December 16, 1944 - May 9, 1945 . The French had begun evacuating it in 1939 when war was declared upon Germany by France and England following the German attack on Poland. Two decades passed before the Division would again see combat. by Daly, Hugh C. cre. Filled with draftees, the Fourth Division, whose insignia had been adopted by its first commanding general, Major General George H. Cameron, became … Early on the afternoon of December 16, the 2nd Division’s 23rd Infantry Regiment minus one battalion was attached to the 99th Infantry Division. US soldiers from the 42nd Infantry Division were hurried to France in the final days of 1944, expecting to head to a quiet sector. The fighting was so desperate that the 42nd Division even threw individual rifle companies into the fight whenever they became available. It involved many divisions across a wide front. The 232nd Regiment was brought up from reserve to help in the defense. Though the Rainbow division only fought for 106 days, German soldiers came to respect the Rainbow Division and fear its patrols and raids. Making sure we can live in freedom. Frostbite was rampant. By mid-February 1945 the rest of the 42nd Infantry Division arrived in France and the infantry regiments were rebuilt. Many other Divisions participated, including the famed 101st Airborne Division, popularized by “Easy Company” in the HBO TV series Band of Brothers. “Officers knew little more than the GI,” Corson said. The winter of 1944 was one of the coldest in recorded history; temperatures averaged 20 degrees. The next day, my father captured the Nazi General in charge of the anti-aircraft artillery in south Munich. Capt. By the end of January, the Allied forces had recaptured all ground taken by the German forces in this area. “On the close approach of enemy soldiers, he left the protection of the building he defended and set up his gun in the street,” his Medal of Honor citation states, “There to remain for almost 12 hours driving back attacks while in full view of his adversaries and completely exposed to 88-millimeter, machine gun and small arms fire.”, “All I did was try to protect some other American Soldiers from being killed,” Bertoldo would tell newspapers back home after the war. “We were badly mauled and it was very demoralizing. He fired on approaching German tanks and panzer grenadiers, repeatedly defeating the German attacks and killing 40 of the enemy. ... 5th Infantry Division. At Gambsheim the odds were too great for the American infantry. It had been occupied and transformed into a German town for four years, from 1940-1944. 42nd Infantry Division in Iraq 2004-05 By combattales on July 3, 2015 in Army , Guard-Reserves , Iraq (2002-2011) , Video Soldiers of the 42nd Infantry Division, New York National Guard, pay respects to a fallen comrade at a memorial service in Iraq. Soldiers of Task Force Linden (Company I, 242nd Regiment, 42nd Infantry Division) prepare for action at their log-and-dirt bunker near Kauffenheim, France, January 8, 1945. William Corson in a letter to a 42nd Division reunion gathering in 1995. The division is currently headquartered at the Glenmore Road Armory in Troy, New York. Between Saareguemines and Wissem, then, the Americans had nine infantry and elements of two armored divisions in place and on the alert by the end of December. Moving among buildings in Hatten to fire his machine gun, at one point Bertoldo strapped it to a table for stability. History of Christmas Music: More than just Carols. "Situation on December 16, 1944 was as follows: HQs + attached Medical Battalions of the 134th Medical Group were located at Malmedy, those of the 64th Medical Group at Trois-Ponts, Platoons of the 42nd Field Hospital were spread across the front i.e. U.S. Army Soldiers of the 42nd Infantry Division’s Task Force Linden prepare a defensive position at their log and dirt bunker near Kauffenheim, France, Jan. 8, 1945.2. A few of these soldiers may have been lost outside the massive theater of the Battle of the Bulge but still buried or memorialized at these three cemeteries, ... 42nd Field Artillery Battalion, 4th Infantry Division. Lost lots of people, killed, wounded and captured. he earned 3 bronze stars during his service in the two wars. The 1st Battalion, commanded by Lt. Col. John C. Hightower, was ordered by General Lauer to move to Hünningen, several miles northwest of Losheimergraben on the main road to Büllingen. 518.439.4949, SPOTTED: Colonie boys beat Shaker; earn town bragging rights, Matthew McCabe, store owner, musician and former city commish, dies from COVID, Jail under lockdown, 173 new cases and four deaths in Albany County, Sheriff: Two men forget drug stash in rental car, arrested when they go back for it, POLL: 75 percent plan to get vaccinated; nearly half say Sen. Schumer will have a positive impact as majority leader, Albany County vaccinates 375 at TU center. Find great deals for RAY LUHN 42ND INFANTRY DIVISION BATTLE OF THE BULGE VETERAN RARE SIGNED PHOTO. Entered the Service From: January 18, 1945. Battle of the Bulge - End of the War. They exchanged machine-gun fire with the Germans on Christmas Day. The 42d Infantry Division (42ID) ("Rainbow") is a division of the National Guard and United States Army.The 42d Infantry Division has served in World War I, World War II and the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). But the German officer signaled for