97th INFANTRY DIVISION - Trident

Activated 25 Feb 1943  •  Entered Combat 1 Apr 1945 Normandy  •  Days of Combat 41  •  Casualties 979

Campaign Route Map

DIVISION CHRONICLE

The 97th Infantry Division landed at Le Havre, France, 2 March 1945, and moved to Camp Lucky Strike. On 28 March, the Division crossed the German border west of Aachen and took up a defensive position along the west bank of the Rhine River opposite Dusseldorf, engaging in patrolling. The 97th entered the battle of the Ruhr pocket, crossing the Rhine near Bonn, 3 April, and taking up a position on the southern bank of the Sieg River. It crossed that river, 7 April, against light resistance and fought a street-to-street engagement in Siegburg on the 10th. Pushing on toward Dusseldorf through difficult terrain and heavy resistance in densely wooded areas, the Division captured Solingen, 17 April. Dusseldorf fell on the next day and the Ruhr pocket was eliminated. Moving to protect the left flank of the Third Army on its southern drive, the 97th took Cheb, Czechoslovakia, on 25 April 1945 and attacked the Czechoslovak pocket near Widen, Germany, on the 29th. It had advanced to Konstantinovy Lazne, Czechoslovakia, when it received the cease-fire order on 7 May. The Division left for Le Havre, 16 June 1945, for redeployment to the Pacific, arriving at Cebu, Philippine Islands, 16 September, and then sailed to Japan for occupation duty, arriving at Yokohama 23 September 1945.