90th Infantry Division - Tough Ombres

Activated 25 Mar 1942  •  Entered Combat 9 Jun 1944 Normandy  •  Days of Combat 308  •  Casualties 19,200

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Commanding Generals

Maj. Gen. Henry Terrell, Jr.   Mar 42  
Brig. Gen. Jay W. MacKelvie   Jan 44 
Maj. Gen. Eugene M. Landrum   Jul 44
Maj. Gen. Raymond S. McLain   Aug 44
Maj. Gen. James A. Van Fleet   Oct 44
Maj. Gen. Lowell W. Rooks   Feb 45 
Maj. Gen. Herbert L. Earnest   Mar 45

 

Campaigns

Normandy (6 Jun 44 - 24 Jul 44)
Northern France (25 Jul 44 - 14 Sep 44)
Rhineland (15 Sep 44 - 21 Mar 45)
Ardennes-Alsace (16 Dec 44 - 25 Jan 45)
Central Europe (22 Mar 45 - 11 May 45)

Campaign Route Map of the 90th Infantry Division

 

This campaign map shows the route of the 90th Infantry Division in Europe during World War II. This chart is available for purchase at HistoryShots.com.

 
 

Division Chronicle

The 90th Infantry Division landed in England, 5 April 1944, and trained from 10 April to 4 June. First elements of the Division saw action on Dday, 6 June, on Utah Beach, Normandy, the remainder entering combat, 10 June, cutting across the Merderet River to take Pont l'Abbe in heavy fighting. After defensive action along the Douve, the Division attacked to clear the Foret de Mont Castre, clearing it by 11 July, in spite of fierce resistance. An attack on the island of Seves failing, 23 July, the 90th bypassed it and took Periers, 27 July. On 12 August, the Division drove across the Sarthe River, north and east of Le Mans, and took part in the closing of the Falaise Gap, taking Chambois, 19 August. It then raced across France, through Verdun, 6 September, to participate in the siege of Metz, 14 September - 19 November, capturing Maizieres les Metz, 30 October, and crossing the Moselle at Koenigsmacker, 9 November. On. 6 December 1944, the Division pushed across the Saar and established a bridgehead north of Saarlautern, 618 December, but with the outbreak of the Von Rundstedt drive, withdrew to the west bank on 19 December, and went on the defensive until 5 January 1945, when it shifted to the scene of the Ardennes struggle. It drove across the Our, near Oberhausen, 29 January, to establish and expand a bridgehead. In February, the Division smashed through Siegfried fortifications to the Prum River. After a short rest, the 90th continued across the Moselle to take Mainz, 22 March, and crossed the Rhine, the Main, and the Werra in rapid succession. Pursuit continued to the Czech border, 18 April 1945, and into the Sudeten hills. The Division was en route to Prague when the war in Europe ended.

Division Organization 1944

357th Infantry Regiment

358th Infantry Regiment

359th Infantry Regiment

90th Division Artillery

343d Field Artillery Battalion (105 Howitzer)

344th Field Artillery Battalion (105 Howitzer)

915th Field Artillery Battalion (105 Howitzer)

345th Field Artillery Battalion (155 Howitzer)

90th Reconnaissance Troop (Mecz)

315th Engineer Combat Battalion

315th Medical Battalion

90th Counter Intelligence Corps

Special Troops

790th Ordnance Light Maintenance Company

90th Quartermaster Company

90th Signal Company

Military Police platoon

Headquarters Company

Band

Notes and sources:
Date Activated is the date the division was activated or inducted into federal service (national guard units).
Casualties are number of killed, wounded in action, captured, and missing.
The dates after the campaign name are the dates of the campaign not of the division.
The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States; , U.S. Government Printing Office. Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths in World War II, Final Report, 1 December 1941 - 31 December 1946. US Army Center of Military History at http://www.history.army.mil/ Various divisional histories