The 103rd Infantry Division during World War II
In 1985, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the US Army Center of Military History began a program to honor US Army divisions that took part in the Allied liberation of Nazi camps. The US Army Center of Military History defines a liberating division as one whose official records show its presence at a camp within 48 hours of the first soldier’s arrival. The 103rd Infantry Division is among the 36 US divisions that have been recognized to date.
Key Facts
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1
US, British, Soviet, and Canadian troops encountered concentration camps and other sites of Nazi crimes as they advanced across Europe in 1944 and 1945.
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2
The Allied soldiers liberated sick and starving camp prisoners from Nazi tyranny. They also provided them with food, clothing, and medical aid.
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3
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the US Army Center of Military History have recognized 36 US divisions for their role in the liberation of Nazi camps.
103rd Infantry Division Campaigns during World War II
Established in 1942, the 103rd Infantry Division landed in southern France in late October 1944, a few months after the Allied invasion of western Europe on D-Day (June 6, 1944). From the port of Marseille, the "Cactus" division advanced northward, eventually crossing into Germany in December 1944. The swift German offensive into the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge that month forced the unit to take up defensive positions in the area of Alsace-Lorraine. In March 1945, the 103rd advanced into the Rhineland, then moved southward into Bavaria. On May 3, 1945, the division captured the city of Innsbruck in Austria.
The 103rd Infantry Division and the Liberation of Kaufering
As the 103rd moved into Bavaria, its troops uncovered one of the Nazi subcamps attached to the Kaufering camp complex in the Landsberg area.
Recognition as a Liberating Division
The 103rd 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 1985.
103rd Infantry Division Battle Casualty Figures
The following are tentative battle casualty figures for the 103rd Infantry Division in the European Theater of Operations:
- Killed: 582
- Wounded: 3,276
- Missing: 662
- Captured: 23
- Total battle casualties: 4,543
103rd Infantry Division Nickname and Insignia
The 103rd Infantry Division’s nickname, "the Cactus Division," is derived from its insignia. The insignia was adopted in 1922 when the unit was headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The oval-shaped insignia or patch shows a green Saguaro Cactus. The cactus is shown against a background of gold and blue. The patch is outlined with green thread. The cactus is symbolic of the Southwestern states whose troops formed the unit in the early 1920s: Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico.
Footnotes
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Footnote reference1.
Casualty figures as of February 2024 according to the US Army Center of Military History
Critical Thinking Questions
What challenges did Allied forces face when they encountered the camps and sites of other atrocities?
What challenges faced survivors of the Holocaust upon liberation?