Aug 19, 2022 · This is where the 83 rd would come to notoriety as the “Rag-tag Circus.” Once American forces crossed the Rhine in March 1945, it became an all-out sprint for Berlin with the fast-moving Armored Divisions of the 12 th Army Group leading the way.

During the rush to the Elbe river, wartime correspondents nicknamed the 83rd "The Rag-Tag Circus" [12] due to its resourceful commander, Major General Robert C. Macon, ordering the supplementing of the division's transport with anything that moved, "no questions asked".

Jul 25, 2018 · The division fought against 36 major units of German infantry, panzer, and parachute divisions in eight major battles and fired off almost 22 million small-arms and mortar rounds. The 83rd’s losses were heavy, with 3,161 killed in action, 11,807 wounded, and another 459 who died from their wounds.

Jul 21, 2015 · Learn more about one of the most interesting units of WWII; the 83rd Infantry, otherwise known as the Thunderbolt Division, otherwise known as the "Rag Tag Circus".

THE RAGTAG CIRCUS: The regiment's biggest problem was transportation. It had only enough trucks to move one battalion at a time and, as supply problems increased with the distance, ten of these trucks were detached to haul supplies.

The Rag-Tag Circus, Stars and Stripes Author: Ernest Leiser. Document provided by Greg Chips; son of 1st Richard E. Chipps Subject: 83rd Infantry Division Created Date: 9/12/2011 12:35:33 PM Keywords

The mighty Thunderbolts of the 83rd, the men of the “Rag-Tag Circus,” saw devastating things from the unnerving days of Normandy to the sure days east of the Elbe.

It was seventy years ago in early April 1945 that the US 83rd Infantry Division was given the nick-name “Rag-Tag Circus.” Originally known as the Ohioan from when the division was originally activated in 1917 at which time it consisted of men from primarily from Ohio.

The 329th lead the way most of the time and gained fame as the "Rag-Tag Circus" as they rode through the German provinces on tanks, motorcycles, jalopies, and any other means of transportation they could find.

In fourteen days the 83rd covered 280 miles, freed 75,000 Allied POW s and liberated several concentration camps. The papers called them “crack troops of the 83d,” and “ace shock troops,” but to those watching them it was “The Rag-Tag Circus.”