[Webmaster Note: The following division information is reproduced
from the public domain publication, The Army Almanac: A Book of
Facts Concerning the Army of the United States, U.S. Government Printing Office,
1950. Portions of the information may be out of date. Only minor formatting changes and
typographical corrections have been made.]
World War I
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Activated: August 1917.
Overseas: August 1918.
Commanders: Maj. Gen. H. F. Hodges (5 August 1917),
Brig. Gen. William Weigel (28 November 1917),
Maj. Gen. H. F. Hodges (13 February 1918).
Inactivated: May 1919.
World War II
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Activated: 15 June 1942.
Overseas: 10 December 1944.
Campaigns: Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland, Central Europe.
Days of combat: 107.
Distinguished Unit Citations: 2.
Awards: MH-2; DSC-11; DSM-1; SS-176; LM-5; SM-19; BSM-1,312; AM-58.
Commanders: Maj. Gen. Emil F. Reinhardt (June-December 1942),
Maj. Gen. William R. Schmidt (December 1942-July 1945),
Brig. Gen. Henry C. Evans (August 1945 to inactivation).
Inactivated: 31 August 1945 in Europe.
Combat Chronicle
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The 76th Infantry Division arrived in England, 20 December 1944, where it received
additional training. It landed at Le Havre, France, 12 January 1945, and proceeded
to the Limesy concentration area. The Division moved to Beine east of Reims and
then to Champlon, Belgium, 23 January, to prepare for combat. Relieving the
87th Division
in defensive positions along the Sauer and Moselle Rivers in the vicinity of
Echternach, Luxembourg, 25 January, the 76th sent out patrols and crossed the
Sauer, 7 February, and breached the Siegfried Line in a heavy assault. The advance
continued across the Prum and Nims Rivers, 25-27 February. Katzenkopf fortress
and Irrel fell on the 28th and the attack pushed on toward Trier, reaching the
Moselle, 3 March. Driving across the Kyll River, the Division took
Hosten, 3 March, Speicher on the 5th and Karl on the 10th; swung south
and cleared the area north of the Moselle, crossing the river, 18 March,
near Mulheim. Moving to the Rhine, the 76th took over defenses from Boppard
to St. Goar and crossed the Rhine at Boppard, 27 March. It drove east and
took Kamberg in a houseto-house struggle, 29 March. A new attack was launched
4 April and the Werra River was reached the next day. The attack continued
in conjunction with the
6th Armored Division; Langensalza
fell and the
Gera River was crossed, 11 April. Zeitz was captured after a violent
struggle, 14-15 April, and the 76th reached the Mulde River on the
16th, going into defensive positions to hold a bridgehead across the
Mulde near Chemnitz until VE-day.
Assignments in the ETO
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9 January 1945: 12th Army Group. // 14 January 1945: Fifteenth Army, 12th Army
Group. // 19 January 1945: VIII Corps, Third Army, 12th Army Group. //
25 January 1945: XII Corps. // 3 April 1945: XX Corps. // 8 April 1945: VIII
Corps. // 22 April 1945: VIII Corps, First Army, 12th Army
Group. // 11 May 1945: VIII Corps, Ninth Army, 12th Army Group.
General
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Nickname: Onaway Division; formerly called "Liberty Bell Division."
Shoulder patch: An escutcheon with a red field and a blue chief, separated by
an olive drab line; a three-pronged white device is superimposed on
the blue chief.
Publication: We Ripened Fast, The Unofficial History of
the 76th Infantry Division; by First Lt. Joseph J. Hulnick and
Tech. 4 Leonard Kobreck; Otto Lembek, Frankfurt en Main, Germany; distributor,
secretary, 76th Infantry Division Association.
• 76th Infantry Division Links
• 76th Infantry Division Components
• 76th Infantry Division Medal of Honor Recipients
• 76th Infantry Division Commanders
• 76th Infantry Division Videos
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