What is your favorite division in either army and why?

Alright here we go,

Lets see the lot...

As the title says...What is your favorite... U.S., British, Italian or German Army Division etc. in the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations? Also if you have a specific unit within your said favorite division please feel free to post that as well....

As you can all tell, you know what division I love....

The U.S. 3rd Infantry Division. It has many names that it goes by. Some given to it by its fellow allies, the U.S. Army and some even from its foes....

"Rock of The Marne" for the Marne Defensive of July 14th-18th, 1918.

"Saviors of Anzio"...Gen. Truscott, after breaking up the February 1944 German Counteroffensive.

"Blue and White Devil's... Gen. Kesselring's overall nickname for the 3rd Inf. Division during the course of the war.

The U.S. 3rd Infantry Division has a long and illustrious history.

Formed Camp Greene, N.C. in April 1917. Served from Jun. 1918 to Nov. 1918 in six major campaigns during WWI. It was here that they conceived their patch. It has three diagonal stripes signifying not only the numerical listing of the division but, also each stripe signifies two of each of the divisions campaigns in which it participated during WWI.

In Nov. 1942, the U.S. 3rd Inf. Division landed at Fedela in North Africa near Casablanca(Op. Torch). It served throughout North Africa it was the personal guards for the Casablanca Conference in Mar. 1943. In Jul. 1943, it particiapted in the Sicily campaign(Op. Husky) and in September of the same year they landed at Salerno(Op. Avalanche) and moved inland and fought for 59 days up the boot of Italy until relieved on the line in Nov. of 1943.

In Jan. 1944 they landed at Anzio 40 miles behind the Germans forward most lines and shortly thereafter took part in securing the beachhead(Op. Shingle). Unfortunately, they would be contained on the beachhead until May 1944 when they broke out and by Jun. 4th, 1944 they would be the first major element into the first of the Axis capital cities...Rome.

In August of 1944 the 3rd Inf. Division would again make an amphibious landing near St. Tropez in S. France(Op. Dragoon) and by Nov. 1944 they had captured and secured the city of Strasbourg, France. In Jan. 1945 the 3rd Inf. Division crossed the Rhine and captured Zweibrucken inside Germany. From there they moved on to secure Schweinfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Nurnburg, Berchtesgaden, and Salzburg when hostilities came to an end on May 8th, 1945.

By the end of World War II the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division had accomplished the following milestones for the war....

Days in Combat: 531(most in the MTO/ETO)*
*Second only to the 37th Division in the Pacific for days in combat (603).
CMH: 36
Bronze Star: 3,415
Silver Star: 4,345
DFC: 83
Legion of Merit: 91
DSC: 43
Combat Casualties: 24,316*
*The most of any combat division in the ETO or the MTO.
Most Combat Casualties In A Single Day: 813 U.S. 3rd Infantry Division soldiers

My favorite regiment of the division is above all the U.S. 30th Infantry Regiment, primarily their the veteran regiment by the beginning of WWII within the division and they are forgotten regiment of the division as well.

Beside the above reason for the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division being my favorite division, I live right down the road from the active U.S. 3rd Infantry Division(Mechanized).

Well, there ya go thats pretty much my take on my favorite unit/units in WWII...What is everyone elses??

Lets hear about them....

Regards,
MARNE

[ 03. July 2006, 02:35 PM: Message edited by: MARNE ]

 

6th Australian Infantry Division AIF.

Captured Bardia, Tobruk & Benghazi.

Was sent to Greece were it arrived just in time to be attacked by the Germans.

Many of its units fought on Crete and in Syria.

Garrisoned Ceylon during the threat from Japan.

Returned to Australia where it was soon sent into New Guinea, fought in the Wau-Salamaua area in 1943 & at Aitape-Wewak in 1944-45.

Most Commonwealth units fought a much longer war than US Army units and did so under far greater odds.

Other worthy mentions from our side of the fence are
9th Australian Div (Tobruk, Alamein, Lae, Borneo)
The New Zealand Div(or 2nd NZ Div)(Crusader, Alamein, NW Africa, Cassino, Nth Ital),
7th British Armoured (Western Desert from 1940 to 1943, Italy, NW Europe)
& 4th Indian Infantry (Sidi Barrani, Abbysinia, Keren, Alamein,NW Africa, Italy, Cassino)

 

That's a tough one. As far as divisions go, I'd have to say the 82nd Airborne Division. But if I got to pick any unit, I'd take the 1st Ranger Battalion or the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion.

