26th Infantry Division (United States)

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26th Infantry Division
26th Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia
Active1917–1919
1923–1945
1947–1993
Country United States
Branch United States Army
TypeInfantry
RoleLight infantry
SizeDivision
Nickname(s)"Yankee Division"
EngagementsWorld War I

World War II

Commanders
Notable
commanders		Maj. Gen.
Edward L. Logan

The 26th Infantry Division was an

Massachusetts Army National Guard, it was based in Boston, Massachusetts for most of its history. Today, the division's heritage is carried on by the 26th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade
.

Formed on 18 July 1917 and activated 22 August 1917 at Camp Edwards, MA, consisting of units from the New England area, the division's commander selected the nickname "Yankee Division" to highlight the division's geographic makeup. Sent to Europe in World War I as part of the American Expeditionary Forces, the division saw extensive combat in France. Sent to Europe once again for World War II, the division again fought through France, advancing into Germany and liberating the Gusen concentration camp before the end of the war.

Following the end of World War II, the division remained as an active command in the National Guard, gradually expanding its command to contain units from other divisions which had been consolidated. However, the division was never called up to support any major contingencies or see major combat, and was eventually deactivated in 1993, reorganized as a brigade under the 29th Infantry Division.

History

World War I

Decoration of regimental colors by General Passaga, 32nd French Army Corps.

Organization

The 26th Infantry Division was first constituted on 18 July 1917, three months after the

Major General C. R. Edwards, called a press conference to determine a nickname for the newly formed division. Edwards decided to settle on the suggestion of "Yankee Division" since all of the subordinate units of the division were from the New England states of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Vermont.[2] Shortly thereafter, the division approved a shoulder sleeve insignia with a "YD" monogram to reflect this.[3]

Order of battle

  • Headquarters, 26th Division
  • 51st Infantry Brigade
  • 52nd Infantry Brigade
    • 103rd Infantry Regiment (2nd Maine Infantry 1,630 men from 1st New Hampshire Infantry, and detachments from Companies F, H, K, and M, 8th Massachusetts Infantry)
    • 104th Infantry Regiment (812 men from 6th Massachusetts Infantry, 812 men from 8th Massachusetts Infantry, 2nd Massachusetts Infantry, and detachments from Companies F, H, K, and M, 8th Massachusetts Infantry)
    • 103rd Machine Gun Battalion (Squadron, Rhode Island Cavalry less Troops B and M, Separate Machine Gun Troop, New Hampshire Cavalry, 232 men from 1st Vermont Infantry)
  • 51st Field Artillery Brigade
    • 101st Field Artillery Regiment (75 mm) (1st Massachusetts F.A. and 180 men from New England Coast Artillery)
    • 102nd Field Artillery Regiment (75 mm) (2nd Massachusetts F.A. and 150 men from New England Coast Artillery)
    • 103rd Field Artillery Regiment (155 mm) (Battery A, New Hampshire F.A., three batteries Rhode Island F.A., two batteries Connecticut F.A., Troop M, Rhode Island Squadron of Cavalry, and detachment from New England Coast Artillery)
    • 101st Trench Mortar Battery (detachments of 1st Maine F.A.)
  • 101st Machine Gun Battalion (Squadron, Connecticut Cavalry and 196 men from 1st Vermont Infantry)
  • 101st Engineer Regiment (1st Massachusetts Engineers, 100 men from 1st Maine F.A., 479 men from New England Coast Artillery)
  • 101st Field Signal Battalion (1st Massachusetts Field Signal Battalion)
  • Headquarters Troop, 26th Division (Troop B, Massachusetts Cavalry)
  • 101st Train Headquarters and Military Police (326 men from 6th Massachusetts Infantry)
    • 101st Ammunition Train (713 men from 1st Vermont Infantry, 240 men from Massachusetts Coast Artillery)
    • 101st Supply Train (Troop B, Rhode Island Cavalry, 364 men from 8th Massachusetts Infantry, and 62 men from Company M, 6th Massachusetts Infantry)
    • 101st Engineer Train (82 men from 6th Massachusetts Infantry)
    • 101st Sanitary Train
      • 101st, 102nd, 103rd, and 104th Ambulance Companies and Field Hospitals (1st and 2nd Massachusetts Ambulance Companies, 1st and 2nd Massachusetts Field Hospitals, 1st Connecticut Field Hospital, 1st Rhode Island Ambulance Company, 1st New Hampshire Field Hospital)[4]

