On March 20, 1945, one phase of the European War ended and another was ready to begin. When, on that day, the Third and Seventh Armies made a junction 12 miles west of Kaiserslautern, in southwestern Germany, they sealed the fate of some 70,000 Germans trapped in the Saar Palatinate, and virtually eliminated the last enemy resistance west of the Rhine.
The 6th Armored Division represented the Seventh Army in that significant meeting. And the Third Army colors were carried by the “Yankees” of the 26th Division.
There are plenty of soldiers from all over the country, including the deep South, who now proudly wear the “YD” monogram on their shoulders, but the original Yankees were Massachusetts National Guardsmen who went on active duty nearly a year before Pearl Harbor.
In World War I, the 26th led all other Guard divisions in numbers of combat decorations, but in World War II the Division thought for a while that it might not earn any at all. It wasn’t until after nearly four years of training that the Yankees had a chance to play for keeps.
On September 29, 1944, the 26th went into action on the Third Army front southeast of Verdun, taking up positions between the Meuse and the Moselle Rivers. Within a month, the outfit had seen plenty of action east of St.Mihiel, near Nancy, and north of the Forêt de Parroy. Till early November, however, the 26th had primarily defensive missions.
But on November 8th came the order the Yankees had been waiting for—“Attack!” The Third Army set out to reduce the fortress of Metz. The 26th didn’t go after that city. Instead, operating on the southern flank of the assault forces, it advanced 50 miles in a month, crossing the Seille and Saar Rivers, pushing through rugged enemy resistance, and fighting under weather conditions so adverse that its supporting armor and other forces couldn’t maneuver effectively, compelling the 26th’s Infantrymen to fight on their own.
They did well, taking Morville, by-passing Dieuze to go after Sarreguemines, and, on December 12, plunged into Germany itself at the Blies River.
On December 14, the Division returned to Metz, and a few days later rushed to the aid of the First Army in the Ardennes sector. On Christmas Day, the 26th celebrated its arrival at the scene of trouble by launching an attack on the south side of the German salient extending into Belgium. Many units in that area were trying desperately to break through the German lines and relieve the 101st Airborne, making its stand at Bastogne. One of the first outfits to reach the beleaguered forces was the 26th. Santa Claus himself couldn’t have been better received.
From Fighting Divisions, Kahn & McLemore, Infantry Journal Press, 1945-1946.
"Yankee Division"
During World War I, a press conference of Boston newspapermen was called by the Commanding General to determine a nickname for this division, which had just been inducted from New England National Guard units. The adopted suggestion was, "Call it the 'Yankee Division' as all New Englanders are Yankees", and a dark blue monogrammed 'YD' on an olive drab background was officially designated as the division insignia.
COMMAND AND STAFF
Commanding General
| 7 Sep 44 |
Maj. Gen. Willard S. Paul |
Assistant Division Commander
| 7 Sep 44 |
Brig. Gen. Harlan N. Hartness |
Artillery Commander
| 7 Sep 44 |
Brig. Gen. Morrill Ross |
Chief of Staff
| 7 Sep 44 |
Col. Bernice M. McFadyen |
Assistant Chief of Staff G-1
| 7 Sep 44 |
Maj. George A. Sullivan, Jr. |
| 1 Dec 44 |
Lt. Col. George A. Sullivan, Jr. |
Assistant Chief of Staff G-2
| 7 Sep 44 |
