104th Infantry Division ( United States ) The 104th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the United States Army . Today , it is known as the 104th Division ( Leader Training ) and based at Fort Lewis , Washington , as a training unit of the United States Army Reserve . Activated in 1921 , the division was created as an infantry unit with a focus on nighttime combat operations . Deployed during World War II , the division saw almost 200 days of fighting in northwestern Europe as it fought through France , Belgium , and western Germany , fighting back several fierce German counterattacks as it advanced through the theater throughout late 1944 and 1945 . This was the only combat duty that the 104th Infantry Division has served during its history . At the end of the fighting on 7 May 1945 ( V - E Day ) , this division was in central Germany opposite the troops of its allies from the Soviet Army . After World War II , this division was reorganized primarily as a training division for Reserve forces . After several decades , the division then expanded its role to conducting entry - level training for soldiers of all branches of the Army in the northwestern United States . Its role and size have expanded over that time due to consolidation of other training commands , and the division subsequently took charge of a number of brigades specializing in various entry - level training for soldiers of all types . History . The 104th Infantry Division was first constituted on 24 June 1921 as the 104th Division , before being organized and activated in October of that year in Salt Lake City , Utah . Assigned to the division were the 207th and 208th Infantry Brigades , containing the 413th , 414th , 415th , and 416th Infantry Regiments . As a unit of the Organized Reserves , the division represented assets from the states of Montana , Wyoming , Idaho , Utah , and Nevada . In 1924 it received its shoulder sleeve insignia . The division would not see significant duty until World War II . World War II . At the outbreak of World War II , the 104th Division began preparing to participate in the war in Europe . The division was ordered into active military service on 15 September 1942 and reorganized as the 104th Infantry Division at Camp Adair , Oregon . The 207th and 208th 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 413th Infantry Regiment , the 414th Infantry Regiment , and the 415th Infantry Regiment . Also assigned to the division were the 385th , 386th , 387th and 929th Field Artillery Battalions , as well as the 104th Signal Company , the 804th Ordnance Company , the 104th Quartermaster Company , the 104th Reconnaissance Troop , the 329th Engineer Battalion , the 329th Medical Battalion , and the 104th Counter Intelligence Detachment . From that point it began training as a division in preparation for deployment to Europe . The division trained in the northwestern United States during the next two years , earning its name " Timberwolf Division " from its time in the area . The division was the first army division to train specifically for fighting in nighttime conditions . After training at Camp Adair , the division participation in the Oregon Maneuver combat exercise in the fall of 1943 . Europe . The 104th Infantry Division sailed for Europe on 27 August 1944 . It landed in France on 7 September 1944 . In early October , Major General Terry de la Mesa Allen , Sr . took command of the division . He would command the division during most of its time in combat . The division was assigned to III Corps of the Ninth United States Army , Twelfth United States Army Group . The division then organized and assembled at Manche , France before heading into combat . Joining the Battle of Hürtgen Forest , the division moved into defensive positions in the vicinity of Wuestwezel , Belgium on 23 October 1944 . The Timberwolves were then assigned to Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery ' s Army Group under the British I Corps , along with the 7th Armored Division , in order to clear out the Scheldt Estuary and open the port of Antwerp . While the 7th Armored Division was assigned static duty holding the right flank of the gains made during the failed Market Garden operation , the 104th Infantry to assist the Canadian First Army in the taking of the Scheldt . The Timberwolves traveled across France by train and debarked near the Belgian - Dutch border and waited for word to attack , taking the place of the 49th Infantry Division on the left flank and the Polish 1st Armored Division on the right . The Americans were given responsibility for taking 22 miles of wet , low country from the Belgian border to the Maas River . The width of their front was approximately 8 , 000 yards . General Allen planned to