63rd Infantry Division (United States) - World War II

World War II

• Activated: 15 June 1943
• Overseas: 25 November 1944
• Campaigns: Rhineland, Central Europe
• Days of combat: 119
• Casualties: 8,019
• Prisoners taken: 21,542
• Awards:
  • 7 Presidential Unit Citations
  • 1 French Croix de Guerre with Palm- Colmar- 254th Inf Regt
  • 16 Meritorious Unit Commendations
  • 2 Medals of Honor (First Lieutenant James E. Robinson, Jr. and Staff Sergeant John R. Crews)
  • 9 Distinguished Service Crosses
  • 1 Distinguished Service Medal
  • 455 Silver Stars
  • 3 Legions of Merit
  • 29 Soldier's Medals
  • 5313 Bronze Stars
  • 68 Air Medals
  • 4999 Purple Heart Medal
  • 1 British Military Cross
  • 2 British Military Medal
  • 2 French Legion of Honor
  • 15 French Croix de Guerre-individual awards
• Commanders:
  • Brigadier General/Major General Louis E. Hibbs (June 1943 – July 1945)
  • Brigadier General Frederick M. Harris (August 1945 to 27 September 1945)
• Returned to U.S.: September 1945
• Inactivated: 27 September 1945

The 63d Infantry Division was activated on 15 June 1943, at Camp Blanding, Florida. Shortly thereafter, the division removed to Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi to prepare for deployment to Europe. On three occasions during the next seventeen months, the division trained up recruits only to have them cross-leveled to other divisions heading for theater. The first elements of the division, anxious to get in the fight, finally arrived in Europe in December 1944 and were joined by the rest of the division in January 1945.

The division was made up of three Army of the United States infantry regiments: the 253rd Infantry Regiment, the 254th Infantry Regiment and the 255th Infantry Regiment. The Divisional artillery was provided by the 718th Field Artillery Battalion, 861st Field Artillery Battalion, 862d Field Artillery Battalion, and 863d Field Artillery Battalion. Other attached units were the 263d Engineer Battalion and the 363d Medical Battalion.

Three regiments of the 63d Infantry Division arrived in Marseille, France, 8 December 1944, trained at Haguenau and, under the designation Task Force Harris, protected the east flank of the Seventh Army along the Rhine River. The task force fought defensively from 22 to 30 December 1944.On 30 December 44 while the 253d Inf Regt was attached to the 44th Inf Div and the 255th Inf Regt was attached to the 100th Inf Div, the 254th Inf Regt was moved to the Colmar area of France where it was attached to the 3d Inf Div which was at the time a part of the First French Army. The Infantry Regiments remained with their attachments until early February 1945. The rest of the division arrived at Marseilles, 14 January 1945, and moved to Willerwald on 2 February, where it was joined by the advance elements on 6 February. On 7th, the 63d conducted local raids and patrols, then pushed forward, crossing the Saar River on 17 February, and mopping up the enemy in Muhlen Woods. After bitter fighting at Güdingen early in March, the division smashed at the Siegfried Line on 15th at Saarbrücken, Germany, taking Ormesheim and finally breaching the line at Sankt Ingbert and Hassel on 20 March. Hard still fighting lay ahead, but the Siegfried Line was Germany's last attempt to defend its prewar boundaries along the western front; this was a significant moment in the 63rd Infantry's history. Before resting on 23 March, the 63d took Spiesen-Elversberg, Neunkirchen and Erbach. From then until the end of the war, the 63rd Division carved a path of “blood and fire” from Sarreguemines through Germany. On 28 March, the division crossed the Rhine at Lampertheim, moved to Viernheim and captured Heidelberg on 30th. Continuing the advance, the 63d crossed the Neckar River near Mosbach and the Jagst River. Heavy resistance slowed the attack on Adelsheim, Möckmühl, and Bad Wimpfen.

The Division switched to the southeast, capturing Lampoldshausen and clearing the Hardthauser Woods on 7 April. A bridgehead was secured over the Kocher River near Weißbach on 8 April, and Schwäbisch Hall fell on 17 April. Advance elements crossed the Rems River and rushed to the Danube. That river was crossed on 25 April, and Leipheim fell before the division was withdrawn from the line on 28 April, and assigned security duty from the Rhine to Darmstadt and Würzburg on a line to Stuttgart and Speyer. The 63d began leaving for home on 21 August 1945, and was deactivated on 27 September 1945.