A U.S. Army World War II division was configured as a Triangular division, with three regimental maneuver elements. 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. Due in part to the 99th Infantry Division, this ground mission has not been continuous, and he will not achieve his goal[15]. [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. The coat of arms was originally approved for the 395th Regiment Infantry, Organized Reserves on 15 June 1931. The US Armys 99th Infantry Division, recently arrived in Europe and untested in combat, was assigned to the northern shoulder of the Allied front line in the Ardennes Forest. Field Artillery Battalions were the 370th, 371st, 372nd & the 924th. 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. The 99th RSC's mission was to provide base operations functions for the assigned 13-state Northeast Region. In the opening days of the Battle of the Bulge, Robert's regiment was on the front lines in the Losheim Gap. The division headquarters was organized in November 1921. The 99th RSC's mission was to provide command and control and full-service support for assigned units and facility management. 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. During the heavy fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, the unit suffered many casualties, yet tenaciously held its defensive position. Plans called for the division to include the 393rd, 394th, 395th, and 396th Infantry Regiments. . The inexperienced troops of the division were lodged on the northern shoulder of the Ardennes Offensive on 16 December. It was activated on 1 December 1939. ABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501 99th Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia, Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths, Final Report (Statistical and Accounting Branch, Office of the Adjutant General, 1 June 1953), Distinguished Service Cross (United States), "Battle of the Bulge: U.S. The rapid advance did not deter the men of the 38th Infantry Regiment, however, who put up a fierce defense. [1] After defensive patrolling, the 99th probed the Siegfried Line against heavy resistance on 13 December. 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 1st Battalion was positioned on the right. So I stayed in the village overnight. In a long fight with about 500 men of the 1st Battalion, 9th Fallschirmjaeger Regiment, 3rd Fallschirmjaeger Division, the 18 men of the platoon along with four artillery observers inflicted between 60[6][7] to more than 100[8] casualties on the Germans. This assault, like the first, was ground to a halt due to heavy American small arms and artillery fire. This page was last edited on 11 March 2022, at 19:44. By 17 December, German military planners knew that their objectives along the Elsenborn Ridge would not be taken as soon as planned. 449, U.S. ARMY 15 January 1945 SUBJECT: History of Medical Detachment, 395th Infantry Regiment, 1 December to 31 December 1944. Location of the 99th ID sector (red box) on a map of the Bulge. The concentration camp was one of the "forest camps" (Waldlager) tied to the Mhldorf camp complex. 395th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry . [15], The 395th hit the attacking Germans with such terrific small arms and machine gun fire that the Germand couldn't even remove their dead and wounded in their rapid retreat. 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. This, however, was the moment that Hitlers master plan collided headfirst with American fortitude. 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. From Camp Van Dorn they were transferred to the more established Camp Maxey in Paris, Texas for additional training. Due to the dwindling attendance over the years, the decision was made to hold the final convention in 2011. In early December, the front was unusually calm and the weather was bone-chilling cold. In 1975, the 99th ARCOM moved its headquarters to Oakdale, Pennsylvania. 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. 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. "[9]:79, The battalion dug in, its purpose to hold the line so that other units could attack key dams across the Roer River. Shield Argent, a buck's head attired of ten tynes couped Proper. [16], In 2005, the Army Reserve began its latest transformation under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) directive and lessons learned from eight years of deployments in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Shield The 395th Infantry, Organized Reserves, was organized in 1921. . That was not the case for the Americans near Elsenborn. 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. Mission of the 395th Infantry Regiment I. Those Germans who made it into the town itself were quickly mopped up. [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. Battle of the Bulge It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. At the going down of the sun And in the morning We will remember them." 324th Engineer Combat Battalion Albertson Dale W Bass Robert D Brown Edwin C Busk 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. 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 Army operated a program designed to capitalize on the large number of educated and intelligent recruits that were available. 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. The 99th Infantry Division was the first complete division to cross the Rhine. 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. Crest That for the regiments and separate battalions of the Army Reserve: From a wreath Argent and Azure, the Lexington Minute Man Proper. [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. 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. 99th Infantry Division soldiers putting up a winterized squad hut. 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. The Germans were not finished with Butlers men, either. The 99th Infantry Division Artefacts Collection. Just south of Hfen, the lines of the 99th entered this forest, ran through a long belt of timber to the boundary between the V and VIII Corps at the Losheim Gap. 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 Legacy of the 99th Infantry Division: Our Artifacts Collection The 99th Infantry Division Historical Society is dedicated to preserving, Discovering the Legacy of a WW2 Soldier: Tips and Tricks Are you interested in learning more about a WW2 veteran, They shall not grow old, As we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, Nor the years, Dean F. Gilbert was a membert of 3rd Platoon, L Company,394th Infantry Regiment. Battle of the Bulge [14], The 99th as a whole, outnumbered five to one, inflicted casualties in the ratio of eighteen to one. The Battle of the Bulge was the largest battle ever fought by the United States Army. 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. 394th Infantry Regiment Co. A, first platoon This is my Dad's story. Delbert followed a communication training and became enlisted radio repairman. 