The 157th Infantry: Colorado’s Forgotten Regiment


This map from the Library of Congress shows the movements of the 45th Infantry Division in Rhineland in 1944 and 1945 near the end of the war. The 157th Regiment was part of this division.

On the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, the Broomfield Veterans Memorial Museum invites you to immerse yourself in the lives and heroism of the men and women who fought for our country.

Our first Virtual Coffee & Conversation spotlights Colorado’s 157th Infantry Regiment.

Overview:

With its advent during the earliest days of the Colorado Territory, the 157th’s predecessors battled the Confederates during the battle of Glorieta Pass in New Mexico, fought in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War, and saw action in France during World War I. 

World War II, however, would be the regiment’s defining moment. Through 511 hard days of combat in the European theater, the “Thunderbirds” made four assault landings and was credited with saving the Salerno and Anzio beachheads. 

Did you know that over 3,000 Native Americans fought as part of this Division? Or that the 157th was instrumental in the liberation of the horrific Dachau concentration camp?

Learn more about this fascinating history by checking out Flint Whitlock’s Coffee & Conversation presentation from May 12, 2018 at the video below or here.

To go even deeper, you can purchase Flint Whitlock’s book about the 45th Infantry Division, The Rock of Anzio, here.

Campaigns of the 45th Infantry Division Image Source: Allied Forces. Army Group, 12Th. Engineer Section, and 1St. Headquarters United States Army. Army Group. , HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map. [England?: Twelfth Army Group, 1944] Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2004630253/>.