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. Sgt. The platoon members were not recognized for their courageous deeds for thirty-seven years. The 99th was selected as one of these new regional support commands. He returned to Illinois and in 1933 was commissioned a second lieutenant in the National Guard. The 99th Infantry Division, on December 12, . As many as half a million civilians remained in Stalingrad when the Germans approached in the late summer of 1942. At the Arcadia Conference, held in Washington, DC, from December 24, 1941 to January 14, 1942, the Western Allies agreed to a Germany First policy to govern global strategy, but the question where to engage Germany, and when, remained unsettled. By the end of the December 16, much of the American front lines in the Ardennes had been broken by the German assault. American troops from the 290th Regiment near Amonines, Belgium. Crest The crest is that of the U.S. Army Reserve. In 1975, the 99th ARCOM moved its headquarters to Oakdale, Pennsylvania. But the infantry often bore worse casualties than the tanks did and had to be replaced and reinforced more quickly. [11], The area around Hfen and Monschau were critical because of the road network that lay behind them. 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. 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. EN RU CN DE ES. 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. 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. 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]. Many members of the 99th Infantry Division had participated in the Army Specialized Training Program or ASTP, derisively nicknamed "all safe 'till peace;" in February 1944, the program was drawn down, and the majority of its members were assigned to later-deploying divisions such as the 99th. Cemeteries & Memorials; Burial Search; About Us; Education; Facebook; Twitter; YouTube; Instagram; ABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501. The division crossed the Danube near Eining on the 27th and after a stubborn fight the Isar at Landshut on 1 May. At precisely 0530 hours, the forest erupted in an ear shattering German artillery barrage along a 100 mile front. . After clearing towns west of the Rhine, it crossed the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen on the 11th. The 393rd, 394th & 395th were the Infantry Regiments of the 99th Infantry Division. Despite fatigue, constant enemy shelling, and ever-increasing enemy pressure, [they] guarded a 6,000-yard front and destroyed 75 percent of three German infantry regiments.. The buck's head was used to indicate the allocation of the organization to the mountainous section of Pennsylvania, where deer abound. 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 99th Infantry Division, comprising the 393rd, 394th, and the 395th Infantry Regiments, arrived in England on 10 October 1944. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. The 99th Division was constituted at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, on 23 July 1918. Asked why he thought so, he said, "Two reasons: one cold-bloodedness; two efficiency. When the Germans finally broke through 3/395s lines and established a foothold in the town, the Americans recaptured the buildings by firing anti-tank guns through the walls. 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. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. 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. The 99th RSC's mission was to provide base operations functions for the assigned 13-state Northeast Region. squares centered on a black shield. While the supply situation improved in October, the manpower situation was still critical. Category: 395th Infantry Regiment Lt. Col. Henry B. Koon Sr. Special Troops In early December, much of the Allied forces were established in a general defensive line from the North Sea to the Swiss border. 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. The division insignia is a three lined checkerboard design of blue and white Troops were fatigued by weeks of continuous combat, Allied supply lines were stretched extremely thin, and supplies were dangerously depleted. German assaults in the heavily wooded area in front of the villages pushed the 99ers out of the woods and caused them to flee, many in disarray, back through the twin villages of Krinkelt and Rocherath behind them. Crossing on the 23d, it pushed east on the Koln-Frankfurt highway to Giessen. 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. [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. The 395th Infantry Regimentwas an infantryregimentof the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Divisionduring World War II. Butler's uncle, General Edward J. McClernand, fought in the Indian Wars and was awarded the Medal of Honor. 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. No reserves were available . The Germans, moving across illuminated open ground without cover, fell by the hundreds against the murderous American fire. Several photos from the private collection of the family of Dean F. THE EARLY YEARS Joseph Richard Evans (Dick) was born on October 17, 1920 to Charles E. Evansand Wenonah (nee Muirhead/Miller)in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The three regiments of the 99th IDthe 393rd, 394th, & 395th Infantry Regimentswere thinly spread across this frigid but quiet portion of the front. [13], German prisoners captured during the Battle of the Bulge volunteered praise of the 99th's effective defense of Hfen. Two men who had been sent on foot to regimental headquarters to seek reinforcements were later captured. A group Harold was . 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 coat of arms was originally approved for the 395th Regiment Infantry, Organized Reserves on 15 June 1931. 