79th Infantry Division

The US Army's 79th Infantry Division was activated on June 25, 1917, then reactivated for World War II and trained in the United States before being deployed to Europe. The division was engaged on the Western Front from 1944 onwards, as part of the Allied land operations following the Normandy landings.

The 79th Infantry Division landed in France in August 1944 and participated in the liberation of French territory during the Allied advance through northern and eastern France. It took part in operations to reduce pockets of German resistance, particularly in the Lorraine region, and to secure the communication routes essential to the advance of the Allied forces. The division took part in fighting around fortified towns and enemy positions organized along rivers such as the Moselle during the fall of 1944.

During the winter of 1944-1945, the division was engaged in operations related to the Battle of the Bulge, where it helped stabilize the front and regain positions lost to the German offensive. It participated in defensive and offensive operations aimed at repelling enemy forces and securing assigned sectors.

In 1945, the 79th Infantry Division took part in the final offensive in Germany. It crossed the Rhine, then advanced into central Germany, participating in the capture of cities, the reduction of pockets of resistance, and the taking of prisoners until Germany's surrender in May 1945. After the fighting ended, the division was engaged in control and occupation missions on German territory.

The 79th Infantry Division's service record includes campaign credits for Northern France, Lorraine, the Ardennes-Alsace, the Rhineland, and Central Europe. Its involvement covers all major American operations on the Western Front from the liberation of Northern France to the end of hostilities in Germany.