87^th Infantry Division

The 87th Infantry Division arrived in France in December 1944 and immediately entered the Ardennes crisis, fighting near Bastogne through the turn of the year. The Battle of Tillet from January 6-10, 1945 — one of the division's costliest engagements — ended as the advance crossed the Ronce River, and contact was made with British forces at the Ourthe on January 13.

Campaign map image

World War II Campaign Map of the 87th Infantry Division. Map courtesy of HistoryShots.

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Moving to Luxembourg, the division took over the Sauer sector and attacked the West Wall on January 29, crossing into Germany on February 1 and clearing the Schnee Eifel crossroads in early February. In March, the 345th Infantry Regiment stormed Koblenz in house-to-house fighting on March 17-19, taking Fort Constantine to complete the city's reduction. The division crossed the Rhine on March 25 against strong opposition and expanded its bridgehead to the Lahn River.

The division cleared the Thüringer Wald in early April against scattered but stubborn resistance and took Plauen on April 17 before advancing to forward positions near the Czech border. Its campaign carried it from emergency winter combat in the Ardennes through the West Wall, the Rhine, and deep into central Germany — a sustained arc of offensive operations that moved from the forests of Belgium to the eastern edge of the Reich.