In the spring of 1918, the Division deployed to France. In nearly five months of continuous combat, more than any other American unit, the 82nd fought in three major campaigns and helped to break the fighting spirit of the German Imperial Army. By wars end, the 82nd had earned two Medals of Honor, three Distinguished Service Medals and seventy-five Distinguished Service Crosses. Among its most notable soldiers was that of Sgt. Alvin C. York who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in France.

     The 82nd was demobilized after World War I. For more than 20 years the "All-American Division" would live only in the memories of men who served in its ranks during the Great War.

     With the outbreak of World War II, the 82nd was reactivated on March 25, 1942 at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana under the command of Major General Omar N. Bradley. However, events and tactics in Europe were to radically affect the 82nd.

     As a result of German usage of their vaunted Fallschirmjägers in the Blitzkrieg in the Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands and Crete, the U. S. Army, like their British Allies, saw the need for an airborne force of their own. On August 15, 1942, the 82nd Infantry Division became the first airborne division in the U.S. Army. On that date, the All-American Division was redesigned the 82nd Airborne Division under the command of Major General Matthew B. Ridgeway.

     In April 1943, paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division set sail for North Africa to participate in the campaign to puncture the soft underbelly of the Third Reich.

     The Division's first major combat operation (earlier operations saw the Division provide elements of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment(PIR) and its associated support units for airborne operations in North Africa.) was the parachute and glider assaults into Sicily, code named Husky. on July 10, 1943. Eventhough the 82nd was widely scattered over the DZ's, bad weather hampered the operation and our own navy tried to shoot down their aircraft, they were a major asset to the invasion. The 82nd was critical to the defense of the Allied invasion forces. As stated in the testimony of General Kurt Student, Chief of the German parachute forces, "The 82nd Airborne Division prevented the Panzer Division Hermann Goering from reaching the beachhead and driving the Allies back into the sea."

     After capturing Sicily the 82nd was next used at Salerno, Italy on September 13, 1943. In January 1944, the 504th and 509th were detached for combat operations at Anzio. The 504th earned the first Presidential Unit Citation awarded to an Airborne unit for its actions at Anzio. While fighting around Anzio, the oh-four also earned its nickname, "Devils in Baggy Pants." The nickname was taken from an entry made in a German officer's diary.

     While the 504th and 509th was detached, the remainder of the 82nd was pulled out of Italy in November 1943 and moved to the United Kingdom to prepare for the liberation of Europe.

     With two combat jumps under its belt, the 82nd Airborne Division was now ready for the most ambitious airborne operation of the war, Operation NEPTUNE-the airborne invasion of Normandy. The operation was part of Operation OVERLORD, the amphibious assault on the northern coast of Nazi-occupied France.

     In preparation for the operation, the division was reorganized. Two new parachute infantry regiments, the 507th and the 508th, joined the division, Due to its depleted state following the fighting in Italy, the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment did not take part in the invasion.

     On June 5-6, 1944, the paratroopers of the 82nd's three parachute infantry regiments and reinforced glider infantry regiment boarded hundreds of transport planes and gliders to began the largest airborne assault in history. They were among the first soldiers to fight in Normandy, France.

     By the time the All-American Division was pulled back to England, it had seen 33 days of bloody combat and suffered 5,245 paratroopers killed, wounded or missing. The Division's post battle report read, "...33 days of action without relief, without replacements. Every mission accomplished. No ground gained was ever relinquished."

     Following the Normandy invasion, the 82nd became part of the newly organized XVIII Airborne Corps, which consisted of the U.S. 17th, 82nd, and 101st Airborne Divisions.

     In September, the 82nd began planning for Operation MARKET-GARDEN in Holland. The operation called for three-plus airborne divisions to seize and hold key bridges and roads deep behind German lines. The 504th now back at full strength rejoined the 82nd, while the 507th went to the 17th Airborne Division.

     On September 17, the 82nd Airborne Division conducted its fourth Divisional combat jump of World War II into Holland. Fighting off ferocious German counterattacks, the 82nd captured its objectives between Grave and Nijmegen. Its success, however, was short-lived. As a result of errors made in developing an un-realistic time schedule and analysis of intelligence, the Allied advance ground to a halt just short of the final objective, Arnhem, "A Bridge too Far.". The gateway to Germany would not open in September 1944, and the 82nd was ordered back to France after an extended period of continuous combat.

     Suddenly, on December 16, 1944, the Germans launched a surprise offensive through the Ardennes Forest which caught the Allies completely by surprise. Hastily rounding up all of its men and combat equipment from the rest camps in France, the 82nd moved out for the Battle of the Bulge. Two days later the 82nd joined the fighting and helped blunt General Von Runstedt's northern penetration in the American lines. This battle hardened Division was instrumental in stabilizing the panicked U. S. lines and providing a hard hitting force to counter this heavy German penetration.

     After regrouping in Sissonne, France following the Ardennes, the Division moved back into action on March 30, 1945. It conducted a successful assault crossing of the Rhine north of Cologne. In April, they repeated the exercise by crossing the Elbe River and linking up with Soviet forces. On May 2, 1945, the 82nd received the surrender of the 21st German Army at Ludwigslust.

     Following the surrender of Germany, the 82nd was ordered to Berlin for occupation duty. In Berlin General George Patton was so impressed with the 82nd's honor guard he said, "In all my years in the Army and all the honor guards I have ever seen, the 82nd's honor guard is undoubtedly the best." Hence the "All-Americans" became known as "America's Guard of Honor."

     The 82nd returned to the United States January 3, 1946. Instead of being demobilized, the 82nd made its permanent home at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and was designated a regular Army division on November 15, 1948. Today, the 82nd Airborne Division is still located at Ft. Bragg and is the only true Airborne Division in the U. S. Army.