8th Infantry Division

The US Army's 8th Infantry Division was reactivated on July 1, 1940, as part of the mobilization preceding the United States' entry into World War II. After a period of training in the United States, the division was assigned to the European theater of operations and left the American continent in December 1943. It landed in France in July 1944, shortly after the Normandy landings.

From the summer of 1944, after landing at Utah Beach on July 4, the 8th Infantry Division was engaged in the Normandy campaign, particularly in the bocage sector, where it took part in fighting to widen the Allied bridgehead and break through German defenses. It took part in the operations following the American breakthrough and advanced through western France, contributing to the liberation of several towns and the securing of communication routes.

In the fall of 1944, the division was engaged in fighting in Brittany, participating in operations to reduce pockets of German resistance around fortified ports still held by the enemy. It was then redeployed eastward to participate in operations in northern France and along the German border, particularly as part of the Rhineland campaign.

During the winter of 1944-1945, the 8th Infantry Division was engaged in combat in the Hürtgenwald, where it took part in operations against German defenses in this heavily wooded and fortified area. It also took part in operations related to the Battle of the Bulge, contributing to the defense and stabilization of the front in the face of the German offensive.

In 1945, the division participated in the final Allied offensive in Germany. It crossed the Rhine and then advanced into western and central Germany, participating in the capture of cities, the reduction of the last enemy resistance, and the taking of prisoners until the German surrender in May 1945. After the end of hostilities, the 8th Infantry Division was assigned to occupation duties before being gradually deactivated.

The 8th Infantry Division's service record during World War II includes campaign credits for Normandy, Brittany, Northern France, the Rhineland, the Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe. Its operational engagement lasted from the summer of 1944 until the end of ground operations in Europe.