Preparing for Combat

This is highly condensed and edited version taken primarily from our official history. It is, provided here for the purpose of acquainting website readers with background on the unique pre-combat history of the "89th Infantry Division in World War II, from its reactivation in 1942 to its arrival in France in 1944. It is hoped that this summarized version will assist the reader in obtaining a better appreciation of later elements of our website which will deal with our combat and post-war history in more detail and on a more personal basis with emphasis on the common soldier (or GIs as they were affectionately called) and his experiences.

Men of the 89th came from every state in the union. As replacements, called by the urgent need for trained men, thousands of 89ers served in many other divisions, participated in every theater of operations, and fell on a dozen battlefields. In all, The Rolling W was to train 40,000 men before the war's end. The Division trained long and hard, and, when the time came, closed with the enemy with courage and determination. That the 89th was in combat for but eight weeks does not lessen its achievement; contribution to total victory cannot be measured in terms of combat hours and battle casualties alone. Its men are justly proud of their record, both as a unit and as an expression of the high ideals of the American people.

Reactivation: Basic Training >>