The 37th Infantry Division was a unit of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It was a

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

division from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, nicknamed the "Buckeye Division". Today, its lineage is continued through the

37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team The 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Buckeye) is an Infantry Brigade Combat Team, infantry brigade combat team of the United States Army National Guard with the brigade headquarters, cavalry squadron, infantry battalion, field artillery battal ...

, with battalions from Ohio, Michigan, and South Carolina.

World War I

It was initially activated as the 16th Division, a National Guard formation from Ohio and West Virginia in 1913. It was federally activated in August 1917 as a National Guard Division from Ohio. It was sent overseas in June 1918 and fought at the Meuse-Argonne and at Ypres-Lys offensives

Order of battle

* Headquarters, 37th Division * 73rd Infantry Brigade ** 145th Infantry Regiment ** 146th Infantry Regiment **135th Machine Gun Battalion *74th Infantry Brigade ** 147th Infantry Regiment ** 148th Infantry Regiment **136th Machine Gun Battalion *

62nd Field Artillery Brigade 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

** 134th Field Artillery Regiment (75 mm) **135th Field Artillery Regiment (75 mm) **136th Field Artillery Regiment (155 mm) **112th Trench Mortar Battery *134th Machine Gun Battalion *112th Engineer Regiment *112th Field Signal Battalion *Headquarters Troop, 37th Division *112th Train Headquarters and Military Police **112th Ammunition Train **112th Supply Train **112th Engineer Train **112th Sanitary Train ***145th, 146th, 147th, and 148th Ambulance Companies and Field Hospitals

Casualties

* Total: 5,387 *

KIA Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...

: 794 * WIA: 4,593

Commanders

*Brigadier General William R. Smith (26 August 1917) *Major General Charles G. Treat (3 September 1917) *Brigadier General William R. Smith (18 September 1917) *Brigadier General Joseph A. Gaston (25 April 1918) *Major General Charles S. Farnsworth (8 May 1918) *Brigadier General William M. Fassett (5 December 1918) *Major General Charles S. Farnsworth (10 December 1918) *Brigadier General Steven W. Stepien (14 December 1918)

World War II

*Ordered into federal service: 15 October 1940 (National Guard Division from Ohio) *Overseas: 26 May 1942 *Campaigns:

Northern Solomons Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ...

Battle of Luzon The Battle of Luzon ( tl, Labanan sa Luzon; ja, ルソン島の戦い; es, Batalla de Luzón) was a land battle of the Pacific Theater of Operations of World War II by the Allied forces of the U.S., its colony the Philippines, and allies agai ...

*Distinguished Unit Citations: 9 *Awards: ** Medals of Honor: 7 ** Distinguished Service Crosses: 116 ** Distinguished Service Medals: 4 **

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

s: 1,008 **

Legions of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

: 71 **

Soldier's Medal The Soldier's Medal is an individual decoration of the United States Army. It was introduced as Section 11 of the Air Corps Act, passed by the Congress of the United States on July 2, 1926., Appendix 5, p. 126. The Army' Soldier's Medal is equiv ...

s: 101 **

Bronze Stars The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

: 6,807 **

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

s: 84 *Commanders: Maj. Gen.

Robert S. Beightler Robert Sprague Beightler (March 21, 1892 – February 12, 1978) was an American military officer and Ohio political insider, engineer, and business owner. In the military, he reached the rank of major general, and served as military governor of ...

commanded the Division during its entire period of Federal service in World War II. *Returned to U.S.: November 1945 *Inactivated: 18 December 1945 at

Camp Anza Camp Anza was a United States Army installation, in what is now Riverside, California, during World War II. Construction began on July 3, 1942, and was completed on February 15, 1943. The camp was named after Juan Bautista de Anza, an early explor ...

, California.

Order of battle

*Headquarters, 37th Infantry Division * 129th Infantry Regiment * 145th Infantry Regiment * 148th Infantry Regiment *Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 37th Infantry Division Artillery **6th Field Artillery Battalion **135th Field Artillery Battalion **136th Field Artillery Battalion **140th Field Artillery Battalion *117th Engineer Combat Battalion *112th Medical Battalion *37th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized) *Headquarters, Special Troops, 37th Infantry Division **Headquarters Company, 37th Infantry Division **737th Ordnance Light Maintenance Company **37th Quartermaster Company **37th Signal Company **Military Police Platoon **Band * 37th Counterintelligence Corps Detachment

Combat chronicle

The 37th Infantry Division arrived in

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

in June 1942 to fortify the islands against possible invasion. The division continued its training on the islands. With the end of ground fighting on

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...

, the division moved to that island in April 1943, continued training, and staged for the Munda campaign. Two battalions joined the

Marine Raiders The Marine Raiders are special operations forces originally established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct amphibious light infantry warfare. " Edson's" Raiders of 1st Marine Raider Battalion and " Carlson's" Ra ...

New Georgia New Georgia, with an area of , is the largest of the islands in Western Province, Solomon Islands, and the 200th-largest island in the world. Geography New Georgia island is located in the New Georgia Group, an archipelago including most of ...