Overseas

On 21 September 1917, the division arrived at Saint-Nazaire, France.[5] It was the second division of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) to arrive on the Western Front at the time, and the first division wholly organized in the United States, joining the 1st Division, which had arrived in June. Two additional divisions completed the first wave of American troop deployment, with the 2nd Division being formed in France and the 42nd Division arriving at St. Nazaire on 29 October.[6] The 26th Division immediately moved to Neufchâteau for training, as most of the division's soldiers were raw recruits, new to military service.[6] Because of this, much of the division's force was trained by the experienced French forces.[7] It trained extensively with the other three US divisions, organized as the U.S. I Corps in January 1918,[6] before being moved into a quiet sector of the trenches in February.[8]

Men of various arms of the 26th Division being decorated by General John J. Pershing, Commander-in-Chief of the AEF, for holding the Hun at Apremont, La Foret, France, pictured here on July 12, 1918.

The 26th Infantry Division remained in a relatively quiet region of the lines along the Chemin des Dames for several months before it relieved the 1st Division near Saint-Mihiel on 3 April. The line here taken over extended from the vicinity of Apremont, on the west, in front of Xivray-Marvoisin, Seicheprey, and Bois de Remieres, as far as the Bois de Jury, on the right, where the French line joined the American line. Division Headquarters were at Boucq.

The stay of the division in this sector was marked by several serious encounters with the enemy, where considerable forces were engaged. There were furthermore almost nightly encounters between patrols or ambush parties, and the harassing fire of the artillery on both sides was very active.

On 10, 12 and 13 April, the lines held by the 104th Infantry in Bois Brule (near Apremont), and by the French to the left, were heavily attacked by the Germans. At first the enemy secured a foothold in some advanced trenches which were not strongly held, but sturdy counterattacks succeeded in driving the enemy out with serious losses, and the line was entirely re-established.

In late April, German infantry conducted a raid on positions of the 26th Division, one of the first attacks on Americans during the war. At 0400 on 20 April, German field artillery bombarded the 102nd Infantry's positions near

Chateau Thierry
, relieving the 2nd Division on 5 July.

As the size of the AEF grew, the division was placed under command of I Corps in July.

Camp Devens, Massachusetts.[1]

Between the wars

The division was allotted to Massachusetts and assigned to the

Plattsburg, and Canton, New York, respectively. In October 1940, the 110th Cavalry Regiment of the Massachusetts National Guard was converted into the 180th Field Artillery, replacing the 172nd Field Artillery in the division. The division was relieved from the I Corps on 30 December 1940 and assigned to the VI Corps. It was inducted into federal service at home stations on 16 January 1941, and moved to Camp Edwards, where it arrived on 21 January 1941. The 26th Division participated in the Carolina Maneuvers in October–November 1941.[13]

Order of battle, 1939

World War II

Order of battle

The 26th Division was available to the Eastern Defense Command (EDC) from December 1941 through early 1942 for mobile defense; the 104th Infantry remained on this duty through January 1943.[14]

As a part of an army-wide reorganization, the division's two brigade headquarters that controlled four regiments between them were disbanded in favor of a structure containing three separate regimental commands; the division was reorganized under the "triangular" structure and redesignated as the 26th Infantry Division on 12 February 1942.

82nd Infantry Division into an airborne division, was assigned to the 26th Infantry Division to replace its two lost regiments.[15][16]

In August 1943, Major General Willard Stewart Paul took command of the division, which he would lead through the rest of the war.[18] Before deploying overseas to the European Theater of Operations (ETO), the 26th Infantry Division trained at Camp Campbell, Kentucky, and prepared to depart for the Western Front in late August 1944.

A memorial of the 26th Infantry Division in Moyenvic, France.

Overseas

The division was assigned to

Saareguemines on 8 December.[21] Around this time it was reassigned to III Corps.[19]

Rest at Metz was interrupted by the German offensive in the Ardennes, the

Wiltz River, but was forced to withdraw in the face of determined German resistance. After regrouping on 5–8 January 1945, it attacked again, crossing the Wiltz River on 20 January.[21]

A machine gun team of the 26th Division, alerted by potential German sniper fire (3 March 1945)

The division continued its advance, taking Grummelscheid on 21 January, and crossed the

Saarlautern
area from 29 January until 6 March 1945.

