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Oran

The Big Red One in Czechoslovakia 1945

on Wed, 08/20/2014 - 17:19

By Bryan J. Dickerson*

Of all the U.S. Army units to serve in Czechoslovakia during 1945, none was as combat experienced as the 1st Infantry Division.  From the assault landing at Oran, Algeria on 8 November 1942 to V-E Day in north-west Czechoslovakia on 8 May 1945, the “Big Red One” spent an astonishing 443 days in combat across two continents.