Regt., 37th Inf. ), 65th Infantry Battalion (less A & C Company), Troop A, 86th Cav. 63rd US Infantry Division "Blood and Fire" home Divisional information Divisional troops Attachments Assignments Detachments Divisional information Top History Campaigns Commanding Officer Divisional troops Top Infantry Field Artillery (FA) Other troops Attachments Top Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) Armor Chemical Engineers Field Artillery (FA) The 63rd Infantry Division ("Blood and Fire"[1]) was an infantry division of the UnitedStatesArmy that fought in Europe during WorldWarII. View the list of all donors. The 63d RSC provides base support and administrative support to over 40,000 Army Reserve soldiers in the southwest United States. The 191st Infantry Brigade was constituted on 24 June 1921 in the Organized Reserves as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 191st Infantry Brigade, and assigned to the 96th Division. The first elements of the division, anxious to get in the fight, finally arrived in Europe in December 1944 and were joined by the rest of the division in January 1945. Headquarters, 3rd Brigade was activated at Los Angeles, California, and inactivated there on 31 December 1965. Activated 1 March 1952 at Los Angeles, California (reflagged from. Major General Louis E. Hibbs - Assumed command June 1943, Headquarters, 63rd Infantry Division Headquarters Company, 63rd Infantry Division 63rd Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop 263rd Engineer Combat Battalion 253rd Infantry Regiment 254th Infantry Regiment 255th Infantry Regiment Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, Division Artillery 718th Field Artillery Battalion 861st Field Artillery Battalion 862nd Field Artillery Battalion 863rd Field Artillery Battalion Headquarters, Special Troops 363rd Medical Battalion 701st Ordnance Light Maintenance Company 563rd Signal Company< Inactivated 2729 September 1945 at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia, and Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts. The remainder of the Division landed in Southern France mid-January 1945 and the Division was finally united in early Feb 1945. 255th Infantry Regiment. Inactivated 2729 September 1945 at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia, and Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts. The 63rd RRC supported both foreign and domestic active Army missions, including participation in NATO operations in Bosnia and Kosovo. Symbolism: The elements of the design reflect the history of the 63rd Infantry Division. 255th Infantry Regiment 63rd Infantry Division Artillery 263rd Engineer Combat Battalion 363rd Medical Battalion 63rd Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized) Headquarters, Special Troops, 63rd Infantry Division Headquarters Company, 63rd Infantry Division 763rd Ordnance Light Maintenance Company 63rd Quartermaster Company 563rd Signal Company Inactivated 1 May 1959 at Los Angeles, concurrently, Headquarters and Headquarters Company consolidated with Headquarters and Headquarters Company Headquarters. La division dbarque Marseille le 8 dcembre 1944 et se dirige vers Haguenau pour protger le flanc est de la 7e arme le long du Rhin. Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 2,745 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic . The description omits the "r" from the number designation in accordance with US Army unit designation custom. Three brigade headquarters were activated and the Infantry battle groups were reorganized into six battalions. Advance elements crossed the Rems River and rushed to the Danube. The 6th Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an air defense artillery regiment in the United States Army, first formed in 1898 as the 6th Regiment of Artillery. De 11e divisie werd voor het eerst gevormd als een divisie van de Nationale Garde in het begin van 1917, bestaande uit eenheden van de Nationale Garde van Michigan en Wisconsin.Tegen het einde van datzelfde jaar werd de 11th Division de 32nd Division (later 32nd Infantry Division).. De 11e Divisie werd in augustus 1918 omgevormd tot een divisie van het . EN RU CN DE ES. From mid-February 1945 until the end of the war, the 63rd Infantry . [2] The torture and starvation to which they had been subjected were visible on many persons; they walked like puppetsif they could walk; or lay on bare boards too weak to do more than motion feebly to their mouths. Artillery Regiments were constituted on 8 March 1898, three weeks after the explosion of the USSMaine in Havana, Cuba on 15 February 1898, as the United States' declaration of war on Spain and commencement of the SpanishAmerican War seemed imminent. First