5th Army

Shoulder insignia, of Second World War origin, of the 5th US Army.

The activation of the V Corps took place in October 1940 at Camp Beauregard in Louisiana. It began by taking part in the great maneuvers of Louisiana in the summer of 1941. Following the entry of the United States into the war, it was deployed to Ireland, becoming the first American force deployed in the European theater of operations during the Second World War.

The V Corps participated in the landings of June 6, 1944. It landed at Omaha Beach with the 1st Infantry Division and the 29th Infantry Division, where it suffered heavy losses due to a particularly effective German defense. During the Battle of Normandy and for most of the campaign until the German surrender, V Corps was subordinate to the U.S. First Army, except for a brief detachment to the Seventh Army in the fall of 1944 and to the Third Army for the final days of combat.