104th Infantry Division

104th Infantry Division. "The Timberwolves". World War II (side one) , This monument is dedicated to the Timberwolves and all attached units that served with the 104th Infantry Division to eliminate the Nazi Powers in Europe in World War II. It shall serve as a memorial to our 1,473 killed in action, 51 non-batttle deaths and the 19 missing in action who made the ultimate sacrifice to maintain our freedoms, so gallantly fought for by our forbears., Units , 413th, 414th, 415th Inf. Regiments Div. Artillery, 385th, 386th, 387th and 929th F.A. Bns, 329th Med. Bn., 329th Eng. Bn., 804th Ord., 104th Div. HQ., MP, Recon. Signal, QM, and Band. Attached Units - 555th AAA Bn., 750th Tank Bn., 692nd and 817th Tank Destr. Bns. and 87th Chem Bn., Training , Activated and trained and Camp Adair, OR 15 Sept 1942 - 6 Aug 1943. Maj. Gen. Gilbert R. Cook, Div. Cmdr. To Oregon Maneuver Area Fall 1943. Maj. Gen. Terry De La Mesa Allen - Div. Cmdr., 15 Oct 1943. To. Calif.-Ariz. Maneuver Area, Nov 1943-Mar 1944. To Camp Carson, CO., 15 Mar 1944 for additional personnel and training. Departed U.S. from Camp Kilmer, NJ to Cherbourg, France in 27 Aug 1944 as the first division to land directly on the European continent from the U.S., "Nothing in hell can stop The Timberwolves , -- And nothing did --. , Combat in Europe (side two) , Arrived at Cherbourg, France 7 Sept 1944. Guarded and protected rear installation supply and communication facilities in Normandy. Moved across France to enter combat with the 1st Canadian at Wuustwesel, Belgium on 23 Oct to clear out the area to the Maas Waal Estuary in Holland, North of Breda, to free the port of Antwerp and shorten Allied supply lines. On 5-8 Nov 1944 to Aachen, Germany to join the 7th Corp 1st U.S. Army to clear the area from the Siegfried Line to the Roer River. In heavy fighting in Stolberg, Eschweiler, Rutzlohn, Frenzy, Inden, Lucherberg and Merken by 14 Dec 1944, gaining the reputation as night fighters. During the German Ardennes offensive in Dec 1944, assigned to the 9th U.S. Army spread out and held defensive positions along the Roer River. In Feb 1945, again assigned to the 1st Army. The first major allied offensive toward the Rhine River began with the 104th crossing the Roer River at Duren and on into Cologne. On 5 Mar 1945, entrapping 350,000 POW's farther east, liberated 2 concentration camps at Nordhausen on 4 Apr 1945, including the Mittelbau-Dora, where the V1 and V2 rockets were made. Liberated Halle and Bitterfeld 15-19 Apr 1945, before meeting the Russians at the Mulde River on 26 Apr 1945. Major combat was then over. Returned to the U.S. 3-11 July 1945 to train for the invasion of Japan. Trained at Camp San Luis Obispo, Calif. (sentence illegible) The division was deactivated 20 Dec 1945. , The 104th participated in four major campaigns in France, Belgium, The Netherlands and German from 23 Oct 1944 to 8 May 1945 with 195 days of continuous combat. Two Timberwolves received the Medal of Honor and 23 received the Distinguished Service Crosses for personal bravery and heroism, and several units received Presidential Unit Citations. The division suffered 1,473 killed in action, 51 non-batttle deaths, 19 missing in action and 4,476 wounded. Enemy forces included 18,000 KIA and 51,724 POW's, 8,000 square miles of territory were cleared of the enemy., (See the book Timberwolf Tracks for the complete history)