@@robertsettle2590 Not sure. But the 32nd ID website probably has that. And due to rotation of regiments in and out of combat none of the regiments their sub units would have that much.
My Marine friends seem to firmly believe that the Pacific theater was entirely a Marine operation. That they won that area entirely on their own. Also in WW1 in Europe, that they were all alone doing their thing over there too. For some, it's Ego, Globe and Anchor. Regardless, they are an exceptional force, glad we're on the same side.
@@veteransmedalsworkshop-moa4376 They certainly do, and earned all of it. It seems other services have their pride in their branches/specialties more than the overall organization .
I spent plenty of time on Okinawa as an active duty Marine in the '90's. The battle of Okinawa was a tough fight for everyone. My utmost respect to everyone who fought there. That being said, one thing that must be remembered is there were four full Marine Divisions (smaller than Army Division) and two short divisions in the Pacific, as opposed to the 16 Army Divisions. I promise, the Marines were thankful for their Army comrades. They were also thankful for the Brits and ANZACs!
@@phillipallen3259 My father served ended up going into Japan as an Occupation force. He loved Japan. Nobody was shooting at him and the Japs regarded them as masters! (he said he almost married a Japanese girl but was sent into Korea). Their culture fit in perfectly with his old world culture, except when it came to women. He said, "The American GI did more to fuck up Japan than the atomic bomb!" LOL The Japanese could NOT comprehend the American chivalry of opening doors for women, men giving their seat at diners to women, children being talked with and candy handed to them and playing with them, etc. My father even as a Master Sgt made some privates on a bus to get up and let a Japanese woman and her kids sit down while he told them to stand. He said, "All the Jap's eyes on the bus were wide as saucers! They could NEVER imagine, even with their own soldiers standing so a woman and children could sit. But they were very grateful that older people receive similar treatment and got rations first along with children and women. But he said, "When any Japanese men would be sitting, they would yank them out of the chair and help themselves to his seat. It was a TOTAL reversal of culture for the Japanese." Then, Korea happened, and he was DONE with the Service after that.
Thank you for the time and effort you put into making this video of the US Army division in the Pacific in World War II. My father was with the 24th. My cousin was with sixth infantry division, my father-in-law with artillery of the 24th. But I saw things differently, enjoying the Marine Corps for 21 years.
My father served with the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment as a Recon Platoon and Company Commander (I have their shoulder patch in my collection). After leaving California ahead of his unit he went to the Fiji Islands and underwent training with the Alamo Scouts. (They gave him one of their shoulder patches and I have it in my collection.) He was returned to his unit to train them as he had been trained. From there his recon unit went ahead of the Regiment to New Guinea to recon the landing and operating areas for the Division. He went all the way out to Vogel Coupe, New Guinea doing reconnaissance work. From there it was on to Leyte (Silver Star and Bronze Star) and Samar. He earned the assault pin for his campaign ribbon. Nearing the end of the war his unit was assigned to clear Samar of stranded Japanese soldiers, many of which had no intention of surrendering. At sometime or another in 1945 he was sent home to a military hospital in southern Alabama in order to get cured of malaria, several intestinal worms and parasites, as well as getting some weight put back on. He left the states weighing 165 pounds and returned weighing around 100. I learned most all of this from a family friend who joined his unit late in the war. Dad very seldom ever spoke about it.
An interesting story! Your father's experience is similar to my father's experience as well. My father served in the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment, first as a T4 and then became a SSgt and was trained at GHQ in Brisbane aka Camp Tabragalba. He was then assigned to the 5218th RCN Co Prov, the 20th Gr Obsr Plat-Co. D 597th Sig AW, the 5217th RCN BN Prov and the 1st RCN BN Spec., where he was involved in various secret missions in Negros, Leyte and Hollandia. He also received his CIB, the SSM, BSM, PUC w/1 OLC, the Philippine PUC and the PL Ribbon w/2 Bronze Stars. I wonder if my father ran into yours? Like you, my father never said much about the war either ... as a couple of friends that served in Nam. Everything I mentioned, I found out just a couple of years ago as I actually read his WD AGO 53-55 aka DD 214 and with the help of the NARA and the NPRC via SF180.🇺🇲🇵🇭
@@santiagoabalos7564 - There is always the chance they did cross paths. When dad started out with the Regiment as they formed up in California there were not all that many men there. Of course it grew in size until it became two Regiments. Your dad’s course of action closely paralleled my dad’s, both were basically working in the recon arena. From what little I did hear from him and one family friend who served with him, the only places he went to were the Fiji’s, New Guinea, Leyte and Samar. Brisbane, Negros, and Hollander were never mentioned. My hat is off to your dad for his service to our country and the Philippines. From what I know it was not a pleasant or easy time. I hope he came through it all in good shape and found peace once he left the service.
@@roberthultz9023 The Armored units in the Phillipines Dec 1941 included the one from the 32nd ID which had been detached from the Division. Equipped with M3 Light Tanks
My father was a member of the 81th division. Like a lot of other army soldiers he fought in the pacific. Like other army units, their sacrifices were rarely appreciated or acknowledged.
When I was in the Army Reserve our patch was the 81div which at that time was 81st ARCOM. It is unique patch as the BDU and Class A were the same olive drab with no color version as most patches. I would have to explain to the Sgt's when I went away for training when we had inspection since they didn't believe me there was no color version for dress uniform.
Proud soldier who served with the 6th I.D. Light in Alaska 1986-1990. Glad to see the Sight Seein' Sixth mentioned. A lot of famous actors served with the 6th I.D. Clint Eastwood, Martin Milner, and Leonard Nimoy! Hooah!
There are numerous units that were not attached to divisions. My father was in the 32nd ID until the division was converted to the new trianguar structure. They then went on to serve in Italy as the independent 173rd Field Artillery.
Thanks for this information. I have actually encountered people who believe that there were no Army divisions in the Pacific during WW2. They think it was only the US Marine Corps. They express disbelief when I tell them that there were more US Army divisions in the Pacific than US Marine divisions.
Not taking anything away from the USMC, The USMC is all about PR. And the clueless media falls all over it. The US Army has always gone out and accomplished its mission and never looked for any fanfare.