employ all three of his regiments at the same time , shoulder to shoulder . The 104th began combat operations on October 25 and 26 , and began to attack the Germans , who offered varying levels of resistance . Along the division ' s front , the Germans were spread thinly and did not have continuous lines of defense . However , they did possess deadly strong points , and endeavored to make the Timberwolves ' progress as time consuming and costly as possible , making heavy use of mines , booby traps , and roadblocks . Despite this , advance was steady , though paid for in the lives of the 104th Division soldiers . Conditions were rainy , chilly , wet and muddy . Moisture seemed to grip everything and everyone . Sleet beat down on the troops , who went for days soaked to the skin and slimy with mud . On October 30 , after five days of continuous operations the division had pushed about 15 miles to within sigh of the Mark River and had liberated Zundert , gained control of the Breda - Roosendaal Road , and overrun the Vaart Canal defenses . Leur and Etten fell as the division advanced to the Mark River , arriving there by 31 October . A coordinated attack over the Mark River at Standaarduiten on 2 November established a bridgehead and the rest of the division crossed the river . With the Allies firmly on the north side of the Mark River , German resistance collapsed . For the next two days , the Timberwolves pursued enemy remnants north to the Maas River . Zevenbergen was captured and the Maas River was reached on 5 November . That same day , General Allen received orders from the U . S . First Army , releasing it from British control . While the bulk of the division moved near Aachen , Germany , elements remained to secure Moerdijk until 7 November , when they were relieved . During this time , the division was reassigned to VII Corps of the First United States Army , also part of the Twelfth Army Group . By November 7 , the fighting in Holland cost the Timberwolves 1 , 426 casualties , including 313 killed and 103 missing . Montgomery and the Canadian commanders sent their congratulations , and General Allen disseminated copies of their letters to his regiments and wrote a personal letter of thanks to everyone in the division , concluding with his favorite motto , " Nothing in Hell must stop the Timberwolves ! " As a result of the actions of the 104th and their Allied counterparts , the Scheldt Estuary was cleared . The Royal Navy took three weeks to sweep the estuary waters clear of mines , and in early December 1944 , the port of Antwerp was open to Allied shipping . While under American command on 16 November 1944 , the division went on another offensive , taking Stolberg and pushing on against heavy resistance . Eschweiler fell on 21 November and the enemy was cleared from the area west of the Inde River , including Inden by 2 December 1944 . Lucherberg was held against enemy counterattacks on 3 December , and all strongholds west of the Roer River were captured by the 23rd . It took temporary command of the 60th Infantry Regiment of the 9th Infantry Division . During the Battle of the Bulge , the 104th actively defended its sector near Duren and Merken from 15 December 1944 to 22 February 1945 . During that time , it was reassigned to XIX Corps of the Ninth United States Army . It then moved across the Roer taking Huchem - Stammeln , Birkesdorf , and North Duren . On 5 March , after heavy fighting , it entered Köln . After defending the west bank of the Rhine River , the division crossed the river at Honnef on 22 March 1945 , and attacked to the east of the Remagen bridgehead . During this time , some of the division ' s assets fell under command of the 1st Infantry Division and the 3rd Armored Division . After a period of mopping up and consolidation , it participated in the trap of enemy troops in the Ruhr pocket . The 104th repulsed heavy attacks near Medebach and captured Paderborn on 1 April 1945 . After regrouping , it advanced to the east and crossed the Weser River on 8 April , blocking enemy exits from the Harz Mountains . The division then crossed the Saale River and took Halle in a bitter five - day struggle from 15 to 19 April . The sector to the Mulde River was cleared by 21 April , and after vigorous patrolling , contacted the Red Army at Pretzsch on 26 April . The division took temporary command of assets from the 69th Infantry Division in early May . Demobilization . The division returned to the United States on 3 July 1945 . Upon return , it continued the process of demobilization until 20 December of that year , when it was inactivated . The division suffered 1 , 294 killed in action , 5 , 305 wounded in action , 385 missing in action , and 27 prisoners of war . The division suffered a further 