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". In March 1945, the 99th advanced into the Rhineland, crossing the Rhine River at Remagen on March 11. The Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Division was the most decorated platoon for a single action of World War II. The enemy artillery was so intense that communications were generally out. [16], After Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, 22 99th units deployed to Saudi Arabia, Europe, and other locations. 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. German troops pass burning American equipment during the Ardennes offensive. Troops Fight at Elsenburn Ridge", "Why the Bulge Didn't Break: Green Troops Grew Up Fast to Become Heroes of Hofen", "The Battle for Lanzerath HillThe True Story16December1944", "A hero remembers the Battle of the Bulge", "The Heroic Stand of an Intelligence Platoon", "General Orders No. 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. The 99th battled on to the bridge at Remagen that was taken on March 7th. When I got to Hfen, I found the area too big to cover in one afternoon. The Battle of the Bulge was the largest battle ever fought by the United States Army. [7]:3, Col. Butler went ahead to look over the area they were assigned to defend. It was redesignated with description updated, for the 395th Regiment on 7 June 1999. The insignia was devised upon the 99th's formation in 1942 when the division was headquartered in the city of Pittsburgh. On 28 January 1945, after six weeks of the most intense and relentless combat of the war in the biggest battle of World War II, involving approximately 1.3million men, the Allies declared the Ardennes Offensive, or Battle of the Bulge, officially over. 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. 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. 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. [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 99th Division was constituted at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, on 23 July 1918. It was demobilized on 30 November 1918, but was later reconstituted on 21 June 1921 as a member of the Organized Reserves just like the 99th Infantry Division. But the infantry often bore worse casualties than the tanks did and had to be replaced and reinforced more quickly. 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. 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 real crusher to the German offensive plans in the Ardennes occurred 46 miles north east of Bastogne, in a small area consisting of a copse of small villages and a piece of high ground called Elsenborn Ridge. 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. 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). At precisely 0530 hours, the forest erupted in an ear shattering German artillery barrage along a 100 mile front. Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at the Siegfried Line. When hostilities ceased on 7 May 1945, the regiment had during six months of fighting experienced 300 percent turnover due to casualties. 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. It then intersected a main eastwest road at Bullingen. The failure to breach the 99th IDs sector stalled the entire German advance and a decisive breakthrough was never achieved. The 99th Infantry Division was recognized as a liberating unit by the US Army's Center of Military History and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1992. Good luck with your quest. [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. The division crossed the Danube near Eining on the 27th and after a stubborn fight the Isar at Landshut on 1 May. Butler's father had been a major in the Illinois National Guard and urged his son to become a guardsman when he was 16 years old. Later that night, another enemy assault was similarly unsuccessful. Mission of the 395th Infantry Regiment I. The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. The 197th Infantry Division (German: 197. The inexperienced troops of the division were lodged on the northern shoulder of the Ardennes Offensive on 16 December. Originally planned as a Pennsylvania unit, the horizontal band of white and blue. Infanterie-Division) was a German division in World War II. 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]. This quick infusion of personnel into the 99th Division occurred in March 1944, when more than 3000 joined the division. While the 99th was fully involved in this large mobilization, the headquarters moved to Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. Hfen, along with the nearby town of Monschau, was strategically vital because it sat on elevated terrain overlooking an important road junction. info@nationalww2museum.org [10], Around Hfen, which the 395th defended, the ground was marked with open hills. The 1st Battalion was positioned on the right. Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at Elsenborn Crest. [7]:3 American press reports from the European theater foretold the imminent fall of the Third Reich, and many men in Lt. Col. Butler's battalion thought that the war just might be over before they got there. 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 395th was held in the United States until more room was available for the unit to enter Europe. The shield is silver, the old color of Infantry. American troops from the 290th Regiment near Amonines, Belgium. EN RU CN DE ES. The unit was inactivated after World War II, then became a reserve unit, and was redesignated as the 395th Regiment in 1999. TO: Division Surgeon, 99th Infantry Division I. 