And the Army made more amphib landings than the Marines and Most invasions the Marines were in they fought next to \army units. As I recall about 80,000 U.S. Army were killed in the Pacific to around 20,000 Marines...so yes the Army was out there too. Hats off to all who served the Pacific....and Don't forget Navy. And God keep all those who paid the ultimate price. It must be said though that the USMC public relations and affairs department tasked with making the Marines get noticed was second to none.............if those guys didn't get medals from the Corps, they should have!
My uncle was the S-2 of the 105th infantry regiment (27th division). The only "all USMC" operations were the initial phase of Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima was all USMC because the US Army declared that not one US Army soldier would serve under Holland Smith's command after his incompetent command of the Saipan operation.
@@gregkerr725 I do not believe the Army made more invasions than the Marines. The Army was operating in the Western Pacific and the Marines in the Central. The Marines trained the Army on Amhib landings. Of course, there were more Army killed as there were more Army Divisions. Don't blame the Marines for their publity as they earned every one of them in their history.
We had several veterans of the Pacific in my neighborhood, all from either the USMC, or the 77th ID. One of the 77th guys lost his eye, fighting on Guam, the other was my friend's dad, who fought on Guam, the Philippines and Okinawa.
One of the medals for the 27th, in particular the 105th regiment would be a Presidential Unit Commendation for their defense against the largest banzai charge of the Pacific. Only 4 officers and 182 soldiers survived the 5000 man banzai charge. One of those officers was my uncle, the regimental S-2 who took charge of the final defensive perimeter until he was relieved by the B Co commander. Unfortunately he angered General Holland Smith by correcting the general on the number of japanese when Holland Smith incorrectly stated it was 500, Holland Smith turned down every single award the Army submitted for my uncle's actions that night.
@@erichammond9308 I don’t know very much about him, unfortunately. Everything I know about him I learned from my grandmother, and she says he did not like talking about his time in the service. I do know he served in Saipan. Im sure you are probably familiar with the story of CPT Salomon defending his aid station on July 7th, when the Japanese infiltrated the medial tent after the bonsai charge. I am pretty certain my great grandfather was one of the wounded inside the medical tent on that day, as the details from that incident eerily line up with a story my grandmother told me about my great grandfather. I can’t imagine the horrors they encountered on that day. My great grandfather suffered with severe alcohol abuse when he came back from the war, and after researching his unit and what they endured, I understand why.
My father whom is Japanese American Lt. Pat Neishi served in 3 division during WWII, 32nd Division 1942 Buna/Gona, 41st Division 1943-44, 38th Division 1944-45.
while not many or alot of japanese americans served with combat foces in the pacific many of them served with great honor as interpeters, intelligence, and you name it. in the pacific with little or no fanfare. salute to your father.
It's interesting to see how many of these once divisions are now brigades and a few remain divisions sort of absorbing the surrounding ones. for example the once 33rd division is now the 33rd infantry brigade along with the 37th once division now brigade all under the still 38th division
My dad served the Army of Alaska. They were ready to jump off on the invasion when the the bombs dropped. He wore a beautiful shoulder patch of a polar under the North Star.
My Dear Wonderful old Friend Michael (R.I.P.) Was in the 2nd Marine Division, He was on Tarawa & Okinawa. We watched a documentary together I got from the library on Tarawa, he just wept the whole time.!
My Dad was drafted in WW2 and assigned to the 12th Armored Division. His sub unit was the 119th armored engineer battalion. Dad was in first platoon of C company in that battalion. Dad was wounded twice bad enough to receive a Purple Heart and once lightly. He earned the Bronze Star and received a battlefield commission to 2nd Lt. Knowing what I do about the combat infantryman's badge, I feel it was insulting that though he often fought as infantry alongside members of the several armored infantry battalions which were a part of the division as well. He also earned the Bronze Star. I'm not sure what for as he didn't say...though we have one mimeographed flimsy sent by the commander of one of his divisions tank battalions to the head of Dad's battalion commending Dad for determining the pattern of a German mine field while under fire from German emplacements 80 yards away. One of his squad was killed in the field and Dad and another guy dragged another wounded guy to safety and then dad crawled back out there where another guy had been hit and presumed dead, but another member of the patrol thought that guy might have still been alive. Dad risked his life to crawl out there but the guy was indeed dead. Now that's infantry combat. His Bronze Star medal did not have the V device for valor....but if that wasn't valor I don't know what is. his platoon was basically the reconnaissance platoon and Dad lead numerous night patrols behind the lines trying to fix where the German units were dug in. Of course that flimsy did not mention a medal so he may have just gotten an attaboy. He also got the Soldiers Medal in Korea and a meritorious Bronze Star in Vietnam.
The 6th Infantry Division soldier could also have received an occupation medal with a "KOREA" bar on it. The 24th Corps, with the 6th, 7th, and 40th Divisions were placed on occupation duty in southern Korea. Korea got a full military occupation although it was a Japanese-occupied territory and was not a belligerent in the war.
I would like to make a clarification, being originally from Salerno, the troops of General Clark's 5th Army did not land in Naples and Foggia as described, the Adriatic area was the responsibility of General Montgomery's Commonwelth troops, but the landings took place in the gulf of Salerno and all the battles took place there, also including the airdrops of the 82nd division
I served in the 27th BCT (formerly Division) from 2007-2017, regiments omitted. All expense paid trips to Afghanistan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Japan, & Puerto Rico.
Do they teach the new soldiers the history of the 27th? In particular the stand of the 105th against the largest banzai charge of the Pacific on Saipan and how the 27th was slandered by Holland Smith?