Gusen concentration camp.
G.I.'s of the 102nd Field Artillery Battalion, 26th Infantry Division, check a line forward observation post on the outskirts of Wiltz, Luxembourg, January 6, 1945.

The division's drive to the Rhine River jumped off on 13 March 1945, and carried the division through Merzig from 17 March, to the Rhine by 21 March, and across the Rhine at Oppenheim on 25–26 March.[21]

The division was subsequently reassigned to XII Corps.

Vltava River, when the cease-fire order was received.[21] One day later, the division overran the Gusen concentration camp in conjunction with the 11th Armored Division, liberating it from German forces. There, it discovered that the Germans had used forced labor to carve out an elaborate tunnel system with underground aircraft production facilities. SS officers at the camp allegedly planned to demolish the tunnels with the prisoners inside, but the movement of the 26th Infantry and 11th Armored Divisions prevented this.[23]

Casualties

Post-war

The 26th Infantry Division received one Distinguished Unit Citation (3rd Battalion, 101st Infantry Regiment, 18–21 November 1944; WD GO 109, 1945). Soldiers were awarded two

Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts on 21 December 1945.[1]

Cold War

The division was reactivated on 11 April 1947 in Boston.[1] It remained as the major command of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, but its command took control of units from other states following consolidation of the Army National Guard. The division remained as an active reserve component of the Army National Guard, but it was not selected for any deployments to cold war contingencies.[12] In 1956 the division received its distinctive unit insignia.[3]

The division was reorganized in accordance with the

220th Infantry.[26] The 104th Infantry Regiment
was reorganized on 1 May 1959 under the Combat Arms Regimental System as the 1st Battle Group, 104th Infantry.

In 1963, the division was reorganized under the

Connecticut Army National Guard was consolidated into the 43rd Brigade, 26th Division, and put under the command of the 26th Infantry Division.[28]

In 1987, the 26th Aviation Battalion was dissolved and the

126th Aviation Regiment arose in its place. The 126th Aviation Regiment's battalions formed the basis of the new divisional 26th Aviation Brigade. In 1988, the 3rd Brigade comprised the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 104th Infantry Regiment and the 1st Battalions of the 181st and 182nd Infantry Regiments.[29]

On 1 April 1988, the division was relocated to

86th Infantry Brigade was assigned to the division as a round-out unit.[28]

Inactivation

Back of the Yankee Division We're Back challenge coin

Prior to the end of the

26th Infantry Brigade designated in its place, based in Springfield.[1] The 3d and 43rd brigades, 26th Infantry Division were inactivated, and the 86th Infantry Brigade was put under the command of the 42nd Infantry Division.[28] On 1 October 1995, the division was formally designated the 26th Brigade, 29th Infantry Division.[31] In 2004, the 26th Brigade transitioned into the 26th (Yankee) Brigade Combat Team. Reassigned to the 42d Infantry Division in 2005, in 2006 it was relieved from assignment to the 42d and reorganized and redesignated as the 26th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade
.

Honors

The division received six campaign streamers in World War I and four campaign streamers in World War II, for a total of 10 campaign streamers in its operational lifetime.[32]

Campaign streamers

Conflict Streamer Year(s)
World War I Champagne-Marne 1917
World War I Aisne-Marne 1917
World War I St. Mihiel 1917
World War I Meuse-Argonne 1917
World War I Ile de France 1918
World War I Lorraine 1918
World War II Northern France 1944
World War II Rhineland 1945
World War II
Ardennes-Alsace
 1945
World War II Central Europe 1945

