The 324th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army first organized in August 1917 as part of the 81st Division, National Army. The 324th Infantry saw combat in the defense of the St. Die sector of Lorraine, and later took part in the closing stages of the Meuse-Argonne offensive of the First World War. The 324th Infantry was demobilized in June 1919, and subsequently reconstituted in the Organized Reserves in 1921, as part of the 81st Division. In 1942, the 324th Infantry was relieved from assignment to the 81st Division, allotted to the Army of the United States, and assigned to the 44th Infantry Division, a unit which fought as part of the 7th Army in France and Germany during World War II.
Lineage
Constituted 5 August 1917 in the National Army as the 324th Infantry and assigned to the 81st Division
Organized in September 1917 at Camp Jackson, South Carolina
Demobilized 17 June 1919 at Camp Devens, Massachusetts
Reconstituted 24 June 1921 in the Organized Reserves as the 324th Infantry and assigned to the 81st Division
Organized in January 1922 with Headquarters at Memphis, Tennessee
Inactivated 30 January 1942 and relieved from assignment to the 81st Division
Withdrawn 1 February 1943 from the Organized Reserves, allotted to the Army of the United States, and activated at Fort Lewis, Washington, as an element of the 44th Infantry Division
Inactivated 1 November 1945 at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas, and relieved from assignment to the 44th Infantry Division
History
The 324th Infantry was constituted in the National Army on 5 August 1917, and assigned to the 162d Infantry Brigade, 81st Division. The 324th Infantry Regiment was organized on 29 August 1917 at Camp Jackson, South Carolina, made up predominantly of Selective Service men from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. After completion of training at Camp Jackson, the 81st Division (including the 324th Infantry) moved to Camp Sevier, South Carolina to absorb additional selective service men and complete final preparations for deployment. The 81st Division sailed from the United States in July-August 1918, and after a short stop in rest camps in England, the division consolidated at the 16th (Tonnerre) Training area in France. The 81st Division, less the organic 156th Artillery Brigade, remained at Tonnerre until 14 September 1918, when the division moved to the St. Dié sector for "front-line training," a stint of service in a quiet sector designed to give the new soldiers exposure to combat without undue risk. The 81st Division, and French 20th Division relieved the American 92d Division in the St. Dié sector on 20 September, where the 81st Division remained until being relieved by the Polish 1st Division on 19 October. Afterwards, the 81st Division marched to Rambervillers, France, to begin preparations for the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.