On this page I will display 9th Infantry Division related items shared by veterans, their family members and from my personal collection. Many of these items were donated to me by the family members of 9th Infantry Division veterans or the veterans themselves, some were purchased.
Enjoy these 9th Infantry Division related artifacts from the past. – Yuri Beckers.
9TH INFANTRY DIVISION ARTIFACTS
BRIGADIER GENERAL STARS AND SHOULDER PATCH OF DONALD A. STROH.
Original General pins of Brigadier General Donald A. Stroh, who acted as Brigadier General / Assistant Commanding General of the 9th Infantry Division from July 1942 until 12 July 1944. The 9th Infantry Division shipped out for the invasion of North Africa in October 1942. Brigadier General Stroh was responsible for the tactical training and proficiency of the Division. During battle, he assisted the commanding general in tactical matters. In the Battle for Bizerte, Tunisia, he took command of and reorganized the badly shaken 39th Infantry Regiment while a replacement commanding officer was called up.
In July 1943, the 9th Infantry Division was part of the invasion of Sicily. Here Stroh was awarded the Legion of Merit for his combat roles in North Africa and Sicily. In November 1943, the 9th Division sailed from Sicily for England where it trained for the invasion of Northern France. While there, Stroh was able to spend some time with Lt. Harry Stroh, a fighter pilot in the Army Air Corps with the Ninth Air Force. Also on hand was General Stroh’s son-in-law, Lt. Col. Robert Stumpf, 3rd Battalion commander in the 39th Infantry Regiment of the 9th Infantry Division.
The 9th Infantry Division landed at Utah Beach on June 10, 1944 and immediately went into battle. The Division cut the Contentin Peninsula and played a key role in the battle for the strategic port of Cherbourg. General Stroh received his second Legion of Merit for this action.
On July 4, the 8th Infantry Division landed in France and joined the battle. After a week of fighting, it had made little headway and had taken heavy casualties. Most of the senior leadership were killed, wounded, or relieved. General Stroh assumed command of the 8th Infantry Division on July 13th.
These stars and the shoulder patch were worn on Brigadier General’s Stroh’s uniform while he was with the 9th Infantry Division.
Wool shirt of Sgt. William J. Hilton.
This is the original wool shirt worn by Sgt. William J. Hilton during his service with the 47th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. The olive drab border has been cut from the Octofoil shoulder insignia. This is a great looking shirt, considering it’s age of 75 years.
UNCUT OCTOFOIL INSIGNIAS
A great piece of 9th Infantry Division history. This is an uncut piece of cloth that contains 4 Octofoil insignia. These are early war type Octofoils.
Uncut front and back of a wool patch cloth containing 4 Octofoil shoulder sleeve insignia.
Read more about the 9th Infantry Division Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI) on this page:
9th Infantry Division Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
Wartime customized Wool Shirt:
A very nice piece of 9th Infantry Division history:
A M-1937 Wool shirt with added cotton lining. This was done to make the wool fabric less itchy.
Also of interest is the blue infantry piping around the Octofoil Shoulder Sleeve Insignia.
9th Infantry Division M-1937 Wool Shirt.
Letter by Major General Manton S. Eddy in June 1944, handed out to the 9th Infantry Division men before going into Normandy from D-Day + 4, June 10th onward.
Headquarters Ninth Infantry Division
A.P.O. #9
June 1944
“Soldiers of the Ninth Division:
The hour for the greatest adventure of our lives is at hand. I have the greatest faith that the officers and men of this Division will meet the enemy as men of America would – with determination and a fury that will strike fear to the heart of the German soldier. No one knows better then we that he is not the “superman” his wicked leaders have tried to make us think he is. We know that man for man we are better then he.
Faith in a righteous cause and faith in our ability to defend that cause will win. A righteous cause is something that God has given us and denied our enemy. History does not lie.
With determined hearts and with the help of God, which we now beseech him to give us, we are going to win this war – now!
Good luck and Godspeed“,
M. S. Eddy
Major General U.S.A. Commanding
Major General Manton Eddy’s letter to the troops, dated June 1944.
Theater made officer’s swagger or walking stick
Belonged to Captain Wesley Bryde Marshall
26th Field Artillery Battalion, 9th Infantry Division
This is something you don’t come across that often. Here we have an original World War Two Officer’s Walking or Swagger Stick. This theater made stick belonged to Captain Wesley Bryde Marshall who served in the 26th Field Artillery Battalion of the 9th Infantry Division. It is engraved with his name and full service number. Engraving appears as:
“CAPT W. B. MARSHALL – O-363317″
The stick is about 31 1/2 inches in length and is made of stained hardwood with gloss finish. It has a large silver plated top. A great detail is the tip, constructed from a 1917 dated .45 pistol shell.
The top is silver plated and bears an early 26th Field Artillery Battalion DI and a large brass 26th Field Artillery Battalion insignia.
Wesley Bryde Marshall achieved the rank of Captain in May of 1942 and was promoted to Major in February of 1943, so this allows us to date the time period in which this stick is from.
Captain Marshall passed away in Alexandria, Louisiana in 1975. This is an impressive walking or swagger stick that is engraved and documented to a long serving artillery officer.
9th Infantry Division in WWII 