No, the limited history given was on the regiment. Everything else is on the initiative of the soldier. I knew the history, because I’m into that stuff. As a side note, many new Privates didn’t even know how many stripes were on the flag…
You missed the 1st CAV Although originally being part of the III Corps (which eventually participated in the European Theater), while training in the United States, most of the 1st Cavalry Division arrived in Australia as shown above, continued its training at Strathpine, Queensland, until 26 July, then moved to New Guinea to stage for the Admiralties campaign 22-27 February 1944. The division experienced its first combat in the Admiralty Islands, units landing at Los Negros on 29 February 1944. Momote airstrip was secured against great odds. Attacks by Japanese were thrown back, and the enemy force surrounded by the end of March. Nearby islands were taken in April and May. The division next took part in the invasion of Leyte, 20 October 1944, captured Tacloban and the adjacent airstrip, advanced along the north coast, and secured Leyte Valley, elements landing on and securing Samar Island. Moving down Ormoc Valley (in Leyte) and across the Ormoc plain, the division reached the west coast of Leyte 1 January 1945. The division then invaded Luzon, landing in the Lingayen Gulf area 27 January 1945, and fought its way as a "flying column" to Manila by 3 February 1945. More than 3,000 civilian prisoners at the University of Santo Tomas, including more than 60 US Army nurses (some of the "Angels of Bataan and Corregidor") were liberated,[5] and the 1st Cavalry then advanced east of Manila by the middle of February before the city was cleared. On 20 February the division was assigned the mission of seizing and securing crossings over the Marikina River and securing the Tagaytay-Antipolo Line. After being relieved 12 March in the Antipolo area during the middle of the Battle of Wawa Dam, elements pushed south into Batangas and provinces of Bicol Region together with recognized guerrillas. They mopped up remaining pockets of resistance in these areas in small unit actions. Resistance was officially declared at an end on 1 July 1945.
Good morning and Thank you. Until recently I never knew about the channel and wealth of information found within. When I look at a uniform where an Individual has graduated (1950's) boot camp aka Fort Hood. Fort Hood had somewhere between Four or Six different patches. This patch was worn on the right shoulder and the division patch on the left shoulder. The Individual could move to different Divisions in the same Army. Now here's the question. Why would the right shoulder patch change (From the photos I've seen) so many different patches? Thank you and Thanks for this channel.
The 96th Infantry Division was only in two campaigns (Leyte and Ryukyus) in WWII. The entire Division earned the Presidential Unit Citation and the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. They were never on Occupation Duty of Japan and they earned the Philippine Liberation Medal. Ryukyus - Ree-yook-us Islands is essentially the Battle of Okinawa.
Excellent lecture. Having now seen several of your presentations and heard the same march as background music, it would be great to have: "The Liberty Bell" played by The "President's Own" U.S. Marine Band, instead. It is excellent and always puts me in a happy mood, just like you appear smiling and a little chuckling, as it also reminds me of "Monty Python". By the way, could you tell us something about which insignia dates back to the Civil War, as I think I recognize some?
My great grandpa was in the 475th. I knew he was a sgt in ww2, but I didn't know he was in the 475th. Sgt forrest m bass ww2. He also trained troops in China in 1945
@ I know it’s named ‘cavalry’ for traditional purposes and 1st Cav has infantry. But so does Airborne and Armored divisions. This video is about ‘Infantry Divisions’.
@@T40Xdav - It doesn’t "have" infantry - it IS infantry. Like any other infantry division, it includes support elements. But the video is about infantry divisions - not merely infantry divisions with the word infantry in their name.
What about the 1st Cavalry Division? The 1st Cavalry Division's mounted units permanently retired their horses and converted to infantry on 28 February 1943. They saw action in New Guinea, the Admiralty Islands, invasion of Leyte, Samar Island, invasion of Luzon, and Manila. Then in August 25th 1945 the 1st Cav were the first troops in Japan for occupation duty.
I saw the video on the Army infantry divisions in Europe. Both are very interesting. Weren’t many of these units made up of National Guard units? For instance the 90th Infantry which was nicknamed the “ Tough Hombre” was made up of units from Texas and Oklahoma. That might also explain the origin of their shoulder patch. The “Victory Division” the 95th originally had a lot of soldiers from Oklahoma and Kansas. It’s shoulder patch consisted of the letter K inside the letter O.
Happy New Year Sir ! I had a question for you. If a military person is awarded , say , a Silver Star medal . Then , later it is upgraded to Medal of Honor . Can that recipient still wear the Silver Star medal ?
@@jaredevildog6343 And when they do the final count, how many Silver Stars the unit earned, do they subtract it? For example, the 442nd Infantry Regiment earned 4,000 Purple Hearts. Let's say one gets changed. Leaders decide that one particular soldier earned a Silver Star. Do they officially recognize the final count as 3,999?
Two things. First, with regard to your "mistaken" inclusion of the Arrowhead to the Battle Stars earned by the Division, two of the three Regiments earned TWO Arrowheads (Leyte and Okinawa) during the war, and the third earned just a single Arrowhead for Leyte. Second, there are actually TWO separate Divisions called Americal. The first was organized out of an Infantry Brigade Headquarters from Massachusetts along with three National Guard Infantry Regiments on the French Islands of New Caledonia, hence the name for the Division. That Division was NEVER given a numerical designation, but rather remained Americal throughout World War Two. The Second Americal Division was organized out of three Regular Army Separate Infantry Brigades during the Vietnam War, and while it was given the designation of 23rd Infantry Division, it was also unofficially at least identified as the Americal during that period of time.
What makes the USA a great military force is that it allows it's citizens to pick which branch and what occupation they want to learn, I truly believe that's why they are all so good at what they do....
Couple of questions for you sir. My dad served in the 24th with the 19th Brigade.Would he have had two patches, since I know the 19th had an official logo? Also he has three stars on his campaign medal and I see the Division has five. Is he only eligible for three because he was discharged in December 1944 after a severe bayonet wound and bout of malaria? My understanding also is that Leyte was an amphibious landing. Wouldn't that make him eligible for an arrowhead?
