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 enemy artillery was so intense that communications were generally out. The platoon seriously disrupted the entire German Sixth Panzer Army's schedule of attack along the northern edge of the offensive. The platoon members were not recognized for their courageous deeds for thirty-seven years. The 394th Infantry Regiment was established on 23 July 1918 as the 394th Infantry and assigned to the 99th Division as a member of the National Army. 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. 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. Lieutenant Colonel McClernand Butler, commander of 3/395. 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. 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. The 99th Infantry Division, comprising the 393rd, 394th, and the 395th Infantry Regiments, arrived in England on 10 October 1944. The statue of the Minute Man, Captain John Parker, (H.H.Kitson, sculptor), stands on the common in Lexington, Massachusetts. [2] Historian John S.D. ", The 99th Infantry Division, outnumbered five to one, inflicted estimated casualties on the Germans in the ratio of eighteen to one. The Army operated a program designed to capitalize on the large number of educated and intelligent recruits that were available. 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. At precisely 0530 hours, the forest erupted in an ear shattering German artillery barrage along a 100 mile front. The rapid advance did not deter the men of the 38th Infantry Regiment, however, who put up a fierce defense. Ordered into active military service: 15 November 1942 Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. From Camp Maxey they took a train to Camp Myles Standish outside Boston. 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. After failing to capture Monschau on the battles second day, the 326th Volksgrenadier Division turned its attention back to Hfen on December 18th. Unknown to the Allies, the Germans were preparing a surprise counter-offensive through the Ardennes with the goal of splitting the Allied armies and recapturing the Belgian port city of Antwerp. The 99th then moved to Schwarzenau, on 3 April, and attacked the southeast sector of the Ruhr Pocket on the 5th. 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. A few miles to the east lay the Siegfried Line, the enemys final defensive line guarding the German heartland. 395th Infantry Regiment (united States) - Encyclopedia Information 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. Many historians have written about the famous Buffalo Soldiers of the all-Black 92nd Infantry Division, who fought with distinction during World War II. [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. Wendell Clark - 99th Infantry Division This was the most southern area of the Battle of the Bulge. 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. After fighting in the Ruhr area, the unit moved southward into Bavaria, where it was located at the end of the war. Score: 4.8/5 (10 votes) . 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. 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. [13], To the north of Hfen lay a paved main road that led through the Monschau Forest, at whose eastern edge it forked. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. Soldiers who were in direct support of the relief efforts were also awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal as a personal award. The 3rd Battalion received a Presidential Unit Citation for its actions around Hfen from 16 to 19 December. Grouping from Col. Alexander John Mackenzie, Regimental Commandor of When told it was 3/395, the prisoner replied, It must be one of your best formations.. Table of Contents. 395th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Wikiwand Captain Ned Nelson, veteran of 3/395 and the battle at Hfen. During the first morning of the Battle of the Bulge, they defended a key road junction in the vicinity of the Losheim Gap. Fourteen of the 18 platoon members were wounded, while only one soldier, a member of the artillery observation team, was killed. 394th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division), Medical History, December 1944. represents the iron district of Pennsylvania. 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. 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 division lost about 20% of its effective strength, including 465 killed and 2,524 evacuated due to wounds, injuries, fatigue, or trench foot; German losses were much higher. This quick infusion of personnel into the 99th Division occurred in March 1944, when more than 3000 joined the division. 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. 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. [16], Following the 11 September 2001, terrorist attacks, the 99th mobilized large numbers of Army Reserve Soldiers. Medical Detachment, 395th Infantry A. P. O. Told it was the 3rd Battalion, 395th Infantry, he said, "It must have been one of your best formations." 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. An overwhelming majority of them were women and children. 20th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) - atozwiki.com On 3 November 1944, the 395th Regiment disembarked at Le Havre, France. [1] After defensive patrolling, the 99th probed the Siegfried Line against heavy resistance on 13 December. The division insignia is a three lined checkerboard design of blue and white
