69th Infantry Division (United States)

69th Infantry Division
Shoulder sleeve insignia
Active	1943 – 1945 1954 – 1956
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Division
Nickname(s)	"Fighting Sixty-Ninth"
Engagements	World War II Western Front Siegfried Line Battle of the Rhineland Battle of Ehrenbreitstein Battle of Kassel (1945) Battle of Weissenfels Leipzig Battle of Eilenburg Eastern Front Battle of the Mulde

The 69th Infantry Division, nicknamed the "fighting 69th," was a Division of the United States Army 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 forming a "6" and a "9".

History

Second World War

• Activated: 15 May 1943. Camp Shelby, Mississippi
• Overseas: December 1944.
• Campaigns: Rhineland, Central Europe
• Days of combat: 86.
• Awards:
  • Distinguished Service Cross-5
  • Distinguished Service Medal (U.S. Army)-1
  • Silver Star Medal-105
  • Legion of Merit Medal-3
  • Soldier's Medal-12
  • Bronze Star Medal-2,253
  • Air Medal-33.
• Commanders:
  • Maj. Gen. Charles L. Bolte (May 1943 – September 1944),
  • Maj. Gen. Emil F. Reinhardt (September 1944 – August 1945),
  • Brig. Gen. Robert V. Maraist (August 1945 to inactivation).
• Returned to U.S.: 13 September 1945.
• Inactivated: 16 September 1945. Camp Kilmer, New Jersey

Structure

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

Sign at Weissenfels castle gate commemorating the taking of the town in April 1945

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

It landed in Le Havre, France, on 24 January 1945, and moved to Belgium to relieve the 99th Division, on 12 February, and hold defensive positions in the Siegfried Line. The division went over to the attack, on 27 February, capturing the high ridge east of Prether to facilitate use of the Hellenthal-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, on 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, 19 April, following a fierce struggle within the city. Eilenburg fell, 23 April, and the east bank of the Mulde River 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 at Strehla, in the vicinity of Riesa and again at Torgau on Elbe Day. Until VE-day, the 69th patrolled and policed its area. Occupation duties were given to the division until it left for home and inactivation on 7 September.

Casualties

• Total battle casualties: 1,506
• 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.

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 Archived 21 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine.

External links

• http://www.69th-infantry-division.com/