The five stars stated for the 24th Infantry Division would have been available to someone who served throughout the war with that Division. Individual soldiers would receive only that many, or (mostly) fewer because they didn't serve in all five campaigns. In fact a great many soldiers only received a single Campaign Star even though the Division they served with (such as the 1st Infantry Division, the Big Red One in Europe) might have been eligible for as many as 8 Campaign Stars. With regard to the Amphibious Arrowhead, this is the Pacific that we are talking about here, Combat ONLY took place on Islands out there. However, that does not mean that he would have been eligible for an Arrowhead, because of when, where, and how he entered combat. Finally, your father did NOT serve in the 19th infantry Brigade, since such a unit did not exist during World War Two. Rather, he would have most likely served with the 19th Infantry Regiment, since such a unit DID exist, and was a part of the 24th Infantry Division. I believe you are conflating British/Canadian/Australian (along with modern American Army) organizational designations with American World War Two organizational designations. The British system was that a Brigade (usually) consisted of 3 Battalions, each with its own unique designation (the Brigade I served in during the early 1970's consisted of the 1/13th, 1/39th. and 1/87th), whereas in the American World War Two system (also used currently by the Marine Corps) a Regiment (usually; Glider Regiments had only 2 Battalions) consisted of 3 Battalions, always called 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions
@@davidbriggs7365yeah my battalion in the 25ID was originally in a 24ID regiment. We held the lineage for the 21st Infantry regiment. Originally the 24/25th were the same division. They split the Hawaiian Division into the two. The 24th was VERY historically important, and my battalion was around at some seriously pivotal moments. They fought at Cedar mountain, the regimental band played for the driving of the golden spike for the intercontinental railroad, the Nez Perce, the Apache, the Spanish/American War, the Philippines, they were straffed by Japanese fighters on Dec7, the witnessed the battle of Leyte gulf. Cleared the Philippines, and then my company was the first American Rifle company in Korea in 1950. Task Force Smith was named for my Battalion’s Commander at the time. Then the unit was reflagged to Germany when the army broke the Regimental system. The 19th regiment is a Tradoc (training) regiment now. The destruction of the regimental system broke all semblance of unit cohesion at higher than battalion level. It didn’t even make sense from a logistical or planning standpoint. It was like “who ran a unit in WW2? Did we like that guy? No? Well get rid of that battalion.”
Very interesting, indeed.But there is an unanswered question:Where were the 20th, 21st and 22nd Inf.Divisions?.I looked for them and i did not find them.
@@glennhelm9525 Very weird , indeed.No information available about those divisions? Were others like them that never got in combat?.Thanks 4 your answer.
well, the 28th was pretty easy to figure out! Keystone emblem was moto nicknamed for Pennsylvania by Benjamin Franklin...during the signing of The Declaration of Independence as, "the KEY stone of the arch that would join between North and South." The "Rail-splitters" is another obvious one if you ever learned your American History. (I don't think they teach that anymore in America. The Russians and Chinese probably know more of it than Gen Z and Gen Woke! But hey! They sure know what a pronoun is!! And hair dye too! LOL)
@@blackhawk7r221 Thank you. I know my dad's unit, the 40th was made up of regiments from Kentucky and New York. There were communication problems between regiments.
So glad the Marine Corps went away from wearing Division/Air Wing Patches. No 1st Cav? I know they are a Cavalry Division but really nothing more than a glorified infantry division in WWII.
My dad's separation form is WD AGO form 53.55. I see nothing about the division he was in. His honorable discharge shows only "263rd Ordnance Company (Medium Maintenence)". How do I find his division?
what about my dad's division ww2 the first cavalry division dismounted? admiralty islands, new guinea and the liberation of the philipines? first in manila and the first in tokyo.
The 32nd ID had the most days in combat of any US division in WWII. They were still engaged in combat in August 45.
Red Arrows
How many consecutive days was that?!
@@robertsettle2590 is your Google broken?
@@robertsettle2590
Not sure. But the 32nd ID website probably has that. And due to rotation of regiments in and out of combat none of the regiments their sub units would have that much.
I believe that the 41st had the most at 72+ days of consecutive enemy contact. The Japanese gave the name Junglers to them because of it.
My Marine friends seem to firmly believe that the Pacific theater was entirely a Marine operation. That they won that area entirely on their own. Also in WW1 in Europe, that they were all alone doing their thing over there too. For some, it's Ego, Globe and Anchor. Regardless, they are an exceptional force, glad we're on the same side.
they do have a lot of pride.
@@veteransmedalsworkshop-moa4376 They certainly do, and earned all of it. It seems other services have their pride in their branches/specialties more than the overall organization .
I spent plenty of time on Okinawa as an active duty Marine in the '90's. The battle of Okinawa was a tough fight for everyone. My utmost respect to everyone who fought there.
That being said, one thing that must be remembered is there were four full Marine Divisions (smaller than Army Division) and two short divisions in the Pacific, as opposed to the 16 Army Divisions. I promise, the Marines were thankful for their Army comrades. They were also thankful for the Brits and ANZACs!
@@phillipallen3259 My father served ended up going into Japan as an Occupation force. He loved Japan. Nobody was shooting at him and the Japs regarded them as masters! (he said he almost married a Japanese girl but was sent into Korea). Their culture fit in perfectly with his old world culture, except when it came to women. He said, "The American GI did more to fuck up Japan than the atomic bomb!" LOL The Japanese could NOT comprehend the American chivalry of opening doors for women, men giving their seat at diners to women, children being talked with and candy handed to them and playing with them, etc. My father even as a Master Sgt made some privates on a bus to get up and let a Japanese woman and her kids sit down while he told them to stand. He said, "All the Jap's eyes on the bus were wide as saucers! They could NEVER imagine, even with their own soldiers standing so a woman and children could sit. But they were very grateful that older people receive similar treatment and got rations first along with children and women. But he said, "When any Japanese men would be sitting, they would yank them out of the chair and help themselves to his seat. It was a TOTAL reversal of culture for the Japanese." Then, Korea happened, and he was DONE with the Service after that.
Just the hard ones! LOL
Thank you for the time and effort you put into making this video of the US Army division in the Pacific in World War II. My father was with the 24th. My cousin was with sixth infantry division, my father-in-law with artillery of the 24th.
But I saw things differently, enjoying the Marine Corps for 21 years.
