"315th infantry regiment, 79th infantry division

ZMZK.l=mf=Ue;Rh5:JjmIjjNziM. I was doing some casual research on my wife's grandfather, who served with 315th Infantry, 79th Division during the first World War. Opposite Montfaucon, in the sector occupied by the 315th Infantry, the artillery was literally lined up hub to hub. We raced volkswagens on our time off and we'd go to the range and shoot all day. 29 May 1944: Third Army but attached to VII Corps. The Second Battalion and Machine Gun Company followed on the morning of the 22nd, and the same afternoon the Third Battalion and Supply Company also left. (p. 32). ), The advance of September 27th had cost the Regiment the loss of 9 men killed and of 4 officers and 76 men wounded, the majority of these casualties having been sustained by the First Battalion during the early hours of the morning. July 2nd, 1944: Le Haut de Gris Nevertheless, the regiment landed under German artillery fire wounding Technical 5 Harry Rybiski of Headquarters Company. The 315th Infantry was made up of three battalions and four special units: First Battalion: Companies A-D Second Battalion: Companies E-H Third Battalion: Companies I, K-M Colonel Bernard B. McMahon, Regiments Colonel spoke German very well. Cherbourg was the largest port in Normandy and a primary strategic objective because of its location near the Cotentin Peninsula. The trip lasted all night, with the various units arriving at Rampont early on the morning of the 13th. 279 members Join group About this group To honor the Veterans of the 315th Infantry Regiment (79th Infantry Division) who served in World War II in the cause of everlasting Freedom. How cool is that. Memorial Certificate. 2023 Copyright VetFriends.com. (p. 37-38), The Regiment began arriving at the station in Vaux on July 24th. August 28th, 1944: Fontenay-Saint-Pre. The front line companies, however, made repeated attempts to advance and gradually the line edged forward. The German attempt to establish a bridgehead west of the Rhine at Gambsheim resulted in furious fighting. Freedom is precious and many gave their lives for it. Planes dropped leaflets over the frontlines stating that those who wanted to surrender would be treated well and will not be harmed. (p. 263) The Company was to be relieved the third night, September 20th, but the relief was not accomplished until early on the morning of the 22nd, when because dawn was close at hand the soldiers had to rush to reach their reserve positions unobserved. In May 1918 units of the American Army had landed in France and in June 1918 had begun to participate in the offensive. World War Two, Young) Prepared August 2017 July 25th, 1944: The Viville It was the final barrage before the attack, and for three hours a deluge of steel and flame was sent down upon the German positions ahead. The harbor installations were destroyed by the Germans when the Americans arrived in the suburbs of the city. [Training lasted from 5 A.M. to 4 P.M. daily (p. (p. 54-55), By three o'clock in the afternoon, the Third Battalion, despite the continuous fire of snipers from the front and flanks, had "mopped up" Malancourt and had advanced a half kilometer beyond. It participated in the area of Tennessee maneuveurs, after which it moved to Camp Laguna near Yuma, Arizona, where it trained in the desert. 79th Infantry Division. Zn9Y.ODc$sHM^! 2/314 The 315th Infantry Regiment landed on June 14th, 1944, the first men's thought was the excellent work done by the Engineers, indeed the soldiers were surprised to be able to land out of a boat directly onto a deck without getting one's feet wet! Roster of Company "K" U.S. (Encyclopedia American 1954, Vol. D-Day and Battle of Normandy media library: archives photos and videos, Souvenir shop featuring t-shirts, caps, mugs, models or posters inspired by D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, D-Day Overlord - Marc Laurenceau 2003-2023. The next day, June 17th, 1944 the regiment moved to the vicinity of Sainte-Mre-glise, where they relieved elements of the 90th Infantry Division. (ibid. Georgian prisoners fighting for the Germans taken prisoners by American soldiers. (p. 55), This fire swept in a southeasterly direction down through the draw leading into Malancourt, and came, in the main, from what were afterwards found to be specially prepared positions in the Hindenburg trench system. After passing Malancourt, very stiff resistance was met in the form of machine gun nests and minenwerfer cannons. The 79th Infantry Division served for 248 days in Combat in the European African Middle Eastern Theater; during this time they served in the campaigns of NORMANDY, NORTHERN FRANCE, RHINELAND, and CENTRAL EUROPE. Reactivated: (Organized Reserve division 29 November 1946). Posted by (p. 51), After the necessary changes of position had been accomplished, the Regiment was disposed in support of the 314th Infantry as follows: The First Battalion occupied the front line on the left half of the Regimental sector; Company "C" in trench Delacroix, Companies "D", "A" and "B" along the Boyau Tournefiere. ), It had been hoped that Nantillois would he taken before dark, but the strong resistance encountered by the front line troops during the day had so delayed the advance that the occupation of the town before night set