395th infantry regiment 99th infantry division

Richard V. Horrell WW 2 Connections, Aug 6, 2010 #6 Buten42 Member Joined: Jun 27, 2009 Messages: 1,287 Likes Received: 210 Location: Washington State represents the iron district of Pennsylvania. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. From 21 December 1944 to 30 January 1945, the unit was engaged in aggressive patrolling and reequipping. 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. 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. The 12th SS pushed through the woods and probed the villages at around 1100 hours. 99th Infantry Division vehicles en route to the battle zone. The 38th Cavalry Squadron (led by Lt. Col. Robert E. O'Brien) was deployed to the north along the railroad track between Mutzenich and Konzen station. 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. The failure to breach the 99th IDs sector stalled the entire German advance and a decisive breakthrough was never achieved. Hfen remained in American handsfor now. Despite mauling the Germans on their first attempt to take Hfen, 3/395s situation was grim. [13], German prisoners captured during the Battle of the Bulge volunteered praise of the 99th's effective defense of Hfen. 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. 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 99th RRC continued to provide command and control for assigned units and support for the ongoing deployments. By December 1944, Allied armies had reached the western border of Germany itself. On 22 December 1967, the 99th Army Reserve Command (ARCOM) was activated. Crest That for the regiments and separate battalions of the Army Reserve: From a wreath Argent and Azure, the Lexington Minute Man Proper. 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. Delbert followed a communication training and became enlisted radio repairman. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. The buck's head was used to indicate the allocation of the organization to the mountainous section of Pennsylvania, where deer abound. Peipers right flank had to be secured and the Americans in that region had to be destroyed. 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. German Panzer tanks en route to the Ardennes. 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. The 395th was held in the United States until more room was available for the unit to enter Europe. After the Gulf War, the 99th ARCOM became the 99th Regional Support Command (RSC). It was credited with destroying "seventy-five percent of three German infantry regiments." 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. [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. [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. [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. : 33 On at least six occasions they called in . The 99th Infantry Division was the first complete division to cross the Rhine. Through their stories, we gain a glimpse into the challenges they faced, the horrors they endured, and the triumphs they achieved. Against light resistance, it crossed the Dill River and pushed on to Krofdorf-Gleiberg, taking Giessen 29 March. 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. An overwhelming majority of them were women and children. The Legacy of the 99th Infantry Division: Our Artifacts Collection The 99th Infantry Division Historical Society is dedicated to preserving, Discovering the Legacy of a WW2 Soldier: Tips and Tricks Are you interested in learning more about a WW2 veteran, They shall not grow old, As we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, Nor the years, Dean F. Gilbert was a membert of 3rd Platoon, L Company,394th Infantry Regiment. [13], To the north of Hfen lay a paved main road that led through the Monschau Forest, at whose eastern edge it forked. Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at the Siegfried Line. 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. 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. 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 99th Infantry Division, outnumbered five to one, inflicted estimated casualties on the Germans in the ratio of eighteen to one. 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. 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. 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. On 3 November 1944, the 395th Regiment disembarked at Le Havre, France. The 395th Infantry, Organized Reserves, was organized in 1921. 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. 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. The battalion was badly outnumbered and nearly surrounded. The division headquarters was organized in November 1921. To make circumstances worse, just beyond the bloodied-but-not-beaten Volksgrenadiers waited the tanks of the 6th Panzer Army. The regiment arrived at Camp Van Dorn in early December. The unit crossed the Altmuhl River on 25 April, the Danube River on 27 April, and the Isar River on 30 April. Below are the top five veteran research questions, where to go for further resources, and how to begin your search. Fourteen of the 18 platoon members were wounded, while only one soldier, a member of the artillery observation team, was killed. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. 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. 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. 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. Originally planned as a Pennsylvania unit, German losses were much higher. 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. 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. Allied forces were fighting their way across France, and fresh units were badly needed in autumn 1944 to continue to press the offensive. When three hours later a third SS assault hit the defenders, it too was stopped. 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]. During the first day of the Battle of the Bulge, the 3rd Battalion took 19 prisoners and killed an estimated 200 Germans. 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. 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. 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. The Germans threw wave after wave of infantry, and a unit of panzers, at the town. They continued to fight even as the American press trumpeted the rapid crumbling of German resistance. Asked why he thought so, he said, "Two reasons: one cold-bloodedness; two efficiency. 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. [14], The 99th as a whole, outnumbered five to one, inflicted casualties in the ratio of eighteen to one. 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. No one had anticipated such a rapid Allied advance. Many of the 99th Division's best soldiers were products of the ill-fated ASTP program. After failing to capture Monschau on the battles second day, the 326th Volksgrenadier Division turned its attention back to Hfen on December 18th. These two German divisions directed their fury against the 395th early on the morning of the December 17. After the battalion was inactivated on 29 September 1945, its colors remained folded for more than fifty years. Originally planned as a Pennsylvania unit, the horizontal band of white and blue. 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.

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