100th Infantry Division (United States)
100th Training Division | |
---|---|
Active | 1918 – 1919 1921 – 1946 1946 – present |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Army |
Type | Training |
Size | Division |
Part of | United States Army Reserve Command |
Garrison/HQ | Fort Knox, Kentucky, U.S. |
Nickname(s) | Century[1] Sons of Bitche |
Motto(s) | "Success in Battle"[2] "Soldiers of the Century"[3] "Train 'em Tough!"[4] |
Colors | Blue and red |
Engagements | World War I
|
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Withers Burress Andrew Tychsen |
Insignia | |
Distinctive unit insignia |
The 100th Training Division (Leader Development) (formerly the 100th Infantry Division) is a division of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Knox, Kentucky. It currently serves as a major training command of the United States Army Reserve. It has been known as the "Century Division" owing to its "100th" designation.
Throughout its long history, the division has taken on numerous roles. Serving as the 100th Infantry Division until the 1950s, the division then briefly became the 100th Airborne Division before becoming the 100th Division (Training). Since this transformation, the division has primarily taken on numerous training roles for other Army units.
It was originally activated in mid-1918, too late to join the fighting in World War I. The division is best known for its exploits during World War II as the 100th Infantry Division. Fighting in the
History
World War I
The 100th Division was constituted on 12 July 1918 in the
The division then began preparations to deploy to Europe and join the
Interwar period
Only two years later, on 24 June 1921, the division was reconstituted in the Organized Reserve, allotted to the Fifth Corps Area, and assigned to the XV Corps. The states of West Virginia and Kentucky were allotted as the division's home area, with its headquarters organized in Wheeling, West Virginia, on 27 September 1921.[5] On 29 May 1923, the division received its shoulder sleeve insignia.[3]
Most of the division's assigned Reserve officers were ROTC (
World War II
Mobilization
On 23 February 1942, the 199th and 200th Infantry Brigade headquarters were disbanded, and the division was placed in command of the 397th, 398th, and 399th Infantry Regiments directly; the 400th Infantry Regiment was inactivated by relief of Reserve personnel. The 100th Infantry Division was ordered into active military service on 15 November 1942 at
From late 1943 to early 1944, the division trained in the mountains of
Order of battle
- Headquarters, 100th Infantry Division
- 397th Infantry Regiment
- 398th Infantry Regiment
- 399th Infantry Regiment
- Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 100th Infantry Division Artillery
- 373rd Field Artillery Battalion (155 mm)
- 374th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm)
- 375th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm)
- 925th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm)
- 325th Engineer Combat Battalion
- 325th Medical Battalion
- 100th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized)
- Headquarters, Special Troops, 100th Infantry Division
- Headquarters Company, 100th Infantry Division
- 800th Ordnance Light Maintenance Company
- 100th Quartermaster Company
- 100th Signal Company
- Military Police Platoon
- Band
- 100th Counterintelligence Corps Detachment[8]
The division sailed to Europe on 6 October of that year.[9] The division arrived at Marseille, France, on 20 October.[9] It was made part of VI Corps of the Seventh United States Army, Sixth United States Army Group.[10]
European Theater
As soon as the division was prepared for combat, it began moving into the
In December 1944, the division went on the offensive in the vicinity of Bitche, France. The division occupied the nearby areas of Wingen and Lemberg after fierce fighting on 6–10 December. The division then advanced to Reyersviller, which fell after fighting on 11–13 December.[9] On 14 December, regiments from the 100th started their assault on a minor fortification Freundenburg and Fort Schiesseck, a major defensive work in the region.[12] Fort Freundenburg was captured on 17 December by the 100th division's 398th Infantry Regiment.[12] Fort Schiesseck capitulated after three more days of heavy assault by the 100th on 20 December.[9] The division was ordered to halt its attack and to hold defensive positions south of Bitche as part of the Seventh Army during the Battle of the Bulge.[9] Thanks to a stout defense, the men of the 100th later became known as the "Sons of Bitche". The German counterattacks of 1 and 8–10 January 1945 were repulsed, after heavy fighting at Bitche. After further attacks stalled and the Germans began to withdraw, the sector was generally quiet and the division prepared to resume its offensive east.[9]
On 15 March 1945, the attack jumped off and on 16 March, Bitche fell to the 100th Infantry Division.
The division took 13,351 enemy prisoners of war on its own.
