On 16 October 1939, the 5th Division was reactivated as part of the United States mobilization in response to the outbreak of
World War II in Europe the previous month, being formed at
Fort McClellan,
Alabama, under the command of
Brigadier General Campbell Hodges.
Normandy en route to
Paris, supported by
M10 tank destroyers of the
818th Tank Destroyer Battalion The 5th Infantry Division, now commanded by Major General
Stafford LeRoy Irwin, left Iceland in early August 1943 and was sent to England to prepare and train for the eventual
invasion of Northwest Europe, then scheduled for the spring of 1944. Upon arrival in England the 5th Division was stationed at
Tidworth Barracks in
South West England, before moving to
Northern Ireland. After two years of training the 5th ID landed in Normandy on
Utah Beach, on 9 July 1944, over a month after the initial
D-Day landings, and four days later took up defensive positions in the vicinity of
Caumont-l'Éventé. Launching a successful attack at
Vidouville 26 July, the division drove on southeast of
Saint-Lô, attacked and captured
Angers, 9–10 August, captured
Chartres, (assisted by the
7th Armored Division), 18 August, pushed to
Fontainebleau, crossed the
Seine at
Montereau, 24 August, crossed the
Marne and seized
Reims, 30 August, and positions east of
Verdun. The division then prepared for the
assault on Metz, 7 September. In mid-September a
bridgehead was secured across the
Moselle, south of
Metz, at
Dornot and
Arnaville after two attempts. The first attempt at Dornot by the
11th Infantry Regiment failed. German-held
Fort Driant played a role in repulsing this crossing. A second crossing by the
10th Infantry Regiment at Arnaville was successful. The division continued operations against Metz, 16 September to 16 October 1944, withdrew, then returned to the assault on 9 November. Metz finally fell 22 November. The division crossed the German border, 4 December, captured Lauterbach (a suburb of
Völklingen) on the 5th, and elements reached the west bank of the river
Saar, 6 December, before the division moved to assembly areas. On 16 December, the
Germans launched their winter offensive in the
Ardennes forest, the
Battle of the Bulge, and on the 18th the 5th ID was thrown in against the southern flank of the Bulge, helping to reduce it by the end of January 1945. In February and March, the division drove across and northeast of the
Sauer, where it smashed through the
Siegfried Line and later took part in the
Allied invasion of Germany.
Across the Rhine The 5th ID crossed the river
Rhine at
Nierstein on the night of 22 March 1945. After capturing some 19,000 German soldiers, the division continued to
Frankfurt-am-Main, clearing and policing the town and its environs, 27–29 March. In April the 5th ID, now commanded by Major General
Albert E. Brown, after Major General Irwin's promotion to command of
XII Corps, took part in clearing the
Ruhr Pocket and then drove across the Czechoslovak border, 1 May, reaching
Volary and
Vimperk as the war in Europe ended. •
Killed in action: 2,298 • Headquarters, 5th Infantry Division •
2nd Infantry Regiment •
10th Infantry Regiment •
11th Infantry Regiment • Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 5th Infantry Division Artillery •
19th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm) • 46th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm) • 50th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm) •
21st Field Artillery Battalion (155 mm) •
7th Engineer Combat Battalion • 5th Medical Battalion • 5th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized) • Headquarters, Special Troops, 5th Infantry Division • Headquarters Company, 5th Infantry Division • 705th Ordnance Light Maintenance Company • 5th Quartermaster Company • 5th Signal Company • Military Police Platoon • Band • 5th Counterintelligence Corps Detachment ==Post–World War II==