provides support December 1944. Location of the 99th ID sector (red box) on a map of the Bulge. [citation needed]. Troops were fatigued by weeks of continuous combat, Allied supply lines were stretched extremely thin, and supplies were dangerously depleted. 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. There was no cover. 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. Later that night, another enemy assault was similarly unsuccessful. Despite fatigue, constant enemy shelling, and ever-increasing enemy pressure, the Third Battalion guarded a 6,000 yards (5,500m)-long front and destroyed 75 percent of three German infantry regiments. Against light resistance, it crossed the Dill River and pushed on to Krofdorf-Gleiberg, taking Giessen 29 March. It had its headquarters at Franklin, Pennsylvania, and drew its personnel from Pennsylvania. Not so in the pre-dawn hours of December 16 in the Ardennes Forest. The platoon members were not recognized for their courageous deeds for thirty-seven years. Fort Benning | Maneuver Center of Excellence Libraries | MCoE HQ . The 10 geographically-based RRCs, including the 99th, were inactivated and replaced with four regional base operations commands. "Blue" was the code word for the 3rd battalion under Army infantry's triangular organization. Motto VIGILANS ET CELER (Vigilant and Swift). [8], That is three to four times wider than recommended by Army textbooks. Chapter 6-THE ARDENNES: BATTLE OF THE BULGE Two men who had been sent on foot to regimental headquarters to seek reinforcements were later captured. The division crossed the Danube near Eining on the 27th and after a stubborn fight the Isar at Landshut on 1 May. Below are the top five veteran research questions, where to go for further resources, and how to begin your search. 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. 395th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Wikipedia 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. 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. On 22 December 1967, the 99th Army Reserve Command (ARCOM) was activated. An overwhelming majority of them were women and children. 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 division headquarters was organized in November 1921. Eisenhower wrote, "the action of the 2nd and 99th Divisions on the northern shoulder could be considered the most decisive of the Ardennes campaign."[3][4]. 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. By December 1944, Allied armies had reached the western border of Germany itself. The 99th then moved to Schwarzenau, on 3 April, and attacked the southeast sector of the Ruhr Pocket on the 5th. Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at the Siegfried Line. 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 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 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. While the 99th was fully involved in this large mobilization, the headquarters moved to Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. 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. . of William Pitt for whom the city of Pittsburgh was named. commanders. 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. [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. ", The 99th Infantry Division, outnumbered five to one, inflicted estimated casualties on the Germans in the ratio of eighteen to one. 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. 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. From 21 December 1944 to 30 January 1945, the unit was engaged in aggressive patrolling and reequipping. [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 unit reported on May 4 that it had "liberated 3 labor camps and 1 concentration camp." The lines were then moved back to form defensive positions east of Elsenborn Ridge on the 19th. The 99th Infantry Division, comprising the 393rd, 394th, and the 395th Infantry Regiments, arrived in England on 10 October 1944. He found that his 600 riflemen were assigned an extremely large area about 6,000 yards (5,500m) long without any units in reserve. By 17 December, German military planners knew that their objectives along the Elsenborn Ridge would not be taken as soon as planned. The enemy artillery was so intense that communications were generally out. Grouping from Col. Alexander John Mackenzie, Regimental Commandor of The 99th Infantry's report stated that 1,500 Jews were "living under terrible conditions and approximately 600 required hospitalization due to starvation and disease.". [7]:3 American press reports from the European theater foretold the imminent fall of the Third Reich, and many men in Lt. Col. Butler's battalion thought that the war just might be over before they got there. The Medal of Honor was awarded T/Sgt Vernon McGarity, Company L, 393rd Infantry, 99th Infantry Division, for actions taken near Krinkelt, Belgium, on 16 December 1944 during the opening phases of the Ardennes Offensive. The division was destroyed near Vitebsk during the Soviet Vitebsk-Orsha Offensive of Operation Bagration in the summer of 1944. When hostilities ceased on 7 May 1945, the regiment had during six months of fighting experienced 300 percent turnover due to casualties. About: 395th Infantry Regiment (United States) - dbpedia.org It attacked toward the Monschau Forest, on 1 February, mopping up and patrolling until it was relieved for training and rehabilitation, on 13 February. Many of the 99th Division's best soldiers were products of the ill-fated ASTP program. The silver and bronze star medal of Col. Alexander John Mackenzie, Regimental Commandor of the 395th Infantry Regiment. No reserves were available . Although the enemy resisted fiercely, the Ruhr pocket collapsed with the fall of Iserlohn, on 16 April. 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. [13], To the north of Hfen lay a paved main road that led through the Monschau Forest, at whose eastern edge it forked. This did not turn out to be true. There Major Butler collapsed due to exhaustion on 30 April, and Lt. Col. J. A popular historical anecdote is the design of the famous M1 carbine by convicted murderer David Marshall Williams. A member of the 395th Infantry Regiment , the photographer captured an amazing scene through the lens of this camera in these images. The regiment arrived at Camp Van Dorn in early December. The thick forest was tangled with rocky gorges, little streams, and sharp hills. The 99th RSC continued to support operations in the Balkan Republics while providing refuge to those fleeing Kosovo as they sought temporary recovery in the United States. History | AMEDD Center of History & Heritage - United States Army This assault, like the first, was ground to a halt due to heavy American small arms and artillery fire. [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. 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 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. The shield is silver, the old color of Infantry. Crest The crest is that of the U.S. Army Reserve. Every member of the platoon was decorated, which included four Distinguished Service Crosses, five Silver Stars and ten Bronze Stars with "V" devices signifying awards for valor in combat.[10]. 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. squares centered on a black shield. 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. 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. Forests, by nature, are eerily quiet at night. 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. On 25 October 1981, the entire platoon was recognized with a Presidential Unit Citation. Ordered into active military service: 15 November 1942 Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. The black represents the iron from the mills of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where many of the troops were from. 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. [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 99th was selected as one of these new regional support commands. ABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501 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. Was the 5th infantry at the battle of the bulge? 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. The battalion was badly outnumbered and nearly surrounded. They continued to fight even as the American press trumpeted the rapid crumbling of German resistance. The inexperienced troops of the division were lodged on the northern shoulder of the Ardennes Offensive on 16 December. 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. 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. [16], Following the 11 September 2001, terrorist attacks, the 99th mobilized large numbers of Army Reserve Soldiers. Due to the dwindling attendance over the years, the decision was made to hold the final convention in 2011. [2]:33 On at least six occasions they called in artillery strikes on or directly in front of their own positions. Due in part to the 99th Infantry Division, this ground mission has not been continuous, and he will not achieve his goal[15]. 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. Mission of the 395th Infantry Regiment With ammunition supplies dwindling rapidly, the men obtained German weapons and utilized ammunition obtained from casualties to drive off the persistent foe. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. 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. 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. A. Gallagher assumed command for the last few days of the war. 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. Some toppled directly into US foxholes as American troops engaged them at point-blank range.
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