The division was organized in Oct. 1917 at Camp-Wheeler, Ga., and went overseas during Sept., Oct., and Nov 1918. Upon arrival in France it was designated as a replacement division. The personnel of most of the units were withdrawn and sent to other organizations. 41 somewhat skeletonized division units remained at Brest returning to the U. S. in Dec. 1918, and was demobilized early in 1919. The 31st was reorganized in 1923 as a National Guard division with its several component units coming from La., Miss and Fla. The 124th Infantry Regiment was organized from companies which date back to June, 1921, A cross of red on the shield is from the flag of the State of Florida. The 155th Infantry Regiment dates back to 1798 when it was organized as the Adams County, Miss., Militia. It fought in the War of 1812, the Creek Indian War, the Mexican War and then, as the First Mississippi Volunteers, it participated in the War Between the States. When World War I broke out it was stationed on the Mexican border and later saw service overseas with the 39th Infantry Division. Its regimental motto is "Stand Fast." The 167th Infantry Regiment comes from the 4th Alabama Regiment and originated in this new designation on 15 July 1911. During World War I, the 167th fought as part of the 42d Infantry "Rainbow" Division.

WWII

INDUCTION DATE: 26 November 1940
INACTIVATION DATE: 21 December 1945 at Camp Stoneman, California.
TRAINING UNDER ARMY GROUND FORCES: The 31st was assigned to Camp, Blanding, Fla., on its induction. It took part in the Third Army maneuvers held in Louisiana in Sept. 1941 and in Nov. 1941 participated in the maneuvers held in the Carolinas under GHQ and the IV Corps. Early in 1942 it moved to Camp Bowie, Texas, and on 9 March 1942 came under the Army Ground Forces. From Aug. to Sept. 1942 the Dixie Division played an important part in Third Army maneuvers in Louisiana and at the completion of maneuvers moved to Camp Shelby, Miss. During July and Aug. 1943 the division was part of the Third Army which maneuvered in Louisiana. Upon completion of maneuvers the 31st moved to Camp Pickett, Va.
OVERSEAS TRAINING: Trained briefly at Oro Bay, British New Guinea, prior to entering combat.
DEPARTED U. S. FOR FOREIGN DUTY: 12 March 1944
RETURNED TO U. S.: 21 December 1945 (HQ)

Inducted into federal service as the 31st Division at Birmingham, Ala. on 25 Nov 40 and moved to Camp Blanding, Florida.

Moved to Louisiana Maneuver Area 4 Aug 41 where participated in the Aug 41 IV Corps Louisiana Maneuvers and the Sep 41 Louisiana Maneuvers;

Returned to Camp Blanding, Fla. 0 Oct 41, and on 28 Oct 41 participated in the First Army Carolina Maneuvers; returned to Camp Blanding, Fla. 2 Dec 41

Transferred to Camp Bowie, Tex. on 23 Feb 42 where redesignated 31st Infantry Division 27 Feb 42.

Went to Louisiana Maneuver Area 28 Jul 42 and took part in VIII Corps Louisiana Maneuvers;

Moved to Camp Shelby, Mississippi 22 Sep 42 and on 26 Jun 43 took part in the Third Army No. 3 Louisiana Maneuvers;

Arrived Camp Pickett, Virginia. 28 Aug 43 and participated in the XIII Corps West Virginia-Norfolk Maneuvers of 9 Sep-16 Nov 43;

Staged to Camp Patrick Henry, Va. 5 Mar 44 until departed Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation 13 Mar 44;

