Hey Guys,
I just visited my grandmothers house and I saw a picture of my grandfather with his Dress Uniform on His patch was the 44th infantry division instead of blue and gold it was red outline with white background.I found a site that has brief history on WW2 divions and units www.grunts.net,but there was no history of the division yet.So if anybody has any info can you help me out.All I know is that he was in Germany fighting so my grandmother says and he never talked to us about it of course who would.I have a few pictures but I have no scanner yet so I hope to get one soon to show you guys.

Since I seen that picture and my focus in modelling is Allied troops and vehicles I decided to do something with his division ,Archer has the patch and all I need is some history.I also have contacted many of his relatives in Texas to see if they have pictures but all they have is him in Dress Uniform and one of walking down a street in Germany .This is a very interesting subject and I dont know why I didnt try to find out more when he was still alive but I was young and had no interest in anything my loss.So now I am determined to find out what he did and where he was at during that time.

Thanx
AJ

AJ-- aquick search revealed the following:

44th Infantry Division
New York and New Jersey National Guard
71st, 114th and 324th Infantry Regiments
156th, 157th, 217th and 220th Field Artillery Battalions
63rd Engineer Combat Battalion

Campaigns:
Northern Franc Rhineland Central Europe

44TH INFANTRY DIVISION
Pre-World War II

Activated: After World War I as a National Guard Division in New Jersey and New York.
World War II

Activated: 16 September 1940. Overseas: 5 September 1944. Campaigns: Northern France, Rhineland, Central Europe. Days of combat: 190. Distinguished Unit Citations: 3. Awards: MH-1 ; DSC-38 ; DSM-2 ; SS-464 ; LM-8; SM-6 ; BSM-2,647 ; AM-110. Commanders: Maj. Gen. Clifford R. Powell (September 1940-August 1941), Maj. Gen. James I. Muir (August 1941-August 1944), Maj. Gen. Robert L. Spragins (August 1944-December 1944), Maj. Gen. William F. Dean (January 1945September 1945), Brig. Gen. William A. Beiderlinden (1 November-14 November 1945),

543

Brig. Gen. Robert L. Dulaney (November 1945 to inactivation). Returned to U. S.: 21 July 1945. Inactivated: 30 November 1945. (See National Guard.)
Combat Chronicle

The 44th Infantry Division landed in France via Cherbourg, 15 September 1944, and trained for a month before entering combat, 18 October 1944, when it relieved the 79th Division in the vicinity of Foret de Parroy, east of Luneville, France, to take part in the Seventh Army drive to secure several passes in the Vosges Mountains. Within 6 days, the Division was hit by a heavy German counterattack, 25-26 October. The attack was repulsed and the 44th continued its active defense. On 13 November 1944, it jumped off in an attack northeast, forcing a passage through the Vosges Mountains east of Leintrey to Dossenheim, took Avricourt, 17 November, and pushed on to liberate Strasbourg, along with the 2d French Armored Division. After regrouping, the Division returned to the attack, taking Ratzwiller and entering the Ensemble de ladye in the Maginot Line. Fort Simserhof fell 19 December. Displacing to defensive positions east of Sarreguemines, 21-23 December, the 44th threw back three attempted crossings by the enemy of the Blies River. An aggressive defense of the Sarreguemines area was continued throughout February 1945 and most of March. Moving across the Rhine at Worms, 26 March, in the wake of the 3d Division, the 44th relieved the 3d, 26-27 March, and crossed the Neckar River to attack and capture Mannheim, 28-29 March. Shifting to the west bank of the Main, the Division crossed that river at Grosse Auheim in early April, and engaged in a 3-week training period. Attacking 18 April, after the 10th Armored Division, the 44th took Ehingen, 23 April, crossed the Danube, and attacking southeast, took Fussen, Berg, and Wertach, in a drive on Imst. Pursuing the disintegrating enemy through Fern Pass and into Inn Valley, the 44th set up its CP at Imst, Austria, on 4 May. Landeck surrendered on the 5th. Meanwhile, the 19th German Army had surrendered at Innsbruck, and the war was over for the 44th. After a short period of occupation duty, the Division returned to .the United States in July 1945 for retraining prior to redeployment, but the end of the Pacific war resulted in inactivation in November.
Assignments in the ETO*

30 August 1944: Ninth Army, 12th Army Group. 5 September 1944: III Corps. 10 October 1944: Ninth Army, 12th Army Group. 14 October 1944: XV Corps, 6th Army Group, for supply. 17 October 1944: XV Corps, Seventh Army, 6th Army Group. 8 April 1945: Seventh Army, 6th Army Group. 15 April 1945: XXI Corps. 17 April 1945: VI Corps.

I would also check out Shelby Stanton's Order of Battle World War II for an in depth outline of what this division did. I can check that out tonight at home if you desire.

DJ

AJ,

Here's some sites that may be of further help:

44th ID 324th IR
U.S. 44th Infantry Division
44th ID
44th Infantry Division
44th Infantry Division Web Museum

Be sure to use the links and contacts associated within each respective site.
I hope you find what you're looking for.

AJ-- do you know the specific unit your Grandfather served with in the 44th?
DJ

No I dont know his serial number .He never let us ask him about anything he didnt let us watch any movie that had a subject on WW2 .My mother told him about the movie about the Holocaust and Saving Private Ryan he refused to watch them and most definitly forbid us to watch I was only 13 at the time. I always wanted yo know more but he would allow it he past on 4 years ago now I have the chance to find out what he did.

Thanx for all the help guys.
AJ

AJ--- if you have his social security number you can put that on the request that I told you about.
DJ

My dad didn't talk too much about his combat experiences when I was younger. All I knew was 7th ID at Okinawa and Saipan. Recently (now that I'm 50 ) He opens up quite a bit. I remember one of my best friends fathers when I was in high schooll. Never talked about it at all (even though he was newly retired after 30 years). One day I was showing his youngest some modeling techniques (this was in the 70's) and we had an M-8 greyhound. He looked at it and said "We always called it an M-8, never heard it called a greyhound before". We started talking about his war experiences then. ( I was a newly minted 2nd LT going through the Armor school at the time). He was one of the first ones to see the Concentration Camp at Dachau. Afterward my best friend was totally amazed at what I had gotten his father to talk about...so was I.

What unit was the fellow who recalled the M-8 assigned to?