[111], In the division's first few months on the line, Chinese forces conducted three raids in its sector. Does anyone in the family have his discharge papers that confirm he was a member. 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. 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. 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. Sheeran explained that by then, he "had no hesitation in doing what I had to do. If you havent already done so, we suggest that you request a copy of his, . [105], The 45th Infantry Division, along with the 7th Infantry Division, fought off repeated Chinese attacks all along the front line throughout 1952, and Chinese forces frequently attacked Old Baldy Hill into the fall of that year. In addition to burying the dead, the Allied forces attempted to help and comfort the survivors with food, clothing and medical assistance. 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. [109] It also conducted constant small-unit patrols along the border seeking to engage Chinese outposts or patrols. If you provide your dad's name, I can check it. 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. [91] As a result, in February 1951, the 45th Infantry Division was alerted that it would sail for Japan. Some of those photos match the area where Operation Dragoon was executed. [citation needed]. That's the most information, all in one place, nailing things down to a specific place and time, that I've seen on Dad. News of Dachau's liberation spread swiftly. If you havent already done so, we suggest that you request a copy of his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). Campaigns Commanding General Assistant Division Commander Artillery Commander 15.08.1944 [41] Until 9 January 1944, the division, now under Major General William W. Eagles (replacing Major General Middleton who, struck down with arthritis, was sent to England to command VIII Corps in the Normandy invasion), inched forward into the mountains reaching St. Elia, north of Monte Cassino, before moving to a rest area. Additionally, only about 20 percent of its personnel had prior experience of military service from World War II. The proximity of the US Army gave hope to the prisoners in the camp and to anti-Nazis outside it. In 1940, the "Thunderbird" division was reactivated and deployed in late June 1943 to North Africa. 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. 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. The U.S. As we visited Dachau we saw on a railroad sidetrack paralleling the main highway, and close to the gates of the prison camp, a train of cars which had been used to bring additional civilian prisoners to this camp. For more information, please refer to Onsite Operations at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. [120] In its place, the independent 45th Infantry Brigade (Separate) was established. 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. Detachments While Sheeran's unit was climbing the Harz Mountains, they came upon a Wehrmacht mule train carrying food and drink up the mountainside. 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. So he might have actually meant one of the subcamps which would increase the number of possible units. [107] The division suffered its first casualty on 11 December 1951. Welcome to our 45th Infantry Division photo Galleries. [24], The 45th Division sailed from the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation for the Mediterranean region on 8 June 1943, combat loaded aboard thirteen attack transports and five cargo attack vessels as convoy UGF-9 headed by the communications ship USSAncon. 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. ", This page was last edited on 9 January 2023, at 02:37. On 16 June, the 45th Division withdrew for rest in preparation for other operations. . Seventh Army under Lieutenant General George S. Patton, for the operation. [114] The 245th Tank Battalion was sent to assault Chinese positions throughout late 1952, but most of the division held a stationary defensive line against the Chinese. Following Sicily the division landed at Salerno and Anzio, as part of the forces in the taking of Italy. 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. [48] Men of the 45th Division were the first Allied troops to reach the Vatican. The 4th Armored Division was activated during World War II on 15 April 1941 with 3,800 men (10,000 by the end of May 1941) from various other units, at Pine Camp (Camp Drum, 1951; Fort Drum, 1974), New York under its first Commanding General, Brigadier General Henry W. Baird.. World War II. [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. Rosters for units serving in World War II from 1944 - 1946 were destroyed in accordance with Army disposition authorities. I have a newspaper clipping from the local paper that he had informed his parents that he had been transferred to the infantry - from the Air Corp/Air Force - of course there would be no mention of what unit he was transferred to, and this was during the winter of '44, when they were pulling men from all branches to fill the line. These small-unit actions made up the majority of the division's combat in Korea. 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. Company Morning Reports. After advancing up the Italian peninsula, the 45th landed at Anzio in February 1944, where it withstood repeated German assaults against its positions. 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. When describing his first murder for organized crime, Sheeran recalled: "It was just like when an officer would tell you to take a couple of German prisoners back behind the line and for you to 'hurry back'. In some of these cars there were more than enough to cover the floors. Error: You don't have JavaScript enabled. [48] The U.S. Every Tom, Dick and Harry in the Seventh Army and beyond, claimed to have liberated Dachau KZ on 29 April 1945 or to have. 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. Yellow is a symbol of warmth or energy. 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. You can not post a blank message. Veterans and next of kin of deceased veterans also may use eVetRecs to request records. Raymond B Company, 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion 382. Lucas sent famed U.S. Army Ranger leader Colonel William Orlando Darby to assume command of the 157th Infantry, and the Germans were repulsed. After investigating the incident, the Army considered court-martialling several officers involved, but Patton successfully intervened. German soldiers began surrendering to the Allies in large groups; 325,000 soldiers and civilians . By mid-February, the 45th was positioned astride the "Via Anziate," the road leading to Rome. In his effects was a hard cover book, similar to school year books, of the 180 Infantry, 45th Division, published in Munich,1945. 