. [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 395th Regiment's success earned it many difficult assignments. Battle of the Bulge [13], German prisoners captured during the Battle of the Bulge volunteered praise of the 99th's effective defense of Hfen. . The German 20th Infantry Division was an infantry division of Nazi Germany.HistoryThe was established in 1934 under the cover name. Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at Elsenborn Crest. He found that his 600 riflemen were assigned an extremely large area about 6,000 yards (5,500m) long without any units in reserve. Delbert followed a communication training and became enlisted radio repairman. 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 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. A. Gallagher assumed command for the last few days of the war. Under the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress Sign up for our newsletter and receive the mighty updates! "[9]:1738 On at least six occasions they called in artillery strikes on or directly in front of their own positions. As the American defenders began to assess casualties and ammunition supplies, the 12th SS hit them again. The Germans, moving across illuminated open ground without cover, fell by the hundreds against the murderous American fire. The buck's head was used to indicate the allocation of the organization to the mountainous section of Pennsylvania, where deer abound. The insignia was devised upon the 99th's formation in 1942 when the division was headquartered in the city of Pittsburgh. Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at the Siegfried Line. The Germans were counting on something else, toothey knew that this sector was thinly manned by untested troops. The 99th battled on to the bridge at Remagen that was taken on March 7th. There was no cover. In early December, the front was unusually calm and the weather was bone-chilling cold. The 99th crossed the Ludwig Canal against stiff resistance and established a bridgehead over the Altmuhl River, 25 April. The 99th Division was constituted at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, on 23 July 1918. The Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Division was the most decorated platoon for a single action of World War II. Richard Mills were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. The 3rd Battalion, 395th Regiment had acquitted itself with valor, having held its lines despite the harsh winter weather, the enemy's numerical superiority and greater numbers of armored units. Through their stories, we gain a glimpse into the challenges they faced, the horrors they endured, and the triumphs they achieved. [11], The area around Hfen and Monschau were critical because of the road network that lay behind them. 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. 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. 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. Good luck with your quest. During the heavy fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, the unit suffered many casualties, yet tenaciously held its defensive position. [citation needed]. At precisely 0530 hours, the forest erupted in an ear shattering German artillery barrage along a 100 mile front. On 28 January 1945, after six weeks of the most intense and relentless combat of the war in the biggest battle of World War II, involving approximately 1.3million men, the Allies declared the Ardennes Offensive, or Battle of the Bulge, officially over. [18], As the battle ensued, small units, company and less in size, often acting independently, conducted fierce local counterattacks and mounted stubborn defenses, frustrating the German's plans for a rapid advance, and badly upsetting their timetable. Soldiers who were in direct support of the relief efforts were also awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal as a personal award. Originally planned as a Pennsylvania unit,
A popular historical anecdote is the design of the famous M1 carbine by convicted murderer David Marshall Williams. [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. It is believed that Delbert was transferred to the 395th Infantry Regiment at some point. Ehrenfried-Oskar Bge. 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. Due in part to the 99th Infantry Division, this ground mission has not been continuous, and he will not achieve his goal[15]. The three regiments of the 99th IDthe 393rd, 394th, & 395th Infantry Regimentswere thinly spread across this frigid but quiet portion of the front. Butler said, "The biggest difficulty in carrying out a night attack is control, and having men who can coordinate well as a team in the dark. This quick infusion of personnel into the 99th Division occurred in March 1944, when more than 3000 joined the division. The 395th's casualties were extremely light: four dead, seven wounded, and four men missing. [7]:3, Col. Butler went ahead to look over the area they were assigned to defend. 395th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry . The unit was inactivated after World War II, then became a reserve unit, and was redesignated as the 395th Regiment in 1999. Butler held a single platoon of 40 men from Company L in reserve. In the pre-dawn hours of December 16th, Hitlers final major offensive began. Accurate estimates of German wounded were not possible, but about 20 percent of the 326th Volksgrenadier Division were lost. 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. The 3rd Battalion received a Presidential Unit Citation for its actions around Hfen from 16 to 19 December. 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. Shield The 395th Infantry, Organized Reserves, was organized in 1921. The enemy was moving through large gaps in the lines, and Americans were either being captured or killed in enormous numbers or retreating in disarray and panic. Despite mauling the Germans on their first attempt to take Hfen, 3/395s situation was grim. 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. When hostilities ceased on 7 May 1945, the regiment had during six months of fighting experienced 300 percent turnover due to casualties. [13], To the north of Hfen lay a paved main road that led through the Monschau Forest, at whose eastern edge it forked. Here it held firmly against violent enemy attacks. This did not turn out to be true. The Army operated a program designed to capitalize on the large number of educated and intelligent recruits that were available. Staff Sergeant, Service Company, 395th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division, ETO, participated in the Battle of the Bulge, the Ruhr Pocket, and the Occupation of Germany, recipient of the Bronze Star. 