The Big Red One: America's Legendary 1st Infantry Division, Centennial Edition, 1917-2017 - Hardcover

Comprehensive History of America's Fighting First Division

This Centennial Edition chronicles 100 years of the 1st Infantry Division's service, from the Western Front of World War I through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Author James Scott Wheeler, a combat veteran and former battalion commander, provides meticulous documentation of the division's major combat engagements and peacekeeping missions.

Century of Combat Operations

The 1st Infantry Division holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously serving division in the U.S. Army. This volume documents its pioneering role as the first American division to see combat and achieve victory in World War I. The division spearheaded critical invasions during World War II, including North Africa, Sicily, and the Normandy invasion at Omaha Beach, before pushing deep into Germany.

Between wars, the Fighting First remained one of the few intact divisions and became the first army unit to train for amphibious warfare. The division developed successful combined-arms regimental combat teams and advanced night operations techniques that influenced modern military doctrine.

Cold War Through Modern Conflicts

Wheeler examines the division's critical role in postwar Germany as the only combat division in Europe during the early Cold War. The narrative continues through five years of operations in Vietnam, where the division pioneered air-mobile operations, and its leadership role in liberating Kuwait during Desert Storm.

The Centennial Edition includes new chapters covering peacekeeping missions in the Balkans from 1995-2004 and operations in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2001-2017, along with a new introduction and conclusion that contextualize the division's evolution.

Organizational Analysis and Leadership

This work illuminates the division's organizational evolution over a century, examining how tactical innovations and strategic adaptations shaped modern American military operations. Wheeler provides analysis of the unit's successes and failures, offering insights into the commanders and soldiers who wore the Big Red One shoulder patch.

The author combines historical narrative with military analysis, ensuring the division's story reflects broader themes in American military experience. His background as senior military analyst to the commanding general of the U.S. Army in Europe informs the strategic perspective throughout.

Published in collaboration with the Cantigny First Division Foundation and the Cantigny Military History Series, edited by Paul H. Herbert.