Dying Hard

Company B, 39th Infantry Regiment, 9th US Infantry Division in WWII

French MacLean, French L. MacLean

• Publisher: Schiffer Military History
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781507303955
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military & Maritime History
• Index: History

Of the 177 enlisted men who formed Company B in 1941, less than 7% percent were still with the unit in May 1945. Many of the absent 93% had died hard, brutal deaths in combat. In the mold of the classic Band of Brothers, Colonel French MacLean presents a dramatic, personalized history of a single company of the US Army through brutal combat in battles at locations such as Normandy, the Ardennes and Hürtgen Forests, Merode Castle, and Remagen Bridge. This is the story of the 9th Division's 39th Infantry Regiment, Company B, a true American melting pot of soldiers from diverse ethnic, religious, racial, and national backgrounds, including Black, Hispanic, White, Mexican, Lakota, Quechan, Canadian, Cuban, Hungarian, Austrian, Norwegian, Scottish, Korean, Filipino, Chinese, Italian, Irish, Greek, Polish, Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant. Of the 177 enlisted men who formed Company B in 1941, less than 7% percent were still with the unit in May 1945. Many of the 93% whose lives were lost died hard, brutal deaths in combat. Readers will learn about the heritage, upbringing, and experiences of individual soldiers along with the history of the unit. This is a personal, dramatic history. Numerous "vignettes" appear throughout the text, which provide contextual information about equipment, terminology, locations, and more. They function like a glossary, but with greater detail and narrative effect. In total, 40 photos and 10 maps are included, most of which are previously unpublished. French MacLean is a retired colonel in the US Army and author of more than a dozen books on the Second World War; he is a recognized expert and experienced researcher. His father, Myron, served as a private in Company B.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Halftitle
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Maps
• Foreword: The American Soldier
• Introduction: “Things Ain’t What They Used to Be”
• Preface and Acknowledgments
• Chapter One: Long Ago and Far Away, Ft. Bragg
• Chapter Two: The Old Reliables: Algeria, Tunisia, Sicily, and England
• Chapter Three: The Americans Are Coming! Across France and Belgium
• Chapter Four: The Hell of the Hürtgen
• Chapter Five: The Hohes Venn, Elsenborn Ridge (1), Merode Castle
• Chapter Six: Battle of the Bulge, Elsenborn Ridge (2), Kalterherberg
• Chapter Seven: Mac’s War Stalag VI G
• Chapter Eight: Dying a Man at a Time
• Chapter Nine: “Show Me the Way to Go Home”
• Conclusion: “I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.”
• Epilogue: The Silent Generation
• Appendix: Company B Personnel
• Endnotes
• Bibliography
• Personnel Index