25^th Infantry Division

The 25th Infantry Division entered combat on Guadalcanal in early 1943. The 35th Infantry Regiment landed on December 17, 1942, followed by the 27th Infantry Regiment on January 1, 1943, and the 161st Infantry Regiment on January 4. The 35th Infantry attacked Mount Austen on January 7 in some of the fiercest fighting on the island, while the 27th Infantry struck the Galloping Horse hillmass on January 10. After a temporary withdrawal against the threat of Japanese counterattack, the 161st Infantry crossed the Umasani River on February 7 and linked up with the Americal Division, completing the Guadalcanal campaign. The division then moved to the Northern Solomons: the 161st Infantry landed on New Georgia on July 22, 1943, followed by the 27th Infantry on August 1. Munda fell on August 5, and the 35th Infantry landed on Vella LaVella in August to close out the Central Solomons campaign.

Landing on Luzon in January 1945, the Tropic Lightning Division began a sustained campaign in the north. Advancing from the central plain into the mountainous interior, it engaged Japanese forces along key routes into the Cagayan Valley. Among its most difficult operations was the fighting around Balete Pass, where narrow mountain roads and steep terrain allowed well-positioned defenders to resist effectively.

Operations continued through the spring and summer as the division pushed deeper into the Cordillera Mountains. Limited mobility, difficult supply lines, and persistent resistance defined the campaign, but the division maintained steady pressure. By the end of the war its combat record extended from Guadalcanal to the final mountain battles on Luzon.