Men of the 2nd Infantry Division 1940-1945

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Men of the 2nd Infantry Division 1940-1945

A historical research project preserving the stories and legacy of the soldiers of the U.S. Army's 2nd "Indianhead" Infantry Division during World War II.

13/08/2026

📷PHOTO OF THE MONTH – AUGUST
“Siege of Brest Fortress” | 1944 🇫🇷

S/Sgt. Aloysious J. Lorentz, Pfc. Floyd W. Reed and Sgt. George D. Thomas, members of Company H, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division operate the company's makeshift Mail Center, where soldiers' letters were sorted before being sent home to their families.

The photograph was taken during the fighting for the French town of Vire in August 1944. Just three weeks later, S/Sgt. Aloysious J. Lorentz and Sgt. George D. Thomas would be killed in action in Brittany during the fighting for Keralénoc, near Brest.

This photograph comes from the wartime album of Sgt. Glynn G. Raby, a member of Company H and we are incredibly grateful to Glynn's wonderful granddaughters, Andie and Alicia Jeter, for sharing these photographs with us and helping preserve the story of their grandfather and his fellow soldiers of Company H. 🇺🇸

In memory of S/Sgt. Aloysious J. Lorentz and Sgt. George D. Thomas. We will never forget your sacrifice! 🕯️

17/07/2026

🚧 Website Updates Continue – Introducing Our New "Combat History" Section! 🚧

Work on our Indianhead Roster website is continuing at full speed, and today we're excited to introduce another new feature: Combat History!

In this new section, we will publish one article every month, covering the combat history and campaigns of the 2nd Infantry Division in WWII. Rather than presenting long lists of dates and military records, our goal is to provide concise, easy-to-read articles that introduce the division's wartime journey in a clear and engaging way.

We believe these articles will be especially valuable for families who have only recently discovered that a relative served with the 2nd Infantry Division and would like to learn where the division served and what it experienced throughout the war. At the same time, we hope every enthusiast of the Indianhead Division will enjoy this growing historical series.

Although our plan is to publish one new article each month, we couldn't resist launching the series with a double feature! 😊

That means two articles are already waiting for you today, both accompanied by beautiful historical illustrations:

📖 Prelude to WWII: Fort Sam Houston and the Louisiana Maneuvers (1940–1942)

📖 Forged in Winter, Bound for Europe: From Camp McCoy to Northern Ireland (1942–1943)

We hope you'll enjoy this new journey through the history of the 2nd Infantry Division, and we'd love to hear what you think. If you enjoy the articles, please leave us a comment and let us know!

🔗 You'll find the link to the complete Combat History section in the first comment below this post.

10/07/2026

⭐️Update on the Men of the 2nd Infantry Division Project Website

Dear families and friends of the 2nd Infantry Division,
as many of you know, our team has been maintaining an online database of 2nd Infantry Division veterans and a digital unit archive for several years. We began collecting these records in 2016 at the request of WWII veterans Glynn G. Raby (Company H, 9th Infantry Regiment), James H. Duncan (Company F, 38th Infantry Regiment), and Earl Ingram (Company L, 38th Infantry Regiment). Their encouragement inspired the creation of our project, and we remained deeply grateful for their trust and support.

👇You can visit our website here:
https://indianhead-roster.com/

Over the past few years, our primary focus has been expanding our database by adding new veteran profiles. Our internal database now contains approximately 13,000 names, and we continue to publish new profiles to the online roster on a regular basis.

This year, however, we have also decided to make significant improvements to our website. We are adding more news posts and historical articles, expanding our online library, and further developing our interactive map of places connected with the 2nd Infantry Division. We have also fixed our contact form, so anyone can now easily reach our project team—for example, if you would like us to research a veteran or help identify service records.

We would also like to apologize if it sometimes takes us a while to reply to messages. This project is still entirely a labor of love that we work on in our free time—often late at night after our children are asleep and our families finally let us spend a few quiet hours at the computer.

The 2nd Infantry Division holds a special place in our hearts, especially because of the veterans we had the privilege to meet in person over the years. Preserving the legacy of the men who served in the Indianhead Division has always been, and will always remain, our highest priority. Thanks to your continued support, encouragement, shared stories, and photographs, we are able to keep that legacy alive together.

Thank you for being part of this journey. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing your messages, stories, and photographs.

Your Project Team Men of the 2nd Infantry Division

04/07/2026

🪖 "𝙏𝙤𝙤 𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝘾𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙙" — 𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘆, 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟵𝟰𝟰 🇨🇵

The Sedalia Democrat carried a story about Staff Sgt. Louis J. Robertson, of Company B, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, from Clinton, Missouri. Robertson tried out a camouflage suit in an experiment with his squad — and blended in so completely with the landscape that his own men couldn't spot him. When they finally did, they instinctively grabbed their rifles, thinking he was a German soldier.

Just prior to the Normandy invasion, there was a limited experimental issue of HBT camouflage uniforms to elements of the 2nd and 30th Infantry Divisions, the 17th Engineer Battalion, and the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment of the U.S. 2nd Armored Division. It's often claimed that this uniform's resemblance to German Waffen-SS camouflage smocks led to friendly-fire incidents and its withdrawal - a claim that remains disputed. Other explanations point instead to practical shortcomings: the cost and difficulty of manufacturing the pattern, dye-lot inconsistencies and fading in surviving uniforms, and the fact that the mottled pattern could actually draw more attention than a solid color once a soldier was moving. What is clear is that the pattern caused real confusion among American troops, exactly as Robertson's own experience shows.

