29th Infantry Division (United States)

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{{Infobox Military Unit |unit_name=29th Infantry Division

|image=

|caption=Shoulder Sleeve Insignia of the 29th Infantry Division. |dates=1917-1919; 1941-1968; 1985-present |country= United States of America |allegiance= United States of America |branch=Army National Guard |type=Infantry |role= |size= |command_structure= |current_commander=Brigadier General Grant Hayden |garrison= |ceremonial_chief= |colonel_of_the_regiment= |nickname=Blue and Gray |patron= |motto="29, Let's Go!" |colors= |identification_symbol= |march= |mascot= |battles=World War I
World War II
[[Afghanistan War]
Iraq War |notable_commanders=H. Steven Blum |anniversaries= |decorations= |battle_honours= }}

U.S. Infantry Divisions
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The U.S. 29th Infantry Division is a United States infantry division that has existed since World War I as part of the Army National Guard.

Nicknamed "Blue and Gray", the division's motto is "29, Let's Go!" The shoulder patch is a half-blue, half-gray Chinese taijitu; this patch was approved 14 December 1917 and was designed by Maj. James A. Ulio, later the Adjutant General of the United States Army during World War II. The uniting of the blue and grey symbolizes the fact that the division was composed of units from states that had fought on both sides of the American Civil War.

Contents

[edit] World War I

In early 1917 the 8th Division was formed, a National Guard formation consisting of Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. Several months later it was redesignated, and the 29th Infantry Division was formed on 25 August 1917 as a National Guard division from Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia and was sent to Europe in July 1918. The division trained at Camp McClellan, Alabama until departing for France on 14 June 1918. The division saw action in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and sustained a total of 5,570 casualties of which 787 were killed and 4,783 were wounded. The division returned to the United States in May 1919 and was then demobilized.

Commanders:

[edit] World War II

The 29th Division was reactivated on 3 February 1941 and departed for the United Kingdom on 5 October 1942 where it continued training in Scotland and England from October of 1942 up to June 1944 in preparation for the invasion of France.

Teamed with the U.S. 1st Infantry Division, the 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th Division was in the first assault wave to hit the beaches at Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944. The division itself landed on Omaha Beach on the same day in the face of intense enemy fire but soon secured the bluff tops and went on to occupy Isigny on 9 June. The division cut across the Elle River and advanced slowly toward St. Lo, fighting bitterly in the Normandy bocage (hedge rows).

After taking St. Lo on 18 July, the division joined in the battle for Vire, capturing that strongly held city on 7 August. Turning west, the 29th took part in the assault on Brest from 25 August to 18 September.

After a short rest, the division moved to defensive positions along the Teveren-Geilenkirchen line in Germany and maintained those positions through October. (In mid-October the 116th Infantry took part in the fighting at the Aachen Gap.) On 16 November the division began its drive to the Ruhr, blasting its way through Siersdorf, Setterich, Duerboslar, and Bettendorf, reaching the Ruhr by the end of the month.

On 8 December, heavy fighting reduced Juelich Sportplatz and the Hasenfeld Gut. From 8 December 1944 to 23 February 1945, the division held defensive positions along the Ruhr and prepared for the offensive. The attack jumped off across the Ruhr on 23 February and carried the division through Juelich, Broich, Immerath, and Titz to Mönchengladbach on 1 March. The division was out of combat in March, however in early April the 116th Infantry helped mop up in the Ruhr area and on 19 April the division pushed to the Elbe River and held defensive positions until 4 May. Meanwhile, the 175th Infantry Regiment cleared the Kloetze Forest. After VE Day, the division was on military government duty in the Bremen enclave.

The 29th Infantry Division had spent 242 days in combat during campaigns in Normandy, Northern France, the Rhineland and Central Europe, earning four Distinguished Unit Citations in the process. Two soldiers of the division were awarded the Medal of Honor. Also awarded were 44 DSCs, one DSM, 854 Silver Stars, 17 Legion of Merit, 24 Soldier's Medal and 6,308 Bronze Stars.

The 29th Division returned to the United States on 4 January 1946 and was demobilized two weeks later.

