The 69th Infantry Division, nicknamed the "fighting 69th," was a

Division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

formed during World War II. It is distinct from the 69th Infantry Regiment (New York) (the "Fighting 69th"). The shoulder sleeve insignia of the division was designed by its then commander Maj. Gen. Charles L. Bolte with the red, white and blue being the colors of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

forming a "6" and a "9".

World War II

*Activated: 15 May 1943. Camp Shelby, Mississippi *Overseas: December 1944. *Campaigns: Rhineland,

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...

*Days of combat: 86. *Awards: **

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

-5 ** Distinguished Service Medal (U.S. Army)-1 **

Silver Star Medal 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 en ...

-105 **

Legion of Merit Medal 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 ...

-3 **

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 ...

-12 ** Bronze Star Medal-2,253 **

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 ...

-33. *Commanders: **Maj. Gen.

Charles L. Bolte General Charles Lawrence Bolte (May 8, 1895 – February 11, 1989) was a senior United States Army officer who fought in both World War I and World War II. In World War II he distinguished himself as commander of the 34th Infantry Division durin ...

(May 1943 – September 1944), **Maj. Gen.

Emil F. Reinhardt Major General Emil Fred Reinhardt (October 27, 1888 – July 24, 1969) was a senior United States Army officer. He is most noted during World War II as commander of the 69th Infantry Division, which became the first American unit to come into co ...

(September 1944 – August 1945), **Brig. Gen. Robert V. Maraist (August 1945 to inactivation). *Returned to U.S.: 13 September 1945. *Inactivated: 16 September 1945.

Order of battle

* Headquarters, 69th Infantry Division * 271st Infantry Regiment * 272nd Infantry Regiment * 273rd Infantry Regiment * Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 69th Infantry Division Artillery ** 724th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm) ** 879th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm) ** 880th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm) ** 881st Field Artillery Battalion (155 mm) * 269th Engineer Combat Battalion * 369th Medical Battalion * 69th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized) * Headquarters, Special Troops, 69th Infantry Division ** Headquarters Company, 69th Infantry Division ** 769th Ordnance Light Maintenance Company ** 69th Quartermaster Company ** 569th Signal Company ** Military Police Platoon ** Band * 69th Counterintelligence Corps Detachment

Combat chronicle

The 69th Infantry Division arrived in England, 12 December 1944, where it continued its training. It landed in

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...

, France, 24 January 1945, and moved to Belgium to relieve the 99th Division, 12 February, and hold defensive positions in the Siegfried Line. The division went over to the attack, 27 February, capturing the high ridge east of Prether to facilitate use of the

Hellenthal Hellenthal is a municipality in the district of Euskirchen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Eifel hills, near the border with Belgium, approx. 30 km south-west of Euskirchen and 40 km south-east of A ...

- Hollerath Highway. In a rapid advance to the east, the 69th took Schmidtheim and Dahlem, 7 March. The period from 9 to 21 March was spent in mopping up activities and training. The division resumed its forward movement to the west bank of the Rhine, crossing the river and capturing the fortress of

Ehrenbreitstein Ehrenbreitstein Fortress (german: Festung Ehrenbreitstein, ) is a fortress in the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Rhineland-Palatinate, on the east bank of the Rhine where it is joined by the Moselle, overlooking the town of Koblenz. ...

, 27 March. It relieved the 80th Division in Kassel, 7 April, seized Hannoversch Münden on the 8th and Weissenfels on the 14th against sharp opposition, and captured

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

, 19 April, following a fierce struggle within the city.

Eilenburg Eilenburg (; hsb, Jiłow) is a town in Germany. It lies in the district of Nordsachsen in Saxony, approximately 20 km northeast of the city of Leipzig. Geography Eilenburg lies at the banks of the river Mulde at the southwestern edge ...

fell, 23 April, and the east bank of the

Mulde River The Mulde () is a river in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Elbe and is long. The river is formed by the confluence, near Colditz, of the Zwickauer Mulde (running through Zwickau) and the Freiberger Mulde (with ...

was secured. Two days later, division patrols in the area between the Elbe and the Mulde Rivers contacted elements of the Soviet

5th Guards Army The 5th Guards Army was a Soviet Guards formation which fought in many critical actions during World War II under the command of General Aleksey Semenovich Zhadov. The 5th Guards Army was formed in spring 1943 from the 66th Army in recognition of ...

at Strehla, in the vicinity of

Riesa Riesa is a town in the district of Meißen in Saxony, Germany. It is located on the river Elbe, approximately northwest of Dresden. History The name ''Riesa'' is derived from Slavic ''Riezowe''. This name, romanised as "Rezoa", appears first i ...

and again at

Torgau Torgau () is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen. Outside Germany, the town is best known as where on 25 April 1945, the United States and Soviet Armies forces first ...

Elbe Day Elbe Day, April 25, 1945, is the day Soviet and American troops met at the Elbe River, near Torgau in Germany, marking an important step toward the end of World War II in Europe. This contact between the Soviets, advancing from the east, and th ...

. Until

VE-day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...

, the 69th patrolled and policed its area. Occupation duties were given to the division until it left for home and inactivation 7 September.

Casualties

*Total battle casualties: 1,506Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths, Final Report (Statistical and Accounting Branch, Office of the Adjutant General, 1 June 1953) *Killed in action: 341 *Wounded in action: 1,146 *Missing in action: 9 *Prisoner of war: 10

Training division

In 1954 the 69th Division was reactivated under Major general Cornelius E. Ryan as a training division at Fort Dix, New Jersey replacing the 9th Infantry Division that was sent to Europe. the 69th was deactivated in March 1956. The shoulder patch of the 69th was worn by the actors playing soldiers on ''

The Phil Silvers Show ''The Phil Silvers Show'', originally titled ''You'll Never Get Rich'', is a sitcom which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959. A pilot titled "Audition Show" was made in 1955, but it was never broadcast. 143 other episodes were broadcast – all half-a ...

''.

References

*''The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States'' U.S. Government Printing Office, 1950 reproduced at http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/cbtchron.html.

Notes

External links

*http://www.69th-infantry-division.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:069 069th Infantry Division, U.S. Infantry Division, U.S. 069 Infantry divisions of the United States Army in World War II Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1956