30th Infantry Division (United States)
30th Infantry Division | |
---|---|
Active | 1917–1919 1926–1945 1947–1974 |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Army |
Type | Infantry |
Size | Division |
Nickname(s) | "Old Hickory" |
Engagements | World War I
|
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | William Hood Simpson Leland Hobbs |
The 30th Infantry Division was a unit of the
World War I
The division was originally activated as the 9th Division (drawing units from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee) under a 1917 force plan, but changed designation to the 30th Division after the American entry into World War I in April 1917.[3] From August 28, 1917 to May 1. 1918, the 30th Division trained at Camp Sevier in Taylors, South Carolina.[4][5] It was formally activated under its new title in October 1917, as an Army National Guard division from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.
In May 1918, the division was sent to Europe and arrived in England, where it departed for the Western Front soon after. The division, along with the 27th Division, was assigned to the U.S. II Corps but did not serve with the main American Expeditionary Force (AEF) and was instead attached to the Second Army of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), trading American equipment for British equipment.
The major operations the 30th Division took part in were the
Interwar period
The 30th Division headquarters arrived at the
The first opportunity that the division’s units had to operate together came in 1928 when the entire “Old Hickory” Division was assembled at Camp Jackson from 8–22 July under a War Department experimental program designed to bring together multistate National Guard divisions for joint training. The experiment was declared a success, but due to budget constraints, the program was never fully implemented. The division was assembled again for the 1932 camp, but units were staggered over a 6-week period, so no large- scale training was conducted. The next opportunity came in August 1938 when the division was assembled at the
World War II
Early years
After being ordered into federal service, the 30th Division was initially assigned to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, on 16 September, where it was located until October 1942. The 30th was moved to Camp Blanding, Florida, where it stayed from October 1942 to May 1943, then to Camp Forrest, Tennessee, between May 1943 to 9 November 1943, and finally Camp Atterbury, Indiana, from 10 November 1943 to 26 January 1944.[8]
- Overseas: 11 February 1944
Combat chronicle
After training in the United States for just over two years, the 30th Infantry Division, under the command of
It landed at Omaha Beach, Normandy, on 11 June 1944, five days after the initial D-Day landings of 6 June 1944, secured the Vire-et-Taute Canal, crossed the Vire River on 7 July.[10] Beginning on 25 July, the 30th Division spearheaded the Saint-Lô break-through of Operation Cobra, which was intended to break out of the Normandy beachhead, thus ending the stalemate that had occurred.
During the operation, on both 24 and 25 July, the 30th Division encountered a devastating
The division relieved the veteran
After a rest period, the 30th Division eliminated an enemy salient northeast of Aachen on 16 November, pushed through
The 30th moved back for training and rehabilitation on 3 March, and on 24 March made its
Casualties
- Total battle casualties: 18,446[13]
- Killed in action: 3,003[13]
- Wounded in action: 13,376[13]
- Missing in action: 903[13]
- Prisoner of war: 1,164[13]
Assignments in ETO
- 18 February 1944: First Army.
- 15 July 1944: VII Corps
- 28 July 1944: XIX Corps
- 1 August 1944: XIX Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group
- 4 August 1944: V Corps
- 5 August 1944: VII Corps
- 13 August 1944: XIX Corps
- 26 August 1944: XV Corps, Third Army, 12th Army Group, but attached to First Army
- 29 August 1944: XIX Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group
- 22 October 1944: Ninth Army, 12th Army Group
- 17 December 1944: Ninth Army, 12th Army Group, but attached to V Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group
- 22 December 1944: First Army, to the British 21st Army Group
- 18 January 1945: XVIII Airborne Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group
- 3 February 1945: XIX Corps, Ninth Army, 12th Army Group
- 6 March 1945: XVI Corps
- 30 March 1945: XIX Corps
- 8 May 1945: XIII Corps
Postwar
Following the war, the 30th Division was once again reactivated as a National Guard formation in 1947, split between three states.[14] It included the 119th, 120th, and 121st Infantry Regiments.[15]
In 1954, the division became an entirely
Order of Battle
World War I
- Headquarters, 30th Division
- 59th Infantry Brigade
- 117th Infantry Regiment(3rd Tennessee Infantry)
- 118th Infantry Regiment (1st South Carolina Infantry, detachments from 2nd and 3rd Battalions, 1st North Carolina Infantry, and 3rd Battalion, 2nd South Carolina Infantry)
- 114th Machine Gun Battalion (Troops A, B, and C, 1st Squadron Tennessee Cavalry)
- 60th Infantry Brigade
- 119th Infantry Regiment (2nd North Carolina Infantry, 1st Battalion, Headquarters Company (less band), Supply Company, and detachments from 2nd and 3rd Battalions, 2nd Tennessee Infantry, and detachments from 1st North Carolina Infantry)
- 120th Infantry Regiment (3rd North Carolina Infantry, detachments from 2nd and 3rd Battalions, 2nd Tennessee Infantry and 1st North Carolina Infantry, and band, 2nd Tennessee Infantry)