24 Apr 44, the advanced echelon of the division reached Dobodura, New Guinea on 17 Mar 44 and by 24 Apr 44 the entire division was assembled there for amphibious and jungle warfare training. The 124th Infantry was alerted for movement to Aitape, New Guinea on 25 Jun 44 and landed there as the reserve for Task Force PERSECUTION 5 Jul 44. Once having reached the Southwest Pacific the 31st wasted little time moving into combat. In March 1944, the 124th Infantry Regiment went to Aitape and caught a heavy assignment for its first action. In the bloody fighting along the Druinimor River the regiment killed more than 3000 of the enemy and played a major part in breaking the back of the by-passed Japanese Eighteenth Army Or, 22 March 1944, General MacArthur was able to announce that 30,000 Japs were trapped between Aitape and Hollandia. Later the 155th and 167th Infantry Regiments fought in the Wakde-Sarmi area of New Guinea. Fighting was much lighter here and by 18 May the capture of Wakdo was announced. These two regiments accounted for more than 1000 Japs while on the Maffin Bay perimeter which guarded the Fifth Air Force's airstrip.

Moved to the Maffin Bay area of New Guinea in Jul 44; The rest of the division moved to Maffin Bay and relieved the 6th Infantry Division. The 167th Infantry arrived at Toem, New Guinea 14 Jul 44 and the rest of the division completed landing in the Sarmi-Wadke Island vicinity 18 Jul 44. There it built bridges, roads and docks, and patrolled the area, but limited engagements to avoid provoking large-scale Japanese reaction. The 124th Infantry was also detached and went into action in the Aitape area 13 Jul 44 in the Battle for the Drinumor River. On 11 Sep 44 it returned to the division at Maffin Bay where it was staging for the invasion of Morotai Island.

Assaulted Morotai Island 15 Sep 44; The division assaulted Morotai against slight opposition on 15 Sep 44 and had expanded its perimeter beyond Pitoe Dome by the following day. The division then expanded the beachhead, patrolled the interior of the island, and occupied other small islands off its coast. In Sept. 1944, the Dixie Division sailed from Maffin Bay for the re-conquest of Morotai and on 15 Sept. Hit the beaches of this Dutch island less than 350 miles from the Philippines. The 31st quickly secured a beachhead and by noon of D-Day had seized Piton Airdrome. The capture of Morotai gave our forces control of the Halmahera Sea and cut off 20,000 Jap troops on the island of Halmahera.

Elements of the 167th Infantry took Mapia Island by 17 Sep 44 On 15 Nov. 1944, a battalion combat team from the 167th Infantry Regiment backtracked several hundred miles to the tiny Mapia Island to knock out a Jap spotter station. This battalion killed 167 bitterly resisting well-entrenched Japanese in two days with the loss of only 12 American lives.

A company from the 124th Infantry seized Asia Island by 20 Sep 44, both of which had been evacuated. The division continued its dual mission of defense and security at Morotai and Sansapor until 24 Mar 45 when it was directed to prepare for operation in the Philippines. It was relieved by the 93d Infantry Division on 12 Apr 45 and departed for Mindanao.

Landed on Mindanao Philippines 22 Apr 45; the division landed 22 Apr 45 in the previously secured Parang area of Mindanao in the Philippines and relieved the 24th Infantry Division. The division began its push north up the Sayre Highway 27 Apr 45 against strong Japanese opposition in which fighting was waged in knee-deep mud, torrential rains, and in spite of obstacles and determined resistance. In the nearby Asia Island group a reinforced company of the 124th Infantry Regiment landed to find no Japs. For months the West maintained the perimeter defense on Morotai for the 13th Air Force and carried out patrol missions into Morotai's rugged interior. The 31st was sent to Mindanao, P.I., in April 1945. The divisions first assignment was to push north from Kabacan." It had not gone five miles, however, before it successfully engaged in a six hour battle with Japs who had been advancing to attack to attack Kabacan. Their defeat at this point prevented the Japs from erecting defenses in the gorge country farther north which might have proved costly in men and time. Working through central Mindanao and fighting a fanatical enemy who used every advantage of terrain and cover, the 31st by 18 April 1945, had pushed 17 miles in a period of three days to recapture the former American air base at Valencia. Five days Inter the 31st paced a nine-division assault to clean out the last major Japanese resistance in the Philippines and captured the provincial capital of Malaybalay, the last big enemy-held city on Mindanao. It also wrested the airfield near the city from the Japs. In June 1945 the 31st was reported mopping up scattered resistance on the island. The 155th Infantry defeated the Japanese in a firefight at Misinsman 1 May 45 and on 3 May 45 both the 124th and 167th Infantry joined the division from Morotai, overrunning Kibawa Airstrip and securing the junction of Sayre Highway and the Kibawe-Talamo Trail. The division then continued its slow drive along the Sayre Highway and fought the Battle for Colgan Woods 5-12 May 45. Advance along the Talamo Trail was checked q16 May 45, but then continued by the 167th Infantry throughout June, the regiment finally reaching Pinamola 26 Jun 45. The 155th Infantry took the Japanese supply base at Malaybalay 21 May 45 and Kalasungay the next day, establishing a bridgehead across the Pulang River near Sanipon 27 May 45. By the end of June this division had forced the Japanese to withdraw into the interior of Mindanao and blocked off any threats toward Davao City.