My father served with the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment as a Recon Platoon and Company Commander (I have their shoulder patch in my collection). After leaving California ahead of his unit he went to the Fiji Islands and underwent training with the Alamo Scouts. (They gave him one of their shoulder patches and I have it in my collection.) He was returned to his unit to train them as he had been trained. From there his recon unit went ahead of the Regiment to New Guinea to recon the landing and operating areas for the Division. He went all the way out to Vogel Coupe, New Guinea doing reconnaissance work. From there it was on to Leyte (Silver Star and Bronze Star) and Samar. He earned the assault pin for his campaign ribbon. Nearing the end of the war his unit was assigned to clear Samar of stranded Japanese soldiers, many of which had no intention of surrendering. At sometime or another in 1945 he was sent home to a military hospital in southern Alabama in order to get cured of malaria, several intestinal worms and parasites, as well as getting some weight put back on. He left the states weighing 165 pounds and returned weighing around 100. I learned most all of this from a family friend who joined his unit late in the war. Dad very seldom ever spoke about it.
An interesting story! Your father's experience is similar to my father's experience as well. My father served in the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment, first as a T4 and then became a SSgt and was trained at GHQ in Brisbane aka Camp Tabragalba. He was then assigned to the 5218th RCN Co Prov, the 20th Gr Obsr Plat-Co. D 597th Sig AW, the 5217th RCN BN Prov and the 1st RCN BN Spec., where he was involved in various secret missions in Negros, Leyte and Hollandia. He also received his CIB, the SSM, BSM, PUC w/1 OLC, the Philippine PUC and the PL Ribbon w/2 Bronze Stars. I wonder if my father ran into yours? Like you, my father never said much about the war either ... as a couple of friends that served in Nam. Everything I mentioned, I found out just a couple of years ago as I actually read his WD AGO 53-55 aka DD 214 and with the help of the NARA and the NPRC via SF180.🇺🇲🇵🇭
@@santiagoabalos7564 - There is always the chance they did cross paths. When dad started out with the Regiment as they formed up in California there were not all that many men there. Of course it grew in size until it became two Regiments. Your dad’s course of action closely paralleled my dad’s, both were basically working in the recon arena. From what little I did hear from him and one family friend who served with him, the only places he went to were the Fiji’s, New Guinea, Leyte and Samar. Brisbane, Negros, and Hollander were never mentioned. My hat is off to your dad for his service to our country and the Philippines. From what I know it was not a pleasant or easy time. I hope he came through it all in good shape and found peace once he left the service.
While not an "Infantry Division ", 1st Cavalry Division was prolific in the pacific theater spending over 500 days in combat.
Roger that, I plan to do a video on the cav in WW2.
Yes, need to do a video on the Cav.
I believe there were at least two National Guard Cavalry regiments in the Pacific - one even in the CBI.
@@roberthultz9023
The Armored units in the Phillipines Dec 1941 included the one from the 32nd ID which had been detached from the Division. Equipped with M3 Light Tanks
Actually, it was (and remains) an infantry division, even though the word "infantry" is not part of its name.
My father was a member of the 81th division. Like a lot of other army soldiers he fought in the pacific. Like other army units, their sacrifices were rarely appreciated or acknowledged.
you honor his memory and the service.
When I was in the Army Reserve our patch was the 81div which at that time was 81st ARCOM. It is unique patch as the BDU and Class A were the same olive drab with no color version as most patches. I would have to explain to the Sgt's when I went away for training when we had inspection since they didn't believe me there was no color version for dress uniform.
Correct!
I served in the 81st after it converted to the Regional Support Command formation. (1996)
Proud soldier who served with the 6th I.D. Light in Alaska 1986-1990. Glad to see the Sight Seein' Sixth mentioned. A lot of famous actors served with the 6th I.D. Clint Eastwood, Martin Milner, and Leonard Nimoy! Hooah!
There are numerous units that were not attached to divisions. My father was in the 32nd ID until the division was converted to the new trianguar structure. They then went on to serve in Italy as the independent 173rd Field Artillery.
Any relation to the 173rd A/B Div. In NAM? Just curious .
Thanks for this information. I have actually encountered people who believe that there were no Army divisions in the Pacific during WW2. They think it was only the US Marine Corps. They express disbelief when I tell them that there were more US Army divisions in the Pacific than US Marine divisions.
Not taking anything away from the USMC, The USMC is all about PR. And the clueless media falls all over it. The US Army has always gone out and accomplished its mission and never looked for any fanfare.
Right My grandpa was in the 1st Cav. Was in the flying column to San Mateo to rescue POWs
And the Army made more amphib landings than the Marines and Most invasions the Marines were in they fought next to \army units. As I recall about 80,000 U.S. Army were killed in the Pacific to around 20,000 Marines...so yes the Army was out there too. Hats off to all who served the Pacific....and Don't forget Navy. And God keep all those who paid the ultimate price. It must be said though that the USMC public relations and affairs department tasked with making the Marines get noticed was second to none.............if those guys didn't get medals from the Corps, they should have!
My uncle was the S-2 of the 105th infantry regiment (27th division). The only "all USMC" operations were the initial phase of Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima was all USMC because the US Army declared that not one US Army soldier would serve under Holland Smith's command after his incompetent command of the Saipan operation.
@@gregkerr725 I do not believe the Army made more invasions than the Marines. The Army was operating in the Western Pacific and the Marines in the Central. The Marines trained the Army on Amhib landings. Of course, there were more Army killed as there were more Army Divisions. Don't blame the Marines for their publity as they earned every one of them in their history.
We had several veterans of the Pacific in my neighborhood, all from either the USMC, or the 77th ID. One of the 77th guys lost his eye, fighting on Guam, the other was my friend's dad, who fought on Guam, the Philippines and Okinawa.
Great coverage Col! Lots of information and examples as I'm laying out my father's shadow box.
One of the medals for the 27th, in particular the 105th regiment would be a Presidential Unit Commendation for their defense against the largest banzai charge of the Pacific. Only 4 officers and 182 soldiers survived the 5000 man banzai charge. One of those officers was my uncle, the regimental S-2 who took charge of the final defensive perimeter until he was relieved by the B Co commander. Unfortunately he angered General Holland Smith by correcting the general on the number of japanese when Holland Smith incorrectly stated it was 500, Holland Smith turned down every single award the Army submitted for my uncle's actions that night.
Holland Smithsould've been court- marshalled !
@@JohnEglick-oz6cd won't disagree with that one!
My great grandfather was also a surviving member of the 105th. Rest in peace to all the brave Americans who didn’t make it back home.
