In The Big Red One, which division does Sergeant Possum represent?

Sergeant Possum represents the 1st Infantry Division in The Big Red One.

The 1980 film follows an experienced American sergeant and four younger soldiers through campaigns of the Second World War. The unit is the U.S. Army’s 1st Infantry Division, whose shoulder-sleeve insignia is a large red numeral one. That emblem gives the film its title.

Lee Marvin plays the unnamed sergeant, while Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine, Bobby Di Cicco, and Kelly Ward play the younger soldiers. The story draws on director Samuel Fuller’s own wartime service with the 1st Infantry Division, including combat in North Africa, Sicily, and Europe.

The division is often confused with airborne formations because many famous World War II films focus on paratroopers. The 1st Infantry Division is an infantry formation, not the 82nd or 101st Airborne Division. Its nickname is “The Big Red One.”