4th Infantry Division

A little WWII 4th Infantry Division History

"Steadfast and Loyal"
A history of decorated service

The 4th Division was organized at Camp Greene, North Carolina on December 10, 1917 under the command of Major General George H. Cameron. It was here the Division adopted their distinctive four ivy leaves insignia. The 4th Infantry Division fought with distinction during the First World War.

While Europe was already engulfed in the second World War of the 20th century, American involvement seemed inevitable. The 4th Division was reactivated on June 1, 1940 at Fort Benning, Georgia, under the command of Major General Walter E. Prosser. By August of 1940, the formation was reorganized as a motorized division and assigned to the I Armored Corps. On July 11, 1941, the division was given the formal title of 4th Motorized Division.

The 4th was tested as a new "motorized" division, but it was soon decided that the entire army should be standardized by equipping all infantry divisions with an equal number of vehicles. By September of 1942, the 4th was re-designated as an infantry division.

The 4th Division participated in Louisiana Maneuvers that were held during August of 1941 and then in the Carolina Maneuvers in October of 1941, after which the division returned to Fort Benning. The 4th Division was moved to Fort Gordon, Georgia, in December of 1941 and rehearsed training at the Carolina Maneuvers during the summer of 1942. The division then moved on 12 April 1943 to Fort Dix, New Jersey where it was again reconfigured and once more designated the 4th Infantry Division on August 4th of that year. The division participated in battlefield maneuvers and amphibious training in Florida starting in September of 1943 in preparation for the D-Day assault. On December 1, 1943, after this fall training exercise, the division moved on to Fort Jackson, South Carolina. While at this station, the division was alerted for overseas movement. They staged at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey beginning on January 4, 1944 prior to departing for Europe.

On January 18, 1944, the 4th Infantry Division sailed from the New York Port of Embarkation and arrived in England on January 26, 1944. The 4th Infantry Division participated in the Normandy invasion landing on Utah Beach. The "Ivymen" were also noted for helping to liberate Paris in August of 1944, fighting in the Hürtgen Forest, and participating in the Battle of the Bulge. Once the German push was halted in the Bulge, the "Ivy" Division counter-attacked, crossed the Sauer river, and then resumed its attack again through the Siegfried Line and continued to fight across Germany. The Division was stopped in the area of Miesbach-Gustag on May 3 and relieved by the 101st Airborne.

The IV Infantry Division engaged in 299 days of the 337 days of the European campaign. It lost 22,454 men in combat action. On July 10, 1945, the 4th Infantry Division returned to New York harbor to begin preparing for the invasion of Japan. The war ended before the men of the "Ivy" Div were shipped out.

The 4th Infantry Division's WWII service was deactivated on March 12, 1946.

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