32nd Infantry Division (32nd ID) "Red Arrow Division"
U.S. Army

Background
The 32nd Infantry Division (32nd ID) was formed from U.S. Army National Guard units in Wisconsin and Michigan. During July 1917 activated at at Camp MacArthur in Waco, Texas. The 32nd Infantry Division was comprised of the 125th Infantry Regiment (125th IR) and 126th Infantry Regiment (126th IR) in the 63rd Infantry Brigade. Also, the 127th Infantry Regiment (127th IR) and 128th Infantry Regiment (128th IR) in the 64th Infantry Brigade plus three artillery regiments forming the 57th Field Artillery Brigade.

World War I
During World War I, the 32nd Division deployed overseas to France as part of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) under the command of General John J. Pershing. In France, nicknamed "Les Terribles" by French General de Mondesir who observed them fighting at Fismes. The division's patch, a red arrow piercing a line inside a green rectangle symbolized the fact that the 32nd Division penetrated every German defensive line it faced during World War I. Also nicknamed the "Red Arrow Division" or simply the "Red Arrow".

World War II
On December 8, 1941 the 32nd Division was one of the first National Guard Divisions to convert from a square division (with four regiments) into a triangular division (with three regiments).

125th Infantry Regiment (125th IR)
The 125th Infantry Regiment. On December 8, 1941 transfered to the Fourth Army when the division when it became triangular division.

126th Infantry Regiment (126th IR)
The 126th Infantry Regiment had a over 2,600 dead and missing in the Pacific War between 1942–1945. During World War II, the 126th Infantry Regiment had a total of 92 soldiers Missing In Action (MIA). Of that total, 68 were MIA between November 1942–January 1943 in the Battle of Buna. The other 76 went MIA at other locations.

127th Infantry Regiment (127th IR)
The 127th Infantry Regiment.

128th Infantry Regiment (128th IR)
The 128th Infantry Regiment.

Commanding Officers (C.O.)
Major General Robert Bruce McCoy. (July 24, 1924–January 5, 1926)
Major General Guy Wilson (January 5, 1926–December 22, 1938)
Major General Irving Fish (December 22, 1938–February 1942)
General Edwin F. Harding (February 1942–December 2, 1942)
Brigadier General Albert W. Waldron (December 2, 1942–December 5, 1942)
Brigadier General Clovis E. Byers (December 5, 1942–December 15, 1942)
Major General William H. Gill (March 1943–October 1945)
Brigadier general Robert B. McBride Jr. (October 1945)

References
The 32nd Division in the World War, 1917-1919
13,000 Hours Combat History of the 32nd Infantry Division, World War II (1944)
Operations of the 32nd Division in the capture of Buna, 19 November 1942-3 January 1943 (1947)
The 32d Infantry Division in World War II The "Red Arrow"
Born in the U.S.A. - Raised in New Guinea (1999)
32 Answered: A South Carolina Veterans' Story (2015) by Joe H Camp Jr.
The Ghost Mountain Boys (2007) by James Campbell
Red Arrow Across the Pacific: The Thirty-Second Infantry Division during World War II (2024) by Mark D. Van Ells
Army University Press: The 32nd Infantry Division’s Nightmare: The Battle of Buna (2025)

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