157th Infantry Brigade (United States)

157th Infantry Brigade
Shoulder sleeve insignia
Active	1917–1919 1963–1995 2006 – present
Country	United States
Branch	U.S. Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Training
Size	Brigade
Garrison/HQ	Camp Atterbury
Battle honours	World War 1: Meuse-Argonne
Commanders
Current commander	Colonel Todd Zollinger
Notable commanders	Brig. Gen. Harry J. Mier Brig. Gen. Edwin D. Miller Col. Richard B. Smith Brig. Gen. Dean W. Meyerson Brig. Gen. Talmadge J. Jacobs Brig. Gen. Joseph M. Cannon Brig. Gen. John L. Kotcho Brig. Gen. William J. Collins Jr. Brig. Gen. Eddi Z. Zyko Brig. Gen. William J. Nicholson
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia

The 157th Infantry Brigade is an active/reserve component (AC/RC) unit based at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. The unit is responsible for training selected United States Army Reserve and National Guard units. The unit was activated using the assets of the 5th Brigade, 87th Division. The brigade is a subordinate unit of First Army Division East.

The 79th Division "Liberty" Division, also known as the "Lorraine" Division, was a National Army division established 5 August 1917 by the War Department to be formed at Camp Meade, Maryland. The division was commanded by Maj. Gen. Joseph E. Kuhn. Draftees were from Pennsylvania and Maryland. Movement overseas commenced on 6 July 1918 and was completed by 3 August 1918. Primary units included the 157th Infantry Brigade, consisting of the 313th Infantry Regiment, 314th Infantry Regiment, and 311th Machine Gun Battalion. The 157th Infantry Brigade was commanded by Brig. Gen. William J. Nicholson. One the Army's most expert cavalry officers, he was seldom seen off his horse at Camp Meade.

Shrouded in secrecy, the brigade left from Hoboken, New Jersey in July 1918 on the SS Leviathan, a speedy ex-German liner that arrived at Brest, France the morning of 15 July 1918. They trained for two months at Champ Little behind the French lines. On 26 September 1918 they "went over the top" in the Meuse-Argonne offensive. In a period of heartbreaking losses, the men struggled through nine kilometers of barbed wire and pot-marked earth. They destroyed German defenses that were said to be impregnable. That night they were on the outskirts of Montfaucon, headquarters of the enemy command. The 313th fought until the end, 11 November 1918. Gen. John J. Pershing commended the men of the 79th Division, and especially the 313th Infantry Regiment whose forces penetrated deeper into enemy territory then any other outfit.