These LIFE Magazine photos, taken by Frank Scherschel at Saint-Georges-d'Elle, Normandy, in July 1944, show that same type of camouflage in the field: a 2nd Infantry Division soldier wearing a spotted jacket while reviewing a map with two fellow soldiers in a dugout position. The unit patches on the other men's shoulders were deliberately obscured by wartime censors to keep unit identities from the enemy.

Photos: LIFE Archives, Frank Scherschel, Saint-Georges-d'Elle, Normandy, July 1944. Newspaper clipping: The Sedalia Democrat, September 7, 1944.

02/07/2026

⭐️VETERAN OF THE DAY: 1st Lt. Rex N. Caster – KIA July 2, 1944 🇺🇸🇫🇷

Today, we honor the memory of 1st Lt. Rex N. Caster, an officer of the 23rd Infantry Regiment, who was killed in action 82 years ago today, on July 2, 1944, in France.

"The Silver Star has been awarded posthumously to First Lt. Rex N. Caster, young Rockford infantry officer who was killed in action on July 2 during the siege of St. Lo, France, it was announced today by the War Department in Washington, D.C.

Only son of Mr. and Mrs. Louis E. Caster, 1417 Bron Hills Road, the 22-year-old lieutenant was serving with the 23rd Infantry Regiment of the Second Division when he met death during the bitter fighting in Normandy.

The dramatic story of Lieutenant Caster's feat is contained in the citation accompanying the decoration:

'He volunteered on July 1, 1944, in Normandy for the hazardous task of destroying a fortified house and dugout that were serving as an important enemy observation post.

He took with him two squads of riflemen and some captured enemy rocket launchers. His mission was twofold: to destroy the enemy strongpoint and to obtain valuable information on the capabilities of the rocket launchers.

At first, from a distance of 40 to 50 yards and later from 15 to 20 yards, he scored ten direct hits on the target. Although in this last position he was exposed to the enemy from three directions, he was not satisfied that the house had yet been made untenable until, from this same position, he used a flamethrower to set it afire and also directed fire on it from our own rocket launchers.

He then told the rest of his men to take cover. He had just risen to throw a gr***de into a row of enemy emplacements when he was fired upon by the enemy and killed. The gallantry and disregard for personal safety displayed by this officer reflect the highest credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.'

Lieutenant Caster was a former employee of the Keig-Stevens Baking Company, of which his father was president. The young lieutenant was commissioned in August 1942 after attending Columbia Military Academy in Columbia, Tennessee, and Citizens' Military Training Camps. He was born in Rockford on March 3, 1922. His engagement to Miss Anne Harville of Nashville, Tennessee, was announced shortly before he embarked for overseas service." -Published by Rockford Register Star, Oct 25, 1944

In memory of 1st Lt. Rex N. Caster.🕯️

Your sacrifice, and the sacrifice of your family, will never be forgotten.

07/06/2026

🎥 82 Years Since D-Day — Their Legacy Lives On 🇺🇸🇫🇷🇨🇿

This weekend, we pause to remember the men and women of the Greatest Generation who changed history 82 years ago.

Eighty-two years ago, more than 156,000 Allied troops crossed the English Channel and landed on the beaches of Normandy during the largest amphibious invasion in history. Their courage, sacrifice, and determination changed the course of the war and helped secure the freedom we enjoy today.

But D-Day was only the beginning.

As we remember June 6, 1944, we also honor the long and difficult weeks of fighting that followed across the fields, villages, and hedgerows of Normandy.

This video was filmed during our 2024 Expedition Normandy, where our team spent days visiting battlefields, memorials, and places forever connected with the men of the 2nd Infantry Division and the Allied forces who fought across Normandy in 1944. Throughout our journey, we carried the memory of the veterans whose legacy still lives on through their families and future generations.

To all WWII veterans and their loved ones, we thank you. Your sacrifices will never be forgotten. 🤍

If your family has a WWII story, photo, or memory, please share it with us in the comments. ⬇️

🇺🇸 May we always remember their service and sacrifice.

14/05/2026

IN MEMORY OF MELVIN G. VOLTZ (1925–2026) 🕯🇺🇸

We are deeply saddened to inform you that one of the last known WWII veterans of the 2nd Infantry Division, Cpl. Melvin G. Voltz, has passed away at the age of 101.

Born on January 13, 1925 in Aitkin, Minnesota, Melvin enlisted in the U.S. Army in August 1944 at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. In early 1945, he arrived in Europe as a young replacement and joined Company G, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division — the famous unit commanded by Capt. Charles B. MacDonald. Today, Melvin is remembered as the last known veteran who served directly under Capt. MacDonald.

During the final months of the war in Europe, Melvin witnessed history firsthand. He participated in the battle for the German town of Mechernich, where he was even captured on original wartime film footage recorded during the fighting. In April 1945, he fought in the fierce battle for Leipzig, Germany.

Just weeks later, Melvin entered Czechoslovakia during the final days of World War II. His company saw combat in the Tachov region, where men of Company G were still being seriously wounded even as the war was nearing its end.

A few years ago, we were honored to discover and contact Melvin and his family thanks to his son, Mr. Steven Voltz. At that time, we celebrated the incredible fact that another veteran of the Greatest Generation was still with us and able to share his memories.

With the passing of men like Cpl. Melvin Voltz, we are losing living witnesses to the liberation of Europe and the defeat of one of history’s greatest evils. Their stories must never be forgotten.

Thank you for your service, Melvin. We honor your memory and we will never forget you. May you rest in peace. Our condolences to the family and friends. 🇺🇸🤍

Adresa

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