100th Infantry Division returned to the United States via the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation on 10 January 1946, and was released from active duty at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia that day.[9] The division then began the process of demobilization, before inactivating on 26 January.[5]
Casualties
- Total battle casualties: 5,038[15]
- Killed in action: 883
- Wounded in action: 3,539
- Missing in action: 483
- Prisoner of war: 491
Post War
Cold War
In fall of 1946, the division was reactivated in the
In 1961, some 1,500 soldiers from the 100th were activated and sent to
With the
In 1978, the 100th became the first Army Reserve formation to be equipped with its own squadrons of M1 Abrams tanks. With the arrival of the M3 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, the division's mission profile changed from individual combat training to armor and armor reconnaissance training.[7] By 1986, it was the largest reserve unit within the state of Kentucky, commanding fifty-eight percent of instate reservists.[7]
Gulf War and beyond
At the outbreak of Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the 100th was assigned to armor training at Fort Knox, Kentucky for deploying armor units. Armor training was a responsibility that the division continued after the war.[7]
In 1995 the division was reorganized to include Army Reserve schools, taking over the responsibilities for new programs. In 1996 the 100th Division's 1st Brigade worked with Readiness Group Knox to pioneer the national training experiment to reserve combat units at crew and platoon levels.[7] Later that year, the division added three additional divisional brigades; the 5th Brigade, 100th Division in Memphis, Tennessee for health services training,[17] the 6th Brigade, 100th Division in Louisville, Kentucky for professional development training,[17] and the 7th Brigade, 100th Division at Fort Knox, formed from the 100th Training Command and responsible for training exercises.[17] The 5th Brigade moved to Millington, Tennessee in 1997, and the 7th Brigade inactivated in 2000.[17] The 8th Brigade, 100th Division was also activated as a unit overseeing ROTC training.[3]
During 1997, the division was tasked with partial responsibility for
After the
By 2006, the division had moved its headquarters from
On 1 October 2018 the 100th Training Division was redesignated as the 100th Training Division (Leader Development). The 100th Training Division (Leader Development) establishes and implements the Army Reserve Leader Development Strategy to provide a continuum of career education, training, and experience for leaders in the Army Reserve. During this reorganization, the 83rd USARRTC and the 97th (CGSOC) Brigade were placed under the 100th Training Division.
Subordinate units
As of 2018 the following units are subordinated to the 100th Training Division (Leader Development):
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 100th Training Division, Ft Knox, KY[18]
- 83rd United States Army Reserve Readiness Training Command, Ft. Knox, KY
- Readiness Training Academy, Ft. Knox, KY
- NCO Academy – Parks, Parks Reserve Forces Training Area, Dublin, CA
- NCO Academy – McCoy, Fort McCoy, WI
- NCO Academy – ASA Fort Dix, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ
- 97th Brigade (Command and General Staff Officer Course), Fort Sheridan, IL
- 11th Battalion, 95th Regiment (CGSOC), Kansas City, MO
- 10th Battalion, 80th Regiment (CGSOC), Owings Mills, MD
- 11th Battalion, 108th Regiment (CGSOC), Concord, NC
Honors
Unit decorations
During the Second World War many units within the division were awarded Distinguished Unit Citations, as well as Meritorious Unit Citations.[5]
Campaign streamers
Conflict | Streamer | Year(s) |
---|---|---|
World War II | Rhineland
|
1944–1945 |
World War II | Ardennes-Alsace Battle Credit | 1944–1945 |
World War II | Central Europe | 1945 |
Legacy
The division's legacy in World War II has been honored several times. The Cross Island Parkway in Queens, New York was renamed the "100th Infantry Division Parkway" in 2005 in honor of 2,300 soldiers from New York that served with the division during the war.[19] Three soldiers earned the Medal of Honor serving with the division in World War II. They were Edward A. Silk, Mike Colalillo, and Charles F. Carey Jr.[20][21]
References
- ^ "Regular Army / Army Reserve Special Designation Listing". United States Army. Archived from the original on 12 May 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
- ^ a b Order of Battle, p. 374.
- ^ The Institute of Heraldry. Archived from the originalon 31 May 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
- ^ a b "US Army Reserve: 100th Division". US Army Reserve. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Lineage and Honors Information: 100th Infantry Division". US Army Center of Military History. Archived from the original on 20 June 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
- ^ McGrath, p. 175.
- ^ Globalsecurity. Archived from the originalon 13 June 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
- ^ Almanac, p. 592.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Almanac, p. 568.
- ^ a b c d e Order of Battle, p. 378.
- ^ a b c Order of Battle, p. 379.
- ^ ISBN 9780891416029.
- ^ a b Almanac, p. 569.
- ^ a b c Order of Battle, p. 375.
- ^ Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths in World War II, Final Report (Statistical and Accounting Branch Office of the Adjutant General, 1 June 1953)
- ^ a b c d McGrath, p. 224.
- ^ a b c d e McGrath, p. 225.
- ^ "80th Training Command (TASS)". www.usar.army.mil. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
- ^ Bertrand, Donald (29 March 2005). "Road Honors WWII troops". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 11 June 2009. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
- ^ "Medal of Honor Recipients – World War II (A–F)". United States Army. Archived from the original on 3 August 2009. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
- ^ "Medal of Honor Recipients – World War II (M–S)". United States Army. Archived from the original on 30 April 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
Sources
- McGrath, John J. (2004). The Brigade: A History: Its Organization and Employment in the US Army. Combat Studies Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-4404-4915-4.
- Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States. United States Government Printing Office. 1959. ASIN B0006D8NKK.
- Order of Battle of the United States Army: World War II European Theater of Operations. Department of the Army. 1945. ISBN 978-0-16-001967-8.