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. 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. 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 Germans would never take Hfen, nor most of their other ambitious objectives in the Ardennes, due in large part to the soldiers of 3/395 and the 99th ID as a whole. 395th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division | American Battle [16] The accurate fire from the 12 3-inch guns of A Company, 612th Tank Destroyer Battalion, was instrumental in keeping German tanks from advancing. This was the most southern area of the Battle of the Bulge. [14] If the Germans penetrated Hfen, the U.S. soldiers would have to withdraw several miles to the next defensible position.[10]. The three heavy German assaults had worn down the ammunition supply, particularly that of the machine gunners, and had left the defenders mostly helpless. So I stayed in the village overnight. 99th Infantry Division soldiers putting up a winterized squad hut. Captain Ned Nelson, veteran of 3/395 and the battle at Hfen. The platoon seriously disrupted the entire German Sixth Panzer Army's schedule of attack along the northern edge of the offensive. 2nd and 3rd Battalion cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in the Ardennes. In January 2003, the 99th RSC started mobilizing units for projected operations in Iraq. . On 1 November 1944, the 99th Infantry Division, comprising the 393rd, 394th, and the 395th Infantry Regiments, was put under operational control of V Corps, First Army. 3/395 greeted the Volksgrenadiers with a punishing hail of bullets, mortars, and artillery. 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. In 1975, the 99th ARCOM moved its headquarters to Oakdale, Pennsylvania. Wendell Clark - 99th Infantry Division Richard Mills were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. The concentration camp was one of the "forest camps" (Waldlager) tied to the Mhldorf camp complex. I never dreamed that we would have a defensive position of this size without any backup or help from our division or regiment. 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 A popular historical anecdote is the design of the famous M1 carbine by convicted murderer David Marshall Williams. 197th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) - Wikipedia It was redesignated for the 395th Regiment on 7 June 1999. On 25 October 1981, the entire platoon was recognized with a Presidential Unit Citation. Not so in the pre-dawn hours of December 16 in the Ardennes Forest. Despite mauling the Germans on their first attempt to take Hfen, 3/395s situation was grim. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. They continued to fight even as the American press trumpeted the rapid crumbling of German resistance. [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. [5] The 99th boarded ships bound for England on 10 October 1944 and briefly stayed at Camp Marabout, Dorchester, England. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. They engaged in division-level maneuvers in July 1944. Seth Paridon was a staff historian at The National WWII Museumfrom2005 to 2020. 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. The Battle of the Bulge was the largest battle ever fought by the United States Army. He returned to Illinois and in 1933 was commissioned a second lieutenant in the National Guard. 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]. On 2 March 1945, the division took the offensive, moving toward Cologne and crossing the Erft Canal near Glesch. 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. Through this eerie artificial moonlight, the 326th Volksgrenadier Division advanced on 3/395s position. Soldiers who were in direct support of the relief efforts were also awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal as a personal award. The National WWII Museum Digital Collections. [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. During the heavy fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, the unit suffered many casualties, yet tenaciously held its defensive position. [11] They continued to Linz am Rhein and to the Wied River. The men carried out missions without orders when their positions were penetrated or infiltrated. Crest The crest is that of the U.S. Army Reserve. 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. These two German divisions directed their fury against the 395th early on the morning of the December 17. 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. [13], To the north of Hfen lay a paved main road that led through the Monschau Forest, at whose eastern edge it forked. The 99th Division was constituted at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, on 23 July 1918. In early December, the front was unusually calm and the weather was bone-chilling cold. Mission of the 395th Infantry Regiment I. The Germans threw wave after wave of infantry, and a unit of panzers, at the town. Location of the 99th ID sector (red box) on a map of the Bulge. The 99th RRC continued to provide command and control for assigned units and support for the ongoing deployments. As the night grew darker, optimistic American officers in the 2nd Division relayed a message to headquarters, Action quieting; believe we can hold. This would prove to be a false hope. 