An overwhelming majority of them were women and children. [14] The first town they were tasked with capturing was Bergheim, "the door to the Rhine." The Germans were operating under a tight timetable, however, and the assaults center of gravitythe 6th Panzer Armyhad only one day to breach the 99th IDs line. The camp was newly built, and the barracks were covered in tar paper. Byers, Carl F. MAJ, "Operations of Company G, 395th Infantry, 99th Division, in the Reduction of a Fortified Position of the Siegfried Line, West of Schleiden, Germany, 14-15 December 1944". [16] The accurate fire from the 12 3-inch guns of A Company, 612th Tank Destroyer Battalion, was instrumental in keeping German tanks from advancing. The men carried out missions without orders when their positions were penetrated or infiltrated. [14], The 99th as a whole, outnumbered five to one, inflicted casualties in the ratio of eighteen to one. During the Battle of the Bulge, the regimentat times virtually surrounded by Germanswas one of the few units that did not yield ground to the attacking Germans. The 38th Cavalry Squadron (led by Lt. Col. Robert E. O'Brien) was deployed to the north along the railroad track between Mutzenich and Konzen station. When the Germans finally broke through 3/395s lines and established a foothold in the town, the Americans recaptured the buildings by firing anti-tank guns through the walls. In the northern portion of the American line, heavy artillery shells crashed around the positions of the un-tested 99th Infantry Division from Lanzerath in the south to the forested areas near Monschau in the north. Against light resistance, it crossed the Dill River and pushed on to Krofdorf-Gleiberg, taking Giessen 29 March. And while the defense of the crossroads of hell was gallant to be sure, it was not the back breaker that most people assume it to have been.
394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division | American Battle Two months later, when the 99th Division was transferred to VII Corps under Maj. Gen. Walter E. Lauer, the commanding officer of V Corps, Maj. Gen. Clarence R. Huebner, wrote him: The 99th Infantry Division arrived in this theater without previous combat experience early in November 1944. [5] The 99th boarded ships bound for England on 10 October 1944 and briefly stayed at Camp Marabout, Dorchester, England. EN RU CN DE ES. 99th Infantry Division Historical Society 99th Infantry Division Battle Babies The 99th Infantry Division, nicknamed "Battle Babies" and compromised of the 393rd, 394th, 395th Infantry Regiments and supporting units, spent approximately 151 days in combat during World War Two.
DELBERT A. SAYRE - 99th Infantry Division . Told it was the 3rd Battalion, 395th Infantry, he said, "It must have been one of your best formations." On 25 October 1981, the entire platoon was recognized with a Presidential Unit Citation. [17]:51, On another day, the 3rd Battalion took 50 Germans prisoner and killed or wounded more than 800 Germans, losing only five dead and seven wounded themselves. Battle of the Bulge squares centered on a black shield. Their success in defending Hfen resulted in the 395th Infantry being repeatedly assigned to other divisions for difficult assignments during the remainder of the war, earning them the sobriquet, Butler's Blue Battlin' Bastards. Troops Fight at Elsenburn Ridge", "Why the Bulge Didn't Break: Green Troops Grew Up Fast to Become Heroes of Hofen", "The Battle for Lanzerath HillThe True Story16December1944", "A hero remembers the Battle of the Bulge", "The Heroic Stand of an Intelligence Platoon", "General Orders No. [16], The U.S. Army Center of Military History states that the 99th RSC does not perpetuate the lineage and honors of the 99th Infantry Division. Two men who had been sent on foot to regimental headquarters to seek reinforcements were later captured. The division was reconstituted in the Organized Reserve on 24 June 1921 and assigned to the western half of the state of Pennsylvania. 394th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division), History, January 1945. One Wehrmacht officer captured at Hfen asked his interrogators which unit had defended the town.
