The 88th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the United States Army that saw service in both World War I and World War II. It was one of the first of the Organized Reserve divisions to be called into federal service, created nearly "from scratch" after the implementation of the draft in 1940. Previous divisions were composed of either Regular Army or National Guard personnel. Much of the experience in reactivating it was used in the subsequent expansion of the U.S. Army. By the end of World War II the 88th Infantry fought its way to the northernmost extreme of Italy. In early May 1945 troops of its 349th Infantry Regiment joined the 103d Infantry Division of the VI Corps of the U.S. Seventh Army, part of the 6th Army Group, which had raced south through Bavaria into Innsbruck, Austria, in Vipiteno in the Italian Alps. World War I Activated: 5 August 1917, Camp Dodge, Iowa Overseas: 7 September 1918 Major operations: Did not participate as a division Casualties: Total-78 (KIA-12; WIA-66) Commanders: Maj. Gen. Edward H. Plummer (25 August 1917) Brig. Gen. Robert N. Getty (27 November 1917) Maj. Gen. Edward H. Plummer (19 February 1918) Brig. Gen. Robert N. Getty (15 March 1918) Brig. Gen. William D. Beach (24 May 1918) Maj. Gen. William Weigel (10 September 1918) Inactivated: 10 June 1919, Camp Dodge, Iowa Composition Initially, personnel for the division were furnished by Selective Service men from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and North Dakota. The 88th Division, like many National Army divisions, suffered heavily from transfers to Regular Army and National Guard units preparing to go overseas, delaying its combat readiness. In October and November 1917, men were transferred to the 34th and 87th Divisions. In February 1918, 12,000 men arrived from Iowa and Minnesota to bring the division to full strength, but, subsequently, about 16,000 men were transferred to the 30th, 33rd, 35th, 82nd, and 90th Divisions. In May and June 1918, 10,000 Selective Service men, mostly from Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota, joined the division. The division was composed of the following units: Headquarters, 88th Division 175th Infantry Brigade 349th Infantry Regiment 350th Infantry Regiment 338th Machine Gun Battalion 176th Infantry Brigade 351st Infantry Regiment 352nd Infantry Regiment 339th Machine Gun Battalion 163rd Field Artillery Brigade 337th Field Artillery Regiment (155 mm) 338th Field Artillery Regiment (75 mm) 339th Field Artillery Regiment (155 mm) 313th