395th infantry regiment 99th infantry division 395th infantry regiment 99th infantry division

The thick forest was tangled with rocky gorges, little streams, and sharp hills. The coat of arms was originally approved for the 395th Regiment Infantry, Organized Reserves on 15 June 1931. 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.. This assault, like the first, was ground to a halt due to heavy American small arms and artillery fire. Harold was . The enemy artillery was so intense that communications were generally out. Although cut up and surrounded in part, the 99th was one of the only divisions that did not yield to the German attack, and held their positions until reinforcements arrived. No division commander was appointed during the organization's brief existence. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. 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. 20th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) - atozwiki.com Not only did your command assist in effectively frustrating that particular part of the plan, but it also inflicted such heavy losses on the enemy that he was unable to carry out other contemplated missions in other sectors of the Allied front. I decided to stage the night attack at Bergheim because my troops would be going across an open area about 500 yards (460m) long and 400 yards (370m) wide. On May 34, 1945, as the 99th moved deeper into Bavaria, it liberated one of a number of Dachau subcamps near the town of Mhldorf. The men carried out missions without orders when their positions were penetrated or infiltrated. The remainder of the battalion reached the Rhine River on that same day and crossed the Remagen Bridge which four days after being captured was still being shelled by German artillery. 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. The 99th RSC's mission was to provide command and control and full-service support for assigned units and facility management. T. E. Piersall and Pfc. The Battles for Elsenborn Ridge Part II | The National WWII Museum It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. By the end of the December 16, much of the American front lines in the Ardennes had been broken by the German assault. Hfen, along with the nearby town of Monschau, was strategically vital because it sat on elevated terrain overlooking an important road junction. There was no cover. Richard V. Horrell WW 2 Connections, Aug 6, 2010 #6 Buten42 Member Joined: Jun 27, 2009 Messages: 1,287 Likes Received: 210 Location: Washington State Category: 395thIR On this page, we honor the memory of the men of the 99th Infantry Division and pay tribute to their extraordinary contributions to the war effort. 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 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. The last stand of 3/395: how one US Army battalion helped win the Most of the publicity for the American victory falls on the shoulders of the 101st Airborne and the map grid that centers on the town of Bastogne. It had its headquarters at Franklin, Pennsylvania, and drew its personnel from Pennsylvania. [16], In September 2007, in preparation for the transition to Fort Dix and establishment of the new 99th RSC, the 99th RRC assumed administrative responsibility for the former regions of the 77th and 94th RRCs, which had inactivated. As the tanks neared Krinkelt, they plowed right through elements of the 2nd Infantry Division, many of whom had arrived literally moments earlier to reinforce their brothers who had earlier reinforced the 99ers. Due in part to the 99th Infantry Division, this ground mission has not been continuous, and he will not achieve his goal[15]. 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 5 th Infantry Division was moved from Saarlautern, Luxembourg to the area of south and southwest of Echternach. This did not turn out to be true. 26 (Unit Commendations)", The 99th Infantry Division During World War II, "Battle Babies: The Story of the 99th Infantry Division", Office of the Chief of Military History Department of the Army, http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/cbtchron.html, Battle Babies: The Story of the 99th Infantry Division, Checkerboard, official publication of 99th Infantry Division Association, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=99th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)&oldid=1131083137, Infantry divisions of the United States Army, United States Army divisions during World War II, Military units and formations established in 1918, Infantry divisions of the United States Army in World War II, Military units and formations disestablished in 1945, United States Army divisions of World War I, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. 