Hawaiian Division The 24th Infantry Division traces its lineage to Army units activated in Hawaii. It was activated under the
Square Division Table of Organization and Equipment (TO&E) on 1 March 1921 as the
Hawaiian Division at
Schofield Barracks,
Oahu. and the
22nd Infantry Regiment was assigned to the Division, both of which had been assigned to the US 11th Infantry Division prior to 1921. The entire Hawaiian Division was concentrated at a single location during the next few years, allowing it to conduct more effective
combined arms training. It was also manned at higher personnel levels than other divisions, and its
field artillery was the first to be motorized. Between August and September 1941, the Hawaiian Division's assets were reorganized to form two divisions under the new
Triangular Division TO&E. Its brigade headquarters were disbanded and the 27th and 35th Infantry Regiments were assigned to the new
25th Infantry Division. The division was then centered around three infantry regiments: the
19th Infantry Regiment and the
21st Infantry Regiment from the old Hawaiian Division, and the
299th Infantry Regiment from the
Hawaii National Guard. In July 1942, the 299th Infantry was inactivated after its ranks were depleted by the transfer of many
Nisei (second-generation Japanese-Americans) to form the
100th Infantry Battalion, and the 25th Infantry Division's 298th Infantry Regiment was reassigned to the 24th. Also part of the division were the
13th Field Artillery Battalion, the 52nd Field Artillery Battalion, the 63rd Field Artillery Battalion, the 11th Field Artillery Battalion, the 24th Signal Company, the 724th Ordnance Light Maintenance Company, the 24th Quartermaster Company, the 24th Reconnaissance Troop, the 3rd Engineer Combat Battalion, the 24th Medical Battalion, and the 24th Counterintelligence Corps Detachment. Among these casualties were Sgt. Paul J. Fadon (killed in a truck 10 miles north of Schofield Barracks), Pvt. Walter R. French, Pfc. Conrad Kujawa, Pvt. Torao Migita (killed by friendly fire in downtown Honolulu), and Corporal Theodore J. Lewis (who became the 24th Infantry Division's first soldier killed during WWII). The division was then charged with the defense of northern Oahu, where it built an elaborate system of coastal defenses throughout 1942. After training, the division moved to
Goodenough Island on 31 January 1944, to prepare for
Operation Reckless, the amphibious capture of
Hollandia,
Netherlands New Guinea (now
Jayapura,
Papua province,
Indonesia). The 24th landed at
Tanahmerah Bay on 22 April 1944 and seized the important
Hollandia Airdrome despite torrential rain and marshy terrain. Despite resistance from the isolated Japanese forces in the area, the 24th Infantry Division advanced rapidly through the region.
Leyte After occupation duty in the Hollandia area, the 24th Division was assigned to
X Corps of the
Sixth United States Army in preparation for the invasion of the
Philippines. On 20 October 1944, the division was paired with the
1st Cavalry Division within X Corps, and the two divisions made an assault landing at
Leyte, initially encountering only light resistance. Following a
defeat at sea on 26 October, the Japanese launched a large, uncoordinated
counteroffensive against the Sixth Army. The 24th Division drove up the Leyte Valley, advanced to
Jaro and captured
Breakneck Ridge on 12 November 1944, in heavy fighting. The division's 34th Infantry Regiment landed at
San Antonio, Zambales on 29 January 1945 and ran into a furious battle on Zig Zag Pass, where it suffered heavy casualties. These operations were complete by 18 March, and the division moved south to attack through
Basilan. Members of the 24th Infantry Division also won 15
Distinguished Service Crosses, two
Distinguished Service Medals, 625
Silver Star Medals, 38
Soldier's Medals, 2,197
Bronze Star Medals, and 50
Air Medals. The division itself was awarded eight
Distinguished Unit Citations for participation in the campaign. During this time, the US Army shrank. At the end of World War II it contained 89 divisions, but by 1950, the 24th Infantry Division was one of only 10 active divisions in the force. It was one of four understrength divisions on occupation duty in Japan. The others were the
1st Cavalry Division,
7th Infantry Division, and
25th Infantry Division, all under control of the
Eighth United States Army. The 24th Division retained the 19th, 21st, and 34th regiments, but the formations were undermanned and ill-equipped due to the post-war drawdown and reduction in military spending. The UN ordered an intervention to prevent the conquest of South Korea. U.S. President
Harry S. Truman ordered ground forces into South Korea. The 24th Infantry Division was closest to Korea, and it was the first US division to respond. supported by a 134-man artillery battery (also from the 24th Infantry Division) was sent into South Korea. The force, nicknamed
Task Force Smith for its commander, Lieutenant Colonel
Charles Bradford Smith, was lightly armed and ordered to delay the advance of KPA forces while the rest of the 24th Infantry Division moved into South Korea. On 4 July, the task force set up in the hills north of
