It was redesignated for the 395th Regiment on 7 June 1999. 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. 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). Those Germans who made it into the town itself were quickly mopped up. "[9]:79, The battalion dug in, its purpose to hold the line so that other units could attack key dams across the Roer River. At the end of the day, the veterans of the 26th Infantry still held their ground, and looked out on a battlefield strewn with destroyed German armor and scores . 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 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. 395th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry . The buck's head was used to indicate the allocation of the organization to the mountainous section of Pennsylvania, where deer abound. 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. 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. [10], Around Hfen, which the 395th defended, the ground was marked with open hills. The 99th held lines stretching from Monschau, Germany to Losheimergraben, Belgium, totaling 35 kilometres (22mi). 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. But the infantry often bore worse casualties than the tanks did and had to be replaced and reinforced more quickly. The regiment arrived at Camp Van Dorn in early December. During the first morning of the Battle of the Bulge, they defended a key road junction in the vicinity of the Losheim Gap. The division was destroyed near Vitebsk during the Soviet Vitebsk-Orsha Offensive of Operation Bagration in the summer of 1944. [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. That was not the case for the Americans near Elsenborn. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. 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. 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. Through this eerie artificial moonlight, the 326th Volksgrenadier Division advanced on 3/395s position. Your organization gave ample proof of the fact that it is a good hard fighting division and one in which you and each and every member of your command can be justly proud[16], Major Butler was decorated with the Silver Star, the French Croix de Guerre, the Belgian Fourragre, the Belgian Order de la Couronne, and the Bronze Star Medal with the Oak leaf cluster. No one had anticipated such a rapid Allied advance. A group of photos from his wartime, unfortenately we have not been able to. 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. I never dreamed that we would have a defensive position of this size without any backup or help from our division or regiment. Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at the Siegfried Line. 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 black background That task fell to the 277th Volksgrenadier Division and the 12th SS Panzer Division. A member of the 395th Infantry Regiment , the photographer captured an amazing scene through the lens of this camera in these images. "Blue" was the code word for the 3rd battalion under Army infantry's triangular organization. Ordered into active military service: 15 November 1942 Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. Several photos from the private collection of, THE EARLY YEARS Joseph Richard Evans (Dick) was born on October 17, 1920 to Charles E. Evansand Wenonah (nee Muirhead/Miller)in, Source: family of Raymond J. Willaredt. Troops were fatigued by weeks of continuous combat, Allied supply lines were stretched extremely thin, and supplies were dangerously depleted. Attached below the shield a silver scroll inscribed "VIGILANS ET CELER" in Black letters.[21]. The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 395th Regiment Infantry, Organized Reserves on 16 June 1931. ", The 99th Infantry Division, outnumbered five to one, inflicted estimated casualties on the Germans in the ratio of eighteen to one. 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. From Camp Van Dorn they were transferred to the more established Camp Maxey in Paris, Texas for additional training. 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. A. Gallagher assumed command for the last few days of the war. 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. 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. Shield Argent, a buck's head attired of ten tynes couped Proper. The 99th Infantry Division was the first complete division to cross the Rhine. The Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Division was the most decorated platoon for a single action of World War II. The last drive began on 23 April. Crest That for the regiments and separate battalions of the Army Reserve: From a wreath Argent and Azure, the Lexington Minute Man Proper. This, however, was the moment that Hitlers master plan collided headfirst with American fortitude. Shield The 395th Infantry, Organized Reserves, was organized in 1921. 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. The shield is silver, the old color of Infantry. 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. [16], After Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, 22 99th units deployed to Saudi Arabia, Europe, and other locations. [13], German prisoners captured during the Battle of the Bulge volunteered praise of the 99th's effective defense of Hfen. 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 395th Infantry, Organized Reserves, was organized in 1921. On 1 November 1944, the 99th Infantry Division, comprising the 393rd, 394th, and the 395th Infantry Regiments, was put under operational control of V Corps, First Army. Even the most hardened veteran occasionally thinks he hears twigs snap, boots crush snow or other odd noises that can cause nerves to fray. The 99th was selected as one of these new regional support commands. In January 2003, the 99th RSC started mobilizing units for projected operations in Iraq. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, MIGHTY NETWORKS, 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Artificial Intelligence just flew an F-16 Fighting Falcon for the US military, WWII vet finally receives Silver Star for heroism at Battle of the Bulge, This is the massive Nazi sneak attack at the Battle of the Bulge, Rarely seen footage from the Battle of the Bulge, The first tank to break into Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge was almost lost to history. 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. A group Here it held firmly against violent enemy attacks. and the situation was desperate. Subscribe to 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division Footer menu. Family lore, The 99th Infantry Division Artefacts Collection. Location of the 99th ID sector (red box) on a map of the Bulge. His World War II story. On 3 November 1944, the 395th Regiment disembarked at Le Havre, France. The infantry at Hfen lay in a foxhole line along a 910 metres (2,990ft) front on the eastern side of the village, backed up by dug-out support positions. "[9]:1738 On at least six occasions they called in artillery strikes on or directly in front of their own positions. The defense of Rocherath that had been held most of the day by infantry was decided in less than thirty minutes by 5 German tanks. 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. Those who survived the initial onslaught and did not manage to flee, had to eke out a living on a battleground ravaged by incessant bombardment and street fighting. [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. So I stayed in the village overnight. 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. The "Checkerboard" or "Battle Babies" division landed at the French port of Le Havre and proceeded northeast to Belgium. The National WWII Museum Digital Collections. In 1975, the 99th ARCOM moved its headquarters to Oakdale, Pennsylvania. On the east lay a section of the Monschau Forest. The three regiments of the 99th IDthe 393rd, 394th, & 395th Infantry Regimentswere thinly spread across this frigid but quiet portion of the front. On 17 October 1999, the 3rd Battalion, 395th Regiment was reactivated as an Armor Training Support (TS) Battalion. On 2 March 1945, the division took the offensive, moving toward Cologne and crossing the Erft Canal near Glesch. The division was reconstituted in the Organized Reserve on 24 June 1921 and assigned to the western half of the state of Pennsylvania. ABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501 [14] The first town they were tasked with capturing was Bergheim, "the door to the Rhine." 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. Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at Elsenborn Crest. A U.S. Army World War II division was configured as a Triangular division, with three regimental maneuver elements. "[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 campaign in North Africa began with a daring Anglo-American commando raid code-named Operation RESERVIST. After fighting in the Ruhr area, the unit moved southward into Bavaria, where it was located at the end of the war. [16], In 2005, the Army Reserve began its latest transformation under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) directive and lessons learned from eight years of deployments in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Category: 395th Infantry Regiment Lt. Col. Henry B. Koon Sr. Special Troops 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]. 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. The 395th Infantry Regiment was a unit of the United States 99th Infantry Division.It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. In the pre-dawn hours of December 16th, Hitlers final major offensive began. 99th Infantry Division used the relatively quiet period to prepare an extensive defensive system, including redundant lines of communication, precise positioning of weapons to provide interlocking grazing fire, and aggressive patrols that kept the Germans off guard. 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. By 17 December, German military planners knew that their objectives along the Elsenborn Ridge would not be taken as soon as planned. Crest The crest is that of the U.S. Army Reserve. Told it was the 3rd Battalion, 395th Infantry, he said, "It must have been one of your best formations." Under the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress Sign up for our newsletter and receive the mighty updates! When told it was 3/395, the prisoner replied, It must be one of your best formations.. Forests, by nature, are eerily quiet at night. It was credited with destroying "seventy-five percent of three German infantry regiments." He returned to Illinois and in 1933 was commissioned a second lieutenant in the National Guard. So fierce in fact that the German commander pulled his tanks back for fear of running into a superior American force, deciding to hold his positions until the following morning. The town of Kuckhof cost the battalion dearly, with more than fifty casualties inflicted on one company alone (I Company). 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]. 