World War I |left The 81st Division was organized as a division of the
United States Army in August 1917 during
World War I at
Camp Jackson, South Carolina. The division was originally organized with a small
cadre of
Regular Army, in addition to
Officers Reserve Corps and
National Army officers, while the soldiers were predominantly
Selective Service men drawn from the southeastern states of
Florida,
North Carolina, and
Tennessee. During October 1917, most of the enlisted men were transferred to other units, but additional drafts from
Alabama, Florida,
Georgia,
North Carolina, South Carolina, and
Tennessee replenished the strength of the division. After finishing training, the 81st Division, commanded by Major General
Charles Justin Bailey, deployed to
Europe, arriving on the
Western Front in August 1918. Elements of the 81st Division first saw limited action by defending the St. Dié sector in September and early October. After relief of mission, the 81st Division was attached to the
American First Army in preparation for the
Meuse-Argonne Offensive. In the last days of World War I, the 81st Division attacked a portion of the
German Army's defensive line on 9 November 1918, and remained engaged in combat operations until the
Armistice with Germany at 1100 hours on 11 November 1918. The division sustained 461 casualties on the last day, 66 of them killed. After the cessation of hostilities, the 81st Division remained in France until May 1919; after which the division was shipped back to the
United States and inactivated on 11 June 1919.
Story of the wildcat As the fighting divisions of the United States Army organized in 1917, commanders adopted distinctive nicknames and insignia, not only to foster esprit-de-corps within their units, but to help identify unit equipment and baggage. The 81st Division, composed mostly of Southern inductees, first adopted the nickname "Stonewall Division" in honor of Confederate General
Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. While at Camp Jackson, much of the division training was conducted in the vicinity of Wildcat Creek. Furthermore, some more daring country boys in uniform trapped a Carolina wildcat (presumably a
bobcat) near the creek, and adopted the snarling beast as the division mascot. For those reasons, the division adopted a wildcat as their unique insignia. The wildcat proved so popular with the members of the division that the "Stonewall" nickname was quickly supplanted. The cat symbol and the motto "Obedience, Courage, Loyalty" were officially adopted in the War Department General Order #16 of 24 May 1918. The 81st Division commander, Major General Charles J. Bailey, went a step further in creating a distinctive shoulder patch for his men after seeing similar items in use by Allied troops on the Western Front. General Bailey canvassed his officers for thoughts on a divisional patch. Colonel Frank Halstead, commander of the 321st Infantry Regiment, logically proposed to use a wildcat as a symbol. Sergeant Dan Silverman, a soldier in the headquarters of the 321st Infantry, created several concept sketches for review by General Bailey. One of Silverman's sketches which showed a wildcat superimposed on a disk was selected for approval by General Bailey. Out of the concept sketch was created a circular olive drab cloth patch with a wildcat silhouette surrounded by a black border. To further differentiate the elements of the division, specific colors were assigned the subordinate brigades, support trains and separate battalions. For example, the divisional headquarters and headquarters troop adopted a black patch with a yellowish wildcat with the superimposed letters "HQ". On his own authority, Bailey authorized the creation and wear of the wildcat patches. The new wildcat insignia not only served as a ready means of identification, but helped to foster unit pride and esprit-de-corps. However, General Bailey quickly found himself in trouble over his unauthorized patch. When the 81st Division arrived in New York City to embark for Europe, the port commander not only ordered the removal of the patches, but cabled the War Department to report the breach of uniform regulations. By the time the War Department replied with orders to remove the patch, the 81st Division had already sailed from New York. Once at sea, General Bailey cheekily ordered his men to restore the wildcat patches to their uniforms. However, the matter of the wildcat patch was not settled. As the 81st Division was moving into the Vosges sector of France, a War Department telegram arrived from the Adjutant General of the American Expeditionary Forces. The telegram frostily requested General Bailey to "furnish authority, if any, for wearing the "wildcat" in cloth on both the left sleeve and overseas cap...it is gathered that no previous authority was officially given to any organization for this addition to the uniform." Bailey redoubled his efforts to keep the insignia by sending an indorsement to General
General John J. Pershing, commander of the
American Expeditionary Force (A.E.F.), on 4 October 1918 advising that "no official sanction had been given for the wearing of the emblem on the uniform. Bailey continued by explaining in detail the events leading up to the adoption...of the distinguishing symbol in this manner and the advantages of the usage of such as symbol." Determined to win the argument, Bailey obtained permission to personally defend his decision to Pershing. As the story goes, Bailey touted the advantages of a shoulder patch in boosting the morale of the soldiers. General Pershing approved the use of the patch, reportedly saying "all right, go ahead and wear it; and see to it that you live up to it." Bailey's initiative quickly spread among the A.E.F. On 18 October 1918, the commander of the
First Army distributed an order from General Pershing that directed each division commander to submit a sleeve insignia design for review and approval. On 19 October, the 81st Division requested confirmation of their existing wildcat design, and received approval from the GHQ on the same day – thus confirming the 81st Division Wildcat patch as the first divisional patch of the Army. In 1922 the War Department approved the final version of the Wildcat patch, a black cat on an olive drab disc within a black circle, a design which has remained the same ever since – with one minor variation. When worn on the
Desert Combat Uniform, the patch was tan and brown. In contrast to other Army organizations which displayed a colored patch on the old green dress uniform and a "subdued" patch for the field uniform, the 81st's wildcat insignia was the same regardless of uniform type. In 1967, a memo from the Adjutant General of the Army authorized the wearing of the 81st Infantry Division's patch by the 81st Army Reserve Command (ARCOM) of the United States Army Reserve. This authorization is extended today to the 81st Readiness Division (RD) currently located at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
World War II The 81st Infantry Division was ordered into active military service for World War II in June 1942 at
Camp Rucker, Alabama. As in World War I, the division was filled primarily with inducted men. The division trained at locations in Tennessee,
Arizona and California before embarking for
Hawaii in June 1944. After completion of amphibious and jungle training, the 81st Infantry Division departed for
Guadalcanal in August 1944. There the division was attached to the
III Marine Amphibious Corps reserve. In September 1944 the 321st and 322nd Infantry Regiment of the 81st Infantry Division performed a combat landing on
Angaur Island as part of the operations to secure the
Palau Islands chain. After finishing the
battle of Angaur, the 81st Infantry Division was ordered to assist the
1st Marine Division in their efforts to seize
Peleliu. The 81st Infantry Division eventually relieved the 1st Marine Division, and assumed command of combat operations on Peleliu. The 81st Infantry Division remained engaged in the
Battle of Peleliu until the end of organized Japanese resistance on 18 January 1945. In early February 1945, the 81st Infantry Division sailed to
New Caledonia to rest and refit. In May 1945, the 81st Infantry Division was deployed to the
Philippines to take part in mopping up operations on
Leyte Island, and to prepare for the planned
invasion of Japan. After the end of World War II, the 81st Infantry Division deployed to
Aomori Prefecture in
Japan as part of the
Allied occupation force. The 81st Infantry Division was inactivated in Japan on 30 January 1946.
Cold War On 10 November 1947, the 81st Infantry Division was reconstituted in the Organized Reserve (known as the
United States Army Reserve after 1952) with the division headquarters in
Atlanta, Georgia. Under
War Department guidelines, the 81st was organized as a Class C reserve unit with 60% of the authorized officer cadre, but no authorized enlisted members. In the event of a wartime mobilization, the division would expand to wartime strength with called up reservists and new inductees. However, during the 1950s and 60s, the 81st Infantry Division was not called up for service during the
Korean War or
Berlin Crisis. As part of the 1962 reorganization of the reserve components initiated by Secretary of Defense
Robert McNamara, the 81st Infantry Division was selected for inactivation, which was completed on 31 December 1965.
1967–present ==Combat history==