Insignia

[Excerpt from Wyllie, Col. Robert E. "The Romance of Military Insignia."
 The National Geographic Magazine, Vol. XXXVI, No. 6. December, 1919. ]

The device of this division is the cross of Lorraine, a symbol of triumph dating back to the victory of the House of Anjou over Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, in the 15th century.

[Excerpt from The History of the 315th Infantry]

THE LORRAINE CROSS

During the fall of 1918, General Headquarters of the American Expeditionary Forces spent much time in studying the question of the identification of troops in battle and of assembling them during the heat of action with its attendant confusion and dispersal of units.

Finally, as a solution of the question, the idea of selecting distinctive insignia for each division was adopted, the insignia to be worn by each member of the division on the upper left arm near the shoulder. This idea was immediately acted upon, and the commanding generals of all combat divisions were instructed to select insignia for their divisions and to submit them for approval to General Headquarters. One by one the combat divisions adopted their insignia, following official approval, and the plan, once in operation, proved to be so successful and of such an aid in stimulating the morale of the troops that it was later extended to include all organizations in the American Expeditionary Forces.

The official insignia for the Seventy-Ninth division was selected and approved shortly after the signing of the armistice, while the 315th Infantry still held its position in the shell-torn villages of Etraye and Damvillers northeast of Verdun. The insignia adopted by Major General Joseph E. Kuhn and his staff as best symbolizing the history and spirit of the Seventy-Ninth Division proved to be none other than the Lorraine Cross, that ancient emblem of victory which was adopted in the 15th century by the House of Anjou as a symbol of triumph following the defeat of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, in the Battle of Nancy. For over five hundred years the double traverse Cross of Lorraine had served as an emblem of victory and freedom for the brave, liberty-loving people of Lorraine and certainly no other emblem could have better represented the history and traditions of the Seventy-Ninth Division.

The historical background for the adoption of the Lorraine Cross as the official emblem of the Seventy-Ninth Division is to be found in, first, the fact that during its period of training in America the Seventy-Ninth Division was popularly known as the "Liberty Division"; second, the fact that during all the period of its operations in the World War the Division faced the enemy in Lorraine, the province which the United States was pledged to win back in its entirety for France; and third, the fact that victory finally crowned the efforts of the Seventy-Ninth Division in face of the most desperate opposition.

The insignia of the Seventy-Ninth Division, as officially adopted, consists of a gray Lorraine Cross on a blue shield with a gray border. In the passing of time, a slight modification has been made in the insignia as worn by officers, with whom it has become customary to wear as the official insignia a silver Lorraine Cross on a blue shield with a silver border.

In its hues of silver and gray and blue, the insignia of the Seventy-Ninth Division has become dear to the hearts of thousands of the best of America’s manhood, and it is with a sense of high honor and pride that the members of the 315th Infantry, as part of that larger organization, the Division, recognize as their military emblem the Lorraine Cross, an outward symbol wherein is centered a fervent and undying love for liberty, justice and freedom.

Nickname

"Liberty" Division; also known as the "Lorraine" Division.

Background

National Army division established 5 August 1917 by the War Department to be formed at Camp Meade, MD.  Draftees were from Pennsylvania and Maryland.  Movement overseas commenced on 6 July 1918 and was completed by 3 August 1918.

Primary Units

157th Infantry Brigade:
313th Infantry Regiment
314th Infantry Regiment
311th Machine Gun Battalion

158th Infantry Brigade:
315th Infantry Regiment
316th Infantry Regiment
312th Machine Gun Battalion

154th Field Artillery Brigade:
310th Field Artillery Regiment (75mm)
311th Field Artillery Regiment (75mm)
312th Field Artillery Regiment (155mm)
304th Trench Mortar Battery

Divisional Troops:
310th Machine Gun Battalion
304th Engineer Regiment
304th Field Signal Battalion
304th Train Headquarters and MP
304th Ammunition Train
304th Supply Train
304th Engineer Train
304th Sanitary Train (Ambulance Companies & Field Hospitals 313, 314, 315, 316)

Product Flyers

DB 79-1: 79th Division, Division Histories

DB 79-2: 79th Division, Infantry Regiments

Copyright © 2001-2007
The Digital Bookshelf