70th Infantry Division (United States)

70th Infantry Division
Division badge
active	1943 to 1945
Country	United States
Armed forces	United States Armed Forces
Armed forces	United States Army
Branch of service	infantry
Type	Infantry division
Nickname	Trailblazers
Butcher	Second World War Battle of the Bulge
insignia
Distinctive Unit Insignia

The 70th Infantry Division ( German  70th US Infantry Division ) was a major unit of the US Army in World War II .

history

Memorial stone in Spicheren

The division was set up on June 15, 1943 and sent to Europe in late 1944. There, the infantry regiments were sent to the front as task force men to fend off the Ardennes offensive of the Wehrmacht . The first place of work was Bischwiller , south of Hagenau . Other parts of the division fought against the Nordwind company in Alsace at the turn of the year 1944/1945 . Wingen was liberated on January 5, 1945 .

In mid-January 1945 the 70th Infantry Division advanced near Saarbrücken , where it mainly carried out reconnaissance tasks. After breaking through the western wall , the division was able to occupy Völklingen and other cities in Saarland. On February 21, 1945, after fighting the Germans in the area of ​​the Spichern position , the French town of Spicheren was liberated. Further missions followed in southwest Germany before the war ended on May 8, 1945. As part of the occupation forces in the American Zone , parts of the division were then stationed in Otterberg , Bad Kreuznach , Frankfurt am Main and other locations. On October 10, 1945, the division returned to the United States, where it was deactivated.

During the relatively short deployment of the division, 755 of its soldiers died in combat and 2,713 were wounded. Numerous soldiers were honored for their services. B. twelve members of the 70th Infantry Division the Distinguished Service Cross . On May 8, 1997, a memorial stone and an M24 Chaffee were erected in Spicheren to commemorate those who died in the division.

organization

• 274th Infantry Regiment
• 275th Infantry Regiment
• 276th Infantry Regiment
• 270th Engineer Combat Battalion
• 370th Medical Battalion
• Divisional Artillery
  • 725th Field Artillery Battalion
  • 882nd Field Artillery Battalion
  • 883rd Field Artillery Battalion
  • 884th Field Artillery Battalion
• Special troops
  • 570th Signal Company
  • 770th Ordnance Company (Light)
  • 70th Reconnaissance Troop
  • 70th Quartermaster Company
  • tape
  • 70th MP Platoon
  • 70th CIC Detachment

Division commanders

• Major General John E. Dahlquist (June 1943 - July 1944)
• Major General Allison J. Barnett (July 1944 - July 1945)
• Brigadier General Thomas W. Herren (July 1945 - October 1945)

Web links

Commons : 70th Infantry Division  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• History of the division
• 70th Infantry Division Association

Individual evidence

1. ^ Rolf Wittenbrock: Former Battlefield Spichern. memotransfont, accessed August 4, 2017 .