Markham. Raymer, Joe US Navy 419. This Native American symbol became the division's insignia in 1939. [87][88], Initially, the division was used to provide a pool of reinforcements for the divisions which had been sent to the Korean War theater, and in January 1951 it provided 650 enlisted fillers for overseas service. Major General Roy Hoffman took command in 1931, followed by Alexander M. Tuthill, Alexander E. McPherren in 1935, and William S. Key in 1936. The 45th in this time was regarded as one of the better-trained National Guard divisions. Jive Software Version: 9.13.0.0 , revision: 20220815205735.50e1b0c.master, Seeking roster for 45th Infantry Division, Re: Seeking roster for 45th Infantry Division. The terrain was difficult and the weather was poor in the region. Keywords: Korean War, 45th Infantry Division, Thunderbirds. Click the image to view the campaign. His old dress uniform has a 3rd Infantry Division shoulder patch. [37] Opposing them were elements of the German 29th Panzergrenadier Division and XVI Panzer Corps. On April 20, it captured the city of Nuremberg and on April 30, Munich. Their bodies were left behind in various locations throughout Germany. Some of the German troops were camp guards; the others were sick and wounded troops from a nearby hospital. 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. [38] On 10 September, elements of the division conducted its second landing at Agropoli and Paestum with the 36th Infantry Division, on the southernmost beaches of the attack. A non-commissioned officer, Sergeant Horace T. West, 33 years old, later confessed to the crimes in the first incident and was found guilty. 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. [7], The 45th Infantry Division Museum is located in Oklahoma City, and includes a substantial collection of cartoons by World War II cartoonist Bill Mauldin, who served with it during the war. They had few soldiers left, very little ammunition, and even food was running out in some places. Seventh Army, along with Free French forces, were able to advance north quickly. Men from the state militias of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Oklahoma made up the division. 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. [110] Chinese troops were well dug-in and better trained than the troops of the inexperienced 45th, and it suffered casualties and frequently had to disengage when it was attacked. Hey Dave, Im new to this site and stumbled across this thread. I have his army serial # as well if that would help. Ray, John F Company, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division 482. Campaigns of the 45th Infantry Division: Rome-Arno. & 01.11.1944-10.11.1944 & 01.12.1944-14.02.1945 & 05.03.1945-22.03.1945 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. [39] The division was then slated to move to the Pacific theater of operations to participate in the invasion of mainland Japan on the island of Honshu, but these plans were scrubbed before the division could depart after the surrender of Japan, on V-J Day. The Spanish colors, red and gold, indicate that the four States (Colorado, Oklahoma, New. [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. It had left Buchenwald four weeks earlier on April 7 filled with more than 5,000 prisoners. It will take considerably longer to eliminate the backlog on other types of requests, such as genealogical requests for complete copies of records. [124], Note: Similarity of dates for General Muldrow and commanders beginning with General Ruffner is because 45th Infantry Division, AUS, was retained in Korea while twin unit, 45th Infantry Division, NGUS, was activated in Oklahoma. 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. Sheeran explained that by then, he "had no hesitation in doing what I had to do. He also claimed to have been at Dachau and talked about it to some detail when I was younger. Armored Division, 409th Infantry Regiment, 103rd Infantry [39] During this time much of the division's artillery assets were attached to the 44th Infantry Division to provide additional support. [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. The 45th Infantry Division was formed in 1924 from National Guard units in the southwestern United States. In 1963, the formation was reorganized in accordance with the Reorganization Objective Army Divisions plan, which saw the establishment of a 1st, 2nd and 3rd Brigade within the division. [90] Nevertheless, the division was one of four National Guard divisions identified as being among the most prepared for combat based on the effectiveness of its equipment, training, and leadership. The local townspeople were brought in to give the dead prisoners a proper burial. While Sheeran's unit was climbing the Harz Mountains, they came upon a Wehrmacht mule train carrying food and drink up the mountainside. 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. Please type your message and try again. Dante's Inferno seemed pale compared to the real hell of Dachau. 9, commanded by Major Kirk A. Meaders, and carrying personnel of, our Third Battalion and five Officers and 95 Enlisted Men of the 120th, When I have time, Jon, I will look through the General Orders of the 180th. [16] In August 1941, the 45th Infantry Division took part in the Louisiana Maneuvers, the largest peacetime exercises in U.S. military history. Circumstance may have prevented that. [92], In preparation for the deployment, the division was sent to Fort Polk, Louisiana, to begin training and to fill its ranks. In 1940, the "Thunderbird" division was reactivated and deployed in late June 1943 to North Africa. Holocaust Memorial Museum provides information about which units liberated which camps on their Recognition of U.S. Liberating Army Units website. Here follows a list of organic Medical Units, assigned to specific Divisions throughout World War 2: Medical Unit. 