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. A group . Sgt Harold Rutz, 395th Infantry Regiment, M Company. Not so in the pre-dawn hours of December 16 in the Ardennes Forest. 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. 99th Infantry Division vehicles en route to the battle zone. 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. A U.S. Army World War II division was configured as a Triangular division, with three regimental maneuver elements. He returned to Illinois and in 1933 was commissioned a second lieutenant in the National Guard. The thick forest was tangled with rocky gorges, little streams, and sharp hills. Score: 4.8/5 (10 votes) . 394th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division), History, January 1945. The German assault caught the 99ers off guard initially, due to the heavy artillery bombardment, but the infantrymen and their supporting mortar fire were able to repel the initial assault at a murderously close range due to the proximity of the opposing tree line from where the enemy advanced. In the opening days of the Battle of the Bulge, Robert's regiment was on the front lines in the Losheim Gap. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. 3/395, soon to be nicknamed Butlers Blue Battlin Bastards, was one of the only US Army units that did not retreat in the opening days of the battle. After fighting in the Ruhr area, the unit moved southward into Bavaria, where it was located at the end of the war. 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. 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. 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. 504-528-1944, Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, Black Volunteer Infantry Platoons in World War II, Kasserine Pass: German Offensive, American Victory, The Top 5 Veteran Research Questions: Where to Go and What to Know, Gallantry against Great Odds: LTC George Marshall and Operation RESERVIST, Prelude to Liberation: Genesis of American Amphibious Assault in the ETO, Black Thursday October 14, 1943: The Second Schweinfurt Bombing Raid, An Exercise in Depravity: The Establishment of the Warsaw Ghetto, Unsung Witnesses of the Battle of Stalingrad. In March 1945, the 99th advanced into the Rhineland, crossing the Rhine River at Remagen on March 11. Notable. The regiment helped to capture the Ruhr Pocket, where thousands of German troops and hundreds of German vehicles were captured. [14] The first town they were tasked with capturing was Bergheim, "the door to the Rhine." 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. 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. 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. 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. On 28 April the 14th Armored Division, commanded by MG Albert C. Smith, crossed the Danube River at Ingolstadt, and passed through the 86th Infantry Division, which had established a bridgehead on the previous day, with the mission of securing crossings of the Isar River at Moosburg and Landshut. Mission of the 395th Infantry Regiment I. Dad proudly told that the 99th was the first complete unit cross the Remagen Bridge on March 9th or 10th. 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. 395 th Regiment Constituted 23 July 1918 in the National Army as the 395th Infantry and assigned to the 99th Division Demobilized 30 November 1918 Reconstituted 24 June 1921 in the. 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. The retreat turned into a route as the German tanks, two less due to a duel with two American Shermans, rolled unmolested down the street in the village. [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. 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. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. From Camp Van Dorn they were transferred to the more established Camp Maxey in Paris, Texas for additional training. As they did so, another German assault hit them, this time with support from 5 MKV Panther tanks. EN RU CN DE ES. [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. In January 2003, the 99th RSC started mobilizing units for projected operations in Iraq. Category: 395th Infantry Regiment Lt. Col. Henry B. Koon Sr. Special Troops Outnumbered five to one, they inflicted casualties in the ratio of 18 to one. By 17 December, German military planners knew that their objectives along the Elsenborn Ridge would not be taken as soon as planned. The 395th received the following campaign streamers: The entire regiment was recognized with the following unit decorations: A silver color metal and enamel device .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}3732 inches (2.94cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Argent, a buck's head attired of ten tynes couped Or. To make circumstances worse, just beyond the bloodied-but-not-beaten Volksgrenadiers waited the tanks of the 6th Panzer Army. . For four successive days the battalion held this sector against combined German tank and infantry attacks, launched with fanatical determination and supported by heavy artillery. The concentration camp was one of the "forest camps" (Waldlager) tied to the Mhldorf camp complex. [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. 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. No division commander was appointed during the organization's brief existence. The Germans planned to use massed infantry assaults to punch holes in the American lines, after which the feared German tanks, or panzers, would race through these gaps while the winter weather kept Allied planes grounded. [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. . [6] On more than one occasion, BAR gunners would allow Germans to get within feet of their positions before opening fire, with the objective of increasing the odds of killing the attacking Germans. [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. [8], That is three to four times wider than recommended by Army textbooks. The regiment arrived at Camp Van Dorn in early December. The 5 th Infantry Division was moved from Saarlautern, Luxembourg to the area of south and southwest of Echternach. By December 1944, Allied armies had reached the western border of Germany itself. It was demobilized on 30 November 1918, but was later reconstituted on 21 June 1921 as a member of the Organized Reserves just like the 99th Infantry Division. The Germans were not finished with Butlers men, either. On 17 September 2008, the 99th Regional Support Command was activated at Fort Dix, N.J. Through this eerie artificial moonlight, the 326th Volksgrenadier Division advanced on 3/395s position. This was the most southern area of the Battle of the Bulge. With its sister battalions, the 1st, 395th Engineer and 2nd, 395th Field Artillery, the 3rd Battalion (TS) (AR) role is to train National Guard armor and infantry battalions across a three-state region and improve their combat readiness. 