, 5 July 1943, while the remainder of the division landed, 22 July, and assisted the 43d Infantry Division in taking Munda airfield in heavy fighting. After mopping up on New Georgia, the division returned to Guadalcanal, 9 September 1943, for rest and rehabilitation. The division's next assignment was Bougainville as part of the

I Marine Amphibious Corps The I Marine Amphibious Corps, or I MAC, was a formation of the United States Marine Corps. It was created on 1 October 1942, with most of the staff transferred from Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet (ACPF). It was then deployed to the South Pacific ...

. Landing between 8 and 19 November 1943, the 37th Division expanded the western beachhead sector, constructed roads and bridges, and engaged in extensive patrol activity. On 15 December 1943, IMAC was relieved by the

XIV Corps 14 Corps, 14th Corps, Fourteenth Corps, or XIV Corps may refer to: * XIV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XIV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World ...

, to which the 37th Division was then assigned. In March 1944, two Japanese divisions made eight major attacks, but division lines held. In April patrols cleared the Laruma Valley area of major enemy units. The division remained on Bougainville and trained for the

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

campaign. Landing with the Sixth Army on the beaches of

Lingayen Gulf The Lingayen Gulf is a large gulf on northwestern Luzon in the Philippines, stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central. The Agno River and the Balili ...

, 9 January 1945, the 37th raced inland against slight resistance to Clark Field and

Fort Stotsenburg Fort Stotsenburg, during the World War II era, was the location of the Philippine Department's 26th Cavalry Regiment, 86th Field Artillery Battalion, and 88th Field Artillery Regiment; along with the Philippine Division's 23rd and 24th Fie ...

where fierce resistance delayed capture of those objectives until 31 January. The division continued to drive to

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

against small delaying forces, and entered the city's outskirts, 4 February. Upon crossing the

Pasig River The Pasig River ( fil, Ilog Pasig) is a water body in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it bisects the Philippine capital of Manila and Metro Manila, its surrounding urban area into northern and souther ...

, it ran into bitter Japanese opposition. By heavy street fighting, American and Filipino troops cleared the city by 3 March 1945. After garrison duty in Manila, 5–26 March, the division shifted to the hills of Northwest Luzon, where heavy fighting culminated in the capture of

Baguio Baguio ( , ), officially the City of Baguio ( ilo, Siudad ti Baguio; fil, Lungsod ng Baguio), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

, 26 April with aided Filipino troops under the 66th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Commonwealth Army, USAFIP-NL. Rest and rehabilitation during May were followed by action in June in the

Cagayan Valley Cagayan Valley ( ilo, Tanap ti Cagayan; fil, Lambak ng Cagayan), is an administrative region in the Philippines, located in the northeastern section of Luzon Island. It is composed of five Philippine provinces: Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nue ...

against deteriorating Japanese resistance. With the end of hostilities, 15 August, the division was concerned with the collection and processing of prisoners of war, leaving November 1945 for the States and demobilization. Major General Robert Beightler was one of only eleven generals who commanded their divisions for the entire war, and was the only National Guard general to do so.''Order of Battle'', p. 374.

Casualties

*Total battle casualties: 5,960 *Killed in action: 1,094 *Wounded in action: 4,861 *Missing in action: 4 *Prisoner of war: 1 *Days of combat: 592Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths (Statistical and Accounting Branch, Office of the Adjutant General, 1 June 1953)

After 1945

The division was reorganized in the

Ohio Army National Guard The Ohio Army National Guard is a part of the Ohio National Guard and the Army National Guard of the United States Army. It is also a component of the organized militia of the state of Ohio, which also includes the Ohio Naval Militia, the Ohio ...

in 1946. It served under federal control from 1952 to 1954 at Camp Polk, Louisiana. Although the division was not sent to Korea, nearly every soldier was as an individual replacement. The 37th went through a number of reorganizations from 1959 until it was disbanded on 15 February 1968. The bulk of the division's combat units became the 73rd Infantry Brigade, 38th Infantry Division with the remaining becoming the 16th Engineer Brigade and other combat support units. In 1977, the 73rd Brigade was released from assignment to the 38th ID and was redesignated the 73rd Infantry Brigade, a separate brigade. During the draw down of forces after the Cold War, units of the 73rd and the 107th Armored Cavalry Regiment consolidated to form the 37th Brigade, 28th Infantry Division. A year later, the brigade was reunited with the 38th Infantry Division. On 1 September 2007,

(IBCT) was activated under the Army's modular plan. The shoulder sleeve insignia of the 37th IBCT is heavily based on that of the 37th Infantry Division and many units that are part of the 37th IBCT, served in the 37th Infantry Division.

References

Notes

Sources

CMH ''The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States''
- U.S. Government Printing Office, 1950 *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:037 Divisions of the United States Army National Guard 037th Infantry Division, U.S. Military units and formations established in 1917 Infantry Division, U.S. 037 United States Army divisions of World War I Infantry divisions of the United States Army in World War II Military units and formations disestablished in 1968

World War I

Order of battle

Casualties

Commanders

World War II

Order of battle

Combat chronicle

Casualties

After 1945

See also

References

Notes

Sources

External links