The 99th Infantry Division was formed in 1942 and deployed overseas in 1944. The "Checkerboard" or "Battle Babies" division landed at the French port of Le Havre and proceeded northeast to Belgium. During the heavy fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, the unit suffered many casualties, yet tenaciously held its defensive position. In March 1945, the 99th advanced into the Rhineland, crossing the Rhine River at Remagen on March 11. After fighting in the Ruhr area, the unit moved southward into Bavaria, where it was located at the end of the war. The 99th Infantry Division, the "Checkerboard" division, gained its nickname from the division's insignia. The insignia was devised upon the 99th's formation in 1942, when the division was headquartered in the city of Pittsburgh. The blue and white checkerboard in the division's insignia is taken from the coat of arms of William Pitt, for whom Pittsburgh is named. The division was also known as the "Battle Babies" during 1945, a sobriquet coined by a United Press correspondent when the division was first mentioned in press reports during the Battle of the Bulge. On May 3–4, 1945, as the 99th moved deeper into Bavaria, it liberated one of a number of Dachau subcamps near the town of Mühldorf. The unit reported on May 4, that it had "liberated 3 labor camps and 1 concentration camp." The concentration camp was one of the "forest camps" (Waldlager) tied to the Mühldorf camp complex. The 99th Infantry's report stated that 1,500 Jews were "living under terrible conditions and approximately 600 required hospitalization due to starvation and disease." The 99th Infantry Division was recognized as a liberating unit by the US Army's Center of Military History and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1992. (en)
Die 99th Infantry Division (deutsch 99. US-Infanteriedivision) war ein Großverband der United States Army im Zweiten Weltkrieg. Sie spielte eine strategische Rolle während der Ardennenoffensive, als es den unerfahrenen Truppen gelang, den nördlichen Bereich des deutschen Angriffsabschnitts aufzuhalten und so hier ein Vordringen nach Belgien hinein zu verhindern. Seit der Außerdienststellung im Jahre 1945 gehört sie zur „United States Army Reserve“ (inaktiv). Das 99th Regional Support Command als (traditionelle) Nachfolgeeinheit ist verantwortlich für den Hauptstützpunkt und Administrative Unterstützung aller Einheiten der United States Army Reserve im Bereich des mittleren Atlantik und der nordöstlichen Region der USA. Das „99th Regional Support Command“ Hauptquartier hat seinen Sitz auf der in New Jersey. (de)
La 99e division d'infanterie est une des divisions d'infanterie de l'armée américaine (US Army) ayant participé à la Seconde Guerre mondiale. (fr)
La 99th Infantry Division è stata una unità militare terrestre dello United States Army nella Seconda guerra mondiale.Svolse un ruolo strategico nell'offensiva delle Ardenne, con le sue truppe inesperte che malgrado tutto si opposero validamente all'ala settentrionale del fronte di avanzata tedesco, impedendo che potesse accedere alla vitale rete viaria che dal nord conduceva in Belgio. (it)
La 99e division d'infanterie est une des divisions d'infanterie de l'armée américaine (US Army) ayant participé à la Seconde Guerre mondiale. (fr)
La 99th Infantry Division è stata una unità militare terrestre dello United States Army nella Seconda guerra mondiale.Svolse un ruolo strategico nell'offensiva delle Ardenne, con le sue truppe inesperte che malgrado tutto si opposero validamente all'ala settentrionale del fronte di avanzata tedesco, impedendo che potesse accedere alla vitale rete viaria che dal nord conduceva in Belgio. (it)
The 99th Infantry Division was formed in 1942 and deployed overseas in 1944. The "Checkerboard" or "Battle Babies" division landed at the French port of Le Havre and proceeded northeast to Belgium. During the heavy fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, the unit suffered many casualties, yet tenaciously held its defensive position. In March 1945, the 99th advanced into the Rhineland, crossing the Rhine River at Remagen on March 11. After fighting in the Ruhr area, the unit moved southward into Bavaria, where it was located at the end of the war. (en)
Die 99th Infantry Division (deutsch 99. US-Infanteriedivision) war ein Großverband der United States Army im Zweiten Weltkrieg. Sie spielte eine strategische Rolle während der Ardennenoffensive, als es den unerfahrenen Truppen gelang, den nördlichen Bereich des deutschen Angriffsabschnitts aufzuhalten und so hier ein Vordringen nach Belgien hinein zu verhindern. Seit der Außerdienststellung im Jahre 1945 gehört sie zur „United States Army Reserve“ (inaktiv). (de)