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. The buck's head was used to indicate the allocation of the organization to the mountainous section of Pennsylvania, where deer abound. Through this eerie artificial moonlight, the 326th Volksgrenadier Division advanced on 3/395s position. The 393rd, 394th & 395th were the Infantry Regiments of the 99th Infantry Division. Still, some German assaults penetrated American lines near the town of Hofen where they were eventually captured after retreating into houses in the town. 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. In 1975, the 99th ARCOM moved its headquarters to Oakdale, Pennsylvania. [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. As many as half a million civilians remained in Stalingrad when the Germans approached in the late summer of 1942. During the heavy fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, the unit suffered many casualties, yet tenaciously held its defensive position. After clearing towns west of the Rhine, it crossed the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen on the 11th. Soldiers who were in direct support of the relief efforts were also awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal as a personal award. Due to the dwindling attendance over the years, the decision was made to hold the final convention in 2011. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Butler was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 21 March 1944, and remained in command of the 395th until 30 April 1945, when he collapsed from exhaustion. 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 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. He found that his 600 riflemen were assigned an extremely large area about 6,000 yards (5,500m) long without any units in reserve. 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. The National WWII Museum Digital Collections. 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. Battle of the Bulge So I stayed in the village overnight. It was credited with destroying "seventy-five percent of three German infantry regiments." 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 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. It had its headquarters at Franklin, Pennsylvania, and drew its personnel from Pennsylvania. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. [14], The 99th as a whole, outnumbered five to one, inflicted casualties in the ratio of eighteen to one. 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 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. [14] If the Germans penetrated Hfen, the U.S. soldiers would have to withdraw several miles to the next defensible position.[10]. The 395th's casualties were extremely light: four dead, seven wounded, and four men missing. This assault, like the first, was ground to a halt due to heavy American small arms and artillery fire. Those Germans who made it into the town itself were quickly mopped up. The 99th RSC was awarded the Army Superior Unit Award on 9 May 2016 by the US Army Human Resources Command for its role in the relief support after Hurricane Sandy, from 29 October 2012 thru 31 March 2013. After the war, the Division founded its own Association and for many years the veterans and their families got united at the many conventions that were held. 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. [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 coat of arms was originally approved for the 395th Regiment Infantry, Organized Reserves on 15 June 1931. : 33 On at least six occasions they called in . [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. This was the most southern area of the Battle of the Bulge. 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. [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. 395 Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division) Report, January 1945. The Medal of Honor was awarded T/Sgt Vernon McGarity, Company L, 393rd Infantry, 99th Infantry Division, for actions taken near Krinkelt, Belgium, on 16 December 1944 during the opening phases of the Ardennes Offensive. Up to that point, the Army had married a battalion of tanks to a battalion of infantry in support of the tanks. Ordered into active military service: 15 November 1942 Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. It had its headquarters at Franklin, Pennsylvania, and drew its personnel from Pennsylvania. This did not turn out to be true. The 12th SS pushed through the woods and probed the villages at around 1100 hours. 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. 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 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. [17]:51, On another day, the 3rd Battalion took 50 Germans prisoner and killed or wounded more than 800 Germans, losing only five dead and seven wounded themselves. 394th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment (99th Infantry Division), History, January 1945. Medical Detachment, 395th Infantry A. P. O. 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. [2]:33 On at least six occasions they called in artillery strikes on or directly in front of their own positions. Outnumbered five to one, they inflicted casualties in the ratio of 18 to one. On 3-4 May, the division liberated two labor camps and a "forest camp" (Waldlager) related to the Mhldorf concentration camp, a sub-camp of Dachau. On 22 December 1967, the 99th Army Reserve Command (ARCOM) was activated. Not so in the pre-dawn hours of December 16 in the Ardennes Forest. [5] After more than ten days of intense battle, they pushed the Americans out of the villages, but were unable to dislodge them from the ridge, where elements of the V Corps of the First U.S. Army prevented the German forces from reaching the road network to their west. Butler held a single platoon of 40 men from Company L in reserve. The division insignia is a three lined checkerboard design of blue and white Alexander John Mackenzie was born in New York City, 22 February 1895, the son of Alexina and Kenneth M.