6 , 396 non - battle casualties , for a total of 13 , 407 casualties . The division took 51 , 727 German prisoners during the war , most of whom surrendered following the armistice . During World War II , soldiers of the division were awarded two Medals of Honor , 14 Distinguished Service Cross es , one Distinguished Service Medal , 642 Silver Star Medal s , six Legion of Merit medals , 20 Soldier ' s Medal s , 2 , 797 Bronze Star Medal s , and 40 Air Medal s . The division received 9 Distinguished Unit Citation s and three campaign streamers during 200 days of combat . Training Division . The division was reactivated on 1 December 1946 in the organized reserves in Portland , Oregon . It began taking on the responsibility of holding training programs for new soldiers of the US Army Reserve . In July 1948 , the division held its first session of summer training . By the end of the training , it had turned out 300 new reservists . By 1952 , the division was turning out 1 , 500 new reservists per training camp . The division was reorganized specifically as a training division in 1959 . In 1961 , the division was relocated to Vancouver Barracks , Washington . In 1967 , the division was reorganized . As part of an army wide initiative known as the Reorganization Objective Army Division plan , the division ' s regiments were disbanded and replaced with larger and more versatile brigades . The 1st Brigade , 104th Division , activated at Vancouver Barracks , and the 2nd Brigade , 104th Division activated at Pasco , Washington . Meanwhile , the 3rd Brigade , 104th Division , as well as the 4th Brigade , 104th Division both activated at Fort Lawton , Washington . Each of these brigades carried the history of other historic units which fought under the 104th Infantry Division in World War II . The 104th Division was then assigned the mission of conducting One Station Unit Training , Basic Combat Training , Advanced Individual Training , and Combat Support training . 1st Brigade took on basic combat training , while 3rd Brigade undertook combat support training , 4th Brigade conducted combat service support training . In 1996 , three more brigades were added to the division ' s structure . The 5th Brigade , 104th Division was activated at Salt Lake City , Utah . The 6th Brigade , 104th Division was activated at Aurora , Colorado . The 7th Brigade , 104th Division activated at Vancouver , Washington . The 5th Brigade conducted health services training , 6th Brigade took charge of professional development training and 7th Brigade provided training support to the other brigades . These units were redesignated from other training commands and put under the command of the division . Two additional provisional brigades were created under the 104th Division in 1999 ; the 8th Brigade , 104th Division was created at Fort Lewis as a unit for training Reserve Officers ' Training Corps cadet s , and the 4690th US Army Reserve Forces School at Fort Shafter , Hawaii was redesignated as the 4690th Brigade , 104th Division , for service as a multifunctional training unit . In 2005 , the Base Realignment and Closure suggestions included the closure of the Vancouver Barracks , and the 104th Division was subsequently relocated to Fort Lewis , Washington . In 2005 , the current Distinctive Unit Insignia was designed under the direction of Major General Terrill K . ( TK ) Moffett . The 104th received its new distinctive unit insignia in 2006 . In October 2007 , the division was renamed the 104th Division ( Leader Training ) . This change reflected a change in the division ' s mission , specifically training officer and non - commissioned officer candidates in their assigned fields . Honors . Unit decorations . ASUA – Army Superior Unit Award 1 JAN 05 – 31 DEC 06 – Iraq , Campaigns : Iraqi Governance – 29 June 2004 to 15 December 2005 ; National Resolution – 16 December 2005 to a date to be determined Legacy . Several people who served with the 104th Infantry Division later went on to achieve notability for various reasons . Among these people are rabbi Gunther Plaut , paleontologist Charles Repenning , Governor of Iowa Leo Hoegh , New York City mayor Ed Koch , New York governor Hugh L . Carey , and generals John R . Deane , Jr . and Bryant Moore . In addition , actor James G . Snitzer was a member of the 104th and died in combat in 1945 . NFL Player Bob Shaw also served with the 104th and was awarded the Bronze Star during World War II . In addition , two soldiers from this division were awarded the Medal of Honor for their service in combat . They are Willy F . James , Jr . , for scouting German positions while being pinned down by machine gun fire , and Cecil H . Bolton , who led a company of men on the attack despite wounds from a mortar shell .