78th Infantry Division cut edge white back

78th Infantry Division cut edge Patch. original, WW2.

The 78th Division was reactivated on August 15, 1942 at Camp Butner in North Carolina. Until March 1, 1943, it served as a troop tank, when it became a combat troop. After two years of training, the 78th embarked on October 14, 1944, landed in England on October 26 and joined France on November 22.

She moved to Tongeren in Belgium on November 27, then moved to the front line at Roetgen in Germany. The 311th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 8th DBUS, took part in the fighting in the Hurtgen forest on December 10. From December 1 to 12, 1944, the 309th and 310th infantry regiments were in the front line, in the vicinity of Entenpfuhl, the elements of the Big Red One.

The 78th ID occupied the front lines on the Siegfried Line at Simmerath, Witzerath (de), and Bickerath, and fought to take Kesternich when Gerd von Rundstedt launched his counter-offensive in the Monschau area on 18 December. It holds its zone firm, and pushes back all the violent German attacks during the winter.

On January 30, 1945, the division attacked and took Kesternich on February 2, then Schmidt (Nideggen) (de) on February 8 and captured the Rur dam intact the next day.

On February 28, the Roer crossed, it joined the forces of the 1st and 9th American Armies towards the Rhine. It crosses the river, on March 8, 1945, by the Ludendorff bridge of Remagen and captures on its way Euskirchen, Rheinbach, and Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler. On March 16, the 78th widened the bridgehead by holding Bad Honnef and cutting off part of the highway.

From April 2 to May 8, the division actively participated in the reduction of the Ruhr pocket. On May 8, 1945 she was stationed near Marburg.

The Division remained stationed in Germany until it was disbanded on May 22, 1946.