395th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Wikipedia Formerly nicknamed the "Checkerboard Division," which referred to its shoulder patch, in late 1944 having not yet seen battle, the division was nicknamed the "Battle Babies. A captured Lt. Bemener, formerly commander of the 5th Company of the 753rd Volksgrenadier Regiment, asked his American interrogator about the unit that had defended Hfen. [14], The 99th as a whole, outnumbered five to one, inflicted casualties in the ratio of eighteen to one. 395th Regiment | Lineage and Honors | U.S. Army Center of Military History [9], Because the unit's radios had been destroyed, the soldiers captured, and the rapid subsequent German advance, U.S. Army commanders did not know about the unit's success at slowing the German advance, or even if they had been captured or killed. It then intersected a main eastwest road at Bullingen. It was redesignated for the 395th Regiment on 7 June 1999. 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. 395th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division 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. Richard Mills were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Crossing on the 23d, it pushed east on the Koln-Frankfurt highway to Giessen. The 395th Infantry Regiment was disposed defensively from north to south with the 3rd Battalion in the Hfen area in Germany, the 2nd Battalion was in the center at Kalterherberg, and the 1st Battalion remained on the regiment's right, southeast of Kalterherberg. [14] The first town they were tasked with capturing was Bergheim, "the door to the Rhine." Fourteen of the 18 platoon members were wounded, while only one soldier, a member of the artillery observation team, was killed. While an RSC is allowed to wear the insignia and use the same number as a previous infantry division, it is not entitled to its lineage and honors. On 5 March 1941, as the United States began to mobilize for the possibility of war, McClernand Butler became a second lieutenant in the Regular Army. In early December, much of the Allied forces were established in a general defensive line from the North Sea to the Swiss border. . [20], After a short period off the line, the battalion conducted offensive operations in Germany, including the seizure of several German towns from 1 to 5 March. Gen. von Manteuffel, commander of the 5th Panzer Army, stated in the address to his troops prior to the attack that "our ground mission must be continuous; otherwise we will not achieve our goal". Captain Ned Nelson, veteran of 3/395 and the battle at Hfen. Butler held a single platoon of 40 men from Company L in reserve. The war was over six days later.[6]. Grouping from Col. Alexander John Mackenzie, Regimental Commandor of On 25 October 1981, the entire platoon was recognized with a Presidential Unit Citation. 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. A popular historical anecdote is the design of the famous M1 carbine by convicted murderer David Marshall Williams. [13], German prisoners captured during the Battle of the Bulge volunteered praise of the 99th's effective defense of Hfen. 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. [16], On 23 Dec. 1996, the 99th RSC mobilized the first of six units for deployment to Operation Joint Endeavor in support of peacekeeping missions in Bosnia. Was the 5th infantry at the battle of the bulge? Several photos from the private collection of, THE EARLY YEARS Joseph Richard Evans (Dick) was born on October 17, 1920 to Charles E. Evansand Wenonah (nee Muirhead/Miller)in, Source: family of Raymond J. Willaredt. Shield Argent, a buck's head attired of ten tynes couped Proper. The division was reconstituted in the Organized Reserve on 24 June 1921 and assigned to the western half of the state of Pennsylvania. 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. Chapter 6-THE ARDENNES: BATTLE OF THE BULGE 99th Infantry Division soldiers putting up a winterized squad hut. A 105mm artillery piece from the 2nd Infantry Div. 3/395 greeted the Volksgrenadiers with a punishing hail of bullets, mortars, and artillery. Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at Elsenborn Crest. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, MIGHTY NETWORKS, 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Artificial Intelligence just flew an F-16 Fighting Falcon for the US military, WWII vet finally receives Silver Star for heroism at Battle of the Bulge, This is the massive Nazi sneak attack at the Battle of the Bulge, Rarely seen footage from the Battle of the Bulge, The first tank to break into Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge was almost lost to history. Originally planned as a Pennsylvania unit, The 99th Infantry Division Artefacts Collection. 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. 