55th Infantry Division (United States)
Encyclopedia
The US 55th Infantry Division was a 'phantom division' created in October of 1943 to cover the departure of the US 5th Infantry Division from Iceland
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' was to follow up the British 52nd Infantry Division in the attack on Narvik. When 'Fortitude North' was closed down, the division was presented as being part of a force designed to follow up the German evacuation of Norway. It was disposed of by announcing during late 1944 that the division was leaving Iceland, with the final units leaving by March of 1945.,
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
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World War II
Between March and July of 1944 the division (along with the fictional 7th, 9th and 10th Ranger Battalions) was presented as being part of the British VII Corps of the British Fourth Army. Its role in 'Operation Fortitude NorthOperation Fortitude
Operation Fortitude was the codename for a World War II military deception employed by the Allied nations as part of an overall deception strategy during the build up to the 1944 Normandy Landings...
' was to follow up the British 52nd Infantry Division in the attack on Narvik. When 'Fortitude North' was closed down, the division was presented as being part of a force designed to follow up the German evacuation of Norway. It was disposed of by announcing during late 1944 that the division was leaving Iceland, with the final units leaving by March of 1945.,
Composition
In addition to the usual divisional support units the 55th Infantry Division was composed of:- 78th Infantry Regiment
- 83rd Infantry Regiment
- 96th Infantry Regiment