Specific units were charged with penetrating Germany's West Wall. 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. I never dreamed that we would have a defensive position of this size without any backup or help from our division or regiment. [16], On 16 July 2003, the command was redesignated as the 99th Regional Readiness Command, placing additional emphasis on training, readiness, and mobilization. The ferocious assault caught the Allies off-guard and the rapid German advance famously caused a bulge on Allied maps. He found that his 600 riflemen were assigned an extremely large area about 6,000 yards (5,500m) long without any units in reserve. When hostilities ceased on 7 May 1945, the regiment had during six months of fighting experienced 300 percent turnover due to casualties. Originally planned as a Pennsylvania unit,
The 99th Infantry Division, on December 12, . 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. They continued to fight even as the American press trumpeted the rapid crumbling of German resistance. 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. 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. These two German divisions directed their fury against the 395th early on the morning of the December 17. 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 buck's head was used to indicate the allocation of the organization to the mountainous section of Pennsylvania, where deer abound. One Wehrmacht officer captured at Hfen asked his interrogators which unit had defended the town.
The Battles for Elsenborn Ridge Part I - New Orleans From 21 December 1944 to 30 January 1945, the unit was engaged in aggressive patrolling and reequipping. Sgt Harold Rutz, 395th Infantry Regiment, M Company. 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. 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. . It is believed that Delbert was transferred to the 395th Infantry Regiment at some point. Told it was the 3rd Battalion, 395th Infantry, he said, "It must have been one of your best formations." 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. The blue and white are taken from the coat of arms for William Pitt for whom Pittsburgh was named. German troops pass burning American equipment during the Ardennes offensive. Through this eerie artificial moonlight, the 326th Volksgrenadier Division advanced on 3/395s position. There are nine white squares and nine blue ones, signifying the number 99. A popular historical anecdote is the design of the famous M1 carbine by convicted murderer David Marshall Williams. 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. 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. 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. An overwhelming majority of them were women and children.
395th Infantry Regiment (united States) - Encyclopedia Information A 105mm artillery piece from the 2nd Infantry Div. 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.
Fort Benning | Maneuver Center of Excellence Libraries | MCoE HQ In early December, the front was unusually calm and the weather was bone-chilling cold. The enemy was moving through large gaps in the lines, and Americans were either being captured or killed in enormous numbers or retreating in disarray and panic. In January 2003, the 99th RSC started mobilizing units for projected operations in Iraq. ", The 99th Infantry Division, outnumbered five to one, inflicted estimated casualties on the Germans in the ratio of eighteen to one. of William Pitt for whom the city of Pittsburgh was named. 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. 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. Hfen-Monschau was vital to the operations success because the nearby road junctions would enable rapid movement of tanks. 449, U.S. ARMY 15 January 1945 SUBJECT: History of Medical Detachment, 395th Infantry Regiment, 1 December to 31 December 1944. The unit reported on May 4 that it had "liberated 3 labor camps and 1 concentration camp." 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. It was redesignated with description updated, for the 395th Regiment on 7 June 1999.
99th Infantry Division (United States) - Wikipedia 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. After failing to capture Monschau on the battles second day, the 326th Volksgrenadier Division turned its attention back to Hfen on December 18th. The division insignia is a three lined checkerboard design of blue and white
99th Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia, Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths, Final Report (Statistical and Accounting Branch, Office of the Adjutant General, 1 June 1953), Distinguished Service Cross (United States), "Battle of the Bulge: U.S. The 99th RSC's mission was to provide base operations functions for the assigned 13-state Northeast Region. 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. The battalion also had its own Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, as well as medics and support personnel. Plans called for the division to include the 393rd, 394th, 395th, and 396th Infantry Regiments. Due in part to the 99th Infantry Division, this ground mission has not been continuous, and he will not achieve his goal[15]. On 2 March 1945, the division took the offensive, moving toward Cologne and crossing the Erft Canal near Glesch. 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. By 17 December, German military planners knew that their objectives along the Elsenborn Ridge would not be taken as soon as planned. The silver and bronze star medal of Col. Alexander John Mackenzie, Regimental Commandor of the 395th Infantry Regiment. By December 1944, Allied armies had reached the western border of Germany itself. "In two cases, the enemy fell in the BAR gunners' foxholes. 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). So fierce in fact that the German commander pulled his tanks back for fear of running into a superior American force, deciding to hold his positions until the following morning. 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. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. 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 393rd, 394th & 395th were the Infantry Regiments of the 99th Infantry Division. 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. A second road ran parallel to the division center and right wing, leaving the Hfen road at the small hamlet of Wahlerscheid, and continued south through two very small villages, the twin towns of Rocherath and Krinkelt. [1] After defensive patrolling, the 99th probed the Siegfried Line against heavy resistance on 13 December. 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. 3/395, soon to be nicknamed Butlers Blue Battlin Bastards, was one of the only US Army units that did not retreat in the opening days of the battle. Captain Ned Nelson, veteran of 3/395 and the battle at Hfen. Score: 4.8/5 (10 votes) . The war was over six days later.[6]. The artillery barrage lasted for an hour, and shortly afterwards German infantry from the 277th Volksgrenadier Division burst through the forest and headed at the positions of the 99th Infantry Divisions 395th Infantry Regiment near the village of Rocherath. 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. 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. 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. Soldiers who were in direct support of the relief efforts were also awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal as a personal award. 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 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. 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. [12] For their part, the German army was planning a seven-day campaign to seize Antwerp. The shield is silver, the old color of Infantry.
395th Regiment | Lineage and Honors | U.S. Army Center of Military History Grouping from Col. Alexander John Mackenzie, Regimental Commandor of The 99th held lines stretching from Monschau, Germany to Losheimergraben, Belgium, totaling 35 kilometres (22mi). Good luck with your quest. 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. 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. The statue of the Minute Man, Captain John Parker, (H.H.Kitson, sculptor), stands on the common in Lexington, Massachusetts. 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. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. Butler's great-grandfather, General John Alexander McClernand, commanded infantry during the Civil War. [2]:33 On at least six occasions they called in artillery strikes on or directly in front of their own positions. Troops were fatigued by weeks of continuous combat, Allied supply lines were stretched extremely thin, and supplies were dangerously depleted.
Honor Roll - 99th Infantry Division 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 The National WWII Museum Digital Collections. Outnumbered five to one, they inflicted casualties in the ratio of 18 to one. So I stayed in the village overnight. 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. Lieutenant Colonel McClernand Butler, commander of 3/395.