- 115th Machine Gun Battalion (Machine Gun Troop, North Carolina Cavalry, Troops B and C, 1st Squadron, North Carolina Cavalry, and detachment from 2nd Battalion, 1st North Carolina Infantry)
- 55th Field Artillery Brigade
- 113th Field Artillery Regiment (1st North Carolina Field Artillery and detachments from 1st North Carolina Infantry)
- 114th Field Artillery Regiment (1st Tennessee Field Artillery and detachment from 2nd Battalion, 1st North Carolina Infantry)
- 115th Field Artillery Regiment (1st Tennessee Infantry, less Machine Gun Company, detachment from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Tennessee Infantry, and detachment from 3rd Battalion, 1st North Carolina Infantry)
- 105th Trench Mortar Battery (Troop D, Tennessee Cavalry)
- 113th Machine Gun Battalion (Machine Gun Company, 1st Tennessee Infantry, as Company A; Machine Gun Company, 2nd Tennessee Infantry, as Company B; Machine Gun Company, 1st North Carolina Infantry, as Company C; Machine Gun Company, 2d South Carolina Infantry as, Company D; detachments of 2nd Battalion. 2nd Tennessee Infantry and 2nd Battalion, 1st North Carolina Infantry)
- 105th Engineer Regiment (Companies A, B, and C, North Carolina Engineers, and Sanitary Detachment, Supply Company, Band, and Companies B, C, and D, 1st North Carolina Infantry)
- 105th Field Signal Battalion (Company A, North Carolina Signal Corps as nucleus)
- Headquarters Troop, 30th Division (Troop A, South Carolina Cavalry)
- 105th Train Headquarters and Military Police (Sanitary Detachment and Headquarters Company (loss band), 2nd South Carolina Infantry, and Troops A and D, 1st Squadron, North Carolina Cavalry)
- 105th Ammunition Train (1st and 2d Battalions, 2nd South Carolina Infantry, and detachments from 2nd and 3rd Battalions, 1st North Carolina Infantry)
- 105th Supply Train (North Carolina Supply Train, Supply Company, 2nd South Carolina Infantry, and individual transfers)
- 105th Engineer Train (Company A, 1st North Carolina Infantry)
- 105th Sanitary Train (1st North Carolina Ambulance Company, 1st North Carolina Field Hospital, 1st Tennessee Field Hospital, 1st South Carolina Field Hospital, and individual transfers)
- 117th, 118th, 119th, and 120th Ambulance Companies and Field Hospitals
World War II
1939[19]
Italics indicates the state of headquarters allocation of an inactive unit.
- Headquarters, 30th Division (Macon, Georgia)
- Headquarters, Special Troops (Griffin, Georgia)
- Headquarters Company (Griffin, Georgia)
- 30th Military Police Company (Springfield, Georgia)
- 30th Signal Company (Canton, North Carolina)
- 105th Ordnance Company (Medium) (Nashville, Tennessee)
- 30th Tank Company (Light) (Forsyth, Georgia)
- 59th Infantry Brigade (Columbia, South Carolina)
- 118th Infantry Regiment (Charleston, South Carolina)
- 121st Infantry Regiment (Macon, Georgia)
- 60th Infantry Brigade (Graham, North Carolina)
- 117th Infantry Regiment (Knoxville, Tennessee)
- 120th Infantry Regiment (Raleigh, North Carolina)
- 55th Field Artillery Brigade (Savannah, Georgia)
- 105th Ammunition Train (Georgia National Guard)
- 113th Field Artillery Regiment (Raleigh, North Carolina)
- 115th Field Artillery Regiment (Memphis, Tennessee)
- 118th Field Artillery Regiment (Savannah, Georgia)
- 105th Engineer Regiment (Raleigh, North Carolina)
- 105th Medical Regiment (Henderson, North Carolina)
- 105th Quartermaster Regiment (Charleston, South Carolina)
1942-1945
- Headquarters, 30th Infantry Division
- 117th Infantry Regiment
- 119th Infantry Regiment
- 120th Infantry Regiment
- Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, DIVARTY
- 113th Field Artillery Battalion(155 mm)
- 118th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm)
- 197th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm)
- 230th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm)
- 105th Engineer Combat Battalion
- 105th Medical Battalion
- 30th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized)
- Headquarters, Special Troops, 30th Infantry Division
- Headquarters Company, 30th Infantry Division
- 730th Ordnance Light Maintenance Company
- 30th Quartermaster Company
- 30th Signal Company
- Military Police Platoon
- Band
- 30th Counterintelligence Corps Detachment
See all attached units: 30thInfantry.org Archived 27 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine
Commanders
WWI
- Major General John Frank Morrison (28 August 1917)
- Brigadier General William S. Scott (19 September 1917)
- Major General Clarence P. Townsley (14 October 1917)
- Brigadier General Samson L. Faison (1 December 1917)
- Major General Clarence P. Townsley (6 December 1917)
- Brigadier General Samson L. Faison (17 December 1917)
- Brigadier General Lawrence D. Tyson (22 December 1917)
- Brigadier General George G. Gatley (28 December 1917)
- Brigadier General Samson L. Faison (1 January 1918)
- Brigadier General Lawrence D. Tyson (30 March 1918)
- Brigadier General Samson L. Faison (7 April 1918)
- Major General George W. Read (3 May 1918)
- Brigadier General Robert H. Noble (12 June 1918)
- Major General George W. Read (14 June 1918)
- Major General Samson L. Faison (15 June 1918)
- Major General Edward Mann Lewis (18 July 1918)
- Brigadier General Samson L. Faison (23 December 1918)
WWII
- Maj. Gen. Henry D. Russell (September 1940 – April 1942),
- Maj. Gen. William H. Simpson (May–July 1942),
- Maj. Gen. Leland S. Hobbs (September 1942 – September 1945),
- Maj. Gen. Albert C. Smith (September 1945 to inactivation.)
