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Three months before Pearl Harbor, a regimental combat team of the 5th Infantry Division sailed to Iceland. In March 1942 the rest of the division embarked for that island base. By August 1943 the whole division had moved on to England and then Northern Ireland. These early moves were cloaked with secrecy, and little was known of the whereabouts of the soldiers who wore the Red Diamond on their shoulders. By August 1944, however, when the 5th was rushing across France, the Red Diamond was very much in evidence—so much, in fact, that the Germans who had felt its cutting strength decided that the division’s nickname was insufficiently descriptive. They gave the 5th a new name—the “Red Devils.”
The 5th was no stranger to France, or to German soldiers. In World War I, the Red Diamond Division, entering the lines on June 14, 1918, fought at St.Mihiel and along the Meuse, and took 2,356 prisoners. In this war, it landed in Normandy on July 10, and in two months sped some 700 miles across France to the Moselle River, at one point travelling so fast that it had to halt for five days for its supplies to catch up with it. On its way, it seized Angers, Chartres, Etampes, and other cities, and made forced crossings of 20 rivers, including the Main, Seine, Yonne, Marne, Aisne, and Meuse.
When it reached the Moselle, the 5th was given the mission of establishing a bridgehead on the east bank in preparation for the Third Army’s attack on the fortified city of Metz, which had never been captured by a frontal assault although various armies had been trying for a couple of thousand years. On September 8, three years after the first elements of the Division had gone overseas, the Red Diamond Doughboys stormed across the Moselle and dug in on the opposite bank. They held their bridgehead through a nightmare of enemy steel; one unit was counterattacked 36 times during a single 60-hour stretch. With the bridgehead secure, the 5th was withdrawn for a rest, and on November 1st was sent back into the line for the all-out assault on Metz. With the 95th Division on its left and the 80th on its right, and the tanks of the 6th Armored lending support, the 5th attacked on November 9, and ten days later the supposedly impregnable fortress fell to the American divisions.
Ordered to the southern flank of the German bulge during the Ardennes counteroffensive, the 5th saw further bitter action there and helped turn back the enemy threat. Then it went back to its accustomed routine of taking more French cities away from the Germans, helped to clear Luxembourg of the enemy, and, as the war in Europe drew to a close, swung down into Czechoslovakia. On V-E Day, the 5th was at Winterberg.
The Division that had become known along the Western Front for having outrun its supplies achieved a different kind of distinction when it helped drive the Germans out of Verdun and subsequently seized an enemy supply dump. There the Doughboys who had had too little came upon a priceless cache of thousands of German field jackets lined with rabbit fur, and Major General Stafford LeRoy Irwin, their commander, ordered that one be distributed to each Red Diamond soldier. For a while, at least, the Red Diamond men were so snugly dressed that the men of other units sometimes momentarily confused them with our Air Forces.
From Fighting Divisions, Kahn & McLemore, Infantry Journal Press, 1945-1946.
"Red Diamond Division"
Activated 2 Oct 39
Arrived UK 9 August 1943
Arrived Continent (D/33). 9 Jul 44
Entered Combat:
First Elements 14 Jul 44
Entire Division 16 Jul 44
Days in Combat 270
Normandy
Northern France
Ardennes
Rhineland
Central Europe
2d Infantry
10th Infantry
11th Infantry
5th Reconnaissance Troop (Mecz)
7th Engineer Combat Battalion
5th Medical Battalion
5th Division Artillery
19th Field Artillery Battalion (105 Howitzer)
46th Field Artillery Battalion (105 Howitzer)
50th Field Artillery Battalion (105 Howitzer)
21st Field Artillery Battalion (155 Howitzer)
Special Troops
705th Ordnance Light Maintenance Company
