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. The war was over six days later.[6]. Richard Mills were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. 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. 395th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division | American Battle [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. 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. This did not turn out to be true. The Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) in the European Theater was one of Americas bloodiest campaigns. The success of the defense of the twin villages would be short-lived if ammunition was not resupplied. 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. 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. [14] The first town they were tasked with capturing was Bergheim, "the door to the Rhine." The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. The National WWII Museum Digital Collections. 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. [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. and the situation was desperate. The buck's head was used to indicate the allocation of the organization to the mountainous section of Pennsylvania, where deer abound. Pennsylvania State College, and the Pennsylvania Military College. 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. But the infantry often bore worse casualties than the tanks did and had to be replaced and reinforced more quickly. Battle of the Bulge In the northern sector opposite the 99th, this included more than 4,000 deaths and the destruction of 60 tanks and big guns. It attacked toward the Monschau Forest, on 1 February, mopping up and patrolling until it was relieved for training and rehabilitation, on 13 February. 395th Infantry Regiment (united States) - Encyclopedia Information 99th Infantry Division Historical Society 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 The 1st Battalion was positioned on the right. 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. The three regiments of the 99th IDthe 393rd, 394th, & 395th Infantry Regimentswere thinly spread across this frigid but quiet portion of the front. [14] If the Germans penetrated Hfen, the U.S. soldiers would have to withdraw several miles to the next defensible position.[10]. 395th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Infogalactic: the planetary The failure to breach the 99th IDs sector stalled the entire German advance and a decisive breakthrough was never achieved. 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. This page was last edited on 11 March 2022, at 19:44. Due in part to the 99th Infantry Division, this ground mission has not been continuous, and he will not achieve his goal[15]. 395 Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division) Report, January 1945. By 17 December, German military planners knew that their objectives along the Elsenborn Ridge would not be taken as soon as planned. It was credited with destroying "seventy-five percent of three German infantry regiments." 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. 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. [1] The 99th Infantry Division, the "Checkerboard" division, gained its nickname from the division's insignia. Butler's great-grandfather, General John Alexander McClernand, commanded infantry during the Civil War. The town of Kuckhof cost the battalion dearly, with more than fifty casualties inflicted on one company alone (I Company). 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. 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 National WWII Museum Digital Collections. The 14th Armored Division and the Liberation of Stalag VIIA 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. Peipers right flank had to be secured and the Americans in that region had to be destroyed. [2] Historian John S.D. Butler held a single platoon of 40 men from Company L in reserve. Wendell Clark - 99th Infantry Division squares centered on a black shield. The Germans threw wave after wave of infantry, and a unit of panzers, at the town. 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. 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. 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. Under the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress Sign up for our newsletter and receive the mighty updates! During the heavy fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, the unit suffered many casualties, yet tenaciously held its defensive position. This was the most southern area of the Battle of the Bulge. 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. 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 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. And while the defense of the crossroads of hell was gallant to be sure, it was not the back breaker that most people assume it to have been. Up to that point, the Army had married a battalion of tanks to a battalion of infantry in support of the tanks. [6][17]:vii. 395th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Wikiwand 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 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. In the pre-dawn hours of December 16th, Hitlers final major offensive began. 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. [15], The 395th hit the attacking Germans with such terrific small arms and machine gun fire that the Germand couldn't even remove their dead and wounded in their rapid retreat. It then intersected a main eastwest road at Bullingen. 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]. At the going down of the sun And in the morning We will remember them." 324th Engineer Combat Battalion Albertson Dale W Bass Robert D Brown Edwin C Busk . The concentration camp was one of the "forest camps" (Waldlager) tied to the Mhldorf camp complex. Troops were fatigued by weeks of continuous combat, Allied supply lines were stretched extremely thin, and supplies were dangerously depleted. Category: 395th Infantry Regiment Lt. Col. Henry B. Koon Sr. Special Troops "[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. 504-528-1944, Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, Black Volunteer Infantry Platoons in World War II, Kasserine Pass: German Offensive, American Victory, The Top 5 Veteran Research Questions: Where to Go and What to Know, Gallantry against Great Odds: LTC George Marshall and Operation RESERVIST, Prelude to Liberation: Genesis of American Amphibious Assault in the ETO, Black Thursday October 14, 1943: The Second Schweinfurt Bombing Raid, An Exercise in Depravity: The Establishment of the Warsaw Ghetto, Unsung Witnesses of the Battle of Stalingrad. The 99th RSC was awarded the Army Superior Unit Award on 9 May 2016 by the US Army Human Resources Command for its role in the relief support after Hurricane Sandy, from 29 October 2012 thru 31 March 2013. