The rest of the division came up and joined the line on 27 February and took up the line next to the 1st Infantry Division at El Guettar. After several bloody battles there, the division joined the Allied assault north, completing the Tunisian campaign in May 1943. The division returned to Algiers and prepared for their next invasion.
Sicily
On 1 August 1943, the Old Reliable Division landed at Palermo harbour, Sicily. The invasion of the Italian island propelled the division to Troina where it invasion was completed by other units. The 9th returned to reserve, and then left North Africa for England on 8 November 1943.
D-Day
The 9th landed in Normandy on 10 June as one of only two veteran American infantry divisions. They played a key role in the battle for the Cotentin Peninsula, cutting it off at the base and sealing in the German defenders of the peninsula. The division then turned north and helped reduce the port of Cherbourg.
The division moved south and on 9 July the Old Reliable was back in action during the St. Lô breakthrough. On 25 July the division participated in the breakout operations and was credited with the furthest advance in the push. They then helped close the Falaise Gap before turning east during the pursuit of the German army across France and into Belgium. While in Normandy, the 9th Infantry Division is recognized as one of the first divisions to successfully integrate combined arms tactics, relying on supplementary firepower to help their infantry regiments.
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