Thunderbird Division News Today

With loving family at his side, Wayne John Kirk, 92, of Winona, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, December 18, 2023.

Enlisting after Pearl Harbor, S/Sgt. Edmund Nelson saw action in several war zones before succumbing to a snipers bullet

Percy Townsend Exhibit will include a bench to honor men from Pottawatomie County who fought in the Korean War with the 45th Thunderbird Division.

Two Native Americans who helped liberate Dachau   May 28, 2021 In commemoration of the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Dachau Concentration Camp by American soldiers, the Simon Wiesenthal Center Archives is highlighting the amazing story of two Native American soldiers who were twin brothers and how one brother helped liberate hundreds of prisoners. The Freeny brothers entered the U.S. Army in 1940 as combat medics with the 45th Infantry Division. Organized in 1923 as the National Gu...

Comments Off on Simon Wiesenthal Center Highlights Story of Native American Soldiers in Honor of 76th Anniversary of Liberation of Dachau Concentration Camp April 29, 2021  –  In commemoration of the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Dachau Concentration Camp by American soldiers today, the Simon Wiesenthal Center Archives is highlighting the amazing story of two Native American soldiers – twin brothers – and how one brother helped liberate hundreds of prisoners. Pictured above ...

Felix Sparks led elements of the 45th Division through heavy fighting and the liberation of Dachau. Heres What You Need to Know: The 45th, or “Thunderbird” Division, was a National Guard outfit formed primarily of units from Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. The morning of February 16, 1944, dawned foggy over the Via Anziate in Anzio, Italy. The 45th Infantry Division’s 2nd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment had advanced overnight to take positions on the west side of the road...

Operation Dragoon: Why the Allied Invasion of Southern France Succeeded Operation Dragoon is often referred to as the Champagne Campaign due to its relative ease, but this is an oversimplification. Heres What You Need to Know: The Allied landing on the southern coast of France in August 1944 was a controversial operation, but it led to the rapid liberation of the region. U.S. Army Sergeant Vere Williams listened to his instincts as his landing craft approached the beach. It was August 15, 1944...