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United States Army 88th Infantry Division (Blue Devils)
U. S. ARMY 88TH INFANTRY DIVISION (BLUE DEVILS) - The 88th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the United States Army that saw service in both World War I and World War II. It was one of the first of the Organized Reserve divisions to be reactivated, created nearly "from scratch" after the implementation of the draft in 1940.
By the end of World War II the 88th Infantry fought its way to the northernmost extreme of Italy. In early May 1945 troops of its 349th Infantry Regiment joined the 103d Infantry Division of the VI Corps of the U.S. Seventh Army, part of the 6th Army Group, which had raced south through Bavaria into Innsbruck, Austria, in Vipiteno in the Italian Alps.
According to the National WWII Museum, the title "Blue Devils" was not attributed to the unit until a later deployment in WWII. Originally, the unit was known as the "Clover Leaf Battalion" but later became known as the "Fighting Blue Devils". This name was taken from German propaganda, which was shouted over speakers with the intentions of demoralizing U.S. troops. Instead the unit took the name "Blue Devils", which was intended to be an insult which called them deceptive and ruthless, to their liking and chose to rename their unit.
World War I
- Activated: August 5, 1917, Camp Dodge, Iowa
- Overseas: September 7, 1918
- Casualties: Total-78 (KIA-12; WIA-66)
World War II
- Called to active service: July 15, 1942, Camp Gruber, Oklahoma
- Overseas: December 6, 1943
- Distinguished Unit Citations: 3
- Campaigns: Rome-Arno, North Apennines, Po Valley
- Days of combat: 344
- Awards: Medal of Honor-3 ; Distinguished Service Cross (United States)-40 ; Distinguished Service Medal (United States)-2 ; Silver Star-522; Legion of Merit-66; Soldier's Medal-19 ; Bronze Star Medal-3,784
WWII Casualties
- Total battle casualties: 13,111
- Killed in action: 2,298
- Wounded in action: 9,225
- Missing in action: 941
- Prisoner of war: 647
After the war, the 88th Infantry Division absorbed some personnel and units from the 34th Infantry Division and served on occupation duty in Italy guarding the Morgan Line from positions in Italy and Trieste until September 15, 1947 when the Italian peace treaty came into force.
