Nickname: Lucky Seventh. ….. Shoulder Patch: Regular armored patch with the numeral. ….. Songs: “Song of the Seventh” by B. Dunford and “The Seventh Attacks” by T/5 Ben Maugham. ….. Training: Activated: Mar. 1, 1942, Camp Polk; has no history prior to present war. Other stations: Desert Training Center; Ft. Benning. Maneuvers: La.-Tex. Desert Training Center. Overseas: June, 1944 (ETO). ….. Commanding Generals: Maj. Gen, Lindsay McD. Silvester, Mar., 1942, to Nov., 1944; Maj. Gen. Robert W. Hasbrouck. Nov., 1944, to present. ….. Component Units: (As of June, 1944) 434th, 440th and 489th Arm. FA Battalions; 17th, 31st and 40th Tank Battalions. 23d, 33th and 48th Arm. Inf. Battalions. Higher Commands: Third Army, British Second Army, First Army and Ninth Army. ….. Awards: General (and Supreme Commander) Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote a letter to General Hasbrouck expressing personal appreciation of the “magnificent job” done by the 7th at St. Vith. ….. Combat Highlights: An offensive sweep across France, stonewall defense of St. Vith, reduction of Ruhr pocket and final dash to the Baltic are all part of the 7th’s combat record. First action was capture of Chartres, Aug. 16-18. The Division then took Dreux, Melun and Chateau-Thierry in a rapid advance, crossing the Seine river (first All 3d Div. to do so). Plunging across the Marne, Aisne and Meuse rivers, the 7th next took storied Verdun by the end of the month, dashed to the Moselle, established a bridgehead and wheeled into Holland by October to guard the vital British – Canadian right flank in the drive on Antwerp. The 7th beat off a Nazi counterattack near Meijel, Oct. 27-29, though outnumbered, saving th Antwerp approaches campaign. Poised, after a brief rest, for a thrust into the heart of Germany from Linnich on the Roer, the 7th had to be shifted quickly to St. Vith, Dec. 16 to stave off von Rundstedt’s offensive. The Division felt the weight of the German push toward Liege and held fast, forcing the Germans to bypass that line. Late in the month, the Germans tried again and this time, the 7th withdrew across the Salm. On Christmas Eve, the 7th rushed to plug a gap near Manhay and by the end of the month threw the Germans permanently out of that town. After a breather, the Division retook St. Vith. The Lucky 7th Div. during February and most of March 1945, rested and healed grievous wounds sustained during the winter offensive. From Mar. 26, 1945, to V-E Day, the Division triumphantly toured Germany from the Remagen bridgehead via the Dill river, to the Eder Soo Dam, the Ruhr, and the Elbe river to the Baltic Sea, where they met the Russians. The 7th had averaged more than 200 miles a day since their commitment to combat, destroyed 2653 enemy vehicles and captured 3517 enemy vehicles. Prior to crossing the Rhine it had captured 9045 prisoners.