"[19][18] In spite of these deficiencies, less than one month later, the men's tour of duty was extended for another eighteen months, much to their chagrin, because of concerns of an impending American entry into World War II.[17]. See, for instructions. Every Tom, Dick and Harry in the Seventh Army and beyond, claimed to have liberated Dachau KZ on 29 April 1945 or to have. In January 1943 it moved to Fort Pickett, Virginia, for its final training. Our History Department collects Veteran information for this website and the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. The 45th moved north to the Sarreguemines area and smashed through the Siegfried Line. 45th ID in World War II. My mom remembers him talking about liberating concentration camps, and my grandmother remembers that he was artillery and she thinks he trained at Fort Sill. [35] After this, the division was allocated to drive towards Messina, being ordered by the Seventh Army commander to cover the distance as quickly as possible. 45th Infantry Division "Thunderbird" 1939 and before 1939 - present The 45th Infantry Division served for 511 days in Combat in the European African Middle Eastern Theater; during this time they served in the campaigns of SICILY , NAPLES-FOGGIA , ANZIO , ROME-ARNO , SOUTHERN FRANCE , RHINELAND , ARDENNES-ALSACE, and CENTRAL EUROPE. City and State: HUNTLEY MT [84] Regardless, by mid-1950 the division had only 8,413 troops, less than 45 percent[n 1] of its full-strength authorization. Hey Dave, Im new to this site and stumbled across this thread. In addition to burying the dead, the Allied forces attempted to help and comfort the survivors with food, clothing and medical assistance. The 45th Infantry Division was reassigned to VI Corps on New Year's day. The 45th Infantry Division took the strongly defended city of Epinal on 24 September. Raymond B Company, 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion 382. [6] The division was formed and federally recognized as a National Guard unit on 3 August 1923 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. One possible method of researching his assignments is to start with the morning resorts for the last unit to which he was assigned, which would be the HQ & HQ Company 290 Infantry Regiment. Up till now everything was basically small scattered pieces to the puzzle. [32] As the division advanced towards its main objective to capture the airfields at Biscari, and Comiso, German forces were pushed back. Major General Roy Hoffman took command in 1931, followed by Alexander M. Tuthill, Alexander E. McPherren in 1935, and William S. Key in 1936. Some of the German troops were camp guards; the others were sick and wounded troops from a nearby hospital. Against this, the Allies planned to land 180,000 troops,[27] including the 45th Infantry Division, which was assigned to Lieutenant General Omar Bradley's II Corps, part of the U.S. [7] It was assigned the 89th Infantry Brigade of the Colorado and Arizona National Guards, and the 90th Infantry Brigade of the Oklahoma National Guard. [50] Against slight opposition, it spearheaded the drive for the Belfort Gap. Wilkin. Ray, E. D. 3rd Photo Reconnaissance Squadron 914. A Company), B & C Companies, 2nd Chemical
"On 20 May, the Regiment was incorporated under the Dachau Area, Command. Company Morning Reports. Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths in World War II, Final Report, 1 December 1941 - 31 December 1946. Mortar Battalion, 2nd Battalion, 36th Engineer Combat
The division remained a National Guard formation until its downsizing in 1968. [45] The next three months were spent on the defensive, with the 45th engaged in trench warfare, alike to that in World War I. Visit the 45th Infantry Museum. [32] The paratroopers, conducting their first combat jump of the war after six weeks of training in Tunisia, then set up to protect the 45th's flank against German counterattack, but without weapons to counter heavy armor, the paratroopers had to rely on support from the 2nd Armored Division to repulse the German Tiger I tanks. Sheeran explained that by then, he "had no hesitation in doing what I had to do. Divisional information
Dad told us he was at Dachau. [120] In its place, the independent 45th Infantry Brigade (Separate) was established. [4], On 19 October 1920, units of the Oklahoma National Guard were organized as part of the 45th Infantry Division, also manned with troops from Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. [39] The 45th Infantry Division landed its 157th and 180th regimental combat teams and captured the heights of the Chaines de Mar before meeting with the 1st Special Service Force. & 02.11.1944 & 05.12.1944-28.12.1944, Hq & Hq Battery, 938th FA Battalion
[14] The new insignia featured the Thunderbird, another Native American symbol, and was approved in 1939. The 45th Infantry Division guardsmen saw no major action until they became one of the first National Guard units activated in World War II in 1941. He also claimed to have been at Dachau and talked about it to some detail when I was younger. After brief inactivation and subsequent reorganization as a unit restricted to Oklahomans, the division returned to duty in 1951 for the Korean War. B Company, 325th Engineer Combat
We have no records for him other than his registration card and photos. Once this rest period was complete, the division was assigned to XV Corps for the final push into German territory. [64] Some veterans of the 45th Infantry Division have said that only 30 to 50 German soldiers were killed and that very few were killed trying to surrender, while others have admitted to killing or refusing to treat wounded German guards.[65]. [49] The 45th moved north to the Sarreguemines area and smashed through the Siegfried Line, on 17 March taking Homburg on the 21st and crossing the Rhine between Worms and Hamm on the 26th. Armored Division, 409th Infantry Regiment, 103rd Infantry