formed as a cavalry regiment in 1916, the regiment was converted to field artillery in 1917, and served in Europe during World War I with the 3rd Division and as a separate battalion during World War II, as well as in peacetime at Fort Knox, KY, and Fort Devens, MA. The nickname commemorates British prime minister Winston Churchill's statement at the Casablanca Conference in January 1943 that "the enemy would bleed and burn in expiation of their crimes against humanity." On 1 January 1968, the 63rd Army Reserve Command (ARCOM) was activated and, as an exception to policy, allowed to wear the shoulder sleeve insignia and distinctive unit insignia of the 63rd Infantry Division. He told me how the sea was red with blood as the made landfall. The 63rd 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 2000. Before resting on 23 March, the 63rd took Spiesen-Elversberg, Neunkirchen and Erbach. Shortly thereafter, the division removed to Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi to prepare for deployment to Europe. Join in if you dare! Inactivated 27 September 1945 at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts. Explore a timeline of events that occurred before, during, and after the Holocaust. The Battle of Sevastopol<br>STOURM CAPUN - MOUNTAINS<br><br>On May 7, 1944, at 10.30 a.m., after an hour and a half of artillery preparation and with the massive support of the entire front aviation, our troops began a general assault on the Sevastopol fortified region. On 7 February, the 63rd conducted local raids and patrols, then pushed forward, crossing the Saar River on 17 February, and mopping up the enemy in the Mhlenwald (Muehlen Woods). My father landed on Omaha Beach on the Second Wave of the Normandy landing. Reorganized and reflagged as the 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry on 1 October 1963. One battalion of the division was ordered to search for and secure all the concentration camps in the area. The first units which have been described in some detail are the British 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division & British 52nd . US 63d Infantry Division, History of the 63rd Infantry The rest of the division arrived at Marseilles, 14 January 1945, and moved to Willerwald on 2 February, where it was joined by the advance elements on 6 February. Twenty-two of the command's units were mobilized, with fourteen of them deploying to the Persian Gulf. 231 Glossary. In April 1995, the 63d ARCOM was redesignated as the 63d Regional Support Command (later revised to Regional Readiness Command), and its geographic boundaries were realigned to coincide with those of Federal Emergency Management Agency Region IX. [1] From then until the end of the war, the 63rd Division carved a path of blood and fire from Sarreguemines through Germany. As a key component of the Army Reserve's transition to an operational force, the newly formed 63rd RSC has foregone command and control of units in favor of a greatly expanded area of responsibility. Activated 15 June 1943 at Camp Blanding, Florida. Activated 1 March 1952 with headquarters at Pasadena, California. The 63rd RSC provides base support and administrative support to over 40,000 Army Reserve soldiers in the southwest United States. The Smiths lived at 419 Smith Street in Jacksonville, Florida. The insignia was redesignated for the 63d Regional Readiness Command effective 16 July 2003. He said he was in G Company. The army reported that the camps were. In describing the living conditions, one document stated that. The Danube was crossed on 25 April, and Leipheim fell before the division was withdrawn from the line on 28 April, and assigned security duty from the Rhine to Darmstadt and Wrzburg on a line to Stuttgart and Speyer. The silver chevron simulates a spearhead and is indicative of the aggressiveness displayed by the 63rd Infantry Division during the crossing of seven European riversthe Saar, Rhine, Neckar, Jagst, Kocker, Rems, and Danubeduring World War II. The breaching of the Siegfried Line at Sankt Ingbert and Hassell is symbolized by the two black merlons of the embattled area, surmounted by the yellow sword with the scarlet drop taken from the shoulder sleeve insignia of the organization. Reorganized and reflagged as the 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry on 1 October 1963. It was reorganized and redesignated on 16 August 1943 as the 96th Reconnaissance Troop, Mechanized, and then again reorganized and redesignated on 20 November 1945 as the 96th Mechanized Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop. Shortly thereafter, the division removed to Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi to prepare for deployment to Europe. The