5th Infantry Division

The U.S. Army's 5th Infantry Division, activated before World War II, was trained in the United States and then deployed to Europe to participate in World War II operations. The division was part of the American forces engaged on the Western Front and participated in the major land campaigns led by the Allied armies after the Normandy landings.

The division landed in Normandy in June 1944, a few weeks after D-Day, and was involved in operations to consolidate and expand the Allied bridgeheads. It took part in the fighting in the Normandy bocage and in operations to secure roads and strategic points with a view to advancing towards eastern France.

During the summer of 1944, the 5th Infantry Division took part in the advance through northern and eastern France, crossing the Seine and advancing towards the Moselle and Lorraine. It was engaged in fighting to capture towns and reduce pockets of German resistance in this region, participating in operations around Metz and the German border in the fall of 1944.

During the winter of 1944-1945, the division took part in the Battle of the Bulge, operating in defensive and offensive missions designed to contain and repel the German offensive. After the front stabilized, it resumed its advance into Germany.

In 1945, the 5th Infantry Division took part in the final Allied offensive. It crossed the Rhine, operated in the Rhineland, then advanced into central Germany, participating in the capture of cities, the surrender of enemy forces, and the reduction of pockets of resistance until the German surrender in May 1945. After the fighting ended, the division was engaged in security and occupation missions on German territory.

The 5th Infantry Division's service record includes campaign credits for Normandy, Northern France, Lorraine, the Ardennes-Alsace, the Rhineland, and Central Europe. Its involvement covered all the major phases of the American advance from Normandy to the end of operations in Germany.