394th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division), History, January 1945. But the infantry often bore worse casualties than the tanks did and had to be replaced and reinforced more quickly. The Germans were not finished with Butlers men, either. [8], That is three to four times wider than recommended by Army textbooks. The regiment arrived at Camp Van Dorn in early December. A. Gallagher assumed command for the last few days of the war. Later that night, another enemy assault was similarly unsuccessful. The division lost about 20% of its effective strength, including 465 killed and 2,524 evacuated due to wounds, injuries, fatigue, or trench foot. The 395th Regiment became an active unit as part of the 99th Infantry Division on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Missouri, along with its brother regiments, the 393rd and 394th. At the end of the day, the veterans of the 26th Infantry still held their ground, and looked out on a battlefield strewn with destroyed German armor and scores . and the situation was desperate. Ordered into active military service: 15 November 1942 Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. [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. The regiment helped to capture the Ruhr Pocket, where thousands of German troops and hundreds of German vehicles were captured. The situation became so dire that Butler deliberately called in artillery on his units own position to prevent them from being overrunone of six times this would occur at Hfen. Alexander John Mackenzie was born in New York City, 22 February 1895, the son of Alexina and Kenneth M. Put under 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 1st Battalion was positioned on the right. commanders. Some toppled directly into US foxholes as American troops engaged them at point-blank range. Told it was the 3rd Battalion, 395th Infantry, he said, "It must have been one of your best formations." There are nine white squares and nine blue ones, signifying the number 99. The division was also known as the "Battle Babies" during 1945, a sobriquet coined by a United Press correspondent when the division was first mentioned in press reports during the Battle of the Bulge. Good luck with your quest. The 10 geographically-based RRCs, including the 99th, were inactivated and replaced with four regional base operations commands. Below are the top five veteran research questions, where to go for further resources, and how to begin your search. The citation read: During the German offensive in the Ardennes, the Third Battalion in the 395th Infantry, was assigned the mission of holding the Monschau-Eupen-Liege Road. 395th Infantry Regiment (united States) - Encyclopedia Information Accurate estimates of German wounded were not possible, but about 20 percent of the 326th Volksgrenadier Division were lost. The 99th held lines stretching from Monschau, Germany to Losheimergraben, Belgium, totaling 35 kilometres (22mi). The 5th replaced the 4 th Infantry Division on December 23 rd, and pushed the Germans back to the Sauer River. The 3rd Battalion received a Presidential Unit Citation for its actions around Hfen from 16 to 19 December. Butler's uncle, General Edward J. McClernand, fought in the Indian Wars and was awarded the Medal of Honor. On 1 February 1944, Major Butler assumed command of the 3rd Battalion, 395th Regiment. By 17 December, German military planners knew that their objectives along the Elsenborn Ridge would not be taken as soon as planned. Those Germans who made it into the town itself were quickly mopped up. Akins, Thomas W. MAJ, "Operations of Company "E", 442nd Infantry Regiment, Attached to 92nd Division, at San Terenzo, Italy, 20-23 April 1945" (Po Valley Campaign) Albright, Barry E. CPT, "Operations of the 2nd Battalion, 508th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, in the Invasion of Normandy, 5-13 June 1944" (Normandy Campaign. That task fell to the 277th Volksgrenadier Division and the 12th SS Panzer Division. Crest That for the regiments and separate battalions of the Army Reserve: From a wreath Argent and Azure, the Lexington Minute Man Proper. It had its headquarters at Franklin, Pennsylvania, and drew its personnel from Pennsylvania. The battalion also had its own Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, as well as medics and support personnel. 395th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division | American Battle Hfen, along with the nearby town of Monschau, was strategically vital because it sat on elevated terrain overlooking an important road junction. of William Pitt for whom the city of Pittsburgh was named. From Camp Maxey they took a train to Camp Myles Standish outside Boston. They were tasked with moving 10 miles (16km) behind the German lines and cutting the Autobahn to prevent the withdrawal of the Germans. 