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. [12] The 99th Infantry's after action report stated they found 1,500 Jews "living under terrible conditions and approximately 600 required hospitalization due to starvation and disease. 394th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division), History, January 1945. From Camp Maxey they took a train to Camp Myles Standish outside Boston. From Camp Van Dorn they were transferred to the more established Camp Maxey in Paris, Texas for additional training. The 99th Infantry Division, comprising the 393rd, 394th, and the 395th Infantry Regiments, arrived in England on 10 October 1944. 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. represents the iron district of Pennsylvania. 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. 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. The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 395th Regiment Infantry, Organized Reserves on 16 June 1931. Due to the dwindling attendance over the years, the decision was made to hold the final convention in 2011. 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. In early December, the front was unusually calm and the weather was bone-chilling cold. "In two cases, the enemy fell in the BAR gunners' foxholes. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. 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. [10], Around Hfen, which the 395th defended, the ground was marked with open hills. Not so in the pre-dawn hours of December 16 in the Ardennes Forest. [12] For their part, the German army was planning a seven-day campaign to seize Antwerp. That task fell to the 277th Volksgrenadier Division and the 12th SS Panzer Division. This was the most southern area of the Battle of the Bulge. 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. The 395th Infantry Regimentwas an infantryregimentof the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Divisionduring World War II. 99th Infantry Division soldiers putting up a winterized squad hut. When I got to Hfen, I found the area too big to cover in one afternoon. 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]. Through this eerie artificial moonlight, the 326th Volksgrenadier Division advanced on 3/395s position. 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. Alexander John Mackenzie was born in New York City, 22 February 1895, the son of Alexina and Kenneth M. 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. 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. By December 1944, Allied armies had reached the western border of Germany itself. Location of the 99th ID sector (red box) on a map of the Bulge. I never dreamed that we would have a defensive position of this size without any backup or help from our division or regiment. The Battle of the Bulge was the largest battle ever fought by the United States Army. The program was called the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP), and it sought to give extra training and special skills to a select group of intelligent and able young men, most of whom were taken from America's colleges. 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. [16], In September 2007, in preparation for the transition to Fort Dix and establishment of the new 99th RSC, the 99th RRC assumed administrative responsibility for the former regions of the 77th and 94th RRCs, which had inactivated. 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. Infanterie-Division) was a German division in World War II. Yet, despite their successful defense and reinforcement from the 2nd Division, the 395th was in a precarious position on the morning of the December 17. 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. Table of Contents. 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. . 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 Germans, moving across illuminated open ground without cover, fell by the hundreds against the murderous American fire. A popular historical anecdote is the design of the famous M1 carbine by convicted murderer David Marshall Williams. Up to that point, the Army had married a battalion of tanks to a battalion of infantry in support of the tanks. The rapid advance did not deter the men of the 38th Infantry Regiment, however, who put up a fierce defense. It was credited with destroying "seventy-five percent of three German infantry regiments." Many of the 99th Division's best soldiers were products of the ill-fated ASTP program. The "Checkerboard" or "Battle Babies" division landed at the French port of Le Havre and proceeded northeast to Belgium. As many as half a million civilians remained in Stalingrad when the Germans approached in the late summer of 1942. Hfen, along with the nearby town of Monschau, was strategically vital because it sat on elevated terrain overlooking an important road junction. The 99th battled on to the bridge at Remagen that was taken on March 7th. More often than not, the noises thought to have been heard arent anything at all, and the forest resumes its eerie silence. Asked why he thought so, he said, "Two reasons: one cold-bloodedness; two efficiency. Shield The 395th Infantry, Organized Reserves, was organized in 1921. 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. 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. The 99th Division was constituted at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, on 23 July 1918. The Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Division was the most decorated platoon for a single action of World War II. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. Through their stories, we gain a glimpse into the challenges they faced, the horrors they endured, and the triumphs they achieved. Field Artillery Battalions were the 370th, 371st, 372nd & the 924th. 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. : 33 On at least six occasions they called in . Ehrenfried-Oskar Bge. The unit reported on May 4 that it had "liberated 3 labor camps and 1 concentration camp." Notable. 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. 