@@TK-rz6ni do you know what company he was in? My uncle was the A company CO on Okinawa.
@@erichammond9308 I don’t know very much about him, unfortunately. Everything I know about him I learned from my grandmother, and she says he did not like talking about his time in the service.
I do know he served in Saipan. Im sure you are probably familiar with the story of CPT Salomon defending his aid station on July 7th, when the Japanese infiltrated the medial tent after the bonsai charge. I am pretty certain my great grandfather was one of the wounded inside the medical tent on that day, as the details from that incident eerily line up with a story my grandmother told me about my great grandfather. I can’t imagine the horrors they encountered on that day.
My great grandfather suffered with severe alcohol abuse when he came back from the war, and after researching his unit and what they endured, I understand why.
I hope you make a video of USAFFEs Infantry Divisions' insignia & Campaigns during World War II.
Thanks for this. Not many know this.
Okinawa was Marines and soldiers
My father whom is Japanese American Lt. Pat Neishi served in 3 division during WWII, 32nd Division 1942 Buna/Gona, 41st Division 1943-44, 38th Division 1944-45.
A good book about that terrible campaign is War at the End of the World.
while not many or alot of japanese americans served with combat foces in the pacific many of them served with great honor as interpeters, intelligence, and you name it. in the pacific with little or no fanfare. salute to your father.
It's interesting to see how many of these once divisions are now brigades and a few remain divisions sort of absorbing the surrounding ones. for example the once 33rd division is now the 33rd infantry brigade along with the 37th once division now brigade all under the still 38th division
Great program! Well done!
My dad served the Army of Alaska. They were ready to jump off on the invasion when the the bombs dropped. He wore a beautiful shoulder patch of a polar under the North Star.
You forgot the 11th airborne division who originally was used as an infantry division in the Philipines.
My father was with the 7th
. He earned 3 bronze medals with valor and the Silver Star . He was a radio man.
My Dear Wonderful old Friend Michael (R.I.P.)
Was in the 2nd Marine Division,
He was on Tarawa & Okinawa.
We watched a documentary together I got from the library on Tarawa, he just wept the whole time.!
My father was in the 31st till he was wounded. Shipped to Australia to recover, then asigned to the 1st cavalry.
My Dad was drafted in WW2 and assigned to the 12th Armored Division. His sub unit was the 119th armored engineer battalion. Dad was in first platoon of C company in that battalion. Dad was wounded twice bad enough to receive a Purple Heart and once lightly. He earned the Bronze Star and received a battlefield commission to 2nd Lt. Knowing what I do about the combat infantryman's badge, I feel it was insulting that though he often fought as infantry alongside members of the several armored infantry battalions which were a part of the division as well. He also earned the Bronze Star. I'm not sure what for as he didn't say...though we have one mimeographed flimsy sent by the commander of one of his divisions tank battalions to the head of Dad's battalion commending Dad for determining the pattern of a German mine field while under fire from German emplacements 80 yards away. One of his squad was killed in the field and Dad and another guy dragged another wounded guy to safety and then dad crawled back out there where another guy had been hit and presumed dead, but another member of the patrol thought that guy might have still been alive. Dad risked his life to crawl out there but the guy was indeed dead. Now that's infantry combat. His Bronze Star medal did not have the V device for valor....but if that wasn't valor I don't know what is. his platoon was basically the reconnaissance platoon and Dad lead numerous night patrols behind the lines trying to fix where the German units were dug in. Of course that flimsy did not mention a medal so he may have just gotten an attaboy. He also got the Soldiers Medal in Korea and a meritorious Bronze Star in Vietnam.
China-Burma-India campaign is rarely mentioned in the WW2, it was not part of Pacific operations but still had a hard job to do...
My great grandpa was in the 475th fighting in Burma sgt forrest m bass
The 6th Infantry Division soldier could also have received an occupation medal with a "KOREA" bar on it. The 24th Corps, with the 6th, 7th, and 40th Divisions were placed on occupation duty in southern Korea. Korea got a full military occupation although it was a Japanese-occupied territory and was not a belligerent in the war.
I would like to make a clarification, being originally from Salerno, the troops of General Clark's 5th Army did not land in Naples and Foggia as described, the Adriatic area was the responsibility of General Montgomery's Commonwelth troops, but the landings took place in the gulf of Salerno and all the battles took place there, also including the airdrops of the 82nd division
Most interesting. Happy New year Colonel Foster
My dad was in the 25th division 161st infantry in WWII.
My Father served with 25th division field artillery 1941-1945
I served in the 27th BCT (formerly Division) from 2007-2017, regiments omitted.
All expense paid trips to Afghanistan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Japan, & Puerto Rico.
Do they teach the new soldiers the history of the 27th? In particular the stand of the 105th against the largest banzai charge of the Pacific on Saipan and how the 27th was slandered by Holland Smith?
No, the limited history given was on the regiment. Everything else is on the initiative of the soldier. I knew the history, because I’m into that stuff. As a side note, many new Privates didn’t even know how many stripes were on the flag…
You missed the 1st CAV Although originally being part of the III Corps (which eventually participated in the European Theater), while training in the United States, most of the 1st Cavalry Division arrived in Australia as shown above, continued its training at Strathpine, Queensland, until 26 July, then moved to New Guinea to stage for the Admiralties campaign 22-27 February 1944. The division experienced its first combat in the Admiralty Islands, units landing at Los Negros on 29 February 1944. Momote airstrip was secured against great odds. Attacks by Japanese were thrown back, and the enemy force surrounded by the end of March. Nearby islands were taken in April and May. The division next took part in the invasion of Leyte, 20 October 1944, captured Tacloban and the adjacent airstrip, advanced along the north coast, and secured Leyte Valley, elements landing on and securing Samar Island. Moving down Ormoc Valley (in Leyte) and across the Ormoc plain, the division reached the west coast of Leyte 1 January 1945.
