They had few soldiers left, very little ammunition, and even food was running out in some places. [37] Against stiff resistance, the 45th pushed to the Calore River after a week of heavy fighting. In the 45th Division Bill Mauldin 45th Division NewsAngelo Casertano UnknownWilson Kale UnknownHerb Alexander 120th QuartermasterEloy Bacca C/ 120th EngineersErnesto Padilla F/ 120th EngineersAllan Osbourne Sr UnknownHistory B Company 120th Medical Bn. [37][40], On 3 November it crossed the Volturno River and took Venafro. 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. The 45th Infantry Division, Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico National Guards, the Thunderbirds, were a group of citizen soldiers who fought long and hard during World War II (Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Rome-Arno, Southern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe Campaigns), and still do today, as a Seperate Infantry Brigade. 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. [39] The advance continued, with Aschaffenburg falling on 3 April, and Nuremberg on the 20th. Screen shot attached. The 45th Infantry Division took the strongly defended city of Epinal on 24 September. Error: You don't have JavaScript enabled. So he might have actually meant one of the subcamps which would increase the number of possible units. Some of the German troops were camp guards; the others were sick and wounded troops from a nearby hospital. On April 29, 1945, three US Army divisions converged on the camp: the 42nd Infantry, the 45th Infantry, and the 20th Armored. We searched the National Archives Catalog and located Morning Reports, ca. I have been trying to find out more about my grandfathers service and think he might have been a part of the 45th and was hoping you might see this and be able to check for me. [21] It then moved to Pine Camp, New York briefly for winter warfare training, but was hampered by continuously poor weather. In 1940, the "Thunderbird" division was reactivated and deployed in late June 1943 to North Africa. Men from the state militias of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Oklahoma made up the division. However, everyone at that time had heard of Dachu so it is what stuck in people's minds. Campaigns of the 45th Infantry Division: Sicily. Then the Wehrmacht mule drivers were given shovels and ordered to "dig their own shallow graves". Best of luck with your family research! In Section 1, Item 1, where it asks which items you are requesting, please check Other and specify that you want the entire file. After investigating the incident, the Army considered court-martialling several officers involved, but Patton successfully intervened. His name was William C. Dennard, enlisted in Houston, TX in October of '42. They returned home at the end of the war, which occurred on Armistice with Germany. Markham. Devers. This tool uses JavaScript and much of it will not work correctly without it enabled. & 01.01.1945-16.02.1945 & 04.03.1945-09.05.1945, 191st Tank Battalion (less A Company & 3rd
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. 45th Infantry Division WWII Veteran Cap Black 5.0 (1) $2695 $7.49 delivery Fri, Dec 23 Arrives before Christmas 45th Infantry Division/Brigade 1 inch Enamel Pin $999 Save 15% when you buy $40.00 of select items FREE delivery Dec 22 - 28 Small Business 45th Infantry Division in the Sicilian Campaign, Part 2 by U.S. Army 45th Infantry Division Campaigns Commanding General Assistant Division Commander Artillery Commander 15.08.1944 These cars were an assortment of odd boxcars, some of which were locked, and some were coal-car type. 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. The terrain was difficult and the weather was poor in the region. Division (less 3rd Battalion), 314th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry
It quickly advanced through western France, reaching the German border by the end of the year. 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. 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. 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. For more information see Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Archival Records Requests. The majority of the 45th ID GIs who returned in September 1945 were discharge Nov. - Dec. 1945. Raymond B Company, 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion 382. 45th Infantry Division. I can count on one hand the stories - harmless stories - we know of his time over there. Their bodies were left behind in various locations throughout Germany. The dates after the campaign name are the dates of the campaign not of the division. Sheeran later joked that they did so without complaint, likely hoping that he and his buddies would change their minds. [45] The next three months were spent on the defensive, with the 45th engaged in trench warfare, alike to that in World War I. His photos included a lot of concentration camp images. In 1940, the "Thunderbird" division was reactivated and deployed in late June 1943 to North Africa. Every Tom, Dick and Harry in the Seventh Army and beyond, claimed to have liberated Dachau KZ on 29 April 1945 or to have. Seventh Army, along with Free French forces, were able to advance north quickly. Since its inception, Native Americans from the tribes of Oklahoma have served in the National Guard with pride and honor. Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths in World War II, Final Report, 1 December 1941 - 31 December 1946. 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. Nonetheless, I do have a roster of the 45th Infantry Division for 1945. News of Dachau's liberation spread swiftly. Campaigns of the 45th Infantry Division: Central Europe. [94] The division was awarded four campaign streamers and one Presidential Unit Citation. [47] On 4 June the 45th Division crossed the Tiber River below Rome, and entered the city along with other VI Corps troops. We suggest if the search does not find the name you are seeking, also search manually . You may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RL-SL. [citation needed]. For more information, please refer to Onsite Operations at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. The first evidence of the horror to come was a string of about forty railway cars on a siding near the camp entrance. 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. Following Sicily the division landed at Salerno and Anzio, as part of the forces in the taking of Italy. Battalion. The 45th Infantry Division was reassigned to VI Corps on New Year's day. 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW His name was Donald E. Thompson, PFC. [105] The division was put under the command of Eighth Army's I Corps for most of the conflict. . When the three units arrived at Dachau, they discovered more than 30,000 prisoners in the overcrowded camp. Army Unit Rosters and Unit Photos. I know it is old but thought Id try to reach out. [39] The division crossed the Danube River on 27 April, and liberated 32,000 captives of the Dachau concentration camp on 29 April 1945. [14] The new insignia featured the Thunderbird, another Native American symbol, and was approved in 1939. [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. [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. Anyways if you see this his name was Clarence LaHayne and he was enlisted. [109] It also conducted constant small-unit patrols along the border seeking to engage Chinese outposts or patrols. Like Our Web page? 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. Re: Seeking roster for 45th Infantry Division Dave Kerr Nov 30, 2022 12:50 PM ( in response to Katie Geuin ) Katie, I checked the 29 June 1945 Division Roster as well as my General Orders' Worksheet and did not find your dad's name. Group, 36th Engineer Combat Group (less 2nd
& 3rd Battalions), 3rd Battalion, 36th Engineer Combat
It will take considerably longer to eliminate the backlog on other types of requests, such as genealogical requests for complete copies of records. The 45th Infantry Division was recognized as a liberating unit by the US Army's Center of Military History and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1985. Platoon, D Company), 47th Tank Battalion, 14th Armored Division, 47th Tank Battalion, 14th Armored Division (less
I have to wonder why he would have that particular book. See: Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths, Final Report (Statistical and Accounting Branch, Office of the Adjutant General, 1 June 1953), Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Streamer, "Lt. Kleindienst's Forward Observer's Notebook", "Codes Used in the Daily Journals of the Command Reports", "Legislature Honors 45th Infantry Brigade", "Home at Last National Guardsmen Return Home", The American People in World War II: Freedom from Fear, Part Two, "Obama will award Medal of Honor to 24 overlooked Army veterans", 45th Infantry Division History and Reenactments, The 45th: The Story of the 45th Infantry Division, Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture Forty-fifth Infantry Division (OKANG), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=45th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)&oldid=1132482693, 70th Field Artillery Brigade (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), 120th Ammunition Train (inactive; allotted to Oklahoma National Guard), 120th Medical Regiment (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), 120th Quartermaster Regiment (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 45th Infantry Division Artillery, 45th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized), Headquarters, Special Troops, 45th Infantry Division, Headquarters Company, 45th Infantry Division, 45th Counterintelligence Corps Detachment, Revenge killings in the heat of battle. 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