--Continued issue 2
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right">第36步兵师</h1>
36th Infantry Division nicknamed "Black Panther Division"
U.S. Army 36th Infantry Division Armband
The 36th Infantry Division was formed in July 1917 by the National Guard of Texas and Oklahoma and was abolished after World War I. In 1940, in response to World War II, on November 25, the 36th Infantry Division was reorganized in San Antonio, Texas, and its personnel were transferred from the Texas National Guard, so the division was also called the "Texas Division".
In the early morning of September 9, 1943, the Allied "Operation Avalanche" attack on the Italian mainland battle of Salerno began, and the 36th Infantry Division, belonging to the 6th Army of the US 5th Army, was thrown into the beachhead of Paestum south of the Sele River on the west coast of Italy for a forced landing.
Soldiers of the Amphibious Armored Unit of the 36th Infantry Division before the landing at the Battle of Salerno
The 36th Infantry Division fought several times from the early morning of September 9 to September 11, capturing the landing point fortress of Cape Sele, but not once was able to hold it. The soldiers of the German 29th Panzergrenadier Division always sang "Lily Marlene" in unison every time they launched a counterattack, while the soldiers of the US 36th Infantry Division would collapse in the high-pitched german song every time...
On September 13, Black Monday was written into the division's history by the U.S. Army's 36th Infantry Division, which was repelled by the Germans in several rounds of attacks. Division Commander Fred Maj. Gen. L. Walker called Maj. Gen. Ernest Dawley, commander of the 6th Army, for help...
On the phone, Captain Dauli said to Commander Walker, "Don't expect me to send you a pawn, you can either take a carbine and lead the troops to charge now, or pray that you and I will not be sent to court-martial by Clark!" (Note: Lieutenant General Clarke – Commander of the 5th Army)
After a year, the 36th Infantry Division finally lost its shame. On 30 May 1944, the 36th Infantry Division captured Velletri and breached the famous German "Caesar Line". Lieutenant General Clarke took advantage of the situation and led the 5th Army to launch a general offensive and attack Rome. On 4 June, a unit of the 36th Infantry Division entered Rome, and the Germans were forced to carry out a general retreat in Italy.
Table of World War II attritions of the 36th Infantry Division
The U.S. Army's 36th Infantry Division suffered a total of 19,466 World War II casualties, of which —
Killed: 3,131
Wounded: 13,191
Missing: 494
Captured: 2650
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right">第37步兵师</h1>
37th Infantry Division nickname - "Horse Chestnut Fruit"
U.S. Army 37th Infantry Division Armband
The 37th Infantry Division was formed in 1917 by a combination of the National Guards of Ohio and West Virginia. Ohio was nicknamed "Horse Chestnut State", hence the nickname of the 37th Infantry Division. The 37th Infantry Division was rebuilt on October 15, 1940, with most of its 147th Regiment soldiers coming from Cincinnati, southern Ohio.
Battle of Iwo Jima – The famous Folding Bowl Hill flag was raised on February 23, 1945
When it comes to the Battle of Iwo Jima, when it comes to the American flag raised on Folding Bowl Hill, most of the war history will only mention the exploits of the 3rd Marine Division, the 4th Marine Division, and the 5th Marine Division of the U.S. Navy.
However, there is another U.S. Army unit that is also bloodshot on Iwo Jima, whose deeds are little known: the 147th Infantry Regiment of the 37th Infantry Division.
On February 19, 1945, the 4th And 5th Army Division successfully landed on Iwo Jima, and after several successive bloody battles, the 147th Infantry Regiment of the 37th Infantry Division, which remained in Guadalcanal, was temporarily transferred to the 3rd Marine Division, and on March 21, it rushed to Iwo Jima with the first unit of the 3rd Marine Division to carry out the task of annihilating the remaining Japanese troops.
By the end of June, the last Japanese had been captured, and the 147th Infantry Regiment of the 36th Infantry Division had been fighting on Iwo Jima for more than three months. In April, 963 Japanese troops were killed and 664 captured; in May, 252 Japanese troops were killed and 186 were captured; 70 Japanese troops were killed in June, 6 captured; as for the number of Japanese troops who were charred and crushed by the flamethrowers and grenades of the 147 infantry regiment and hid in caves, it is impossible to count...
At the end of World War II, the 36th Infantry Division was relegated and transferred to the Ohio National Guard on December 25, 1945.
