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. For more information, please refer to, Onsite Operations at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Archival OMPFs may also be requested by visiting the, . [15] Members of the 97th Division treated sick and dying prisoners and buried the several hundred corpses discovered in the camp. 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. The division insignia consists of a white trident on a blue shield within a In February 1944 the division was moved to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for additional training. The 97th Infantry Division was ordered into active military service during World War II on 25 February 1943 at Camp Swift, Texas, the last of the Organized Reserve infantry divisions to enter active duty. Moving to protect the left flank of the Third Army on its southern drive, the 97th took Cheb, Czechoslovakia, on 25 April 1945 and attacked the Czechoslovak pocket near Widen, Germany, on the 29th. 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. Shoulder patch: A vertical trident in white on a blue background. Plans called for the division to include the 393rd, 394th, 395th, and 396th Infantry Regiments. B. Lyon Company, 1912. For more information, please see Access to Morning Reports and Unit Rosters | National Archives. It crossed that river, 7 April, against light resistance and fought a street-to-street engagement in Siegburg on the 10th. Dsseldorf fell on the next day and the Ruhr pocket was eliminated. |_W+ Archival OMPFs may also be requested by visiting the Archival Research Room at the National Archives at St. Louis. Regt. 1-May 9, 1945) of the 303rd Infantry Regiment, 97th Infantry Division during WWII. The Genealogy Center >> Title: Armies, Corps, Divisions, and Separate Brigades Author: Compiled by John B. Wilson Subject: Armies, Corps, Divisions, and Separate . Please contact these organizations directly for further assistance. This shot was fired by PFC Domenic Mozzetta of Company B, 387th Infantry Regiment, 97th Division, at a German sniper near Klenovice, Czechoslovakia shortly before midnight, 7 May 1945. WW 2 Connections, Aug 6, 2010. 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. 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. For more information see, Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Archival Records Requests, 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. Also the insignia of the 97th Infantry "Trident" Division. Moving to protect the left flank of the Third Army on its southern drive, the 97th took Cheb, Czechoslovakia, on 25 April 1945 and attacked the Czechoslovak pocket near Weiden, Germany, on 29 April. Days of combat: 41 (ETO). [Note: This manuscript was prepared at the end of World War by the deployed combat historians assigned to the History Section, United States Army European Theater of Operations (ETO) in Paris. 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. 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. Captain Eugene A. Buckley Jr., "After Battle Report, Participation of the 387th Inf Regt in the Battle of Germany, 21 April - 8 May, 1945. 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 Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II. 10 April 1945: XVIII (Abn) Corps. The New York Times, Letters to the Editor, 8 August 1976. and the 303rd FA Bn. It is reproduced here with only those limited modifications required to adapt to the World Wide Web; spelling, punctuation, and slang usage have not been altered from the original. ~Charles F. Browne, If you are ashamed to stand by your colors, you had better seek another flag. Veterans and next of kin of deceased veterans also may use eVetRecs to request records. |_W+ [24], The 97th Infantry Division was credited with firing the last official shot in the European Theatre of Operations during World War II. on 25 April 1945 and attacked the Czechoslovak pocket near Widen, Germany, on the 29th. Please note that the missing documents will be added in the near future. It included the 193rd and 194th Infantry Brigades, and the 172nd Field Artillery Brigade. 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. Please be aware that rosters for units serving in World War II from 1944 - 1946 were destroyed in accordance with Army disposition authorities. The personnel of the division was originally drawn from the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, formerly the territory inhabited by Chief Black Hawk and his tribe. My grandfather was a member. Strike. 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. Div. 510-592. 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. [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. ~*UW!_/E"|_/E| _/K%| _q_/$D{yO"I=' I='0,0,0+0+~G[BOwWxS Our Military Heritage 30 January 1945: Fifteenth Army, 12th Army Group. Gen. Milton B. Halsey (20 January 1944-24 September 1945) Held in reserve for several weeks, the Division then marched from France to Belgium and on into Germany, where it was assigned to the First Army and thrown into action near Dsseldorf during operations to liquidate the Germans trapped in the Ruhr pocket. During the final mopping-up operations in the pocket, the 97th took thousands of prisoners. Seeking records of Company E, 303rd Infantry Regiment, 97th Infantry Division, We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the, World War II Operations Reports, 1940-1948, in the Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1917 - 1985 (Record Group 407) that includes history (1944-1946) and after action report (Apr. "Elimination of the Ruhr Pocket; XVIII Airborne Corps (First U. S. Army) 387th Infantry Regt, 97th Infantry Division." Nickname: Trident. Harold Bartig, 1989 - World War, 1939-1945 - 108 pages. Route of the 97th Infantry Division. [4], In early January 1945, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of Allied forces on the Western Front, was alarmed over the swift progress the Germans had made during the waning Battle of the Bulge and was concerned that the Germans could move additional reinforcements to the west from the Eastern Front. In many cases where personnel records were destroyed in the, , 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. [1], 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. Brigadier General Milton B. Halsey inspected the camp as did General Sherman V. Hasbrouck, the commanding officer of the division artillery. . 