84th Infantry Division — “Railsplitters”

Patch: Red disk with a white ax splitting a rail.

History: Organized August 1917 at Camp Taylor, KY; moved to Camp Sherman, OH, to reach full strength; deployed overseas Sept.–Oct. 1918. Reactivated Oct. 15, 1942 at Camp Howze, TX (X Corps, Third Army). Trained in Louisiana maneuvers (1943), transferred to Camp Claiborne Nov. 1943, and shipped to the ETO Sept. 1944.

Commanding Generals: Maj. Gen. John H. Hilldring (Oct. 1942–Feb. 1943); Maj. Gen. Stonewall Jackson (Feb.–Oct. 1943); Maj. Gen. Robert B. McClure (Oct. 1943–Mar. 1944); Maj. Gen. Roscoe B. Woodruff (Mar.–Jun. 1944); Maj. Gen. Alexander R. Bolling (Jun. 1944–present).

Component Units (Sept. 1944): 333rd, 334th, 335th Infantry Regiments; 325th, 326th, 809th (L), 327th (M) FA Battalions. Higher Command: Ninth Army.

Awards: Distinguished Unit Citations to 3rd Bn., 334th Infantry, and Co. G, 334th Infantry, for action in Germany, Feb.–Mar. 1945.

Combat Highlights: Landed in France Nov. 1944 and moved into Holland at Geilenkirchen, breaching the Siegfried Line and taking Lindern, Wurm, and Mellendorf. Held firm against von Rundstedt’s winter offensive near Marche, then counterattacked with the 2nd Armored Division in January 1945, pushing through Beffe, Devantage, and Magoster. Crossed the Roer in February, cleared Krefeld, and reached the Rhine — a 10-day Roer-to-Rhine push. Crossed the Rhine in April and reached the Elbe four days later, linking up with Soviet forces. Took 70,000 prisoners in 128 days of combat.