42d INFANTRY DIVISION
"Rainbow Division"
In 1917 men were selected from various units of the national Guard of 26 states and the District of Columbia to form a truly representative division with a view towards "bringing the war home" to the people. It was numerically designated the 42d Division, and called the "Rainbow Division" by General Douglas MacArthur, then Colonel and newly appointed Chief of Staff of the Division, because "it spanned the nation like a rainbow." To further characterize the nickname, the adopted division insignia resembles a rainbow in bright, red, gold, and blue colors.
[page 162]
COMMAND AND STAFF
Commanding General
| 24 December 1944 | Maj. Gen. Harry J. Collins |
Assistant Division Commander
| 24 December 1944 | Brig. Gen. Henning Linden |
Artillery Commander
| 24 December 1944 | Col. Giles R. Carpenter |
Chief of Staff
| 24 December 1944 | Col. Burns Beal |
| 29 April 1945 | Lt. Col. Robert G. Sherrard |
Assistant Chief of Staff G-1
| 24 December 1944 | Lt. Col. Roy N. Walker |
Assistant Chief of Staff G-2
| 24 December 1944 | Lt. Col. John C. F. Tillson, III |
| 9 March 1945 | Lt. Col Edwin Rusteberg |
Assistant Chief of Staff G-3
| 24 December 1944 | Lt. Col. Frederick W. Coleman |
| 8 April 1945 | Lt. Col Robert G. Sherrard |
| 29 April 1945 | Lt. Col. Frederick W. Coleman (Acting) |
| 3 May 1945 | Lt. Col. Frederick W. Coleman |
Assistant Chief of Staff G-4
| 24 December 1944 | Lt. Col. Robert G. Sherrard |
| 8 March 1945 | Maj. Donald Swihart |
Assistant Chief of Staff G-5
| 3 February 1945 | Maj. James F. X. O'Connell |
Adjutant General
| 24 December 1944 | Lt. Col. James D. Tanner |
Commanding Officer, 222d Infantry
| 24 December 1944 | Col. Henry J. Luongo |
| 28 April 1945 | Lt. Col. Lucien E. Bolduc |
Commanding Officer, 232d Infantry
| 24 December 1944 | Col. Alfred McNamee |
Commanding Officer, 242d Infantry
| 24 December 1944 | Col. Norman C. Caum |
| 26 April 1945 | Lt. Col. George S. Fricke |
| 1 May 1945 | Col. Burns Beall |
[page 163]
STATISTICS
Chronology
| Activated | 14 July 1943 |
| Arrived ETO | 18 January 1945 [Three infantry regiments and detachment of division headquarters arrived ETO 9Dec44. Entered combat as Task Force Linden] |
| Arrived Continent (D+156) | 18 January 1945 |
| Entered Combat: First Elements | 24 December 1944 |
| Entered Combat: Entire Division | 17 February 1945 |
| Days in Combat | 106 |
Casualties (Tentative)
| Killed | 333 |
| Wounded | 1,800 |
| Missing | 1,459 |
| Captured | 6 |
| Battle Casualties | 3,598 |
| Non-Battle Casualties | 2,351 |
| Total Casualties | 5,949 |
| Percent of T/O Strength | 42.2 |
Campaigns
Rhineland
Central Europe
Individual Awards
| Distinguished Service Cross | 1 |
| Legion of Merit | 3 |
| Silver Star | 185 |
| Soldiers Medal | 3 |
| Bronze Star | 515 |
| Air Medal | 15 |
Prisoners of War Taken 59,128
COMPOSITION
222d Infantry
232d Infantry
242d Infantry
42d Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized)
142d Engineer Combat Battalion
122d Medical Battalion
42d Division Artillery
232d Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer)
292d Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer)
402d Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer)
542d Field Artillery Battalion (155mm Howitzer)
Special Troops
742d Ordnance Light Maintenance Company
42d Quartermaster Company
132d Signal Company
Military Police Platoon
Headquarters Company
Band
[page 164]
ATTACHMENTS
Antiaircraft Artillery
| 431st AAA AW Bn (Mbl) | 16 Mar 45-27 Mar 45 |
| 431st AAA AW Bn (Mbl) | 22 Apr 45-5 Jul 45 |
Armored
| 191st Tk Bn | 17 Feb 45-4 Mar 45 |
| Cos B & D, 48th Tk Bn (14th Armd Div) | 4 Mar 45-12 Mar 45 |
| 48th Tk Bn (- Co D) (14th Armd Div) | 12 Mar 45-25 Mar 45 |
| 749th Tk Bn | 26 Mar 45-28 Mar 45 |
| CC A (12th Armd Div) | 7 Apr 45-14 Apr 45 |
| 27th Tk Bn (20th Armd Div) | 24 Apr 45-28 Apr 45 |
| 27th Tk Bn (20th Armd Div) | 30 Apr 45-10 May 45 |
Cavalry
| 117th Cav Rcn Sq | 13 Mar 45-24 Mar 45 |
Chemical
