395th infantry regiment 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. [1] Just south of Hfen, the lines of the 99th entered this forest, ran through a long belt of timber to the boundary between the V and VIII Corps at the Losheim Gap. and the situation was desperate. The Germans, moving across illuminated open ground without cover, fell by the hundreds against the murderous American fire. 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. The 38th Cavalry Squadron (led by Lt. Col. Robert E. O'Brien) was deployed to the north along the railroad track between Mutzenich and Konzen station. 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. The concentration camp was one of the "forest camps" (Waldlager) tied to the Mhldorf camp complex. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. The three heavy German assaults had worn down the ammunition supply, particularly that of the machine gunners, and had left the defenders mostly helpless. There Major Butler collapsed due to exhaustion on 30 April, and Lt. Col. J. The war was over six days later.[6]. EN. The 99th RRC continued to provide command and control for assigned units and support for the ongoing deployments. On 25 October 1981, the entire platoon was recognized with a Presidential Unit Citation. 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. 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. A. Gallagher assumed command for the last few days of the war. 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. In the opening days of the Battle of the Bulge, Robert's regiment was on the front lines in the Losheim Gap. Field Artillery Battalions were the 370th, 371st, 372nd & the 924th. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. Due in part to the 99th Infantry Division, this ground mission has not been continuous, and he will not achieve his goal[15]. 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. 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. EN RU CN DE ES. Inactivated: 15 October 1945, Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 99th Infantry Division Artillery, 99th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized), Headquarters, Special Troops, 99th Infantry Division, Headquarters Company, 99th Infantry Division, 99th Counterintelligence Corps Detachment, 20 December 1944: Attached, with the entire First Army, to the, 7 January 1945: Relieved from attachment to the 2nd Infantry Division and assigned to V Corps, First Army (attached to the British 21st Army Group), 12th Army Group, 18 January 1945: V Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group, This page was last edited on 2 January 2023, at 13:21. [8], That is three to four times wider than recommended by Army textbooks. On 17 September 2008, the 99th Regional Support Command was activated at Fort Dix, N.J. commanders. [6][17]:vii. While the 99th was fully involved in this large mobilization, the headquarters moved to Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. 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. 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 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. Dad proudly told that the 99th was the first complete unit cross the Remagen Bridge on March 9th or 10th. No reserves were available . 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 Legacy of the 99th Infantry Division: Our Artifacts Collection The 99th Infantry Division Historical Society is dedicated to preserving, Discovering the Legacy of a WW2 Soldier: Tips and Tricks Are you interested in learning more about a WW2 veteran, They shall not grow old, As we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, Nor the years, Dean F. Gilbert was a membert of 3rd Platoon, L Company,394th Infantry Regiment. The citation read: During the German offensive in the Ardennes, the Third Battalion in the 395th Infantry, was assigned the mission of holding the Monschau-Eupen-Liege Road. [14] The first town they were tasked with capturing was Bergheim, "the door to the Rhine." 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. 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. [citation needed]. 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. 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 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. [16], On 16 July 2003, the command was redesignated as the 99th Regional Readiness Command, placing additional emphasis on training, readiness, and mobilization. The inexperienced troops of the division were lodged on the northern shoulder of the Ardennes Offensive on 16 December. As the tanks neared Krinkelt, they plowed right through elements of the 2nd Infantry Division, many of whom had arrived literally moments earlier to reinforce their brothers who had earlier reinforced the 99ers. The coat of arms was originally approved for the 395th Regiment Infantry, Organized Reserves on 15 June 1931. Mission of the 395th Infantry Regiment Allies and former enemy Germany mark 75th anniversary of Battle of Battle of the Bulge: WWII vets travel to Belgium for 75th anniversary. The 99th Infantry Division received recruits from the ASTP program (Army Specialized Training Program, to make up for the personnel shortages in front line units during 1944. The 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. . The 395th Infantry, Organized Reserves, was organized in 1921. The 393rd, 394th & 395th were the Infantry Regiments of the 99th Infantry Division. German assaults in the heavily wooded area in front of the villages pushed the 99ers out of the woods and caused them to flee, many in disarray, back through the twin villages of Krinkelt and Rocherath behind them. The 395th Regiment's success earned it many difficult assignments. [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. On 2 March 1945, the division took the offensive, moving toward Cologne and crossing the Erft Canal near Glesch. There was no cover. It was redesignated with description updated, for the 395th Regiment on 7 June 1999. [16], On 23 Dec. 1996, the 99th RSC mobilized the first of six units for deployment to Operation Joint Endeavor in support of peacekeeping missions in Bosnia. Peipers right flank had to be secured and the Americans in that region had to be destroyed. Although the enemy resisted fiercely, the Ruhr pocket collapsed with the fall of Iserlohn, on 16 April. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. 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. Ehrenfried-Oskar Bge. [11], The area around Hfen and Monschau were critical because of the road network that lay behind them. Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at the Siegfried Line. It was like a golf course, so I used the night for concealment."