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 October 1999, the 3rd Battalion, 395th Regiment was reactivated as an Armor Training Support (TS) Battalion. ABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501 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. During the first morning of the Battle of the Bulge, they defended a key road junction in the vicinity of the Losheim Gap. A group Was the 5th infantry at the battle of the bulge? "[16][17]:75 Another German officer who was captured said, "I have fought two years on the Russian front, but never have I engaged in such a fierce and bloody battle. The buck's head was used to indicate the allocation of the organization to the mountainous section of Pennsylvania, where deer abound. A U.S. Army World War II division was configured as a Triangular division, with three regimental maneuver elements. While the 99th ARCOM was allowed to wear the shoulder sleeve insignia of the 99th Infantry Division and use its number, Department of the Army policy does not allow for the lineage of MTOE units, such as infantry divisions, to be perpetuated by TDA units, such as ARCOMs. [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. It had its headquarters at Franklin, Pennsylvania, and drew its personnel from Pennsylvania. With ammunition supplies dwindling rapidly, the men obtained German weapons and utilized ammunition obtained from casualties to drive off the persistent foe. A 105mm artillery piece from the 2nd Infantry Div. The 99th was selected as one of these new regional support commands. On 22 December 1967, the 99th Army Reserve Command (ARCOM) was activated. Allies and former enemy Germany mark 75th anniversary of Battle of Battle of the Bulge: WWII vets travel to Belgium for 75th anniversary. The 99th Infantry Division, on December 12, . By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, MIGHTY NETWORKS, 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Artificial Intelligence just flew an F-16 Fighting Falcon for the US military, WWII vet finally receives Silver Star for heroism at Battle of the Bulge, This is the massive Nazi sneak attack at the Battle of the Bulge, Rarely seen footage from the Battle of the Bulge, The first tank to break into Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge was almost lost to history. 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. After fighting in the Ruhr area, the unit moved southward into Bavaria, where it was located at the end of the war. 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. It was redesignated with description updated, for the 395th Regiment on 7 June 1999. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. 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. The 3rd Battalion received a Presidential Unit Citation for its actions around Hfen from 16 to 19 December. 395 Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division) Report, January 1945. [citation needed]. The statue of the Minute Man, Captain John Parker, (H.H.Kitson, sculptor), stands on the common in Lexington, Massachusetts. 395th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Wikipedia 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. 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. Peipers right flank had to be secured and the Americans in that region had to be destroyed. The silver and bronze star medal of Col. Alexander John Mackenzie, Regimental Commandor of the 395th Infantry Regiment. 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. After the battalion was inactivated on 29 September 1945, its colors remained folded for more than fifty years. [16], Following the 11 September 2001, terrorist attacks, the 99th mobilized large numbers of Army Reserve Soldiers. The 395th Infantry, Organized Reserves, was organized in 1921. [16], The U.S. Army Center of Military History states that the 99th RSC does not perpetuate the lineage and honors of the 99th Infantry Division. [7]:3, Col. Butler went ahead to look over the area they were assigned to defend. General Eisenhower and his staff chose the Ardennes region, held by the First Army, as an area that could be held by as few troops as possible. 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. Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at Elsenborn Crest. The failure to breach the 99th IDs sector stalled the entire German advance and a decisive breakthrough was never achieved. Battle of the Bulge The Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Division was the most decorated platoon for a single action of World War II. The 1st Battalion was positioned on the right. 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 war was over six days later.[6]. 395th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry . 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. 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 Germans, moving across illuminated open ground without cover, fell by the hundreds against the murderous American fire. Originally planned as a Pennsylvania unit, 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. Staff Sergeant, Service Company, 395th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division, ETO, participated in the Battle of the Bulge, the Ruhr Pocket, and the Occupation of Germany, recipient of the Bronze Star. 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. 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 division insignia is a three lined checkerboard design of blue and white squares centered on a black shield. On 3 November 1944, the 395th Regiment disembarked at Le Havre, France. Dad proudly told that the 99th was the first complete unit cross the Remagen Bridge on March 9th or 10th. 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 the Gulf War, the 99th ARCOM became the 99th Regional Support Command (RSC). It had its headquarters at Franklin, Pennsylvania, and drew its personnel from Pennsylvania. Up to that point, the Army had married a battalion of tanks to a battalion of infantry in support of the tanks. The battalion also had its own Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, as well as medics and support personnel. 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. 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. 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. This quick infusion of personnel into the 99th Division occurred in March 1944, when more than 3000 joined the division. Formerly nicknamed the "Checkerboard Division," which referred to its shoulder patch, in late 1944 having not yet seen battle, the division was nicknamed the "Battle Babies. 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.

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