Lt. Col. John Cotter |
Assistant Chief of Staff G-3
| 7 Sep 44 |
Lt. Col. John L. Pauley, Jr. |
Assistant Chief of Staff G-4
| 7 Sep 44 |
Lt. Col. Walter H. Lippincott |
Assistant Chief of Staff G-5
| 12 Oct 44 |
Maj. Edward I. Condren |
| 1 Mar 45 |
Lt. Col. Edward I. Condren |
Adjutant General
| 7 Sep 44 |
Lt. Col. Cecil A. Hileman |
Commanding Officer, 101st Infantry
| 7 Sep 44 |
Col. Walter T. Scott |
Commanding Officer, 104th Infantry
| 7 Sep 44 |
Col. Dwight T. Colley |
| 10 Nov 44 |
Col. Ralph A. Palladino |
Commanding Officer, 328th Infantry
| 7 Sep 44 |
Col. Ben R. Jacobs |
| 26 Dec 44 |
Lt. Col. Paul Hamilton |
| 15 Mar 45 |
Col. Aloysius E. O'Flaherty, Jr. |
STATISTICS
Chronology
| Inducted |
16 January 1941 |
| Arrived ETO |
7 September 1944 |
| Arrived Continent (D+105) |
19 September 1944 |
| Entered Combat |
12 October 1944 |
| Days in Combat |
199 |
Casualties (Tentative)
| Killed |
1,678 |
| Wounded |
7,379 |
| Missing |
740 |
| Captured |
159 |
| Battle Casualties |
9,956 |
| Non-Battle Casualties |
6,895 |
| Total Casualties |
16,851 |
| Percent of T/O Strength |
119.6 |
Campaigns
- Northern France
- Rhineland
- Ardennes
- Central Europe
Individual Awards
| Distinguished Service Cross |
38 |
| Legion of Merit |
7 |
| Silver Star |
927 |
| Soldiers Medal |
42 |
| Bronze Star |
5,331 |
| Air Medal |
98 |
Prisoners of War Taken
COMPOSITION
- 101st Infantry
- 104th Infantry
- 328th Infantry
- 26th Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized)
- 101st Engineer Combat Battalion
- 114th Medical Battalion
- 26th Division Artillery
- 101st Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer)
- 102d Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer)
- 263d Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer)
- 180th Field Artillery Battalion (155mm Howitzer)
- Special Troops
- 726th Ordnance Light Maintenance Company
- 26th Quartermaster Company
- 39th Signal Company
- Military Police Platoon
- Headquarters Company
- Band
ATTACHMENTS
Antiaircraft Artillery
| 390th AAA AW Bn (SP) |
14 Oct 44-25 May 45 |
Armored
| Co E, 33d Armd Regt (3d Armd Div) |
11 Oct 44-22 Oct 44 |
| 3d Bn, 33d Armd Regt (3d Armd Div) |
15 Oct 44-22 Oct 44 |
| 37th Tk Bn (4th Armd Div) |
17 Oct 44-26 Oct 44 |
| 761st Tk Bn |
29 Oct 44-12 Dec 44 |
| 735th Tk Bn |
21 Dec 44-25 Jan 45 |
| 778th Tk Bn |
29 Jan 45-16 Feb 45 |
| Co C, 778th Tk Bn |
16 Feb 45-8 Mar 45 |
| Co B, 778th Tk Bn |
11 Mar 45-18 Mar 45 |
| 778th Tk Bn |
19 Mar 45-20 Jul 45 |
Cavalry
| 2d Cav Gp |
12 Oct 44-22 Nov 44 |
Chemical
| Co A, 81st Cml Mort Bn |
15 Oct 44-25 Oct 44 |
| Cos A&B, 3d Cml Mort Bn |
22 Dec 44-25 Jan 45 |
| Co D, 81st Cml Mort Bn |
29 Jan 45-20 Feb 45 |
| Co A, 81st Cml Mort Bn |
29 Jan 45-7 Mar 45 |
| Co C, 91st Cml Mort Bn |
7 Mar 45-12 Apr 45 |
| 97th Cml Mort Bn (- Co B) |
12 Apr 45-13 Apr 45 |
| Co B, 97th Cml Mort Bn |
13 Apr 45-14 Apr 45 |
Engineer
| 249th Engr C Bn |
22 Dec 44-25 Jan 45 |
| 1152d Engr C Gp |
30 Jan 45-7 Mar 45 |
| 1258th Engr C Bn |
28 Feb 45-7 Mar 45 |
| 179th Engr C Bn |
1 Mar 45-7 Mar 45 |
Infantry
| 51st Armd Inf Bn (4th Armd Div) |
19 Nov 44-29 Nov 44 |
| 5th Ranger Inf Bn |
29 Jan 45-9 Feb 45 |
| 359th CT (90th Div) |
6 Apr 45-10 Apr 45 |
Tank Destroyer
| 704th TD Bn (SP) |
14 Oct 44-26 Oct 44 |
| 691st TD Bn (T) |
15 Oct 44-7 Dec 44 |
| 602d TD Bn (SP) |
23 Oct 44-12 Dec 44 |
| 610th TD Bn (SP) |
12 Nov 44-12 Dec 44 |
| 818th TD Bn (SP) |
21 Dec 44-20 Jul 45 |
26th Infantry Division World War II Missing in Action
There are 27 soldiers of the 26th Infantry Division World War II still listed as missing in action.
