79th Infantry Division (United States)

79th Infantry Division (United States)
Unit name	79th Infantry Division
Caption	Shoulder sleeve insignia
Dates	1917–1919; 1921–1946; 1946–1950; 1952–1965
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Infantry division
Size	Division
Garrison	Camp Meade
Notable commanders	Major General Joseph E. Kuhn

79th Infantry Division (United States) was an infantry division of the United States Army formed for service in World War I and reconstituted for World War II. The division trained at Camp Meade and fought on the Western Front in 1918, later returning to the United States and demobilizing. Reactivated for 1942, the division played a major role in the Normandy campaign, the Siege of Cherbourg, and the drive across Northern France and Germany.

History

The division was organized in August 1917 at Camp Meade from draftees and cadre drawn from the Regular Army and the National Guard. During World War I, it was assigned to the American Expeditionary Forces under General John J. Pershing and participated in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and the Saint-Mihiel offensive. Demobilized after the armistice, it was reorganized in the Organized Reserves in 1921. Called into active service again for World War II, it trained under First United States Army supervision, sailed with the United States First Army formations to England, and landed on Omaha Beach in June 1944. In the postwar era the division underwent multiple reconstitutions and redesignations amid Cold War force restructurings before inactivation.

Organization and Structure

The division's World War I structure followed the standard square division model, including two infantry brigades composed of the 313th Infantry Regiment, 314th Infantry Regiment, 315th Infantry Regiment, and 316th Infantry Regiment with supporting artillery from the 310th Field Artillery Regiment. In World War II it converted to the triangular division organization with three infantry regiments—the 313th Infantry Regiment, 314th Infantry Regiment, and 315th Infantry Regiment—supported by the 311th Field Artillery Battalion, 312th Field Artillery Battalion, and 313th Field Artillery Battalion, plus the 304th Engineer Battalion, 304th Medical Battalion, 79th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop, and divisional ordnance, signal, and military police elements. Command and control centered on headquarters at division level with staff sections aligned to The Adjutant General and Chief of Staff of the Army protocols of the era.

World War I Service

After embarkation from New York Harbor with convoy escort from the United States Navy, the division trained with the British Expeditionary Force and was later assigned to operations with other American divisions in the Argonne Forest. Participating in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the division fought alongside units from the French Army and elements of the British Army to breach fortified German lines during the final Hundred Days Offensive. Casualty rates reflected heavy fighting typical of 1918 campaigns, and the division entered occupation duties in Germany until demobilization at Camp Meade in 1919.

Interwar Period and Reconstitution

Reconstituted in the Organized Reserve Corps in 1921, the division recruited personnel from states including Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Training during the 1920s and 1930s included summer encampments at Fort Meade and joint maneuvers with National Guard units and elements of the Regular Army. During the interwar years the division’s organization and doctrine evolved in parallel with Army-wide revisions such as the move from square to triangular divisions and with influence from publications like the Field Service Regulations and the Infantry School at Fort Benning.

World War II Service

Ordered into federal service in March 1942, the division trained at Fort Dix and Camp Pickett before embarking for the United Kingdom in 1944. Under commanders including Major General Joseph M. Swing and others, the division landed on Omaha Beach in June and fought in the Battle of Normandy. The 79th participated in the capture of Cherbourg after operations against German coastal defenses and later advanced through Brittany and across the Seine River into Northern France. Engaged during the Battle of the Bulge period and the Roer River operations, the division crossed the Rhineland and participated in the reduction of German resistance in the Ruhr Pocket and penetration into central Germany. Throughout the campaign the division cooperated with formations from the U.S. Seventh Army, U.S. Third Army, and Allied units including the British Second Army.

Postwar Activity and Cold War Era

After V-E Day the division performed occupation duties in Germany before returning to the United States and inactivating. Reactivations in the late 1940s and 1950s placed the division under the Army Reserve and Department of the Army control as part of broader Cold War mobilization planning. Elements of the division were used to provide trained cadres, mobilization assets, and training support during periods including the Korean War mobilization and early NATO force posture adjustments. Final redesignations integrated division lineage into reserve formations and training commands until formal inactivation in the 1960s.

Legacy and Honors

The division earned campaign streamers for service in campaigns including Meuse-Argonne, Alsace, Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, and Central Europe. Individual soldiers received decorations such as the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, and Purple Heart for actions in both world wars. Association and veterans’ groups preserved the division’s history through reunions, unit histories, and memorials located near Gettysburg National Military Park, Camp Meade, and other sites associated with recruiting and training. The division’s shoulder sleeve insignia and regimental colors remain on display in museums such as the National Infantry Museum and local military history collections.

Category:Infantry divisions of the United States Army Category:United States Army divisions of World War I Category:United States Army divisions of World War II