Commanders:

[edit] Organization

  • 115th, 116th and 175th Infantry Regiments
  • 110th, 111th, 224th and 227th Field Artillery Battalions
  • 121st Engineer Combat Battalion
  • Attached unit: 821st Tank Destroyer Battalion

[edit] Assignments in Europe

  • 22 October 1943: V Corps, First Army
  • 14 June 1944: XIX Corps
  • 1 August 1944: XIX Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group
  • 12 August 1944: V Corps
  • 19 August 1944: First Army, 12th Army Group, but attached to the VIII Corps, Third Army, 12th Army Group
  • 5 September 1944: VIII Corps, Ninth Army, 12th Army Group
  • 21 September 1944: XIX Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group
  • 22 October 1944: XIX Corps, Ninth Army, 12th Army Group
  • 20 December 1944: XIX Corps, Ninth Army (attached to British 21st Army Group), 12th Army Group
  • 23 December 1944: XIII Corps
  • 4 February 1945 : XIX Corps
  • 29 March 1945: XVI Corps
  • 4 April 1945: XVI Corps, Ninth Army, 12th Army Group
  • 5 April 1945: Ninth Army, 12th Army Group
  • 12 April 1945: XVI Corps
  • 17 April 1945: XIII Corps
  • 4 May 1945: XVI Corps

[edit] Post World War II

In 1968 the Army retired the flag of the 29th Infantry Division due to re-organization of the National Guard divisions. For the next twenty years the various regiments of the division were organized either as separate infantry brigades or as parts of other divisions, most notably the 28th Infantry Division from the Pennsylvania National Guard.

Organization of the 29th Infantry Division (Light), first years of 21st Century
Organization of the 29th Infantry Division (Light), first years of 21st Century

In 1985, the 29th Division was reactivated as a National Guard light infantry division. At that time it was composed (primarily) of the 116th Infantry Regiment from Virginia, 111th Field Artillery from Virginia, the 115th Infantry Regiment and 175th Infantry Regiment from Maryland, and the 110th Field Artillery from Maryland. In 1995 the 26th Infantry Division from New England was inactivated, reduced to brigade size, and later incorporated into the 29th Division, becoming the 26th Brigade, headquartered in Massachusetts.

The 29th was the second National Guard division to provide a division headquarters for the SFOR mission in Bosnia. Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, many elements of the 29th participated in the Global War on Terror, including Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

The 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment (1st Brigade, 29th Infantry Division) was mobilized to Fort Bragg, NC, on active duty on 1 March 2004. In July 2004, the 3-116 IN, Task Force Normandy, deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan, conducting combat operations from Bagram Airfield and Forward Operating Base Ghazni. 3-116 IN served as a maneuver battalion under the 25th Infantry Division Artillery, Combined Task Force Thunder. 3-116 IN redeployed and was released from active duty in August 2005.

The 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment (26th Brigade, 29th Inf Div) based in New Haven, CT, deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in April of 2006, serving as an attached unit in the 10th Mountain Division. The battalion had returned from Iraq a year earlier and the year it spent on the ground was the bloodiest in Afghanistan since the war began.

In Aug 2005 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation (HHC, A Co, D Co and E Co) in Camp Edwards and Westover, MA, were mobilized in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. They were stationed in the State of Kuwait From November 5th 2005 until November 4th 2006. Also mobilized in August 2005 was C Company, 2nd Battlion, 224th Aviation Regiment from Edgewood Maryland. C Company was assigned to the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division in Iraq until November of 2006.

In October of 2005, the remaining elements of 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment (HHC, A Co, B Co, D Co, E Co) from Sandston, Virginia (with detachments from Edgewood, Maryland) mobilized in support of Operation Iraq Freedom, serving as an assigned asset to Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Air Wing in Western Iraq. These elements of 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment returned to their home stations in February 2007.

In 2006, the 1-116 IN mobilized for duty in Kosovo.

In May 2007, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT), 29th ID (formerly 1st Brigade, 29th ID) mobilized to Active Duty for Operation Iraqi Freedom. In June 2007, the 2nd Battalion, 183rd Cavalry and, once again, the 3-116 IN, both of the 116th IBCT, mobilized for active duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. 3-116 Infantry mobilized through Camp Shelby, Mississippi and was deployed to both Kuwait and Iraq. 2-183rd Cavalry also mobilized through Camp Shelby and was deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The 29th Division started transitioning to the new structure shown below, adding brigades from North Carolina and Puerto Rico, in late 2006.

