at Lunéville and Baccarat before being a key part of the American effort in the Second Battle of the Marne and the Saint Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne offensives. Despite their initial lack of training in modern warfare and weapons, the 166th Infantry compiled an impressive combat record. However, that record came at a terrible cost, with the regiment suffering over two thousand casualties in just nine months of fighting. While they battled the Germans, these hometown Guardsmen lived in trenches and foxholes for weeks at a time, while subsisting on canned beef and coffee amid near constant rain, deep mud, rats, and body lice that made their lives miserable. Because of poor planning and leadership from higher headquarters, they were often asked to achieve impossible objectives amid withering enemy machine-gun fire without proper logistics or artillery support. Yet, despite these challenges, they would persevere, overcome, and emerge victorious.

Using regimental histories and the letters and diaries of the soldiers who fought in France, Suddenly Soldiers: The 166th Infantry Regiment in World War I by historian Robert Thompson tells the compelling story of the young men—“citizen soldiers”—who have always borne the cost of America’s freedom with quiet courage.

ROBERT THOMPSON is a historian and former career military officer. He has a BA in history from Texas Tech University and a graduate degree in Military Studies from American Military University. He is author of A Woman of Courage on the West Virginia Frontier: Phebe Tucker Cunningham, Disaster on the Sandusky: The Life of Colonel William Crawford, and General Emory Upton in the Civil War: The Formative Experiences of an American Military Visionary. His articles have appeared in America’s Civil War and Military History. He lives near St. Louis, Missouri.

Praise for Suddenly Soldiers:

“What makes Suddenly Soldiers so readable is the way in which the author weaves into the narrative the comments of the enlisted soldiers and company grade officers and the vignettes they provided. It is truly a story of ordinary men performing extraordinary deeds. . . . Among regimental histories of World War I, Suddenly Soldiers stands out as one of the best-written and well-researched efforts. It is replete with numerous photographs and maps, is extensively endnoted, and includes an excellent and comprehensive bibliography.”—Journal of America’s Military Past

“As part of the 42nd ‘Rainbow’ Division, the 166th saw hard fighting through 1918. Only the 1st Division and the 26th Division saw more time in combat, so Thompson has a gold mine of information at his disposal. And while there have been recent histories on other infantry regiments of the division, there have been no recent monographs of the Ohioans of the 166th. . . . Thompson’s words bring to life the shocking horror of war as well as the exhaustion of the world of the trenches as he paints a vivid narrative of the regiment’s experience. . . . Readers of Suddenly Soldiers will find it a good introduction to America’s role in World War I, and they hopefully will continue to read more of the genre. The effects of World War I are still felt today, as the war vitally changed the U.S. militarily, economically and socially. This work is a welcome addition to the field.”—Association of the United States Army Book Reviews