Commander of the 36th Infantry Division, Robert M. Major General S. Butler
The U.S. Army's 37th Infantry Division suffered a total of 5,960 World War II casualties, of which —
Killed: 1348
Wounded: 4,611
Captured: 1 person
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right">第38步兵师</h1>
38th Infantry Division nickname – "Tornado"
U.S. Army 38th Infantry Division Armband
The 38th Infantry Division was formed in 1917 with soldiers from the National Guard of seven states, including Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Delaware, Michigan, and West Virginia. In 1918, the division was struck by a powerful tornado during a training session in Mississippi, killing a soldier. In honor of the fallen soldier, the division used the nickname "Tornado".
During the Pacific War, the 38th Infantry Division was subordinate to the 8th Army under the command of Lieutenant General Robert Eckerberg. He fought in the Battle of the Mapia Islands, the Battle of the Assia Islands, the Battle of Leyte, the Battle of Luzon and the Battle of Manila.
The division left little historical information, but is more famous for the rescue of more than 1,000 Allied prisoners of war captured by the Japanese in 1942 during the Battle of Manila, and the capture of the world's last two "East Ying Crickets" - Japanese "Type IV" self-propelled guns.
Soldiers of the 38th Infantry Division pose with captured Japanese Type IV self-propelled guns
The U.S. Army's 38th Infantry Division suffered a total of 3,464 World War II casualties, of which —
Killed: 785
Wounded: 2,679
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right">二战美军没有组建过以数字“39”为番号的陆军师，因此略过。 </h1>
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right">第40步兵师</h1>
40th Infantry Division nicknamed "Sunshine Division"
U.S. Army 40th Infantry Division Armband
The 40th Infantry Division was formed in 1917 by the National Guard of California, Nevada, and Utah. Abolished after the end of World War I, it was reconstituted in 1940 in response to World War II, under the Pacific Theater and assigned to the 14th Army under the command of Lieutenant General Oscar Grieswald.
The 40th Infantry Division's more brilliant achievements came from the Battle of Cebu Island, in which the division killed more than 5,700 Japanese troops and wounded more than 500 people, and the remaining 10,000 Japanese troops did not dare to engage in face-to-face battles with the 40th Infantry Division, hiding in the jungle to continue to negotiate with the American army. It was not until August 15, 1945, after Japan announced its unconditional surrender, that the remnants of the Japanese army went out of the jungle and surrendered to the 40th Infantry Division.
Out of the jungle, the Japanese chief signed a surrender letter to the general of the US 40th Infantry Division
The Japanese troops coming out of the jungle were lining up to be searched by soldiers of the 40th Infantry Division
The surrendered Japanese officers first surrendered their knives to the generals of the 40th Infantry Division
The Japanese soldiers, under the supervision of the 40th Infantry Division, handed out their weapons in turn
The U.S. Army's 40th Infantry Division suffered a total of 3,025 World War II casualties, of which —
Killed: 748
Wounded: 2,276
< H1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > 41st Infantry Division</h1>
41st Infantry Division nicknamed "Jungle Man"
U.S. Army 41st Infantry Division Armband
The 41st Infantry Division was formed in 1917 by the National Guard of Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Washington. After the outbreak of World War II, the 41st Infantry Division was reorganized into the Pacific Theater, fighting tenaciously against the Japanese in the jungle during the Battle of New Guinea in 1943, and by the time it withdrew from New Guinea in 1944, most of the division's personnel were unclothed and resembled savages, earning them the nickname "Jungle Man".
At the beginning of the Pacific Campaign, the 41st Infantry Division, led by its commander, Major General Horace Fuller, fought bloody battles in the jungles of New Guinea, and was highly regarded by MacArthur.
General Horace Fuller did not expect that when the war was almost over, the 41st Infantry Division was defeated in Maicheng, and he was forced to leave the battlefield early with a defeat, losing the qualification to return to China and enjoy the victory.
Major General Horace Fuller, Commander of the 41st Infantry Division
In May 1944, for the upcoming Battle of Mariana, the 41st Infantry Division was ordered to seize the airfield of Merkmore on Ark Island. On 27 May, the 41st Infantry Division successfully landed on the island, but in the ensuing advance it was blocked by the Japanese from above the cliff, and after three days of fighting, it was unable to advance and had to retreat to the beachhead.