Osan and prepared to block advancing KPA forces. According to recently declassified documents the troops were captured and taken to Pyongyang where they are thought to have been murdered about three months later. Approximately 30 percent of Task Force Smith became casualties in the
Battle of Osan. The task force delayed the KPA advance for only seven hours. For the first month after the defeat of Task Force Smith, 24th Infantry Division soldiers were repeatedly defeated and pushed south by the KPA's superior numbers and equipment. 24th Infantry Division soldiers were pushed south at and around
Chochiwon,
Chonan,
Pyongtaek,
Hadong and
Yechon. at the
Kum River between 13 and 16 July and suffered 650 casualties of the 3,401 men committed there. In the ensuing battle, 922 men of the 24th Infantry Division were killed and 228 were wounded of 3,933 committed there. However, the 24th Infantry Division managed to delay the advancing North Koreans for two days, long enough for significant numbers of UN forces to arrive in Pusan and begin establishing defenses further south. By the time the 24th Infantry Division retreated and reformed, the 1st Cavalry Division was in place behind it. The division suffered over 3,600 casualties in the 17 days it fought alone against the KPA 3rd and 4th Divisions. By 4 August, a
perimeter was established around Pusan on the hills to the north of the city and the
Naktong River to the west. The Eighth Army, including the 24th Infantry Division, was cornered by the surrounding KPA. UN forces were now concentrated, the 24th Division was at
Naktong, with the 25th Infantry Division to the south, and the 1st Cavalry Division and ROK forces to the north. The 24th Division was also reinforced by the
2nd Infantry Division, newly arrived in the theater. The 24th was quickly sent to block the KPA
6th Infantry Division, which attempted to attack the UN forces from the southwest. On 8 August, the KPA 4th Infantry Division crossed the river and attempted to penetrate the perimeter. After
10 days of fighting, the 24th Infantry Division counterattacked and forced the North Koreans back across the river. The 34th Regiment's survivors were added to the ranks of the 19th and 21st Regiments in an effort to bring them up to strength and the 5th Infantry remained with the 24th Division until the division withdrew from Korea. Elements of the 24th Infantry Division were moved into reserve on 23 August and replaced by the 2nd Infantry Division. A second, larger KPA attack occurred between 31 August and 19 September, but the 2nd, 24th, and 25th Infantry Divisions and the 1st Cavalry Division beat them back across the river again. The 24th Infantry Division advanced to Songju, then to
Seoul. The Army advanced north along the west coast of Korea through October. The 24th Infantry Division, with the ROK
1st Infantry Division, moved to the left flank of the advancing Eighth Army, and moved north along Korea's west coast. The Chinese
People's Volunteer Army (PVA) entered the war on the side of North Korea, making their
first attacks in late October. On 1 November, the division's 21st Infantry captured Chonggodo, from the
Yalu River and Korea's border with China. The 24th Infantry Division, on the west coast of the Korean peninsula, was hit by soldiers from the PVA 50th and 66th Field Armies. Amid heavy casualties, the Eighth Army
retreated from North Korea to the
Imjin River, south of the
38th Parallel, having been destabilised by the overwhelming PVA force. The Chinese eventually advanced too far for their supply lines to adequately support them, and their attack stalled.
Stalemate General
Matthew B. Ridgway ordered I, IX and X Corps to conduct a general counteroffensive on the Chinese (
Operation Thunderbolt) quickly thereafter. The 24th Division, as part of IX Corps, advanced along the center of the peninsula to take
Chipyong-ni. The corps ran into heavy resistance and fought for the region until February. Between February and March 1951, the 24th Infantry Division participated in
Operation Killer, pushing PVA forces north of the
Han River. This operation was followed by
Operation Ripper, which recaptured Seoul in March. After this,
Operation Rugged and
Operation Dauntless in April saw the division advance north of the 38th Parallel and reestablish itself along previously established lines of defense, code named Kansas and Utah, respectively. Though the 24th and 25th Infantry Divisions were able to hold their ground against the PVA 9th Army Corps, the ROK
6th Infantry Division, to the east,
was destroyed by the PVA 13th Army Corps, which penetrated the line and threatened to encircle the 24th and 25th Divisions. The 1st Marine Division and
27th British Commonwealth Brigade were able to drive the 13th Army Corps back while the 24th and 25th Divisions withdrew on 25 April. In September, the UN forces launched another
counteroffensive with the 24th Infantry Division at the center of the line, west of the
Hwachon Reservoir. Flanked by the ROK 2nd and 6th Divisions, the 24th advanced past
Kumwha, engaging the PVA
20th and
27th Armies. In January 1952, the 24th Infantry Division, which suffered over 10,000 casualties in 18 months of fighting, was redesignated as the Far East Theater reserve and pulled out of Korea. In July 1953, the division returned to Korea to
restore order at Geoje prisoner of war camp. It arrived two weeks before the end of the war.
