- 89th Division (United States)
Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=89th Infantry Division
caption=89th Division shoulder sleeve insignia
countryUnited States
allegiance=
type=Division
branch=Regular Army
dates=August 1917 – May 1919July 15 ,1942 –December 27 ,1945
specialization=Infantry
command_structure=
size=
current_commander=
garrison=
ceremonial_chief=
nickname= "The Rolling W"
motto="Get it Done"
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=World War I *St. Mihiel *Meuse-Argonne Offensive World War II *Rhineland *Central Europe
notable_commanders=Leonard Wood John C. H. Lee
anniversaries=US Infantry
previous=88th Infantry Division
next=90th Infantry DivisionThe 89th Infantry Division was an
infantry unit of theUnited States Army that was activated for service inWorld War I andWorld War II . Known as the "Rolling W", they have not been active since 1945.World War I
*Activated: August 1917.
*Overseas: June 1918.
*Major Operations: St. Mihiel, MeuseArgonne.
*Casualties: Total-7,091 (KIA-980; WIA-6,111).
*Commanders: Maj. Gen.Leonard Wood (27 August 1917 ), Brig. Gen. Frank L. Winn (26 November 1917 ), Brig. Gen. Thomas G. Hanson (24 December 1917 ), Brig. Gen. Frank L. Winn (29 December 1917 ), Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood (12 April 1918 ), Brig. Gen. Frank L. Winn (1 June 1918 ), Maj. Gen. William M. Wright (6 September 1918 ), Maj. Gen. Frank L. Winn (12 November 1918 ).
*Inactivated: May 1919.ee:
*
David B. Barkley -Medal of Honor recipient
*J. Hunter Wickersham -Medal of Honor recipient
*Marcelino Serna -the most decorated soldier from Texas in World War I.World War II
*Activated:
15 July 1942 .
*Overseas:10 January 1945 .
*Campaigns: Rhineland, Central Europe.
*Days of combat: 57.
*Awards:Distinguished Service Medal (United States) -1 ;Silver Star -46; LM-5; SM-1 ; BSM-135 ; AM-17.
*Commanders: Maj. Gen. William H. Gill (July 1942–February 1943), Maj. Gen. Thomas D. Finley (February 1943 to inactivation).
*Returned to U.S.:16 December 1945 .
*Inactivated:27 December 1945 .Combat Chronicle
The 89th Infantry Division landed in
France atLe Havre ,21 January 1945 , and engaged in several weeks of precombat training before moving up to theSauer River into jump-off positions east ofEchternach ,11 March 1945 . The next day, the offensive began, and the 89th plunged across the Sauer in a rapid advance to and across the Moselle,17 March . The offensive rolled on, and the Division assaulted across the Rhine River on 26 March, 1945 under intense fire in the Wellmich-Oberwesel region. A pontoon bridge was built across the Rhine from St. Goar to St. Goarshausen. In April, the 89th attacked towardEisenach , taking that town,6 April . The next objective was Friedrichroda, core of the vauntedNational Redoubt inThuringia . The city was secured by8 April . On April 4, 1945, the 89th overran Ohrdruf, a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp. Ohrdruf was the first Nazi concentration camp liberated by U.S. troops in Germany.The Division continued to move eastward toward the
Mulde River, capturing Zwickau by17 April . The advance was halted,23 April , and from then until VE-day, the Division saw only limited action, engaging in patrolling and general security. Three towns, Lossnitz, Aue, andStollberg , were kept under constant pressure, but no attacks were launched. The 89th Infantry's casulties consisted of 292 men Killed in Action, 692 men Wounded in Action, and 33 men Died of Wounds.Assignments in the
European Theater of Operations *
21 January 1945 : Fifteenth Army,12th Army Group .
*4 March 1945 : XII Corps, Third Army, 12th Army Group.
*23 March 1945 : VIII Corps.
*22 April 1945 : VIII Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group.ee:
*Charles T. Payne (Barack Obama's great-uncle)
General
*Nickname: Rolling W ; also called Middle West Division.
*Slogan: Get it done
*Shoulder patch: A black-bordered khaki circle containing the letter "W" within a black-bordered circle.References
*"89th Infantry Division website: [http://www.89infdivww2.org/index.htm http://www.89infdivww2.org/index.htm] .
*"The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States" U.S. Government Printing Office, 1950 reproduced at [http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/lineage/cc/cc.htm http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/lineage/cc/cc.htm] .External links
* [http://www.89infdivww2.org/index.htm 89th Infantry Division Website]
* [http://www.lonesentry.com/gi_stories_booklets/89thinfantry/index.html Rolling Ahead!: The Story of the 89th Infantry Division]
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