The 5th replaced the 4 th Infantry Division on December 23 rd, and pushed the Germans back to the Sauer River. When hostilities ceased on 7 May 1945, the regiment had during six months of fighting experienced 300 percent turnover due to casualties. In the opening days of the Battle of the Bulge, Robert's regiment was on the front lines in the Losheim Gap. [14], The 99th as a whole, outnumbered five to one, inflicted casualties in the ratio of eighteen to one. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. 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. 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. Outnumbered five to one, they inflicted casualties in the ratio of 18 to one. 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. 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. There Major Butler collapsed due to exhaustion on 30 April, and Lt. Col. J. 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. [6][17]:vii. Notable. Still, some German assaults penetrated American lines near the town of Hofen where they were eventually captured after retreating into houses in the town. Some toppled directly into US foxholes as American troops engaged them at point-blank range. 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 . 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 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. [12] For their part, the German army was planning a seven-day campaign to seize Antwerp. As many as half a million civilians remained in Stalingrad when the Germans approached in the late summer of 1942. It had its headquarters at Franklin, Pennsylvania, and drew its personnel from Pennsylvania. It then intersected a main eastwest road at Bullingen. 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. Plans called for the division to include the 393rd, 394th, 395th, and 396th Infantry Regiments. Peipers right flank had to be secured and the Americans in that region had to be destroyed. 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. Field Artillery Battalions were the 370th, 371st, 372nd & the 924th. 3/395 greeted the Volksgrenadiers with a punishing hail of bullets, mortars, and artillery. 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. [7]:3, Col. Butler went ahead to look over the area they were assigned to defend. This assault, like the first, was ground to a halt due to heavy American small arms and artillery fire. In the northern sector opposite the 99th, this included more than 4,000 deaths and the destruction of 60 tanks and big guns. info@nationalww2museum.org The 99th Infantry's report stated that 1,500 Jews were "living under terrible conditions and approximately 600 required hospitalization due to starvation and disease.". [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. During the first day of the Battle of the Bulge, the 3rd Battalion took 19 prisoners and killed an estimated 200 Germans. Troops Fight at Elsenburn Ridge", "Bob Galloway, the Battle of the Bulge, and the 99th Infantry Division", "Heidelberg staff retraces historical Battle of the Bulge route", United States Army Center of Military History, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=395th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)&oldid=1076569987, 395th Infantry Regiment: Lt. Col. Griffin, 3rd Battalion: Lt. Col. McClernand Butler (1 November 1942 30 April 1945) Lt. Col. J.A. 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. The insignia was devised upon the 99th's formation in 1942 when the division was headquartered in the city of Pittsburgh. The combination of no ammunition and heavy German armor caused the American lines to fold, like a dam bursting. 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. The regiment arrived at Camp Van Dorn in early December. [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. 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. Hfen, along with the nearby town of Monschau, was strategically vital because it sat on elevated terrain overlooking an important road junction. Several photos from the private collection of the family of Dean F. THE EARLY YEARS Joseph Richard Evans (Dick) was born on October 17, 1920 to Charles E. Evansand Wenonah (nee Muirhead/Miller)in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. 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 unit crossed the Altmuhl River on 25 April, the Danube River on 27 April, and the Isar River on 30 April. Richard Mills were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. A member of the 395th Infantry Regiment , the photographer captured an amazing scene through the lens of this camera in these images. "[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. The unit was inactivated after World War II, then became a reserve unit, and was redesignated as the 395th Regiment in 1999. Accurate estimates of German wounded were not possible, but about 20 percent of the 326th Volksgrenadier Division were lost. The 99th Infantry Division, comprising the 393rd, 394th, and the 395th Infantry Regiments, arrived in England on 10 October 1944. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. 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. [1] After defensive patrolling, the 99th probed the Siegfried Line against heavy resistance on 13 December. 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. 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. "[9]:1738 On at least six occasions they called in artillery strikes on or directly in front of their own positions. 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. 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). [16], Following the 11 September 2001, terrorist attacks, the 99th mobilized large numbers of Army Reserve Soldiers. The Germans were operating under a tight timetable, however, and the assaults center of gravitythe 6th Panzer Armyhad only one day to breach the 99th IDs line. of William Pitt for whom the city of Pittsburgh was named. From Camp Maxey they took a train to Camp Myles Standish outside Boston. "[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. 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. Seth Paridon was a staff historian at The National WWII Museumfrom2005 to 2020. The 395th Regiment's success earned it many difficult assignments. Good luck with your quest. In early December, the front was unusually calm and the weather was bone-chilling cold. 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 10 geographically-based RRCs, including the 99th, were inactivated and replaced with four regional base operations commands. Excited to share my latest group in the 99th Infantry Division collection. 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 distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 395th Regiment Infantry, Organized Reserves on 16 June 1931. 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. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during 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. [2], Because of the success of the 395th and the 99th, the Americans maintained effective freedom to maneuver across the north flank of the German's line of advance and continually limited the success of the German offensive. He returned to Illinois and in 1933 was commissioned a second lieutenant in the National Guard. [11], The area around Hfen and Monschau were critical because of the road network that lay behind them. Due to the dwindling attendance over the years, the decision was made to hold the final convention in 2011. The terrain was open and rolling, and over six weeks the 3rd Battalion prepared dug-in positions that possessed good fields of fire. [8], That is three to four times wider than recommended by Army textbooks. Location of the 99th ID sector (red box) on a map of the Bulge. The 12th SS pushed through the woods and probed the villages at around 1100 hours. Although the enemy resisted fiercely, the Ruhr pocket collapsed with the fall of Iserlohn, on 16 April. While the 99th was fully involved in this large mobilization, the headquarters moved to Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. 