049 83rd Infantry Division

Nickname: Thunderbolt Division…….. Shoulder Patch: Black triangle with vertex downward. In the center within a gold circle the gold letters OHIO form a monogram…….. Song: “The Thundering Herd.” ……. History: Organized September, 1917, Camp Sherman. Overseas: June, 1918. ……. Training: Reactivated: Aug. 15, 1942, Camp Atterbury, Indiana. Maneuvers: Tennessee, 2nd Army. Moved Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky, September, 1943. Overseas: April, 1944 (ETO). ……. Commanding Generals: Maj. Gen. Frank W. Milburn, August, 1942, to December, 1943; Maj. Gen. Robert C. Macon, January, 1944, to present. ……. Component Units: (As of April, 1944): 329th, 330th and 331st Infantry Regiments; 322nd, 323rd, 908th (L) and 324th (M) FA Battalions. Higher Commands: Third and Ninth Armies. Combat Highlights Reduction of fortress St. Malo, spearheading of a drive to the Roer river and establishment of a bridgehead over the Elbe river are combat achievements of the 83rd Division. The Thunderbolts began landing on Omaha Beach (Normandy) June 18, 1944, wading through eight days of fighting to Carentan Next offensive action was against high ground at Periers. The 83rd crossed the Periers-St. Lo road, rested briefly astride the St. Lo-Coutance Highway, then wheeled south to Avranches and west to Brittany. “Impregnable” St. Lo fell to the 83rd: its commander, “Mad Col.” von Aulock, surrendering (August). The Thunderbolts captured Dinard, St. Lunaire and St. Brieuc . with 13,000 Nazi prisoners. Assigned to protect the right flank of the Third Army, then racing across France, the 83rd in patrol action, Loire Valley area, accepted surrender of Brig. Gen. Botho-Heming Elster with 20,000 Nazis at Beaugency Bridge. The division by late September moved across France and into Luxembourg and took positions along the Sauer and Moselle rivers, moving on in Dec. to Hurtgen Forest. Action for the 83rd against the Nazi winter offensive occurred at Rochefort, where the 83rd threw the Germans out; Lierneux, where the division blazed a trail for the 3rd Armored in bitter January weather, enabling the 3rd to cut the last Nazi supply line. Elements of the 83rd saw action at Roer bridgehead (Julich) and the drive on Neuss. The division (March 1) jumped off from Rockrath, moved to Neuss, smashed a way to the Rhine and crossed it. A race for the Elbe with an armored division wound up the campaign, the 83rd establishing a bridgehead on the Elbe south of Magdeburg, 54 miles from Berlin, claimed nearest point to Berlin reached by an American unit.