California's National Guard, 40th "Sunshine" Division

 

 

Organized: Camp Kearney, near San Diego, California.  Activated: 18 July 1917 (National Guard Division from California, Nevada, and Utah).  Overseas: 3 August 1918 and redesignated the 6th Depot Division; received, equipped, trained, and forwarded replacements.  Commanders: Maj. Gen. F. S. Strong (25 August 1917), Brig. Gen. G. H. Cameron (18 September 1917), Brig. Gen. L. S. Lyon (19 November 1917), Brig. Gen. G. H. Cameron (23 November 1917), Brig. Gen. L. S. Lyon (6 December 1917), Maj. Gen. F. S. Strong (8 December 1917).  Returned to U. S.: 30 June 1919.

 

 

40th Division Order of Battle, A.E.F. 1917

Former state unit designations are noted in italics

Headquarters Company (Troop D, 1st Squadron, California Cavalry)

79th Brigade
157th Infantry Regiment (1st Colorado Infantry, 1 Colorado Cavalry)
158th Infantry Regiment (1st Arizona Infantry)
144th Machine Gun Battalion * (elements of 1st New Mexico Infantry)  * Ray Baer's unit from January 1, 1919 until his discharge
 
80th Brigade
159th Infantry Regiment (5th California Infantry, and elements of 2d California Infantry)
160th Infantry Regiment (7th California Infantry, and elements of 2d California Infantry)
145th Machine Gun Battalion (1st Squadron, California Cavalry)
 
65th Field Artillery Brigade
143d Field Artillery Regiment (1st California Field Artillery)
144th Field Artillery Regiment (2d California Field Artillery)
145th Field Artillery Regiment (1st Utah Field Artillery)
115th Trench Mortar Battery (Machine Gun Company, 2d Colorado Infantry)
115th Engineer Regiment (1st Colorado Engineers)
115th Field Signal Battalion (1st California and 1st Colorado Wire Companies)
115th Military Police Battalion (elements of 1st New Mexico Infantry)
115th Ammunition Train (elements of 2d Colorado Infantry)
115th Supply Train (elements of 2d Colorado Infantry)
115th Sanitary Train (later 115th Medical Regiment) (1st, 2d, 3d and 4th California Ambulance Companies, 1st and Second California, 1st Colorado, and 1st Utah Hospital Companies)
 
From California State Military Department, The California State Military Museum; 1999
 

 

* Ray Baer was assigned to the 144th MG Bn. from 4 January 1919 to his discharge on 29 April 1919.  During that time, he was reassigned again from Co. A to Co. D within the same battalion and then sailed back to the U.S. arriving on 17 April 1919.

Co. A, 144th MG Bn, 79th Inf. Brig., 40th Infantry Division

4 Jan 1919 to 9 Feb 1919

Revigny (Meuse) France

Co. D, 144th MG Bn, 79th Inf. Brig., 40th Infantry Division

9 Feb 1919 to abt. 3 Apr 1919 (& discharge)

Castres (Gironde) France

Arrived in the United States, Port of Debarkation

17 Apr 1919

Camp Mills, NY

Demobilized at Camp Grant, Ill., Honorably discharged.

29 Apr 1919

Rockford, Illinois

 

Movements of The Fortieth "Sunshine" Division

 

   Oct 1917 Camp Kearny, first draftees report to the 40th Division when "fillers" came in from camps Funston and Lewis.
26 Jul 1918 Unit entrained (departed by train) at Camp Kearny
01 Aug 1918 Arrived at Camp Mills, Long Island, New York
08 Aug 1918 Embarked at the Port of New York
20 Aug 1918 Arrived at Liverpool, England
20 Aug 1918 Converted to the 6th Depot Division (Date division headquarters arrived in France).
21 Aug 1918 Proceeded to Winchester, England
23 Aug 1918 Entrained for Southampton, immediately boarded a camouflaged ship moving at night.
24 Aug 1918 Arrived at Cherbourg, France in morning.
25 Aug 1918 Division soldiers entrained on box cars buily for 4 men or 8 horses.
28 Aug 1918 Arrived at La Guerche, France and remained on duty with division headquarters to .
   Sep 1918 1,500 replacements sent to 32nd Division from La Guerche
   Sep 1918 2,000 replacements sent to 28th Division from La Guerche
   Sep 1918 4,000 replacements sent to 77th Division from La Guerche
   Sep 1918 1,000 replacements sent to 81st Division from La Guerche
   Sep 1918 2,100 replacements sent to 80th, 82nd, & 89th Divisions from La Guerche
26 Sep 1918 Note: Meuse-Argonne offensive begins.
   Oct 1918 900 specialists sent to 1st Depot Division, Aignan
31 Oct 1918 Entrained for Revigny (Meuse), France
11 Nov 1918 Armistice, war ends at 11:00 am on the 11th day of the 11th month.
  Below are dates of unit movements when Raymond Baer was attached to the 40th division
 1 Jan 1919 Corps Provional Replacement Battalion near Paris at Chelle (Seine et Marne) taken over by 158th Infantry & 144th MG Bn.
 6 Jan 1919 Leaves Revigny (Meuse) in eastern France
 8 Jan 1919 Arrives at Castres (Gironde) France, located on the sothern edge of the city of Bordeaux
19 Feb 1919 Unit leaves Castres (Gironde) France
   Apr 1919 Raymond embarks at France in early April sailing home to U.S.

 

The 40th Infantry "Sunshine" Division was converted to the 6th Depot Division on August 20, 1918.  It maintained only two officers and thirty enlisted men per company as training cadre.  They expected to perform a combat role in France but instead, provided replacements for other divisions that suffered horrendous casualties caused by powerful German drives, and to fill ranks in preparation for the allied Meuse-Argonne offensive that began on September 26, 1918.

 

The Division became replacements (skeletonized) when it arrived in France and fell under the control of the 6th Depot Division. Members of the unit were sent as indiviudals to units.  The division provided about 12,000 soldiers as replacements to other divisions and processed tens of thousands through its camps and depots while serving as a depot division.

 

After their trans-Atlantic crossing, the 40th was transported by ship overnight from Southhampton, England and arrived at Cherbourg, France the morning of August 24, 1918.  They were all transported by train to La Guerche (Cher) France and arrived on the 28th of August.  The unit remained on duty with division headquarters until transported again by train to Revigny, France on October 31st.

 

Exerpts taken from book by: James D. Delk, "The Fighting Fortieth, In War and Peace" (California : ETC Publications, 1998) p.18-27

 

Those units who remained with the division set up camps to process soldiers.  This seems likely to have included Ray Baer's unit.  Specifically, the 144th MG Bn. was in charge of a classification camp at Revigny about 20 miles south of Verdun.  Either before or after they were at Castres, where it is assumed they were also establishing camps.
 

On January 6, 1919 the 40th Division leaves Revigny (Meuse) in eastern France and arrives January 8th, two days later at Castres (Gironde), France.  More than a month later the unit leaves Castres on February 19, 1919.  There is no record of Raymond's location between February 19 and the time he departed France in early April 1919.

 

Wisconsin Veterans Museum