Many of the 99th Division's best soldiers were products of the ill-fated ASTP program. This, however, was the moment that Hitlers master plan collided headfirst with American fortitude. [4] Lt. Col. Butler retired from the Army on 14 January 1946 and worked for the phone company for the rest of his career. It was credited with destroying "seventy-five percent of three German infantry regiments." Medical Detachment, 395th Infantry A. P. O. [6][17]:vii. 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. In early December, much of the Allied forces were established in a general defensive line from the North Sea to the Swiss border. 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". 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. It attacked toward the Monschau Forest, on 1 February, mopping up and patrolling until it was relieved for training and rehabilitation, on 13 February. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. 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. . During the battle to come, if the Germans succeeded in taking Hfen, their ranks would be swelled rapidly, and the 99th and 2nd Infantry Divisions would be outflanked and could be attacked from the rear. [1] [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. 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. 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 99th Division was constituted at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, on 23 July 1918. the horizontal band of white and blue squares was adopted from the coat of arms 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. The 395th Infantry, Organized Reserves, was organized in 1921. Despite mauling the Germans on their first attempt to take Hfen, 3/395s situation was grim. 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]. 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. The Germans, moving across illuminated open ground without cover, fell by the hundreds against the murderous American fire. The division was reconstituted in the Organized Reserve on 24 June 1921 and assigned to the western half of the state of Pennsylvania. The division headquarters was organized in November 1921. Told it was the 3rd Battalion, 395th Infantry, he said, "It must have been one of your best formations." 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. There are nine white squares and nine blue ones, signifying the number 99. 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. A few miles to the east lay the Siegfried Line, the enemys final defensive line guarding the German heartland. Outnumbered five to one, they inflicted casualties in the ratio of 18 to one. The Allied victory against the Axis was a long journeyone that actually took much longer than the war itself. Butler attended, but did not graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The 395th Infantry was in the woods east of the northernmost section of the 2d Division withdrawal route and would provide cover for the first stage of the tricky move parallel to and close. . 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. [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. 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". Not so in the pre-dawn hours of December 16 in the Ardennes Forest. Score: 4.8/5 (10 votes) . 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. Over 83,000 Americans were casualties during the battle which lasted from December 16, 1944 until January 25, 1945, and as a result, the battle occupies a prominent place in our collective minds. 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. When told it was 3/395, the prisoner replied, It must be one of your best formations.. The unit was inactivated after World War II, then became a reserve unit, and was redesignated as the 395th Regiment in 1999. 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. [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 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 Infantry Division was formed in 1942 and deployed overseas in 1944. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. Soldiers who were in direct support of the relief efforts were also awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal as a personal award. 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. After the Gulf War, the 99th ARCOM became the 99th Regional Support Command (RSC). . It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. . These two German divisions directed their fury against the 395th early on the morning of the December 17. Organization and training began in October but were not complete by the time the war ended in November 1918, so the division was demobilized in early 1919. [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. commanders. Because of Major Butler's success in leading his battalion in successful night attacks during the war, which the U.S. Army handbook did not recommend, the French army later asked him to write a paper on battalion-size night attacks.[6]. 18 Dec 44-7 Jan 45 Attached to 2d Infantry Division, Blandford (Longton Long, Dorset Barracks), 370th Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer), 371st Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer), 924th Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer), 372d Field Artillery Battalion (155mm Howitzer). [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. It was like a golf course, so I used the night for concealment."[6]. TO: Division Surgeon, 99th Infantry Division I. [14] If the Germans penetrated Hfen, the U.S. soldiers would have to withdraw several miles to the next defensible position.[10]. Ordered into active military service: 15 November 1942 Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. The 99th RSC's mission was to provide command and control and full-service support for assigned units and facility management. The battalion was badly outnumbered and nearly surrounded. They continued to fight even as the American press trumpeted the rapid crumbling of German resistance. [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. 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. 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 On 17 September 2008, the 99th Regional Support Command was activated at Fort Dix, N.J. This assault, like the first, was ground to a halt due to heavy American small arms and artillery fire. On the east lay a section of the Monschau Forest. German assaults in the heavily wooded area in front of the villages pushed the 99ers out of the woods and caused them to flee, many in disarray, back through the twin villages of Krinkelt and Rocherath behind them. In the pre-dawn hours of December 16th, Hitlers final major offensive began. 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. The division was chiefly manned with graduates of the ROTC programs of the Carnegie Institute of Technology, Duquesne University. More often than not, the noises thought to have been heard arent anything at all, and the forest resumes its eerie silence. No one had anticipated such a rapid Allied advance. 