Posts in this topic

[ADMIN]

NAME:
Ninety-Seventh Infantry Division / 97th Division

NICKNAME:
"Trident"

NICKNAME HISTORY:
The division insignia consists of a white trident on a blue shield within a white border. Neptune's trident was originally adopted to represent the coastal states of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire, from which personnel for the division was draw in 1918. The three prongs of the trident represent the three states; the blue symbolizes the states numerous fresh water lakes; and, the white of the border and trident represents the snow that covers these states' picturesque mountains.

From: http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/documents/eto-ob/97ID-ETO.htm

BATTLE HONORS:

World War II
Central Europe

ACTIVATED:
Sept 5, 1918
Feb 25, 1943
Dec 22, 1967

DEACTIVATED:
Nov 20, 1918
March 31, 1946


HISTORY:
World War I

Activated: 5 September 1918

Inactivated: 20 November 1918

Additional Information: One infantry regiment (303d) served with the 76th Division.

Organized at Camp Cody, Deming, New Mexico.

The division was composed of National Army drafts mainly from Oklahoma and Minnesota. These drafts constituted the personnel of the following units which were organized at Camp Cody: Div. Hqs. 387th and 388th Inf., 622nd Fld. Sig. Bn., 366th Machine Gun Bn., 322d Hqs. Train, and M.P., 322d Sanitary Train. The 172d Field Artillery Brigade consisting of the 61st, 62d, and 63d Field Artillery Regiments, 21st Trench Mortar Battery and 322d Ammunition Train was organized at Camp Jackson, South Carolina, under the command of Brig. Gen. Dennis H. Currie. The nucleus of the 322d Engr. Regt. And Train was formed at Camp Humphrey, Va., but never joined the division. The 193d Infantry Bridge less 365th Machine Gun Battalion and the machine gun companies of the infantry regiment were to be organized in France. On Nov. 20, 1918, the War Department directed that the division be demobilized. The strength of the division at the time demobilization was commenced was 402 officers and 7,889 men.

Col. C. A. Martin, Inf., commanded the division from Sept. 26, 1918, to Oct. 19, 1918. Brig. Gen. James R. Lindsay was then placed in command of the division and remained in command until demobilization.


World War II

Activated: 25 February 1943

Overseas: 19 February 1945, for the ETO; 28 August 1945, for the Pacific Theater

Campaigns: Central Europe

Days of combat: 41 (ETO)

Awards: MH-1 ; DSC-1 ; DSM-1 ; SS-61; LM-2; SM-3 ; BSM-206

Commanders: Maj. Gen. Louis A. Craig (4 February 1943-19 January 1944), Brig. Gen. Milton B. Halsey (20 January 1944-24 September 1945), Maj. Gen. Herman F. Kramer (24 September 1945 to inactivation). Returned to U. S.: 26 June 1945, from the ETO

Overseas: 16 September 1945, to the Philippine Islands

Inactivated: 31 March 1946 in Japan

Combat Chronicle
The 97th Infantry Division landed at Le Havre, France, 2 March 1945, and moved to Camp Lucky Strike. On 28 March, the division crossed the German border west of Aachen and took up a defensive position along the west bank of the Rhine River opposite Dusseldorf, engaging in patrolling. The 97th entered the battle of the Ruhr pocket, crossing the Rhine near Bonn, 3 April, and taking up a position on the southern bank of the Sieg River. It crossed that river, 7 April, against light resistance and fought a street-to-street engagement in Siegburg on the 10th.

Pushing on toward Düsseldorf through difficult terrain and heavy resistance in densely wooded areas, the division captured Solingen on 17 April. Düsseldorf fell on the next day and the Ruhr pocket was eliminated. Moving to protect the left flank of the Third Army on its southern drive, the 97th took Cheb, Czechoslovakia, on 25 April 1945 and attacked the Czechoslovak pocket near Widen, Germany, on the 29th. It had advanced to Konstantinovy Lazne, Czechoslovakia, when it received the cease-fire order on 7 May. The division left for Le Havre, 16 June 1945, for redeployment to the Pacific, arriving at Cebu, Philippine Islands, 16 September, and then sailed to Japan for occupation duty, arriving at Yokohama on 23 September 1945.


Assignments in the ETO
30 January 1945: Fifteenth Army, 12th Army Group
28 March 1945: XXII Corps
1 April 1945: First Army, 12th Army Group
10 April 1945: XVIII (Abn) Corps
19 April 1945: Third Army, 12th Army Group
22 April 1945: XII Corps
28 April 1945: First Army, 12th Army Group
30 April 1945: V Corps
6 May 1945: Third Army, 12th Army Group


Cold War to Present

The 97th was designated the 97th Army Reserve Command on December 22, 1967, at Fort Meade, Maryland. Three 97th medical units were activated and deployed to South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

After U.S. military Operations in Panama to oust dictator Manuel Noriega, in 1989, the 97th deployed civil affairs soldiers to assist in rebuilding the new Panamanian government.

During operations Desert Shield and Storm, more than 3,000 97th Soldiers deployed to missions in the Persian Gulf.

In 1996, the 97th Army Reserve Command was reorganized and became part of the 99th Regional Readiness Command.


Divisional history from:
http://ranger95.com/divisions/order_battle_97th_div_ww1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_97th_Infantry_Division
http://www.armyreserve.army.mil/USARC/RRC/...RRC_History.htm