Since all the many bodies were in various stages of decomposition, the stench of death was overpowering. 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division | American Battle Monuments Commission Cemeteries & Memorials Burial Search Education About Us News Data Multimedia Contact Us 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division Home 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division Legacy ID 27959 Legacy Alias The 45th Infantry Division was formed in 1924 from National Guard units in the southwestern United States. It will take considerably longer to eliminate the backlog on other types of requests, such as genealogical requests for complete copies of records. [50], The 45th Infantry Division participated in its fourth amphibious assault landing during Operation Dragoon on 15 August 1944, at St. Maxime, in Southern France. Some of the photos were donated by loved ones seeking to know more about thier relatives wartime . Sheeran explained that by then, he "had no hesitation in doing what I had to do. If you provide your dad's name, I can check it. Detachments
A shame. His photos seem to point to him potentially being in the 45th Infantry.We know he entered as a private and within 6 months was a Master Seargent. [39] It would remain in the area for a month waiting for other units to catch up before crossing the Mortagne River on 23 October. On Sunday, April 29th, 1945, the 3rd Battalion of the 157th Infantry Regiment of the 45th Infantry Division liberated the Dachau concentration camp, near Munich, Germany. I had to show them his records, with our unit to prove that he was nowhere near Normandy in June 1944. Army Unit Rosters and Unit Photos. In addition to burying the dead, the Allied forces attempted to help and comfort the survivors with food, clothing and medical assistance. The soldiers reacted in shock and disbelief to the evidence of Nazi atrocities. [39] The division crossed the Danube River on 27 April, and liberated 32,000 captives of the Dachau concentration camp on 29 April 1945. [11], The division's original shoulder sleeve insignia, approved in August 1924,[12] featured a swastika, a common Native American symbol, as a tribute to the Southwestern United States region which had a large population of Native Americans. Once this rest period was complete, the division was assigned to XV Corps for the final push into German territory. In later interviews with Charles Brandt, he divided such massacres into four categories: During World War II, the 45th Division fought in 511 days of combat. [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. TheDivision was pulled off the line for rest and training. [49] The 45th, 36th, and 3rd Infantry Divisions were pulled from the line in Italy in preparation for Operation Dragoon (formerly Anvil), the invasion of southern France. The 45th moved north to the Sarreguemines area and smashed through the Siegfried Line. . 1st Cavalry Medical Squadron. It quickly advanced through western France, reaching the German border by the end of the year. In company with the British 1st Infantry Division, they advanced north along the Anzio-Albano road and captured the Aprilia "factory", but encountered ingrained resistance from German armored units a few miles further on. Your relative might have been told at the time that his unit was liberating a Dachu camp and it just stuck that it was "the" Dachu camp instead of one of its many sub camps. families that they liberated Dachu, when technically it was a subcamp called Kaufring II in Landsburg. [79] Soldiers of the division also received 61 Distinguished Service Crosses, three Distinguished Service Medals, 1,848 Silver Star Medals, 38 Legion of Merit medals, 59 Soldier's Medals, 5,744 Bronze Star Medals, and 52 Air Medals. [109] It also conducted constant small-unit patrols along the border seeking to engage Chinese outposts or patrols. 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. [122][123], The 45th Infantry Division was awarded eight campaign streamers and one foreign unit award in World War II and four campaign streamers and one foreign unit award in the Korean War, for a total of twelve campaign streamers and two foreign unit decorations in its operational history. 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW If it is on the righthand side, as he wore it, then this means the unit he served with was attached to the 3rd ID during combat operations. [9] The division's first commander was Major General Baird H. Assignments
[80] Instead of comprising units from several states, the post-war 45th was an all-Oklahoma organization. "[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]. 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. Rosters. [37] Against stiff resistance, the 45th pushed to the Calore River after a week of heavy fighting. Up till now everything was basically small scattered pieces to the puzzle. You did what you had to do.". [37] Opposing them were elements of the German 29th Panzergrenadier Division and XVI Panzer Corps. In January 1943 it moved to Fort Pickett, Virginia, for its final training. Please check NARAs web page about, The U.S. WW2 Order of Battle Medical Units. [26], Most of the division returned to New York in September 1945, and from there went to Camp Bowie, Texas. A non-commissioned officer, Sergeant Horace T. West, 33 years old, later confessed to the crimes in the first incident and was found guilty. Anyways if you see this his name was Clarence LaHayne and he was enlisted. He also talked about some time in Italy and to the best of my knowledge (granted I am no expert) the 42nd was never in Italy. [39] The division was then reassigned to V Corps, under the command of Major General Leonard T. Gerow, for its next advance. We would like to thank Crown Family Philanthropies and the Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation for supporting the ongoing work to create content and resources for the Holocaust Encyclopedia. and see if I can find a CIB for your dad. [37], On 3 September 1943, Italy surrendered to the Allied powers. 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. 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. [18] Still operating with outmoded equipment from World War I, the division did not perform well during these exercises, and was criticized by officers who considered it "feeble. 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. & 05.03.1945-15.03.1945 & 20.03.1945-25.03.1945 & 11.04.1945-10.05.1945, 1st Platoon, A Battery, 353rd AAA SL Battalion, 15.08.1944-25.08.1944 & 30.08.1944-09.11.1944
