The insignia of the 79th Division is the Cross of Lorraine, a symbol of triumph dating back to the victory of the House of Anjou over Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, in the 15th century.

During the fall of 1918, General Headquarters of the American Expeditionary Forces spent much time in studying the question of the identification of troops in battle and of assembling them during the heat of action with its attendant confusion and dispersal of units. The idea of selecting distinctive insignia for each division, with the insignia to be worn by each member of the division on the upper left arm near the shoulder was proposed and immediately acted upon. The commanding generals of all combat divisions were ordered to select insignia for their divisions and to submit their selection for approval to General Headquarters. One by one, the combat divisions adopted their insignia. Following official approval and enactment, the idea proved to be so successful and of such an assistance in stimulating the morale of the troops that it was later extended to include all organizations in the American Expeditionary Forces.

The official insignia for the Seventy-Ninth division was selected and approved shortly after the signing of the armistice, while the 315th Infantry still held its position in the shell-torn villages of Etraye and Damvillers northeast of Verdun. The insignia proposed by Major General Joseph E. Kuhn as best symbolizing the history and spirit of the Seventy-Ninth Division, was the Lorraine Cross. The Lorraine Cross is an ancient emblem of victory, adopted in the 15th century by the House of Anjou as a symbol of triumph following the defeat of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, in the Battle of Nancy.

For over five hundred years the double traverse Cross of Lorraine had served as an emblem of victory and freedom for the brave, liberty-loving people of Lorraine, and certainly no other emblem could have better represented the history and traditions of the 79th Division.

The historical background for the adoption of the Lorraine Cross as the official emblem for the 79th Division rests in the fact that during its period of training in America the division was popularly known as the "Liberty Division." In addition, during all its operations in World War I the Division faced the enemy in Lorraine, the province which the United States was pledged to win back in its entirety for France.

The insignia of the Seventy-Ninth Division, as officially adopted, consists of a gray Lorraine Cross on a blue shield with a gray border. In the passing of time, a slight modification was made to the insignia as worn by officers in which the Lorraine Cross was done in silver thread with a silver border for the shield.

In its hues of silver, gray and blue, the insignia of the Seventy-Ninth Division has become dear to the hearts of thousands of the best of America.s citizen soldiers.

• Wikipedia
• tech-write.net quoted above
• about.com
• Movie Database: released 12 November 1943: A group of French soldiers during WWII are captured by Nazis troops and sent to a military prison. There they will have to make use of his best resources to keep alive... and sane, while at the same time scheming a way out.
• seiyaku.com