Melvin O. Handrich,
Mitchell Red Cloud Jr.,
Carl H. Dodd,
Nelson V. Brittin,
Ray E. Duke,
Stanley T. Adams,
Mack A. Jordan, and
Woodrow W. Keeble. Keeble's medal was awarded on 3 March 2008, 26 years after his death. The 24th Infantry Division suffered 3,735 killed and 7,395 wounded during the Korean War. It remained on front-line duty after the armistice until October 1957, patrolling the 38th parallel in the event that combat would resume. The division then returned to Japan and remained there for a short time. and the 1st Airborne Battle Group, 187th Infantry departed on 8 February 1959, also for the 82nd. On 13 July, less than 2 weeks after the reorganization, King
Faisal II of
Iraq was assassinated in a coup orchestrated by pro-
Egyptian officers. The Christian president of
Lebanon, pressured by Muslims to join
Egypt and
Syria in the
Gamal Abdel Nasser-led
United Arab Republic, requested help from the
Eisenhower administration during the
1958 Lebanon crisis. On the night of 15 July, U.S. Marines from the
Sixth Fleet landed at
Beirut and secured the Beirut airport. The following day, the 24th Division's
1st Airborne Battle Group, 187th Infantry deployed to Turkey and flew to Beirut on 19 July. After the construction of the
Berlin Wall in August 1961, the
Seventh Army began sending infantry units from the divisions in West Germany on a rotating basis to reinforce the
Berlin Brigade. The 24th Division's units participated in this action. of the 24th Infantry Division during an exercise in 1988|alt=An armored vehicle containing several soldiers in a desert In January 1963, the 24th was reorganized as a mechanized infantry division under the
Reorganization Objective Army Division (ROAD) TO&E, which replaced the pentomic battle groups with conventional-sized battalions organized in three combined arms brigades. The
169th Infantry Brigade, previously assigned to the
85th Infantry Division was redesignated the
1st Brigade, 24th Infantry Division. The 85th Division's
170th Infantry Brigade was redesignated the
2nd Brigade, 24th Infantry Division. In 1965, the 24th Infantry Division received its
distinctive unit insignia. Because the Regular Army could not field a full division at Fort Stewart, the 24th had the
48th Infantry Brigade of the
Georgia Army National Guard assigned to it as a round-out unit in place of its 3rd Brigade.
Gulf War Desert Shield When
President George H. W. Bush decided to send troops to
Saudi Arabia after the
Invasion of Kuwait in 1990, the division, as part of the
XVIII Airborne Corps, was one of the first formations deployed to the Middle East. It arrived in 10 large cargo ships of the
Military Sealift Command. Advance elements of the 24th Division began arriving in
Saudi Arabia on 17 August. Some controversy erupted when the division's round-out formation, the 48th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized), of the Georgia National Guard, was not sent overseas. Army leaders decided that the use of National Guard forces was unnecessary, as they felt the active-duty force had sufficient troops. The 48th Brigade was replaced once the 24th Division was in
Saudi Arabia with the regular Army's
197th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized). The 24th Division was then assigned to
XVIII Airborne Corps as the corps' heavy-armored division. In the months that followed, the 24th Division played an important part of
Operation Desert Shield by providing heavy firepower with its large number of armored vehicles, including 216
M1A1 Abrams tanks. Elements of the division were still arriving in September, and in the logistical chaos that followed the rapid arrival of U.S. forces in the region, the soldiers of the 24th Division were housed in warehouses, airport hangars, and on the desert sand. The 24th remained in relatively stationary positions in defense of Saudi Arabia until additional American forces arrived for
Operation Desert Storm. Aviation units of the division included 2nd Squadron,
4th Cavalry, and 1st Battalion,
24th Aviation Regiment. ::
24th Infantry Division (Mech) ::MG
Barry McCaffrey :::
1st Brigade ::::
4th BN, 64th Armor Regiment ::::2nd BN,
7th Infantry Regiment (Mech) ::::3rd BN, 7th Infantry Regiment (Mech) ::::1st BN, 41st Field Artillery Regiment (155SP) :::
2nd Brigade ::::1st BN, 64th Armor Regiment ::::
3rd BN, 69th Armor Regiment ::::3rd BN,
15th Infantry Regiment (Mech) ::::3rd BN, 41st Field Artillery Regiment (155SP) :::
197th Infantry Brigade (Mech) – Acting 3rd Brigade ::::2nd BN, 69th Armor Regiment ::::1st BN,
18th Infantry Regiment (Mech) ::::2nd BN, 18th Infantry Regiment (Mech) ::::4th BN, 41st Field Artillery Regiment(155SP)
Desert Storm , with the 24th Infantry Division positioned at the left flank|alt=A map showing a large allied force sweeping north and then east through the desert in southern Iraq and in Kuwait Operation Desert Storm began with an extensive