There Major Butler collapsed due to exhaustion on 30 April, and Lt. Col. J. squares centered on a black shield. The regiment helped to capture the Ruhr Pocket, where thousands of German troops and hundreds of German vehicles were captured. "[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 like a golf course, so I used the night for concealment."[6]. 2nd and 3rd Battalion cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in the Ardennes. 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. [10], Around Hfen, which the 395th defended, the ground was marked with open hills. It was redesignated with description updated, for the 395th Regiment on 7 June 1999. . When the Ardennes Offensive ended, Gen. Lauer received verbal commendations from Field Marshal Sir Bernard L. Montgomery, 21st Army Group Commander, and Gen. Courtney Hodges, First Army Commander, on the vigorous and effective defense contributed by the 99th. On 3-4 May, the division liberated two labor camps and a "forest camp" (Waldlager) related to the Mhldorf concentration camp, a sub-camp of Dachau. The 395th Regiment's success earned it many difficult assignments. The town of Kuckhof cost the battalion dearly, with more than fifty casualties inflicted on one company alone (I Company). The war was over six days later.[6]. . The 99th Division was constituted at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, on 23 July 1918. A. Gallagher assumed command for the last few days of the war. commanders. The 99th Infantry Division, the "Checkerboard" division, gained its nickname from the division's insignia. [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. The terrain was open and rolling, and over six weeks the 3rd Battalion prepared dug-in positions that possessed good fields of fire. Butler was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 21 March 1944, and remained in command of the 395th until 30 April 1945, when he collapsed from exhaustion. [13], German prisoners captured during the Battle of the Bulge volunteered praise of the 99th's effective defense of Hfen. 394th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division), History, January 1945. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. Peipers right flank had to be secured and the Americans in that region had to be destroyed. 99th Infantry Division - U.S. Army Center of Military History "In two cases, the enemy fell in the BAR gunners' foxholes. The 10 geographically-based RRCs, including the 99th, were inactivated and replaced with four regional base operations commands. 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. The 1st Battalion was positioned on the right. The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 395th Regiment Infantry, Organized Reserves on 16 June 1931. "[9]:1738 On at least six occasions they called in artillery strikes on or directly in front of their own positions. 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. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. His World War II story. 395th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division | American Battle The concentration camp was one of the "forest camps" (Waldlager) tied to the Mhldorf camp complex. This was the road network the Germans needed to meet their objectives. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. 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. Category: 395th Infantry Regiment Lt. Col. Henry B. Koon Sr. Special Troops As many as half a million civilians remained in Stalingrad when the Germans approached in the late summer of 1942. But the infantry often bore worse casualties than the tanks did and had to be replaced and reinforced more quickly. 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". 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. Family lore, The 99th Infantry Division Artefacts Collection. Forests, by nature, are eerily quiet at night. It had its headquarters at Franklin, Pennsylvania, and drew its personnel from Pennsylvania. The 5 th Infantry Division was moved from Saarlautern, Luxembourg to the area of south and southwest of Echternach. The division was reconstituted in the Organized Reserve on 24 June 1921 and assigned to the western half of the state of Pennsylvania. That task fell to the 277th Volksgrenadier Division and the 12th SS Panzer Division. The unit reported on May 4 that it had "liberated 3 labor camps and 1 concentration camp." 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. The unit was inactivated after World War II, then became a reserve unit, and was redesignated as the 395th Regiment in 1999. [citation needed]. The three regiments of the 99th IDthe 393rd, 394th, & 395th Infantry Regimentswere thinly spread across this frigid but quiet portion of the front. Good luck with your quest. Later that night, another enemy assault was similarly unsuccessful. The unit's distinctive shoulder patch consisted of a five-sided shield of black on which is superimposed a horizontal band of white and blue squares. Many of the 99th Division's best soldiers were products of the ill-fated ASTP program. 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 regiment assumed occupation duties in Hammelburg and Bad Brckenau until it was shipped home in the summer of 1945. 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 99th held lines stretching from Monschau, Germany to Losheimergraben, Belgium, totaling 35 kilometres (22mi). After the battalion was inactivated on 29 September 1945, its colors remained folded for more than fifty years. The men carried out missions without orders when their positions were penetrated or infiltrated. Location of the 99th ID sector (red box) on a map of the Bulge. . and the situation was desperate. The failure to breach the 99th IDs sector stalled the entire German advance and a decisive breakthrough was never achieved. Through their stories, we gain a glimpse into the challenges they faced, the horrors they endured, and the triumphs they achieved. As the night grew darker, optimistic American officers in the 2nd Division relayed a message to headquarters, Action quieting; believe we can hold. This would prove to be a false hope. 