Against light resistance, it crossed the Dill River and pushed on to Krofdorf-Gleiberg, taking Giessen 29 March. Troops were fatigued by weeks of continuous combat, Allied supply lines were stretched extremely thin, and supplies were dangerously depleted. No one had anticipated such a rapid Allied advance. 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 regiment assumed occupation duties in Hammelburg and Bad Brckenau until it was shipped home in the summer of 1945. Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at Elsenborn Crest. 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. 394th Infantry Regiment Co. A, first platoon This is my Dad's story. Battle of Elsenborn Ridge - Wikipedia In the northern sector opposite the 99th, this included more than 4,000 deaths and the destruction of 60 tanks and big guns. The statue of the Minute Man, Captain John Parker, (H.H.Kitson, sculptor), stands on the common in Lexington, Massachusetts. [12] For their part, the German army was planning a seven-day campaign to seize Antwerp. The terrain was open and rolling, and over six weeks the 3rd Battalion prepared dug-in positions that possessed good fields of fire. Butler said, "The biggest difficulty in carrying out a night attack is control, and having men who can coordinate well as a team in the dark. The thick forest was tangled with rocky gorges, little streams, and sharp hills. After fighting in the Ruhr area, the unit moved southward into Bavaria, where it was located at the end of the war. 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. The buck's head was used to indicate the allocation of the organization to the mountainous section of Pennsylvania, where deer abound. Battle of the Bulge 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. By the end of the December 16, much of the American front lines in the Ardennes had been broken by the German assault. A few miles to the east lay the Siegfried Line, the enemys final defensive line guarding the German heartland. 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. Grouping from Col. Alexander John Mackenzie, Regimental Commandor of 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 The shield is silver, the old color of Infantry. Told it was the 3rd Battalion, 395th Infantry, he said, "It must have been one of your best formations." Fort Benning | Maneuver Center of Excellence Libraries | MCoE HQ By December 1944, Allied armies had reached the western border of Germany itself. 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. 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. [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. WWII and Park Staff Connections - Eisenhower National Historic - NPS At precisely 0530 hours, the forest erupted in an ear shattering German artillery barrage along a 100 mile front. 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 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. Seth Paridon was a staff historian at The National WWII Museumfrom2005 to 2020. The 99th then moved to Schwarzenau, on 3 April, and attacked the southeast sector of the Ruhr Pocket on the 5th. On the east lay a section of the Monschau Forest. Despite mauling the Germans on their first attempt to take Hfen, 3/395s situation was grim. 394th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division), Medical History, December 1944. The Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) in the European Theater was one of Americas bloodiest campaigns. The camp was newly built, and the barracks were covered in tar paper. 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 . 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. Battle of the Bulge It had its headquarters at Franklin, Pennsylvania, and drew its personnel from Pennsylvania. So I stayed in the village overnight. 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". 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. Although the enemy resisted fiercely, the Ruhr pocket collapsed with the fall of Iserlohn, on 16 April. "[9]:79, The battalion dug in, its purpose to hold the line so that other units could attack key dams across the Roer River. Richard Mills were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. There are nine white squares and nine blue ones, signifying the number 99. They were tasked with moving 10 miles (16km) behind the German lines and cutting the Autobahn to prevent the withdrawal of the Germans. [6][17]:vii. 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. 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. That task fell to the 277th Volksgrenadier Division and the 12th SS Panzer Division. 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. 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. [11], The area around Hfen and Monschau were critical because of the road network that lay behind them. The 99th was selected as one of these new regional support commands. . [14] If the Germans penetrated Hfen, the U.S. soldiers would have to withdraw several miles to the next defensible position.[10]. 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. EN RU CN DE ES. [13], To the north of Hfen lay a paved main road that led through the Monschau Forest, at whose eastern edge it forked. Delbert followed a communication training and became enlisted radio repairman. 394th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Wikipedia 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 99th Infantry Division, comprising the 393rd, 394th, and the 395th Infantry Regiments, arrived in England on 10 October 1944. With ammunition supplies dwindling rapidly, the men obtained German weapons and utilized ammunition obtained from casualties to drive off the persistent foe. During the first day of the Battle of the Bulge, the 3rd Battalion took 19 prisoners and killed an estimated 200 Germans. History | AMEDD Center of History & Heritage Soldiers who were in direct support of the relief efforts were also awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal as a personal award. I never dreamed that we would have a defensive position of this size without any backup or help from our division or regiment. [16], Following the 11 September 2001, terrorist attacks, the 99th mobilized large numbers of Army Reserve Soldiers. 