The 5th Division in France

The ‘Red Devils’ fight through France in late 1944.

This fascinating unit history was published in Metz in December of 1944 by La Lorraine Press, just a month after the city fell to troops of the 5th Infantry Division under the command of Major General Stafford LeRoy Irwin. Its 44 pages provide an insightful, if somewhat biased, chronology of the division’s activity since landing on the beaches of Normandy in July of that year.

Descriptions of combat engagements and civilian encounters, photographs, firsthand sketches, company routes, and an amusing cartoon ‘Wine Women Song in Five Countries’ are all included. Also of interest is the folding route map which highlights the path taken by the Red Diamond troops during their campaign across France.

Drawn by Keith Pitzer of the 10th Infantry Regiment, the image presents a simplified account of events, omitting bloodshed and carnage in favor of comical illustrations that showcase ‘highlights’ from the war – grateful crowds in France, fleeing German soldiers, and the public shaming of French collaborators. An inset of Metz and its surrounding fortifications – the capture of which was among the greatest divisional achievements – can be seen in the upper right.