Then Major General Fuller changed the battle plan, with one regiment to continue to launch a feint attack along the coast to attract Japanese troops, the other two regiments along the northern mountains to attack the airfield, but the Japanese army has long been familiar with this tactic used by the Us army, set up a "West Cave" position overlooking the airfield at the top of the hill to ambush the Americans, the 41st Infantry Division fell into a three-sided encirclement, several times back attacks were fruitless, and after paying heavy casualties, they had to return to the beach again.
Major General Horace Fuller was well aware of MacArthur's methods, and with the lessons of the 32nd Infantry Division, Major General Horace Fuller resigned without waiting for his superiors to be held accountable after the defeat of the battle, becoming the second general in the Pacific Theater after The commander of the 32nd Infantry Division, Major General Edwin Harding, who lost his division commander position due to defeat.
Pictured on the right is Brigadier General Doi, who took over as commander of the 41st Infantry Division
The U.S. Army's 41st Infantry Division suffered a total of 4,260 World War II casualties, of which —
Killed: 962
Wounded: 3,298
< H1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > 42nd Infantry Division</h1>
42nd Infantry Division nicknamed "Rainbow Division"
U.S. Army 42nd Infantry Division Armband
The 42nd Infantry Division was the old unit of the U.S. Army's five-star General Douglas MacArthur, who started out and soared. As early as 1917, when the 42nd Infantry Division was formed, MacArthur, who was then a major in the army, proposed that the troops should come from all over the world and should break the geographical limitation of separate divisions with "state soldiers". MacArthur personally took charge of the conscription effort, and eventually the division was staffed by soldiers from 26 U.S. states, as well as the District of Columbia.
As a result of his contribution to the formation of the division, Douglas MacArthur was promoted directly from a major to colonel's chief of staff, and the following year he was promoted to brigadier general as commander of the 42nd Infantry Division.
Major Douglas MacArthur, when the 42nd Infantry Division was formed in 1917
On April 29, 1945, the 42nd and 45th Infantry Divisions invaded Bavaria, Germany, and accidentally discovered the "Dachau concentration camp". On 30 April, soldiers of the 42nd Infantry Division discovered the "Arah concentration camp" and rescued hundreds of dying Jews.
Officers and men of the 42nd Infantry Division were serving food and cigarettes to imprisoned Jews
Brigadier General Henning Linden, deputy commander of the 42nd Infantry Division, wrote in his memoirs: "Next to the barbed wire fence of the concentration camp, a train was parked on a railway line, and the doors of more than 50 carriages were all open. In each carriage, there were 20 to 30 bodies of prisoners, and some were discarded in the open space next to the train. Most of the bodies were skinny and had been beaten and shot. ”
Death train in the Dachau concentration camp
Witnessing such a tragic situation, the officers and men of the 42nd and 45th Infantry Divisions were indignant. The SS guards in the camp who had no time to escape were escorted to the wall by angry American soldiers, and the officers knew what the soldiers wanted to do, but quietly left for no reason...
Soldiers shot SS guards at the Dachau concentration camp
A burst of gunfire rang out, and the SS guards of the camp in the cluster all fell to the side of the wall and were duly punished.
The responsibility for the "Dachau Incident" was eventually taken by a lieutenant of the 45th Infantry Division on his own initiative.
Table of World War II attritions of the 42nd Infantry Division
The U.S. Army's 42nd Infantry Division suffered a total of 3,971 World War II casualties, of which —
Killed: 553
Wounded: 2,212
Missing: 31
Captured: 1175
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right">第43步兵师</h1>
43rd Infantry Division nicknamed "Wings of Victory"
U.S. Army 43rd Infantry Division Armband
The 43rd Infantry Division was formed in 1925 by the National Guard of Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont in New England. It was incorporated into the Pacific Theater during World War II and was part of the U.S. Army's 1st Army Combat Series.
The 43rd Infantry Division took part in the New Georgia Landing Campaign, commanded by Admiral William Frederick Halsey Jr., and performed well.
In July 1943, the 43rd Infantry Division landed at Rice Bay and was ordered to attack Munda Airfield. The Japanese who held the Munda airfield under the command of Major General Sasaki used a strong defense system and strong light and dark fort fire to resist stubbornly, causing serious casualties to the 43rd Infantry Division.
On 15 July, Admiral Halsey removed Major General Hirst, commander of the 43rd Infantry Division, from command and replaced major-general John Hodge, who had experienced the Battle of Guadalcanal, as commander of the 43rd Infantry Division.
The new commander of the 43rd Infantry Division, Major General John Hodge, was promoted to general after the war.