first elements of the division, anxious to get in the fight, finally arrived in Europe in December 1944 and were joined by the rest of the division in January 1945. The description omits the "r" from the number designation in accordance with US Army unit designation custom. Seven camps and hundreds of dead prisoners were discovered. Before resting on 23 March, the 63d took Spiesen-Elversberg, Neunkirchen and Erbach. Kleinblittersdorf, Germany, 21 February 1945. Three brigade headquarters were activated and the Infantry battle groups were reorganized into six battalions. As a key component of the Army Reserve's transition to an operational force, the newly formed 63rd RSC has foregone command and control of units in favor of a greatly expanded area of responsibility. Activated 1 March 1952 with headquarters at Los Angeles, California. United States Army Center of Military History, http://web.archive.org/web/20100609010022/http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/spdes-123-ra_ar.html, http://79ssc.blogspot.com/2010/06/63rd-rrc-folds-flag-in-ceremony.html, http://www.usar.army.mil/resources/Pages/63rd-RSC.aspx, http://www.history.army.mil/books/Lineage/reflag/appA.htm, The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Infantry divisions of the United States Army, United States Army divisions during World War II, Military units and formations established in 1943, 15 June 1943 27 September 1945, infantry division (active), 63d Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment, 70th Tank Battalion (attached 1218 March 1845), 740th Tank Battalion (attached 1728 March 1945), 753d Tank Battalion (attached 31 March-28 May 1945), 692d Tank Destroyer Battalion (attached 3031 May 1945), 776th Tank Destroyer Battalion (attached 1621 March 1945), 822d Tank Destroyer Battalion (attached 21 March-28 May 1945), 436th AAA Automatic Weapons Battalion (attached 11 February-1 May 1945). The unit falls under command of First Army Division West and validates United States Army Reserve & National Guard forces capability to execute operations in support of FORSCOM approved and Combatant Commander requirements. 2014 Timothy A. Malone, Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths, Final Report (Statistical and Accounting Branch, Office of the Adjutant General, 1 June 1953), Mary L. Stubbs and Stanley R. Connor, Army Lineage Series Armor-Cavalry Part I: Regular Army and Army Reserve, Washington D.C.: GPO, 1969., p. 337, Mary L. Stubbs and Stanley R. Connor, Army Lineage Series Armor-Cavalry Part I: Regular Army and Army Reserve, Washington D.C.: GPO, 1969., p. 341, 289th Engineer Combat Battalion (United States), United States Army Center of Military History, https://www.ausa.org/sites/default/files/SR-1984-Regiments-of-the-US-Army.pdf, https://history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-11_pt1/CMH_Pub_60-11_pt1.pdf, https://history.army.mil/html/books/060/60-11_pt2/CMH_Pub_60-11_pt2.pdf, "TIOH - Heraldry - 63 Regional Support Command", The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States, Campaigns: Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace (253rd, 254th, and 255th Infantry Regiments only), Central Europe, 2nd Battalion, 254th Infantry Regiment for, Companies A and B and 3rd Battalion, 253rd Infantry Regiment for, Company C, 253rd Infantry Regiment for Bbingen, Germany, 35 March 1945 (WD GO Number 44, 1945), 1st Battalion, 254th Infantry Regiment for, 3rd Battalion, 254th Infantry Regiment for Siegfried Line, Germany, 1620 March 1945 (DA GO Number 14, 1997), 2nd Battalion, 253rd Infantry Regiment for, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 63rd Infantry Division Artillery, 63rd Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized), Headquarters, Special Troops, 63rd Infantry Division, Headquarters Company, 63rd Infantry Division, 63rd Counterintelligence Corps Detachment, 740th Tank Battalion (attached 1728 March 1945), 753rd Tank Battalion (attached 31 March-28 May 1945), 692nd Tank Destroyer Battalion (attached 3031 May 1945), 776th Tank Destroyer Battalion (attached 1621 March 1945), 822nd Tank Destroyer Battalion (attached 21 March-28 May 1945), 436th AAA Automatic Weapons Battalion (attached 11 February-1 May 1945). Inactivated 29 September 1946 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. After the war it was inactivated, but later the division number and shoulder sleeve insignia were authorized for use by the 63rd Army Reserve Command (ARCOM). Background: The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 63d Army Reserve Command on 8 May 1970. Div. The 247th Rifle Division was the fourth of a group of 10 regular rifle divisions formed from cadres of NKVD border and internal troops as standard Red Army rifle divisions, very shortly after the German invasion, in the Moscow Military District. Reorganized and redesignated 31 March 1959 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 63rd Infantry Division. Activated 1 March 1952 with headquarters at Pasadena, California. Two Armor battalions and five Field Artillery battalions were assigned to the Division. 