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. On 2 March 1945, the division took the offensive, moving toward Cologne and crossing the Erft Canal near Glesch. [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 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. On 22 December 1967, the 99th Army Reserve Command (ARCOM) was activated. They were tasked with moving 10 miles (16km) behind the German lines and cutting the Autobahn to prevent the withdrawal of the Germans. When hostilities ceased on 7 May 1945, the regiment had during six months of fighting experienced 300 percent turnover due to casualties. of William Pitt for whom the city of Pittsburgh was named. On the east lay a section of the Monschau Forest. Two men who had been sent on foot to regimental headquarters to seek reinforcements were later captured. [6] On more than one occasion, BAR gunners would allow Germans to get within feet of their positions before opening fire, with the objective of increasing the odds of killing the attacking Germans. 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. The ferocious assault caught the Allies off-guard and the rapid German advance famously caused a bulge on Allied maps. Category: 395thIR On this page, we honor the memory of the men of the 99th Infantry Division and pay tribute to their extraordinary contributions to the war effort. There was no cover. Allies and former enemy Germany mark 75th anniversary of Battle of Battle of the Bulge: WWII vets travel to Belgium for 75th anniversary. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. In the opening days of the Battle of the Bulge, Robert's regiment was on the front lines in the Losheim Gap. 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. 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. It was redesignated for the 395th Regiment on 7 June 1999. The Ardennes area was chosen because of a lack of operational objectives for the Allies, the terrain offered good defensive positioning, roads were lacking, and the Germans were known to be using the area within Germany to the east as a rest and refit area for their troops. Later that night, another enemy assault was similarly unsuccessful. The concentration camp was one of the "forest camps" (Waldlager) tied to the Mhldorf camp complex. The battalion was badly outnumbered and nearly surrounded. The 395th was held in the United States until more room was available for the unit to enter Europe. The 395th's casualties were extremely light: four dead, seven wounded, and four men missing. The retreat turned into a route as the German tanks, two less due to a duel with two American Shermans, rolled unmolested down the street in the village. [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. The 99th RSC's mission was to provide command and control and full-service support for assigned units and facility management. [16], On 16 July 2003, the command was redesignated as the 99th Regional Readiness Command, placing additional emphasis on training, readiness, and mobilization. [7]:3, Col. Butler went ahead to look over the area they were assigned to defend. German troops pass burning American equipment during the Ardennes offensive. [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. [13], German prisoners captured during the Battle of the Bulge volunteered praise of the 99th's effective defense of Hfen. After the Gulf War, the 99th ARCOM became the 99th Regional Support Command (RSC). commanders. A U.S. Army World War II division was configured as a Triangular division, with three regimental maneuver elements. German losses were much higher. In January 2003, the 99th RSC started mobilizing units for projected operations in Iraq. 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. The Germans planned to use massed infantry assaults to punch holes in the American lines, after which the feared German tanks, or panzers, would race through these gaps while the winter weather kept Allied planes grounded. The war was over six days later.[6]. It had its headquarters at Franklin, Pennsylvania, and drew its personnel from Pennsylvania. In the northern portion of the American line, heavy artillery shells crashed around the positions of the un-tested 99th Infantry Division from Lanzerath in the south to the forested areas near Monschau in the north. 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. 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". 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]. 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. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. These two German divisions directed their fury against the 395th early on the morning of the December 17. Those Germans who made it into the town itself were quickly mopped up. 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. 26 (Unit Commendations)", The 99th Infantry Division During World War II, "Battle Babies: The Story of the 99th Infantry Division", Office of the Chief of Military History Department of the Army, http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/cbtchron.html, Battle Babies: The Story of the 99th Infantry Division, Checkerboard, official publication of 99th Infantry Division Association, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=99th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)&oldid=1131083137, Infantry divisions of the United States Army, United States Army divisions during World War II, Military units and formations established in 1918, Infantry divisions of the United States Army in World War II, Military units and formations disestablished in 1945, United States Army divisions of World War I, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Crest The crest is that of the U.S. Army Reserve. "Blue" was the code word for the 3rd battalion under Army infantry's triangular organization. The men carried out missions without orders when their positions were penetrated or infiltrated. Shield Argent, a buck's head attired of ten tynes couped Proper. [5] The 99th boarded ships bound for England on 10 October 1944 and briefly stayed at Camp Marabout, Dorchester, England. Fourteen of the 18 platoon members were wounded, while only one soldier, a member of the artillery observation team, was killed. The regiment arrived at Camp Van Dorn in early December. Seth Paridon was a staff historian at The National WWII Museumfrom2005 to 2020. 2nd Infantry Division soldiers dig in on a road bank and prepare defensive positions on the end of the Elsenborn Ridge on December 20, 1944. 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. He found that his 600 riflemen were assigned an extremely large area about 6,000 yards (5,500m) long without any units in reserve. It had its headquarters at Franklin, Pennsylvania, and drew its personnel from Pennsylvania. 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. Battle of the Bulge 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. 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. That was not the case for the Americans near Elsenborn. Excited to share my latest group in the 99th Infantry Division collection.