| 35th Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
35th Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia |
|
| Active | 1917–1919 1935–1945 1946–1963 1963–1968 (Kansas) 1984–present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | Army National Guard |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Headquarters | Fort Leavenworth |
| Nickname | Santa Fe (Special Designation)[1] |
| Engagements | Mexican Revolution *Battle of Ambos Nogales World War I *Meuse-Argonne World War II *Operation Overlord *Northern France Campaign *Battle of the Bulge *Operation Grenade *Rhineland Campaign *Central Europe Kosovo War Katrina Relief |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Maj. Gen. William H. Simpson |
The 35th Infantry Division ("Santa Fe"[1]) has been a formation of the National Guard since World War I.
It is headquartered at Fort Leavenworth and its personnel come from Illinois, Kansas and Missouri.
Contents |
| US infantry divisions (1939–present) | |
|---|---|
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| 34th Infantry Division | 36th Infantry Division |
The division was organized in August 1917 as a National Guard formation with troops from Kansas and Missouri, after a few months as the 14th Division. It consisted of the 69th Infantry Brigade (137th and 138th Infantry Regiments) and the 70th Infantry Brigade (139th and 140th Infantry Regiments).
It went overseas in May 1918. Upon arrival in France, the 35th Division was garrisoned near the front in Alsace. It received limited training from the French Army.
The Division saw combat in the Meuse-Argonne offensive where it collapsed after five days of fighting.[4]
During World War I, the 129th Field Artillery Regiment had, as a battery commander, Capt. Harry S. Truman, later President of the United States.
The Division was activated on 23 December 1940, as a National Guard Division from Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. It departed for Europe on 12 May 1944.
The 35th Infantry Division arrived in England, 25 May 1944, and received further training. It landed on Omaha Beach, Normandy, 5–7 July 1944, and entered combat 11 July, fighting in the Normandy hedgerows, north of Saint-Lô. The Division beat off 12 German counterattacks at Emelie before entering Saint-Lô, 18 July. After mopping up in the Saint-Lô area, it took part in the offensive action southwest of Saint-Lô, pushing the Germans across the Vire River, 2 August, and breaking out of the Cotentin Peninsula. While en route to an assembly area, the Division took part in the attempt to stop Operation Luttich, secure the Mortain-Avranches corridor and to relieve the 30th Division, which was taking a severe beating from the Germans' assault, 7-13 August.
Then racing across France through Orléans and Sens, the Division attacked across the Moselle, 13 September, captured Nancy, 15 September, secured Chambrey, 1 October, and drove on to the German border, taking Sarreguemines and crossing the Saar, 8 December. After crossing the Blies River, 12 December, the Division moved to Metz for rest and rehabilitation, 19 December. The 35th moved to Arlon, Belgium, 25–26 December, and took part in the fighting to relieve Bastogne, throwing off the attacks of four German divisions, taking Villers-laBonne-Eau, 10 January, after a 13-day fight and Lutrebois in a 5-day engagement. On 18 January 1945, the Division returned to Metz to resume its interrupted rest. In late January, the Division was defending the Foret de Domaniale area.
Moving to the Netherlands to hold a defensive line along the Roer, 22 February, the Division attacked across the Roer, 23 February, pierced the Siegfried Line, reached the Rhine at Wesel, 10 March, and crossed, 25–26 March. It smashed across the Herne Canal and reached the Ruhr River early in April, when it was ordered to move to the Elbe, 12 April. Making the 295-mile dash in 2 days, the 35th mopped up in the vicinity of Colbitz and Angern, until 26 April 1945, when it moved to Hanover for occupational and mopping-up duty, continuing occupation beyond VE-day. The Division left Southampton, England, 5 September, and arrived in New York City, 10 September 1945.
During World War II, the 320th Infantry Regiment had, as an operations officer (S-3), Maj. Orval Faubus, later Governor of Arkansas. The 134th Infantry Regiment had, as Commander of Company C and 1st Battalion Commander, Lt. Col. John E. Davis, later Governor of North Dakota.
After several activations and reactivations in the immediate postwar years, the 35th Infantry Division (Mechanized) was reactivated on 25 August 1984 from the 67th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized) of Nebraska, the 69th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized) of Kansas, and the 149th Armored Brigade from Kentucky.[5] It continues in service today.
The 35th Infantry Division Headquarters Commanded Task Force Eagle of Multi-National Division North in Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of SFOR-13 (Stabilization Force) with the NATO peacekeeping mandate under the Dayton Peace Accords. The Headquarters were located at Eagle Base in the town of Tuzla. Brigadier General James R. Mason was the commander. He later went on to command the 35th Infantry Division. The Division received the Army Superior Unit Award for its service in Bosnia. The 35th Division was notable for its smooth coordination of Inter-Brigade Operations. Division Liaison Officers served in the towns of Mostar, Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Zenica and Doboj.
The 35th provided headquarters control for the National Guard units deployed to Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.[6] while the 38th Division did the same for Mississippi.
A detachment of the 35th Infantry Division was the headquarters element for Task Force Falcon of Multi-National Task Force East (MNTF-E) for the Kosovo Force Kosovo Force 9 (KFOR 9) mission. KFOR is a NATO-led international force responsible for establishing a safe and secure environment in Kosovo, the self-proclaimed, independent and partially recognized landlocked country in the Balkans, which has been under UN administration since 1999. The 35th provided the command elements from 7 November 2007 until 7 July 2008, when succeeded by 110th MEB of the Missouri National Guard.
35th Infantry Division exercises Training and Readiness Oversight of the following elements, they cannot be considered organic:[7]
(Later reorganized and redesignated as the separate 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade)
In the 1970 World War II-era film Kelly's Heroes (starring Clint Eastwood), the American soldiers portrayed in the film are primarily from the 35th Infantry Division.
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Army Center of Military History document ""35th Infantry Division WWII Combat Chronicle" from The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United StatesU.S. Government Printing Office, 1950".