Major General William George Haan was a senior United States Army officer. He commanded the 32nd Division during the final year of World War I, and served in numerous other conflicts during his career.
William G. Haan
William G. Haan, 1918
Operations of the 32nd Division in World War I in crossing the Hindenburg Line.
The commander of the 32nd Division, Major General William G. Haan, with Brigadier General Edwin B. Winans, congratulating doughboys of the 127th Regiment, 32nd Division on their good work and giving them instructions as to their future task of following up the Germans. Pictured here at Breheville, France, November 12, 1918.
32nd Infantry Division (United States)
The United States 32nd Infantry Division was formed from Army National Guard units from Wisconsin and Michigan and fought primarily during World War I and World War II. With roots as the Iron Brigade in the American Civil War, the division's ancestral units came to be referred to as the Iron Jaw Division. During tough combat in France in World War I, it soon acquired from the French the nickname Les Terribles, referring to its fortitude in advancing over terrain others could not. It was the first allied division to pierce the German Hindenburg Line of defense, and the 32nd then adopted its shoulder patch; a line shot through with a red arrow, to signify its tenacity in piercing the enemy line. It then became known as the Red Arrow Division.
Secretary of War Newton D. Baker, General John J. Pershing and Brigadier General Robert D. Walsh inspecting the Guard of Honor of the 125th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Division, at Saint-Nazaire, France, March 1918.
Major General William G. Haan, commanding officer of the 32nd Infantry Division during World War I
Operations of the 32nd Infantry Division in World War I in crossing the Hindenburg Line.
An example of the deep, fortified trenches facing the 32nd Div. along the Kriemhilde Stellung portion of the German Hindenburg Line, from the area of Reims to near Verdun.