Awards and distinctions
- Distinguished Unit Citations: 8
- Awards: MH-6 ; DSC-50 ; DSM-1 ; SS-1,773 ; LM-12; DFC-3 ; SM-30 ; BSM-6,616 ; AM-154.
- Foreign Awards: Belgian Fourragere-2[1] per Belgian decree #1393, dated 20 November 1945
Shoulder sleeve insignia
Description: The letters "O H" blue upon a red background, the "O" forming the elliptical outline of the device long axis to be 2+1⁄2 inches (6.4 cm) and short axis 1+5⁄8 inches (4.1 cm). The letter "H" within the "O". The letters "XXX" on the bar of the "H". The insignia to be worn with long axis vertical.[20]
Symbolism: The letters "O H" are the initials of "Old Hickory" and the "XXX" is the Roman notation for the number of the organization.[20]
Background: The shoulder sleeve insignia was originally approved on 23 October 1918 for the 30th Division. It was redesignated for the 30th Infantry Brigade on 20 February 1974. The insignia was redesignated effective 1 September 2004, with description updated, for the 30th Brigade Combat Team, North Carolina Army National Guard.[20]
Notable members
- Kenneth W. Bilby, World War II
- Republic of Vietnam
Popular culture
References
Notes
- ^ a b "Fact Sheet – The 30th Infantry Division Veterans of WWII". Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
- ^ Haas, Darrin. "Still Shocking". National Guard Magazine. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
- ^ "Chapter II: Genesis of Permanent Divisions". Archived from the original on 4 June 2008.
- ^ "Camp Sevier". South Carolina Encyclopedia. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ "Camp Sevier Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ Brune 2019.
- ^ Clay, Steven (2010). U.S. Army Order of Battle 1919-1941, Volume 1. The Arms: Major Commands and Infantry Organizations. Fort Leavenworth: Combat Studies Institute Press. p. 224. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "Home Page – Indiana Military Org".
- ^ Featherston 1998, p. 16.
- ^ Featherston 1998, pp. 16–17.
- ISBN 978-0-241-96897-0.
- ^ encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-30th-infantry-division
- ^ a b c d e Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths (Statistical and Accounting Branch, Office of the Adjutant General, 1 June 1953)
- ^ Old Hickory Association, [1], accessed September 2009 Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Aumilier, United States Army Infantry, Artillery, and Cavalry/Armor Battalions
- ^ Adjutant General of North Carolina 1961, pp. 19–21.
- ^ Adjutant General of North Carolina 1964, pp. 18–21, 100–101.
- ^ McGrath, The Brigade, 240.
- ^ Clay, Vol. 1, p.224
- ^ a b c "30th Infantry Brigade". The U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry. Archived from the original on 29 September 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2019. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Bibliography
- 30th Infantry Division at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, includes re-constructed Roster
- Adjutant General of North Carolina (1961). Report of the Adjutant General of North Carolina, 1 January 1959 – 31 December 1960. Raleigh: Adjutant General of North Carolina.
- Adjutant General of North Carolina (1964). Report of the Adjutant General of North Carolina, 1 January 1963 – 30 June 1964. Raleigh: Adjutant General of North Carolina.
- The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States U.S. Government Printing Office, 1950 reproduced at CMH Archived 21 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine.
- Featherston, Alwyn (1998). Battle for Mortain: the 30th Infantry Division Saves the Breakout August 7-12, 1944. Novato, CA: Presidio. ISBN 0-89141-662-5.
- Russell, Major General Henry D. The Purge of the Thirtieth Division. Naval Institute Press, 2014. ISBN 978-0-87021-066-2.
- Brune, Peter (2019). Our Great-Hearted Men: The Australian Corps and the 100 Days. Australia: HarperCollinsPublishers. ISBN 978-1-4607-5651-5.
- Mitchell A. Yockelson, Borrowed Soldiers: Americans under British Command, 1918, Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0-8061-3919-7.
External links
- Old Hickory Association – 120th Regt., 30th Infantry Division Living History Organization
- The short film Big Picture: The Work Horse of the Western Front is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.