Infantry Divisons

Blood and Fire. The 63rd Infantry Division deployed to Europe in late 1944 and fought through the Siegfried Line, across the Rhine, and into southern Germany. The division's bayonet-and-flame shoulder patch earned its fearsome motto. The 63rd ended the war deep in Bavaria.

The Battle Axe Division. Deployed to Europe in early 1945, the 65th Infantry Division fought through the Siegfried Line and drove across southern Germany and into Austria. The halberd battle axe on the patch represented the division's cutting edge. One of the last divisions committed to combat in Europe.

The Black Panther Division. The 66th Infantry Division suffered one of the war's worst tragedies before ever reaching the front. On Christmas Eve 1944, the troopship SS Léopoldville was torpedoed in the English Channel, killing 763 soldiers - most from the 66th. The survivors went on to contain German forces in the Lorient and St. Nazaire pockets in France.

The Fighting 69th Division. The 69th Infantry Division is best known for the historic link-up with Soviet forces at the Elbe River on April 25, 1945 - the moment the Eastern and Western Fronts met and cut Nazi Germany in two. The handshake at Torgau became one of the iconic images of the war's end. The 69th had fought from the Siegfried Line to that moment on the Elbe.

The Trailblazer Division. The 70th Infantry Division deployed to Europe in late 1944 and fought through the Vosges Mountains, the Siegfried Line, and across the Rhine into Germany. The division liberated several subcamps in its advance through southern Germany.

The Red Circle Division. The 71st Infantry Division entered combat in early 1945 and drove through Germany and into Austria. The division is remembered for liberating the Gunskirchen concentration camp - a subcamp of Mauthausen - where soldiers found thousands of prisoners in horrific conditions. The Red Circle's soldiers bore witness.

Activated in 1943, the 75th Infantry Division deployed to Europe in late 1944 and was thrown almost immediately into the Battle of the Bulge. The division fought through the Ardennes and across the Rhine in its first and only campaign.

The Onaway Division - "Onaway" from Longfellow's Hiawatha. The 76th Infantry Division entered combat in early 1945, crossed the Rhine, and drove into central Germany. The division advanced rapidly through collapsing German resistance in the war's final weeks.

The Cross of Lorraine Division. The 79th Infantry Division wore the Cross of Lorraine on its patch - the symbol of Free France - adopted after serving in Lorraine in WWI. In WWII, the 79th landed at Utah Beach, liberated Cherbourg, fought through France, and crossed the Rhine. The division that carried France's symbol of resistance through the liberation of France itself.

The Blue Ridge Division. The 80th Infantry Division served in Patton's Third Army, fighting from Normandy through the Ardennes and into Germany. At the Battle of the Bulge, the 80th helped relieve Bastogne alongside the 4th Armored Division. The Blue Ridge soldiers were among Patton's most reliable. Only Moves Forward.

The Wildcat Division. The 81st Infantry Division fought one of the Pacific War's bloodiest battles at Peleliu and Angaur in the Palau Islands in September 1944. While the 1st Marine Division took the main island, the Wildcats seized Angaur and then relieved the Marines on Peleliu. The fighting on those coral islands was some of the most vicious of the entire war.

The Thunderbolt Division. The 83rd Infantry Division fought from Normandy through the Hürtgen Forest, the Battle of the Bulge, and across the Rhine to the Elbe. The division earned its nickname through aggressive action across the European Theater. The Thunderbolts left a trail of lightning from the beaches to the heart of Germany.

The Railsplitter Division - named for Abraham Lincoln's rail-splitting frontier days. The 84th Infantry Division fought in the Battle of the Bulge and drove across the Rhine into Germany. The Lincoln axe-and-rail on the shoulder patch carried the sixteenth president's fighting spirit into the twentieth century's biggest war.

The Custer Division. Named for George Armstrong Custer, who was from the division's home region. The 85th Infantry Division fought through the Italian Campaign - the Gustav Line, the drive to Rome, and the Gothic Line. Italy was a brutal, mountainous slog, and the Custer Division fought it from the bottom to the top of the boot.

The Golden Acorn Division. The 87th Infantry Division entered combat in the Saar region in late 1944 and was immediately swept into the Battle of the Bulge. The Golden Acorn fought through the Ardennes winter, crossed the Rhine, and drove into the heart of Germany. The acorn - small seed, mighty oak - fit a division that grew into a formidable fighting force.

The Blue Devils. The 88th Infantry Division was the first all-draftee division to enter combat in WWII - proving that citizen-soldiers could fight as well as anyone. The Blue Devils fought through the Italian Campaign from the Gustav Line to the Po Valley, earning a reputation as one of the finest divisions in the Mediterranean Theater. The first draftees in, and among the best.

The Rolling W Division. The 89th Infantry Division crossed the Rhine and drove into Germany in 1945. The division helped liberate the Ohrdruf concentration camp - the first Nazi camp discovered by American forces. Generals Eisenhower, Patton, and Bradley visited Ohrdruf and ordered every soldier in the area to see it. The Rolling W bore witness to what they were fighting against.