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. [1] 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. [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. Despite mauling the Germans on their first attempt to take Hfen, 3/395s situation was grim. While the supply situation improved in October, the manpower situation was still critical. A popular historical anecdote is the design of the famous M1 carbine by convicted murderer David Marshall Williams. This quick infusion of personnel into the 99th Division occurred in March 1944, when more than 3000 joined the division. From 21 December 1944 to 30 January 1945, the unit was engaged in aggressive patrolling and reequipping. Troops were fatigued by weeks of continuous combat, Allied supply lines were stretched extremely thin, and supplies were dangerously depleted. Butler's father had been a major in the Illinois National Guard and urged his son to become a guardsman when he was 16 years old. 394th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division), Medical History, December 1944. 2nd Infantry Division soldiers dig in on a road bank and prepare defensive positions on the end of the Elsenborn Ridge on December 20, 1944. Motto VIGILANS ET CELER (Vigilant and Swift). The lines were then moved back to form defensive positions east of Elsenborn Ridge on the 19th. "[7]:24, Two Distinguished Service Crosses and several Silver Stars were awarded to members of the battalion for valorous actions against the enemy during this battle. 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. 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. These would later prove instrumental in defending themselves from the attacking Germans and in protecting themselves when their own artillery fired on or just in front of their own positions, which happened at least six times over the next few weeks. He began his career conducting oral histories and research for HBOs miniseries The Pacific and holds the distinction of being the first historian hired by the Museums Research Department. . The insignia was devised upon the 99th's formation in 1942 when the division was headquartered in the city of Pittsburgh. The buck's head was used to indicate the allocation of the organization to the mountainous section of Pennsylvania, where deer abound. That task fell to the 277th Volksgrenadier Division and the 12th SS Panzer Division. The National WWII Museum Digital Collections. The blue and white are taken from the coat of arms for William Pitt for whom Pittsburgh was named. On the east lay a section of the Monschau Forest. [2] Historian John S.D. They then crossed the Wied River, where they joined up with the 7th Infantry Division. Medical Detachment, 395th Infantry A. P. O. The combination of no ammunition and heavy German armor caused the American lines to fold, like a dam bursting. With ammunition supplies dwindling rapidly, the men obtained German weapons and utilized ammunition obtained from casualties to drive off the persistent foe. 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. As the American defenders began to assess casualties and ammunition supplies, the 12th SS hit them again. Sgt Harold Rutz, 395th Infantry Regiment, M Company. provides support December 1944. 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. Butler's uncle, General Edward J. McClernand, fought in the Indian Wars and was awarded the Medal of Honor. Many of the 99th Division's best soldiers were products of the ill-fated ASTP program. There Major Butler collapsed due to exhaustion on 30 April, and Lt. Col. J. In the northern sector opposite the 99th, this included more than 4,000 deaths and the destruction of 60 tanks and big guns. 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. The unit crossed the Altmuhl River on 25 April, the Danube River on 27 April, and the Isar River on 30 April. The 99th Infantry Division, on December 12, . On 22 December 1967, the 99th Army Reserve Command (ARCOM) was activated. It was credited with destroying "seventy-five percent of three German infantry regiments." The Germans, moving across illuminated open ground without cover, fell by the hundreds against the murderous American fire. As many as half a million civilians remained in Stalingrad when the Germans approached in the late summer of 1942. The battalion was badly outnumbered and nearly surrounded. Attached below the shield a silver scroll inscribed "VIGILANS ET CELER" in Black letters.[21]. The 99th Infantry Division, comprising the 393rd, 394th, and the 395th Infantry Regiments, arrived in England on 10 October 1944. 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. The 99th Division was constituted at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, on 23 July 1918. After the war, the Division founded its own Association and for many years the veterans and their families got united at the many conventions that were held. German troops pass burning American equipment during the Ardennes offensive. 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. 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. 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. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. The Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) in the European Theater was one of Americas bloodiest campaigns. Under the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress Sign up for our newsletter and receive the mighty updates! They continued to fight even as the American press trumpeted the rapid crumbling of German resistance. Family lore, The 99th Infantry Division Artefacts Collection. The division crossed the Danube near Eining on the 27th and after a stubborn fight the Isar at Landshut on 1 May. 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. [6], The regiment's (3rd Battalion) earned the sobriquet Butler's Battlin' Blue Bastards derived from the name of its single commander, its special fighting abilities, the battalion's color designation, and because the regiment was often lent out and belonged to no one. At precisely 0530 hours, the forest erupted in an ear shattering German artillery barrage along a 100 mile front. 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 regiment arrived at Camp Van Dorn in early December. [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. "[13] The division continued to attack without opposition to the Inn River and Giesenhausen until VE-day. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Allied forces were fighting their way across France, and fresh units were badly needed in autumn 1944 to continue to press the offensive. 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. [12] For their part, the German army was planning a seven-day campaign to seize Antwerp. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. The division first saw action on 9 November, taking over the defense of the sector north of the Roer River between Schmidt and Monschau, a distance of nearly 19 miles. 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