other Germans to come to their aid. Sol Feingold ot the 42nd Infantry Division concerning what he refers to as the -other battle of the Bulge." A. Ulio (later Major General, the Adjutant General), then Division Adjutant, is the monad, the Korean symbol of eternal life. My father told me only one story of his time in that area, that I can share only in part. But they began 1945 in a … While most of Cota's division managed to hold its position, the early fighting had decimated it and left it shaken. Spotlight News, The Spot 518 and Capital District Family Now are divisions of Community Media Group, LLC. Trail of the Rainbow Division: Marseilles to Austria. Dan Bearse, a rifleman with the 242nd Infantry in the counterattack, recounted the events in an oral history. The 106th Infantry Division - History Research Remembrance - History of the 106th - Website about the U.S. 106th Infantry Division. Their attack launched from the borders of Belgium and Germany, but at the time they had no idea of the German plan. The town of Strasbourg, located on the French-German border, had just been liberated from Nazi control by the French 2nd Armored Division forces only a month previously. In November, the Division moved into the Hurtgen Forest and fought what was to be its fiercest battle. 42nd Infantry Division Soldiers were in desperate combat in January 1945 at "other Battle of the Bulge" The division is now part of the New York Army National Guard, headquartered in … By mid-February 1945 the rest of the 42nd Infantry Division arrived in France and the infantry regiments were rebuilt. On Christmas Eve, 1944, my father, Staff Sergeant John Petro, had arrived in Strasbourg with the 42nd “Rainbow” Infantry Division. But even this veteran division had its problems in the opening days of the battle of the Bulge, with German spearheads penetrating it in numerous places and cutting it off from contact with the 106th Division to the north. On Christmas Eve, 1944, my father, Staff Sergeant John Petro, had arrived in Strasbourg with the 42nd “Rainbow” Infantry Division. Three regiments of 42nd Infantry Division Soldiers, who had been hurried to France without the rest of their divisional support units, had arrived in Strasbourg, France just before Christmas 1944. This is the order of battle of German and Allied forces during the Battle of the Bulge — specifically, at a point near the end of the battle, which lasted from 16 December 1944 until 25 January 1945.. As with any large Army organization in extended combat, forces and their assignments shifted over the course of the battle. At the beginning of the battle there were 33 officers and 748 enlisted men in the battalion. The American and French armies fought desperately to halt the attack and hold onto the city of Strasbourg, the capital of Alsace. German paratroops and panzer forces with tanks and self-propelled guns crossed the Rhine River 12 miles north of Strasbourg and clashed with the thinly stretched Rainbow Division infantry at Gambsheim on Jan. 5. This battle is known today as The Battle of the Bulge and the Ardennes Offensive. The division headquarters is a unit of the New York Army National Guard. Others moved to the major battle Operation Northwind to prevent the Germans from smashing through the Alsace-Lorraine region in January of 1945. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Bulge_order_of_battle Private Robert Lee Mochel 35th Infantry Division,137th Infantry Regiment, D Co. By mid-February 1945 the rest of the 42nd Infantry Division arrived in France and the infantry regiments were rebuilt. Battle of the Bulge: U.S. Army 28th Infantry Division’s 110th Regimental Combat Team Upset the German Timetable August 1944 was a disastrous month for the Third Reich. Some entries list wartime battle field casualties rather than post … At least that was the information given at a briefing, but someone forgot to tell the enemy,” he wrote. Of all the uniformed American troops in the world at that time, 1/8th participated in the Battle of the Bulge. But by the turn of the New Year, the Allied front became stable, supply lines firmed up, and reinforcements swelled the US troops to 600,000 with 400,000 supporting them. The Nazis made progress for almost three weeks. 42nd "Rainbow" Infantry Division: a combat history of World War II. Publication date 1946 Usage Public Domain Mark 1.0 Topics WWII, United States. They attacked straight into the 42nd Division. … Three days prior to the German Offensive they were attacking towards the Ruhr Dams in Germany. History of the 14th Armored Division - S. History of the 79th Infantry Division - History of the 21st Panzer Division - Sh. i also have available for sale a number of photos that mr luhn signed. 1st Platoon was at Wiltz (serving the 28th Infantry Division) while 3rd Platoon was in St. Vith served the 106th Infantry Division… Battle of the Bulge 17 December 1944 to 5 January 1945 1st Army: ... 