https://military.wikia.org/wiki/66th_Infantry_Division_(United_States) Activated 13 April 1943 at Camp Blanding, Florida. In total, there were about 100,000 German soldiers that remained in the ports of Lorient, St. Nazaire, Royan and La Rochelle. 66th Infantry Division in World War II. The 66th Infantry Division was formed in September 1939, as a second-line duplicate of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division. Graduates wore black circular ‘skull’ patches above the right sleeve cuff of their dress uniforms. The 422d and 423d Infantry Regiments (from the 106th Infantry Division) were attached to the division from 15 April to 15 May 1945.[1]. The 66th carried out its objective by harassing German installations, limited objective attacks, and running reconnaissance missions to gather intelligence. Welcome to the official website of the U.S. 66th Infantry Division! However, only 5 miles from the port of Cherbourg, the Leopoldville was torpedoed by a German U-Boat and sunk, taking the lives of 14 officers and 748 enlisted soldiers. My dad unfortunately left this world to serve with God in 1996 when I … World War II Order of Battle: An Encyclopedic Reference to U.S. Army Ground Forces from Battalion through Division, 1939-1946 by Shelby Stanton. The remaining German soldiers surrendered to 66th Infantry Division officers and French officials in a small cafe near Cordemais on 8 May 1945. Terrell, Adjutant General, Indiana, 1865 View Entire Book 66th Indiana Infantry Soldier Roster - Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Indiana, Volume 6, by W.H.H. Enemy troops in the Lorient and St. Nazaire pockets surrendered to the Division upon the end of hostilities in Europe, 8 May 1945. The 66th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army, which was active between September 1939 and June 1940 during the Second World War. Attached to the 66th Infantry Division, the 66th CIC Detachment deployed to France on 27 December 1944. Also to find out as much information as possible on the 66th Infantry Division. A German torpedo ripped into the transport as it was crossing the Channel, and 14 officers and 748 enlisted men were lost. Activated 15 April 1943, the division trained at Camp Blanding, Florida, and was later transferred to Camp Robinson, Arkansas and then later to Camp Rucker, Alabama before being shipped overseas to England on 26 November 1944. “SWINE!” That being the most popular French designation for German soldiers, it must have pleased the French to see the way the 66th “Black Panther” Infantry Division handled the 50,000 Nazi troops trapped in the St. Nazaire and Lorient pockets. Inside you will find an abundance of information about the 66th Infantry, as well as the Panther Veterans Organization. Terrell, Adjutant General, Indiana, 1866 View Entire Book Heller, , Pvt. Soldiers of the 66th Infantry Division pose for a group photo during the 66th Infantry Division's final reunion and site dedication, held at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center's museum, June 15, 2018. The 66th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army during World War II. 4.3K likes. 'The 66th Photographer' is a blog dedicated to all the members of the 66th infantry division, also known as 'The Black Panthers' My aim to find out the identity of this man who is the subject of two 5x4 negatives I bought while in New York. A heavy German attack near La Croix was repulsed, 16 April 1945, and several strongly emplaced enemy positions were taken, 19-29 April 1945. or Pfc, driver in the motor pool, left unit while in Camp Joseph T. Robinson, Little Rock, AR. Storiespublished by the Stars & … This site is dedicated to the men of the 66th Infantry Division and the 763 men of the Black Panther Division that tragically lost their lives on Christmas Eve in 1944 when the Troopship Leopoldville was torpedoed 5.5 miles from the coast of France just outside of Cherbourg Harbor. 2nd Infantry Division SSI 2nd Infantry Division Ranger skull patch Constituted 10 December 1942 as the 66th Infantry Division. 2nd Infantry Division conducted a Ranger Battle Training Course at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, from 12 April to 5 June 1943. Viscardi won a competition to design the patch, and subsequently created the iconic logo. In March 1939, after the re-emergence of Germany as a European power and its occupation of Czechoslovakia, the British Army increased the number of divisions within the Territorial Army by duplicating existing units. The 66th Infantry Division was assigned the task of guarding the staging areas while troops returned to the United States. T… Activated 15 April 1943, the division trained at Camp Blanding, Florida, and was later transferred to Camp Robinson, Arkansas and then later to Camp Rucker, Alabama before being shipped overseas to England on 26 November 1944. Shoulder sleeve insignia: The snarling panther suggests the power, aggressiveness and endurance of the Division. 