| 102nd Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
102nd Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia |
|
| Active | 1942–1946 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Role | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Nickname | Ozark (Special Designation)[1] |
| Motto | Distinction, Valor, Marksmanship |
| Engagements | World War II *Central Europe |
| US infantry divisions (1939–present) | |
|---|---|
| Previous | Next |
| 101st Airborne Division | 103rd Infantry Division |
The 102d Infantry Division ("Ozark"[1]) was a unit of the United States Army in World War II.
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The 102d Infantry Division arrived at Cherbourg, France, 23 September 1944, and, after a short period of training near Valognes, moved to the German-Netherlands border. On 26 October, elements attached to other divisions entered combat and on 3 November the division assumed responsibility for the sector from the Wurm to Waurichen. A realignment of sectors and the return of elements placed the 102d in full control of its units for the first time, 24 November 1944, as it prepared for an attack to the Roer. The attack jumped off, 29 November, and carried the division to the river through Welz, Flossdorf, and Linnich.
After a period of aggressive patrolling along the Roer, 4–19 December, the division took over the XIII Corps sector from the Wurm River, north of the village of Wurm, to Barmen on the south, and trained for river crossing. On 23 February 1945, the 102d attacked across the Roer, advanced toward Lövenich and Erkelenz, bypassed München-Gladbach, took Krefeld, 3 March, and reached the Rhine. During March the division was on the defensive along the Rhine, its sector extending from Homburg south to Düsseldorf. Crossing the river on 9 April on pontoon bridge, the division attacked in the Wesergebirge, meeting stiff opposition. After 3 days and nights of terrific enemy resistance Wilsede and Hessisch-Oldendorf fell, 12 April 1945, and the 102d pushed on to the Elbe, meeting little resistance. Breitenfeld fell, 15 April, and the division outposted the Elbe River, 48 miles from Berlin, its advance halted on orders. Storkau experienced fighting on the 16th,EHRA on the 21st along with Fallersleben. On 3 May 1945 the 102nd shook hands with the Russian 156th Division just outside of Berlin.
On 15 April the division discovered a war crime in Gardelegen.
It patrolled and maintained defensive positions until the end of hostilities in Europe, then moved to Gotha for occupational duty.
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Army Center of Military History document "The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States U.S. Government Printing Office, 1950".