Commanders

Commander Years
Maj. Gen. Clarence Ransom Edwards 1917–1918
Brig. Gen. Frank E. Bamford 1918–1918
Maj. Gen. Harry C. Hale 1918–1919
Inactive 1919–1923
Lt. Gen. Edward Lawrence Logan 1923–1928
Lt. Gen. Alfred F. Foote 1928–1930
Maj. Gen. Erland F. Fish 1930–1934
Maj. Gen. Daniel Needham 1934–1939
Maj. Gen. Roger W. Eckfeldt 1939–1943
Maj. Gen. Willard Stewart Paul 1943–1945
Brig. Gen. Harlan N. Hartness 1945–1945
Maj. Gen. Stanley Eric Reinhart 1945–1945
Maj. Gen. Robert W. Grow 1945–1945
Inactive 1945–1947
Maj. Gen.
William I. Rose
 1947–1951
Maj. Gen.
Edward D. Sirois
 1951–1956
Maj. Gen. Reginald A. Maurer 1956–1957
Maj. Gen. Otis M. Whitney 1957–1962
Maj. Gen. Richard J. Quigley 1962–1967
Maj. Gen. Raymond A. Wilkinson 1967–1970
Maj. Gen. Edward F. Logan 1970–1973
Lt. Gen. Nicholas Del Torto 1973–1980
Maj. Gen. James A. Daley 1980–1982
Maj. Gen. Joseph P. Hegarty 1982–1985
Maj. Gen. Joseph J. Saladino 1985–1988
Maj. Gen. Chester E. Gorski 1988–1991
Maj. Gen. Donald R. Brunelle 1991–1993

Legacy

The

beltway around the city of Boston, Massachusetts Route 128, is nicknamed the "Yankee Division Highway" in honor of the 26th Infantry Division.[33] For its contribution in liberating the Gusen concentration camp, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum continually flies the division's colors at its entrance and for high-profile memorial ceremonies, honoring it as one of 35 US divisions to have assisted in the liberation of German concentration camps.[34]

Notable members of the division include Walter Krueger,[35] Edward Lawrence Logan, J. Laurence Moffitt, the last surviving veteran of the Yankee Division from World War I, and Sergeant Stubby, a dog that served with the division in combat in World War I.[36] PFC Michael J. Perkins, a resident of South Boston and a member of the division was awarded the Medal of Honor in France in World War I. PFC George Dilboy of Company H, 103d Infantry was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions against a German machine-gun emplacement in which he was mortally wounded near the Bouresches railroad station on 18 July 1918.[37] Additionally, two members of the division received the Medal of Honor in World War II, Ruben Rivers, and Alfred L. Wilson.[38][39][40][41] Architecture student Victor Lundy was transferred into the 26th in 1944; he produced sketches documenting people, places and scenes that open a window into life in the division between May and November 1944. Lundy donated the surviving sketches to the Library of Congress in 2009, and the collection is accessible online.[42]

World War II Memoirs

The following World War II memoirs have been written by former soldiers that served during the

Lorraine Campaign for 26th Infantry Division.[43]

  • Robert Kotlowitz (1923-2012) wrote his memoir "Before Their Time" in 1999, aged 76. He tells the harrowing story of the massacre of his platoon, in which he—by playing dead—was the only one to survive. Kotlowitz became a noted television producer, documentary filmmaker, writer, and former editor of Harper's magazine. He is father of writer Alex Kotlowitz.
  • Bernard Sandler (1922-1998) wrote his memoir in 1995, aged 73. It was adapted into a graphic novel in 2022, The English GI: World War II Graphic Memoir. His wartime story is unique as he was stranded in New York as a 17-year-old English schoolboy and ended up in the US Army. After the war, he ran a large family retail business in Northern England before becoming a theatre producer in London, his true passion.
  • Victor A. Lundy (1923-) did not write a memoir but gave an extensive oral interview to the Library of Congress in 2010, aged 87. This was adapted into a book by Rich O'Hara called "Drawn from the War", which includes his beautiful sketchbook. He then became an acclaimed modernist architect in Florida and Texas.
  • David A. Markoff (1923-2013) wrote his memoir in 2013 at the age of 89. He worked as a traffic manager for several machinery and plastic companies in New Jersey.
  • William W. Houle (1924-unknown) wrote his memoir in 2007 at the age of 83, with further revisions in 2018-2019. Houle was a teacher who earned a doctorate in education from the University of Toledo, Ohio.
  • George Kessel (1925-2019) wrote his memoir "Dear Folks" in 2006, aged 81, based on letters home to his parents. He worked for 35 years in many cities for Aetna Insurance before retiring to Naples, Florida.
  • Ed Koch (1924-2013), former Mayor of New York wrote Citizen Koch: An Autobiography in 1992 which included his World War II experiences in the Yankee Division's 104th Infantry Regiment.
  • James Haahr (1925-2020) wrote his memoir Command is Forward in 2003, aged 78. He accounts for the bloody and violent combat engagements during the Lorraine Campaign. After the war, he became a US diplomat achieving the rank of Acting Ambassador, Deputy Chief of Mission.

