103rd Infantry Division Campaign Map

The 103rd Infantry Division, known as the Cactus Division, arrived at Marseilles, France on 20 October 1944. The division spent 147 days in combat on the Western front during World War II and fought in the Rhineland and Central Europe campaigns.

The Vosges Mountains formed the opening ground of the 103rd Infantry Division's route after its arrival at Marseille in October 1944. The Cactus Division relieved the 3rd Infantry Division near Chevry, attacked toward Saint-Die, crossed the Meurthe, and helped clear the hill mass below the town. It then moved through the Steige Pass area toward Selestat and the Alsace plain.

Winter brought a shift into defensive and local offensive operations. The division crossed into Germany near the Lauter in December, then moved to the Sarreguemines and Reichshoffen sectors during the period of German pressure in Alsace. After fighting around the Moder, Soufflenheim, Offwiller, and Rothbach, it returned to the offensive in March, pushing through Reichshoffen, Nieder Schlettenbach, and the approaches to the Rhine.

The final movement came in April, when the 103rd followed the 10th Armored Division into southern Germany. It helped close routes southeast of Stuttgart, crossed the Danube, captured Landsberg, reached the Lech River, and moved into Austria. At Innsbruck, the division accepted the city's surrender, and elements continued to the Brenner Pass, linking with Fifth Army forces advancing from Italy. 

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