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. "[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 unit's distinctive shoulder patch consisted of a five-sided shield of black on which is superimposed a horizontal band of white and blue squares. 394th Infantry Regiment Co. A, first platoon This is my Dad's story. 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. Those Germans who made it into the town itself were quickly mopped up. The 395th was held in the United States until more room was available for the unit to enter Europe. [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. [8], That is three to four times wider than recommended by Army textbooks. Excited to share my latest group in the 99th Infantry Division collection. Told it was the 3rd Battalion, 395th Infantry, he said, "It must have been one of your best formations." 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.". 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. 2nd and 3rd Battalion cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in the Ardennes. It had its headquarters at Franklin, Pennsylvania, and drew its personnel from Pennsylvania. The remainder of the battalion reached the Rhine River on that same day and crossed the Remagen Bridge which four days after being captured was still being shelled by German artillery. commanders. Hfen-Monschau was vital to the operations success because the nearby road junctions would enable rapid movement of tanks. 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 unit crossed the Altmuhl River on 25 April, the Danube River on 27 April, and the Isar River on 30 April. When told it was 3/395, the prisoner replied, It must be one of your best formations.. The 99th Infantry Division, comprising the 393rd, 394th, and the 395th Infantry Regiments, arrived in England on 10 October 1944. 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. Fort Benning | Maneuver Center of Excellence Libraries | MCoE HQ The 99th RSC's mission was to provide base operations functions for the assigned 13-state Northeast Region. "[9]:1738 On at least six occasions they called in artillery strikes on or directly in front of their own positions. Grouping from Col. Alexander John Mackenzie, Regimental Commandor of 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. 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]. April 13th, 1945 - 99th Division, 395th Infantry Regiment, in the Ruhr Forests, by nature, are eerily quiet at night. On 1 February 1944, Major Butler assumed command of the 3rd Battalion, 395th Regiment. On 2 March 1945, the division took the offensive, moving toward Cologne and crossing the Erft Canal near Glesch. 395th Infantry Regiment (United States) | Detailed Pedia The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. No division commander was appointed during the organization's brief existence. German Panzer tanks en route to the Ardennes. Many of the 99th Division's best soldiers were products of the ill-fated ASTP program. 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. Allied forces were fighting their way across France, and fresh units were badly needed in autumn 1944 to continue to press the offensive. 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 . Score: 4.8/5 (10 votes) . The Battle of the Bulge was the largest battle ever fought by the United States Army. In early December, much of the Allied forces were established in a general defensive line from the North Sea to the Swiss border. The regiment helped to capture the Ruhr Pocket, where thousands of German troops and hundreds of German vehicles were captured. Hfen, along with the nearby town of Monschau, was strategically vital because it sat on elevated terrain overlooking an important road junction. 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). Formerly nicknamed the "Checkerboard Division," which referred to its shoulder patch, in late 1944 having not yet seen battle, the division was nicknamed the "Battle Babies. The 5th replaced the 4 th Infantry Division on December 23 rd, and pushed the Germans back to the Sauer River. 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. His World War II story. After fighting in the Ruhr area, the unit moved southward into Bavaria, where it was located at the end of the war. The 393rd, 394th & 395th were the Infantry Regiments of the 99th Infantry Division. They were tasked with moving 10 miles (16km) behind the German lines and cutting the Autobahn to prevent the withdrawal of the Germans. On 28 April the 14th Armored Division, commanded by MG Albert C. Smith, crossed the Danube River at Ingolstadt, and passed through the 86th Infantry Division, which had established a bridgehead on the previous day, with the mission of securing crossings of the Isar River at Moosburg and Landshut. 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 enemy artillery was so intense that communications were generally out. [4], The 395th, entrenched along the "International Road" and Elsenborn Ridge, forced the Germans to commit and sacrifice many of their infantrymen and expose their armored formations to withering artillery fire. German losses were much higher. History | AMEDD Center of History & Heritage - United States Army 395th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry . In 1975, the 99th ARCOM moved its headquarters to Oakdale, Pennsylvania. 99th Infantry Division - U.S. Army Center of Military History In March 1945, the 99th advanced into the Rhineland, crossing the Rhine River at Remagen on March 11. As the American defenders began to assess casualties and ammunition supplies, the 12th SS hit them again. The 3rd Battalion received a Presidential Unit Citation for its actions around Hfen from 16 to 19 December. Due to the dwindling attendance over the years, the decision was made to hold the final convention in 2011. Ehrenfried-Oskar Bge. The 99th Infantry Division Artefacts Collection. The 10 geographically-based RRCs, including the 99th, were inactivated and replaced with four regional base operations commands. This, however, was the moment that Hitlers master plan collided headfirst with American fortitude. 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. The 395th's casualties were extremely light: four dead, seven wounded, and four men missing. The division was destroyed near Vitebsk during the Soviet Vitebsk-Orsha Offensive of Operation Bagration in the summer of 1944. Asked why he thought so, he said, "Two reasons: one cold-bloodedness; two efficiency. Crossing on the 23d, it pushed east on the Koln-Frankfurt highway to Giessen. Despite fatigue, constant enemy shelling, and ever-increasing enemy pressure, the Third Battalion guarded a 6,000 yards (5,500m)-long front and destroyed 75 percent of three German infantry regiments. 394th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Wikipedia
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