99th Infantry Division Historical Society The program never fulfilled its promise, and the large number of "ASTPers" were rapidly integrated into various divisions to make up for personnel shortages in front line units during 1944. The 99th Division was constituted at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, on 23 July 1918. "[16][17]:75 Another German officer who was captured said, "I have fought two years on the Russian front, but never have I engaged in such a fierce and bloody battle. [10], Around Hfen, which the 395th defended, the ground was marked with open hills. Although 3/395 had only 600 men to defend a large area, they had been told that the German army, or Wehrmacht, was no longer capable of major offensive operations and that their winter in the Ardennes would be a quiet one. This northern shoulder of the American line where the 99th ID was entrenched would be the hinge on which the German assault would pivot northwest toward Antwerp. The buck's head was used to indicate the allocation of the organization to the mountainous section of Pennsylvania, where deer abound. 2nd and 3rd Battalion cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in the Ardennes. Army policy does not allow for the lineage and honors of a TO&E organization, such as an infantry division, to be perpetuated by a TDA organization, such as an RSC. Those who survived the initial onslaught and did not manage to flee, had to eke out a living on a battleground ravaged by incessant bombardment and street fighting. Soldiers who were in direct support of the relief efforts were also awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal as a personal award. The breakout from Saint-L, France was accomplished far more rapidly than Allied planners had dared hope, and American units plunged through the French countryside with undreamed of rapidity, far in advance of operational plans. Led by 20-year-old Lieutenant Lyle Bouck Jr., they delayed the advance of the 1st SS Panzer Division, the spearhead of the entire German 6th Panzer Army, for nearly 20 hours. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. "[13] The division continued to attack without opposition to the Inn River and Giesenhausen until VE-day. T. E. Piersall and Pfc.
197th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) - Wikipedia The 393rd, 394th & 395th were the Infantry Regiments of the 99th Infantry Division. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II.It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi.
394th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Wikipedia This, however, was the moment that Hitlers master plan collided headfirst with American fortitude. The 99th RSC was awarded the Army Superior Unit Award on 9 May 2016 by the US Army Human Resources Command for its role in the relief support after Hurricane Sandy, from 29 October 2012 thru 31 March 2013. [5] After more than ten days of intense battle, they pushed the Americans out of the villages, but were unable to dislodge them from the ridge, where elements of the V Corps of the First U.S. Army prevented the German forces from reaching the road network to their west. German troops pass burning American equipment during the Ardennes offensive. and the situation was desperate. Dad proudly told that the 99th was the first complete unit cross the Remagen Bridge on March 9th or 10th. [19] The regiment's successful defense prevented the Germans, who had counted on surprise, numbers, and minimum hard fighting as their keys to success, from accessing the best routes into the Belgium interior, and seriously delayed their scheduled advance by more than 48 hours, allowing the Americans to move large numbers of units and bring up reserves. While the 99th ARCOM was allowed to wear the shoulder sleeve insignia of the 99th Infantry Division and use its number, Department of the Army policy does not allow for the lineage of MTOE units, such as infantry divisions, to be perpetuated by TDA units, such as ARCOMs. Yet, despite their successful defense and reinforcement from the 2nd Division, the 395th was in a precarious position on the morning of the December 17. In March 1945, the 99th advanced into the Rhineland, crossing the Rhine River at Remagen on March 11. This required the corps commander to draw on an infantry battalion from another division, and because of the reputation the 395th had earned at Hfen, it was transferred often to various divisions, including the 9th Infantry Division, the 3rd Armored Division, and the 7th Armored Division. The lines were then moved back to form defensive positions east of Elsenborn Ridge on the 19th. 394th Infantry Regiment Co. A, first platoon This is my Dad's story. Many historians have written about the famous Buffalo Soldiers of the all-Black 92nd Infantry Division, who fought with distinction during World War II. A popular historical anecdote is the design of the famous M1 carbine by convicted murderer David Marshall Williams. In the 12 years he was Manager of Research Services, Seth and his team increased the oral history collection from 25 to nearly 5,000 oral histories.