The division then invaded Luzon, landing in the Lingayen Gulf area 27 January 1945, and fought its way as a "flying column" to Manila by 3 February 1945. More than 3,000 civilian prisoners at the University of Santo Tomas, including more than 60 US Army nurses (some of the "Angels of Bataan and Corregidor") were liberated,[5] and the 1st Cavalry then advanced east of Manila by the middle of February before the city was cleared. On 20 February the division was assigned the mission of seizing and securing crossings over the Marikina River and securing the Tagaytay-Antipolo Line. After being relieved 12 March in the Antipolo area during the middle of the Battle of Wawa Dam, elements pushed south into Batangas and provinces of Bicol Region together with recognized guerrillas. They mopped up remaining pockets of resistance in these areas in small unit actions. Resistance was officially declared at an end on 1 July 1945.
Not a infantry division.
My grandfather and great grandfather was in the 81st wild cat division in ww2
The Kitty Cat was the US’s very first unit patch.
My father in law was in the 81 st wildcat division in ww2. Nicest guy you could ever know. Maybe they fought together.
Good morning and Thank you. Until recently I never knew about the channel and wealth of information found within. When I look at a uniform where an Individual has graduated (1950's) boot camp aka Fort Hood. Fort Hood had somewhere between Four or Six different patches. This patch was worn on the right shoulder and the division patch on the left shoulder. The Individual could move to different Divisions in the same Army. Now here's the question. Why would the right shoulder patch change (From the photos I've seen) so many different patches? Thank you and Thanks for this channel.
Left shoulder is current unit of assignment, right shoulder is foreign wartime service (or combat patch)
The 96th Infantry Division was only in two campaigns (Leyte and Ryukyus) in WWII. The entire Division earned the Presidential Unit Citation and the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. They were never on Occupation Duty of Japan and they earned the Philippine Liberation Medal. Ryukyus - Ree-yook-us Islands is essentially the Battle of Okinawa.
Excellent lecture. Having now seen several of your presentations and heard the same march as background music, it would be great to have: "The Liberty Bell" played by The "President's Own" U.S. Marine Band, instead. It is excellent and always puts me in a happy mood, just like you appear smiling and a little chuckling, as it also reminds me of "Monty Python". By the way, could you tell us something about which insignia dates back to the Civil War, as I think I recognize some?
My great grandpa was in the 475th. I knew he was a sgt in ww2, but I didn't know he was in the 475th. Sgt forrest m bass ww2. He also trained troops in China in 1945
All gave some and some gave all.
My Grandpa was 25th Infantry Div. 161st Infantry regiment. That medal plaque could've almost been his, lol.
Respectfully, I believe the 1st Cavalry Division could have been mentioned in thus video.
Yes, most definitely. Huge omission.
@@terryvit’s not a infantry division
@@T40Xdav - It’s not? I could’ve sworn it was when I was in it for a year in the infantry…
@ I know it’s named ‘cavalry’ for traditional purposes and 1st Cav has infantry. But so does Airborne and Armored divisions. This video is about ‘Infantry Divisions’.
@@T40Xdav - It doesn’t "have" infantry - it IS infantry. Like any other infantry division, it includes support elements. But the video is about infantry divisions - not merely infantry divisions with the word infantry in their name.
The 7th Infantry Division was first activated in 1917 for WW1.
In the 1990s, i served in the 31st (AL ARNG) and 81st (USAR) what are the odds, they both fought in the PTO.
I was part of the 6th ID in the early 90s
God rest my papa soul,
William Raistrick N.Y.'s United States army 27th infinantry 1940.wouneded twice n received a purple heart.
🙏
KSP up the good work
What about the 1st Cavalry Division? The 1st Cavalry Division's mounted units permanently retired their horses and converted to infantry on 28 February 1943. They saw action in New Guinea, the Admiralty Islands, invasion of Leyte, Samar Island, invasion of Luzon, and Manila. Then in August 25th 1945 the 1st Cav were the first troops in Japan for occupation duty.
yes, I want to do one on just the Cav, they have so many unique patches they need their on video.
Can you please do one about the us army in eto
I saw the video on the Army infantry divisions in Europe. Both are very interesting. Weren’t many of these units made up of National Guard units? For instance the 90th Infantry which was nicknamed the “ Tough Hombre” was made up of units from Texas and Oklahoma. That might also explain the origin of their shoulder patch. The “Victory Division” the 95th originally had a lot of soldiers from Oklahoma and Kansas. It’s shoulder patch consisted of the letter K inside the letter O.
26th through 49 are national guard divisions. 50 and up are army reserve divisions in time of war only.
The Marines only had 6 Inf Div in the Central Pacific plus a few Army Inf Div Attached to them
Happy New Year Sir ! I had a question for you. If a military person is awarded , say , a Silver Star medal . Then , later it is upgraded to Medal of Honor . Can that recipient still wear the Silver Star medal ?
no , the MOH award replaces the Silver Star.
@@veteransmedalsworkshop-moa4376 than you 😁👍
@@jaredevildog6343 And when they do the final count, how many Silver Stars the unit earned, do they subtract it?
For example, the 442nd Infantry Regiment earned 4,000 Purple Hearts. Let's say one gets changed. Leaders decide that one particular soldier earned a Silver Star. Do they officially recognize the final count as 3,999?
The Americal division wasn’t given the number as the 23rd division until after WW2 was over. It was unnumbered during WW2.
Why didn’ soldiers wore patches in the pacific but did in the ETO?
Can you please post a video on the 25th 161st?
may be a while. still working my way thru Vietnam and WW2.
Yes, any videos -pics and or any info concerning the 25thID (WWII) would be -: Greatly appreciated - - Thank you @@veteransmedalsworkshop-moa4376
It's hard to fathom how many men we had under arms during the war.
Two things. First, with regard to your "mistaken" inclusion of the Arrowhead to the Battle Stars earned by the Division, two of the three Regiments earned TWO Arrowheads (Leyte and Okinawa) during the war, and the third earned just a single Arrowhead for Leyte. Second, there are actually TWO separate Divisions called Americal. The first was organized out of an Infantry Brigade Headquarters from Massachusetts along with three National Guard Infantry Regiments on the French Islands of New Caledonia, hence the name for the Division. That Division was NEVER given a numerical designation, but rather remained Americal throughout World War Two. The Second Americal Division was organized out of three Regular Army Separate Infantry Brigades during the Vietnam War, and while it was given the designation of 23rd Infantry Division, it was also unofficially at least identified as the Americal during that period of time.
