Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Coat of Arms Active Country Allegiance Branch Type Role Size Motto Engagements 1917 - 1945
United States
United States Army Infantry Branch (United States) Infantry regiment Light Infantry Regiment Light, Silent, And Deadly World War I World War II
Commanders
Notable commanders Henning Linden
Insignia
Distinctive Unit Insignia
The 53rd Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army. It served as a part of the 7th Infantry Division for most of its history.
History
World War I
The 53rd Infantry Regiment was first constituted and activated in the regular army as the 12th Infantry Brigade, 6th Infantry Division. It served with the division until 1939.[1]
World War II
On July 1, 1940, the division was reactivated at Camp Ord, California,[2] under the command of Major General Joseph W. Stilwell.[3] The 12th and 13th Brigades did not reactivate as part of an army-wide elimination of brigade commands within its divisions. The division was instead centered around three infantry regiments; the 17th Infantry Regiment,[4] the 32nd Infantry Regiment,[4] and the 53rd Infantry Regiment.[3] Most of the soldiers in the division were selective service soldiers, chosen as a part of the US Army's first peacetime military draft.[3] The 7th Infantry Division was assigned to III Corps of the Fourth United States Army,[3] and that year it was sent to Oregon for tactical maneuvers. Division units also practiced boat loading at the Monterey Wharf and amphibious assault techniques at the Salinas River in California.[3] With the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor, the division was sent to Camp San Luis Obispo to continue its training.[3] The 53rd Infantry Regiment was removed from the 7th Division and replaced with the 159th Infantry Regiment, newly deployed from the California Army National Guard.[3] The 53rd followed the 7th Division to Alaska and garrisoned Adak island.
7th Infantry Division troops negotiate snow and ice during the battle on Attu in May, 1943.
References
[1] McGrath, p. 188.
[2] "Lineage and Honors Information: 7th Infantry Division" (http:/ / www. history. army. mil/ html/ forcestruc/ lineages/ branches/ div/ 007id. htm). United States Army Center of Military History. 2009. Archived (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20090428144730/ http:/ / www. history. army. mil/ html/ forcestruc/ lineages/ branches/ div/ 007id. htm) from the original on 28 April 2009. . Retrieved 2009-04-27. [3] "7th Infantry Division Homepage: History" (http:/ / www. carson. army. mil/ UNITS/ F7ID/ F7ID_Historylong. htm). 7th Infantry Division. 2003. Archived (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20090419032817/ http:/ / www. carson. army. mil/ UNITS/ F7ID/ F7ID_Historylong. htm) from the original on 19 April 2009. . Retrieved 2009-04-27. [4] Almanac, p. 592.
Sources
McGrath, John J. (2004). The Brigade: A History: Its Organization and Employment in the US Army. Combat Studies Institute Press. ISBN978-1-4404-4915-4. Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States. United States Government Printing Office. 1959. ISBNASIN B0006D8NKK.
License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported //creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/