45th Infantry Division (United States)
| 45th Division 45th Infantry Division |
|
|---|---|
45th Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia.
|
|
| Active | 1920–45 1946–68 |
| Country |
 United States |
| Branch |
 United States Army
|
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Division |
| Part of |
 Oklahoma Army National Guard
|
| Garrison/HQ | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Nickname(s) | "Thunderbird" |
| Motto(s) |
Semper Anticus (Latin: "Always Forward") |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Troy H. Middleton Dwight E. Beach Philip De Witt Ginder |
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive unit insignia (1920-46) |  |
| Distinctive unit insignia (1946-68) |  |
The 45th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the United States Army, part of the Oklahoma Army National Guard, from 1920 to 1968. Headquartered mostly in Oklahoma City, the guardsmen fought in both World War II and the Korean War. They trace their lineage from frontier militias that operated in the Southwestern United States throughout the late 1800s.
The 45th Infantry Division guardsmen saw no major action until they became one of the first National Guard units activated in World War II in 1941. They took part in intense fighting during the invasion of Sicily and the attack on Salerno in the 1943 Italian Campaign. Slowly advancing through Italy, they fought in Anzio and in Monte Cassino. After landing in France during Operation Dragoon, they joined the 1945 drive into Germany that ended the War in Europe.
After brief inactivation and subsequent reorganization as a unit restricted to Oklahomans, the division returned to duty in 1951 for the Korean War. It joined the United Nations troops on the front lines during the stalemate of the second half of the war, with constant, low-level fighting and trench warfare against the People's Volunteer Army of China that produced little gain for either side. The division remained on the front lines in such engagements as Old Baldy Hill and Hill Eerie until the end of the war, returning to the U.S. in 1954.
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