The Tough 'Ombres. Texas and Oklahoma soldiers - the T and O on the shoulder patch. The 90th Infantry Division landed at Utah Beach on D-Day and struggled badly in its first hedgerow engagements. Under new leadership, the division transformed into one of Patton's most aggressive units. The Tough 'Ombres fought through the Falaise Pocket, the Moselle crossings, and the Ardennes. From worst to first in Third Army.

The Pine Tree Division. The 91st Infantry Division fought through the Italian Campaign, breaking through the Gothic Line and driving into the Po Valley. The fir tree on the patch represented the Pacific Northwest timber country where the division first trained in WWI. The 91st fought in the mountains of Italy that swallowed divisions whole.

The Buffalo Soldiers Division. The 92nd Infantry Division was a segregated African American division that fought through the Italian Campaign. The buffalo on the patch honored the original Buffalo Soldiers of the frontier. The 92nd fought through the Gothic Line under the double burden of combat and institutional racism. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was attached to the 92nd for the final push in Italy. Black soldiers and Japanese American soldiers - both fighting for a country that questioned their loyalty - fought side by side.

The Blue Helmet Division. The 93rd Infantry Division was a segregated African American division that served in the Pacific. In WWI, the 93rd's regiments were attached to the French Army and fought with distinction - the 369th Infantry, the Harlem Hellfighters, was part of the 93rd's lineage. In WWII, the division served in the Pacific but was limited largely to security and garrison duties due to racial policies.

The Neuf Cats - a play on the number 94 and the French word neuf. The 94th Infantry Division contained German garrisons in Brittany before being committed to the Saar-Moselle Triangle, where the division fought through some of the toughest fortified terrain in the Siegfried Line during the bitter winter of 1944-45.

The Iron Men of Metz. The 95th Infantry Division earned its most famous nickname by capturing the fortress city of Metz in November 1944 - the first time Metz had fallen by assault since 1552. Nearly four hundred years of the fortress city's invincibility ended under the 95th's assault. The division drove on across the Rhine and into Germany. Victory.

The Deadeye Division. The 96th Infantry Division earned its nickname for marksmanship scores that ranked highest in the Army. The Deadeyes put that accuracy to use at Leyte and Okinawa - two of the Pacific War's bloodiest battles. On Okinawa, the 96th fought through the Hacksaw Ridge escarpment and the Shuri Line. The division paid dearly for every yard on that island.

The Trident Division. The 97th Infantry Division fought in the European Theater, crossing the Rhine and driving into Czechoslovakia. After V-E Day, the division redeployed to the Pacific for the planned invasion of Japan. The trident on the patch represented the three blue prongs of the divisional insignia.

The Iroquois Division. Named for the Iroquois Confederacy of New York. The 98th Infantry Division trained in Hawaii and deployed to Japan for occupation duty. While the division did not see combat, it played an important role in the postwar stabilization of Japan.

The Checkerboard Division. The 99th Infantry Division was barely in position on the Siegfried Line when the German Ardennes offensive hit on December 16, 1944. The 99th held Elsenborn Ridge - the northern shoulder of the Bulge - against overwhelming German forces. Their stand prevented the Germans from reaching the road network they needed. The Checkerboard Division's defense at Elsenborn was one of the most critical actions of the entire battle.

The Century Division. The 100th Infantry Division fought through the Vosges Mountains and the Maginot Line, then drove into Germany. The battle for Heilbronn in April 1945 was one of the fiercest urban combat actions of the European Theater - the division fought house to house for nearly two weeks against fanatical resistance. The Century Division's war ended deep inside the Reich.

The Ozark Division. The 102nd Infantry Division fought through the Rhineland and across northern Germany. Named for the Ozark region of the central United States, the division drove to the Elbe River and held positions until the war's end.

The Cactus Division. The 103rd Infantry Division fought through the Vosges Mountains, across the Siegfried Line, and drove into Austria. The cactus patch represented the division's origins in the desert Southwest. The 103rd liberated the Kaufering concentration camp complex - subcamps of Dachau - in the war's final days.

The Timberwolf Division. Under the legendary Major General Terry Allen - who had previously commanded the 1st Infantry Division - the 104th became one of the most effective divisions in the ETO. The Timberwolves pioneered night attack tactics that caught the Germans off guard repeatedly. The division fought at Aachen, through the Hürtgen Forest approaches, and drove to the Elbe. Allen turned the Timberwolves into night fighters - and the Germans learned to fear the dark.

The Golden Lion Division. The 106th Infantry Division had been on the front line for barely five days when the full weight of the German Ardennes offensive hit them on December 16, 1944. Two of the division's three regiments - the 422nd and 423rd Infantry - were surrounded on the Schnee Eifel and forced to surrender. It was the largest mass surrender of American troops in the European Theater. The 106th's survivors fought on through the Bulge and beyond. The Golden Lion's story is a reminder that war does not wait for readiness.