#rainbow division

[stripesandrockers]

Every year one of my boys and I go to the cemetary on Memorial Day and leave flowers for his great-grandfather, who died in the forests of Germany in WWII. Ignacio was part of the 222nd, the Rainbow Division.

[thisdayinwwi]

15:20 Mar 7 1918 21 men buried alive

At 15:20 on March 7 1918 21 men of the 165th Infantry Regiment, 42nd Rainbow Division were buried alive when a German artillery shell made a direct hit on their dugout. Rescue efforts were hampered by mudslides and continued German shelling.  

Poet Joyce Kilmer, a sergeant with the regiment, wrote a poem, "Rouge Bouquet," about the event:

In a wood they call the Rouge Bouquet

There is a new-made grave to-day,

Built by never a spade nor pick

Yet covered with earth ten metres thick.

There lie many fighting men,

Dead in their youthful prime,

Never to laugh nor love again

Nor taste the Summertime.

For Death came flying through the air

And stopped his flight at the dugout stair,

Touched his prey and left them there,

Clay to clay.

He hid their bodies stealthily

In the soil of the land they fought to free

And fled away.

Now over the grave abrupt and clear

Three volleys ring;

And perhaps their brave young spirits hear

The bugle sing:

“Go to sleep!

Go to sleep!

Slumber well where the shell screamed and fell.

Let your rifles rest on the muddy floor,

You will not need them any more.

Danger’s past;

Now at last,

Go to sleep!”

There is on earth no worthier grave

To hold the bodies of the brave

Than this place of pain and pride

Where they nobly fought and nobly died.

Never fear but in the skies

Saints and angels stand

Smiling with their holy eyes

On this new-come band.

St. Michael’s sword darts through the air

And touches the aureole on his hair

As he sees them stand saluting there,

His stalwart sons;

And Patrick, Brigid, Columkill

Rejoice that in veins of warriors still

The Gael’s blood runs.

And up to Heaven’s doorway floats,

From the wood called Rouge Bouquet

A delicate cloud of bugle notes

That softly say:

“Farewell!

Farewell!

Comrades true, born anew, peace to you!

Your souls shall be where the heroes are

And your memory shine like the morning-star.

Brave and dear,

Shield us here.

Farewell!”

[rosscountyhistoricalsociety]

This helmet belonged to Lawrence Willis Zonner when he served in WWI. Zonner was in 42nd Division, 166th Infantry, H Co., 83rd Brigade. The rainbow on his helmet represents the Rainbow Division, so called because it was made up of men from all over the country.

Zonner was injured by mustard gas, but survived the war. He was a fireman and mechanic after the war.

[rosscountyhistoricalsociety]

This “Rainbow Division” helmet is from WWI. It belonged to Lawrence Willis Zonner who served in the 83rd Brigade, H Co, 166th infantry.

[classicalhighways]

B178 - E 641 between Lofer and the German-Austrian border, Salzburger Land, Austria by rentable

Rainbow Division insignia painted on the rock by passing American soldiers in May 1945

[rosscountyhistoricalsociety]

Gas mask, WWI.

Belonged to Earl F. Miller who was a Chillicothe resident who joined the Ohio National Guard in March of 1917. The unit was activated when the US entered WWI. The unit was absorbed into the Rainbow Division and became Co. H, 166th Infantry, 42nd Division. Miller served for 3.5 years. His unit was involved in the Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, St. Mihel, and Meuse-Argonne. He was discharged on May 16, 1919.

The little cannister at the bottom is a cannister of “dim stick, which is used on the the lenses of the mask to keep them from fogging.

[rosscountyhistoricalsociety]

Rainbow Division veteran’s ring, post-WWI.  It belonged to Earl F. Miller. Miller was a Chillicothe resident who joined the Ohio National Guard in March of 1917. The unit was activated when the US entered WWI. The unit was absorbed into the Rainbow Division and became Co. H, 166th Infantry, 42nd Division. Miller served for 3.5 years. His unit was involved in the Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, St. Mihel, and Meuse-Argonne. He was discharged on May 16, 1919.

[rosscountyhistoricalsociety]

WWI jacket from the 42nd Division, known as the “Rainbow Division.” This jacket belonged to Earl F. Miller from Chillicothe, Ohio.