69. flame. Inactivated 31 December 1965 at Bell, California. The description omits the "r" from the number designation in accordance with US Army unit designation custom. On 28 March, the division crossed the Rhine at Lampertheim, moved to Viernheim and captured Heidelberg on 30 March. Background: The shoulder sleeve insignia was designed by the division's first commander, Description: A silver color metal and enamel device, 3.02. Page 1-- You are there. The 63rd Infantry Division was created in 1943 and landed in southern France in December 1944, some six months after the massive Allied invasion of western Europe on D-Day (June 6). Background: The shoulder sleeve insignia was designed by the division's first commander. World War II Order of Battle: An Encyclopedic Reference to U.S. Army Ground Forces from Battalion through Division, 19391946 by Shelby Stanton. My father's service name is PFC William C. Lewis, "255th Infantry, Company "G" , REQ - 63rd Division" - served in WWII, from CAMP VAN DORN, MISS. Twenty-two of the command's units were mobilized, with fourteen of them deploying to the PersianGulf. and the United States who were participants at the Casablanca Conference, has Publication Title Unit History - 63rd Infantry Division Total Records 20,107 Content Source Volunteers from the 63rd Infantry Division Published on Fold3 29 Mar 2012 Motto: "Blood and Fire," inspired by a quote of British Prime Minister, 63d Regional Support Command information page. Hard fighting still lay ahead, but the Siegfried Line was Germany's last attempt to defend its prewar boundaries along the western front. 63rd Regiment, Ohio Infantry Overview: Organized at Marietta, Ohio, by consolidation of Battalions of the 22nd and 63rd Ohio Infantry January 25, 1862. It was reassigned and authorized effective 16 April 1996, for the 63d Regional Support Command. He became a member of the combat infantry of the 63rd Infantry Division's 255th Infantry Regiment. The 199th Infantry Brigade (Light) is a unit of the United States Army which served in the Army Reserve from 1921 to 1940, in the active army from 1966 to 1970, briefly in 19911992 at Fort Lewis, and from 2007 as an active army training formation at Fort Benning. The task force fought defensively from 22 to 30 December 1944. Assignments NOTE: Three Inf Regts and improvised Div Hq under command of Asst Div Comdr It was largely based on what would become the shtat (table of organization and equipment) of July 29, 1941, with several variations. After bitter fighting at Gdingen early in March, the division smashed at the Siegfried Line on 15th at Saarbrcken, Germany, taking Ormesheim and finally breaching the line at Sankt Ingbert and Hassel on 20 March. The brigade was a subordinate unit of First Army Division East, First United States Army when it was inactivated in 2006. The 247th Rifle Division was the fourth of a group of 10 regular rifle divisions formed from cadres of NKVD border and internal troops as standard Red Army rifle divisions, very shortly after the German invasion, in the Moscow Military District.It was largely based on what would become the shtat (table of organization and equipment) of July 29, 1941, with several variations. 2nd Battalion, 30th Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division 127. long, a scarlet flame of five rays superimposed by an upright gold sword in pale, charged with a scarlet drop of blood. [7] Heavy resistance slowed the attack on Adelsheim, Mckmhl, and Bad Wimpfen. The 97th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II. The first elements of the division, anxious to get in the fight, finally arrived in Europe in December 1944 and were joined by the rest of the division in January 1945. 