Just two months later, the first issue of the division's newspaper began circulating. 563 . Route of the 97th Infantry Division Part of the division was in Tepl where the German 2nd Panzer Division had surrendered. The division was reconstituted in the Organized Reserves on 24 June 1921 and assigned to the states of New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. p)\ On 25 October, Brigadier General James R. Lindsay became division commander as Martin became its chief of staff. WW 2 Connections, Aug 6, 2010. 510-592. The 86th and 97th Infantry Divisions, allocated for service in the Pacific, were ordered to the European Theater of Operations (ETO) instead for the final assault on Germany. h240P0P040T0 F The Germans cut down trees to impede the infantry's advance, thus blocking the roads in the woods. Please note that the missing documents will be added in the near future. During 1944, approximately 5,000 soldiers were stripped from the division and sent as replacements to other units in Europe. Concurrently, it was withdrawn from the Army Reserve and allotted to the Regular Army. NPRC continues working to restore their pre-pandemic response times of under ten days for these requests. The Germans had tunnels dug there and after the troops got up on land, past the river, the Germans came up behind them. |_W+ On 14 April, intelligence officers from the 97th Division liberated approximately 800 prisoners of war, including 177 Americans, being held at a POW camp in Hoffnungstal, near Much, Germany. 1 April 1945: First Army, 12th Army Group. But in the Army plans can change quickly, even plans involving the 14,000 men and hundreds of vehicles of a division. GQpT8* Headquarters Company, 97th Infantry Division. Welcome to the WWII Forums! (SaeVaeVaeVaeVaeV_eU_Wx^Wx^Wx^Wx^Wx^Wx^Wx^WXXXYXYXYXYXYXYL#6a-L3?Y~M5_~M5_~M5_~M5_~*UW_ 1-May 9, 1945) of the 303rd Infantry Regiment, 97th Infantry Division during WWII. Online: Lone Sentry: 97th Infantry [text only] 99th Infantry Division . duty, arriving at Yokohama 23 September 1945. It fought a street-to-street engagement in Siegburg on 10 April. At a point near the Czechoslovakian city of Luditz, patrols from the Division met up with elements of the Russian Army. on the 10th. ABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501 The 97th Infantry Division landed at Le Havre, France, 2 March 1945, and moved to Camp Lucky Strike. "G.I. It bears a metal plaque listing all of the soldiers from the 1st and 97th Infantry Divisions killed in the area. on 25 April 1945 and attacked the Czechoslovak pocket near Widen, Germany, on the 29th. 303d Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer), 386th Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer), 922d Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer), 389th Field Artillery Battalion (155mm Howitzer). The insignia is a. Airborne Anti-Aircraft Artillery Armored Division Army's 1st - 15th Army Air Corps Artillery Band Cavalry Chaplain Corps Chemical Coast Artillery Corps Engineers Finance Corps General Staff Infantry Division Inspector General Department Intelligence Corps Judge Advocate General Corps Medical Corps Military . On 12 April Pfc Joe R. Hastings of Company C, 386th Infantry Regiment, distinguished himself in action at Drabenderhhe, Germany while attacking an enemy position. [Nota Bene: These combat chronicles, current Contents: The Story of the 97th Infantry Division. Regt. The division's cadre consisted of over 1,000 trained officers and enlisted men, and Colonel Carl A. Martin became its first commander on 26 September. A military police patrol from the 303rd Infantry Regiment may have been the first U.S. Army unit to reach the camp, although the 2nd Cavalry Group, Mechanized[16] and a colonel from the 90th Infantry Division later took credit for liberating the camp. ~Charles F. Browne, If you are ashamed to stand by your colors, you had better seek another flag. Stories" booklets were not published for all the divisions which served in the ETO in WWII. We hope this is helpful. One way we promote public education of military history is through our exhibits. Welcome to WWII Forums! See eVetRecs Help for instructions. [4], The division left Le Havre on 16 June 1945 aboard the SSBrazil, arriving at Camp Shanks on 24 June. The Genealogy Center >> In 1996, as part of the overall force reduction following the end of the Cold War, the 97th Army Reserve Command was inactivated and its units were absorbed into the 99th Regional Readiness Command. 