Where They Fell
The 42nd “Rainbow” Infantry Division from Alsace to Austria, each Regiment along its own line,
and the men who fell along the way.
Zoom in and click on each black marker, or play the slider to move with the Rainbow through the winter and spring of 1945.
Each fallen soldier is placed by the date he died, at the town his Regiment held that day, sourced from the Division's own dated maps of their advance and, where available, documentation down to company or soldier level.
The official record often carries conflicting reports. Documentation written up in the field can name a different village than a man's own comrades would later recall, and even what the official maps tell us. Because of this discrepancy, a margin of error remains.
For example, at Schweighausen, the documentation names many men as fallen inside the town, though many fell in the Ohlungen forest around it.
For a man who died of wounds received, the record gives the day of death, not necessarily the day of his wounding. His marker estimates where he was wounded based on regimental reports.
What stands here is the most faithful reading of the evidence, given in good faith and always open to correction.
For specific location of each man, the precise place and nature of death and wounding require individual research.
Do you have a question, or a story, of a man who fell here?
If you hold facts or stories that can help make this record more accurate, please reach out.