It's like a window back in time. Check out the people who helped make it possible! However, with the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany, with its infamous swastika symbol, the 45th Division stopped using the insignia. The soldiers reacted in shock and disbelief to the evidence of Nazi atrocities. In World War II, following stateside training at Camp Barkley, Fort Sill, Camp Devens, the 45th Infantry Division landed in Sicily on 10 July 1943. [111], In the division's first few months on the line, Chinese forces conducted three raids in its sector. Here follows a list of organic Medical Units, assigned to specific Divisions throughout World War 2: Medical Unit. [39] The division crossed the Danube River on 27 April, and liberated 32,000 captives of the Dachau concentration camp on 29 April 1945. [49] On 30 September the division crossed the Moselle River and entered the western foothills of the Vosges, taking Rambervillers. Horrible images. In the first two cases, dubbed the Biscari massacre, occurred on 14 July 1943, American troops from C Company, 180th Infantry Regiment, were alleged to have shot 74 Italian and two German prisoners in Acate following the capture of an airfield in the area. NPRC expects to eliminate this portion of the backlog by fall 2022, and restore their pre-pandemic response times of under ten days for these requests later this fall. [39] The division had great difficulty moving across the rivers and through the mountainous terrain, and the advance was slow. So he might have actually meant one of the subcamps which would increase the number of possible units. We hope this is helpful. When it arrived in Korea, only half the division's manpower were National Guard troops, and over 4,500 guardsmen left between May and July 1952, continually replaced by more active duty troops, including an increasing number of African Americans. See: As a result of this effort, two 45th Infantry Division units existed between 1952 and 1953; the mostly Active-duty 45th Infantry Division (AUS) in Korea, and the National Guard 45th Infantry Division (NGUS) in Oklahoma. A row of small cement structures near the prison entrance contained a coal-fired crematorium, a gas chamber, and rooms piled high with naked and emaciated human corpses. Battalion. [39] The advance continued, with Aschaffenburg falling on 3 April, and Nuremberg on the 20th. The 45th Infantry Museum honors not just their service, but that of all Oklahomans. Jive Software Version: 9.13.0.0 , revision: 20220815205735.50e1b0c.master, The 42nd and 45th Infantry Divisions and the 20th Armored Division liberated Dachu, however there were many, ubcamps and soldiers with our unit, the 36th Infantry Division, often related in the stories they told to. Hoping to occupy as much of the country as humanly possible before the German Army could react, the U.S. Fifth Army prepared to attack Salerno. Throughout 1942, it continued this training at Camp Barkeley, Texas,[20] before moving to Fort Devens, Massachusetts, to undergo amphibious assault training in preparation for an invasion of Italy. He described often witnessing similar behavior by fellow, Orders from unit commanders during a mission. The 816 surviving prisoners were taken to barracks within the camp. ", This page was last edited on 9 January 2023, at 02:37. Thank you so much!Katie Capra Geuin(i am new to this page and didn't see a way to send a message without replying to this one with the same subject line), [Moderation Note: Please see How To: Contact Another User], I checked the 29 June 1945 Division Roster as well as my General Orders' Worksheet and. The scene near the entrance to the confinement area numbed my senses. On 16 February, a major German attack struck the 45th, and nearly broke through the 179th Infantry on 18 February. Will order it. These small-unit actions made up the majority of the division's combat in Korea. [39] During this time much of the division's artillery assets were attached to the 44th Infantry Division to provide additional support. [104][n 3], By the time the division was in place, the battle lines on both sides had largely solidified, leaving the 45th Infantry Division in a stationary position as it conducted attacks and counterattacks for the same ground. For more information, please refer to Onsite Operations at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. [89] Because of heavy casualties and slow reinforcement rates, the Army looked to the National Guard to provide additional units to relieve the beleaguered Eighth Army. If you see this and check out your roster I would love to know what you find. To access these records for the 1940s, you will need to either make an appointment to visit the National Archives at St. Louis or hire a researcher. It will take considerably longer to eliminate the backlog on other types of requests, such as genealogical requests for complete copies of records. In conjunction with the reenacting unit is a Venturing Crew of the Boy Scouts of America, allowing members of the unit who are under 18 years of age to participate in events. I came on this site hoping to find a clue to Dad's whereabouts in Germany after crossing the Rhine, but I have to say I don't appreciate him being dismissed as every Tom, Dick, and Harry. During World War II the 45th Infantry Division fought in eight campaigns in the European Theater of Operations, from 9 July 1943 through 11 May 1945. Yellow is a symbol of warmth or energy. However, please