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. The 393rd, 394th & 395th were the Infantry Regiments of the 99th Infantry Division. They then shot at the Americans from both directions. Please email stlarr.archives@nara.gov for further assistance prior to making an appointment. [30], Confiscating and disposing of Japanese military property proved to be the Division's prime task. After V-E Day, the Division was moved back into Germany, and then prepared to sail back to the United States for redeployment to the Pacific. 10 Fighting Doughs -- 10 Potential Heroes. During operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, more than 3,000 division troops deployed to missions in the Persian Gulf. The 99th Division was constituted at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, on 23 July 1918. However, many of the survivors credit their lives to Pfc. World War II Central Europe DECORATIONS None. But in the Army plans can change quickly, even plans involving the 14,000 men and hundreds of vehicles of a division. [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. states of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire, from which personnel for the division The 97th entered the battle of the Ruhr pocket, (Washington, DC: Orientation Branch, Information and Education Services, n.d.). Copyright, 2023, Sons Of Liberty Museum, Inc.,All Rights Reserved, 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 97th Inf. Route of the 97th Infantry Division The headquarters was organized in December 1921. bank of the Rhine River opposite Dusseldorf, engaging in patrolling. The troops used the monastery there as a POW camp for the Germans. mountains. At the time, it was only partially organized and consisted of 402 officers and 7,889 men. 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. ' Please email. for further assistance prior to making an appointment. This website is only in its very early stages, aiming to give a full spectrum of data on World War II fighting units, including details on organization, commanders, and literature. You are at a gateway to WWII discussion, research, exploration, & analysis. 30 April 1945: V Corps. Neptune's trident was originally adopted as the division's symbol, to represent the coastal states of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire, from which the first recruits were drawn in 1918. See, for instructions. (Organized Reserves redesignated 25 March 1948 as the Organized . 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. Interview with Capt. Headquarters Company, 97th Infantry Division. For more information see Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Archival Records Requests. Docs). 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. In two days the 922nd Field Artillery Battalion fired over three thousand rounds at the area around the castle. "G.I. Casualty figures for the 90th Infantry Division, European theater of operations: Total battle casualties: 19,200; Total deaths in battle: 3,951 Please see the linked website for more information. Inactivated 3l March 1946 in Japan. 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. 10 Fighting Doughs -- 10 Potential Heroes [21], The following day a unit of the 97th CIC Detachment led by Captain Oscar M. Grimes captured about two hundred Gestapo officers and men in hiding near Hof, Bavaria. Six months before V-E Day, it looked very much to the men of the Trident Division as if their first war action would be against the Japanese. Veterans and next of kin of deceased veterans also may use eVetRecs to request records. Table - Comparative Statistics, Individual Awards, K. Table - Comparative Statisitcs, Casualties & Campaigns, Insignia, Nickname, Insignia Significance, and Motto, Assignments and Attachments to Higher Units. Stories Booklet, 99th Infantry Division Association Newspaper Archive - Search Old Newspaper Articles Online, (You must log in or sign up to reply here. Overseas: 19 February 1945, for the ETO; 28 August 1945, for the Pacific Theater. 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. ], Return to the Main Combat The division then entered the battle of the Ruhr pocket, crossing the Sieg River on 7 April, battling German Wehrmacht troops defending Schloss Allner. On 25 April the division entered Ash, Czechoslovakia. 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. On 23 April elements of the 97th, together with members of the 90th Infantry Division, liberated Flossenbrg concentration camp near Flo in Bavaria. Moving to protect the left flank of the Third Army on its southern drive, the 97th took Cheb, Czechoslovakia, Pushing on toward Dusseldorf through difficult terrain and heavy resistance in Milton Ponitz and First Lt. Robert McCaffrey. The division was activated 5 September 1918 and inactivated 20 November 1918; one infantry regiment (303d) served with the 76th Division. [1], In July 1944 the division relocated to Camp San Luis Obispo, California. He requested additional divisions over and above those already earmarked for the European theater. Please be aware that rosters for units serving in World War II from 1944 - 1946 were destroyed in accordance with Army disposition authorities. The division embarked on troopships in New York and landed at Le Havre, France on 2 March 1945, then moved to Camp Lucky Strike. The division was organized at Camp Cody, Deming, New Mexico and activated on 5 September 1918. [2], The division was intended to be composed of National Army draftees mainly from Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire, but in October, over 5,000 draftees, mainly from Oklahoma and Minnesota, were sent to the division at Camp Cody. The three prongs of the trident represent the three states; the blue symbolizes the states numerous fresh water lakes; and, the white of the border and trident represents the snow that covers these states' picturesque mountains. [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. 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. [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. 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.
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