The following two books have also been written about the 26th Infantry during WWII.

  • “G Company’s War: Two Personal Accounts of the Campaigns in Europe”, by Egger, Bruce E., and Lee MacMillan Otts., edited by Paul Roley, University of Alabama Press, 1999.
  • “Not For Morbidity’s Sake: The World War II Yankee Division War Diary of Malcolm Fletcher”, by Fletcher, Malcolm P., and Mark D. Fletcher, edited by Michael S. Fletcher, 2017.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wilson, p. 327.
  2. ^ Order of Battle, p. 100.
  3. ^
    The Institute of Heraldry. Archived from the original
    on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  4. ^ Composition of National Guard Divisions and Disposition of Former National Guard Units. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1918. pp. 7–13.
  5. ^ a b Almanac, p. 528.
  6. ^ a b c Stewart, p. 25.
  7. ^ Stewart, p. 26.
  8. ^ Ayres, Leonard P. (1919). The War with Germany (Second ed.). Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office. p. 26.
  9. ^ James Hallas (1999). "Seicheprey". In Anne Cipriano Venzon (ed.). The United States in the First World War: an encyclopedia. Routledge. pp. 537–540.
    ISBN 0-8153-3353-6
    .
  10. ^ Stewart, p. 36
  11. ^ Stewart, p. 37.
  12. ^
    GlobalSecurity. Archived
    from the original on 4 September 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  13. ^ U.S. Army Order of Battle, 1919-1941, Volume 1. The Arms: Major Commands and Infantry Organizations, 1919-41. Fort Leavenworth: Combat Studies Institute Press. p. 219-220.
  14. ^ 'Massachusetts own 104th U.S. Infantry Regiment', published and distributed under the Auspices of the 104th U.S. Infantry Regiment Veterans' Association.
  15. ^ a b Stanton, pp. 101-102
  16. ^ Stanton, p. 232
  17. ^ Almanac, p. 592.
  18. ^ Order of Battle, p. 101.
  19. ^ a b c d e Order of Battle, p. 105.
  20. ^ Order of Battle, p. 106.
  21. ^ a b c d e Almanac, p. 529.
  22. ^ Order of Battle, p. 104.
  23. ^ "United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: 26th Infantry Division". United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
  24. ^ a b c d e Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths, Final Report (Statistical and Accounting Branch Office of the Adjutant General, 1 June 1953)
  25. ^ Order of Battle, p. 102.
  26. ^ Aumiller, Timothy S. "United States Army Infantry, Artillery, Armor/Cavalry Battalions, 1957-2011
  27. ^ Timothy Aumiller, 'Infantry Division Components of the United States Army,' 65?
  28. ^ a b c McGrath, p. 192.
  29. ^ "3rd Brigade 26th Infantry Division".
  30. ^ Wilson, p. 328.
  31. ^ McGrath, p. 194.
  32. ^ Wilson, p. 330.
  33. ISBN 0-465-04639-8
  34. ^ "US Army Units". United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Archived from the original on 2 October 2009. Retrieved 18 October 2009.
  35. ISBN 978-0-7006-1500-1
    .
  36. ^ "The Price of Freedom: Americans at War – Stubby". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 18 October 2009.
  37. ^ Holman, John. "History of the 26th "Yankee" Division". Hampton Library. Lane Memorial Library. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  38. ^ "Medal of Honor Recipients — World War II (A-F)". United States Army. Archived from the original on 5 September 2009. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
  39. ^ "Medal of Honor Recipients — World War II (G-L)". United States Army. Archived from the original on 30 April 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
  40. ^ "Medal of Honor Recipients — World War II (M-S)". United States Army. Archived from the original on 30 April 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
  41. ^ "Medal of Honor Recipients — World War II (T-Z)". United States Army. Archived from the original on 4 May 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
  42. ^ "World War II Sketches by Victor A. Lundy". Library of Congress. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  43. ^ ASTP Legacy of WW2 Memoirs, Graphicmemoir.co.uk Blog 2023

Sources

External links

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