The History of the Tough Ombres

   The nickname "Tough Ombres" has its origins in an utterance from General Patton. Originally, the letters "TO" stood for "Texas Oklahoma," where most of the members of the 90th ID came from as the unit was first activated during the First World War. A rather inexperienced unit, the division suffered massive losses in the beginning of the Second World War, but pressed on and grew to become one of the best, most seasoned units in the US Army. This metamorphosis drew the attention of General George Smith Patton, who described the "TO" as more accurately meaning "Tough Ombres," and this name was adopted by the division.

   On June 6th, 1944, the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 359th Infantry Regiment were assigned to land with the 4th ID on Utah Beach at 18:30 hours as part of Operation Overlord. They faced little opposition during the landings, and the rest of the 90th ID arrived over the next two days.

   After most of the battalions had arrived, the 90th ID saw its first action on June 9th, four miles west of St. Mère-Église. This assault secured the crossing of the Merderet River near Chef-du-Pont. The 90th ID was then sent further west to engage the enemy, suffering heavy losses.
During the attempted German outbreak out of the Falaise Pocket, the 90th ID took more than 13,000 prisoners and destroyed approximately 4,000 enemy vehicles and artillery.

   Before advancing to the Mosel/Saar region, the 90th was sent to secure the area around Fontainbleau.
Their assaults on the Maginot and Siegfried Lines as well as their crossing of the Mosel River near Thionville led the division quickly to the Saar, which was crossed without capturing any bridges. These advances are considered some of the most successful of the war due to their high speed. However, later advances against the Siegfried Line were abruptly halted as the Germans launched a counter-offensive in the Ardennes.
The subsequent Battle of the Bulge brought the Allied advance to a screeching halt. At the forefront of this bloody and hard battle stood the 90th ID.

   After the Battle of the Bulge, the 90th ID was part of the spearhead of the Allied push toward the Rhine, crossing it to head through Darmstadt and Hanau, ending up in what was then Czechloslovakia. The division encountered occasionally strong resistence, but suffered few losses.
During their advance through Germany the 90th ID discovered a hidden chamber in the Merkers Salt Mine, where the Nazis had stored precious valuables taken from all over Europe. In addition, the 90th ID accepted the capitulation of the 11th Panzer Division in Versuby, Czechloslovakia and helped discover and liberate the concentration camp at Flossenbürg

   At 00:01 hours on May 9th, 1945, Germany officially surrendered, ending World War II in Europe. The 90th ID had driven from Normandy through to Sudetenland, Czechloslovakia, participated in the most important battles of the war, and earned their nickname "Tough Ombres" with much blood, but also with great courage.

   The 1st Battalion of the 359th Infantry Regiment earned the following awards and medals for their participation in the European Theater of Operations:

It's also important to mention the men of the 315th Medical Battalion, who were constantly at the front, tending to the wounded at great peril to their own lives. Unarmed and constantly facing enemy fire, these medics tirelessly performed with great courage and self-sacrifice.

Division Statistics