394th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Wikipedia The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 395th Regiment Infantry, Organized Reserves on 16 June 1931. [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. "Blue" was the code word for the 3rd battalion under Army infantry's triangular organization. The 99th Infantry Division, comprising the 393rd, 394th, and the 395th Infantry Regiments, arrived in England on 10 October 1944. The 99th Infantry Division was recognized as a liberating unit by the US Army's Center of Military History and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1992. 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. The 99th crossed the Ludwig Canal against stiff resistance and established a bridgehead over the Altmuhl River, 25 April. The 395th's casualties were extremely light: four dead, seven wounded, and four men missing. The 395th Infantry had mostly held their lines, and now with the battle hardened 2nd Infantry Division on the way to back them up, the lines of defense near Elsenborn appeared to be significantly harder to pierce. squares centered on a black shield. [13], To the north of Hfen lay a paved main road that led through the Monschau Forest, at whose eastern edge it forked. 395 Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division) Report, January 1945. By December 1944, Allied armies had reached the western border of Germany itself. Hfen-Monschau was vital to the operations success because the nearby road junctions would enable rapid movement of tanks. The 393rd, 394th & 395th were the Infantry Regiments of the 99th Infantry Division. "[9]:79, The battalion dug in, its purpose to hold the line so that other units could attack key dams across the Roer River. 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. The stiff American defense prevented the Germans from reaching the vast array of supplies near the Belgian cities of Lige and Spa and the road network west of the Elsenborn Ridge leading to the Meuse River. 395th Regiment - U.S. Army Center of Military History 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 three heavy German assaults had worn down the ammunition supply, particularly that of the machine gunners, and had left the defenders mostly helpless. In the event of an emergency, the battalion headquarters and company administrative personnel, including clerks and motor-pool staff, were to join the platoon, creating a small reserve force of about 100 men. 394th Infantry Regiment Co. A, first platoon This is my Dad's story. The Germans threw wave after wave of infantry, and a unit of panzers, at the town. Your organization gave ample proof of the fact that it is a good hard fighting division and one in which you and each and every member of your command can be justly proud[16], Major Butler was decorated with the Silver Star, the French Croix de Guerre, the Belgian Fourragre, the Belgian Order de la Couronne, and the Bronze Star Medal with the Oak leaf cluster. 394th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division), Medical History, December 1944. Field Artillery Battalions were the 370th, 371st, 372nd & the 924th. Ehrenfried-Oskar Bge. [2], Because of the success of the 395th and the 99th, the Americans maintained effective freedom to maneuver across the north flank of the German's line of advance and continually limited the success of the German offensive. Under the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress Sign up for our newsletter and receive the mighty updates! Allied forces were fighting their way across France, and fresh units were badly needed in autumn 1944 to continue to press the offensive. [4], Distinguished Service Cross (United States), "Lineage And Honors Information, 395th Regiment Lineage", "World War II: Interview with Lieutenant Colonel McClernand Butler", "The Operations of the 3rd Battalion, 395th Infantry (99th Infantry Division) Prior to and During the German Counter-Offensive, 10November 24 December 1944 (Ardennes Campaign) (Personal Experience of a Company Commander and Battalion Operations Officer)", "Why the Bulge Didn't Break: Green Troops Grew Up Fast to Become Heroes of Hofen", "The Battle of the Bulge Part II Holding the Line (review)", "Chapter 5: The Ardennes, the Battle of the Bulge", "Battle of the Bulge: U.S. The 99th then moved to Schwarzenau, on 3 April, and attacked the southeast sector of the Ruhr Pocket on the 5th. [1] After defensive patrolling, the 99th probed the Siegfried Line against heavy resistance on 13 December. The other two regiments of the 99th Division had been beaten to a pulp by the initial German assault, and for the most part had been rendered ineffective, thus leaving the 395th dangerously exposed to a flank assault. The 99th Infantry Division received recruits from the ASTP program (Army Specialized Training Program, to make up for the personnel shortages in front line units during 1944. After failing to capture Monschau on the battles second day, the 326th Volksgrenadier Division turned its attention back to Hfen on December 18th. Battle of Elsenborn Ridge - Wikipedia The lines were then moved back to form defensive positions east of Elsenborn Ridge on the 19th. The National WWII Museum Digital Collections. The German 20th Infantry Division was an infantry division of Nazi Germany.HistoryThe was established in 1934 under the cover name. 