38th Infantry Division (United States)

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38th Infantry Division

38th Infantry Division shoulder sleeve inisgnia
Active 1917-1919
1941-present
Country United States of America
Branch Army National Guard
Type Infantry
Size Division
Garrison/HQ Indianapolis, Indiana
Nickname Cyclone
Engagements World War I
World War II
Decorations Distinguished Unit Citation
Commanders
Current
commander		 Major General Richard B. Moorhead
Insignia
distinctive unit insignia Image:38 INF DIV.gif
U.S. Infantry Divisions
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The 38th Infantry Division is an Army National Guard division in the United States Army headquartered at Stout Field in Indianapolis, Indiana and presently undergoing transformation. As a division, it saw service in both World War I and World War II. Company D (Ranger), 151st Infantry was one of a small number of National Guard units mobilized for service in the Republic of Vietnam and was one of the most highly decorated units to serve in that conflict. Since September 11, 2001, the 38th Infantry Division has provided headquarters and forces for a variety of operational rotations including Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq), Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), Operation Joint Forge (Bosnia), Operation Joint Guardian (Kosovo), Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (Djibouti), Multi-National Forces and Observers Mission (Egypt), United States Air Forces Europe (USAFE) Force Protection (England, Germany, Italy, and Belgium), and Operation Noble Eagle (Continental United States) Rotations I through IV. In 2005, the Division Headquarters mobilized in the support of Hurricane Katrina relief operations and exercised command and control of all National Guard forces in the State of Mississippi. In 1996, over 7,000 soldiers from the 38th Infantry Division (from Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan) supported the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.

Contents

[edit] World War I

The Division was activated in August 1917 as a National Guard Division from Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia. It had previously been in existence for a few months as the 17th Division, drawing personnel from Indiana and Kentucky only.

[edit] World War II

[edit] Combat Chronicle

The 38th Infantry Division arrived in Hawaii on 17 January 1944. It received further training and the duty of the defense of Oahu. Elements trained in the Oro Bay area, New Guinea, from July to November; then moved to Leyte in December. Enemy paratroops attempted to capture the Buri, Bayug, and San Pablo strips on 6 December. The 149th Infantry Regiment destroyed organized resistance, 11 December, and defended the strips until relieved, 4 January 1945. The Division landed in the San Narciso area in Southern Zambales Province, Luzon, 29 January 1945, without opposition. The San Marcelino airstrip was secured on the same day and the port facilities at Olongapo were captured on the 30th as well as Grande Island in Subic Bay after an amphibious landing. Driving west of Olongapo the 38th destroyed an intricate maze of enemy fortifications in Zig-Zag Pass. While elements landed at Mariveles on the southern tip of the peninsula, 15 February, other units pushed down the east coast road to Pilar and across the neck of land to Bagac along the route of the March of Death. The Bataan Peninsula was secured on 21 February, although mopping-up activities remained.

Elements moved to Corregidor, 24 February, to clear the enemy from the Rock. Units assaulted and captured Caballo Island, 27 March, Fort Drum on El Fraile Island, 13 April, and Carabao Island, 16 April. The 38th engaged enemy forces in the mountainous terrain between Fort Stotsenburg and Mount Pinatubo, 10 March. Elements pushed north from San Felipe to Palauig Bay and east from Botolan along the Capas Trail cutting the enemy's withdrawal route. The Division moved to the area east of Manila, 1 May, and attacked enemy forces behind the Shimbu Line. By 30 June effective enemy opposition had been broken. The 38th continued mopping up enemy remnants in the Marikina area of eastern Luzon until VJ Day.

[edit] Transformation

The division is currently undergoing transformation, and in its end state will have the following brigades assigned in a Training and Readiness Oversight (TRO) relationship with the following associated units assigned by the National Guard Bureau (NGB):

  • 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, organized with units in Ohio (HQs) and Michigan
  • 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, organized with all units based in Indiana
  • 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment (HBCT) organized with all units based in Tennessee
  • Combat Aviation Brigade, 38th Infantry Division, organized with units based in Indiana (HQs), Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, and Colorado
  • 38th Sustainment Brigade, organized with units based in Indiana (Attached)
  • 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, the former 149th Armored Brigade, organized with units based in Kentucky (HQs) and Alabama (Attached)
  • 219th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade (BfSB), organized with units based in Indiana (HQ, 2nd Battalion, 151st Infantry Regiment; 438th Signal Company; and 2nd Squadron (RSTA), 152nd Cavalry Regiment) and Georgia (221st MI Battalion) (Attached)
  • 138th Fires Brigade, organized with units based in Kentucky (HQs) and Indiana (Attached)

[edit] References

  • The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States U.S. Government Printing Office, 1950 reproduced at CMH.
  • "Tell Me About the Army National Guard," [1]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links