30 April 1945: V Corps. The first units which have been described in some detail are the British 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division & British 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division. At that time the Division, which had been activated in February 1943, was stationed in California, with its training all completed and its men ready for battle. Campaigns: Central Europe. The 97th re-mained in battle for five weeks, moving up with the Third Army into Czechoslovakia. [4] Dsseldorf fell without much fighting the next day, after the German Resistance launched Aktion Rheinland, and the Ruhr pocket was eliminated by 21 April. The troops used the monastery there as a POW camp for the Germans. Alexander, William . Docs). [1] The 97th also liberated Helmbrechts concentration camp, a sub-camp of Flossenbrg for female prisoners. G: It will take a considerable amount of time to eliminate the backlog on other types of requests, such as genealogical requests for complete copies of records. [citation needed], 97th 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), Susan Hobson, "New Creative Writers: 17 Novelists Whose First Work Appears This Season,". On 15 July 1962, the division's 97th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop was converted and redesignated, less the 3rd Platoon, as the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 193rd Infantry Brigade, and relieved from assignment to the 97th Infantry Division. Colonel C. A. Martin - 26 September 1918 to 19 October 1918; Brigadier General James R. Lindsay - 19 October 1918 until demobilization on 20 November 1918. ACPL Call Number D107.2:In 3/97th div. 26th Infantry Division "Yankee Division" During World War I, a press conference of Boston newspapermen was called by the Commanding General to determine a nickname for this division, which had just been inducted from New England National Guard units. Albany: J. Monument Text: The Story of the 97th Infantry Division Gen. Milton B. Halsey (20 January 1944-24 September 1945) He was captured on Nov. 12, 1944 during the Battle of the Huertgen Forest, Germany. In February 1944 the division was moved to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for additional training. The blue of the shield stands for the freshwater lakes of New England, the white of the border for the snow-covered mountains of the region. Discussion in 'Information Requests' started by Chef des Todes, Aug 6, 2010. Most of the cadre for the 97th came from the 95th Infantry Division stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. It was deployed to Europe in 1944 when casualties from the Battle of the Bulge needed to be replaced. The 97th entered the battle of the Ruhr pocket, [28][29] By December the 97th had reached its maximum deployment through six prefectures: Saitama, Gunma, Nagano, Niigata, Fukushima, and Tochigi. The division moved back in stages to Le Havre, France, and on June 16, 1945, set sail for Boston, Massachusetts. also has a large collection of published unit histories. First Strike Against the Fatherland The exact time frame is unknown. Trident's Prongs Stab Dusseldorf If you have any data on units and those who served we would be interested in adding it to our digital project-library; please Contact Us. Please be aware that rosters for units serving in World War II from 1944 - 1946 were destroyed in accordance with Army disposition authorities. endstream endobj 1107 0 obj <>stream Dusseldorf fell on the next day and the Ruhr pocket was On 23 April elements of the 97th, together with members of the 90th Infantry Division, liberated Flossenbrg concentration camp near Flo in Bavaria. [32], The division was inactivated on 31 March 1946 in Yokohama.[4][30]. Stories Booklet, 99th Infantry Division Association Newspaper Archive - Search Old Newspaper Articles Online, (You must log in or sign up to reply here. 10 April 1945: XVIII (Abn) Corps. (< He was an U.S. Army veteran of the Korean Conflict, serving with the 109th Field Artillery 28th Division from 1948 to 1952, attaining the rank of sergeant first class. The New York Times, Letters to the Editor, 8 August 1976. Private First Class LeVert W. Bell 387th Infantry Regiment 04/02/1945 Staff Sergeant Charles C. Miller 387th Infantry Regiment 04/03/1946 |_W+ On April 3, the 97th crossed the Rhine, and then went back into action along the Sieg River, capturing Siegburg and several other German towns. p)\ Brigadier General Halsey inspected the camp as did General Sherman V. Hasbrouck, the commanding officer of the division artillery. Maj. Gen. Louis A. Craig (4 February 1943-19 January 1944) The 303rd Inf. The 97th Infantry Division landed at Le Havre, France, 2 March 1945, and moved to Camp Lucky Strike. 