44th Infantry Division

  • Nickname: None recorded.
  • Shoulder Patch: Two back-to-back blue “4”s on an orange field, blue border — the colors of the House of Nassau, under which the Dutch settled New York and New Jersey.
  • Slogan: “Prepared in All Things.”
  • Division Song: “The 44th Division Marching Song,” by Lt. Albert D. Fallows.
  • Source: National Guard units from New York and New Jersey.
  • Training: Activated Sept. 1940 at Fort Dix, NJ; maneuvers in the Carolinas; Camp Claiborne, LA (Jan. 1942); Fort Lewis, WA; Louisiana maneuvers and Camp Phillips, KS (Feb.–Apr. 1944); shipped to ETO Sept. 1944.
  • Commanding Generals: Maj. Gen. Clifford R. Powell (1940–41); Maj. Gen. James I. Muir (1941–44); Maj. Gen. Robert L. Spragins (Aug. 1944–Jan. 1945); Maj. Gen. William F. Dean (Jan. 1945–).

    Component Units: 71st, 114th, and 324th Infantry Regiments; 157th, 158th, 217th, and 220th FA Battalions.

  • Higher Command: Seventh Army.
  • Awards: Distinguished Unit Citation to 2nd Battalion, 114th Infantry, for action near Schalbeck, France, Nov. 25, 1944.
  • Combat Highlights: Entered the line east of Lunéville, France, helping secure the Vosges passes for Seventh Army; broke through the Vosges with the French 2nd Armored Division by mid-November. The 2nd Battalion, 114th Infantry held a 4,000-yard front against superior German armor and infantry — action that likely saved the division. Crossed the Saar River (Jan. 1, 1945) after six attempts, gaining a two-mile penetration. Pushed on through Austria, ending the war near Imst. Total: 203 days of combat with Seventh Army, 44,000 prisoners captured.

 

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