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 99th Infantry Division, comprising the 393rd, 394th, and the 395th Infantry Regiments, arrived in England on 10 October 1944. The infantry at Hfen lay in a foxhole line along a 910 metres (2,990ft) front on the eastern side of the village, backed up by dug-out support positions. [2]:33 On at least six occasions they called in artillery strikes on or directly in front of their own positions. The regiment assumed occupation duties in Hammelburg and Bad Brckenau until it was shipped home in the summer of 1945. The 393rd, 394th & 395th were the Infantry Regiments of the 99th Infantry Division. The 395th Infantry Regimentwas an infantryregimentof the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Divisionduring World War II. Hfen remained in American handsfor now. 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. When I got to Hfen, I found the area too big to cover in one afternoon. For their actions the battalion was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation which read, in part: outnumbered 5 to 1, [3/395] inflicted casualties in the ratio of 18 to 1. Lineage and Honors Information as of 12 January 2018, CHARLES R. BOWERY, JR.Chief of Military History, Constituted 23 July 1918 in the National Army as the 395th Infantry and assigned to the 99th Division, Reconstituted 24 June 1921 in the Organized Reserves as the 395th Infantry and assigned to the 99th Division (later redesignated as the 99th Infantry Division), Organized in November 1921 with Headquarters at Franklin, Pennsylvania, Ordered into active military service 15 November 1942 and reorganized at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi, Inactivated 29 September 1945 at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts, (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 75th Division (Training Support); 1st, 2d, and 3d Battalions concurrently allotted to the Regular Army, Regiment reorganized 2 November 2008 as a parent regiment under the United States Army Regimental System; concurrently 1st, 2d, and 3d Battalions relieved from assignment to the 75th Division (Training Support), Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at the Siegfried Line, Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at Elsenborn Crest, Army Superior Unit Award, Streamer embroidered 2008-2011, Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in the Ardennes, Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered ARDENNES. Infanterie-Division) was a German division in World War II. Alexander John Mackenzie was born in New York City, 22 February 1895, the son of Alexina and Kenneth M. 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. After failing to capture Monschau on the battles second day, the 326th Volksgrenadier Division turned its attention back to Hfen on December 18th. Mission of the 395th Infantry Regiment The unit crossed the Altmuhl River on 25 April, the Danube River on 27 April, and the Isar River on 30 April. The National WWII Museum Digital Collections. ABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501 [10], Around Hfen, which the 395th defended, the ground was marked with open hills. Family lore, The 99th Infantry Division Artefacts Collection. 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 197th Infantry Division (German: 197. In the northern sector opposite the 99th, this included more than 4,000 deaths and the destruction of sixty tanks and big guns.[8]. 394th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division), Medical History, December 1944. [16], After Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, 22 99th units deployed to Saudi Arabia, Europe, and other locations. The combination of no ammunition and heavy German armor caused the American lines to fold, like a dam bursting. So I stayed in the village overnight. It was redesignated with description updated, for the 395th Regiment on 7 June 1999. The buck's head was used to indicate the allocation of the organization to the mountainous section of Pennsylvania, where deer abound. The black represents the iron from the mills of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where many of the troops were from. [4], The 395th, entrenched along the "International Road" and Elsenborn Ridge, forced the Germans to commit and sacrifice many of their infantrymen and expose their armored formations to withering artillery fire. It had its headquarters at Franklin, Pennsylvania, and drew its personnel from Pennsylvania. 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. "In two cases, the enemy fell in the BAR gunners' foxholes. 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. The rapid advance did not deter the men of the 38th Infantry Regiment, however, who put up a fierce defense. 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. Plans called for the division to include the 393rd, 394th, 395th, and 396th Infantry Regiments. The Ardennes area was chosen because of a lack of operational objectives for the Allies, the terrain offered good defensive positioning, roads were lacking, and the Germans were known to be using the area within Germany to the east as a rest and refit area for their troops. 3/395 greeted the Volksgrenadiers with a punishing hail of bullets, mortars, and artillery. The battalion was badly outnumbered and nearly surrounded. Attached below the shield a silver scroll inscribed "VIGILANS ET CELER" in Black letters.[21]. On 22 December 1967, the 99th Army Reserve Command (ARCOM) was activated. 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. A second road ran parallel to the division center and right wing, leaving the Hfen road at the small hamlet of Wahlerscheid, and continued south through two very small villages, the twin towns of Rocherath and Krinkelt. Cemeteries & Memorials; Burial Search; About Us; Education; Facebook; Twitter; YouTube; Instagram; ABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501. 394th Infantry Regiment Co. A, first platoon This is my Dad's story. The German pre-dawn artillery bombardment on December 16th destroyed 3/395s communication wires at Hfen, but the stunned soldiers soon witnessed an even more ominous sight: enemy searchlights, reflecting off the dense clouds, illuminated the snowy open ground east of Hfen. No one had anticipated such a rapid Allied advance. 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.
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