85th Infantry Division

Shoulder insignia, of Second World War origin, of the 85th Infantry Division.

The 85th Infantry Division is a division of the US Army created for the two world wars and active until 2007. Its nickname (Custer) comes from General George Armstrong Custer1.

It first appeared on August 25, 1917 in Camp Custer, Michigan, in the context of the First World War. After a period of training, it was sent to fight in Europe in the summer of 1918 but it served as a depot unit and was not engaged on the front. However, it participated in supporting the White Armies during the Russian Civil War and some of its units took part in the Polar Bear Expedition which landed in Arkhangelsk. It was finally demobilized in 1919.

On May 15, 1942, the division was reactivated for the Second World War. It arrived in Casablanca on January 2, 1944, where it completed its training before being transferred to Italy, more precisely to Naples on March 27. Its 339th Infantry Regiment was the first to see combat since it was attached to the 88th Infantry Division. The rest of the division, inc