A Rainbow Division Lieutenant in France: The World War I Diary of John H. Taber

Lieutenant John Huddleston Taber was a New Yorker assigned to the 168th "Third Iowa" Infantry Regiment of the American Expeditionary Force's 42nd "Rainbow" Division during World War I. His diary provides a detailed narrative of a young officer maturing through his war experiences, from the voyage across the submarine filled Atlantic, to training in France, to front line combat. In a clear, unaffected voice, Taber records his dealings with superiors and enlisted men, billets in French and German towns, life in the trenches, intense shelling, machine gun fire, gas warfare, leaves to Paris, the occupation of Germany, and his return to New York.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents  P Preface (Stephen H. Taber) delete 1 1. Over There delete 3 2. France delete 10 3. The Front delete 27 4. On the Line delete 35 5. Gas delete 61 6. Rest delete 74 7. Back Up delete 80 8. Away delete 99 9. Saint Mihiel Salient delete 111 10. On the Road delete 120 11. Paris delete 125 12. Back with the Company delete 129 13. The End delete 136 14. Germany delete 146 15. En Route to Paris delete 165 16. Back to the Rhine delete 172 17. Leaving Germany delete 187 18. On the Way Home delete 190 Chapter Notes delete 197 Index delete 199

About the Author :
The late John H. Taber graduated from Columbia University in 1917 and was attached as a second lieutenant to the 168th Infantry (Iowa) of the Rainbow Division in World War I. He published a history of the 168th in 1925. He passed away in New York City in 1986. Stephen H. Taber, the second cousin of John H. Taber, is a financial specialist on Brazil. He lives in Portugal.

Review :
“an interesting firsthand account...provides valuable insights into the mindset and day-to-day activities of an officer in the French trenches during World War I”—The Annals of Iowa; “A Rainbow Division Lieutenant in France: The World War l Diary of John H. Taber is an extremely focused and balanced account of an officer with the 42nd Division in France and Germany. It is perhaps the first time publication of a WW1 diary in decades and provides a clear account of the war at the individual level by an officer who spoke French and some German, and also describes the era, billets, and Paris. It may provide a valuable reference to the Commission in providing a down to earth, individual account of the war and the times.”—The U.S. World War I Centennial Commission.