97th Cml Mort Bn (- Co B) 12 Apr 45-13 Apr 45: Co B, 97th Cml Mort Bn: 13 Apr 45-14 Apr 45 . WnQ&)4H,Jq@v!YB: b!4CsQbdHp dS>stream The 97th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II. Macauley R. "Who Should Mourn?" z Casualty figures for the 90th Infantry Division, European theater of operations: Total battle casualties: 19,200; Total deaths in battle: 3,951 [2] Members of the Counter Intelligence Corps, which included Robie Macauley,[3] Ib Melchior[4] and Anthony Hecht,[5] interviewed former prisoners and gathered evidence for trials of former camp officers and guards. [26] After a 30-day leave, the division reassembled at Fort Bragg, crossed the US by troop train and on 1 September embarked aboard the USSGrundy for redeployment to the Pacific, arriving at Cebu, Philippine Islands on 16 September and then sailing to Japan for occupation duty, the first unit previously stationed in Europe to arrive in Japan after the end of the war. After crossing France by troop train, the division passed through Maastricht and crossed the German border west of Aachen on 28 March, taking up a defensive position along the west bank of the Rhine River opposite Dsseldorf. 97th Infantry Division Story of the 97th Infantry Division Paris: printed by Draeger, 1945. Domenic Mozzetta (1925-2001) of Company B, 387th Infantry Regiment, 97th Infantry Division, at a German sniper near Klenovice, Czechoslovakia shortly before midnight, 7 May 1945. (Organized Reserves redesignated 25 March 1948 as the Organized . As the 97th prepared to enter Czechoslovakia, Flossenburg concentration camp was discovered in the division's . There are 3 soldiers of the 97th Infantry Division World War II still listed as missing in action. Overseas: 19 February 1945, for the ETO; 28 August 1945, for the Pacific Theater. Field Artillery Battalions were the 370th, 371st, 372nd & the 924th. We recommend that you search the U.S. Army Center of Military History, 97th Infantry Division - Order of Battle of the United States Army - WWII - ETO, website for the order of battle during World War II. (Govt. The 97th Division was one of the divisions planned to be activated in late 1918 and deployed to France in 1919 to reinforce the American Expeditionary Force. And in the fall, finally, the Division that had expected to begin its travels in Jap-held territory found itself in Japan, as one of the two Divisionsthe 86th was the otherthat actually got redeployed from Europe. The 99th Division was constituted at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, on 23 July 1918. the border and trident represents the snow that covers these states' picturesque states of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire, from which personnel for the division g>~.PxE!Dl^=?Xc@=qQ M_l{(qfg8.epW(O.qq\\'(pr}@Tex%,Li-_Vo?X#2UI:qtR-8}U|H,UQ-?8~yO+}?_[@g5O./oW7f@n}CN{V~ y1q27\K $h. {!qS?;p}fOOo!r(;;'}s_ttsW:9+=9)}uQzt{WEu. 22 April 1945: XII Corps. (Govt. We were unable to locate specific records of Company E. Records of lower echelon units sometimes were incorporated into the files of the battalion or regiment. [4] As all bridges over the Rhine had been destroyed and the city was well-defended, the 97th was ordered to move south along the west bank of the Rhine, crossing over it near Bonn on 3 April and taking up a position on the southern bank of the Sieg River at Hennef. regiment (303d) served with the 76th Division. Plans called for the division to include the 393rd, 394th, 395th, and 396th Infantry Regiments. NPRC continues working to restore their pre-pandemic response times of under ten days for these requests. the blue symbolizes the states numerous fresh water lakes; and, the white of Activated 25 Feb 1943 Entered Combat 1 Apr 1945 Normandy Days of Combat 41 Casualties 979, Maj. Gen. Louis A. Craig (Feb 43 - Jan 44)Brig. During World War II, Mr. Carlson served in the Army with the 28th Infantry Division from 1942 until 1945. ~*UW!_/E"|_/E| _/K%| _q_/$D{yO"I=' I='0,0,0+0+~G[BOwWxS "Elimination of the Ruhr Pocket; XVIII Airborne Corps (First U. S. Army) 387th Infantry Regt, 97th Infantry Division." Roster of 787th Ordnance This roster was provided by Casey Camper, son of Carl Camper. Please complete a GSA Standard Form 180 and mail it to NARA's National Personnel Records Center, (Military Personnel Records), 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138-1002. redeployment to the Pacific, arriving at Cebu, Philippine Islands, 16 September, and then sailed to Japan for occupation At the time, it was only partially organized and consisted of 402 officers and 7,889 men. On 25 April the division entered Ash, Czechoslovakia. 