The History of the106th Calvary, an illinois National Guard unit from 1898 to the present

In Sabers through the Reich, William Stuart Nance provides the first comprehensive operational history of American corps cavalry in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during World War II. The corps cavalry had a substantive and direct impact on Allied success in almost every campaign, and served as offensive guards for armies across Europe, conducting reconnaissance, economy of force, and security missions, as well as prisoner of war rescues. From D-Day and Operation Cobra to the Battle of the Bulge and the drive to the Rhine, these groups had the mobility, flexibility, and firepower to move quickly across the battlefield, enabling them to aid communications and intelligence gathering, reducing the Clausewitzian "friction of war."

The 101st Cavalry was a New York National Guard unit that spent the final months of World War II doing reconnaissance for the U.S. 7th Army. They crossed the Saar River in March, and were closing in on Innsbruck, Austria, when the war ended. Attached at various times to, among others, the 4th Infantry Division, the 63rd Infantry Division, the 12th Armored Division, and the 101st Airborne, the 101st Cavalry found a series of concentration camps in the woods near Landsberg and liberated Oflag VIIA, a prisoner of war camp for Polish officers near Murnau. When Melaney Welch Moisan set out in 2004 to find out what her father had done in World War II, she discovered that many other men in the 101st had stories of their own to tell. This book is the story of her journey to connect with her father's past. It is also the story the men who served in the 101st Cavalry, and others whose lives they touched during those few months of the war. More than 100 photos and 17 maps.

This chronicle of the 106th Infantry Division follows the unit into the Battle of the Bulge and recounts the stories of GIs who fought—even after capture. On December 16, 1944, as the European conflict of World War II was reaching its climax at the Battle of the Bulge, the 106th Infantry Division was fresh, green, and right in the pathway of the Fifth German Army. Warriors of the 106th chronicles the movements and combat operations of this significant unit while sharing individual stories of the heroism and sacrifice of these young Americans in the face of overwhelming odds. From this division alone, 6,800 men were taken prisoner. But their stories didn’t end there. For the ones who miraculously escaped, there was a battle to fight. With remarkable courage, they survived debilitating weather conditions and fought a determined enemy with superior numbers. And despite all adversity, they eventually prevailed. One 106th GI waged his own personal war using guerilla tactics that caused serious consternation amongst the German troops. Another GI’s main concern was recovering his clean underwear. These stories are heartwarming, heartbreaking, nerve-wracking, and compelling. Warriors of the 106th puts readers on the front lines and in the stalags during the final months of WWII.