in became impossible. Thanks for making it possible, Thanks so much VetFriends.com for your help and genuine concern for locating this long lost buddy of mine, Please Enter a Valid email address with no spaces, VetFriends Members: 1/331 endstream endobj 393 0 obj <>stream 79th Infantry Division - Cherbourg Campaign: A harbor in deep water, The beach was in such excellent secured organized state. PFC Glenn W. Halvorson. (p. 63), By eleven o'clock that morning, the Division front had been pushed well forward: The leading elements of the 313th Infantry were filtering through the battered ruins of Montfaucon, and the 314th Infantry had gained the southern edge of the Bois de Tuilerie. A picture of him also shows a 42nd Division Rainbow Patch. On 26 July, the 79th attacked across the Ay River, took Lessay, crossed the Sarthe River and entered Le Mans, 8 August, meeting only light resistance. An occasional H.E. shell was all that marred the manoeuvre. August 18th, 1944: Le Tertre-Saint-Denis The Regiment did not come under direct fire until "I" Company, the leading company of the Third Battalion, reached the Forges Brook at the southern edge of Haucourt and the dismal swamp of the Bois de Malancourt. (p. 57), Shortly after six o'clock on the morning of 27 September the 79th Division was reorganized into two provisional brigades, one consisting of the 313th and 316th Infantries; the other of the 314th and 315th Infantries, the regiments maintaining their same relative positions as on the preceding day. This attempt did its work ! km SW of St-Joseph), Petite Motte (11 Army Photo But finally the question was settled: on the 23rd, orders were received that the attack would be made on September 26th, and that the 79th Division would form part of the attacking line as a shock division. The America carried nearly 6,000 troops, so there was great over-crowding. itself at Montfaucon, in Lorraine, the division selected the Cross of Lorraine, At the beginning of April 1944, the division reported to the port of embarkation at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts. The division then went on occupation duty, in the Dortmund, Sudetenland, and Bavarian areas successively, until its return to the United States and inactivation. tqt/9y_UxBS` The division held a defensive line along the Lauter River, at Wissembourg from 20 December 1944 until 2 January 1945, when it withdrew to Maginot Line defenses. World War 2, The sector at this time was extremely quiet. August 1st, 1944: Saint-Lger (p. 36-37), But on 21 July 1918 the first movement toward the fighting line began, when at noon the First Battalion and Headquarters Company struck tents and waded through the mud to a railroad siding near the dock, where a train was waiting to move them inland. The 79th Infantry Division (formerly known as the 79th Division) was an infantry formation of the United States Army Reserve in World Wars I and II . The trip by train was made in box cars said to be capable of holding forty men or eight horses ("Hommes 40 -- Chevaux 8") [however, Company "K" was transported in compartment coaches; a squad was forced into each compartment, and the squad's corporal was given charge of three days of "iron rations" for the men (p. 262-263)]. But toward the beginning of summer 1918, the higher commanders began to believe that, after all, the war would be decided by the tactics of open warfare, and therefore detailed attention was given to this method of training. Both regiments had now started to push ahead, but the advancing troops were already beginning to get beyond the range of their light calibre supporting artillery, and the enemy was resisting with increasing vigor. Four months from beginning to end. (p. 19), Up until April 1918, most of the training the soldiers had been given was toward the methods of trench warfare, because that sort of action seemed to predominate in France. Shoulder patch: White bordered blue shield on which is superimposed a cross of Lorraine. I had a great time and intend to go again next year. The Company was scattered about in dug-outs for two days and then went forward to a position from which it was to begin its advance in the biggest drive of the war. Epinal American Cemetery . Having distinguished 315th Infantry Regiment: Colonel Porter B. Wiggins, replaced on June 23, 1944 by Colonel Bernard B. McMahon and Colonel Robert H. York from July 13, 1944, then replaced by Lieutenant-Colonel John A. McAleer on July 29, 1944 - 1/331 - 2/331: Lieutenant-Colonel James F. Faber (killed on July 9, 1944) - 3/331 79th Reconnaissance Troop (mechanized) Since 2009, it has been active as the 79th Theater Sustainment Command. Lineage and Honors Information as of 24 Feb 2021, CHARLES R. BOWERY, JR.Chief of Military History, Constituted 5 August 1917 in the National Army as the 315th Infantry and assigned to the 79th Division, Organized 29 August 1917 at Camp Meade, Maryland, Demobilized 31 May 1919 at Camp Dix, New Jersey, Reconstituted 24 June 1921 in the Organized Reserves as the 315th Infantry and assigned to the 79th Division (later redesignated as the 79th Infantry Division), Organized in November 1921 with Headquarters at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ordered into active military service 15 June 1942 and reorganized at Camp