The 69th Infantry Division, nicknamed the "fighting 69th," was a Division 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, ...

formed during World War II. It is distinct from the

69th Infantry Regiment (New York) The 69th New York Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Army. It is from New York City, part of the New York Army National Guard. It is known as the "Fighting Sixty-Ninth", a name said to have been given by Robert E ...

(the "Fighting 69th"). The

shoulder sleeve insignia A shoulder sleeve insignia (often abbreviated SSI) is an embroidered patch worn on some uniforms of the United States Army. It is used by major formations of the U.S. Army; each formation has a unique formation patch. The U.S. Army is unique amo ...

of the division was designed by its then commander Maj. Gen. Charles L. Bolte with the red, white and blue being the colors of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

forming a "6" and a "9".

World War II

*Activated: 15 May 1943. Camp Shelby, Mississippi *Overseas: December 1944. *Campaigns: Rhineland,

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...

*Days of combat: 86. *Awards: **

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

-5 **

Distinguished Service Medal (U.S. Army) The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. The ...

-1 ** Silver Star Medal-105 **

Legion of Merit Medal The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight u ...

-3 ** Soldier's Medal-12 **

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. W ...

-2,253 **

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

-33. *Commanders: **Maj. Gen. Charles L. Bolte (May 1943 – September 1944), **Maj. Gen.

Emil F. Reinhardt Major General Emil Fred Reinhardt (October 27, 1888 – July 24, 1969) was a senior United States Army officer. He is most noted during World War II as commander of the 69th Infantry Division, which became the first American unit to come into co ...

(September 1944 – August 1945), **Brig. Gen. Robert V. Maraist (August 1945 to inactivation). *Returned to U.S.: 13 September 1945. *Inactivated: 16 September 1945.

Order of battle

* Headquarters, 69th Infantry Division * 271st Infantry Regiment * 272nd Infantry Regiment * 273rd Infantry Regiment * Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 69th Infantry Division Artillery ** 724th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm) ** 879th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm) ** 880th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm) ** 881st Field Artillery Battalion (155 mm) * 269th Engineer Combat Battalion * 369th Medical Battalion * 69th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized) * Headquarters, Special Troops, 69th Infantry Division ** Headquarters Company, 69th Infantry Division ** 769th Ordnance Light Maintenance Company ** 69th Quartermaster Company ** 569th Signal Company ** Military Police Platoon ** Band * 69th Counterintelligence Corps Detachment

Combat chronicle

The 69th Infantry Division arrived in England, 12 December 1944, where it continued its training. It landed in

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...

, France, 24 January 1945, and moved to Belgium to relieve the 99th Division, 12 February, and hold defensive positions in the

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 ...

. The division went over to the attack, 27 February, capturing the high ridge east of Prether to facilitate use of the

Hellenthal Hellenthal is a municipality in the district of Euskirchen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Eifel hills, near the border with Belgium, approx. 30 km south-west of Euskirchen and 40 km south-east of A ...

- Hollerath Highway. In a rapid advance to the east, the 69th took

Schmidtheim Dahlem is a municipality in the district of Euskirchen. It has the lowest population density and population of all municipalities of in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Eifel hills, approx. 35 km south-west ...

and Dahlem, 7 March. The period from 9 to 21 March was spent in mopping up activities and training. The division resumed its forward movement to the west bank of the Rhine, crossing the river and capturing the fortress of

Ehrenbreitstein Ehrenbreitstein Fortress (german: Festung Ehrenbreitstein, ) is a fortress in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, on the east bank of the Rhine where it is joined by the Moselle, overlooking the town of Koblenz. Occupying the position ...

, 27 March. It relieved the 80th Division in

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...

, 7 April, seized Hannoversch Münden on the 8th and Weissenfels on the 14th against sharp opposition, and captured

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

, 19 April, following a fierce struggle within the city.

Eilenburg Eilenburg (; hsb, Jiłow) is a town in Germany. It lies in the district of Nordsachsen in Saxony, approximately 20 km northeast of the city of Leipzig. Geography Eilenburg lies at the banks of the river Mulde at the southwestern edge ...

fell, 23 April, and the east bank of the Mulde River was secured. Two days later, division patrols in the area between the Elbe and the Mulde Rivers contacted elements of the Soviet 5th Guards Army at Strehla, in the vicinity of

Riesa Riesa is a town in the district of Meißen in Saxony, Germany. It is located on the river Elbe, approximately northwest of Dresden. History The name ''Riesa'' is derived from Slavic ''Riezowe''. This name, romanised as "Rezoa", appears first i ...

and again at

Torgau Torgau () is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen. Outside Germany, the town is best known as where on 25 April 1945, the United States and Soviet Armies forces fi ...

on Elbe Day. Until VE-day, the 69th patrolled and policed its area. Occupation duties were given to the division until it left for home and inactivation 7 September.

Casualties

*Total battle casualties: 1,506Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths, Final Report (Statistical and Accounting Branch, Office of the Adjutant General, 1 June 1953) *Killed in action: 341 *Wounded in action: 1,146 *Missing in action: 9 *Prisoner of war: 10

Training division

In 1954 the 69th Division was reactivated under Major general

Cornelius E. Ryan Cornelius Edward Ryan CBE (May 12, 1896 – June 6, 1972) was a highly decorated officer in the United States Army with the rank of major general. During his 40 years of active service, he participated in both World Wars and Korean War and h ...

as a

training division This list of United States Army divisions is divided into three eras: 1911–1917, 1917–1941, and 1941–present. These eras represent the major evolutions of army division structure (there have been several minor changes during these times). T ...

Fort Dix Fort Dix, the common name for the Army Support Activity (ASA) located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Army post. It is located south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Fort Dix is under the jurisdiction of the Air Force ...

, New Jersey replacing the 9th Infantry Division that was sent to Europe. the 69th was deactivated in March 1956. The shoulder patch of the 69th was worn by the actors playing soldiers on ''

The Phil Silvers Show ''The Phil Silvers Show'', originally titled ''You'll Never Get Rich'', is a sitcom which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959. A pilot titled "Audition Show" was made in 1955, but it was never broadcast. 143 other episodes were broadcast – all half-a ...

''.

References

*''The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States'' U.S. Government Printing Office, 1950 reproduced at http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/cbtchron.html.

Notes

External links

*http://www.69th-infantry-division.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:069 069th Infantry Division, U.S. Infantry Division, U.S. 069 Infantry divisions of the United States Army in World War II Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1956