The 89th Infantry Division, originally known as the "89th Division," was an infantry formation of the United States Army that was active during World War I, World War II, and the Cold War.
The 89th Division was officially activated in August 1917, four months after the American entry into World War I, at Camp Funston, Fort Riley, Kansas, under the command of Major General Leonard Wood, formerly the Chief of Staff of the United States Army. Initial drafts of enlisted men came from Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, and South Dakota. The division, now commanded by Major General William M. Wright, was sent overseas to join the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in the final stages of World War I, which ended on November 11, 1918, due to the Armistice with Germany. The 89th Division, now under Major General Frank L. Winn, participated in the battles of St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Two 89th staff officers would serve together in significant roles in WWII: Division Chief of Staff Col. John C. H. Lee, and his G-4 Supply Officer, Lt. Col. Brehon B. Somervell, who also received the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) for leading a three-man patrol to inspect damage to a bridge some 600 yards (550 m) in front of American lines. Lee would serve under Somervell in the Army Service Forces from 1942 to 1945. The 89th was inactivated in May 1919, after being in existence for just less than two years.
Headquarters, 89th Division
177th Infantry Brigade
353rd Infantry Regiment
354th Infantry Regiment
341st Machine Gun Battalion
178th Infantry Brigade
355th Infantry Regiment
356th Infantry Regiment
342nd Machine Gun Battalion
164th Field Artillery Brigade
340th Field Artillery Regiment (75 mm)
341st Field Artillery Regiment (75 mm)
342nd Field Artillery Regiment (155 mm)
314th Trench Mortar Battery
340th Machine Gun Battalion
314th Engineer Regiment
314th Medical Regiment
314th Field Signal Battalion
Headquarters Troop, 89th Division
314th Train Headquarters and Military Police
314th Ammunition Train
314th Supply Train
314th Engineer Train
314th Sanitary Train
353rd, 354th, 355th, and 356th Ambulance Companies and Field Hospitals
The division was reconstituted in the Organized Reserve (present-day United States Army Reserve) on 24 June 1921 and assigned to the states of Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota.