3rd Infantry Division — “Marne Division”

 

Shoulder Patch: Square with three diagonal white stripes against a dark blue field — blue for Infantry, three stripes representing three major operations and the numerical designation.

 

Motto: Nous resterons là — We are staying there — Brig. Gen. Preston Brown’s words at the Marne. Song: The Dogface Soldier Type: Regular Army — Organized November 1917, Camp Greene, South Carolina

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Overview Veteran of WWI at Chateau Thierry, Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne. Reactivated and conducted amphibious training at Fort Ord and Hunter Liggett Military Reservation before deploying to North Africa in October 1942.

 

Component Units (as of October 24, 1942) 7th, 15th and 30th Infantry Regiments — 10th, 39th, 41st (L) and 9th (M) FA Battalions Higher Commands: Fifth Army (Africa-Italy) and Seventh Army (Germany)

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Combat History The 3rd Division participated in four amphibious invasions — North Africa, Sicily, Anzio and Southern France — suffering more casualties than any other American division: 27,628 killed, wounded or missing. Its troops earned 34 Medals of Honor in 531 battle days.

 

Principal actions included Fedala, French Morocco, Bizerte, Licata, Palermo, Messina, Salerno, Cassino, Anzio, Rome, St. Tropez, the Vosges Mountains, Colmar, the Rhine crossing, Nurnberg, Augsburg, Munich and Salzburg. The most costly single day came May 23, 1944 at Anzio when the division stopped three German divisions ordered by Hitler to drive the Americans into the sea — losing 995 killed and wounded.

 

Awards Distinguished Unit Citation to the entire division for Colmar, France, January 22 to February 6, 1945. Ten additional unit DUCs.

 

Commanding Generals Maj. Gen. John P. Lucas through Maj. Gen. Jonathan W. Anderson, Lt. Gen. Lucian K. Truscott Jr., Maj. Gen. John W. O’Daniel and Maj. Gen. William R. Schmidt through the end of the war.