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. 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. Asked why he thought so, he said, "Two reasons: one cold-bloodedness; two efficiency. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. A. Gallagher assumed command for the last few days of the war. The German 20th Infantry Division was an infantry division of Nazi Germany.HistoryThe was established in 1934 under the cover name. 395thIR - 99th Infantry Division German losses were much higher. ABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501 . The regiment arrived at Camp Van Dorn in early December. Two men who had been sent on foot to regimental headquarters to seek reinforcements were later captured. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. There was no cover. "[13] The division continued to attack without opposition to the Inn River and Giesenhausen until VE-day. squares centered on a black shield. 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. Outnumbered five to one, they inflicted casualties in the ratio of 18 to one. 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. 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], After Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, 22 99th units deployed to Saudi Arabia, Europe, and other locations. The 99th battled on to the bridge at Remagen that was taken on March 7th. 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. Honor Roll - 99th Infantry Division Under the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress Sign up for our newsletter and receive the mighty updates! [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. The concentration camp was one of the "forest camps" (Waldlager) tied to the Mhldorf camp complex. The unit reported on May 4 that it had "liberated 3 labor camps and 1 concentration camp." The division was chiefly manned with graduates of the ROTC programs of the Carnegie Institute of Technology, Duquesne University. The unit crossed the Altmuhl River on 25 April, the Danube River on 27 April, and the Isar River on 30 April. The regiment helped to capture the Ruhr Pocket, where thousands of German troops and hundreds of German vehicles were captured. [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 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. What was left of the 99ers in and around Rocherath appeared to be doomed, and like the calvary in Western movies, salvation appeared in the forms of infantry from the 2nd Division and incredibly heavy artillery fire that dropped onto the Germans like rain. 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. The battalion was badly outnumbered and nearly surrounded. 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. 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. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. 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. The division was reconstituted in the Organized Reserve on 24 June 1921 and assigned to the western half of the state of Pennsylvania. Peipers right flank had to be secured and the Americans in that region had to be destroyed. The 99th RSC continued to support operations in the Balkan Republics while providing refuge to those fleeing Kosovo as they sought temporary recovery in the United States. 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. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. 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. His World War II story. 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. Sgt. The 395th were moved by train and truck, and finally by foot, to front line positions near the German town of Hfen a few kilometers west of the Siegfried Line and near the Belgium-German border. The three heavy German assaults had worn down the ammunition supply, particularly that of the machine gunners, and had left the defenders mostly helpless. A member of the 395th Infantry Regiment , the photographer captured an amazing scene through the lens of this camera in these images. provides support December 1944. This did not turn out to be true. 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]. 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. It is believed that Delbert was transferred to the 395th Infantry Regiment at some point. There Major Butler collapsed due to exhaustion on 30 April, and Lt. Col. J. 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. 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. [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). Gen. von Manteuffel, commander of the 5th Panzer Army, stated in the address to his troops prior to the attack that "our ground mission must be continuous; otherwise we will not achieve our goal". The insignia was devised upon the 99th's formation in 1942 when the division was headquartered in the city of Pittsburgh. In early December, much of the Allied forces were established in a general defensive line from the North Sea to the Swiss border. 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 division headquarters was organized in November 1921. The stiff American defense prevented the Germans from reaching the vast array of supplies near the Belgian cities of Lige and Spa and the road network west of the Elsenborn Ridge leading to the Meuse River. Originally planned as a Pennsylvania unit, the horizontal band of white and blue. Hfen remained in American handsfor now. The 395th Regiment's success earned it many difficult assignments. These two German divisions directed their fury against the 395th early on the morning of the December 17. Forests, by nature, are eerily quiet at night. They killed Germans coming at them from the front, flanks and rear. Accurate estimates of German wounded were not possible, but about 20 percent of the 326th Volksgrenadier Division were lost. The 5th replaced the 4 th Infantry Division on December 23 rd, and pushed the Germans back to the Sauer River. From Camp Van Dorn they were transferred to the more established Camp Maxey in Paris, Texas for additional training. 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. The 99th Infantry Division, on December 12, . The shield is silver, the old color of Infantry. 