Anne Maguire
Moeller, Carl. “The Thunderbolt Across Europe.” ©1998-2000. 83rd Infantry Division Re-Enactment Group. 20 April 2006. http://www.atomic.pair.com/wwii/
S-bottom- “It was to have been short, that voyage across the Channel. Rushed through the staging areas near Stonehenge, the 'Thunderbolt Division' had top priority in everything. The 'Thunderbolts' were needed badly, in Normandy. The voyage was short in point of crossing. But we did not disembark. A storm rose out of nowhere and slashed at Omaha Beach and made life miserable for a week. We sat and stood and laid around on our ships. We sang songs, cleaned our weapons, used our bags for vomit, ate our landing rations. We went down into the holds of the ships and drew more ten-in-ones. We steam cooked and ate ten-in-ones until they were coming out of our ears. Still the days and nights passed.” S-top
- “But more than the mere German we fought the weather. Those winter days when snow fell like powder without pause, when the sweat of our dirty bodies froze our clothes to us! Our knuckles were raw and bleeding, and our lips were cracked. Our noses ran and our eyes were blinded by the whiteness that was everywhere. Our feet were wet and frozen and numbed with pain. The walking that had to be done was agony. When we could use our mess kits the once hot food was icy, the coffee useless. And in the howling wind of the afternoon or the cutting blast of the night, it was painful to use a latrine. For most of us sleep was a thing beyond our ken. There was a time for nothing but fighting the enemy.” S-bottom
The Thunderbolt across Europe. Munich, Germany: Fr. Bruckmann K G.
- “It was here that we met the first real opposition in our drive across Germany” page 89
- “The weather had been against the Allies since D-Day, and now a great storm arose, seemingly out of nowhere, and prevented us from landing. For nearly a week, the wind, the rain and the waves lashed at Omaha Beach and made life miserable for everyone.” Page 27
- “Almost continuously for several days and nights, German tanks, artillery, and riflemen slashed at our positions.” Page 90
- “Again the world turned its eyes on the Thunderbolt. Again the photographers and reporters rushed to our area to give world-wide publicity to our achievements.” Page 81
“83rd Wins Race to Rhine.” 83rd Spearhead. Vol. 2 No. 5. Germany: March 3, 1945.
- “”The Rhine River in front of Düsseldorf was officially reached at 1000 Friday morning…” page 1
- “More than 20,000 civilians huddled in air raid shelters this morning while the doughboys took the town.” page 4
- “The 83rd attacked Neuss last night and battled its way across the canal in a thunderous assault on Von Rundstedt’s fleeing forces.” page 4
- “It is apparent that Düsseldorf, once great industrial producer for Germany, is finished as a source of material for the Whrmacht.” page 4
“Division Troops Parade before Gen. Milburn.” The Bounce. Vol. II. No. I. Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky: November 4, 1943.
- “For the second successive week, Maj. Gen. Frank W. Milburn, commanding the 83rd Division, took the salute Saturday from combat teams of division troops passing in formal review across the camp’s central parade ground.” page 1
- “In a sense these parades were the pay-off of long, hard training in garrison and field.” page 1
- “The troops looked smart and fit. The general looked pleased. The 83rd was on the march again.”
Maguire, Francis. Personal Interview. 21 April 2006.
“The 83rd Infantry Division.” 20 April 2006.Washington, D.C.: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10006145.
S-top- “On June 18, 1944, less than two weeks after the Allied D-Day invasion of western Europe, the "Thunderbolt" division landed on Omaha Beach and began advancing into France. By the end of September, the division had moved into Luxembourg. In late December 1944, the 83rd took part in the Allied effort to stop the German offensive in the Battle of the Bulge. Several months later, it crossed the Rhine and subsequently captured the German city of Halle on April 6, 1945. At war's end, the "Thunderbolt" division had established a bridgehead on the Elbe River.” S-top
- “The 83rd Infantry Division was recognized as a liberating unit by the U.S. Army's Center of Military History and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1993.” S-bottom
Division nickname
The 83rd Infantry Division received its nickname, the "Thunderbolt" division, after a division-wide contest for a new nickname held in early 1945. The earlier nickname, "Ohio," was based on the division's insignia (which includes the name "Ohio," where the division was raised during World War I). A new nickname was desired to represent the nationwide origins of the division's personnel during World War II. S-bottom Curry, Dave. “Trail of the 83rd Division.” 1999-2006. Brothers-In-Arms: 83rd Division, 331st Infantry. 19 April 2006. http://www.ncweb.com/~davecurry/brothers/trail.html.