27^th Infantry Division

The 27th Infantry Division arrived in Hawaii in May 1942 and spent the following year in defensive duty and training as American strategy shifted toward offensive operations in the Central Pacific. Its first combat came through elements rather than the full division. In November 1943, the 165th Infantry Regiment and attached units landed on Makin Atoll, securing one of the first American footholds in the Gilbert Islands. In early 1944, battalions of the 106th Infantry Regiment took part in the seizures of Majuro and Eniwetok before the division returned to Hawaii to prepare for larger operations.

The division's most significant combat came on Saipan. The 165th Infantry landed on the night of June 16, 1944 to reinforce Marine forces, and the 105th Infantry Regiment followed the next day. On June 18 the 165th Infantry cleared Aslito Airfield and the surrounding heights, and the 106th Infantry Regiment landed on June 20. The 106th Infantry fought through Death Valley and the 165th Infantry battled on Purple Heart Ridge in days of close and costly combat. During the massive banzai attack of July 7, the 105th Infantry was struck by one of the largest Japanese counterattacks of the war before organized resistance was broken. Although the campaign was marked by a command dispute that led to the relief of Major General Ralph C. Smith, the division played a substantial role in the conquest of Saipan.

After rest in the New Hebrides, the division returned to combat on Okinawa, landing across the Hagushi beaches on April 9, 1945. It joined XXIV Corps in the attack against the main Japanese defensive line, fighting for the ridge systems south of Kakazu and the difficult ground around Machinato. After being relieved in early May, it shifted north to clear the Motobu Peninsula and fight around Onnatake. The division then moved to Japan for occupation duty, completing a campaign that extended from early atoll assaults to the final major battle of the Pacific war.