33rd Infantry Division Unit History (LoneSentry.com)

[Webmaster Note: The following division information is reproduced from the public domain publication, The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1950. Portions of the information may be out of date. Only minor formatting changes and typographical corrections have been made.]

World War I

Activated: July 1917 (National Guard Division from Illinois).
Overseas: May 1918.
Major operations: Meuse-Argonne, Somme offensive.
Casualties: Total - 6,864 (KIA - 691, WIA - 6,173).
Commanders: Maj. Gen. George Ball, Jr. (25 August 1917), Brig. Gen. H. D. Todd, Jr. (19 September 1917), Maj. Gen. George Ball, Jr. (7 December 1917).
Returned to U.S. and inactivated: May 1919.

World War II

Activated: 5 March 1941 (National Guard Division from Illinois).
Overseas: 7 July 1943.
Campaigns: New Guinea, Luzon.
Distinguished Unit Citations: 6.
Awards: MH-3; DSC-31; DSM-2; SS-470; LM-34; SM-49; BSM-2,251; AM-36.
Commanders: Maj. Gen. Samuel T. Lawton (March 1941-May 1942), Maj. Gen. Frank Mahin (May-July 1942), Maj. Gen. John Millikin (August 1942-September 1943), Maj. Gen. Percy W. Clarkson (October 1943-November 1945), Brig. Gen. W. G. Skelton (November 1945 to inactivation).
Inactivated: 3 February 1946 in Japan.

Combat Chronicle

The 33rd Infantry Division arrived in Hawaii on 12 July 1943. While guarding installations, it received training in jungle warfare. On 11 May 1944, it arrived in New Guinea where it received additional training. The 123rd Infantry Regiment arrived at Maffin Bay, 1 September, to provide perimeter defense by aggressive patrolling for Wakde Airdrome and the Toem-Sarmi sector. The 123rd was relieved on 26 January 1945. Elements of the 33rd arrived at Morotai, 18 December 1944. Landings were made on the west coast of the island, 22 December, without opposition and defensive perimeters were established. Aggressive patrols encountered scattered resistance. The 33rd landed at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, 10 February 1945, and relieved the 43rd Infantry Division in the Damortis-Rosario-Pozorrubio area, 13-15 February. The Division drove into the Caraballo Mountains, 19 February, toward its objective, Baguio, the summer capital of the Philippines and the headquarters of General Yamashita. Fighting against a fanatical enemy entrenched in the hills, the 33rd took Aringay, 7 March, Mount Calugong, 8 April, and Mount Mirador, 25 April. Baguio and Camp John Hay fell on 26 April, under the concerted attack of the 33rd and the 37th Divisions. Manuel Roxas, later President of the Philippines, was freed during the capture of Baguio. After mopping up isolated pockets of resistance, the Division broke up the last organized resistance of the enemy by capturing the San Nicholas-Tebbo-Itogon route, 12 May. All elements went to rest and rehabilitation areas on 30 June 1945. The Division landed on Honshu Island, Japan, 25 September, and performed occupation duties until inactivated.

General

Nickname: Illinois Division; also known as the Prairie Division.
Shoulder patch: Circular, containing a gold cross on a field of black.