Fact Sheet of the 99th Infantry Division

TYPE OF DIVISION:   Organized Reserve.

NICKNAME:  “Checkerboard”  Division.

SHOULDER PATCH:    A five-sided shield of black on which is superimposed a horizontal band of white and blue squares.  The black background of shield represents the iron district of Pennsylvania.  Originally planned as a Pennsylvania unit, the band of white and blue squares was taken from the coat of arms of William Pitt for whom the city of Pittsburgh was named.

ACTIVATION DATE:   15 November 1942

INACTIVATION DATE:  27 September 1945, Hampton Roads VA.

COMPONENT UNITS:   393rd, 394th, 395th Inf Regts; 99 Cav Rcn Tp (Mecz); 324th Engr Combat Bn, 324th Med Bn.  Div Arty: 370th, 371st and 924th FA Bns (105 How) and 372nd FA Bn (155 How).  Sp Tps: 99th QM Co, 99th Sig Co, 799th Ord Co (LM), Hq Co, MP Plat and Band.

TRAINING UNDER ARMY GROUND FORCES:   The division was activated at Camp Dorn, Mississippi, and was assigned to the IV Corps.  While at Camp Dorn it came successively under the XV, VII and IX Corps of the Third Army.  In September, October and November 1943, the 99th took part in the Third Army maneuvers in Louisiana.  Following these maneuvers the division was transferred to Camp Maxey, Texas and came under the X Corps of the Third Army.

DEPARTED U.S. FOR FOREIGN DUTY:  30 September 1944.

OVERSEAS TRAINING:  Trained briefly in England and then in France before being put into the line.

DATE ENTERED COMBAT:   DIVISION  9 November 1944.

COMBAT DAYS (DIV):   151.

BATTLE CREDITS:  (Division)    Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe. 

RETURNED TO US:  24 September 1945.

SUCCESSIVE COMMANDING GENERALS:   Major General Thompson Lawrence from November 1942 to July 1943; Major General Walter E Lauer from July 1943 to 18 August 1945; Brigadier General Frederick H. Black from August 1945 to inactivation..

CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR WINNERS:  T/Sgt (then S/Sgt) Vernon McGarity, Company L 393rd Infantry Regiment for 16 December 1944 action near Krinkelt, Belgium.

DISTINGUISHED UNIT CITATION:    1st Bn, 394th Inf for 16 – 18 Dec 44 action in Germany and Belgium and 3rd Bn, 395th Inf for 16-19 December 1944 action in Germany.

FOREIGN AWARDS:  Awarded Belgian Fourragere for 8 Nov to 16 Dec 1944 action in Canton-Malmedy area and 16 Dec 44 to 20 Feb 45 action in Ardennes by Belgian Decision 2509, 17 Jun 1946 ..

COMBAT HIGHLIGHTS:   Men of the 99th InfD showed their mettle when in March 1945, they were on the offensive 24 days, taking over 495 sq. miles of territory and 200 German towns.  This was the sort of combat record the division made for itself from the time it went into action against the enemy early in Nov 1944, in Belgium.  The Div went into the line near Butgenbach.  On 16 Nov 44, it relieved the 9th InfD and 102nd Cav Gp in the vicinity of Aubel and two days later proceeded to an area near Wirtzfeld where its first big artillery duel with the enemy ensued.  In Dec 44, it aided in the defense of the V Corps sector north of the Roer River between Schmidt and Monschau.  In Mid-December a drive was launched to the northeast.  Soon the 99th was able to move into the Hofen sector and later occupied an area near Murringen.  Still later in December it went into Bullingen.  The 99th was in the midst of a fierce armored fight during the push on Elsenborn at the start of the year.  After taking Elsenborn the Div captured Berg.  Early in 1945 the Div prepared for the push into Germany itself and the month of March climaxed a surge that started when the unit punched into the Reich at Aachen, from Belgium.  It swept past Duren and Julich, turning north to Dusseldorf, back down to the southeast to Remagen and was one of the first divisions across the Rhine.  After crossing the Rhine River the 99th drove east to Griessen and then on into the heart of Germany.  By the war’s end it was deep in Germany at Worzburg.  The 99th’s record showed that it had crossed not only the Rhine but the Erft Canal, Weid and Dill Rivers as well as minor tributaries.  During the month of March 1945, it had taken a total of 8356 prisoners. The division returned to the United States in early September and was subsequently inactivated

  These Army Ground Forces Fact Sheets were prepared at the end of the war (1 March 1947) by The Information Section, Analysis Branch, Headquarters Army Ground Forces on each division.  They may be found in Record Group 407, Unit Records, for each division, under the file number 3 (Division #) - 0 at the National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Rd, College Park MD.