5th Quartermaster Company
5th Signal Company
Military Police Platoon
Headquarters Company
Band
15 Dec 1943 Maj Gen S Leroy Irwin
20 Apr 1945 Maj Gen Albert E Brown
15 Dec 1943 Brig Gen Alan D Warnock
15 Dec 1943 Brig Gen Harnold C Vanderveer
15 Dec 1943 Col. Paul O Franson
15 Dec 1943 Lt Col Hugh J Socks
6 Feb 1944 Maj Clayton E Crafts
1 Jul 1944 Lt Col Clayton E Crafts
15 Dec 1943 Lt Col Donald W Thackery
15 Dec 1943 Lt Col Randolph C Dickens
15 Dec 1943 Lt Col Richard L McKee
13 May 1944 Maj George E B Peddy
1 Nov 1944 Lt Col George E B Peddy
15 Dec 1943 Maj Charles H Conway
1 Feb 1944 Lt Col Charles H Conway
10 Jul 1944 Col A Worrell Roffe
26 Apr 1945 Col Walter R Graham
15 Dec 1943 Col Robert P Bell
9 Jul 1944 Col Charles W Yuill
21 Nov 1944 Col Paul J Black
449th AAA AW Bn (Mbl) 13 Jul 44-23 Nov 44
Btry D 116th AAA Gun Bn (Mbl) 30 Jul 44-1 Aug 44
449th AAA AW Bn (Mbl) 29 Nov 44-31 Mar 45
735th Tk Bn 13 Jul 44-20 Oct 44
CCB (7th Armd Div) 9 Sep 44-15 Sep 44
735th Tk Bn 1 Nov 44-20 Dec 44
737th Tk Bn 23 Dec 44-11 Jun 45
748th Tk Bn 22 Mar 45-23 Mar 45
Co B 17th Tk Bn (7th Armd Div) 8 Apr 45-10 Apr 45
38th Cav Rcn Sq (-Tr B) 14 Jul 44-18 Jul 44
Tr B 38th Cav Rcn Sq 14 Jul 44-30 Jul 44
Tr C 3d Cav Rcn Sq 7 Sep 44-11 Sep 44
3d Cav Rcn Sq 11 Sep 44-14 Sep 44
6th Cav Gp 1 Dec 44-16 Dec 44
6th Cav Rcn Sq 1 Dec 44-16 Dec 44
Tr E 28th Cav Rcn Sq 1 Dec 44-16 Dec 44
Tr C 2d Cav Rcn Sq 26 Mar 45-28 Mar 45
32d Cav Rcn Sq 8 Apr 45-13 Apr 45
Tr F 18th Cav Rcn Sq 8 Apr 45-13 Apr 45
Co D 81st Cml Mort Bn 13 Jul 44-1 Aug 44
84th Cml SG Co 7 Sep 44-20 Sep 44
Cos C&D 81st Cml Mort Bn 19 Sep 44-20 Oct 44
Co C 81st Cml Mort Bn 1 Nov 44-10 Nov 44
Co D 81st Cml Mort Bn 1 Nov 44-22 Nov 44
Co A 81st Cml Mort Bn 16 Dec 44-21 Dec 44
Co C 91st Cml Mort Bn 22 Dec 44-15 Jan 45
Co D 91st Cml Mort Bn 22 Dec 44-1 Feb 45
Co C 91st Cml Mort Bn 4 Feb 45-22 Feb 45
2 secs 81st Cml Mort Bn 6 Feb 45-12 Feb 45
84th Cml SG Co 12 Feb 45-28 Feb 45
84th Cml SG Co 2 Mar 45-5 Mar 45
2 secs 84th Cml SG Co 13 Mar 45-24 Mar 45
84th Cml SG Co (-2 secs) 21 Mar 45-24 Mar 45
Co B 90th Cml Mort Bn 8 Apr 45-15 Apr 45
Co C 90th Cml Mort Bn 12 Apr 45-15 Apr 45
150th Engr C Bn 9 Aug 44-13 Aug 44
1 plat 994th Engr Treadway Br Co 9 Aug 44-13 Aug 44
537th Engr Light Pon Co 9 Aug 44-13 Aug 44
1 plat 537th Engr Light Pon Co 24 Aug 44-27 Aug 44
160th Engr C Bn 25 Aug 44-27 Aug 44
989th Engr Treadway Br Co 25 Aug 44-27 Aug 44
160th Engr C Bn 29 Aug 44-30 Aug 44
989th Engr Treadway Br 29 Aug 44-30 Aug 44
509th Engr Light Pon Co 29 Aug 44-30 Aug 44
Co B 293d Engr C Bn 1 Dec 44-16 Dec 44
187th FA Bn (155 How) 30 Jul 44-1 Aug 44
204th FA Bn (155 How) 9 Aug 44-13 Aug 44
Btry B 7th FA Obsn Bn 10 Aug 44-13 Aug 44
282d FA Bn (105 How) 25 Aug 44-5 Sep 44
241st FA Bn (105 How) 25 Aug 44-29 Sep 44
284th FA Bn (105 How) 25 Aug 44-21 Oct 44
434th FA Bn 10 Sep 44-15 Sep 44
284th FA Bn (105 How) 8 Nov 44-22 Nov 44
244th FA Bn (155 Gun) 22 Nov 44-7 Dec 44
1 sec Btry B 558th FA Bn (155 Gun) 28 Nov 44-7 Dec 44
284th FA Bn (105 How) 16 Dec 44-21 Dec 44
Btry B 558th FA Bn (155 Gun) 16 Dec 44-21 Dec 44
1 plat Btry C 558th FA Bn (155 Gun) 11 Feb 45-21 Feb 45
5th Ranger Inf Bn 1 Dec 44-16 Dec 44
Task Force Riley (10th Armd Div) 22 Dec 44-23 Dec 44
3d Bn 8th Inf (4th Div) 15 Jan 45-17 Jan 45
417th CT (76th Div) 4 Feb 45-11 Feb 45
2d Bn 101st Inf (26th Div) 23 Mar 45-21 Mar 45
357th Inf (90th Div ) 23 Mar 45-24 Mar 45
Task Force Satt 2 Apr 45-4 Apr 45
16th Belg Fusilliers Bn 18 Apr 45-19 Apr 45
818th TD Bn (SP) 13 Jul 44-20 Dec 44
774th TD Bn (T) 14 Sep 44-24 Sept 44
Co B 774th TD Bn (T) 26 Sep 44-15 Oct 44
Co A 774th TD Bn (T) 26 Sep 44-22 Oct 44
705th TD Bn (SP) 1 Nov 44-2 Nov 44
773d TD Bn (SP) 1 Nov 44-2 Nov 44
774th TD Bn (T) 5 Nov 44-22 Nov 44
Co C 602d TD Bn (SP) 1 Dec 44-16 Dec 44
807th TD Bn (SP) 17 Dec 44-21 Dec 44
Co C 808th TD Bn (SP) 21 Dec 44-23 Dec 44
654th TD Bn (SP) 22 Dec 44-25 Dec 44
Co C 808th TD Bn (SP) 23 Dec 44-28 Dec 44
803d TD Bn (SP) 25 Dec 44-13 Jun 45
1 plat Co B 808th TD Bn (SP) 10 Feb 45-16 Feb 45
Co B 691st TD Bn (T) 23 Mar 45-24 Mar 45