253rd Infantry regiment 254th Infantry Regiment 255th Infantry regiment On 1 May 1959, the division was reorganized as a Pentomic Division. Since 1957, the regiment has been a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System and the U.S. Army Regimental System, with regimental elements serving with the 3rd, 4th, 10th, 25th, 79th, 83rd, and 96th Infantry Divisions and various field artillery brigades and groups. Inactivated 27 September 1945 at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts. GRid=56375612" target="_blank">Capt William H Smith. Yes, that is exactly what happened. Divisional information Epinal American Cemetery . Search input Search The 41st Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army. General O'Daniel committed the U.S. 254th Infantry Regiment (part of the U.S. 63rd Infantry Division but attached to the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division for the duration of operations in the Colmar Pocket) as the primary US force to capture Jebsheim. After the war it was inactivated, but later the division number and shoulder sleeve insignia were authorized for use by the 63rd Army Reserve Command (ARCOM). A bridgehead was secured over the Kocher River near Weibach on 8 April, and Schwbisch Hall fell on 17 April. Table of Contents for the 255th Infantry Regimental Page (Click on a subject and go there) SPECIAL SECTION: Complete alphabetical rosters, by company, of everyone ever assigned to the 255th Infantry Regiment during World War II. The 63rd Infantry Division was activated on 15 June 1943, at CampBlanding, Florida, using a cadre from the 98thInfantryDivision. The 9th Infantry Division is an inactive infantry division of the United States Army. Inactivated 1 May 1959 at Los Angeles, concurrently, Headquarters and Headquarters Company consolidated with Headquarters and Headquarters Company Headquarters. The army reported finding in one of the Kaufering camps about 900 prisoners living in earthen huts. Description: On a pear-shaped olive drab background 5.72cm (2 in.) Moved to Paducah, Ky., February 18-23, thence to Commerce, Mo. Elle occupe des positions dfensives jusqu'au 30 dcembre 1944, date laquelle le 253e rgiment est rattach la 44e division d'infanterie et le 255e . At the end of the following month, on March 30, the unit took the town of Heidelberg, advanced southward into Bavaria, and crossed the Danube River. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. Great Discounts & More! [2], The 63d Regional Support Command was responsible for the base and administrative support of all United States Army Reserve units throughout the seven-state region of southwestern United States including California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas. List of battleships of the United States Navy. The division switched to the southeast, capturing Lampoldshausen and clearing the Harthuser Woods on 7 April. From 1990 through 1991, over 2,500 Army Reserve soldiers from the 63rd ARCOM served on active duty in support of OperationDesertShield and OperationDesertStorm. Description: A silver color metal and enamel device, 3.02cm (1 3/16 in.) The Commanding General, Major General L. B. Hibbs, inspired by the promise [6] The division was again inactivated in December 1965, and the colors were transferred to the 63rd Reinforcement Training Unit. 63rd Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia. The German 20th Infantry Division was an infantry division of Nazi Germany.HistoryThe was established in 1934 under the cover name. They moved north to the Alsace-Lorraine region along the France-Germany border where they supported the 3rd, 44th, and 100th Infantry Divisions. After World War I, the 81st Division was allotted to the Organized Reserve as a "skeletonized" cadre division. to remember that sacrifice, and offer some sacrifice for themselves if Freedom is threatened. On 1 January 1968, the 63rd Army Reserve Command (ARCOM) was activated and, as an exception to policy, allowed to wear the shoulder sleeve insignia and distinctive unit insignia of the 63rd Infantry Division. Infantry Battalion (as part of Combat [pages 194-195 (starting second 25 Apr 45)], 861st Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer), 862d Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer), 863d Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer), 718th Field Artillery Battalion (155mm Howitzer). Inactivated 29 September 1945 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. The 63rd was at Camp Van Dorn, but they did not arrive in Europe until December 1944 when advance elements of the Division landed at Marseille in Southern France. Camp Van Dorn, Miss. