Rock of the Marne, Stephen L. Harris
Rock of the Marne, Stephen L. Harris
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Rock of the Marne
The American Soldiers Who Turned the Tide Against the Kaiser in World War I

Author: Stephen L. Harris

Narrator: Joe Barrett

Unabridged: 10 hr 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 10/06/2015


Synopsis

The soldiers of the Third U.S. Infantry Division in World War I were outnumbered and inexperienced young men facing hardened veterans, but their actions proved to be a turning point during the last German offensive of World War I.

In stopping three German divisions from crossing the Marne River, these heroic American soldiers blocked the road to Paris east of Château-Thierry, helped save the French capital and, in doing so, played a key role in turning the tide of the war. The Allies then began a counteroffensive that drove the enemy back to the Hindenburg Line, and four months later the war was over.

Rock of the Marne follows the Third Division's Sixth Brigade, which took the brunt of the German attack. The officers, many of them West Pointers and elite Ivy Leaguers, fighting side-by-side with enlisted men—city dwellers and country boys, cowboys and coal miners who came from every corner of America along with newly planted immigrants from Europe—answered their country's call to duty.

This is the gripping true account of one of the most important—yet least explored—battles of World War I.

About Stephen L. Harris

Stephen L. Harris is the author of several books, including Duffy's War: Father Francis Duffy, Wild Bill Donovan, and the Irish Fighting 69th in World War I, Harlem's Hell Fighters: The African-American 369th Infantry in World War I, and Duty, Honor, Privilege: New York's Silk Stocking Regiment and the Breaking of the Hindenburg Line. He is also a former newspaper and TV news editor, and is currently the American editor of the Journal of Olympic History. His articles have appeared in MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History, American Legion magazine, Yankee and Missouri Life, among others. He holds a degree in English from Trinity College, Burlington, Vermont, and he studied creative writing at New York City's New School. Stephen lives in Vermont.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Thomas on September 23, 2022

Mr. Harris is an expert regarding the First World War. He has written numerous books on the subject. This account regards the second battle of The Marne between the Germans and the Allies. The Germans just only failed in the first attempt to invade Paris. Now it is July 1918, and the Americans have......more

Goodreads review by Tom on June 27, 2017

This book largely focuses on the 3rd US Inf. Div. in the defense against the final German offensive, called "Friedensturm." For me, the audiobook varied from something that merited a close listen, to a page turner, to too much going on. The parts about Col. Ulysses Grant McAlexander of the 38 Reg. w......more

Goodreads review by Joe on June 13, 2018

Audiobook version I enjoyed it. It mainly covers the 30th and 38th Infantry Regiments of the 3rd Division in the 2nd Battle of the Marne. But, the author does draw in the story of the men of the 110th Infantry, Pennsylvania National Guard, that were on the flanks of the 30th and 38th. Plus he does b......more

Goodreads review by Christian on June 11, 2019

Fantastic book. Little attention gets paid to the battles of the Marne in WW1 histories (to be fair, WW1 is quite the large topic). The book does a fantastic job at illustrating the tension before a battle, the complexities of WW1 battle operations, and the soul crushing stories of those involved. Th......more

Goodreads review by Jeff on August 07, 2024

Decently written and researched account of the 3rd Infantry Division during the actions of WWI which gave rise to the Division's motto, the "Rock of the Marne." Worthwhile read if wanting to learn more about the American Expeditionary Force's combat during WWI or especially if wanting to learn more......more