[5] The 99th boarded ships bound for England on 10 October 1944 and briefly stayed at Camp Marabout, Dorchester, England. On 17 October 1999, the 3rd Battalion, 395th Regiment was reactivated as an Armor Training Support (TS) Battalion. The black background [14], The 99th as a whole, outnumbered five to one, inflicted casualties in the ratio of eighteen to one. German troops pass burning American equipment during the Ardennes offensive. Was the 5th infantry at the battle of the bulge? Under the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress Sign up for our newsletter and receive the mighty updates! 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. 395th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division | American Battle 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. [16], After Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, 22 99th units deployed to Saudi Arabia, Europe, and other locations. commanders. 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. [14] The first town they were tasked with capturing was Bergheim, "the door to the Rhine." Crest That for the regiments and separate battalions of the Army Reserve: From a wreath Argent and Azure, the Lexington Minute Man Proper. In early December, much of the Allied forces were established in a general defensive line from the North Sea to the Swiss border. For four successive days the battalion held this sector against combined German tank and infantry attacks, launched with fanatical determination and supported by heavy artillery. These two German divisions directed their fury against the 395th early on the morning of the December 17. [11], The area around Hfen and Monschau were critical because of the road network that lay behind them. On the east lay a section of the Monschau Forest. Butler held a single platoon of 40 men from Company L in reserve. Over 83,000 Americans were casualties during the battle which lasted from December 16, 1944 until January 25, 1945, and as a result, the battle occupies a prominent place in our collective minds. Shield The 395th Infantry, Organized Reserves, was organized in 1921. 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. Originally planned as a Pennsylvania unit, the horizontal band of white and blue. This did not turn out to be true. Field Artillery Battalions were the 370th, 371st, 372nd & the 924th. 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. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. T. E. Piersall and Pfc. The black represents the iron from the mills of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where many of the troops were from. Motto VIGILANS ET CELER (Vigilant and Swift). 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. Family lore, The 99th Infantry Division Artefacts Collection. The infantry at Hfen lay in a foxhole line along a 910 metres (2,990ft) front on the eastern side of the village, backed up by dug-out support positions. 395 th Regiment Constituted 23 July 1918 in the National Army as the 395th Infantry and assigned to the 99th Division Demobilized 30 November 1918 Reconstituted 24 June 1921 in the. On 17 September 2008, the 99th Regional Support Command was activated at Fort Dix, N.J. The 10 geographically-based RRCs, including the 99th, were inactivated and replaced with four regional base operations commands. [16], In 2005, the Army Reserve began its latest transformation under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) directive and lessons learned from eight years of deployments in support of the Global War on Terrorism. The 14th Armored Division and the Liberation of Stalag VIIA 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 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. When the Ardennes Offensive ended, Gen. Lauer received verbal commendations from Field Marshal Sir Bernard L. Montgomery, 21st Army Group Commander, and Gen. Courtney Hodges, First Army Commander, on the vigorous and effective defense contributed by the 99th. [10], Around Hfen, which the 395th defended, the ground was marked with open hills. [2] Historian John S.D. [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. The 99th Infantry Division was the first complete division to cross the Rhine. 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. The 99th Infantry Division, comprising the 393rd, 394th, and the 395th Infantry Regiments, arrived in England on 10 October 1944. The regiment arrived at Camp Van Dorn in early December. Who were the soldiers of the 99th infrantry div? | WWII Forums Chapter 6-THE ARDENNES: BATTLE OF THE BULGE The lines were then moved back to form defensive positions east of Elsenborn Ridge on the 19th. The insignia was devised upon the 99th's formation in 1942 when the division was headquartered in the city of Pittsburgh. 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. In early December, the front was unusually calm and the weather was bone-chilling cold. As they did so, another German assault hit them, this time with support from 5 MKV Panther tanks. The 395th Infantry was in the woods east of the northernmost section of the 2d Division withdrawal route and would provide cover for the first stage of the tricky move parallel to and close. Allies and former enemy Germany mark 75th anniversary of Battle of Battle of the Bulge: WWII vets travel to Belgium for 75th anniversary. The division headquarters was organized in November 1921. Lieutenant Colonel McClernand Butler, commander of 3/395. After the Gulf War, the 99th ARCOM became the 99th Regional Support Command (RSC). History | AMEDD Center of History & Heritage [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. There are nine white squares and nine blue ones, signifying the number 99. [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. Seth Paridon was a staff historian at The National WWII Museumfrom2005 to 2020. [16], Following the 11 September 2001, terrorist attacks, the 99th mobilized large numbers of Army Reserve Soldiers. 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. After clearing towns west of the Rhine, it crossed the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen on the 11th. They killed Germans coming at them from the front, flanks and rear. The division crossed the Danube near Eining on the 27th and after a stubborn fight the Isar at Landshut on 1 May. 