The 30th Infantry Division was a unit of the Army National Guard in World War I and World War II. It was nicknamed the "Old Hickory" division, in honor of President Andrew Jackson. The Germans nicknamed this division "Roosevelt's SS". The 30th Infantry Division, involved in 282 days of intense combat over a period from June 1944 through April 1945, was regarded by a team of historians led by S.L.A. Marshall as the American infantry division that had "performed the most efficient and consistent battle services" in the European Theater of Operations (ETO). In the present day, the division's lineage continues as 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, part of the North Carolina National Guard. The unit's most recent combat deployment was in 2019.
British King George V, along with Major General Edward M. Lewis, commander of the U.S. 30th Division, review elements of Lewis's division in France, August 6, 1918. Standing behind the King is Brigadier General Samson L. Faison, commanding the 30th Division's 60th Brigade.
Doughboys of the U.S. 30th Division at rest with German prisoners following the capture of Bellicourt, France, September 29, 1918.
During the battle of Mortain, Typhoons devastated German tank and mechanized columns attempting to reach the French coast, 7 August 1944.
Men of the 117th Infantry Regiment, part of the 30th Infantry Division, move past a destroyed American M5 "Stuart" tank on their march to capture the town of St. Vith at the close of the Battle of the Bulge, January 1945.
Battle of Aachen
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The Battle of Aachen was a battle of World War II, fought by American and German forces in and around Aachen, Germany, between 12 September and 21 October 1944. The city had been incorporated into the Siegfried Line, the main defensive network on Germany's western border; the Allies had hoped to capture it quickly and advance into the industrialized Ruhr Basin. Although most of Aachen's civilian population was evacuated before the battle began, much of the city was destroyed and both sides suffered heavy losses.
American M1919 machine gun crew in action against German defenders in the streets of Aachen on 15 October 1944
A German reconnaissance patrol during the Battle of Aachen
Field Marshal Model visiting the 246th Volksgrenadier Division in Aachen
German prisoners in Aachen