The 2nd Infantry Division ("Indianhead") (2ID or 2nd ID) is a formation of the United States Army. Its current primary mission is the defense of South Koreain the initial stages of an invasion from North Korea until other American units can arrive. There are approximately 17,000 soldiers in the 2nd Infantry Division, with 10,000 of them stationed in South Korea, accounting for about 35% of the United States Forces Korea personnels.
The 2nd Infantry Division, unlike any other division in the Army, is made up partially of Korean soldiers, called KATUSAs (Korean Augmentation to US Army). This program began in 1950 by agreement with South Korean President Syngman Rhee. Some 27,000 KATUSAs served with the US forces at the end of the Korean War. As of May 2006, approximately 1,100 KATUSA soldiers serve with 2ID. There were also more than 3,000 Dutch soldiers assigned to the division between 1950 and 1954.
The 2nd Division started participated in maneuvers at Christine, Texas between 3 and 27 January 1940. It then moved to Horton, Texas for maneuvers from 26 April to 28 May 1940, followed by maneuvers atCravens, Louisiana from 16 to 23 August 1940. It returned to Fort Sam Houston, where it continued training and refitting, until it moved to Brownwood, Texas for the VIII Corps Maneuvers from 1 June through 14 June 1941 at Comanche, Texas. The division was then sent to Mansfield, Louisiana from 11 August through 2 October 1941 for the August–September 1941 Louisiana Maneuvers.
The division was transferred to the VIII Corps Louisiana maneuver Area on 27 July 1941, being redesignated as the 2nd Infantry Division in August, and remained there until 22 September 1942, whereupon the formation returned to Fort Sam Houston. They then moved to Camp McCoy at Sparta, Wisconsin on 27 November 1942. Four months of intensive training for winter warfare followed. In September 1943 the division received their staging orders, and moved to the Camp Shanks staging area atOrangeburg, New York on 3 October 1943, where they received Port Call orders. On 8 October the division officially sailed from the New York Port of Embarkation, and started arriving in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 17 October. They then moved over to England, where they trained and staged for forward movement to France.
World War II
Assignments in the European Theater of Operations
- 22 October 1943: Attached to First Army
- 24 December 1943: XV Corps, but attached to First Army
- 14 April 1944: V Corps, First Army
- 1 August 1944: V Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group
- 17 August 1944: XIX Corps
- 18 August 1944: VIII Corps, Third Army, 12th Army Group
- 5 September 1944: VIII Corps, Ninth Army, 12th Army Group
- 22 October 1944: VIII Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group
- 11 December 1944: V Corps
- 20 December 1944: Attached, with the entire First Army, to the British 21st Army Group
- 18 January 1945: V Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group
- 28 April 1945: VII Corps
- 1 May 1945: V Corps
- 6 May 1945: Third Army, 12th Army Group
Narrative[edit]
After training in Northern Ireland and Wales from October 1943 to June 1944, the 2nd Infantry Division crossed the channel to land on Omaha Beach on D plus 1 (7 June 1944) near St. Laurent-sur-Mer. Attacking across the Aure River on 10 June, the Division liberated Trévières and proceeded to assault and secure Hill 192, a key enemy strongpoint on the road to Saint-Lô. After three weeks of fortifying the position and by order of Commanding General Walter M. Robertson the order was given to take Hill 192. On 11 July under command of Col.Ralph Wise Zwicker the 38th Infantry Regiment and with the 9th and the 23rd by his side the battle begun at 5:45am. Using an artillery concept used in World War I (Rolling barrage) and with the support of 25,000 rounds of HE/WP that were fired by 8 artillery battalions the hill was taken. Except for 3 days during the Battle of the Bulge, this was the heaviest expenditure of ammunition by the 38th Field Artillery Battalion; And was the only time during the 11 months of combat that 2nd Division Artillery used a rolling barrage.<Axis history forum</ref> The division went on the defensive until 26 July. After exploiting the Saint-Lo breakout, the 2nd Division then advanced across the (Vire) to take (Tinhebray) on 15 August 1944. The division then raced toward (Brest/France), the heavily defended port fortress which happened to be a major port for German U-Boats. After 39 days of fighting the battle was won, and was the first place the Army Air Corps used bunker busting bombs.[citation needed]
The division took a brief rest 19–26 September before moving to defensive positions at St. Vith, Belgium on 29 September 1944. The division entered Germany on 3 October 1944, and the Second was ordered, on 11 December 1944, to attack and seize the Roer River dams. The German Ardennes offensive in mid-December forced the division to withdraw to defensive positions near Elsenborn Ridge, where the German drive was halted. In February 1945 the division attacked, recapturing lost ground, and seized Gemund, 4 March. Reaching the Rhine 9 March, the 2ID advanced south to take Breisig, 10–11 March, and to guard the Remagen bridge, 12–20 March.
The division crossed the Rhine on 21 March and advanced to Hadamar and Limburg an der Lahn, relieving elements of the 9th Armored Division, 28 March. Advancing rapidly in the wake of the 9th Armored, the 2nd Infantry Division crossed the Weser at Veckerhagen, 6–7 April, captured Göttingen 8 April, established a bridgehead across the Saale, 14 April, seizing Merseburg on 15 April. On 18 April the division tookLeipzig, mopped up in the area, and outposted the Mulde River; elements which had crossed the river were withdrawn 24 April. Relieved on the Mulde, the 2nd moved 200 miles, 1–3 May, to positions along the German-Czech border near Schonsee and Waldmünchen, where 2 ID relieved the 97th and 99th ID's. The division crossed over to Czechoslovakia on 4 May 1945, and attacked in the general direction of Pilsen, attacking that city on VE Day.
2nd Infantry Division returned to the New York Port of Embarkation on 20 July 1945, and arrived at Camp Swift at Bastrop, Texas on 22 July 1945. They started a training schedule to prepare them to participate in the scheduled invasion of Japan, but they were still at Camp Swift on VJ Day. They then moved to the staging area at Camp Stoneman at Pittsburg, California on 28 March 1946, but the move eastward was canceled, and they received orders to move to Fort Lewis at Tacoma, Washington. They arrived at Fort Lewis on 15 April 1946, which became their home station. From their Fort Lewis base, they conducted Arctic, air transportability, amphibious, and maneuver training.
World War II honors
Campaign participation
- Normandy
- Northern France
- Rhineland
- Ardennes-Alsace
- Central Europe
Portovrij? In NL boven € 200,-