At the end of the fighting on 7 May 1945 (V-E Day), this division was in central Germany opposite the troops of its allies from the Soviet Army.

After several decades, the division then expanded its role to conducting entry-level training for soldiers of all branches of the Army in the northwestern United States.

The division was allocated to the states of Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming as its home area, although the 2nd Battalion, 413th Infantry was organized at Reno, Nevada.

[5] The division headquarters was organized on 7 October 1921 at Fort Douglas, Utah, and relocated in May 1923 to Room 312 in the Commercial Building in Salt Lake City.

The headquarters was moved on 30 September 1926 to the Vermont Building where it remained until activated for World War II.

Unlike the Regular and Guard units in the Ninth Corps Area, however, the 104th Division did not participate in the various Ninth Corps Area maneuvers and the major Fourth Army maneuvers of 1936 and 1940 as an organized unit due to lack of enlisted personnel and equipment.

[2] After training at Camp Adair, the division participated in the Oregon Maneuver combat exercise in the fall of 1943.

[10][11] On 15 October 1943, Major General Terry de la Mesa Allen Sr. took command of the division.

[13] On 7 December 1943, the division moved to, and began 13 weeks of desert training at Camp Hyder, Arizona.

[16] Joining the Battle of the Scheldt, the division moved into defensive positions in the vicinity of Wuustwezel, Belgium on 23 October 1944.

The Timberwolves travelled across France by train and debarked near the Belgian-Dutch border and waited for word to take part in a new allied offensive, Operation Pheasant, taking the place of the experienced British 49th Infantry Division on the left flank and the Polish 1st Armored Division on the right.

The Americans were given responsibility for taking 22 miles of wet, low country from the Belgian border to the Meuse (Maas).

[17] On 30 October, after five days of continuous operations the division had pushed about 15 miles to within sight of the Mark River and had liberated Zundert, gained control of the Breda-Roosendaal Road, and overrun the Vaart Canal defenses.

While the bulk of the division moved near Aachen, Germany, elements remained to secure Moerdijk until 7 November, when they were relieved.

The Royal Navy took three weeks to sweep the estuary waters clear of mines, and in early December 1944, the port of Antwerp was open to Allied shipping.

While under American command on 16 November 1944, the division went on another offensive in support of Operation Queen, taking Stolberg and pushing on against heavy resistance.

[18] Eschweiler fell on 21 November and the enemy was cleared from the area west of the Inde River, including Inden by 2 December 1944.

[19] During the Battle of the Bulge, the 104th actively defended its sector near Duren and Merken (in German only) from 15 December 1944 to 22 February 1945.

[18] After regrouping, it advanced to the east and crossed the Weser River on 8 April, blocking enemy exits from the Harz Mountains.

[19] The division returned to the United States on 3 July 1945, where it began making preparations for deployment to the Pacific Theater.

[29] Each of these brigades carried the history of other historic units which fought under the 104th Infantry Division in World War II.

[24] In 2005, the current Distinctive Unit Insignia was designed under the direction of Major General Terrill K. (TK) Moffett.

Among these are Rabbi Gunther Plaut,[37] paleontologist Charles Repenning, Governor of Iowa Leo Hoegh,[38] New York City Mayor Ed Koch, New York Governor Hugh L. Carey, judge Perry Shields, and U.S. Army generals John R. Deane Jr. and Bryant Moore.

[39] NFL player Bob Shaw also served with the 104th and was awarded the Bronze Star during World War II.

They are Willy F. James Jr., for scouting German positions while being pinned down by machine gun fire,[43] and Cecil H. Bolton, who led a company of men on the attack despite wounds from a mortar shell.