97th Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia. [31] On 31 October, Special Agent Robie Macauley of the division's counter-intelligence unit arrested 26 prominent Nazis who were in hiding in Karuizawa. The New York Times, Letters to the Editor, 8 August 1976. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. The following lists the divisions which fought in the ETO, units covered in the "G . The name commemorates the lineage of the mid-Atlantic states' National Guard units that formed the division, many with service on both sides during the Civil War. Harold Bartig, 1989 - World War, 1939-1945 - 108 pages. It will take a considerable amount of time to eliminate the backlog on other types of requests, such as genealogical requests for complete copies of records. [8] According to his citation: He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions. Steve Robles. [2] In late October, the 97th was struck by the 1918 flu pandemic, which sickened over 500 soldiers and killed more than 100. [34] The unit was reactivated shortly thereafter on 8 August 1962 in the Panama Canal Zone.[35]. The infantry drove through Dsseldorf, waiting for the Germans to shoot at them; then they would find the pockets of Germans and shoot at them to flush them out. In September 1944 the 97th was transferred to Camp Cooke, California, for further amphibious training. Shoulder patch: A vertical trident in white on a blue background. On 28 March, the Division crossed the German border west of Aachen and took up a defensive position along the west bank of the Rhine River opposite Dusseldorf, engaging in patrolling. Roster of D Company, 345th Infantry Regiment This roster was provided by the company clerk of 345-D, Mitch Kaidy. We directly support the repository at WW2.ORG, and several other worthwhile projects that add to the historical record. Route of the 97th Infantry Division. Please see the linked website for more information. The division insignia consists of a white trident on a blue shield within a The 71st Infantry Division during World War II As Allied troops moved across Europe in a series of offensives against Nazi Germany, they found tens of thousands of concentration camp prisoners in deplorable conditions. The 97th ID had advanced into Czechoslovakia when on May 8, 1945, WWII officially ended in the ETO. Activated: 25 February 1943. Undoubtedly there are men who served with the division who are not listed in this document. 30 January 1945: Fifteenth Army, 12th Army Group. 2010-2023 ACPL Genealogy Center.All RightsReserved. For more information, please see Access to Morning Reports and Unit Rosters | National Archives. for Army units that may include rosters and morning reports of the 303rd Infantry Regiment. Gen. Milton B. Halsey (20 January 1944 24 September 1945), Maj. Gen. Herman F. Kramer (24 September 1945 to inactivation). [15], Pushing on toward Dsseldorf through difficult terrain and heavy resistance in densely wooded areas, the division captured Solingen on 17 April. "Obituary: Oscar M. "Mel" Grimes Jr., 80, "Bemedaled Ex-Nazi Youth Home from Europe Wars,", Bryan J. Dickerson, "The Liberation of Western Czechoslovakia 1945,", Geoffrey Lindsay, "Anthony Hecht in Occupied Japan. On 28 March, the division crossed the German border west of Aachen and took up a defensive position along the west bank of the Rhine River opposite Dsseldorf, engaging in patrolling. In the complicated design of the 97ths shoulder patch, the three prongs of the trident represent the states from which the personnel of the outfit were originally drawnMaine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Contents: The division left for Le Havre, 16 June 1945, for redeployment to the Pacific, arriving at Cebu, Philippine Islands, 16 September, and then sailed to Japan for occupation duty, arriving at Yokohama on 23 September 1945. The segregated 92nd Infantry Division, composed primarily of enlisted African American personnel and nicknamed the "Buffalo Soldiers," was activated on October 15, 1942. Government Printing Office, 1950, pp. It had advanced to Konstantinovy Lzn, Czechoslovakia, when it received the cease-fire order on 7 May. The troops used the monastery there as a POW camp for the Germans. Pushing on toward Dusseldorf through difficult terrain and heavy resistance in Plus, we located the Muster Rolls and Rosters, 11/1/1912 - 12/31/1943 and Morning Reports, ca. [17] Members of the Counter Intelligence Corps, which included Robie Macauley,[18] Ib Melchior[19] and Anthony Hecht,[20] interviewed former prisoners and gathered evidence for trials of former camp officers and guards. In many cases where personnel records were destroyed in the 1973 fire, proof of service can be provided from other records such as morning reports, payrolls, and military orders, and a certificate of military service will be issued. Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Infantry divisions of the United States Army, United States Army divisions during World War II, Military units and formations established in 1918, Distinguished Service Cross (United States), http://www.history.army.mil/documents/ETO-OB/97ID-ETO.htm, http://www.97thdivision.com/historyp1.html. 10 Fighting Doughs -- 10 Potential Heroes The 90th 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 1985. Then the Division began to move back toward Dsseldorf again, to close the pocket from the south. p)\ The 97th entered the battle of the Ruhr pocket, crossing the Rhine near Bonn, 3 April, and taking up a position on the southern bank of the Sieg River. It had advanced to Konstantinovy Lazne, Czechoslovakia, when it received the cease-fire order on 7 May. The division was activated 5 September 1918 and inactivated 20 November 1918 ; one infantry It crossed that river, 7 April, with the troops suffering 80% casualties in wounded and dead. [1], In July 1944 the division relocated to Camp San Luis Obispo, California. The war ended with the Armistice of 11 November, and the 97th was ordered to be demobilized on 20 November. For more information about these non-digitized records, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RR2R) via email at archives2reference@nara.gov. The 97th Infantry Division landed at Le Havre, France, 2 March 1945, and moved to Camp Lucky Strike. The 97th Infantry Division landed at Le Havre, France, 2 March 1945, and moved to Camp Lucky Strike. The "Blue and Gray" was coined as the nickname of the 29th Infantry Division by the division's commander during World War I. Pushing on toward Dusseldorf through difficult terrain and heavy resistance in densely wooded areas, the Division captured Solingen, 17 April. 28 April 1945: First Army, 12th Army Group. The Division left for Le Havre, 16 June 1945, for It included the 193rd and 194th Infantry Brigades, and the 172nd Field Artillery Brigade. The division insignia consists of a white trident on a blue shield within a white border. [15][22][23], On 25 April the division entered Czechoslovakia, moving to protect the left flank of the Third Army on its southern drive. 97th and 1st Infantry Divisions Back to Cheb Park View larger image Details: In the middle of the park. z' z')z)z: [14] Pfc John Hedrick seized an abandoned assault boat while under heavy enemy fire and used the craft to help ferry troops across the river. Under the supervision of the Navy and Marine Corps, the division began amphibious training and exercises at Camp Callan, Coronado Strand, San Clemente Island, San Nicolas Island and Camp Pendleton. This list identifies Army units that were awarded assault landing credit for the Normandy invasion, 6 and 7 June 1944. Robert W. Hacker, "Knocking the Lock Off the Gate at the Flossenbrg Concentration Camp; 23 April 1945," excerpted from Robert W. Hacker: Flossenbrg Concentration Camp, Phoenix 2000, unpublished manuscript. |A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M| I'm hoping to find out what company-level records there are for this unit during World War II. Nicknamed the "Trident division" because of its shoulder patch, a vertical trident in white on a blue background, it was originally trained in amphibious assaults as preparation for deployment in the Pacific Theater. Please be aware that NPRC is prioritizing the requests for separation documents needed by veterans and their dependents to prove eligibility for a variety of benefits. On 1 February 1942 the division was redesignated the 37th Infantry Division and reorganized as a "triangular" division consisting of the 145th, 147th and 148th Infantry Regiments. The. The Division left for Le Havre, 16 June 1945, for redeployment to the Pacific, arriving at Cebu, Philippine Islands, 16 September, and then sailed to Japan for occupation duty, arriving at Yokohama 23 September 1945. is relatively new in the annals of military history. We can't all be Washingtons, but we can all be patriots. Division strength was eventually restored when the Army Specialized Training Program and aviation cadet training program were sharply reduced or terminated and many of their personnel were reassigned to Army Ground Forces for retraining as infantry.
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