Best Yank division?

[Tiger]

Originally posted by Wulfir:
Question: Is there any US division (ETO) considered to be above the others? By performance in combat, fighting spirit, reputation or whatever.

One British general (according to Citizen Soldiers) considered the 82nd Airborne Division to be the not the best US division but the best of any nation. (After the capturing of Niijmegen bridge.)

There are however plenty of other units with remarkable records of the war. Would they agree to this praise by the British general? Would you agree?

---

Sorry, have to disagree. Nobody else will, so I'll vote for the 101st.

[m10bob]

Best U.S.Infantry:29th or 1st...best airborne:101st....best U.S.armoured:4th.....IMHO

[john g]

Originally posted by m10bob:
Best U.S.Infantry:29th or 1st...best airborne:101st....best U.S.armoured:4th.....IMHO

---

Glad to see someone finally mention the big red one. As I recall they were the only division to make every amphib assault in Europe. From what I have read they were a division 5 times over. For every man left at the end of the war, 4 were dead or wounded and in hospital.
thanks, John.

[mikhailov]

Of course the airborne divisions were elite, as in every army. But among the infantry divisions, I would say the 1st Inf and the 9th Inf. The airborne divs and the "Big Red One" got a lot of press coverage, but the 3rd and the 9th were also excellent units. The 28th, 29th, and 30th were all very good as well. For the armored divisions, probably the 2nd and the 4th. I think what made one div better than another was the amount of previous combat experience, and the ability of the division's senior leadership. Most of the divs in this thread (1,3,9 Inf, 2 AD, and the 82 AB)saw action in the Med before D-Day, and/or had outstanding commanders (Truscott, Ridgway, Eddy, etc). For instance, the 90th Inf was pretty unreliable in Normandy, but it turned into an excellent div by the end of the war because they eventually got some good divisional commanders.

[wulfir]

Originally posted by Tiger:
Sorry, have to disagree. Nobody else will, so I'll vote for the 101st.

---

I guess a unit like the 101st is bound to have its supporters. Screaming Eagles – now that is a nickname for an airborne division!

Originally posted by nexus:
i think gen. model (one of the german´s best) said,that the units the germans´s faced at arnheim were some of the best he encountered.

---

The troops the Germans faced at Arnhem were without doubt very good and put up a stubborn fight, but I think they were British paratroopers from the 1st Airborne division plus a number of Poles.

Originally posted by mikhailov:
Of course the airborne divisions were elite, as in every army. But among the infantry divisions, I would say the 1st Inf and the 9th Inf. The airborne divs and the "Big Red One" got a lot of press coverage, but the 3rd and the 9th were also excellent units.

---

I have read that the US 1st and 9th Divisions were brought from Sicily to England because the senior leadership (Brad and Monty) wanted experienced units when they hit Northern France. In other words, they brought them to England and sent them to France because they wanted to win.

[Resisti]

I'd go for 34th Inf.Division (Red bulls) and 442th RCT attached to the division in Italy.
Here you are some infos on the 34th:

http://www.dma.state.mn.us/redbull/HISTORY/34thhistoryphotos.htm

http://www.dma.state.mn.us/redbull/HISTORY/IMAGES/map-1.jpg

[alassi]

Dont forget the 2nd Rangers who hit the beaches of Normandy first, at 0740 on Dog Green. That was some brave men...

[wulfir]

Originally posted by alassi:
Dont forget the 2nd Rangers who hit the beaches of Normandy first, at 0740 on Dog Green. That was some brave men...

---

Agreed, not to mention their assault on Pointe du Hoc.


I19/P5, not bad (it was known as MekB19 in my days) – home of one of Sweden’s most versatile and powerful brigades. I was in Boden too, but as a medic belonging to 3rd Company, LV7. Semper In Primis, RBS90 rules the sky!

[Bing]

The man said "division", not RCT, or company or regiment, or an ad hoc combat unit.

I vote for 82nd Airborne, then 101 AB, then as a pure Inf Div the Big Red One.

Give me those Devils In Baggy Pants any day.

Bing

[Major Ed]

Experience tells, the 1st "Big Red One" probably had as much or more than any other US division. Also don't forget Omaha beach, it was there that the 1st and 29th showed what they were made of.

As to the 1SSF, it was more a brigade sized unit. Made up of 2 regiments with 2 battalions each. Even though there is no current unit in the US military with that name, if you read the lineage of the Special Forces units each SF Group traces its history back to a company of the 1SSF. I was a member of the 20th SF Group and we traced our unit history back to a company in the 2nd Regiment, 1SSF.

-----------------------

"In no other profession are the penalties for employing untrained personnel so appalling or so irrevocable as in the military." -- General of the Army Douglas MacArthur

[Tombstone]

1 SSF's engagement history in WW2 is pretty short. They kicked ass, took a bunch of casualties, took on some replacements... then disbanded I think. The 1st Infantry Division has perhaps the richest history, but to say that it was the best isn't realistic. They probably deserve as much or more respect for their contribution to and sacrifice in the name of the USA... but we have to factor in the expanded training that airborne units go through, and the fact that mobile units are given tasks that are more dynamic. 82nd/101st are good candidates. I also think that mobile units that saw a lot of action are good candidates, the infantry divisions just went through so many replacements that they really represent the hellish "normal" army experience. 442 was a brave and determined unit, but just cause it was wounded more than any other unit doesn't mean it was better than other units. I would vote for the 82nd... with 101st, and 2nd Armored close in line thereafter.

Tomo