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SHOULDER PATCH: The patch consists of a black isosceles triangle with its vortex pointed downward. In the center of the patch, within a gold circle, the letters "O", H", "I", and "O" are formed in a monogram-type pattern.
SONG: "The Thundering Herd." The 331st Infantry Regiment song is "The Three Thirty First," by Pfc Bud Hanson
TYPE OF DIVISION: Organized Reserve
NICKNAME: Thunderbolt Division (The division was originally called the "Ohio Division" due to the fact that its personnel in both World War I and World War II was to a large extent from Ohio. In March 1945, however, it was felt that through combat losses and turnover in personnel the 83rd had changed from an Ohio outfit to one representing all the states A contest was held to select a new name and out of more than 1000 entries the name "Thunderbolt" was selected )
WWI HISTORY: The division was organized at Camp Sherman. Ohio in September 1917 Most of the personnel were men from Ohio, but men from Kentucky and Western Pennsylvania were also included in the division The 83rd went to France in June 1918, was designated as a depot division and ordered to the Le Mans area. The 332d Infantry Regiment was detached and selected to represent American forces with the Italian Army. It saw action in the Vittorio-Veneto area in Italy The other Infantry regiments provided replacements for divisions at the front, training and supplying more than 195,000 officers and enlisted men as replacements while in France Field Artillery, Signal Corps and Corps of Engineers units with the division saw action in the Aisne-Maine. Oise-Aisne and Meuse-Argonne offensives and in the Voslo Sector. The division's elements returned to the US between Jan and Oct 1919 and were demobilized
ACTIVATION DATE: 15 August 1942
TRAINING UNDER ARMY GROUND FORCES: The division began its training at Camp Atterbury, Indiana in 1942 where it was the first division to open this camp. In July and August 1943 it participated in Second Army maneuvers in Tennessee and in spite of being the "youngest" division taking part in the maneuvers proved itself a tough, aggressive outfit In September 1943 it moved to
Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky and trained there for the remainder of the year and for the first two months in 1944
DEPARTED UNITED STATES FOR FOREIGN DUTY: 6 April 1944
OVERSEAS TRAINING: Intensive training was conducted in England and in the northern part of Wales
RETURNED TO UNITED STATES: 26 March 1946 (HQ)
INACTIVATION DATE: 5 April 1946 at Camp Kilmer. New Jersey
BATTLE CREDITS: (Division) Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Central Europe, Rhineland
SUCCESSIVE COMMANDING GENERALS: May Gen Frank W Millburn from 22 Aug 1942 to Dec
1943; Mag Gen Robert C. flacon from Jan 44 to 31 Jan 1946
COMPONENT UNITS: 329th, 330th and 331st Infantry Regiments; 83rd Cavalry Ron Top (Mecz), 308th Engr Combat Bn, 308
Med Bn, 322nd, 323rd, and 908th FA Bns (105 HOW) and 324 FA Bn ( 155 HOW) Sp Tips: 83rd QM Co, 83rd Signal Co-, 783 Ord
Co (LM), Hq Co, MP Platoon and Band.
CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR WINNER: Sgt Ralph G Neppel, Co M 329 Infantry for 14 Dec 1944 action near
Birgel, Germany.
DISTINGUISHED UNIT CITATION: 2nd Bn 330th Infantry for 7-9 Aug 44 action in France; 329th Infantry for 4-15 Sept action
in France, 3rd Bn 330th Infantry for 10-13 Dec 44 action in Grashan, Germany, 2nd Bn 329th Infantry for 12-16 Dec 44 action in
Germany, 1st Bn 330th Infantry for 9-1 1 Jan 45 action in Belgium; 1st Platoon AT Co & Mine Platoon AT Co 330th Infantry for 9-11
Jan 45 action in Belgium; 3rd Bn 331st Infantry for 2-5 April action in Germany.
COMBAT HIGHLIGHTS: Reduction of the fortress of St Malo. spearheading of a drive to the Roer River and establishment of a
bridgehead over the Elbe River are combat achievements of the 83rd Inf Div. Leading elements of the division landed on Omaha Beach
in Normandy on 18 Jun 1944 and eight days later pushed on to Carentan to relieve elements of the 101st Abn Div. Until 4 July the
division remained on the defensive but on that date took the offensive and began fighting for the high ground in the vicinity of Periers
By sheer grit and courage, in the face of furious Panzer and paratroop opposition, the objective was taken The division fought on
during July, passed over the Periers-St Lo Road and finally paused astride the St Lo-Coutance Highway . After a brief rest the 83rd
went south to Avranches and then west to Brittany !n August 1944 it performed the remarkable feat of reducing the so-called
impregnable citadel of St Malo and forced the Nazi commander, later dubbed the "Mad Colonel" von Aulock to surrender. During
operations in Brittany, where Dinard, St Lunaire and St Briouc fell to it, the 83rd captured over 13,000 Germans The division's
attention was then turned to the Loire Valley area where it was given the mission of protecting the entire right flank of the Third Army
as it dashed across France into Luxembourg The 83rd patrolled actively along a 175 mile front to the Loire River itself During this
period the division accepted the surrender of 20,000 troops under Bria Gen Hexing Elster at Beaugency Bridge along the Loire. In late Sept the 83rd moved across central and eastern France and entered Luxembourg. Pockets of resistance which remained in that Duchy were rapidly reduced and the division took up a defensive position along the Sauer and Moselle Rivers. At the beginning of December the 83rd moved again, this time to the north to relieve the 4th Inf Div on the northeastern outskirts of the Hungen Forest, west of Duren. On Dec 16th, when the Germans launched their winter offensive, the 83rd was in the process of clearing the enemy west of the Roer River. Ten days later the (division moved to meet to meet the enemy at the point of his penetration near Roquefort. The Germans were finally forced to evacuate the town. The division then moved along the north shoulder of the salient to the vicinity of Lierneux and attacked to the southeast, blazing a trail for the 3rd Armored Div to clear the points around Bihain and Langlir and the thick woods just north of the St With Highway The clearing of this area by the 83rd, in terrible January weather, permitted the 3rd Armored Div to continue its drive to cut the last vital supply and communications link at the Germans' disposal. The division was not in contact with the enemy in Feb 45, but the 330th Infantry was committed Feb 25th as an attachment of the 29th Inf Div and helped greatly in establishing a bridgehead over the Roer River, east of Julich The 331st Infantry Regiment was attached to the 2nd .armored Div in its drive north toward Neuss On Mar I at, the 33rd struck out in the vicinity of Rockrath, west of the Erft Canal By nightfall Neuss had been reached The division then smashed on to the Rhine River. After crossing the Rhine the latter pan of March, the 83rd raced to the Elbe River and in April established a bridgehead over the Elbe south of Magdeburg During the drive the division managed to keep pace with, and at times outstrip, a
fast-moving armored division. The bridgehead over the Elbe was 54
miles from Berlin, claimed to be the closest any American unit got to
the Nazi capital. Just prior to V-E Day the 83rd became the first
unit of the Ninth Army to link up with the Russians. The division
did occupation duty in German unto March 1946 when it returned to the United
States for inactivation. |
Page last revised
12/07/2017