WW1 28TH DIVISION BLOODY BUCKET PAINTED HELMET WWI

WW1 US 28th Division English made combat with liner and chinstrap in excellent condition. In 1914 the division was designated the 7th Division as part of a broad reorganization of the National Guard. On 29 June 1916 the 7th Division was mustered into service at Mount Gretna and deployed to El Paso, Texas, to serve along the Mexican border as the Regular Punitive Expedition entered Mexico. Major General Charles M. Clement commanded, directing the First Brigade comprising the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Regiments, the Second Brigade the 10th, 16th, and 18th Regiments, and the Third Brigade the 4th, 6th, and 8th Regiments. There was also a regiment of cavalry and one of artillery, plus two companies of signals troops and medical units. The camp outside El Paso gained the title 'Camp Stewart' after the Adjutant General, Thomas J. Stewart. On 19 September, one brigade was sent home. On 14 November, the 1st Artillery left for home; the 18th Infantry left for Pennsylvania on 18 December; and the remainder of the division between 2–19 January 1917. It appears that most of the division was Mustered out of service 23 February 1917 at Philadelphia. The remnant left on the border included the 8th and 13th Regiments, the newly formed 3rd Artillery and Company C of the Engineers. They were released from active service in March 1917. However, the callup process for World War I was underway as these units left the border. The 13th Regiment began its return home from Texas on 21 March 1917, but en route, were told that their mustering-out orders had been rescinded. World War I Federalization A bridge in Fismes, raised in homage to the 28th Division's operations in Champagne. The division moved to Camp Hancock, Georgia, in April 1917, and was there when the entire division was federalized on 5 August 1917. From May to 11 October 1917, the division was reorganized into the two-brigade, four regiment scheme, and thus became the 28th Division. Order of battle Headquarters, 28th Division 55th Infantry Brigade 109th Infantry Regiment 110th Infantry Regiment 108th Machine Gun Battalion 56th Infantry Brigade 111th Infantry Regiment 112th Infantry Regiments 109th Machine Gun Battalion 53rd Field Artillery Brigade 107th Field Artillery Regiment (75 mm) 108th Field Artillery Regiment (155 mm) 109th Field Artillery Regiment (75 mm) 103rd Trench Mortar Battery 107th Machine Gun Battalion 103rd Engineer Regiment 103rd Field Signal Battalion Headquarters Troop, 28th Division 103rd Train Headquarters and Military Police 103rd Ammunition Train 103rd Supply Train 103rd Sanitary Train 109th, 110th, 111th, and 112th Ambulance Companies and Field Hospitals The Turner Publishing account says that: The situation for the division at Camp Hancock was dismal. The men arrived there in summer uniforms, which were not replaced by winter ones until the winter was well along. Adequate blankets were not available until January. Training equipment was woeful. There was but one bayonet for each three men; machine guns made of wood; and there was but one 37-mm gun for the whole division. By May 1918 the division had arrived in Europe, and began training with the British. On 14 July, ahead of an expected German offensive, the division was moving forward, with most of it committed to the second line of defence south of the Marne River and east of Château-Thierry. As the division took up defensive positions, the Germans commenced their attack, which became the Battle of Chateau-Thierry, with a fierce artillery bombardment. When the German assault collided with the main force of the 28th, the fighting became bitter hand-to-hand combat. The 28th repelled the German forces and decisively defeated their enemy. However, four isolated companies of the 109th and 110th Infantry stationed on the first defensive line suffered heavy losses. After the battle, General John Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force, visited the battlefield and declared that the 28th soldiers were "Men of Iron" and named the 28th ID as his "Iron Division." The 28th developed a red keystone-shaped shoulder patch, officially adopted on 27 October 1918. During World War I, the division was involved in the Meuse-Argonne, Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne including the Battle of Fismes and Fismette, Oise-Aisne, and Ypres-Lys (FA) operations. During the war, it took a total of 14,139 casualties (2,165 killed and 11,974 wounded). 2 individuals received the Medal of Honor: Sergeant James I. Mestrovitch, Company C, 111th Infantry; and Major Joseph H. Thompson, Headquarters, 110th Infantry. More detail about the history of the division during World War I can be found in Edward Martin's The Twenty-Eighth Division: Pennsylvania's Guard in the World War.