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. The 5 th Infantry Division was moved from Saarlautern, Luxembourg to the area of south and southwest of Echternach. Lieutenant Colonel McClernand Butler, commander of 3/395. In early December, the front was unusually calm and the weather was bone-chilling cold. By the end of the December 16, much of the American front lines in the Ardennes had been broken by the German assault. Not so in the pre-dawn hours of December 16 in the Ardennes Forest. The concentration camp was one of the "forest camps" (Waldlager) tied to the Mhldorf camp complex. This did not turn out to be true. During the heavy fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, the unit suffered many casualties, yet tenaciously held its defensive position. The platoon seriously disrupted the entire German Sixth Panzer Army's schedule of attack along the northern edge of the offensive. 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. Infanterie-Division) was a German division in World War II. The 395th's casualties were extremely light: four dead, seven wounded, and four men missing. 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. "In two cases, the enemy fell in the BAR gunners' foxholes. [1] After defensive patrolling, the 99th probed the Siegfried Line against heavy resistance on 13 December. After the Gulf War, the 99th ARCOM became the 99th Regional Support Command (RSC). Butler held a single platoon of 40 men from Company L in reserve. The 99th RSC's mission was to provide base operations functions for the assigned 13-state Northeast Region. After failing to capture Monschau on the battles second day, the 326th Volksgrenadier Division turned its attention back to Hfen on December 18th. Many historians have written about the famous Buffalo Soldiers of the all-Black 92nd Infantry Division, who fought with distinction during World War II. The battalion also had its own Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, as well as medics and support personnel. . The 3rd Battalion, 395th Infantry, led by Lt. Col. McClernand Butler and 2nd Lt. Col. Roy S. Groffy, occupied the area around Hfen, Germany, on the border with Belgium during early December. 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. Sgt Harold Rutz, 395th Infantry Regiment, M Company. 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. After the battalion was inactivated on 29 September 1945, its colors remained folded for more than fifty years. This assault, like the first, was ground to a halt due to heavy American small arms and artillery fire. The Army operated a program designed to capitalize on the large number of educated and intelligent recruits that were available. At precisely 0530 hours, the forest erupted in an ear shattering German artillery barrage along a 100 mile front. The Germans were not finished with Butlers men, either. Later that night, another enemy assault was similarly unsuccessful. Motto VIGILANS ET CELER (Vigilant and Swift). The largest of the ghettos where Eastern European Jews were first confined and, later, deported to extermination camps by the Nazis was set up in Warsaw, Poland. Butler attended, but did not graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. One Wehrmacht officer captured at Hfen asked his interrogators which unit had defended the town. 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. From 21 December 1944 to 30 January 1945, the unit was engaged in aggressive patrolling and reequipping. It was activated on 1 December 1939. 395 Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division) Report, January 1945. 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. The 99th crossed the Ludwig Canal against stiff resistance and established a bridgehead over the Altmuhl River, 25 April. The 395th Infantry had mostly held their lines, and now with the battle hardened 2nd Infantry Division on the way to back them up, the lines of defense near Elsenborn appeared to be significantly harder to pierce. The 393rd, 394th & 395th were the Infantry Regiments of the 99th Infantry Division. 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. 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. 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. 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. The German 20th Infantry Division was an infantry division of Nazi Germany.HistoryThe was established in 1934 under the cover name. . Good luck with your quest. The Allied victory against the Axis was a long journeyone that actually took much longer than the war itself. They killed Germans coming at them from the front, flanks and rear. Soldiers who were in direct support of the relief efforts were also awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal as a personal award. Cemeteries & Memorials; Burial Search; About Us; Education; Facebook; Twitter; YouTube; Instagram; ABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501. 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 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. Mission of the 395th Infantry Regiment I. Peipers right flank had to be secured and the Americans in that region had to be destroyed. There was no cover. As the American defenders began to assess casualties and ammunition supplies, the 12th SS hit them again. 394th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division), History, January 1945. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. 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. Plans called for the division to include the 393rd, 394th, 395th, and 396th Infantry Regiments. When the Germans finally broke through 3/395s lines and established a foothold in the town, the Americans recaptured the buildings by firing anti-tank guns through the walls. The 99th RRC continued to provide command and control for assigned units and support for the ongoing deployments. Although the enemy resisted fiercely, the Ruhr pocket collapsed with the fall of Iserlohn, on 16 April. 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.
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