World War I The regiment was constituted 5 August 1917 in the National Army as the 338th Infantry and assigned to the
169th Infantry Brigade of the 85th Division. It was organized at
Camp Custer,
Michigan, on 30 August 1917. In August 1917, the regiment was organized with 3,755 officers and enlisted men: • Headquarters & Headquarters Company- 303 • Supply Company- 140 • Machine Gun Company- 178 • Medical & Chaplain Detachment- 56 • Infantry Battalion (x3)- 1,026 • Headquarters- 2 • Rifle Company (x4)- 256 The
Doughboys of the regiment deployed to France as part of the
American Expeditionary Forces and were billeted in the cities of
Nevers and
Cosne. The regiment didn't participate in any named campaigns during the war; its Infantrymen were used as individual replacements to the fighting Divisions. After completing its war service in
France it was demobilized at Camp Custer on 14 April 1919.
Interwar period Pursuant to the
National Defense Act of 1920, the 338th Infantry was reconstituted in the
Organized Reserve on 24 June 1921, assigned to the 85th Division, and allotted to the Sixth
Corps Area. It was initiated on 5 November 1921 with the regimental headquarters at
Kalamazoo, Michigan. Subordinate battalion headquarters were organized as follows: 1st Battalion at Kalamazoo; 2nd Battalion at
Lansing, Michigan; and 3rd Battalion at
Ann Arbor, Michigan. The regimental headquarters was relocated on 20 July 1923 to Lansing. The 2nd and 3rd Battalions were relocated by 1929 to
Hastings and
Jackson, Michigan, respectively. The regimental headquarters was relocated on 26 September 1932 to Kalamazoo. The regiment conducted summer training most years with the
2nd Infantry Regiment at
Camp Custer, Michigan. The regiment conducted summer training with the
Michigan National Guard's
126th Infantry Regiment at
Camp Grayling, Michigan, in 1928 and 1934. The regiment also conducted infantry
Citizens' Military Training Camps some years at Camp Custer or
Fort Brady, Michigan, as an alternate form of summer training. The primary
ROTC "feeder" school was
Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science in Lansing.
World War II The 338th Infantry was ordered into active military service 15 May 1942 and reorganized at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. In July 1943, the regiment was organized with 3,256 officers and enlisted men: • Headquarters & Headquarters Company- 111 • Service Company- 114 • Anti-Tank Company- 165 • Cannon Company- 118 • Medical Detachment- 135 • Infantry Battalion (x3)- 871 • Headquarters & Headquarters Company- 126 • Rifle Company (x3)- 193 • Weapons Company- 156 The regiment departed
Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation in December 1943 aboard the
USS General William A. Mann with its supporting 329th Field Artillery Battalion. Arriving in
Italy on March 14, the 339th
Regimental Combat Team was attached to the
88th Infantry Division and became the first regiment of the 85th to see combat during World War II on the
Minturno-
Castelforte front north of
Naples, on 28 March. After service in the
Mediterranean Theater it was disbanded 25 August 1945 at
Camp Patrick Henry,
Virginia.
Post World War II The 338th Infantry was reconstituted 6 November 1946 in the Organized Reserves and assigned to the 85th Infantry Division with headquarters at Peoria, Illinois. On 9 July 1952, the Organized Reserve was redesignated the Army Reserve. On 1 April 1952, the headquarters was relocated to Danville, Illinois. On 1 June 1959 the 338th Infantry was reorganized as a training unit and was redesignated as the 338th Regiment, an element of the 85th Division (Training), with headquarters at Chicago, Illinois. All three battalions are elements of the 85th Support Command under the operational control of First Army. , the 1st Battalion is stationed at
Fort McCoy,
Wisconsin, with the
181st Infantry Brigade, while the 2nd and 3rd Battalions are stationed at
Camp Atterbury,
Indiana, with the
157th Infantry Brigade. Each battalion provides Observer/Controllers to the
NTC and
JRTC to train units conducting rotations as well as conducting exercises at their home stations. File:The Library of Congress - Camp Custer, Michigan, photographed from kites, camera elevated 500 feet (LOC).jpg|Camp Custer, Michigan File:Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation leased facilities.png|Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation File:USS General W. A. Mann AP-112.jpg|USS General W. A. Mann File:Welcome Home, Camp Patrick Henry, VA.jpg|Welcome Home, Camp Patrick Henry File:SpringOffensiveItaly1945.jpg|Spring Offensive, Italy 1945 File:IVCorpsApr45.jpg|IV Corps operations, Italy April 1945 File:US Army 51746 1st, 338th provides training, support at Fort McCoy to deploying units.jpg|1st Battalion training deploying soldiers from the 101st Engineer Battalion September, 2009 ==Campaign streamers==