395th infantry regiment 99th infantry division

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. 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. The 395th was held in the United States until more room was available for the unit to enter Europe. At the end of the day, the veterans of the 26th Infantry still held their groundand looked out on a battlefield strewn with destroyed German armor and scores of enemy dead. Against light resistance, it crossed the Dill River and pushed on to Krofdorf-Gleiberg, taking Giessen 29 March. They continued to fight even as the American press trumpeted the rapid crumbling of German resistance. Captain Ned Nelson, veteran of 3/395 and the battle at Hfen. 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 sudden infusion of new men caused some friction with the old hands in the short term, but the long-term effects were generally positive. Still, some German assaults penetrated American lines near the town of Hofen where they were eventually captured after retreating into houses in the town. squares centered on a black shield. In the northern sector opposite the 99th, this included more than 4,000 deaths and the destruction of 60 tanks and big guns. The shield is silver, the old color of Infantry. The Battles for Elsenborn Ridge Part II | The National WWII Museum The 99th Infantry Division was the first complete division to cross the Rhine. In early December, the front was unusually calm and the weather was bone-chilling cold. 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. Despite mauling the Germans on their first attempt to take Hfen, 3/395s situation was grim. The German spearhead in the north, led by the 1st SS Panzer Division and Jochen Peipers Kampfgruppe plowed through jammed roads to the south of Elsenborn and the twin villages of Krinkelt and Rocherath hell bent on their ultimate destination of the Meuse River. 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). Subscribe to 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division Footer menu. The 1st Battalion was positioned on the right. Either short or completely devoid of ammunition, the defenders of Rocherath began to filter to the rear in the growing darkness that swallowed the battlefield. It was not just the lives of 3/395 at stake; a German breakthrough here would have enabled the Sixth Panzer Army to outflank the 2nd ID and 99th ID and achieve a direct route to the Meuse River. 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]. 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. 395th Regiment - U.S. Army Center of Military History Troops were fatigued by weeks of continuous combat, Allied supply lines were stretched extremely thin, and supplies were dangerously depleted. American troops from the 290th Regiment near Amonines, Belgium. 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. 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. ABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501 It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. A group of photos from his wartime, unfortenately we have not been able to. Plans called for the division to include the 393rd, 394th, 395th, and 396th Infantry Regiments. The battalion was badly outnumbered and nearly surrounded. 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. Score: 4.8/5 (10 votes) . Shield The 395th Infantry, Organized Reserves, was organized in 1921. [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. 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. Chapter 6-THE ARDENNES: BATTLE OF THE BULGE The other two regiments of the 99th Division had been beaten to a pulp by the initial German assault, and for the most part had been rendered ineffective, thus leaving the 395th dangerously exposed to a flank assault. 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. He returned to Illinois and in 1933 was commissioned a second lieutenant in the National Guard. On 3 November 1944, the 395th Regiment disembarked at Le Havre, France. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. During the first morning of the Battle of the Bulge, they defended a key road junction in the vicinity of the Losheim Gap. 395th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division [1] The 393rd, 394th & 395th were the Infantry Regiments of the 99th Infantry Division. The regiment helped to capture the Ruhr Pocket, where thousands of German troops and hundreds of German vehicles were captured. General Eisenhower and his staff chose the Ardennes region, held by the First Army, as an area that could be held by as few troops as possible. The German 20th Infantry Division was an infantry division of Nazi Germany.HistoryThe was established in 1934 under the cover name. The Germans, moving across illuminated open ground without cover, fell by the hundreds against the murderous American fire. Up to that point, the Army had married a battalion of tanks to a battalion of infantry in support of the tanks. From Camp Van Dorn they were transferred to the more established Camp Maxey in Paris, Texas for additional training. TO: Division Surgeon, 99th Infantry Division I. The 99th Infantry Division, comprising the 393rd, 394th, and the 395th Infantry Regiments, arrived in England on 10 October 1944. [2] Historian John S.D. 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. 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. 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. German losses were much higher. 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". Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at Elsenborn Crest. 