After a short rest, the 43rd Infantry Division, under the command of Major General John Hodge, re-launched the offensive, using the newly formed flamethrower detachment, directly firing fire into hundreds of large and small, light and dark bunkers of the Japanese army, burning and wounding more than a thousand Japanese troops, and capturing the airfield in one fell swoop on August 5, successfully completing the attack mission.
After the end of this campaign, the entire munda airport is tens of kilometers around, and the smell of grilled meat in the air will not disappear for months!
The "M2" flamethrower used by soldiers of the 43rd Infantry Division
The U.S. Army's 43rd Infantry Division suffered a total of 6,026 World War II casualties, of which —
Killed: 1414
Wounded: 4,610
Captured: 2
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right">第44步兵师</h1>
44th Infantry Division nicknamed "Jersey Blue"
U.S. Army 44th Infantry Division Armband
The 44th Infantry Division was formed in 1925 by a merger of the New York State and New Jersey National Guards. During World War II, it was incorporated into the European Theater and was subordinate to General Patton's 3rd Army.
Major General William Fisher Dean, commander of the 44th Infantry Division, should be familiar to everyone when they hear this name. He was the commander of the U.S. 24th Division, who was later captured on the Korean battlefield, and the only American general to be captured in the entire Korean War.
On August 25, 1950, Major General Dean, who had been hiding in the mountains for 36 days after being scattered in the city of Daejeon, finally survived the cold and hunger and surrendered to the North Korean guerrillas near Jin County, North Jeolla Province.
Major General William Fisher Dean, Commander of the 44th Infantry Division
Major General William Fisher Dean, commander of the 44th Infantry Division, led the division under General George Patton of the 3rd Army during World War II. At Winsburg, with the strength of a division, it alone blocked more than 40,000 people of the German 19th Army, and the fierce battle for a week always prevented 40,000 German troops from breaking through the defensive line, and was finally annihilated by the American troops who came after them.
As a result of this campaign, William Fisher Dean was promoted from the rank of brigadier general to the rank of major general and received a cross of merit.
Table of World War II attritions of the 44th Infantry Division
The U.S. Army's 44th Infantry Division suffered a total of 5,655 World War II casualties, of which —
Killed: 1038
Wounded: 4,209
Missing: 100
Captured: 308
< H1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > 45th Infantry Division</h1>
45th Infantry Division nicknamed "Thunderbird"
U.S. Army 45th Infantry Division Armband
The 45th Infantry Division was formed in 1923 by the National Guard of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. The Thunderbird is a bird endemic to Arizona, and Arizona has the largest percentage of soldiers in the division, which is where the nickname comes from.
The "fierceness" of the 45th Infantry Division was well known in the American army. Not only in combat, but also in prisoner-killing, from Italy to Germany, without trial, the random shooting of prisoners of war occurred repeatedly in the 45th Infantry Division.
Dachau concentration camp – the corpses of Jews slaughtered by the SS
In the "Dachau Incident" of April 29-30, 1945, soldiers of the 42nd and 45th Infantry Divisions, enraged by the bloodthirsty and cruel misdeeds of the SS, massacred captured SS guards en masse.
Lieutenant Jack Bushhead, commander of the I Company of the 3rd Battalion, 157th Regiment, 45th Infantry Division, had the SS guards lined up and then ordered machine-gun fire...
Afterwards, the U.S. military set up an investigation team to go to Dachau to investigate the matter, and finally came to the statistics - "Dachau Incident" a total of 520 German guards were slaughtered, of which 346 were personally shot with machine guns by Lieutenant Jack Bushhead, the commander of I Company.
Lieutenant Jack Bushhead, the company commander, single-handedly took all the charges, and in the court-martial, Lieutenant Jack Bushhead said: "The soldiers are carrying out the orders I gave, and all the responsibility is on me, but I refuse to plead guilty." Everyone I kill, and everyone I order to kill, is a demon who deserves to go to hell, they deserve to die, and I exercise the power that conscience has given me! ”
Lieutenant Jack Bushhead, who bore the brunt of his imprisonment for this, often said to his family in his later years: "I never regret it, how can these demons with hands stained with the blood of innocents be easily forgiven?" ”
In 1977, Lieutenant Jack Bushhead died peacefully on his own farm in Oklahoma.
Table of World War II attritions of the 45th Infantry Division
The U.S. Army's 45th Infantry Division suffered a total of 20,993 World War II casualties, of which —
Killed: 3,547
Wounded: 14,441
Missing: 478
Captured: 2527
——To be continued, continuously updated!