The 25th Infantry Division was activated on 1 October 1941 at Schofield Barracks, Territory of Hawaii. Only two months later the Division would see its first combat on 7 December 1941. While the Division itself was brand new, the majority of its assigned components were well-trained professional Regular Army units, which had served at Schofield Barracks for decades with the Hawaiian Division.
On December 7th 1941 the 25th Infantry Division and its sister division the 24th Infantry Division, had the distinction of being the first U.S. Army divisions to see combat in WWII when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and other military installations including Schofield Barracks on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.On 3 August 1942 the 298th Infantry Regiment was replaced by the 161st Infantry Regiment of the Washington National Guard which had been in route to the Philippine Islands when the Japanese attacked and was diverted to Hawaii. In November 1942 the Division underwent intensive jungle and amphibious warfare training and sailed for Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands to relieve the 1st Marine Division. The 25th operating as part of the XIV Corps commenced offensive operations against the Japanese on 7 January 1943. In less than a month and against a determined enemy who offered fierce resistance the 25th Division wiped out the Japanese dug in on Mount Austin and conducted an envelopment through the jungle to cut off retreating Japanese forces. For its valor on Mount Austin the 35th Infantry Regimental Combat Team consisting of the 35th Infantry Regiment, the 64th Field Artillery Battalion and the 25th Reconnaissance Troop was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. The operations of the 25th Division on Guadalcanal were impressive, earning it the nickname of "Tropic Lightning".
The 25th as part of the XIV Corps was then committed to operations to seize the remaining Japanese held islands in the Solomons. From 3 July 1943 through 6 October 1943 the Tropic Lightning participated in the seizure of the islands of New Georgia, Vella LaVella, Sasavele and Kolombangara. Upon the conclusion of the Solomons campaign the Division was sent to New Zealand for rest and training and then moved to New Caledonia on 8 February 1944 to prepare for the invasion of the Philippines.
The War Department had decreed that the 24th Division would inherit the lineage as well as the shoulder sleeve insignia of the Hawaiian Division. This left the 25th Division without a shoulder sleeve insignia. Various designs were proposed; our photos page shows one of the early prototypes. The final design, approved by the War Department on 25 September 1944, was a red and yellow (the colors of the Hawaiian royalty) taro leaf to recognize the 25th Division's ties to Hawaii and the old Hawaiian Division with a lightning bolt superimposed, representative of the Division's nickname.
On 11 January 1945 the 25th Division, now assigned to the Sixth Army, landed on Luzon at San Fabian. Attached to the I Corps the 25th met fierce resistance from Japanese forces as it liberated key towns along the left flank of the Sixth Army. To secure the left flank of the Sixth Army as it drove for Manila, the 25th attacked Japanese forces in the Caraballo Mountains beginning on 21 February 1945. In some of the fiercest fighting of the Pacific war, the Tropic Lightning Division fought its way through the Japanese defenses on one hill after the other with the key Balete Pass falling to the Division on 13 May 1945. Mopping up operations continued until the 25th was taken off the line on 30 June 1945. The Division had suffered the most casualties of any division of the Sixth Army in its record establishing 165 days of continuous combat. The Division was in rehabilitation near Tarlac when the war ended. The 25th was credited with participation in four campaigns of the Asiatic-Pacific Theater: Central Pacific, Guadalcanal, Northern Solomons and Luzon. Six Tropic Lightning soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor.
On December 7th 1941 the 25th Infantry Division and its sister division the 24th Infantry Division, had the distinction of being the first U.S. Army divisions to see combat in WWII when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and other military installations including Schofield Barracks on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.On 3 August 1942 the 298th Infantry Regiment was replaced by the 161st Infantry Regiment of the Washington National Guard which had been in route to the Philippine Islands when the Japanese attacked and was diverted to Hawaii. In November 1942 the Division underwent intensive jungle and amphibious warfare training and sailed for Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands to relieve the 1st Marine Division. The 25th operating as part of the XIV Corps commenced offensive operations against the Japanese on 7 January 1943. In less than a month and against a determined enemy who offered fierce resistance the 25th Division wiped out the Japanese dug in on Mount Austin and conducted an envelopment through the jungle to cut off retreating Japanese forces. For its valor on Mount Austin the 35th Infantry Regimental Combat Team consisting of the 35th Infantry Regiment, the 64th Field Artillery Battalion and the 25th Reconnaissance Troop was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. The operations of the 25th Division on Guadalcanal were impressive, earning it the nickname of "Tropic Lightning".
The 25th as part of the XIV Corps was then committed to operations to seize the remaining Japanese held islands in the Solomons. From 3 July 1943 through 6 October 1943 the Tropic Lightning participated in the seizure of the islands of New Georgia, Vella LaVella, Sasavele and Kolombangara. Upon the conclusion of the Solomons campaign the Division was sent to New Zealand for rest and training and then moved to New Caledonia on 8 February 1944 to prepare for the invasion of the Philippines.
The War Department had decreed that the 24th Division would inherit the lineage as well as the shoulder sleeve insignia of the Hawaiian Division. This left the 25th Division without a shoulder sleeve insignia. Various designs were proposed; our photos page shows one of the early prototypes. The final design, approved by the War Department on 25 September 1944, was a red and yellow (the colors of the Hawaiian royalty) taro leaf to recognize the 25th Division's ties to Hawaii and the old Hawaiian Division with a lightning bolt superimposed, representative of the Division's nickname.
On 11 January 1945 the 25th Division, now assigned to the Sixth Army, landed on Luzon at San Fabian. Attached to the I Corps the 25th met fierce resistance from Japanese forces as it liberated key towns along the left flank of the Sixth Army. To secure the left flank of the Sixth Army as it drove for Manila, the 25th attacked Japanese forces in the Caraballo Mountains beginning on 21 February 1945. In some of the fiercest fighting of the Pacific war, the Tropic Lightning Division fought its way through the Japanese defenses on one hill after the other with the key Balete Pass falling to the Division on 13 May 1945. Mopping up operations continued until the 25th was taken off the line on 30 June 1945. The Division had suffered the most casualties of any division of the Sixth Army in its record establishing 165 days of continuous combat. The Division was in rehabilitation near Tarlac when the war ended. The 25th was credited with participation in four campaigns of the Asiatic-Pacific Theater: Central Pacific, Guadalcanal, Northern Solomons and Luzon. Six Tropic Lightning soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor.