The 49th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States A ...

during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

. It was formed from the 52nd Infantry Division, which had itself been activated in 1946 during the expansion of National Guard after the end of

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 ...

. The 52nd was renumbered as the 49th in 1947 due to the centennial of the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

. It was inactivated in 1968 during a reorganization of the Army National Guard.

History

The 52nd Infantry Division was activated on 15 August 1946, and was allocated to the State of California as 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 during the post

demobilization. The division was to be headquartered in the area of th "49'ers" of the

. To mark the upcoming centenary of the 1849 gold rush, the state of California requested that the designation of the 52nd Infantry Division be changed to the 49th Infantry Division. The change was approved by a National Guard Bureau Letter, CSNGB, dated 24 October 1947, Subject: "Change in Designation of 52d Infantry Division" and an Adjutant General Letter, AGAO-I 325 dated 20 October 1947, Subject: "Allotment of National Guard Units (California)". The change was made retroactive to 5 August 1946, the formation of the original 52nd Infantry Division. The new division was known as the "Argonaut Division", and its shoulder sleeve insignia depicted a 49'er panning for gold. The nickname refers to the 49'ers, who were also known as Argonauts. The 49th Infantry Division was inactivated on 29 January 1968.

References

California State Military Museum
* Wilson, John B. (1997). ''Maneuver and Firepower: The Evolution of Divisions and Separate Brigades''. Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History. {{Army Divisions (United States) 049th Infantry Division, U.S. Military units and formations established in 1946 Military units and formations disestablished in 1968 Divisions of the United States Army National Guard