Commanders:

  • Major General H. Steven Blum (August 1999-August 2002)
  • Major General Daniel E. Long, Jr. (August 2002-November 2004)
  • Major General Arthur H. Wyman (November 2004-September 2007)
  • Brigadier General Grant Hayden (September 2007-present)

Current Composition:

  • Division Headquarters
  • 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team (NC NG)
    • 1st Battalion, 120th Infantry Regiment (Combined Arms), (NC NG)
    • 1st Battalion, 252nd Armor Regiment (Combined Arms), (NC NG)
    • 1st Squadron, 150th Cavalry Regiment (RSTA) (WV NG)
    • 1st Battalion, 113th Field Artillery Regiment (NC NG)
    • 230th Support Battalion (NC NG)
    • Special Troops Battalion, 30th BCT (NC NG)
  • 58th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (MD NG)
    • 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment (MD NG)
    • 2nd Battalion, 200th Infantry Regiment (NM NG)
    • 1st Squadron, 158th Cavalry Regiment (MD NG)
    • 2nd Battalion, 110th Field Artillery Regiment (MD NG)
    • 729th Support Battalion (MD NG)
    • Special Troops Battalion, 58th BCT (MD NG)
  • 92nd Brigade Combat Team (Puerto Rico National Guard)
    • 1st Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment
    • 1st Battalion, 296th Infantry Regiment
    • 1st Squadron, 192nd Cavalry Regiment
    • 2nd Battalion, 162nd Field Artillery Regiment
    • 192nd Support Battalion
    • Special Troops Battalion, 92nd BCT
  • 116th Brigade Combat_Team(VA NG)
    • 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment
    • 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment
    • 2nd Squadron, 183rd Cavalry Regiment
    • 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery Regiment
    • 429th Support Battalion
    • Special Troops Battalion, 116th BCT
  • Combat Aviation Brigade, 29th Infantry Division (MD NG)
    • 1st Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment (General Support) (FL NG)
    • 8th Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment (Attack) (USAR)
    • 1st Battalion, 285th Aviation Regiment (Attack) (AZ NG)
    • 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment (Assault) (VA NG)
    • 1204th Aviation Support Battalion (Heavy Brigade) (KY NG)

[edit] Heraldry

29th Infantry Division Crest
29th Infantry Division Crest
  • Distinctive Unit Insignia: Fleur-de-lis above by the division motto, commemorating the division's service in France during both world wars.

[edit] The 29th in Popular Culture

In the 1962 film The Longest Day much of the action of the 29th on Omaha Beach on D-Day is depicted, with assistant division commander Brigadier General Norman Cota portrayed by Robert Mitchum.

Close Combat, part of a Microsoft Series of wargames during the 1990s also portrayed the actions of the 29th Division from Omaha Beach to the capture of St. Lo.

In the 1998 film "Saving Private Ryan", many of the soldiers seen in the Omaha Beach sequence are from the 29th, identified by their shoulder insignias. Corporal Timothy E.Upham, for instance, is portrayed as a soldier serving with the 29th Infantry Division. Upham was drafted to serve with a squad from the 2nd Rangers. The 29th, along with the 1st Infantry Division, were grouped with a few companies of the 2nd Ranger Battalion to storm Omaha Beach on June 6th, 1944. Many 29ID veterans did not like the cowardly behavior of Cpl. Upham depicted in the film, believing it cast the 29ID in a bad light due to the fact that the 29th's shoulder sleeve insignia is prominent on Upham's left shoulder.

The popular US Route 29, formerly known as the Warrenton Turnpike, was renamed in honor of the 29th Infantry Division because it runs from Maryland to North Carolina.

The 29th Infantry Division is featured on the videogame Call of Duty 3.

Some soldiers featured early in the movie War of the Worlds (2005 film) wear the patch of the 29th Infantry Division.

The 29th infantry division is featured on the videogame company of heros In Star Trek: Voyager, (episode: The Killing Game), the Hirogen force the crew into violent World War 2 Simulations on the holodeck, where the 29th Infantry Division is present.

[edit] References

  • Lefebvre Laurent They were on Omaha Beach
  • The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States U.S. Government Printing Office, 1950 reproduced at Combat Chronicle: 29th Infantry Division.
  • 'UNIT DESIGNATIONS IN THE ARMY MODULAR FORCE'

http://www.cascom.army.mil/odct/Documents/AUSA_Briefing_26_Sep_05.ppt

  • Balkoski, Joseph. Beyond the Beachhead: The 29th Infantry Division in Normandy. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1989.
  • Balkoski, Joseph. From Beachhead to Brittany: The 29th Infantry Division at Brest, August-September 1944. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2008.
  • Cutchins, John A. History of the Twenty-Ninth Division, "Blue and Gray," 1917-1919. Philadelphia: Press of MacCalla & Co., 1921.
  • Ewing, Joseph H. 29, Let's Go! A History of the 29th Infantry Division in World War II. Washington, DC: Infantry Journal Press, 1948.

[edit] External links

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