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. On 17 October 1999, the 3rd Battalion, 395th Regiment was reactivated as an Armor Training Support (TS) Battalion. Unbeknownst to its commanding general at the time, Maj. Gen. Walter E. Lauer, the division would play a strategic role in the war and would gain the honor of having the most decorated platoon of the US army during World War Two. [5] The 99th boarded ships bound for England on 10 October 1944 and briefly stayed at Camp Marabout, Dorchester, England. Many historians have written about the famous Buffalo Soldiers of the all-Black 92nd Infantry Division, who fought with distinction during World War II. The 395th Regiment's success earned it many difficult assignments. When told it was 3/395, the prisoner replied, It must be one of your best formations.. The 3rd Battalion of the 395th Infantry Regiment (3/395), commanded by Lieutenant Colonel McClernand Butler, occupied the town of Hfen on the German border. [6][17]:vii. Lieutenant Colonel McClernand Butler, commander of 3/395. 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. In January 2003, the 99th RSC started mobilizing units for projected operations in Iraq. Fort Benning | Maneuver Center of Excellence Libraries | MCoE HQ On 1 November 1944, the 99th Infantry Division, comprising the 393rd, 394th, and the 395th Infantry Regiments, was put under operational control of V Corps, First Army. Honor Roll - 99th Infantry Division "They shall not grow old, As we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, Nor the years condemn. A group Images of picturesque Ardennes landscapes before Christmas, conifers with branches drooping from heavy snowfall and beleaguered American forces doggedly defending against a last gasp attack by a defeated enemy all dot the mind when thinking of the Bulge. 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. The real crusher to the German offensive plans in the Ardennes occurred 46 miles north east of Bastogne, in a small area consisting of a copse of small villages and a piece of high ground called Elsenborn Ridge. 99th Infantry Division used the relatively quiet period to prepare an extensive defensive system, including redundant lines of communication, precise positioning of weapons to provide interlocking grazing fire, and aggressive patrols that kept the Germans off guard. It is believed that Delbert was transferred to the 395th Infantry Regiment at some point. Category: 395th Infantry Regiment Lt. Col. Henry B. Koon Sr. Special Troops 99th Infantry Division (United States) - Wikipedia [16], Following the 11 September 2001, terrorist attacks, the 99th mobilized large numbers of Army Reserve Soldiers. Several photos from the private collection of the family of Dean F. THE EARLY YEARS Joseph Richard Evans (Dick) was born on October 17, 1920 to Charles E. Evansand Wenonah (nee Muirhead/Miller)in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The 3rd Battalion of the 395th Infantry Regiment (3/395), commanded by Lieutenant Colonel McClernand Butler, occupied the town of Hfen on the German border. The 393rd, 394th, and 395th Regiments were put on line, each unit protecting approximately 11 kilometres (6.8mi) of front, roughly equivalent to one front-line infantry man every 91 metres (299ft). 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. 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. About: 395th Infantry Regiment (United States) - dbpedia.org 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. German troops pass burning American equipment during the Ardennes offensive. The "Checkerboard" or "Battle Babies" division landed at the French port of Le Havre and proceeded northeast to Belgium. Sgt. The 99th battled on to the bridge at Remagen that was taken on March 7th. They continued to fight even as the American press trumpeted the rapid crumbling of German resistance. The blue and white checkerboard in the division's insignia is taken from the coat of arms of William Pitt, for whom Pittsburgh is named. Butler's great-grandfather, General John Alexander McClernand, commanded infantry during the Civil War. The 395th were moved by train and truck, and finally by foot, to front line positions near the German town of Hfen a few kilometers west of the Siegfried Line and near the Belgium-German border.