068 102nd Infantry Division

Nickname: Ozark Division. . Shoulder Patch: A large golden “O” on a field of blue. Within the “O” is the letter “Z”, from which is suspended an arc, both the letter and arc being in gold. The patch thus represents the word “Ozark,” original plans having intended for personnel to be drawn from the Ozark Mountains area of the United States. . History: The Ozark Division was constituted in June, 1921, as an organized reserve division. . Training: The 102d was activated at Camp Maxey, Texas, September 15, 1942, and assigned to the X Corps, Third Army. From September 20 to November 15, 1943, the division took part in the Third Army maneuvers held in Louisiana. It was then transferred to Camp Swift, Texas, coming under the XVIII and XXIII Corps of the Third Army successively. In July, 1944, the division moved to Fort Dix, New Jersey, and in September, 1944, went overseas to the European Theatre of Operations. . Commanding Generals: Maj. Gen. John B. Anderson, September, 1942, to January 4, 1944; Maj. Gen. Frank A. Keating, January 8,1944, to present. . Component Units: (As Of September, 1944) 405th, 406th and 407th Infantry Regiments; 379th, 380th, 381st (M) and 927th (L) FA Battalions. Higher Command: Ninth Army. . Combat Highlights: The Ozark Division got its baptism of fire in the vicinity of the Roer river toward the end of 1944 as part of the Ninth Army. Lovenich was one of the first objectives taken by the 102d and they acquired considerable battle seasoning in the Munchen-Gladbach area. The division crossed the Roer February 23, 1945, and successfully established a bridgehead from which it was able to attack north toward the Rhine. In this attack the 102d coordinated well with the spearheading tanks in an area west of the Rhine between Duisberg and Dusseldorf. It was March and the tanks were pointing iron fingers at the Rhine with the infantry rushing along behind them to take and hold. In its dash to the Rhine, the 102d overran 86 towns and cities. One of the most important of these captures was Krefeld, a key railroad and communications center. Caves in the city had been used by the Nazis for a huge rocket factory. Crossing the Rhine at Remagen late in March, the 102d followed a fleeing enemy and in April the division was mopping up in an area from Bielefeld and Hanover to the Elbe river. It stopped there only because it had orders to await a Juncture with the Russians north of Magdeberg. The remnants of two German armies surrendered to the 102d May 4, 1945. After V-E Day, the division took positions at Gotha.