Great video there’s a RUclips video entitled How to pronounce Ryukyu islands
thanks, I am on my way
What unit the Rangers in war world Attached , and serve with 1 Aromor in Germany and the 9th infantry ,how would find out what metals to put a plague
Why I don’t see soldiers in the pacific wearing their patches?
What makes the USA a great military force is that it allows it's citizens to pick which branch and what occupation they want to learn, I truly believe that's why they are all so good at what they do....
You can choose branch and occupation in most militaries
Why did the 93rd have some units serving with the French Army in WWI? Who were those units?
Was there a 101st Infantry unit in the Philippines?
No ETO only.
Couple of questions for you sir. My dad served in the 24th with the 19th Brigade.Would he have had two patches, since I know the 19th had an official logo? Also he has three stars on his campaign medal and I see the Division has five. Is he only eligible for three because he was discharged in December 1944 after a severe bayonet wound and bout of malaria? My understanding also is that Leyte was an amphibious landing. Wouldn't that make him eligible for an arrowhead?
The five stars stated for the 24th Infantry Division would have been available to someone who served throughout the war with that Division. Individual soldiers would receive only that many, or (mostly) fewer because they didn't serve in all five campaigns. In fact a great many soldiers only received a single Campaign Star even though the Division they served with (such as the 1st Infantry Division, the Big Red One in Europe) might have been eligible for as many as 8 Campaign Stars.
With regard to the Amphibious Arrowhead, this is the Pacific that we are talking about here, Combat ONLY took place on Islands out there. However, that does not mean that he would have been eligible for an Arrowhead, because of when, where, and how he entered combat.
Finally, your father did NOT serve in the 19th infantry Brigade, since such a unit did not exist during World War Two. Rather, he would have most likely served with the 19th Infantry Regiment, since such a unit DID exist, and was a part of the 24th Infantry Division. I believe you are conflating British/Canadian/Australian (along with modern American Army) organizational designations with American World War Two organizational designations. The British system was that a Brigade (usually) consisted of 3 Battalions, each with its own unique designation (the Brigade I served in during the early 1970's consisted of the 1/13th, 1/39th. and 1/87th), whereas in the American World War Two system (also used currently by the Marine Corps) a Regiment (usually; Glider Regiments had only 2 Battalions) consisted of 3 Battalions, always called 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions
@@davidbriggs7365yeah my battalion in the 25ID was originally in a 24ID regiment. We held the lineage for the 21st Infantry regiment. Originally the 24/25th were the same division. They split the Hawaiian Division into the two. The 24th was VERY historically important, and my battalion was around at some seriously pivotal moments. They fought at Cedar mountain, the regimental band played for the driving of the golden spike for the intercontinental railroad, the Nez Perce, the Apache, the Spanish/American War, the Philippines, they were straffed by Japanese fighters on Dec7, the witnessed the battle of Leyte gulf. Cleared the Philippines, and then my company was the first American Rifle company in Korea in 1950. Task Force Smith was named for my Battalion’s Commander at the time. Then the unit was reflagged to Germany when the army broke the Regimental system.
The 19th regiment is a Tradoc (training) regiment now.
The destruction of the regimental system broke all semblance of unit cohesion at higher than battalion level. It didn’t even make sense from a logistical or planning standpoint. It was like “who ran a unit in WW2? Did we like that guy? No? Well get rid of that battalion.”
@@davidbriggs7365 The 1 and 2-39 are now BCT BNs at Ft Jackson. I was wearing a round brown with the AAA-O in 2012-13.
Very interesting, indeed.But there is an unanswered question:Where were the 20th, 21st and 22nd Inf.Divisions?.I looked for them and i did not find them.
They were non existent. For reasons unknown, the Army never used those #'s.
@@glennhelm9525
Very weird , indeed.No information available about those divisions?
Were others like them that never got in combat?.Thanks 4 your answer.
@@glennhelm9525
A case for Scully and Mulder😂😂!!.
The 23rd , 24th , 25th and 27th fought in the Pacific.The 28th and 29th and 26th in Europe.
@@glennhelm9525
I bet those divisions were canibalized to arm other divisions.
My dad was in the 43
I would suggest you refer the origins of each div. 77th NY Natuonal Guard. 32nd WS & Michigan NG . 37th Ohio National Guard
The 77th ID was a USAR division.
well, the 28th was pretty easy to figure out! Keystone emblem was moto nicknamed for Pennsylvania by Benjamin Franklin...during the signing of The Declaration of Independence as, "the KEY stone of the arch that would join between North and South."
The "Rail-splitters" is another obvious one if you ever learned your American History. (I don't think they teach that anymore in America. The Russians and Chinese probably know more of it than Gen Z and Gen Woke! But hey! They sure know what a pronoun is!! And hair dye too! LOL)
The 32nd's roots can be traced to the Iron Brigade. 1st Brigade, 1st Corps.
The 40th was the Calif. NG division, based at Camp Roberts. The arm patch indicated the Sunburst Divion, still a NG unit.
The 6th Corps fought in the European Theater.
내가 최고허눈게 노랍다,
ryukyus = ru you ques. btw the 37th is the ohio national guard.
thanks
Ree-oo-koos
super, thanks
defence attacks mark
Were all these divisions made up of National Guard regiments? I know the 40th was.
1-25 are active duty. 26-50 are National Guard. 51-104 are Army Reserve
@@blackhawk7r221 Thank you. I know my dad's unit, the 40th was made up of regiments from Kentucky and New York. There were communication problems between regiments.
40 ID in Iraq
Hooah
So glad the Marine Corps went away from wearing Division/Air Wing Patches. No 1st Cav? I know they are a Cavalry Division but really nothing more than a glorified infantry division in WWII.
The 24th division was the Taro Leaf division some he failed to mention.
My dad's separation form is WD AGO form 53.55. I see nothing about the division he was in. His honorable discharge shows only "263rd Ordnance Company (Medium Maintenence)". How do I find his division?
what about my dad's division ww2 the first cavalry division dismounted? admiralty islands, new guinea and the liberation of the philipines? first in manila and the first in tokyo.