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103rd Infantry Division, WWII
Records of Burial
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103rd Infantry Division, Innsbruck, Austria 1945 |
Published: February 27, 2020
Total records: 848
Source: 103rd Infantry Division, WWII Association
Background of the 103rd Infantry Division
On 6 August 1921, the War Department authorized the formation of the 103d Infantry Division, widely known from its formation as the "Cactus Division." 103d Infantry Division become one of the Reserve Corps Divisions.
In mid-1921, the Division was assigned to New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado. On 8 September 1921, the 103d Infantry Division established headquarters in Denver, Colorado and Major James A. McGrath assumed command the following day. By the end of 1922, the 103d Infantry Division had 829 Reserve officers and 50 Reserve enlisted personnel.
For 21 years, the 103d Infantry Division remained an Organized Reserve division. After Pearl Harbor, the nation's leaders realized the Army needed to rely on Organized Reserve and National Guard. In 1940, the National Guard mobilized and nearly doubled size of the regular Army. On 15 November 1942, the 103d ID was activated at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana.
In 1944, the 103rd Infantry Division was sent to Marseilles, France. From there, the Division would go to fight in numerous battles including the famed, "Battle of the Bulge." It was only in combat for six months, but encountered heavy fighting during the war's final months. The Division was 22 September 1945.
Records of Burials
The 103rd Infantry Division, WWII Association, organized its archival headquarters with the McCain Library, at University of Southern Mississippi, at Hattiesburg. The Assocation began the process of putting together a library of documents, memorabilia, and records. Among them, is a comprehensive study of battle deaths.
The PDF document below was created by the Association and originally published on its website. We've included it here so that it could be indexed into our internal search engine, and be found by genealogists... Click the link below to view...
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