World War I

Activated: August 1917.

Overseas: August 1918.

Commanders:

Maj. Gen. H. F. Hodges (5 August 1917)
Brig. Gen. William Weigel (28 November 1917)
Maj. Gen. H. F. Hodges (13 February 1918).

Inactivated: May 1919.

World War II

Activated: 15 June 1942.

Overseas: 10 December 1944.

Campaigns: Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland, Central Europe.

Days of combat: 107.

Distinguished Unit Citations: 2.

Awards: MH-2 ; DSC-11 ; DSM-1 ; SS-176; LM-5; SM19 ; BSM-1,312 ; AM-58.

Commanders:

Maj. Gen. Emil F. Reinhardt (June-December 1942)
Maj. Gen. William R. Schmidt (December 1942-July 1945)
Brig. Gen. Henry C. Evans (August 1945 to inactivation).

Inactivated: 31 August 1945 in Europe.

Combat Chronicle

The 76th Infantry Division arrived in England, 20 December 1944, where it received additional training. It landed at Le Havre, France, 12 January 1945, and proceeded to the Limesy concentration area. The Division moved to Beine east of Reims and then to Champlon, Belgium, 23 January, to prepare for combat. Relieving the 87th Division in defensive positions along the Sauer and Moselle Rivers in the vicinity of Echternach, Luxembourg, 25 January, the 76th sent out patrols and crossed the Sauer, 7 February, and breached the Siegfried Line in a heavy assault. The advance continued across the Prum and Nims Rivers, 25-27 February. Katzenkopf fortress and Irrel fell on the 28th and the attack pushed on toward Trier, reaching the Moselle, 3 March. Driving across the Kyll River, the Division took Hosten, 3 March, Speicher on the 5th and Karl on the 10th; swung south and cleared the area north of the Moselle, crossing the river, 18 March, near Mulheim. Moving to the Rhine, the 76th took over defenses from Boppard to St. Goar and crossed the Rhine at Boppard, 27 March. It drove east and took Kamberg in a houseto-house struggle, 29 March. A new attack was launched 4 April and the Werra River was reached the next day. The attack continued in conjunction with the 6th Armored Division; Langensalza fell and the Gera River was crossed, 11 April. Zeitz was captured after a violent struggle, 14-15 April, and the 76th reached the Mulde River on the 16th, going into defensive positions to hold a bridgehead across the Mulde near Chemnitz until VE-day.

Assignments in the ETO

9 January 1945: 12th Army Group.
14 January 1945: Fifteenth Army, 12th Army Group.
19 January 1945: VIII Corps, Third Army, 12th Army Group.
25 January 1945: XII Corps.
3 April 1945: XX Corps.
8 April 1945: VIII Corps.
22 April 1945: VIII Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group.
11 May 1945: VIII Corps, Ninth Army, 12th Army Group.

General

Nickname: Onaway Division; formerly called “Liberty Bell Division.” Shoulder patch: An escutcheon with a red field and a blue chief, separated by an olive drab line; a three-pronged white device is superimposed on the blue chief. Association: 76th Infantry Division Association, 6 South Calvert Street, Baltimore 2, Md., Brig. Gen. Henry C. Evans, treasurer. Publication: We Ripened Fast, The Unofficial History of the 76th Infantry Division; by First Lt. Joseph J. Hulnick and Tech. 4 Leonard Kobreck ; Otto Lembek, Frankfurt en Main, Germany; distributor, secretary, 76th Infantry Division Association.