The division continued mopping up operations in the Agusan River sector along both the Kibawe-Talamo Trail and the Sayre Highway from Malaybalay to Valencia until the end of the war. Following the Japanese surrender, the division concentrated on accepting their capitulation on Mindanao.

Arrived San Francisco Port of Embarkation 19 Dec 45 and was inactivated at Camp Stoneman, Calif. 21 Dec 45.

BATTLE CREDITS (Division) New Guinea and Southern Philippines

DATE ENTERED COMBAT: DIVISION 16 July 1944 FIRST ELEMENTS 13 July 1944

SUCCESSIVE COMMANDING GENERALS: Maj. Gen. John C. Persons from. 1940 to Sept. 19/1944; Maj. Gen. Clarence A. Martin from Sept. 1944 to inactivation.

COMPONENT UNITS: 154th, 155th and 167th Inf. Regt., 31 Cav Recon Tp (Mechanized) 106 Med. Bn; 106 Engr C Bn; Div. Arty: 116, 117 and 149th F.A. Bns (105 how) and 114 FA Bn (155 how) . SD Tps: 31 QM Co, 31 Sig Co, 731 Ord Co (LM) Hq Co. MP Plat and Band.

WWII CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR WINNERS: Cpl Harry R. Harr, Company "D", 124th Infantry Regiment, for 5 June 1945 action at Maglamin, Mindanao, P.I.

OTHER AWARDS FOR VALOR: 1,709 Dixie Division veterans became casualties (Purple Hearts); 404 of them gave their lives. 4 men earned the Distinguished Service Cross, 177 earned the Silver Star, and 965 earned the Bronze Star.

DISTINGUISHED UNIT CITATION: 106th Engr "C" Bn for 22 Apr 30 June 45 action at Midanao, PI. Three other units of the Dixie Division have been awarded the Presidential Unit Citations; the 2nd BN 124th Regiment, 2nd BN Medical Detachment 124th Regiment, and the 3rd BN 124th Regiment. All other units awarded the Philipine Unit Citation.

COMMENDATIONS: Lt. Gen.. Robert Eichelberger, commanding general of the Eighth Army, commended the 31st for its execution of operations which resulted in splitting all Jap forces in Mindanao.

4th Alabama Creed

Always on the attack; 4th Alabama Soldiers take the fight to the enemy; we are always patrolling forward and taking the initiative

Loyal to America, the State of Alabama and all her citizens

Alert and ready for combat or emergencies. I study the modern battlefield its historical examples and am trained, equipped to be "on the cutting edge"

Bravery is my way of life in the small daily tasks as well as the big moments of crisis

Adventure and action are the rewards we seek as we work together with our fellow Soldiers and citizens to defend this great nation of ours. Only a select few get to wear the 4th Alabama Patch, those that do are changed forever

Misery does not discourage me, I am its master, I'm at my best when things are at their worst...

America's freedom and safety depends on me. I am a 4th Alabama Soldier, even if I'm the only one left, the mission will be accomplished.