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. As the American defenders began to assess casualties and ammunition supplies, the 12th SS hit them again. 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 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. It was activated on 1 December 1939. The unit crossed the Altmuhl River on 25 April, the Danube River on 27 April, and the Isar River on 30 April. [11], The area around Hfen and Monschau were critical because of the road network that lay behind them. The shield is silver, the old color of Infantry. Crest That for the regiments and separate battalions of the Army Reserve: From a wreath Argent and Azure, the Lexington Minute Man Proper. 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. 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. 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 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. There are nine white squares and nine blue ones, signifying the number 99. The ferocious assault caught the Allies off-guard and the rapid German advance famously caused a bulge on Allied maps. The black represents the iron from the mills of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where many of the troops were from. 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. Troops were fatigued by weeks of continuous combat, Allied supply lines were stretched extremely thin, and supplies were dangerously depleted. 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. WWII and Park Staff Connections - Eisenhower National Historic - NPS 395th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Infogalactic: the planetary [12] The 99th Infantry's after action report stated they found 1,500 Jews "living under terrible conditions and approximately 600 required hospitalization due to starvation and disease. [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. Hfen, along with the nearby town of Monschau, was strategically vital because it sat on elevated terrain overlooking an important road junction. This assault, like the first, was ground to a halt due to heavy American small arms and artillery fire. Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at Elsenborn Crest. On 17 September 2008, the 99th Regional Support Command was activated at Fort Dix, N.J. 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. Delbert followed a communication training and became enlisted radio repairman. 394th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Wikipedia Battle of Elsenborn Ridge - Wikipedia 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. On 2 March 1945, the division took the offensive, moving toward Cologne and crossing the Erft Canal near Glesch. [14] The first town they were tasked with capturing was Bergheim, "the door to the Rhine." After the Gulf War, the 99th ARCOM became the 99th Regional Support Command (RSC). 395thIR - 99th Infantry Division German Panzer tanks en route to the Ardennes. 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. Up to that point, the Army had married a battalion of tanks to a battalion of infantry in support of the tanks. While the 99th ARCOM was allowed to wear the shoulder sleeve insignia of the 99th Infantry Division and use its number, Department of the Army policy does not allow for the lineage of MTOE units, such as infantry divisions, to be perpetuated by TDA units, such as ARCOMs. 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. Crest The crest is that of the U.S. Army Reserve. The 99th RRC continued to provide command and control for assigned units and support for the ongoing deployments. 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. In the pre-dawn hours of December 16th, Hitlers final major offensive began. The Allied victory against the Axis was a long journeyone that actually took much longer than the war itself. The 395th Infantry Regimentwas an infantryregimentof the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Divisionduring World War II. 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. 395th Regiment | Lineage and Honors | U.S. Army Center of Military History After clearing towns west of the Rhine, it crossed the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen on the 11th. A member of the 395th Infantry Regiment , the photographer captured an amazing scene through the lens of this camera in these images. [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 RSC's mission was to provide base operations functions for the assigned 13-state Northeast Region. The 14th Armored Division and the Liberation of Stalag VIIA It then intersected a main eastwest road at Bullingen. 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. To make circumstances worse, just beyond the bloodied-but-not-beaten Volksgrenadiers waited the tanks of the 6th Panzer Army. The division was destroyed near Vitebsk during the Soviet Vitebsk-Orsha Offensive of Operation Bagration in the summer of 1944. [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. This, however, was the moment that Hitlers master plan collided headfirst with American fortitude. These two German divisions directed their fury against the 395th early on the morning of the December 17. 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. Originally planned as a Pennsylvania unit, the horizontal band of white and blue. The 99th Infantry Division, comprising the 393rd, 394th, and the 395th Infantry Regiments, arrived in England on 10 October 1944. American troops from the 290th Regiment near Amonines, Belgium. [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.