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. As I turned to look over the prison yard with unbelieving eyes, I saw a large number of dead inmates lying where they had fallen in the last few hours or days before our arrival. Division (less 3rd Battalion), 314th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry You can not post a blank message. Although the information contained in the following pages is not specific to the 45th Infantry Division, it presents an accurate overview of each campaign. [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. German soldiers began surrendering to the Allies in large groups; 325,000 soldiers and civilians . Best of luck with your family research! families that they liberated Dachu, when technically it was a subcamp called Kaufring II in Landsburg. [63] Accounts conflict over what happened and over how many German troops were killed. They assumed he meant the more well known D-Day in Northern France in June 1944, but what he was actually talking about was the D-Day in Southern France in August 1944. Regarding his Discharge showing him attached to the HQ CO 290 INF, (75th INF DIV), his personal effects include a 75th ID patch. 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. [112] Around that time, the 45th Infantry Division relinquished command of Old Baldy Hill to the 2nd Infantry Division. For more information see Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Archival Records Requests. Later that month, it was given 4,006 new recruits for its three infantry regiments and artillery assets, and each unit created a 14-week training program to prepare these new soldiers for combat. Please type your message and try again. The 45th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Scouts, was an element of the Philippine Division, U.S. Army, based at Ft. McKinley. 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. So he might have actually meant one of the subcamps which would increase the number of possible units. If you provide your dad's name, I can check it. These cars were an assortment of odd boxcars, some of which were locked, and some were coal-car type. Due to drastic reductions in U.S. military spending following the end of World War II, these divisions were equipped with worn-out or obsolete weaponry and suffered from a shortage of anti-armor weapons capable of penetrating the hulls of the North Korean T-34 tanks. Washington, DC 20024-2126 Under this Headquarters, the Regimental CP became the, George Fisher, in his superb "The Story of the 180th Infantry Regiment,", states "On June 9th, our Regiment was relieved of its mission of guarding, the Dachau Concentration Camp by the 72nd AAA Battalion. "[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]. 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. [51] The German Army, reeling from the Battle of Normandy, in which it had suffered a major defeat, pulled back after a short fight, part of an overall German withdrawal to the east following the landings. 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. [54], After the crossing was complete, the division was relieved from V Corps and assigned to Major General Wade H. Haislip's XV Corps. [91] As a result, in February 1951, the 45th Infantry Division was alerted that it would sail for Japan. Division. [99], Though the 45th remained de facto segregated as an all-white unit in 1950,[100] individual unit commanders went to great lengths to integrate reinforcements from different areas and ethnicity into their units. 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. [117] One soldier from the division, Charles George, was awarded the Medal of Honor while serving in Korea. Division, 1st Battalion, 315th Infantry Regiment, This tool uses JavaScript and much of it will not work correctly without it enabled. Some of the photos were donated by loved ones seeking to know more about thier relatives wartime . Since all the many bodies were in various stages of decomposition, the stench of death was overpowering. 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. 1st Cavalry Medical Squadron. The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States; , U.S. Government Printing Office. Ray, E. D. 3rd Photo Reconnaissance Squadron 914. After investigating the incident, the Army considered court-martialling several officers involved, but Patton successfully intervened. With the American entry into World War I, in April 1917, troops of the National Guard were formed into the units which exist today, with elements of the Colorado National Guard forming the 157th Infantry Regiment, the Arizona National Guard forming the 158th Infantry Regiment, and the New Mexico National Guard forming the 120th Engineer Regiment. In size, these cars were of the small European type, which, when used for the movement of troops, would never accommodate more than 40 men. [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. Each of the four sides of the patch represents one of those four states. 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. 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