75th Infantry Division (United States)
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| 75th Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
 75th Infantry Division Shoulder Sleeve Insignia |
|
| Active | April 15, 1943 - November 26, 1945 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Division |
| Role | Infantry |
| Motto | Make Ready |
The 75th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II.
Contents |
[edit] World War II
- Activated: 15 April 1943
- Overseas: 14 November 1944
- Campaigns: Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe
- Days of combat: 94
- Awards: DSC-4 ; SS-193; LM-7; SM-30 ; BSM-1,321 ; AM-30.
- Commanders:
- Maj. Gen. Willard S. Paul (April-August 1943)
- Maj. Gen. Fay B. Prickett (August 1943-January 1945)
- Maj. Gen. Ray E. Porter (January-June 1945)
- Maj. Gen. Arthur A. White (June-October 1945)
- Brig. Gen. Charles R. Doran (October 1945 to inactivation)
- Returned to U.S.: 18 November 1945
- Inactivated: 26 November 1945
[edit] Combat Chronicle
The 75th Infantry Division arrived in England on 22 November 1944, the headquarters having arrived on 2 November. After a brief training program, the Division landed at Le Havre and Rouen on 13 December, and bivouacked at Yvetot on the 14th. When Field Marshal Von Rundstedt's offensive (aka the Battle of the Bulge) broke in the Ardennes, the 75th was rushed to the front and entered defensive combat on 23 December, alongside the Ourthe River, advanced to the Aisne and entered Grandmenil on 5 January 1945. The Division relieved the 82nd Airborne Division along the Salm River on 8 January, and strengthened its defensive positions until 17 January when it attacked, taking Vielsalm and other towns in the area. Shifting to the Seventh Army area in Alsace-Lorraine, the 75th crossed the Colmar Canal on 1 February, and took part in the liberation of Colmar and in the determined fighting between the Rhine River and the Vosges Mountains. It crossed the Rhine Canal and reached the Rhine on 7 February.
After a brief rest at Lunéville, it returned to combat, relieving the 6th British Airborne Division on a 24-mile defensive front along the Maas River, near Roermond, the Netherlands, 21 February. From 13 to 23 March, the 75th patrolled a sector along the west bank of the Rhine from Wesel to Homburg and probed enemy defenses at night. On 24 March, elements crossed the Rhine in the wake of the 30th and 79th Divisions. Pursuit of the enemy continued as the 75th cleared the Haard Forest, 1 April, crossed the Dortmund-Ems Canal on the 4th, and cleared the approaches to Dortmund, which fell to the 95th Division, 13 April. After taking Herdecke, 13 April, the Division moved to Brambauer for rest and rehabilitation, then took over security and military government duties in Westphalia.
[edit] Assignments in the ETO
- 9 December 1944: 12th Army Group.
- 9 December 1944: Ninth Army, 12th Army Group.
- 11 December 1944: XVI Corps.
- 22 December 1944: VII Corps, First Army (attached to the British 21st Army Group), 12th Army Group.
- 29 December 1944: XVIII (Abn) Corps.
- 2 January 1945: VII Corps.
- 7 January 1945: XVIII (Abn) Corps.
- 25 January 1945: 6th Army Group.
- 30 January 1945: XXI Corps, Seventh Army, 6th Army Group, but attached for operations to the First French Army, 6th Army Group.
- 11 February 1945: Seventh Army, 6th Army Group.
- 14 February 1945: 12th Army Group.
- 17 February 1945: Ninth Army, 12th Army Group, but attached to the British Second Army for operations and the British VIII Corps for administration.
- 1 March 1945: XVI Corps, Ninth Army, 12th Army Group.
[edit] General
- Shoulder patch: Khaki-bordered square with diagonal fields of blue, white, and red on which is superimposed a blue 7 and red 5.
[edit] References
- The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States U.S. Government Printing Office, 1950 reproduced at http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/lineage/cc/cc.htm.
