Into The Fire

About the Book

Into The Fire-The 275th Infantry Regiment in World War II details the record of a unique regiment - one of only a handful of regiments withdrawn from training months before it would have been certified "combat ready" and deployed to Europe - during the Second World War, based on archival research, period memoranda, and interviews.

During an October 1944 visit to the European Theater of Operations (ETO), Army Chief of Staff, General George C. Marshall, agreed to send Supreme Commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, as many additional regiments of infantry as he could, before Ike launched the final push into Germany. Neither anticipated a particularly active combat role for the regiments;rather, they were to be committed to relatively inactive sectors replacing exhausted combat weary regiments, so they could be temporarily withdrawn to rest and refit. There were, however, no infantry regiments ready (trained) for deployment, and Marshall decided to withdraw nine regiments from training. 275th Infantry shipped to Southern France, arriving-as luck would have it, on 16 December 1944 - the day the Germans launched their Ardennes offensive.

Two weeks later, on 31 December, to relieve pressure of the faltering Bulge battle, Adolph Hitler launched a second attack-Nordwind-in the Alsace region of France, where two divisions slammed into 275th Infantry's "inactive sector" in the Vosges Mountains.

Despite German force superiority, bitter weather, training, personnel and equipment shortfalls, and a contentious relationship between the regiment and the division it was attached to, 275th Infantry adapted, fought courageously, and denied access to the Alsace Plain in its sector by the attacking Germans.

After heavy losses in the Vosges Mountains, the Regiment was shifted to another defensive sector in the Saar Basin, and then fought its way into Germany, capturing Saarbrucken in late March 1945; served with occupation forces until September.

About the Author

Tim Desiderio was a Regular Army officer (Armor) for twenty-five years, is a graduate of Park College (BA, Summa Cum Laude), the University of Oklahoma (MPA), and the US Army Command and General Staff College. He has been invested into the Ancient Order of Saint Barbara of the United States Field Artillery Association, is a life member of Mannheimer Post 9534, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and a member of the San Francisco Post of the American Legion. Desiderio also holds life memberships in the 1st Cavalry Division and the Blackhourse (11th Armored Cavalry's Veterans of Viet Nam and Cambodia) Associations, and is an associate member of the 70th Infantry Division Association.