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. AAA Group, 31.08.1944-10.11.1944 & 23.11.1944 &18.02.1945 This tool uses JavaScript and much of it will not work correctly without it enabled. In the Dachau camp itself, an international committee composed of representatives of the various nationalities imprisoned there was established to organize resistance. Headquartered for most of its history in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the guardsmen fought in both World War II and the Korean War. I've often thought he may have been attached to the 75th after they were sent south to the Colmar Pocket, and when that was over, and the 75th went back north, Dad was transferred out to - my best guess at the time - the 3rd Division. Campaigns of the 45th Infantry Division: Sicily. The first major German counterattack came in early February, was against the British 1st Division. History Of the 45th Infantry Following World War I, the National Defense Act of 1920 created the authority to form the 45th Infantry Division from the four states of Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. [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. Some of the German troops were camp guards; the others were sick and wounded troops from a nearby hospital. Documents: All of the files from The 45th Division in World War II: The Thunderbirds Facebook Group in searchable PDF format plus other documents. [11] The onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s severely curtailed its funding for training and equipment. [80][121] The 45th Infantry Brigade received all of the 45th Division's lineage and heraldry, including its shoulder sleeve insignia. 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. Main telephone: 202.488.0400 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. Battles & Campaigns of World War II Combat load of Infantry SoldierSicily However, with the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany, with its infamous swastika symbol, the 45th Division stopped using the insignia. [37] Opposing them were elements of the German 29th Panzergrenadier Division and XVI Panzer Corps. By 12 September, the Seventh Army linked up with Lieutenant General George S. Patton's U.S. Third Army, advancing from Normandy, joining the two forces at Dijon. [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. Cutting across the country, the unit was sent to southern France in August 1944. Nevertheless, the Army officials in charge of this camp advised us that there were 50 of these cars in this 1 train and that at least 100 of these civilians had been jammed into each car . [6] The division was formed and federally recognized as a National Guard unit on 3 August 1923 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. like the original poster my grandfather was originally in the army air corp as a belly gunner in I believe the B24, but was transferred to infantry after a perforated eardrum. Mortar Battalion, 2nd Battalion, 36th Engineer Combat On April 28, the day before liberation, a train bearing about 40 or so railway cars arrived at the camp. 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. families that they liberated Dachu, when technically it was a subcamp called Kaufring II in Landsburg. These units were assigned to the 40th Division, and deployed to France where the division was used as a "depot" unit to process and provide replacements for front-line units. We have no records for him other than his registration card and photos. Campaigns of the 45th Infantry Division: Rome-Arno. So the stories that came down through the family where all about dad or grandpa's taking part in the D-Day landings on Normandy because they'd never heard about the ones in Southern France. 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. 1912 - 1946 for Army units that may include morning reports of the component units of the 45th Infantry Division and the 3rd Infantry Division, as well as the 290 Infantry Regiment. I can count on one hand the stories - harmless stories - we know of his time over there. Confessed murderer Frank Sheeran later recalled his war service as the time when he first developed a callousness to the taking of human life. The 179th Infantry and a tank battalion of CCA tried to recapture Aprilia but were repulsed. [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. 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. He described often witnessing similar behavior by fellow, Orders from unit commanders during a mission. [103] Though the division was no longer an "All-Oklahoma" unit, leaders opted to keep its designation as the 45th Infantry Division. These forts had been designed by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1893 to block access to the plain of Alsace. Sheeran later joked that they did so without complaint, likely hoping that he and his buddies would change their minds. [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. Slowly advancing through Italy, they fought in Anzio and the Beachhead breakout to the capture of Rome. The 45th Infantry Division was formed in 1924 from National Guard units in the southwestern United States. 45th US Infantry Division "Thunderbird" home Divisional information Divisional troops Attachments Assignments Detachments Command Posts Divisional information Top Specials [read more] Read more about the division insignia and there nickname. These pages are built and maintained by the World War II Recreation Association with membership in Northern Delaware, Eastern Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Please complete a GSA Standard Form 180 and mail it to NARA's National Personnel Records Center, (Military Personnel Records), 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138-1002. [86], At the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, the U.S. Army looked to expand its force again to prepare for major conflict. 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. Headquartered for most of its history in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the guardsmen fought in both World War II and the Korean War. "Train, No. With few provisions, almost 2,000 inmates died during the circuitous route that took them from Thuringia through Saxony to Czechoslovakia and into Bavaria. During World War I, Colonel A. W. Bloor, commander of the 142nd Infantry, 36th Division, tested and deployed a code, using the Choctaw language in place of regular military code. [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. It went over to the attack, 23 May, crossed the Tiber River, 4 June, outflanking Rome and withdrew for rest and training on the 16th. George Patton, the Seventh Army commanding general, asked Omar Bradley, II Corps commanding general, to get the cases dismissed to prevent bad press, but Bradley refused. 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