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 When three hours later a third SS assault hit the defenders, it too was stopped. The black background The town of Kuckhof cost the battalion dearly, with more than fifty casualties inflicted on one company alone (I Company). [4] Lt. Col. Butler retired from the Army on 14 January 1946 and worked for the phone company for the rest of his career. 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. Through this eerie artificial moonlight, the 326th Volksgrenadier Division advanced on 3/395s position. The "Checkerboard" or "Battle Babies" division landed at the French port of Le Havre and proceeded northeast to Belgium. 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. That task fell to the 277th Volksgrenadier Division and the 12th SS Panzer Division. A group The unit reported on May 4 that it had "liberated 3 labor camps and 1 concentration camp." 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. Two men who had been sent on foot to regimental headquarters to seek reinforcements were later captured. 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. ", The 99th Infantry Division, outnumbered five to one, inflicted estimated casualties on the Germans in the ratio of eighteen to one. 395th Regiment | Lineage and Honors | U.S. Army Center of Military History 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 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. [6][17]:vii. Butler's uncle, General Edward J. McClernand, fought in the Indian Wars and was awarded the Medal of Honor. 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. 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. Location of the 99th ID sector (red box) on a map of the Bulge. The 395th Regiment's success earned it many difficult assignments. of William Pitt for whom the city of Pittsburgh was named. They killed Germans coming at them from the front, flanks and rear. . It was activated on 1 December 1939. 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. By the end of the December 16, much of the American front lines in the Ardennes had been broken by the German assault. Here it held firmly against violent enemy attacks. It was redesignated for the 395th Regiment on 7 June 1999. Hfen remained in American handsfor now. 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. This page was last edited on 11 March 2022, at 19:44. The 395th Infantry Regimentwas an infantryregimentof the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Divisionduring World War II. Hfen, along with the nearby town of Monschau, was strategically vital because it sat on elevated terrain overlooking an important road junction. [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. The Battles for Elsenborn Ridge Part I - New Orleans [5] The 99th boarded ships bound for England on 10 October 1944 and briefly stayed at Camp Marabout, Dorchester, England. 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. On 1 February 1944, Major Butler assumed command of the 3rd Battalion, 395th Regiment. 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 crossed the Ludwig Canal against stiff resistance and established a bridgehead over the Altmuhl River, 25 April. Medical Detachment, 395th Infantry A. P. O. 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". 395 Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division) Report, January 1945. Who were the soldiers of the 99th infrantry div? | WWII Forums When I got to Hfen, I found the area too big to cover in one afternoon. 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 division was reconstituted in the Organized Reserve on 24 June 1921 and assigned to the western half of the state of Pennsylvania. [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. [10], Around Hfen, which the 395th defended, the ground was marked with open hills. At dusk on 16 December, after virtually no sleep during the preceding night and a full day of almost non-stop combat, with only a few rounds of ammunition remaining, about 50 German paratroopers finally flanked and captured the remaining 19 soldiers. In March 1945, the 99th advanced into the Rhineland, crossing the Rhine River at Remagen on March 11. Dad proudly told that the 99th was the first complete unit cross the Remagen Bridge on March 9th or 10th. Butler held a single platoon of 40 men from Company L in reserve. The blue and white checkerboard in the division's insignia is taken from the coat of arms of William Pitt, for whom Pittsburgh is named. : 33 On at least six occasions they called in . 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. German troops pass burning American equipment during the Ardennes offensive. 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. More often than not, the noises thought to have been heard arent anything at all, and the forest resumes its eerie silence. The rapid advance did not deter the men of the 38th Infantry Regiment, however, who put up a fierce defense. . Mission of the 395th Infantry Regiment I. During the heavy fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, the unit suffered many casualties, yet tenaciously held its defensive position. But the infantry often bore worse casualties than the tanks did and had to be replaced and reinforced more quickly. The unit was inactivated after World War II, then became a reserve unit, and was redesignated as the 395th Regiment in 1999. [13], To the north of Hfen lay a paved main road that led through the Monschau Forest, at whose eastern edge it forked. 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. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. 197th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) - Wikipedia Crossing on the 23d, it pushed east on the Koln-Frankfurt highway to Giessen. Due in part to the 99th Infantry Division, this ground mission has not been continuous, and he will not achieve his goal[15]. 