I'm trying to find information on my great grandfather's service in WWII. This Native American symbol became the division's insignia in 1939. [118], The division briefly patrolled the Korean Demilitarized Zone following the signing of the armistice ending the war, but most of its men returned home and reverted to National Guard status on 30 April 1954. The thunderbird is a symbol of the Southwestern Indians meaning sacred bearer of unlimited happiness. You can not post a blank message. [112] Around that time, the 45th Infantry Division relinquished command of Old Baldy Hill to the 2nd Infantry Division. Anzio - Operation Shingle, 22 January- 24 May, 1944: The 45th began landing at Anzio on 22 January, 1944, with the 179th Regiment seeing the Division's first action of the campaign at Aprilia, also known as "the factory" on 27 January. [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. Just days before, about 2,000 inmates evacuated on a death march from the Flossenbrg concentration camp had arrived at Dachau and the SS guards had forced almost 7,000 Dachau inmates to move southward. 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. [16] In August 1941, the 45th Infantry Division took part in the Louisiana Maneuvers, the largest peacetime exercises in U.S. military history. Dad told us he was at Dachau. [33] For most of the first two weeks while the division moved slowly north, it encountered only light resistance from Italian forces fighting delaying actions. [80] Its colors were returned to Oklahoma on 25 September of that year, formally ending the division's presence in Korea. [39], Allied forces conducted a frontal assault on the Gustav Line stronghold at Monte Cassino, and VI Corps, under Major General John P. Lucas from 20 September, was assigned to Operation Shingle, detached from the 15th Army Group to land behind enemy lines at Anzio on 22 January 1944. On April 29, 1945, three US Army divisions converged on the camp: the 42nd Infantry, the 45th Infantry, and the 20th Armored. [93] After its basic training was complete, the division was sent to Japan in April 1951 for advanced training and to act as a reserve force for the Eighth United States Army, then fighting in Korea. 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. Men from the state militias of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Oklahoma made up the division. The 36th Infantry Division is a possible candidate for your father. [115] The ensuing Battle of Hill Eerie was one of a series of larger attacks by Chinese and North Korean forces which produced heavier fighting than the previous year had seen. See eVetRecs Help for instructions. To search PDF documents, download and open in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC Adobe is unable to convert all 75 year old text to searchable text. . If you havent already done so, we suggest that you request a copy of his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). Lucas sent famed U.S. Army Ranger leader Colonel William Orlando Darby to assume command of the 157th Infantry, and the Germans were repulsed. Raymond, Allen D. 1st Battalion, 272nd Infantry Regiment, 69th Infantry Division 200. But the mule drivers were shot and buried in the holes they had dug. According to the regimental After Action Report of May 1945. the 1st and 2nd Battalions were assigned to guard duty at KZ Dachau. 79th Infantry Division, 03.01.1945-17.01.1945 & 22.01.1945-29.01.1945, 19th Armored Infantry Battalion, 14th
OMPFs and individual medical reports for soldiers of the U.S. Army who served during World War II and who separated from the service before 1960 are in the custody of NARA's National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis. I have two rosters of the 45th Division plus several Excel worksheets of men who served in the division. [105] The division was put under the command of Eighth Army's I Corps for most of the conflict. PFC Donald E. Thompson, member of I Company, 3rd Battalion, 180th Infantry Regiment, per the 29 June 1945 Roster of the. The 3rd Div patch is on the left shoulder. I can count on one hand the stories - harmless stories - we know of his time over there. 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. Lucas then moved the rest of the 45th Division to the left-center of the perimeter, at Aprilia and along the west branch of the Mussolini Canal. On 16 June, the 45th Division withdrew for rest in preparation for other operations. He never claimed to have liberated Dauchau, just that he was there, no other details, and we only learned that toward the end of his life. Casualty figures for the 45th Infantry Division, European theater of operations: The 45th Infantry Division gained its nickname, "Thunderbird" division, from the gold thunderbird. I have to wonder why he would have that particular book. Like Our Web page? So he might have actually meant one of the subcamps which would increase the number of possible units. In the Dachau camp itself, an international committee composed of representatives of the various nationalities imprisoned there was established to organize resistance. Please complete a. and mail it to NARA's National Personnel Records Center, (Military Personnel Records), 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138-1002. [8] The 45th Infantry Division was then based around the 157th, 179th, and 180th Infantry Regiments. His discharge papers list him as part of HQ & HQ Company 290 Infantry, which, if I'm right was part of the 75th Division, but they were farther to the north, involved in the Bulge. The soldiers of the 45th Division who liberated the camp were outraged at the malnourishment and maltreatment of the 32,000 prisoners they liberated, some barely alive, and all victims of the Holocaust. The 45th Infantry Division World War II in Germany. [94] The involvement of the National Guard in the fighting in Korea was further expanded when the 40th Infantry Division of the California Army National Guard received warning orders for deployment as well. I've always guessed that was possibly for convenience of shipping home. [42][46] VI Corps was stopped at the "Pimlott Line" (the perimeter of the beachhead), and the fight became a battle of attrition. [120] In its place, the independent 45th Infantry Brigade (Separate) was established. Each car was loaded with emaciated human corpses . Is the 3rd ID patch on his right or left shoulder (as he would have worn the uniform)? TTY: 202.488.0406, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC, The Holocaust and World War II: Key Dates, Wannsee Conference and the "Final Solution", Documenting Numbers of Victims of the Holocaust and Nazi Persecution, Gleichschaltung: Coordinating the Nazi State, War Refugee Board: Background and Establishment, Holocaust Survivors and Victims Resource Center. [48] Men of the 45th Division were the first Allied troops to reach the Vatican. 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