56th Infantry Regiment (United States)

56th Infantry Regiment
Active	1917-43
Country	United States
Branch	Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Infantry
Size	Regiment
Motto	"Honor, Loyalty"

The 56th Infantry Regiment was a regular infantry regiment in the United States Army.

History/Lineage

Constituted 15 May 1917 in the Regular Army as the 56th Infantry under the command of William P. Burnham. Organized 16 June 1917 at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia from personnel of the 17th Infantry. Assigned to the 7th Infantry Division on 16 November 1917.

During the Meuse-Argonne campaign it was on the left bank of the Moselle, the nearest American organization to Metz, and was preparing to attack towards Metz when the armistice was signed. In April 1919 a Battalion of the 56th entered Metz as an honor guard for the Commanding General of the American Expeditionary Force. The field of the shield is white and black, the same as the arms of Metz, The parent organization is shown on the canton. The crest is a Napoleonic eagle on a mural crown. It differs from that used in the arms of Metz in that the crown is proper instead of gold.

For its actions during World War I, the regiment was awarded the campaign streamer 'Lorraine 1918'.

The regiment was inactivated on 21 September 1921 at Camp Meade, Maryland. Disbanded 31 July 1922 Reconstituted in the regular Army as the 56th Armored Infantry and assigned to the 12th Armored Division 7 July 1942 . Activated 15 September 1942 at Camp Campbell, Kentucky. Regiment broken up 11 November 1943, and elements reorganized and redesignated as elements of the 12th Armored Division as follows-

• 56th Armored Infantry (less 1st, and 2nd, Battalions) as the 56th Armored Infantry Battalion.
• 1st Battalion as the 66th Armored Infantry Battalion.
• 2nd Battalion as the 17th Armored Infantry Battalion.

References