The 26th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (MEB) CSIB (Combat Service Identification Badge) shares the same design as the unit’s shoulder patch, with the gold-bordered letters “Y” and “D” standing for the brigade’s erstwhile nickname “Yankee Division.” The “Yankee” sobriquet originated as a nod to the six New England states from which troops were drawn to constitute the MEB’s forebear, the 26th Division, in 1917. Those six states are honored with six stars on the division’s Unit Crest, or Distinctive Unit Insignia. Though the division had been demobilized in 1919, it was reorganized as a part of the Massachusetts National Guard in 1923.
But with war clouds looming on the horizon, the Yankee Division was inducted into Federal Service in January, 1941 and was soon redesignated as the 26th Infantry Division. Arriving in France in September of 1944, it spent the first few months in a defensive stance or on patrol, not going on the offensive until mid-November. It liberated Dieuze in Northern France (November 20) and advanced to the Saarland by the start of December. A brief respite in Metz was interrupted by the German offensive at the Battle of the Bulge; in response, the division moved to Luxembourg launched a series of attacks that steadily gained ground in the face of determined German resistance.
After taking significant casualties, the Yankee Division began its breakout toward the Rhine, which it crossed on March 21. One of its most notable achievements came when it liberated Gusen, a slave-labor complex associated with the infamous Matthausen underground industrial facility; its timely arrival, along with the 11th Armored Division, prevented the Nazis from demolishing the underground tunnels while the inmates were still inside them. By the war's end, the 26th had earned official credit for participation in four U.S. Army Campaigns: Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe.
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26th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade Patch (SSI)
26th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)