Guadalcanal

The 164th Inf left for Guadalcanal 9 Oct 42 and arrived there under air attack on 13 Oct 42. The regiment, with the Marines, defended Henderson Field against a major Japanese counterattack 24 Oct 42, then attacked 5-11 Nov 42 and participated in the renewed offensive toward Kokumbona and Poha River 18-23 Nov 42. The division Hqs and 132nd landed on Guadalcanal 8 Dec 42. They attacked Mt. Austen 17 Dec 42 and engaged in very heavy combat at the Gifu Strongpoint 24 Dec 42 -9 Jan 43. The 35th Reg Inf Div then relieved the 132nd Inf Reg. On 16 Jan 43 the l82nd Inf participated in the drive along the west coast. On 1 Feb 43 the l32nd Inf Reg landed at Verahue and reached Tenaro Village by 9 Feb 43. This was the end of the Guadalcanal ground struggle.

Fiji / Bougainville

The division then occupied defensive positions and moved to the Fiji Islands in echelon 1 Mar - 10 Apr 43. The Americal Division moved to Bougainville 17 Dec 43 - 12 Jan 44, the 182nd Inf Reg entering the front line 2 Jan 44 and the 132nd Inf Reg entering 9 Jan 43 at the Torokina Hornet's Nest. An intensive tank-inf attack cleared the area. A Japanese counterattack 10 Mar 44 took the south knob of key Hill 260 from the l82nd Inf Reg. The 132nd Inf Reg retook Hill 260 and later drove the Japanese from Hill 260 on Mar 44. In Apr 44 the division pushed east of the Mavavia river and secured Hill Masses 165, 155, 5500, and 501 and extended the outpost line past the Torokina River. The division continued patrolling the Torokina River, Numa Numa Trail, and across the Mountain Divide. They were relieved by the Australian 3rd Div on 10 Dec 44. From 11 Dec 44 - 7 Jan 45 the division conducted amphibious training and prepared for movement to the:

Philippines

The division moved to the Philippines by echelon 8-28 Jan 45 where it relieved the 77th Inf Div on Leyte Island and established a command post at Capoocan 25 Jan 45. The division took control of the tactical mission on Leyte northwest of the Jaro-Valencia-Palompon line on 5 Feb 45 and began pushing toward the west coast of the island. On 19 Feb 45 the 1st Bn 182nd Inf landed on the northwest Samar as a provisional task force and cleared the San Bernardino Strait from northwest Samar through Balicuatros Islands and west to Capul and Naranjo Islands by 26 Feb 45. Meanwhile, the division opened its attack at Villaba on Leyte and completed its encirclement of the Japanese in the Northwest coastal sector and mopped upon until 10 Mar 45. The 1st Bn 132nd Inf landed on Burias and Ticao Islands 3 Mar 45, meeting opposition on Burias on 6 Mar 45. All Japanese forces were eliminated by 10 Mar 45. The 164th Inf Reg continued to mop up in western Leyte under the Eighth Army. The division, led by the 132nd Inf Reg, prepared for the Cebu Island landing. On 10 Apr 45 the 164th Inf Reg rejoined the division. The division left Leyte 24 Mar 45. After a one-hour naval bombardment, the division formed a beachhead at Talisay, Cebu and took Cebu City the next day. The 182nd Inf Reg fought the Battle of Go Chan Hill 28-29 Mar 45 and then battled to clear the other hills. They were counterattacked heavily on Bolo Ridge. 1 Apr 45 the 132nd Inf was counterattacked approaching Hill 27 on 7 Apr 45, but took both Hills 20 and 26 by 10 Apr 45. The 3rd Bn 164th Inf landed on Bohol Island 11 Apr 45 and destroyed Japanese forces there by 25 Apr 45. Meanwhile the division on Cebu fought the Battle of Babay Ridge 12-17 Apr 45, and then continued combat on the island until 20 Jun 45. The 164th Inf landed near Looc on Negros Oriental Island on 26 Apr 45 and fought the Battle for the Palimpinon Heights until 28 May 45, the Japanese forces being destroyed on the island near Balasbalas 7-12 Jun 45. The division, with its three infantry regiments, reassembled on Cebu Island and engaged in training for the invasion of Japan from 21 Jun 45 until the end of the war. It took part in the occupation of Japan and was deactivated 12 December 1945.

Vietnam

It was reactivated on 1 December 1954, officially redesignated the 23rd Infantry Division (AMERICAL) and served for almost a year and a half until 10 April 56 with headquarters in the Canal Zone. It was reactivated again when Gen. William C. Westmoreland, needing an infantry division in Vietnam but aware that none would be arriving from the United States for some time, and conscious of the AMERICAL Division's relationship with the 1st Marine Division in World War II, decided to reactivate the army division to operate in the northern coastal sector adjacent to the Marines. He first established a headquarters known as Task Force OREGON and, as additional troops arrived, transformed the task force into the AMERICAL Division. Because the Department of the Army policy required that divisions be numbered, the division was known officially as the 23rd Infantry Division (AMERICAL) and was reactivated as such in Vietnam on 25 September 1967. MACV, however, preferred the name AMERICAL, listed it as such in numerous official orders, called it "the Army's only named division on active service," and used the vehicle bumper abbreviation AMCAL. In Vietnam the rugged terrain of southern I Corps tactical zone was used by the division for its encampment at Chu Lai. This ran the gamut from marshy, coastal lowlands to triple-canopy jungle on steep mountain slopes. The AMERICAL Division battled the strong enemy influence in both Quang Nam and Quang Tri Provinces 11 Nov 67 - 11 Nov 68 in Operation WHEELER/WALLOWA with two of its brigades. Another brigade was sent to Quang Ngai Province in early 68. During 69 and 70 the division continued to fight in the Duc Pho, Chuy Lai and Tam Ky areas along the coast. In November 71 the division was deactivated and the 196th Infantry Brigade became separate. The 23rd Infantry Division (AMERICAL) served a total of 1,526 days in Vietnam.