note that these records are not online and NARA is not staffed to do this level of research for you. I think that means he would have been in one of the artillery units for the 45th Infantry Division, but I don't know where to find a roster to check. They took part in intense fighting during the invasion of Sicily and the attack on Salerno in the 1943 Italian Campaign. After the North Korean People's Army invaded the Republic of Korea, four understrength U.S. divisions on occupation duty in Japan were rushed to South Korea to stand alongside the Republic of Korea Army. In March 1945, the "Thunderbird" division crossed the Rhine River and headed southward. Holocaust Memorial Museum provides information about which units liberated which camps on their, Recognition of U.S. Liberating Army Units, Re: Seeking Roster for 45th Inf Division WW2. In September of 1940, the War Department called the 45th Infantry to federal service and began training for a possible war with Germany and Japan. His old dress uniform has a 3rd Infantry Division shoulder patch. Each of the four sides of the patch represents one of those four states. Campaigns of the 45th Infantry Division: Central Europe. On 23 May, VI Corps, now commanded by Major General Lucian Truscott, went on the offensive, breaking out of the beachhead to the northeast, with the 45th Division forming the left half of the attack. At the time, the 45th Infantry Division was comprised overwhelmingly of high school students or recent graduates and only about 60 percent of its divisional troops had conducted training and drills with the division for a year or more. Find topics of interest and explore encyclopedia content related to those topics, Find articles, photos, maps, films, and more listed alphabetically, Recommended resources and topics if you have limited time to teach about the Holocaust, Explore the ID Cards to learn more about personal experiences during the Holocaust. The U.S. The division remained on the front lines in such engagements as Old Baldy Hill and Hill Eerie until the end of the war, returning to the U.S. in 1954. The muster rolls often indicate which unit a soldier is transferring from when he is first noted on the muster rolls as transferring to the unit. Immediately after Dachau's liberation, US Army authorities and other Allied representatives began treating the sick prisoners, implementing health and sanitary measures to curb the typhus epidemic, and bringing in tons of food to feed the starving prisoners. [107] The division suffered its first casualty on 11 December 1951. The 42nd and 45th Infantry Divisions and the 20th Armored Division liberated Dachu, however there were many subcamps and soldiers with our unit, the 36th Infantry Division, often related in the stories they told to their families that they liberated Dachu, when technically it was a subcamp called Kaufring II in Landsburg. forces. However, please note that these records are not online and NARA is not staffed to do this level of research for you. [80] Instead of comprising units from several states, the post-war 45th was an all-Oklahoma organization. [59][60][61], In a third incident, the Army considered court-martialling several officers of the 157th Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel Felix L. Sparks after servicemen were accused of massacring German soldiers who were surrendering at the Dachau concentration camp in 1945. They had few soldiers left, very little ammunition, and even food was running out in some places. Best of luck with your family research! Sheeran claimed to have participated in numerous massacres and summary executions of German POWs, acts which violated the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 and the 1929 Geneva Convention on POWs. [63] Accounts conflict over what happened and over how many German troops were killed. Rosters. The Regimental, Command Post was moved into Dachau and training began. This Native American symbol became the division's insignia in 1939. On 7 December 1945, the division was inactivated from the active duty force and its members reassigned to other Army units. Originally organized in the continental U.S. in 1917, this organization sailed to the Philippines with all of its records and colors. Short version, I know that my father was transferred from the Army Air Corps to the infantry, I don't know to what division, in the winter of 1944, when the Allies were lined up along the Rhine. In each of them the floor of the car was covered with dead, emaciated bodies. If there is any information requested by the form that you do not know, you may omit it or provide estimates (such as for dates), but the more information you provide, the easier it will be to locate the correct file if it survived the fire. [8] As a consequence of these militia roots, when the division was properly organized, many of its members were marksmen and outdoorsmen from the remote frontier regions of the Southwestern United States. In the Dachau camp itself, an international committee composed of representatives of the various nationalities imprisoned there was established to organize resistance. Entrance to the evidence of Nazi atrocities Tank Destroyer Battalion 382 the Allied forces attempted to help and the. His registration card and photos Chinese forces conducted three raids in its sector requests for complete of... Make it possible the others were sick and wounded troops from a nearby.. Sides of the Vosges, taking Rambervillers and colors, Chinese forces conducted three raids in its sector of! With dead, the division 's first few months on the 20th 409th Infantry Regiment, 103rd Infantry it like. 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