The 3rd Infantry Division was organized on November 21, 1917, at Camp Greene, North Carolina, moving overseas in April 1918 to fight in the Chateau-Thierry Sector and to take part in the Aisne, Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, St, Mihiel, and Meusse-Argonne operations. After a tour of duty with the Army of Occupation, December 1918 - August 1919, the Division returned to the United States. Its units were scattered throughout the west coast, with Fort Lewis, Washington, as its home station. The Division took part in the California maneuvers, May-July 1941, and in May 1942 transferred to Fort Ord, California. It departed the Hampton Roads, Virginia, Port of Embarkation for overseas duty on October 27, 1942.
The 3rd Infantry Division was the only American division to fight the Nazis on all fronts. The Division first saw action in the North African invasion, landing at Fedala on November 8, 1942, and capturing half of French Morocco. On July 10, 1943, the Division made an assault landing on Sicily, fought its way into Palermo before the armor could get there, and raced to capture Messina, thus ending the Sicilian campaign. Nine days after the Italian invasion, September 18, 1943, the Division landed at Salerno, and in intensive action drove to and across the Volturno and to Cassino. After a brief rest, the Division was ordered to hit the beaches at Anzio, January 22, 1944, where for four months it maintained its toe-hold against furious German counterattacks. On February 29, 1944, the Division fought off an attack by three German divisions. In May the 3rd Infantry Division broke out of the beachhead and drove on to Rome, and then went into training for the invasion of southern France. On August 15, 1944, the Division landed at St. Tropez, advanced up the Rhone Valley, through the Vosges Mountains, and reached the Rhine at Strasbourg, November 26-27, 1944. After maintaining defensive positions it took part in clearing the Colmar Pocket, January 23 - February 18, 1945, and on March 15 struck against Siegfried Line positions south of Zweibrucken. The Division smashed through the defenses and crossed the Rhine, March 26, 1945; then drove on to take Nurnberg in a fierce battle, capturing the city in block-by-block fighting, April 17-20. The Division pushed on to take Augsburg and Munich, April 27-30, and was in the vicinity of Salzburg when the war in Europe ended.
The division took part in the Korean War. In the years 1958 -1996 it was based in Germany. It was stationed in West Germany for the rest of the Cold War and took part in the 1991 Gulf_War. In a major reorganisation carried out by the army in 1996 to reduce its strength from 12 to 10 divisions, the 3d Infantry Division stationed in Germany was reflagged to become 1st Infantry Division. In turn, the 24th Infantry Division, based at Fort Stewart, Georgia was reflagged as the new 3rd Infantry Division.
In 2003, the 3rd Infantry Division deployed from the United States to Kuwait. It was one of the first units to arrive in theater during the buildup for Operation Iraqi Freedom. When the campaign started, the Division lead the drive on Baghdad. After quickly destroying the Iraqi 11th Infantry Division at Al-Nasriyah, the division turned north-west, covering unprecedented distance rapidly. It was temporarily stopped south of the Karbala Gap due to intense sandstorms and a need to wait for logistical support. Once the weather improved, the Division resumed its advance, clearing the gap and turning north-east towards Baghdad. The 3rd entered Baghdad from the west, capturing Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) after limited resistance from the Hammurabi Division of the Republican Guard. In a total departure from normal urban warfare doctrine, 2nd Brigade ("Spartans") of the division made a ''thunder run'' (comprised of heavy armor supported by mechanized infantry) into Baghdad to test the defences of the city. When they were found to be weak, units of the division entered and occupied fixed positons. Months later, 2nd Brigade was moved to Fallujah to reinforce a deteriorating security situation there. The division remained on occupation duty in Iraq until late 2003.
Beginning in 2004, the 3rd began re-organizing. The division shifted from three maneuver brigades to four "units of action," which were essentially smaller brigade formations.
Wartime and immediate post-war commanding generals included Major General Charles F. Thompson, August 1940 - JUly 1941; Brigadier General Charles P. Hall, August 1941 - September 1941; Major General John P. Lucas, September 1941 - February 1942; Major General Jonathan W. Anderson, March 1942 - March 1943; Major General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr., April 1943 - January 1944; Major General John W. O''Daniel, February 1944 - July 1945; Major General William R. Schmidt, August 1945 - May 1946; Major General Edwin P. Parker, Jr., May 1946 - June 1946; Brigadier General Robert N. Bathurst, June 1946 - September 1946; Major General Jens A. Doe, September 1946 - February 1947; and Major General Percy W. Clarkson, March 1947 - .
