The 65th Infantry Division—nicknamed the "Battle-Axe Division"—was an infantry

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

that served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Its shoulder patch is a white

halberd A halberd (also called halbard, halbert or Swiss voulge) is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. The word ''halberd'' is cognate with the German word ''Hellebarde'', deriving from ...

on a blue shield. The entire length of

Pennsylvania Route 65 Pennsylvania Route 65 (PA 65, also known as the 65th Infantry Division Memorial Highway), is a major state highway located in western Pennsylvania, United States. The route, traveling north–south from the Interstate 279/ U.S. Route 19 Truck ( ...

is named the ''65th Infantry Division Memorial Highway'' in its honor. The United States Military Academy's home basketball arena at West Point is named

Christl Arena Christl Arena is a 5,043-seat, multi-purpose arena in West Point, New York. It was built in 1985 as part of the Major Donald W. Holleder Center, which also houses Tate Rink. It is home to the United States Military Academy's Army Black Knights ...

in honor of 1LT Edward C. Christl, who served with the division during World War II and was killed in action in Austria on May 4, 1945.

World War II

* Activated: 16 August 1943 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi * Overseas: 10 January 1945. * Campaigns: Rhineland, Central Europe. * Days of combat: 55. * Awards: **Medal of Honor - 1 Private First Class (

Frederick C. Murphy Frederick C. Murphy (July 27, 1918 – March 19, 1945) was a recipient of the Medal of Honor during World War II while serving as a medic in the US 65th Infantry Division. Background Murphy was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and lived in Quin ...

), Medical Detachment, 259th Infantry, Siegfried Line at Saarlautern, Germany, 18 March 1945. **Distinguished Service Cross - 6 **Distinguished Service Medal - 1 **Silver Star Medal - 77 **Legion of Merit - 14 **Soldier's Medal - 4 ** Bronze Star Medal - 686 ** Air Medal - 19 * Commanders: Major General Stanley Eric Reinhart (August 1943 – 1 August 1945) and Brig. Gen. John E. Copeland (1 August 1945 to disbandment). * Disbanded: 31 August 1945 in Germany.

Combat chronicle

The 65th Infantry Division landed at Le Havre, France, 21 January 1945, and proceeded to Camp Lucky Strike, where training continued until 1 March, when the division moved forward to relieve the 26th Infantry Division. First elements entered the line, 5 March 1945, and the division as a whole took over aggressive defense of the sector along the Saar, from Orscholz to Wadgassen, on 8 March 1945. On 17 March, the division attacked across the Saar, crossing the river at Dillingen and captured Saarlautern, 19 March, as

Siegfried Line The Siegfried Line, known in German as the ''Westwall'', was a German defensive line built during the 1930s (started 1936) opposite the French Maginot Line. It stretched more than ; from Kleve on the border with the Netherlands, along the we ...

defenses cracked. Capturing Neunkirchen, 21 March 1945, the division raced to the Rhine, crossed the river at Oppenheim, 30 March, and ran into heavy German resistance and counterattacks.

Langensalza Bad Langensalza (; until 1956: Langensalza) is a spa town of 17,500 inhabitants in the Unstrut-Hainich district, Thuringia, central Germany. Geography Location Bad Langensalza is located in the Thuringian Basin, the fertile lowlands alo ...

fell on 5 April, Struth on the 7th, and Neumarkt on the 22nd. Continuing its advance against crumbling German opposition, the division crossed the Danube 4 miles below Regensburg, 26 April, took the city, 27 April, seized

Passau Passau (; bar, label= Central Bavarian, Båssa) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany, also known as the Dreiflüssestadt ("City of Three Rivers") as the river Danube is joined by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's po ...

, cross the Inn River, 4 May, and occupied

Linz Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846. In 2009, it was a European Capital ...

, Austria, on the 5th. Germans surrendered en masse. On 9 May, as hostilities officially ended in Europe, the troops of the 65th made contact with the Russians at Erlauf.

Order of Battle

* Headquarters, 65th Infantry Division * 259th Infantry Regiment * 260th Infantry Regiment * 261st Infantry Regiment * Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 65th Infantry Division Artillery ** 720th Field Artillery Battalion (155 mm) ** 867th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm) ** 868th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm) ** 869th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm) * 265th Engineer Combat Battalion * 365th Medical Battalion * 65th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized) * Headquarters, Special Troops, 65th Infantry Division ** Headquarters Company, 65th Infantry Division ** 765th Ordnance Light Maintenance Company ** 65th Quartermaster Company ** 565th Signal Company ** Military Police Platoon ** Band * 65th Counterintelligence Corps Detachment

Attached Units

*707th Tank Battalion (attached 6 Apr 45 only) *748th Tank Battalion (attached 7 Apr 45-past 9 May 45) *749th Tank Battalion (attached 29 Mar 45-6 Apr 45) *691st Tank Destroyer Battalion (attached 4 Mar 45-6 Apr 45) *808th Tank Destroyer Battalion (attached 5 Apr 45-past 9 May 45) *546th AAA Automatic Weapons Battalion (attached 4 Mar 45-past 9 May 45) ''Source: Order of Battle: U.S. Army World War II by Shelby Stanton.''

Casualties

*Total battle casualties: 1,230Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths, Final Report (Statistical and Accounting Branch, Office of the Adjutant General, 1 June 1953) *Killed in action: 233 *Wounded in action: 927 *Missing in action: 3 *Prisoner of war: 67

Assignments in ETO

*25 January 1945: Fifteenth Army,

12th Army Group The Twelfth United States Army Group was the largest and most powerful United States Army formation ever to take to the field, commanding four field armies at its peak in 1945: First United States Army, Third United States Army, Ninth United Stat ...

. *1 March 1945: XX Corps, Third Army, 12th Army Group. *4 April 1945:

VIII Corps 8th Corps, Eighth Corps, or VIII Corps may refer to: * VIII Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars *VIII Army Corps (German Confederation) * VIII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army ...

. *17 April 1945: XX Corps.

References

External links

65th Infantry Division Association

{{DEFAULTSORT:065 065th Infantry Division, U.S. Infantry Division, U.S. 065 Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Infantry divisions of the United States Army in World War II