395th Regiment | Lineage and Honors | U.S. Army Center of Military History About: 395th Infantry Regiment (United States) - dbpedia.org So fierce in fact that the German commander pulled his tanks back for fear of running into a superior American force, deciding to hold his positions until the following morning. Earl Denzil Reese April 13th, 1945 - A combat engineer snapped this series of photos while riding on back of a truck during the Battle of the Ruhr Pocket. Subscribe to 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division Footer menu. The Germans, moving across illuminated open ground without cover, fell by the hundreds against the murderous American fire. A written commendation was received from Maj. Gen. Leonard T. Gerow, V Corps Commander: I wish to express to you and the members of your command my appreciation and commendation for the fine job you did in preventing the enemy from carrying out his plans to break through the V Corps sector and push on to the Meuse River. There was no cover. . The 12th SS pushed through the woods and probed the villages at around 1100 hours. A member of the 395th Infantry Regiment , the photographer captured an amazing scene through the lens of this camera in these images.
395th Infantry Regiment (united States) - Encyclopedia Information Put under the operational control of V Corps, First Army, it moved to Le Havre, France on 3 November and proceeded to Aubel, Belgium, to prepare to enter the front lines. The 99th Infantry Division was the first complete division to cross the Rhine. The terrain was open and rolling, and over six weeks the 3rd Battalion prepared dug-in positions that possessed good fields of fire. Up to that point, the Army had married a battalion of tanks to a battalion of infantry in support of the tanks. The division headquarters was organized in November 1921. The division insignia is a three lined checkerboard design of blue and white
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Was the 5th infantry at the battle of the bulge? Outnumbered five to one, they inflicted casualties in the ratio of 18 to one. Despite fatigue, constant enemy shelling, and ever-increasing enemy pressure, [they] guarded a 6,000-yard front and destroyed 75 percent of three German infantry regiments.. The 3rd Battalion, 395th Infantry, led by Lt. Col. McClernand Butler and 2nd Lt. Col. Roy S. Groffy, occupied the area around Hfen, Germany, on the border with Belgium during early December.
99th Infantry Division (United States) - Wikipedia Here it held firmly against violent enemy attacks.
Battle of Elsenborn Ridge - Wikipedia On the east lay a section of the Monschau Forest.
395th Regiment - U.S. Army Center of Military History With ammunition supplies dwindling rapidly, the men obtained German weapons and utilized ammunition obtained from casualties to drive off the persistent foe. Any delay would jeopardize the plan to cross the Meuse River and advance on Antwerp before the skies cleared and the Allies regained their balance. The defense of Rocherath that had been held most of the day by infantry was decided in less than thirty minutes by 5 German tanks. Gallagher (1 May 1945 29 September 1945), Organized Reserves redesignated 25 March 1948 as the Organized Reserve Corps; redesignated 9 July 1952 as the Army Reserve, Relieved 29 October 1998 from assignment to the 99th Infantry Division, Redesignated 17 October 1999 as the 395th Regiment and reorganized to consist of the 1st, 2d, and 3d Battalions, elements of the.
Chapter 6-THE ARDENNES: BATTLE OF THE BULGE Crest The crest is that of the U.S. Army Reserve.
395th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division | American Battle Encountering paltry resistance at first, the Germans launched an attack on the towns and initially met with success, pushing into Rocherath with a clear path beyond. The 395th was held in the United States until more room was available for the unit to enter Europe. Butler's regiment crossed the Erft Canal near the Rhine and enlarged the bridgehead, taking that town with a night attack without losing a single man. The regiment assumed occupation duties in Hammelburg and Bad Brckenau until it was shipped home in the summer of 1945. The Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Division was the most decorated platoon for a single action of World War II.
The division lost about 20% of its effective strength, including 465 killed and 2,524 evacuated due to wounds, injuries, fatigue, or trench foot.