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 division insignia is a three lined checkerboard design of blue and white squares centered on a black shield. The 1st Battalion was positioned on the right. ", The 99th Infantry Division, outnumbered five to one, inflicted estimated casualties on the Germans in the ratio of eighteen to one. 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. This was the road network the Germans needed to meet their objectives. 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 black represents the iron from the mills of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where many of the troops were from. 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. Troops were fatigued by weeks of continuous combat, Allied supply lines were stretched extremely thin, and supplies were dangerously depleted. [16], Following the 11 September 2001, terrorist attacks, the 99th mobilized large numbers of Army Reserve Soldiers. Even the most hardened veteran occasionally thinks he hears twigs snap, boots crush snow or other odd noises that can cause nerves to fray. [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. ABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501 By 17 December, German military planners knew that their objectives along the Elsenborn Ridge would not be taken as soon as planned. 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. "[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. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. Subscribe to 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division Footer menu. Below are the top five veteran research questions, where to go for further resources, and how to begin your search. The black background Category: 395th Infantry Regiment Lt. Col. Henry B. Koon Sr. Special Troops Due in part to the 99th Infantry Division, this ground mission has not been continuous, and he will not achieve his goal[15]. Hfen, along with the nearby town of Monschau, was strategically vital because it sat on elevated terrain overlooking an important road junction. Harold was . Many members of the 99th Infantry Division had participated in the Army Specialized Training Program or ASTP, derisively nicknamed "all safe 'till peace;" in February 1944, the program was drawn down, and the majority of its members were assigned to later-deploying divisions such as the 99th. The 99th Infantry Division was the first complete division to cross the Rhine. The German armor, with SS Panzergrenadiers riding on their decks, clattered down the icy roads of Rocherath and headed for Krinkelt, only a stones throw away. This page was last edited on 11 March 2022, at 19:44. The lines were then moved back to form defensive positions east of Elsenborn Ridge on the 19th. 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. 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 395th Regiment's success earned it many difficult assignments. Delbert followed a communication training and became enlisted radio repairman. When hostilities ceased on 7 May 1945, the regiment had during six months of fighting experienced 300 percent turnover due to casualties. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Excited to share my latest group in the 99th Infantry Division collection. [12] For their part, the German army was planning a seven-day campaign to seize Antwerp. Crest That for the regiments and separate battalions of the Army Reserve: From a wreath Argent and Azure, the Lexington Minute Man Proper. The division insignia is a three lined checkerboard design of blue and white 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. Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at the Siegfried Line. The program was called the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP), and it sought to give extra training and special skills to a select group of intelligent and able young men, most of whom were taken from America's colleges. "[9]:1738 On at least six occasions they called in artillery strikes on or directly in front of their own positions. 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. The German 20th Infantry Division was an infantry division of Nazi Germany.HistoryThe was established in 1934 under the cover name. The enemy artillery was so intense that communications were generally out. 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. 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. 449, U.S. ARMY 15 January 1945 SUBJECT: History of Medical Detachment, 395th Infantry Regiment, 1 December to 31 December 1944. 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. What was left of the 99ers in and around Rocherath appeared to be doomed, and like the calvary in Western movies, salvation appeared in the forms of infantry from the 2nd Division and incredibly heavy artillery fire that dropped onto the Germans like rain. "[9]:79, The battalion dug in, its purpose to hold the line so that other units could attack key dams across the Roer River. Battle of the Bulge 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. They then crossed the Wied River, where they joined up with the 7th Infantry Division. It is believed that Delbert was transferred to the 395th Infantry Regiment at some point. 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 Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) in the European Theater was one of Americas bloodiest campaigns. The 99th held lines stretching from Monschau, Germany to Losheimergraben, Belgium, totaling 35 kilometres (22mi). . A group 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. 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. [13], To the north of Hfen lay a paved main road that led through the Monschau Forest, at whose eastern edge it forked. At precisely 0530 hours, the forest erupted in an ear shattering German artillery barrage along a 100 mile front. German Panzer tanks en route to the Ardennes. [14] The first town they were tasked with capturing was Bergheim, "the door to the Rhine." In January 2003, the 99th RSC started mobilizing units for projected operations in Iraq. After clearing towns west of the Rhine, it crossed the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen on the 11th. The Germans were counting on something else, toothey knew that this sector was thinly manned by untested troops. 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, on December 12, . 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 terrain was open and rolling, and over six weeks the 3rd Battalion prepared dug-in positions that possessed good fields of fire. On 25 October 1981, the entire platoon was recognized with a Presidential Unit Citation. 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 buck's head was used to indicate the allocation of the organization to the mountainous section of Pennsylvania, where deer abound. 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. 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. Butler held a single platoon of 40 men from Company L in reserve. 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. When three hours later a third SS assault hit the defenders, it too was stopped. [13], German prisoners captured during the Battle of the Bulge volunteered praise of the 99th's effective defense of Hfen.
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