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. 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. . It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. "Blue" was the code word for the 3rd battalion under Army infantry's triangular organization. The battalion was badly outnumbered and nearly surrounded. This was the most southern area of the Battle of the Bulge. [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. The buck's head was used to indicate the allocation of the organization to the mountainous section of Pennsylvania, where deer abound. Score: 4.8/5 (10 votes) . 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. Honor Roll - 99th Infantry Division "They shall not grow old, As we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, Nor the years condemn. The 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. 395th Regiment | Lineage and Honors | U.S. Army Center of Military History 394th Infantry Regiment Co. A, first platoon This is my Dad's story. 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 Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Division was the most decorated platoon for a single action of World War II. The German assault caught the 99ers off guard initially, due to the heavy artillery bombardment, but the infantrymen and their supporting mortar fire were able to repel the initial assault at a murderously close range due to the proximity of the opposing tree line from where the enemy advanced. : 33 On at least six occasions they called in . 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". They continued to fight even as the American press trumpeted the rapid crumbling of German resistance. Battle of the Bulge German losses were much higher. 395 Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division) Report, January 1945. 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. Put under operational control of V Corps, First Army, it moved to Le Havre, France on 3 November and proceeded to Aubel, Belgium, to prepare to enter the front lines. Below are the top five veteran research questions, where to go for further resources, and how to begin your search. American troops from the 290th Regiment near Amonines, Belgium. 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. After failing to capture Monschau on the battles second day, the 326th Volksgrenadier Division turned its attention back to Hfen on December 18th. 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. The Germans were counting on something else, toothey knew that this sector was thinly manned by untested troops. [6][17]:vii. The 99th Infantry Division, comprising the 393rd, 394th, and the 395th Infantry Regiments, arrived in England on 10 October 1944. Fourteen of the 18 platoon members were wounded, while only one soldier, a member of the artillery observation team, was killed. A. Gallagher assumed command for the last few days of the war. 395th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Infogalactic: the planetary This northern shoulder of the American line where the 99th ID was entrenched would be the hinge on which the German assault would pivot northwest toward Antwerp. On 3 November 1944, the 395th Regiment disembarked at Le Havre, France. From Camp Van Dorn they were transferred to the more established Camp Maxey in Paris, Texas for additional training. 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. The war was over six days later.[6]. The Allied victory against the Axis was a long journeyone that actually took much longer than the war itself. The 395th Infantry had mostly held their lines, and now with the battle hardened 2nd Infantry Division on the way to back them up, the lines of defense near Elsenborn appeared to be significantly harder to pierce. The 395th was held in the United States until more room was available for the unit to enter Europe. They then crossed the Wied River, where they joined up with the 7th Infantry Division. 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. The unit crossed the Altmuhl River on 25 April, the Danube River on 27 April, and the Isar River on 30 April. I never dreamed that we would have a defensive position of this size without any backup or help from our division or regiment. EN RU CN DE ES. 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. When told it was 3/395, the prisoner replied, It must be one of your best formations.. 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. On 1 February 1944, Major Butler assumed command of the 3rd Battalion, 395th Regiment. A U.S. Army World War II division was configured as a Triangular division, with three regimental maneuver elements. 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). The Battle of the Bulge was the largest battle ever fought by the United States Army. The 395th Infantry, Organized Reserves, was organized in 1921. Led by 20-year-old Lieutenant Lyle Bouck Jr., they delayed the advance of the 1st SS Panzer Division, the spearhead of the entire German 6th Panzer Army, for nearly 20 hours. It was redesignated with description updated, for the 395th Regiment on 7 June 1999. It was not just the lives of 3/395 at stake; a German breakthrough here would have enabled the Sixth Panzer Army to outflank the 2nd ID and 99th ID and achieve a direct route to the Meuse River. Delbert followed a communication training and became enlisted radio repairman. He found that his 600 riflemen were assigned an extremely large area about 6,000 yards (5,500m) long without any units in reserve. 394th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division), History, January 1945. 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. 20th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) - atozwiki.com Pennsylvania State College, and the Pennsylvania Military College. 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 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. [1] But the infantry often bore worse casualties than the tanks did and had to be replaced and reinforced more quickly. A group of photos from his wartime, unfortenately we have not been able to. 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 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. 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.