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. After fighting in the Ruhr area, the unit moved southward into Bavaria, where it was located at the end of the war. Told it was the 3rd Battalion, 395th Infantry, he said, "It must have been one of your best formations." The enemy artillery was so intense that communications were generally out. [6], The regiment's (3rd Battalion) earned the sobriquet Butler's Battlin' Blue Bastards derived from the name of its single commander, its special fighting abilities, the battalion's color designation, and because the regiment was often lent out and belonged to no one. 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 Battle of the Bulge was the largest battle ever fought by the United States Army. 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. Byers, Carl F. MAJ, "Operations of Company G, 395th Infantry, 99th Division, in the Reduction of a Fortified Position of the Siegfried Line, West of Schleiden, Germany, 14-15 December 1944". Fourteen of the 18 platoon members were wounded, while only one soldier, a member of the artillery observation team, was killed. The stiff American defense prevented the Germans from reaching the vast array of supplies near the Belgian cities of Lige and Spa and the road network west of the Elsenborn Ridge leading to the Meuse River. With ammunition supplies dwindling rapidly, the men obtained German weapons and utilized ammunition obtained from casualties to drive off the persistent foe. 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. 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. When I got to Hfen, I found the area too big to cover in one afternoon. At the end of the day, the veterans of the 26th Infantry still held their ground, and looked out on a battlefield strewn with destroyed German armor and scores . info@nationalww2museum.org On 3 November 1944, the 395th Regiment disembarked at Le Havre, France. It was redesignated with description updated, for the 395th Regiment on 7 June 1999. 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. [9], Because the unit's radios had been destroyed, the soldiers captured, and the rapid subsequent German advance, U.S. Army commanders did not know about the unit's success at slowing the German advance, or even if they had been captured or killed. [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. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. 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. The 3rd Battalion received a Presidential Unit Citation for its actions around Hfen from 16 to 19 December. The Allied victory against the Axis was a long journeyone that actually took much longer than the war itself. During the first day of the Battle of the Bulge, the 3rd Battalion took 19 prisoners and killed an estimated 200 Germans. In early December, the front was unusually calm and the weather was bone-chilling cold. This, however, was the moment that Hitlers master plan collided headfirst with American fortitude. Unknown to the Allies, the Germans were preparing a surprise counter-offensive through the Ardennes with the goal of splitting the Allied armies and recapturing the Belgian port city of Antwerp. [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. represents the iron district of Pennsylvania. With its sister battalions, the 1st, 395th Engineer and 2nd, 395th Field Artillery, the 3rd Battalion (TS) (AR) role is to train National Guard armor and infantry battalions across a three-state region and improve their combat readiness. The 99th Infantry Division Artefacts Collection. [14] The first town they were tasked with capturing was Bergheim, "the door to the Rhine." The success of the defense of the twin villages would be short-lived if ammunition was not resupplied. 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. [2]:33 On at least six occasions they called in artillery strikes on or directly in front of their own positions. [16], After Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, 22 99th units deployed to Saudi Arabia, Europe, and other locations. Allied forces were fighting their way across France, and fresh units were badly needed in autumn 1944 to continue to press the offensive. Delbert followed a communication training and became enlisted radio repairman. Outnumbered five to one, they inflicted casualties in the ratio of 18 to one. 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. 99th Infantry Division used the relatively quiet period to prepare an extensive defensive system, including redundant lines of communication, precise positioning of weapons to provide interlocking grazing fire, and aggressive patrols that kept the Germans off guard. The Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) in the European Theater was one of Americas bloodiest campaigns. 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. It then intersected a main eastwest road at Bullingen. The division headquarters was organized in November 1921. Ordered into active military service: 15 November 1942 Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. During the heavy fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, the unit suffered many casualties, yet tenaciously held its defensive position. Still, some German assaults penetrated American lines near the town of Hofen where they were eventually captured after retreating into houses in the town. 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. So I stayed in the village overnight. Field Artillery Battalions were the 370th, 371st, 372nd & the 924th. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. Motto VIGILANS ET CELER (Vigilant and Swift). German troops pass burning American equipment during the Ardennes offensive. 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.