What happened to the 34th Infantry Regiment in WW2?
When the 8th Division was organized in 1940 it was formed as a “square division” with four infantry regiments. One of them was the 34th. The organization of infantry divisions was later changed in 1941 to a “triangular division” with only three infantry regiments. The 34th was selected to be detached from the 8th Infantry Division in November 1941, and was designated to be sent to the Philippines. The unit was in San Francisco waiting to embark when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Due tot he strong Japanese forces in the Philippine waters the 34th was instead sent to Hawaii for defense duties. On 12 June 1943 the 34th was assigned to the 24th Infantry Division under which it served in the Pacific War.