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. squares centered on a black shield. 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 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. [citation needed]. Even the most hardened veteran occasionally thinks he hears twigs snap, boots crush snow or other odd noises that can cause nerves to fray. Despite fatigue, constant enemy shelling, and ever-increasing enemy pressure, [they] guarded a 6,000-yard front and destroyed 75 percent of three German infantry regiments.. The National WWII Museum Digital Collections. 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. An overwhelming majority of them were women and children. Hfen-Monschau was vital to the operations success because the nearby road junctions would enable rapid movement of tanks. That task fell to the 277th Volksgrenadier Division and the 12th SS Panzer Division. "Blue" was the code word for the 3rd battalion under Army infantry's triangular organization. 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. 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. 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. 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. The shield is silver, the old color of Infantry. The town of Kuckhof cost the battalion dearly, with more than fifty casualties inflicted on one company alone (I Company). 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. No reserves were available . The failure to breach the 99th IDs sector stalled the entire German advance and a decisive breakthrough was never achieved. Infanterie-Division) was a German division in World War II. Captain Ned Nelson, veteran of 3/395 and the battle at Hfen. The statue of the Minute Man, Captain John Parker, (H.H.Kitson, sculptor), stands on the common in Lexington, Massachusetts. When three hours later a third SS assault hit the defenders, it too was stopped. ", The 99th Infantry Division, outnumbered five to one, inflicted estimated casualties on the Germans in the ratio of eighteen to one. They were tasked with moving 10 miles (16km) behind the German lines and cutting the Autobahn to prevent the withdrawal of the Germans. Richard V. Horrell WW 2 Connections, Aug 6, 2010 #6 Buten42 Member Joined: Jun 27, 2009 Messages: 1,287 Likes Received: 210 Location: Washington State 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 regiment was organized with three battalions, each containing three rifle companies and a weapons company armed with .30 caliber and .50 caliber machine guns. The ferocious assault caught the Allies off-guard and the rapid German advance famously caused a bulge on Allied maps. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. Below are the top five veteran research questions, where to go for further resources, and how to begin your search. "[9]:79, The battalion dug in, its purpose to hold the line so that other units could attack key dams across the Roer River. [18], As the battle ensued, small units, company and less in size, often acting independently, conducted fierce local counterattacks and mounted stubborn defenses, frustrating the German's plans for a rapid advance, and badly upsetting their timetable. The 99th was selected as one of these new regional support commands. 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. 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]. [4] Lt. Col. Butler retired from the Army on 14 January 1946 and worked for the phone company for the rest of his career. Told it was the 3rd Battalion, 395th Infantry, he said, "It must have been one of your best formations." But the infantry often bore worse casualties than the tanks did and had to be replaced and reinforced more quickly. Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at the Siegfried Line. The enemy artillery was so intense that communications were generally out. The lines were then moved back to form defensive positions east of Elsenborn Ridge on the 19th. The last drive began on 23 April. Originally planned as a Pennsylvania unit, the horizontal band of white and blue. ABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501 A group of photos from his wartime, unfortenately we have not been able to. The division insignia is a three lined checkerboard design of blue and white squares centered on a black shield. These two German divisions directed their fury against the 395th early on the morning of the December 17. [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. After fighting in the Ruhr area, the unit moved southward into Bavaria, where it was located at the end of the war. Despite mauling the Germans on their first attempt to take Hfen, 3/395s situation was grim. Akins, Thomas W. MAJ, "Operations of Company "E", 442nd Infantry Regiment, Attached to 92nd Division, at San Terenzo, Italy, 20-23 April 1945" (Po Valley Campaign) Albright, Barry E. CPT, "Operations of the 2nd Battalion, 508th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, in the Invasion of Normandy, 5-13 June 1944" (Normandy Campaign. [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. "In two cases, the enemy fell in the BAR gunners' foxholes. With ammunition supplies dwindling rapidly, the men obtained German weapons and utilized ammunition obtained from casualties to drive off the persistent foe. The real crusher to the German offensive plans in the Ardennes occurred 46 miles north east of Bastogne, in a small area consisting of a copse of small villages and a piece of high ground called Elsenborn Ridge. [13], German prisoners captured during the Battle of the Bulge volunteered praise of the 99th's effective defense of Hfen. 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. More often than not, the noises thought to have been heard arent anything at all, and the forest resumes its eerie silence. Fourteen of the 18 platoon members were wounded, while only one soldier, a member of the artillery observation team, was killed. After the battalion was inactivated on 29 September 1945, its colors remained folded for more than fifty years. The Army operated a program designed to capitalize on the large number of educated and intelligent recruits that were available. 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 unit reported on May 4 that it had "liberated 3 labor camps and 1 concentration camp." 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. The division lost about 20% of its effective strength, including 465 killed and 2,524 evacuated due to wounds, injuries, fatigue, or trench foot. [10], Around Hfen, which the 395th defended, the ground was marked with open hills. Alexander John Mackenzie was born in New York City, 22 February 1895, the son of Alexina and Kenneth M. 99th Infantry Division soldiers putting up a winterized squad hut. The regiment helped to capture the Ruhr Pocket, where thousands of German troops and hundreds of German vehicles were captured. 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 Allied victory against the Axis was a long journeyone that actually took much longer than the war itself. On 17 September 2008, the 99th Regional Support Command was activated at Fort Dix, N.J. Hfen, along with the nearby town of Monschau, was strategically vital because it sat on elevated terrain overlooking an important road junction. 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 Infantry Division Artefacts Collection. [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. 394th Infantry Regiment Co. A, first platoon This is my Dad's story.
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