Because it was activated so near the end of World War I (January 1918), the 8th Infantry Division saw no action during the Great War, but some of its troops formed the garrison at Brest, France, while the division’s 8th Infantry Regiment served occupation duty in Germany until August 1919.
Like many other inactive divisions, the 8th Infantry was activated in 1940 in anticipation of eventual U.S. involvement in World War II. Landing at Omaha Beach on D-Day, the Pathfinder division entered combat three days later and soon captured the cities of Rennes and, ironically, Brest. It was during the surrender of Best that the unit picked up its motto. When a German General asked the lower-ranking U.S. Brigadier General Charles Canham to show his credentials for accepting the German surrender, Canham pointed to his troops and said, “These are my credentials.”
The 8th advanced east toward the German border, taking part in the bloody but overlooked Battle of Hurtgen Forest and crossing the Roer River in February, 1945. In addition to aiding in the elimination of the Ruhr Pocket, the 8th also liberated the Neuengamme concentration camp in early May.
Following World War II, the unit spent seven years as a training division until its deployment to West Germany, where its four brigades were stationed at Mainz, Baumholder, Mannheim, and Wiesbaden. The 8th Infantry Division was inactivated on January 17, 1992.
Derived from its shoulder sleeve insignia, the design of the Combat Service Identification Badge—commonly called CSIG—was inspired by the division’s nickname “Pathfinder,” which is represented by the arrow. A superimposed “8” is the unit’s numerical designation. The nickname can also be found on the division’s Unit Crest, officially called a Distinctive Unit Insignia or DUI.
Related Items
8th Infantry Division Unit Patch (SSI)
8th Infantry Division Unit Crest (DUI)