of battle The division was composed of the following units: Headquarters, 81st Division 161st Infantry Brigade 321st Infantry Regiment 322nd Infantry Regiment 317th Machine Gun Battalion 162nd Infantry Brigade 323rd Infantry Regiment 324th Infantry Regiment 318th Machine Gun Battalion 156th Field Artillery Brigade 316th Field Artillery Regiment (155 mm) 317th Field Artillery Regiment (75 mm) 318th Field Artillery Regiment (75 mm) 306th Trench Mortar Battery 316th Machine Gun Battalion 306th Engineer Regiment 306th Field Signal Battalion Headquarters Troop, 81st Division 306th Train Headquarters and Military Police 306th Ammunition Train 306th Supply Train 306th Engineer Train 306th Sanitary Train 321st, 322nd, 323rd, and 324th Ambulance Companies and Field Hospitals World War II Activated: 15 June 1942, Camp Rucker, Alabama. Overseas: 3 July 1944. Campaigns: Western Pacific, South Philippines. Days of combat: 166. Awards: DSC-7 ; DSM-2 ; SS-281; LM-7; SM-40 ; BSM-658 ; AM-15. Commanders: Maj. Gen. Gustave H. Franke (June–August 1942), Maj. Gen. Paul J. Mueller (August 1942 to inactivation). Assistant Division Commander: Marcus B. Bell (January 1942 to inactivation) Inactivated: 30 January 1946 in Japan. Order of Battle Headquarters, 81st Infantry Division 321st Infantry Regiment 322nd Infantry Regiment 323rd Infantry Regiment Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 81st Infantry Division Artillery 316th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm) 317th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm) 318th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm) 906th Field Artillery Battalion (155 mm) 306th Engineer Combat Battalion 306th Medical Battalion 81st Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized) Headquarters, Special Troops, 81st Infantry Division 781st Ordnance Light Maintenance Company 81st Quartermaster Company 81st Signal Company Military Police Platoon Band 81st Counterintelligence Corps Detachment Combat chronicle The 81st Infantry Division landed in Hawaii, 11 June-8 July 1944. The division minus Regimental Combat Team (RCT) 323 invaded Angaur Island in the Palau group, as part of the Palau Islands campaign 17 September, and pushed through to the western shore in a quick movement, cutting the island in half. The enemy was driven into isolated pockets and mopping-up operations began on 20 September. RCT 321, attached to the 1st Marine Division, went into action on Peleliu Island in the Palaus and assisted in splitting defense forces and isolating them in mountainous areas in the central part of the island. The team aided in mopping up Ngesebus Island and capturing Kongauru and Garakayo Islands. RCT 323 under naval task force command occupied the Ulithi atoll, 21–23 September 1944. Elements of the team landed on Ngulu Atoll