42nd Field Artillery Battalion . The Battle of the Bulge was to be the last major German offensive campaign along the Western Front in Europe during WWII. Division combat casualties totaled 6,184, a figure that exceeded the sum strength of any rifle company inside the division. The three regiments were named Task Force Linden, because they were commanded by the division’s deputy commander Brig. He died on december 31, 1944 in a hospital in France of wounds suffered during the Battle of the Bulge near Bastogne. When the three units arrived at Dachau, they discovered more than 30,000 prisoners in the … (U.S. Army Photo), Submitted by the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs. 4 th Infantry Division - Our Proud Heritage. And it … "Situation on December 16, 1944 was as follows: HQs + attached Medical Battalions of the 134th Medical Group were located at Malmedy, those of the 64th Medical Group at Trois-Ponts, Platoons of the 42nd Field Hospital were spread across the front i.e. On April 29, 1945, the 42nd Infantry Division entered the Dachau concentration camp, the earliest and longest-functioning SS-controlled camp in Nazi Germany. CHIÈVRES, Belgium -- People from around the world will gather in Bastogne, Belgium, Dec. 13 to 16 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge.The 42nd … The first week of was a frenzied effort to halt the German advance, with companies and battalions moved around the front like firefighters plugging gaps, Corson said. One of these new officers was Major George B. Pickett, Jr., who had formerly served as Executive Officer of 42nd Tank Battalion, 11th Armored Division during the Battle of the Bulge. Battle of the Bulge. HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS EVE AND THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE: 76 YEARS AGO. American Troops in the Battle of the Bulge. In World War II the division was reactivated but filled with draftee Soldiers. If you are interested in ordering Viagra or its FDA-approved generic alternatives online with maximum convenience, cost-effectiveness, and discretion, we invite you to visit drug shop.com. By mid-February 1945, the rest of the 42nd Infantry Division arrived in France. The officer and another prisoner were put on an M8 Greyhound armored car for transport to the rear. U.S. Army Soldiers of the 42nd Infantry Division’s Task Force Linden prepare a defensive position at their log and dirt bunker near Kauffenheim, France, Jan. 8, 1945.2. American combat interviews are another useful source. Confusion during the first days of the battle led to a difficult coordination of marching orders between Divisions and medical units, whereby some units, such as the Third Platoon in St. Vith only learned of the German offensive, when the Hospital was engulfed by 106th Infantry Division wounded, by which time it seems, the Division Clearing Station had already left for Vielsalm. History of the 42nd Infantry Division - History of the 21st Panzer Division - Pa. History of the 14th Armored Division - S. History of the 21st Panzer Division - Ma. The Germans tried to send a boat across the river but were turned back by automatic weapons fire. Good job — on this and other posts on your dad. At Hatten, on Jan. 10, 1945 the 242nd Infantry Regiment and a battalion from the 79th Division tried to stop the German tanks and paratroopers again. They expected to spend time in a quiet sector to learn the ropes of combat. he later helped liberate a concentration camp& also saw combat in the korean war. Plot A Row 2 Grave 26. But one soldier from the 242nd Infantry, Master Sgt. They defended their patch of land as American soldiers around him fell in battle. The regiment had two battalions in the defense, covering a frontage of 7,500 yards, three times the normal frontage for a regiment in defense, according to the “42nd “Rainbow” Infantry Division Combat History of WWII.”. The 42nd Infantry Division had been made up of National Guard troops during World War I and nicknamed “the Rainbow Division” because it contained elements from 26 states. Our local offices are located at 341 Delaware Ave, Delmar, NY 12054. As a veteran Of the Battle Of the Bu ge in December 1944 as well as the fighting in Alsace during January and February of 1945, and as a military historian who has written one book on the Battle of the Bulge and is “We were outnumbered two or three to one. In World War II the division was reactivated but filled with draftee soldiers. Welcome to Wesley Johnston's (somewhat reluctant) Battle of the Bulge (Ardennes Offensive) web page, part of the 7th Armored Division web site.For now, this is primarily a link page, a focal point for Battle of the Bulge (Ardennes Offensive) information on the web. Bertoldo, who was attached from Corson’s Company A to the battalion headquarters, volunteered to hold off the Germans while other Soldiers retreated. “At no time did I have in mind that I was trying to win something.”. There was some glimmer of hope on December 17 as the 42nd Field Artillery and the 12th Regiment’s own Cannon Company ... while the 10th Regiment from General Irwin’s battle-hardened 5th Infantry Division … 78th Infantry Division: Major General E.P.Parker 309th Infantry Regiment 310th Infantry Regiment ... 42nd Field Artillery Battalion . History, Research, Commemoration and Guided Tours. Facing the Americans were elements of a German tank division, a paratroop division and an infantry division. After Aachen, the 30th Division came off the line and moved back to Holland for a much-needed rest. This strategy had worked before, when the Nazis had broken through French lines and cornered British forces on the coastal town of Dunkirk, forcing a massive sea evacuation from the continent to England. Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian www.billpetro.com. 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