The 70th Infantry Division was activated on Infantry Day, 15 June 1943 at Camp Adair, Oregon. Called "The Trailblazers" to honor the centennial of the Oregon Trail, the Division moved to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri in the summer of 1944. After extensive unit training, the Division departed for Europe that fall, and some elements saw combat on 26 December 1944 as Task Force Herren. The Division participated in the Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland, and Central Europe Campaigns, suffering 3,999 casualties, including 835 killed in action, during 86 consecutive days in combat.