aerial bombing campaign on 17 January 1991. When the ground attack commenced on 24 February, the 24th Infantry Division formed the east flank of the corps with the
3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. It blocked the
Euphrates River valley to cut off Iraqi forces in Kuwait and little resistance. At this time, the 24th Division's ranks swelled to over 25,000 troops in 34 battalions, commanding 94 helicopters, 241 M1 Abrams tanks, 221
M2 Bradley Armored fighting vehicles, and over 7,800 other vehicles. The 24th Infantry Division performed exceptionally well in the theater; it had been training in desert warfare for several years before the conflict. and captured the two airfields the next day. The 24th then moved east with
VII Corps and engaged several Iraqi
Republican Guard divisions. The 24th Infantry Division's Task Force Tusker attacked entrenched Iraqi forces on 26 February 1991 to seize battle position 143, effectively severing the Iraqi Euphrates River Valley line of communication to the Kuwait Theater of operation and destroying the major combat elements of the Iraqi Republican Guard Forces Command's elite 26th Commando Brigade. On 2 March 1991 the 24th Infantry Division would participate in a controversial engagement against the Republican Guard Hammurabi Division. It would take place well after the ceasefire. It is known as the
Battle of Rumaila.
Iraqi Republican Guard forces were engaged within the
Hammar Marshes of the
Tigris–Euphrates river system in Iraq while attempting to reach and cross the
Lake Hammar causeway and escape northward toward
Baghdad on Highway 8. Most of the five-mile-long Iraqi caravan of several hundred vehicles was first boxed into a
kill zone and then in the course of the next five hours systematically devastated by the U.S. 24th Infantry Division, including its armored forces, by
AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, and nine artillery battalions. Nine American artillery battalions would fire thousands of rounds and rockets during this particular engagement. At least six Hammurabi Republican Guard battalions were destroyed. General Barry McCaffrey reported the elimination of 247 tanks and armored fighting vehicles, 43 artillery pieces, and over 400 trucks. Approximately 3,000 Iraqi soldiers were captured. A
hospital bus with medics and wounded Iraqi soldiers who had already surrendered to another American platoon was also destroyed by gunfire, which later troubled many U.S. soldiers. Surviving Iraqi soldiers were either taken prisoner, fled on foot or swam to safety. By the end of combat operations, the 24th Infantry Division advanced 260 miles and destroyed 360 tanks and other armored personnel carriers, 300 artillery pieces, 1,200 trucks, 25 aircraft, 19 missiles, and over 500 pieces of engineer equipment. The division took over 5,000 Iraqi prisoners of war while suffering only eight killed, 36 wounded, and five non-combat casualties. After returning to the United States in spring 1991, the 24th was reorganized with two brigades at Fort Stewart and the 3rd Brigade reactivated at
Fort Benning, Georgia, replacing the 197th Infantry Brigade. the 24th Infantry Division was inactivated on 15 February 1996 The subordinate brigades of the divisions did not activate, so they could not be deployed as combat divisions. Instead, the headquarters units focused on full-time training. On 5 June 1999 the 24th Infantry Division was reactivated, this time at
Fort Riley,
Kansas. From 1999 to 2006, the 24th Infantry Division consisted of a headquarters and three separate National Guard brigades; the
30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team at
Clinton, North Carolina, the
218th Heavy Brigade Combat Team at
Columbia, South Carolina, and the
48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in
Macon, Georgia. This transformation was part of an overall restructuring of the US Army to streamline the organizations overseeing training. Division East took control of reserve units in states east of the
Mississippi River, eliminating the need for the 24th Infantry Division headquarters.
Inactivation Though it was inactivated, the division was initially identified as the third highest priority inactive division in the
United States Army Center of Military History's lineage scheme due to its numerous accolades and long history. All of the division's flags and heraldic items were moved to the
National Infantry Museum at
Fort Benning, Georgia following its inactivation. Should the U.S. Army decide to activate more divisions in the future following the activation of the
7th Infantry Division in 2012, the center will most likely suggest the first new division be the
9th Infantry Division, the second be the 24th Infantry Division, the third be the
5th Infantry Division, and the fourth be the
2nd Armored Division. ==Honors==