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. As the American defenders began to assess casualties and ammunition supplies, the 12th SS hit them again. Attached below the shield a silver scroll inscribed "VIGILANS ET CELER" in Black letters.[21]. George Co 2/395-IR (99-ID) Schleiden - Germany December 1944 394th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division), History, January 1945. [14], The 99th as a whole, outnumbered five to one, inflicted casualties in the ratio of eighteen to one. Not so in the pre-dawn hours of December 16 in the Ardennes Forest. The 5 th Infantry Division was moved from Saarlautern, Luxembourg to the area of south and southwest of Echternach. Table of Contents. It was credited with destroying "seventy-five percent of three German infantry regiments." [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. The lines were then moved back to form defensive positions east of Elsenborn Ridge on the 19th. 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 99th Infantry Division was recognized as a liberating unit by the US Army's Center of Military History and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1992. In the pre-dawn hours of December 16th, Hitlers final major offensive began. About: 395th Infantry Regiment (United States) - dbpedia.org Originally planned as a Pennsylvania unit, 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. In March 1945, the 99th advanced into the Rhineland, crossing the Rhine River at Remagen on March 11. 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. 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. The battalion also had its own Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, as well as medics and support personnel. It was redesignated with description updated, for the 395th Regiment on 7 June 1999. 395th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry . 197th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) - Wikipedia In 1975, the 99th ARCOM moved its headquarters to Oakdale, Pennsylvania. This was the road network the Germans needed to meet their objectives. The Army operated a program designed to capitalize on the large number of educated and intelligent recruits that were available. 395th Infantry Regiment 99th Infantry Division The men carried out missions without orders when their positions were penetrated or infiltrated. [16], On 16 July 2003, the command was redesignated as the 99th Regional Readiness Command, placing additional emphasis on training, readiness, and mobilization. [16] The accurate fire from the 12 3-inch guns of A Company, 612th Tank Destroyer Battalion, was instrumental in keeping German tanks from advancing. 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. represents the iron district of Pennsylvania. 395th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Wikiwand A group of photos from his wartime, unfortenately we have not been able to. 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. The Germans would never take Hfen, nor most of their other ambitious objectives in the Ardennes, due in large part to the soldiers of 3/395 and the 99th ID as a whole. : 33 On at least six occasions they called in . When I got to Hfen, I found the area too big to cover in one afternoon. Shield The 395th Infantry, Organized Reserves, was organized in 1921. [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. Medical Detachment, 395th Infantry A. P. O. The Battle of the Bulge was the largest battle ever fought by the United States Army. 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.. That was not the case for the Americans near Elsenborn. Crossing on the 23d, it pushed east on the Koln-Frankfurt highway to Giessen. 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. An overwhelming majority of them were women and children. A 105mm artillery piece from the 2nd Infantry Div. [14] The first town they were tasked with capturing was Bergheim, "the door to the Rhine." In January 2003, the 99th RSC started mobilizing units for projected operations in Iraq. 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 Battles for Elsenborn Ridge Part II | The National WWII Museum On 25 October 1981, the entire platoon was recognized with a Presidential Unit Citation. He returned to Illinois and in 1933 was commissioned a second lieutenant in the National Guard. Family lore, The 99th Infantry Division Artefacts Collection. and the situation was desperate. Crest That for the regiments and separate battalions of the Army Reserve: From a wreath Argent and Azure, the Lexington Minute Man Proper. 395th Regiment - U.S. Army Center of Military History 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. "[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. In early December, the front was unusually calm and the weather was bone-chilling cold. Butler's uncle, General Edward J. McClernand, fought in the Indian Wars and was awarded the Medal of Honor. 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. When told it was 3/395, the prisoner replied, It must be one of your best formations.. After clearing towns west of the Rhine, it crossed the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen on the 11th. 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. Lieutenant Colonel McClernand Butler, commander of 3/395. German troops pass burning American equipment during the Ardennes offensive. 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. The 395th's casualties were extremely light: four dead, seven wounded, and four men missing. 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. 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. Fourteen of the 18 platoon members were wounded, while only one soldier, a member of the artillery observation team, was killed. Gallagher (1 May 1945 29 September 1945), Organized Reserves redesignated 25 March 1948 as the Organized Reserve Corps; redesignated 9 July 1952 as the Army Reserve, Relieved 29 October 1998 from assignment to the 99th Infantry Division, Redesignated 17 October 1999 as the 395th Regiment and reorganized to consist of the 1st, 2d, and 3d Battalions, elements of the. 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