Sent to Europe in World War I as part of the American Expeditionary Forces, the division saw extensive combat in France.

On 10, 12 and 13 April, the lines held by the 104th Infantry in Bois Brule (near Apremont), and by the French to the left, were heavily attacked by the Germans.

In late April, German infantry conducted a raid on positions of the 26th Division, one of the first attacks on Americans during the war.

[10] When the Aisne-Marne campaign began shortly thereafter, the division, under I Corps was placed under command of the French Sixth Army protecting its east flank.

When the offensive began, the division advanced up the spine of the Marne salient for several weeks, pushing through Belleau Wood, moving 10 miles from 18 to 25 July.

The physical headquarters was initially located at the Massachusetts State House, and relocated to the Commonwealth Armory in February 1931.

In some years, the division staff participated in First Corps Area or First Army CPXs such as those in 1931 and 1934, at Camp Dix, New Jersey.

In 1935, 1939, and 1940, the division participated in the First Army maneuvers at Pine Camp, Plattsburg, and Canton, New York, respectively.

In addition to the summer training, most of the division was called up for emergency relief duties in March 1929 when the Connecticut and Merrimac Rivers severely flooded their respective valleys.

The division was called up again in September 1938 for relief duties in response to a hurricane that came ashore at Buzzards Bay and the concurrent flooding of the Merrimac and Housatonic Rivers.

[15][16] In August 1943, Major General Willard Stewart Paul took command of the division, which he would lead through the rest of the war.

[18] Before deploying overseas to the European Theater of Operations (ETO), the 26th Infantry Division trained at Camp Campbell, Kentucky, and prepared to depart for the Western Front in late August 1944.

[20] The 26th ID landed in France at Cherbourg and Utah Beach on 7 September 1944, but did not enter combat as a division until a month later.

[19] On 7 October, the 26th relieved the 4th Armored Division in the Salonnes-Moncourt-Canal du Rhine au Marne sector, and maintained defensive positions.

[19] The division immediately shifted to the east bank of the Saar, and maintained defensive positions in the Saarlautern area from 29 January until 6 March 1945.

It had changed the direction of its advance, and was moving northeast into Czechoslovakia, across the Vltava River, when the cease-fire order was received.

There, it discovered that the Germans had used forced labor to carve out an elaborate tunnel system with underground aircraft production facilities.

SS officers at the camp allegedly planned to demolish the tunnels with the prisoners inside, but the movement of the 26th Infantry and 11th Armored Divisions prevented this.

[25] The division returned to the United States and inactivated at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts on 21 December 1945.

The division remained as an active reserve component of the Army National Guard, but it was not selected for any deployments to cold war contingencies.

Reassigned to the 42d Infantry Division in 2005, in 2006 it was relieved from assignment to the 42d and reorganized and redesignated as the 26th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade.

[33] For its contribution in liberating the Gusen concentration camp, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum continually flies the division's colors at its entrance and for high-profile memorial ceremonies, honoring it as one of 35 US divisions to have assisted in the liberation of German concentration camps.

[36] PFC Michael J. Perkins, a resident of South Boston and a member of the division was awarded the Medal of Honor in France in World War I. PFC George Dilboy of Company H, 103d Infantry was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions against a German machine-gun emplacement in which he was mortally wounded near the Bouresches railroad station on 18 July 1918.

[37] Additionally, two members of the division received the Medal of Honor in World War II, Ruben Rivers, and Alfred L.

[38][39][40][41] Architecture student Victor Lundy was transferred into the 26th in 1944; he produced sketches documenting people, places and scenes that open a window into life in the division between May and November 1944.

[42] The following World War II memoirs have been written by former soldiers that served during the Lorraine Campaign for 26th Infantry Division.