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. [23] The 63rd ARCOM did not, however, perpetuate the lineage and honors of the 63rd Infantry Division, as Department of the Army policy does not authorize TDA units, such as ARCOMs, to inherit the lineage and honors of TO&E units, such as divisions. As a key component of the Army Reserve's transition to an operational force, the newly formed 63d RSC has foregone command and control of units in favor if a greatly expanded area of responsibility. You are at a gateway to WWII discussion, research, exploration, & analysis. The rest of the division arrived at Marseilles, 14 January 1945, and moved to Willerwald on 2 February, where it was joined by the advance elements on 6 February. It was converted and redesignated on 6 April 1942 as the 96th Reconnaissance Troop, 96th Division. On 1 January 1968, the 63d Army Reserve Command (ARCOM) was activated and, as an exception to policy, allowed to wear the shoulder sleeve insignia and distinctive unit insignia of the 63d Infantry Division. After the war it was inactivated, but later the division number and shoulder sleeve insignia were authorized for use by the 63rd Army Reserve Command (ARCOM). and containing the signatures of 10 civil and military leaders of Great Britain Inactivated 31 December 1965 at Bell, California. To install click the Add extension button. Constituted 18 January 1943 as the 63rd Infantry Division. A bridgehead was secured over the Kocher River near Weibach on 8 April, and Schwbisch Hall fell on 17 April. The 63rd RRC supported both foreign and domestic active Army missions, including participation in NATO operations in Bosnia and Kosovo. Bibliographic information. Casualty figures for the 63rd Infantry Division, European theater of operations: The 63rd Infantry Division was nicknamed the "Blood and Fire" division soon after its formation in the spring of 1943. Smith was born on November 28, 1920, as the youngest of three children to John Seward Smith and Eva Wilds Smith. The 7th Battalion, 40th Armor was assigned to the Division on 1 April 1963 and inactivated on 31 December 1965. The breaching of the Siegfried Line at Sankt Ingbert and Hassell is symbolized by the two black merlons of the embattled area, surmounted by the yellow sword with the scarlet drop taken from the shoulder sleeve insignia of the organization. The Battle Group was activated 1 May 1959 with headquarters at Los Angeles, California. It was deployed to Europe in 1944 when casualties from the Battle of the Bulge needed to be replaced. One notable member of this regiment was Captain William H. Smith (1920-1945). The division switched to the southeast, capturing Lampoldshausen and clearing the Hardthauser Woods on 7 April. COMRADES, men of the Red Army and Red Navy, commanders and political instructors, working men and working women, collective farmers-men and women, workers in the intellectual professions, brothers and sisters in the rear of our enemy who have temporarily fallen under the yoke of the German brigands, and our valiant men and women guerillas who are destroying the rear of the German invaders! Background: The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 63d Army Reserve Command on 8 May 1970. Smith was Killed in Action (KIA) on January 3, 1945, in the Ardennes region, repelling German forces during Operation Nordwind, the last German offensive of the war. Two Armor battalions and five Field Artillery battalions were assigned to the Division. [3] The unit was deactivated on 6 December 2009 and replaced by the 79th Sustainment Support Command,[4] and was reactivated as a regional support command.[5]. The 63rd Infantry Division ("Blood and Fire" [1] ) was an infantry division of the United States Army that fought in Europe during World War II. Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial Project. Division, 15th Tank Battalion (as part of Combat Command Since 2001, thousands of soldiers from the 63d RRC have served in Afghanistan and.Iraq. Page 2-- Inquiries from members and relatives. In March, 1862, the brigade and division became a part of the 3d corps, Army of the Potomac, and moved to the Peninsula, where it participated in the siege of Yorktown and the battle of Hanover Court House. In September 2008, the 63rd and 90th Regional Readiness Commands combined into the 63rd which was redesignated the 63rd Regional Support Command again, with its new headquarters at Moffett Field, California. History [ edit] The 255th Infantry Division was formed on 26 August 1939, the day of German mobilization, as part of the fourth Aufstellungswelle in Dbeln in Wehrkreis VI ( Dresden ). On 28 March, the division crossed the Rhine at Lampertheim, moved to Viernheim and captured Heidelberg on 30 March. Headquarters, 63rd Infantry Division Artillery was activated 1 May 1959 at Bell, California and inactivated 31 December 1965. The infantry regiments remained with their attachments until early February 1945. The infantry regiments remained with their attachments until early February 1945. This is not the entire story of the Battle between the Jagst and Kocher rivers. The breaching of the Siegfried Line at Sankt Ingbert and Hassell is symbolized by the two black merlons of the embattled area, surmounted by the yellow sword with the scarlet drop taken from the shoulder sleeve insignia of the organization.