[6]. This page was last edited on 11 March 2022, at 19:44. The division insignia is a three lined checkerboard design of blue and white In March 1945, the 99th advanced into the Rhineland, crossing the Rhine River at Remagen on March 11. Many of the 99th Division's best soldiers were products of the ill-fated ASTP program. While the supply situation improved in October, the manpower situation was still critical. Ordered into active military service: 15 November 1942 Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. 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. [4], Distinguished Service Cross (United States), "Lineage And Honors Information, 395th Regiment Lineage", "World War II: Interview with Lieutenant Colonel McClernand Butler", "The Operations of the 3rd Battalion, 395th Infantry (99th Infantry Division) Prior to and During the German Counter-Offensive, 10November 24 December 1944 (Ardennes Campaign) (Personal Experience of a Company Commander and Battalion Operations Officer)", "Why the Bulge Didn't Break: Green Troops Grew Up Fast to Become Heroes of Hofen", "The Battle of the Bulge Part II Holding the Line (review)", "Chapter 5: The Ardennes, the Battle of the Bulge", "Battle of the Bulge: U.S. During the heavy fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, the unit suffered many casualties, yet tenaciously held its defensive position. 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. By the end of the December 16, much of the American front lines in the Ardennes had been broken by the German assault. On the east lay a section of the Monschau Forest. 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. 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. 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 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. Sgt. the horizontal band of white and blue squares was adopted from the coat of arms After the battalion was inactivated on 29 September 1945, its colors remained folded for more than fifty years. Some toppled directly into US foxholes as American troops engaged them at point-blank range. Category: 395th Infantry Regiment Lt. Col. Henry B. Koon Sr. Special Troops Butler held a single platoon of 40 men from Company L in reserve. 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. In 1975, the 99th ARCOM moved its headquarters to Oakdale, Pennsylvania. 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 99th Division was constituted at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, on 23 July 1918. Captain Ned Nelson, veteran of 3/395 and the battle at Hfen. The division was reconstituted in the Organized Reserve on 24 June 1921 and assigned to the western half of the state of Pennsylvania. Fourteen of the 18 platoon members were wounded, while only one soldier, a member of the artillery observation team, was killed. The men carried out missions without orders when their positions were penetrated or infiltrated. 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. He found that his 600 riflemen were assigned an extremely large area about 6,000 yards (5,500m) long without any units in reserve. [17]:51, On another day, the 3rd Battalion took 50 Germans prisoner and killed or wounded more than 800 Germans, losing only five dead and seven wounded themselves. 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. The battalion was badly outnumbered and nearly surrounded. Lieutenant Colonel McClernand Butler, commander of 3/395. 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. [16], Following the 11 September 2001, terrorist attacks, the 99th mobilized large numbers of Army Reserve Soldiers. 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. Two men who had been sent on foot to regimental headquarters to seek reinforcements were later captured. [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. After the Gulf War, the 99th ARCOM became the 99th Regional Support Command (RSC). 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 Subscribe to 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division Footer menu. The division lost about 20% of its effective strength, including 465 killed and 2,524 evacuated due to wounds, injuries, fatigue, or trench foot. [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's casualties were extremely light: four dead, seven wounded, and four men missing. The Allied victory against the Axis was a long journeyone that actually took much longer than the war itself. It is believed that Delbert was transferred to the 395th Infantry Regiment at some point. The division was destroyed near Vitebsk during the Soviet Vitebsk-Orsha Offensive of Operation Bagration in the summer of 1944. Soldiers who were in direct support of the relief efforts were also awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal as a personal award. When told it was 3/395, the prisoner replied, It must be one of your best formations.. At precisely 0530 hours, the forest erupted in an ear shattering German artillery barrage along a 100 mile front. 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. The unit reported on May 4 that it had "liberated 3 labor camps and 1 concentration camp." On 22 December 1967, the 99th Army Reserve Command (ARCOM) was activated. 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. One Wehrmacht officer captured at Hfen asked his interrogators which unit had defended the town. 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. Battle of the Bulge So I stayed in the village overnight. Due to the dwindling attendance over the years, the decision was made to hold the final convention in 2011. 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. They inflicted disproportionate casualties on the Germans, and were one of the only units that did not give ground during the Battle of the Bulge. [5] The 99th boarded ships bound for England on 10 October 1944 and briefly stayed at Camp Marabout, Dorchester, England. 3/395 greeted the Volksgrenadiers with a punishing hail of bullets, mortars, and artillery. They continued to fight even as the American press trumpeted the rapid crumbling of German resistance. 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 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. Pennsylvania State College, and the Pennsylvania Military College. 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. 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. [14], The 99th as a whole, outnumbered five to one, inflicted casualties in the ratio of eighteen to one. 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. 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. Hfen remained in American handsfor now. I decided to stage the night attack at Bergheim because my troops would be going across an open area about 500 yards (460m) long and 400 yards (370m) wide.