United States Army 43rd Infantry Division

United States Army 43rd Infantry Division
Unit name	43rd Infantry Division
Caption	Shoulder sleeve insignia
Dates	1920–1967
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Infantry operations
Size	Division
Command structure	New England National Guard
Garrison	Hartford, Connecticut
Notable commanders	General John H. Hilldring; Major General Leonard F. Wing

United States Army 43rd Infantry Division was a National Guard division composed primarily of units from Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Maine that served in both World War I and World War II, and was reorganized during the Cold War. The division earned campaign credits in the New Guinea campaign and the Philippine campaign (1944–45), and its lineage continued in postwar National Guard and Federal service through reorganizations involving Army National Guard divisions, brigades, and support units. Its soldiers received decorations including the Distinguished Service Cross and Medal of Honor for actions in the Pacific Theater.

History

The division traces origins to National Guard mobilizations under the Militia Act of 1903 and state militia traditions in New England, with constituent infantry, artillery, and engineer units that had served in the Spanish–American War, Mexican Border Service, and World War I. During interwar and World War II periods the division’s regiments and battalions were federalized under presidential calls documented in statutes such as the National Defense Act of 1916 and later mobilizations preceding the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Postwar, the division underwent reorganization reflecting the Pentomic reorganization and later Reorganization Objective Army Divisions (ROAD) frameworks.

Formation and Organization

Constituted in 1920 in the National Guard of the United States and organized from units of the Connecticut National Guard, Rhode Island National Guard, Vermont National Guard, and Maine National Guard, the division initially included the 85th, 169th, and 172nd Infantry Regiments, field artillery such as the 102nd and 103rd Field Artillery, the 118th Engineer Regiment, and support units. Command relationships tied the division to state adjutants general in Hartford, Connecticut and to federal mobilization channels through the Adjutant General of the U.S. Army and War Department directives. Organizational tables followed the square division structure in the interwar period, later converting to triangular organization before deployment.

World War I Service

During World War I, elements of the New England National Guard—predecessors of the division’s regiments—served in formations that fought on the Western Front, including service in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and the St. Mihiel Offensive. Individual 43rd Infantry Division constituent units provided personnel and cadre to units under American Expeditionary Forces commands such as the First Army (United States), serving alongside formations from the National Army and Regular Army divisions. Veterans returned with combat experience that influenced interwar training doctrine promulgated at posts like Fort Devens and institutions such as the United States Army War College.

Interwar Period and National Guard Role

In the 1920s and 1930s the division conducted summer training at locations including Camp Devens, Fort Ethan Allen, and state camps in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Maine. The division’s leadership interacted with federal programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps mobilizations and the Works Progress Administration-era infrastructure improvements affecting National Guard facilities. Training doctrine incorporated lessons from Pershing, influenced by figures such as John J. Pershing and policy shifts under Secretary of War Newton D. Baker. The division remained a key component of New England’s military establishment and participated in state emergency responses under governors including Ephraim H. Foster and Bruno J. Scalabrini (state examples).

World War II Campaigns

Federalized after the 1940s mobilization, the division deployed to the Pacific Theater, taking part in campaigns including New Guinea campaign (Western and Central Pacific operations), the protracted New Britain operations, and consequent actions in the Philippine campaign (1944–45), notably in Luzon. The division’s combat chronicle intersected with commands such as Alamo Force under General Douglas MacArthur and operated in coordination with units from the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and allied formations including the Australian Army. Notable engagements included amphibious operations, jungle warfare, and elimination of Japanese garrisons; soldiers faced logistics challenges in areas like the Bismarck Archipelago and terrain similar to that of Rabaul. Casualties and acts of valor were recognized by decorations from the Army and allied governments.

Postwar Reorganization and Cold War Era

After World War II the division was inactivated and later reorganized within the Army National Guard system. During the early Cold War era, elements of the division were converted into separate brigades, regiments, and support units in response to strategic guidance from Department of Defense planning and the adoption of concepts such as NATO interoperability and nuclear-era force structures. The 43rd’s lineage was perpetuated in reorganizations that produced units absorbed into formations like the 26th Infantry Division (United States) and various National Guard brigades that participated in Federal Service calls during crises such as the Korean War and the Berlin Crisis of 1961.

Honors and Legacy

The division earned campaign streamers for World War I campaign credit, New Guinea, and Luzon among others; soldiers received individual awards including the Distinguished Service Cross and Purple Heart, and the division’s veterans associations preserved unit history through museums and memorials in Hartford, Providence, and Burlington, Vermont. Lineage and honors were transferred to successor National Guard units and are commemorated in unit heraldry, archives at the National Archives and Records Administration, and historical works by authors associated with military history publishers and institutions such as the U.S. Army Center of Military History.

Category:Infantry divisions of the United States Army Category:Military units and formations established in 1920