 

51st Highland division, 11th Armd 'Black Bull'

 

Off top of head and no books in front of me...Hobarts funnies on D-Day...On British and Canadian sectors..Without em we could have had a few more Omahas..Was this a division or part of a division? I cant remember, although I think it had a divisional title.

 

Sorry didnt realise I was in the Med thatre of ops forum here..apologies..

But still, ok, not a division, but the 11th Hussars..from start to finish...always at the forefront.

 

”Hey, kid, they haven't got you in the nut ward again?

No.9

 

79th Armoured Division

 

On the wrong side of the fence:

15 & 21 Pz, hard to seperate
90th Light, actually to whole Afrika Korps.

1 Fallschirmjaeger Division, from Sicily , Cassino and onwards always a hard fighting Unit.

Ariete, if bleesed with better equipment this unit had the leaders and morale to have been a force to reckon with.

 

4th Indian Division. a largely forgotten division now but instrumental in the victory in north africa (both opened the major campaign in north africa with the attack on general graziani's italians and closed it with the capture of general von arnim in tunisia). there campaigns include , Egypt.Eritrea.Syria.Egypt again.Libya. Tunisia.Italy and Greece. during the war they suffered over 25,000 casualties (dead,mia,wounded etc. a Fine division made up of many races and creeds who all fought and died together.

 

Hey raj-rif,

I have to admit. You are quite correct the Indian Divisions don't get enough recognition that they deserve. Especially after Imperial in 1944.

The indians that I am most impressed with are the Gurkhas...those boys were bad-ass!

Regards,
MARNE

 

78th 'Battleaxe' Div.-my old man was in it.
51st Highland Div.-My uncle was in that.

 

Gordon

What regiments did your father and uncle serve in?

 

raj-rif

They also had a splendid top man in Tucker. Good call.

 

a little known fact about Tucker. after Alamain 4th Indians and Tucker expected to be in the chase as they were old hands at the Bengazi Stales, when Montgomery put them into reserve and set them too cleaning up the battlefield scrap Tucker got them to do the job quickly so that they could get back into the game, when that didnt happen he went to see Montgomery and asked him to relieve him of his command of 4th Indians if he was not going to use his division of highly trained and experiance troops, monty declined to do so and not long after 4th were called up to the Mareth Line.

 

Your main problem here is that the Gurkha's were not Indians, but troops from the independent nation of Nepal. The average Gurkha was a very pleasant person, being efficient killers was there job, not their hobby.

Especially after Imperial in 1944.

What does this mean??

Overall, the Italian campaign and the efforts of the myriad Nations which made up the Allied forces are well covered, of course the far larger Eastern Front and NW France got more coverage.

 

I took it to mean Imphal.

Though Nepal was and is an independant nation for all intent and purpouses they are classed as part of the Indian army as there troops were serving within this army. yes there are myriads of books etc out there about the Contribution of the various nations involved in the italian/mediteration campaign the average joe in the street views this theatre along with europe etc as a european war, many know of the ozzies but a lot less know of the Indians or the Kiwi's and that i know from re-enacting and setting up Diarama's.

 

Jaeger,
My old man was in 34th Heavy Wireless Section, L of C Sigs, 36th Infantry Bde.
His brother was in 7th Bn (I think), Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders.

 

Quite right raj-rif! Thank you, Imphal was the battle I was aiming for. I could only remember the first three letters of it and I though(at the time) it was something along those lines. But its Imphal..so thank you.

Regards,
MARNE

 

When looking at the best Divisions of WW2, you must take a very serious look at the 4th Indian.

Along with the 7th Armoured it smashed the Italian Army at Sidi barrani.

It was then sent to Abbysinia where with its mates from the 5th Indian Div captured the formidable position at Keren.

Returning to the Mid East it saved the British position in Syria, fought in Operation Crusader and was one of the Divisions at Alam el Halfa & El Alamein.

Monty used it to clear the Mareth Line, Wadi Akarit and lent it to 1st Army for the final push on Tunis.

In Italy it fought in the numerous River Crossings faced by 8th Army and was sent to Cassino to see if they could crack the Monastery.

In late 44 it was sent to Athens and aided in the recovery of Greece from the retreating Germans.

PS. Gurkhas were only in the Indian Units, just like the British Rgts were not Indians.

For excellent books on the Gurkhas, John Masters "Bugles & a Tiger" and "THe Road Past Mandalay" are excellent.

PPS, Is the 4th Div history available online, I have 5th Div.