United States Adjutant General's Office records: 41st Infantry Division 222, 1940-1945

The United States Adjutant General is the chief administrative officer within the military, and in this context specifically the Army. When a National Guard unit becomes activated and Federalized, this is the office which will handle all of the administrative functions of the unit. The 41st Infantry Division was activated on September 16, 1940 from the National Guard Division of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. It served in the Pacific theatre during the Second World War and participated in the New Guinea, Southern Philippines, and Papuan campaigns. The Division also served on occupation duty for a brief period of time but only rarely throughout the war did it operate as a complete unit. Its three infantry regiments (162nd, 163rd, and 186th) were most often detached on separate operations and in many cases took on the designation of a specified task force.