66th Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia, Assignments in European Theater of Operations. The shoulder sleeve insignia was designed by Nicolas Viscardi (known professionally as Nick Cardy), a comic book artist who served in the Division during World War II. Joseph D. Reppucci I am the son of a Black Panther. Unit's Motto: "EVIL WILL TRIUMPH, WHEN GOOD MEN DO NOTHING" - Edmund Burke They division was activated in April 1943 at Camp Blanding, Florida. It was then in the 3d (Zook's) brigade of Hancock's division, which also suffered severely at Chancellorsville, the loss of the 66th being 70 men. Commanded by Maj. Gen. H. F. Kramer, the 66th Infantry Division's main role in World War II was containing and eliminating the remaining pockets of German soldiers in Northern France. #ArmorReady! . Major General Herman F. Kramer - Assumed command April 1943. The “Iron Knights” of 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, honored that rich history of lineage built by the men and women before them with a “Colonel Burt Challenge” April 6-9, 2015, at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, in honor of Capt. This booklet is one of the series of G.I. Primarily involved with destroying the German troops left behind by the retreat from Northern France, the 66th Infantry Division relieved the 94th Infantry Division of control of the Brittany-Loire area on 29 December 1944, and collaborated with French forces as well. Finally, the 66th CIC Detachment departed France aboard the "USS Exchange" for the United States on Oct. 30, 1945. 75th Infantry Division. The 66th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army during World War II. Three regiments of the 66th Infantry Division arrived in Dorchester, England on 26 November 1944, and the rest of the Division joined them on 12 December 1944. 81st Infantry Division. the division was reformed in 1939 in the Territorial Army as the 66th Infantry Division and disbanded again in 1940, without seeing active service in the Second World War. After spending time in Germany, the 66th returned to the French coast to aid with the allied withdrawal from the European Theater. Activated 15 Apr 1943 • Entered Combat 1 Jan 1945 • Days of Combat 91 • Casualties 1,452, Maj. Gen. Herman F. Kramer (Apr 43 - Aug 45) Maj. Gen. Walter F. Lauer (Aug 45 - inactivation) 5). Not listed due to names not being shown in the 66th Division book published in 1945, from which most of the above data was taken. Inactivated 8 November 1945 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. They trained and prepared for deployment until 24 December 1944, then transferred to Southampton before crossing the English Channel to Cherbourg, France. The 66th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War II. ABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501 ORDER OF BATTLE Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths, Final Report (Statistical and Accounting Branch, Office of the Adjutant General, 1 June 1953), Learn how and when to remove this template message, 66th Counterintelligence Corps Detachment, http://www.lonesentry.com/gi_stories_booklets/66thinfantry/, http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/cbtchron.html, 66th: The Story of the 66th Infantry Division, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=66th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)&oldid=1017184255, Infantry divisions of the United States Army, United States Army divisions during World War II, Military units and formations established in 1943, Military units and formations disestablished in 1945, Articles needing additional references from May 2016, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Red bordered circle, containing black panther's head against an orange background, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 66th Infantry Division Artillery, 66th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized), Headquarters, Special Troops, 66th Infantry Division, Headquarters Company, 66th Infantry Division. 69th Infantry Division. 84th Infantry Division. The U.S. Navy later announced the sinking of the Leopoldville to be the second-largest loss of life from the sinking of a troop transport ship in the entire European Theater. The 66th moved to Germany on occupation duty, in the Koblenz subarea, 20 May 1945, and left for Marseille, 26 May 1945. Upcoming news and reunion information will also be posted here periodically. 45th Infantry Division “Thunderbird” 63rd Infantry Division — “Blood and fire” 65th Infantry Division – “The Battle-Axe Division” 66th Infantry Division -“Black Panther Division” 69th Infantry Division – The Fighting 69th 70th Infantry Division – The Trailblazers 71st Infantry Division- The Red Circle 77th Infantry Division. 80h Infantry Division. One week from today, the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley kick off the Big Red One Year of Honor. 66th Infantry Battalion. 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