106th Infantry Division — “Golden Lion Division”

Patch: A gold lion’s head on a blue field, circled by red and white borders.

History: Activated in the present war; no history prior to 1943.

Training: Activated March 15, 1943, at Fort Jackson, SC (III Corps, Second Army). Second Army maneuvers in Tennessee, Jan.–Mar. 1944, then transferred to Camp Atterbury, IN. Shipped to the ETO Oct. 1944, briefly staging in England before France.

Commanding Generals: Maj. Gen. Alan W. Jones (Mar. 1943–Feb. 1945); Maj. Gen. Donald A. Stroh (Feb. 1945–present).

Component Units (Oct. 1944): 422nd, 423rd, 424th Infantry Regiments; 589th, 590th, 591st (L), 592nd (M) FA Battalions. Higher Commands: First and Fifteenth Armies.

Combat Highlight: Took up a “quiet” Belgian sector Dec. 11, 1944 — then absorbed the main shock of von Rundstedt’s Ardennes offensive on Dec. 17, when the 422nd and 423rd Regiments were overwhelmed by shelling, tanks, and infantry, leaving fewer than 300 survivors. Remnants withdrew Dec. 23, reorganized, and were back in the line the next day, helping halt the Germans between Stavelot and Manhay at a cost of 8,663 casualties. Guarded the First Army’s southern flank Feb.–Mar. 1945, joined the drive to pierce the Siegfried Line, then was pulled back to Rennes for rehabilitation as reserve for the St. Nazaire and Lorient siege. In May, as German surrenders poured in, the division took over POW cages, swelling to 40,000 men (triple normal strength) to manage a 340-mile front from division headquarters at Bad Ems.