| 83d Cml Mort Bn (- Cos A, B & C) | 17 Feb 45-20 Feb 45 |
| Co C, 83d Cml Mort Bn | 17 Feb 45-4 Mar 45 |
| Co A, 83d Cml Mort Bn | 4 mar 45-25 Mar 45 |
| 168th Cml Co (SG) | 23 Mar 45-24 Mar 45 |
| 1 plat, 168th Cml Co (SG) | 23 Mar 45-14 May 45 |
| 163d Cml Co (SG) | 3 Apr 45-9 Apr 45 |
| 99th Cml Mort Bn | 3 Apr 45-19 Apr 45 |
| Co A, 2d Cml Mort Bn | 22 Apr 45-Still attached 23 Aug 45 |
| 2d Cml Mort Bn (-) | 6 May 45-Still attached 23 Aug 45 |
| Co B, 2d Cml Mort Bn | 9 May 45-Still attached 23 Aug 45 |
Field Artillery
| 69th Armd FA Bn | 16 Feb 45-25 mar 45 |
| 969th FA Bn (155mm How) | 2 Apr 45-21 Apr 45 |
| 693d FA Bn (105mm How) | 20 Apr 45-29 Apr 45 |
| 414th Armd FA Bn (20th Armd Div) | 24 Apr 45-28 Apr 45 |
| 283d FA Bn (105mm How) | 1 May 45-5 May 45 |
| 250th FA Bn (105mm How) | 2 May 45-5 May 45 |
Tank Destroyer
| 645th TD Bn (SP) (- Co A) | 17 Feb 45-4 Mar 45 |
| 510th TD Bn | 12 Mar 45-16 Mar 45 |
| 692d TD Bn (SP) | 15 Mar 45-29 Mar 45 |
| 692d TD Bn (SP) | 31 Mar 45-12 Jul 45 |
[page 165]
DETACHMENTS
(Attached to)
Cavalry
| 42d Rcn Tr | 12th Armd Div | 13 Apr 45-14 Apr 45 |
Infantry
| 3d Bn, 222d Inf | 12th Armd Div | 2 Apr 45-8 Apr 45 |
| 2d Bn, 242d Inf | 12th Armd Div | 6 Apr 45-10 Apr 45 |
| Co G, 242d Inf | 12th Armd Div | 10 Apr 45-12 Apr 45 |
| 3d Bn, 242d Inf | 12th Armd Div | 12 Apr 45-14 Apr 45 |
| Co L, 232d Inf | XXI Corps | 12 Apr 45-23 Apr 45 |
| Cos A & C, 232d Inf | XXI Corps | 13 Apr 45-15 Apr 45 |
| 1st Bn, 222d Inf | XV Corps | 19 Apr 45-21 Apr 45 |
| 3d Bn, 232d Inf | XV Corps | 1 May 45-4 May 45 |
[page 166]
ASSIGNMENT AND ATTACHMENT TO HIGHER UNITS
| DATE | CORPS | ARMY | ARMY GROUP | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assigned | Attached | Assigned | Attached | ||
| 4 Dec 44 | ETOUSA; 6th | ||||
| 10 Dec 44 | Seventh | 6th | |||
| 15 Dec 44 | Third | 12th | |||
| 24 Dec 44 | VI | Seventh | 6th | ||
| 25 Mar 45 | XXI | Seventh | 6th | ||
| 19 Apr 45 | XV | Seventh | 6th | ||
[page 167]
COMMAND POSTS
| DATE | TOWN | REGION | COUNTRY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Dec 44 | *Strasbourg | Bas-Rhin | France |
| 26 Dec 44 | *Koenigshoffen | Bas-Rhin | France |
| 6 Jan 45 | *Hagenau | Bas-Rhin | France |
| 24 Jan 45 | *Hochfelden | Bas-Rhin | France |
| 29 Jan 45 | *Vic-sur-Seille | Moselle | France |
| 6 Feb 45 | **Vic-sur-Seille | Moselle | France |
| 17 Feb 45 | La Petite Pierre (Lutzelstein) | Bas-Rhin | France |
| 15 Mar 45 | Wimmenau | Bas-Rhin | France |
| 18 Mar 45 | Barenthal | Bas-Rhin | France |
| 19 Mar 45 | Phillipsbourg | Bas-Rhin | France |
| 22 Mar 45 | Obersteinbach | Bas-Rhin | France |
| 25 Mar 45 | Dahn | Pfalz | Germany |
| 1 Apr 45 | Klein Heubach | Baden | Germany |
| 4 Apr 45 | Remlingen | Bavaria | Germany |
| 6 Apr 45 | Wurzburg | Bavaria | Germany |
| 10 Apr 45 | Kurnach | Bavaria | Germany |
| 11 Apr 45 | Stettbach | Bavaria | Germany |
| 16 Apr 45 | Scheinfeld | Bavaria | Germany |
| 17 Apr 45 | Neustadt | Bavaria | Germany |
| 18 Apr 45 | Langenzenn | Bavaria | Germany |
| 20 Apr 45 | Burgfarrnbach | Bavaria | Germany |
| 22 Apr 45 | Veitsaurach | Bavaria | Germany |
| 23 Apr 45 | Winsbach | Bavaria | Germany |
| 24 Apr 45 | Gunzenhausen | Bavaria | Germany |
| 25 Apr 45 | Wemding | Bavaria | Germany |
| 26 Apr 45 | Buchdorf | Bavaria | Germany |
| 28 Apr 45 | Rain | Bavaria | Germany |
| 29 Apr 45 | Unter Barr | Bavaria | Germany |
| 30 Apr 45 | Rossbach | Bavaria | Germany |
| 1 May 45 | Ober Menzing | Bavaria | Germany |
| 2 May 45 | Munich | Bavaria | Germany |
| 3 May 45 | Pfammern | Bavaria | Germany |
| 4 May 45 | Asling | Bavaria | Germany |
| 5 May 45 | Obing | Bavaria | Germany |
| 6 May 45 | Palling | Bavaria | Germany |
* Task Force Linden (composed of three regiments and detachment of Division Headquarters of 42d Infantry Division became operational prior to arrival in European Theater of Operations of entire division).
** Command Post of entire division. Task Force Linden dissolved this date.
[pages 168-169]