It supplied over 195,000 officers and enlisted men as replacements to other units in France without seeing action as a complete formation.

The shoulder sleeve insignia of the 83rd Division consists of overlapped gold letters spelling out the word "O-H-I-O" on a background of a black isosceles triangle.

[3] The 83rd Division headquarters arrived at the port of Hoboken, New Jersey, aboard the USS George Washington on 21 January 1919 after 8 months of overseas service and was demobilized on 8 October 1919 at Camp Sherman, Ohio.

The division, commanded by Major General Robert C. Macon, arrived in England on 16 April 1944 with its first divisional headquarters at Keele Hall in Staffordshire.

Taking the offensive, the 83rd reached the St. Lo-Periers Road, 25 July, and advanced 8 miles (13 km) against strong opposition as the Normandy Campaign ended.

Intense fighting during the Battle of Saint-Malo reduced enemy strong points and a combined attack against the Citadel Fortress of St. Servan caused its surrender, 17 August.

As the initial movement in operation "Unicorn," the division took Le Stromberg Hill in the vicinity of Basse Konz against strong opposition, 5 November, and beat off counterattacks.

It entered the Battle of the Bulge, 27 December, striking at Rochefort and reducing the enemy salient in a bitter struggle.

The west bank of the Rhine from north of Oberkassel to the Erft Canal was cleared and defensive positions established by 2 March and the division renewed its training.

The division crossed the Leine, 8 April, and attacked to the east, pushing over the Harz Mountain region and advancing to the Elbe at Barby.

After liberation, the death rate continued at approximately 25–50 people per day, due to the severe physical debilitation of the prisoners.

During the rush to the Elbe river, wartime correspondents nicknamed the 83rd "The Rag-Tag Circus"[12] due to its resourceful commander, Major General Robert C. Macon, ordering the supplementing of the division's transport with anything that moved, "no questions asked".

[13] The 83rd moved as fast as an armored task force in an assortment of hurriedly repainted captured German vehicles: Wehrmacht kubelwagens, staff cars, ammunition trucks, Panzers, motor bikes, buses, a concrete mixer, and two fire engines.

Every enemy unit or town that surrendered or was captured subscribed its quota of rolling stock for the division, usually at gunpoint.