The Thirty-Sixth Infantry division fought in the European theatre in both world wars. Originally composed of members of the Texas National Guard, the Thirty-Sixth, also known as the T-Patchers, was mobilized at Camp Bowie on July,18,1917 in response to orders from the United States War department. The “T” in T-Patchers was originally thought to represent Texas, as that was where the majority of the troops were from while the arrowhead on the patch was thought to stand for Oklahoma, another area where a large portion of the division came from. The division trained in Texas under Major General Edwin St. John Greble, before being sent overseas with the command of Maj. Gen. William R. Smith. Arriving in France in stages from May 31st through …show more content…
Nevertheless, the Thirty-Sixth and its battalions continued to fight, now facing one of the most dangerous, and costly, military operations during the war, the crossing of the Rapido River. Several units of the division were sent to cross a heavily guarded river under the cover of nightfall, in order to gain Allied control over Liri Valley. General Walker had extreme uncertainty with the operation, due to the swiftly moving current of the river, its muddy banks, and lack of equipment needed to bridge the river. Despite this, the battalion was sent to cross the river, suffering severe losses. The attempt to cross the river was known as a “two-day hell”, with the Thirty-Sixth encountering icy conditions, large-scale retaliations, and lack of ammunition, with supply and reinforcements being made nearly impossible due to the nature of the attack. With the number of wounded in the hundreds, the crossing of the river was ultimately deemed a …show more content…
The division’s ability to remain unfazed in the wake of danger was entailed by reporter C. L. Sulzberger, "They call the 36th a 'hard luck' division because it has never had an easy assignment. This writer saw one of its battalions when what was left of it clambered back across the Rapido. They were tired but they remained, in essence, fresh-faced boys from Texas. Their eyes mirrored no peace." The Thirty-Sixth continued to assist in the Italian Campaign, playing a role during the Battle of Monte Cassino, where the T-Patchers, alongside the rest of the fifth army, landed at Anzio and prepared for a large-scale attack to breakout from the beachhead and meet up with other Allied forces approaching from the south. After a four month beachhead at Anzio, the Thirty-Sixth followed up through Cisterna, entering the road to Velletri, and then Rome. After the capture of Rome and the subsequent end of the Italian campaign, the Thirty-Sixth was chosen as one of three infantry divisions sent ashore in Operation Anvil-Dragoon, set for August 1944. During this time, General Walker was relieved and replaced by Maj. Gen John E.