106th Infantry Division
Active	1943-1945
Country	United States
Branch	Army
Nickname	Golden Lion Division
Battles/wars	World War II * Battle of the Bulge

The 106th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War II well known to be the hardest hit division of the Battle of the Bulge. The United States Army is one of the armed forces of the United States and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Combatants United States United Kingdom Germany Commanders Dwight D. Eisenhower Bernard L. Montgomery Omar N. Bradley George S. Patton, Jr. ... The United States Army is one of the armed forces of the United States and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Combatants United States United Kingdom Germany Commanders Dwight D. Eisenhower Bernard L. Montgomery Omar N. Bradley George S. Patton, Jr. ...

World War II

• Activated: 15 March 1943.
• Overseas: 10 November 1944.
• Campaigns: Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace.
• Days of combat: 63.
• Distinguished Unit Citations: 1.
• Awards: DSC-6; DSM-1; SS-77; LM-9; SM-26; BSM-352; AM-10.
• Commanders: Maj. Gen. Alan W. Jones (15 March 1943-22 December 1944), Brig. Gen. Herbert T. Perrin (22 December 1944-8 February 1945), Maj. GenDonald A. Stroh (February 1945-August 1945), Brig. Gen. Francis A. Woolfley (August 1945 to inactivation).
• Returned to U.S.: 1 October 1945.
• Inactivated: 2 October 1945.

Combat Chronicle

The 106th Infantry Division arrived in the United Kingdom, 17 November 1944, and trained briefly, then moved to France, 6 December. It relieved the US 2nd Infantry Division in the quiet area of Schnee Eifel on the 11th for further training. Patch of the United States Army 2nd Infantry Division. ...

The German Ardennes Offensive was thrown in force without warning at the 106th on 16 December with a large thrust through the Schnee Eifel area by the German Sixth SS Panzer Army and German Fifth Panzer Army. At this time the division has been on the continent for only 15 days with many new soldiers at an average age of 22 years. Combatants United States United Kingdom Germany Commanders Dwight D. Eisenhower Bernard L. Montgomery Omar N. Bradley George S. Patton, Jr. ... The German Sixth Panzer Army (6. ... 5. ...

Immediately the 422d and 423d Infantry Regiments were encircled and cut off from the remainder of the division by a junction of enemy forces in the vicinity of Schonberg. They regrouped for a counterattack but were blocked by the enemy and lost to the division, 18 December. The division suffered 641 killed and 1,200 wounded. Over 7,000 soldiers were captured and sent to various POW camps throughout Germany. Arnold Schoenberg, Los Angeles, 1948 Arnold Schoenberg, (the anglicized form of Schönberg—Schoenberg changed the spelling officially when he became a U.S. citizen) (September 13, 1874 – July 13, 1951) was a composer, born in Vienna, Austria. ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ...

The rest of the division withdrew from St. Vith on the 21st under constant enemy fire and pulled back over the Salm River at Vielsalm, 23 December. On the 24th, the 424th Regiment attached to the US 7th Armored Division fought a delaying action at Manhay until ordered to an assembly area. Sankt Vith (French: Saint-Vith) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. ... Salm is a river in eastern Belgium (provinces of Liège and Luxembourg), tributary to the river Amblève. ... Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 7th Armored Division. ... Manhay is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Luxembourg. ...

From 25 December 1944 to 9 January 1945, the division received reinforcements and supplies at Anthisnes, Belgium, and returned to the struggle, securing objectives along the Ennal-Logbierme line on the 15th after heavy fighting. After being pinched out by advancing divisions, the 106th assembled at Stavelot on the 18th for rehabilitation and training. It moved to the vicinity of Hunningen, 7 February, for defensive patrols and training. Stavelot is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. ...

In March, the 424th advanced along the high ground between Berk and the Simmer river and was again pinched out at Olds on the 7th. A period of training and patrolling followed until 15 March when the division moved to St. Quentin for rehabilitation and the reconstruction of lost units. For the remainder of its stay in Europe, the 106th handled prisoners of war enclosures and engaged in occupational duties. Saint-Quentin is a commune of northern France. ...

Assignments in the ETO

• 29 November 1944: VIII Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group.
• 20 December 1944: XVIII (Abn) Corps, First Army (attached to the British 21st Army Group), 12th Army Group.
• 18 January 1945: XVIII (Abn) Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group.
• 6 February 1945: V Corps.
• 10 March 1945: Fifteenth Army, 12th Army Group.
• 15 April 1945: Fifteenth Army, 12th Army Group, but attached to ADSEC (Advanced Section, Communications Zone).

XVIII ABC Distinctive Unit insignia XVIII ABC Beret Flash XVIII ABC Background Trim The XVIII Airborne Corps is the corps of the United States Army designed for rapid deployment anywhere in the world. ... XVIII ABC Distinctive Unit insignia XVIII ABC Beret Flash XVIII ABC Background Trim The XVIII Airborne Corps is the corps of the United States Army designed for rapid deployment anywhere in the world. ... ADSEC represents The Advance Section, Communications Zone, which was formally activated at Bristol in February 1944. ...

General

• Nickname: Golden Lion Division.
• Shoulder patch: A golden lion's face on a blue circular background encircled by white and then red borders respectively.

Trivia

Author Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse-Five is largely based on his experiences as a combat infantryman in the 106th Infantry Division. Vonnegut was one of the soldiers captured during the 106th's defeat at the Battle of the Bulge and he was taken to an underground POW camp in Dresden where he experienced first-hand the Dresden fire-bombing. His experiences as a member of the 106th and a POW heavily influenced many of his early novels. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. ... Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Childrens Crusade: A Duty Dance With Death is a 1969 novel by best-selling author Kurt Vonnegut. ... For other uses, see Dresden (disambiguation). ... The bombing of Dresden, led by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and involving the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) between February 13 and February 15, 1945, remains one of the more controversial Allied actions of World War II. Historian Frederick Taylor says: The destruction of Dresden has an...

References

• The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States U.S. Government Printing Office, 1950 reproduced at http://www.army.mil/cmh/lineage/cc/106id.htm.
• The 106th: The Story of the 106th Infantry Division
• [1] 106th at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, Diaries of 106th members, and Prisoner of War diaries of 106th members
• [2]