Pickett, Virginia, Inactivated 11 December 1945 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, Activated 20 December 1946 in the Organized Reserves with Headquarters at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, (Organized Reserves redesignated 25 March 1948 as the Organized Reserve Corps; redesignated 9 July 1952 as the Army Reserve), Reorganized 6 April 1959 as a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System to consist of the 1st Battle Group, an element of the 79th Infantry Division, Reorganized 7 January 1963 to consist of the 1st Battalion, an element of the 157th Infantry Brigade, Reorganized 1 October 1973 to consist of the 1st Battalion, Reorganized 1 March 1974 to consist of the 1st Battalion, an element of the 157th Infantry Brigade, 1st Battalion inactivated 1 September 1995 and relieved from assignment to the 157th Infantry Brigade, 315th Infantry withdrawn 17 October 1999 from the Combat Arms Regimental System, redesignated as the 315th Regiment, and reorganized to consist of the 2d and 3d Battalions, elements of the 78th Division (Training Support); concurrently 2d and 3d Battalions allotted to the Regular Army, Regiment reorganized 2 October 2009 as a parent regiment under the United States Army Regimental System; concurrently 2d and 3d Battalions relieved from assignment to the 78th Division (Training Support), Reorganized 1 October 2016 to consist of the 1st, 2d, and 3d Battalions; 1st Battalion concurrently allotted to the Regular Army, French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War II, Streamer embroidered NORMANDY TO PARIS, French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War II, Streamer embroidered PARROY FOREST, French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War II, Fourragere, Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered HATTEN, ALSACE, Army Superior Unit Award, Streamer embroidered 2004-2005, Army Superior Unit Award, Streamer embroidered 2006-2007, Army Superior Unit Award, Streamer embroidered 2008-2011, Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered RITTERSHOFEN, ALSACE. The German Army had held this position for nearly four years and within it, in the sector opposite the 315th Infantry, lay the nearly obliterated villages of Haucourt and Malancourt. ), Although the firing ahead had been in progress for quite a time, the advance went on rapidly. (p. 65), During the afternoon of the 27th, the 315th Infantry held itself in readiness, close up behind the leading regiment, awaiting orders to move, while the troops ahead slowly worked their way through the Bois de Tuilerie and the valley to the east. 2/313 They were pushed back. Two months were necessary to fix all port facilities. Until then, fightings were exchanges of fire between the two camps, but soon hand to hand fighting became necessary to dislodge the German forces from their dug-in emplacements, more so, the 88, Lives were the main concern of Headquarters, despite the american advance toward Cherbourg, the 315. 7 September 1944: XV Corps, Third Army, 12th Army Group. WWII Atlantic Wall, It was around this time that Corporal John D. Kelly and First Lieutenant Carlos C. Ogden, both of the 314th Infantry Regiment, were awarded the Medal of Honor. endstream endobj 395 0 obj <>stream (ibid. World War I [ edit] Activated: August 1917 Overseas: July 1918 Major operations: Meuse-Argonne The insignia of the 79th Division is a gray Lorraine cross on a blue shield with a gray border; it was adopted during World War I. Men of the 79th Infantry Division fighting in the streets of Cherbourg. ABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501 They had arrived in England well before D-Day. The air was filled with the whistling of passing shells, and above all rose the thunder of the guns. He was in the Battle of Cherbourg. Subscribe to 313th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry Division Footer menu. He was killed in action on 27 September 1918, the second day of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, and is buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in Romagne (Meuse), Lorraine, France. As the operational command posts of a theater sustainment command the ESCs plan, coordinate synchronize, monitor, and control operational- level sustainment operations for Army service component commands, joint task forces and joint forces commands throughout the world. km NE of Fierville), Le Haut de Gris (vic; 2 km E of Le Mesnil-St-Martin), La Vieville (vic; 21 The first step was a move of approximately 60 miles passing through the village of Le Mle-sur-Sarthe, in which 2nd French Armored Division was already in. Beyond all, far back on the northern horizon, rose the dominating heights of Montfaucon [altitude: 280 meters = 900 feet], which the German High Command had said would never be taken by the Allies. (ibid. August 10th, 1944: Chanteloup (ibid. 315th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry Division | American Battle Monuments Commission 315th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry Division Home 315th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry Division Legacy ID 19692 Legacy Alias /db-abmc-burial-unit/315th-infantry-regiment-79th-infantry-division Legacy Source db_abmc_burial_unit Francis L. Cotter Read more