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. EN. 394th Infantry Regiment Co. A, first platoon This is my Dad's story. Category: 395th Infantry Regiment Lt. Col. Henry B. Koon Sr. Special Troops George Co 2/395-IR (99-ID) Schleiden - Germany December 1944 A U.S. Army World War II division was configured as a Triangular division, with three regimental maneuver elements. [7]:3, Col. Butler went ahead to look over the area they were assigned to defend. The National WWII Museum Digital Collections. [11], The area around Hfen and Monschau were critical because of the road network that lay behind them. 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 represents the iron district of Pennsylvania. The division insignia is a three lined checkerboard design of blue and white 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. Crest That for the regiments and separate battalions of the Army Reserve: From a wreath Argent and Azure, the Lexington Minute Man Proper. DELBERT A. SAYRE - 99th Infantry Division 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. This quick infusion of personnel into the 99th Division occurred in March 1944, when more than 3000 joined the division. Family lore, The 99th Infantry Division Artefacts Collection. Notable. Two months later, when the 99th Division was transferred to VII Corps under Maj. Gen. Walter E. Lauer, the commanding officer of V Corps, Maj. Gen. Clarence R. Huebner, wrote him: The 99th Infantry Division arrived in this theater without previous combat experience early in November 1944. WWII and Park Staff Connections - Eisenhower National Historic - NPS [1] After defensive patrolling, the 99th probed the Siegfried Line against heavy resistance on 13 December. 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. "In two cases, the enemy fell in the BAR gunners' foxholes. The thick forest was tangled with rocky gorges, little streams, and sharp hills. 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. After clearing towns west of the Rhine, it crossed the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen on the 11th. [12] For their part, the German army was planning a seven-day campaign to seize Antwerp. Forests, by nature, are eerily quiet at night. Through their stories, we gain a glimpse into the challenges they faced, the horrors they endured, and the triumphs they achieved. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. On at least six different occasions the battalion was forced to place artillery concentrations dangerously close to its own positions in order to repulse penetrations and restore its lines . "[16][17]:75 Another German officer who was captured said, "I have fought two years on the Russian front, but never have I engaged in such a fierce and bloody battle. The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 395th Regiment Infantry, Organized Reserves on 16 June 1931. 99th Infantry Division soldiers putting up a winterized squad hut. 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. The 14th Armored Division and the Liberation of Stalag VIIA [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 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. 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. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. No division commander was appointed during the organization's brief existence. 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. Under the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress Sign up for our newsletter and receive the mighty updates! Shield Argent, a buck's head attired of ten tynes couped Proper. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. The enemy artillery was so intense that communications were generally out. The regiment was organized with three battalions, each containing three rifle companies and a weapons company armed with .30 caliber and .50 caliber machine guns. [13], German prisoners captured during the Battle of the Bulge volunteered praise of the 99th's effective defense of Hfen. 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. 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. 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. 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. The division insignia is a three lined checkerboard design of blue and white squares centered on a black shield. [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. 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. April 13th, 1945 - 99th Division, 395th Infantry Regiment, in the Ruhr 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. A few miles to the east lay the Siegfried Line, the enemys final defensive line guarding the German heartland. The terrain was open and rolling, and over six weeks the 3rd Battalion prepared dug-in positions that possessed good fields of fire. Excited to share my latest group in the 99th Infantry Division collection. [14], The 99th as a whole, outnumbered five to one, inflicted casualties in the ratio of eighteen to one. Accurate estimates of German wounded were not possible, but about 20 percent of the 326th Volksgrenadier Division were lost. Fort Benning | Maneuver Center of Excellence Libraries | MCoE HQ The division crossed the Danube near Eining on the 27th and after a stubborn fight the Isar at Landshut on 1 May. 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. "[9]:79, The battalion dug in, its purpose to hold the line so that other units could attack key dams across the Roer River. Soldiers who were in direct support of the relief efforts were also awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal as a personal award. The Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Division was the most decorated platoon for a single action of World War II. There are nine white squares and nine blue ones, signifying the number 99.