Each car was loaded with emaciated human corpses . [39] The division captured Munich during the next two days, occupying the city until V-E Day and the surrender of Germany. The 45th Infantry Division in World War II: An Unofficial Guide to Resources The 45th Infantry Division guardsmen saw . The division remained a National Guard formation until its downsizing in 1968. Red is a symbol of bravery and valor. Men from the state militias of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Oklahoma made up the division. Attachments [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. Division, 2nd Battalion, 411th Infantry Regiment, [45] The next three months were spent on the defensive, with the 45th engaged in trench warfare, alike to that in World War I. 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 . Some of the German troops were camp guards; the others were sick and wounded troops from a nearby hospital. 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. Campaigns of the 45th Infantry Division: Southern France, Campaigns of the 45th Infantry Division: Rhineland. Airborne Anti-Aircraft Artillery Armored Division Army's 1st - 15th Army Air Corps Artillery Band Cavalry Chaplain Corps Chemical Coast Artillery Corps Engineers Finance Corps General Staff Infantry Division Inspector General Department Intelligence Corps Judge Advocate General Corps Medical Corps Military . The 45th Infantry Museum honors not just their service, but that of all Oklahomans. & 01.04.1945-10.05.1945, 636th TD Battalion (SP) (less C Company When the three units arrived at Dachau, they discovered more than 30,000 prisoners in the overcrowded camp. Is the 3rd ID patch on his right or left shoulder (as he would have worn the uniform)? The following year, on 10 September 1946, the 45th Infantry Division was reconstituted as a National Guard unit. The thunderbird is a symbol of the Southwestern Indians meaning sacred bearer of unlimited happiness. [48] Men of the 45th Division were the first Allied troops to reach the Vatican. 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. Rosters. So he might have actually meant one of the subcamps which would increase the number of possible units. [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 proximity of the US Army gave hope to the prisoners in the camp and to anti-Nazis outside it. Washington, DC 20024-2126 [64] Some veterans of the 45th Infantry Division have said that only 30 to 50 German soldiers were killed and that very few were killed trying to surrender, while others have admitted to killing or refusing to treat wounded German guards.[65]. Hey Dave, Im new to this site and stumbled across this thread. Raymond, Allen D. 1st Battalion, 272nd Infantry Regiment, 69th Infantry Division 200. Since its inception, Native Americans from the tribes of Oklahoma have served in the National Guard with pride and honor. After landing in France during Operation Dragoon, they joined the 1945 drive into Germany that ended the War in Europe. You did what you had to do.". These cars were an assortment of odd boxcars, some of which were locked, and some were coal-car type. [39] The division was then reassigned to V Corps, under the command of Major General Leonard T. Gerow, for its next advance. [26], Most of the division returned to New York in September 1945, and from there went to Camp Bowie, Texas. Please turn JavaScript back on and reload this page. It had left Buchenwald four weeks earlier on April 7 filled with more than 5,000 prisoners. Group, 21.10.1944-24.10.1944 & 01.11.1944-11.11.1944, 15.08.1944-18.08.1944 & 19.09.1944-27.10.1944 [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. It joined the United Nations troops on the front lines during the stalemate of the second half of the war, with constant, low-level fighting and trench warfare against the People's Volunteer Army of China that produced little gain for either side. News of Dachau's liberation spread swiftly. When US troops arrived in Dachau on April 29, they found 2,310 additional corpses on the train. Circumstance may have prevented that. The 816 surviving prisoners were taken to barracks within the camp. and see if I can find a CIB for your dad. In January 1943 it moved to Fort Pickett, Virginia, for its final training. [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. At the end of World War II, it contained 89 divisions, but by 1950, there were just 10 active divisions in the force, along with a few reserve divisions such as the 45th Infantry Division which were combat-ineffective. [63] Accounts conflict over what happened and over how many German troops were killed. 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. I have two rosters of the 45th Division plus several Excel worksheets of men who served in the division. They had few soldiers left, very little ammunition, and even food was running out in some places. [48] The U.S. It is curious that his draft card (Ancestry.com) has an annotated discharge date of 31 March 1946. [37], On 3 September 1943, Italy surrendered to the Allied powers. 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. [37] Opposing them were elements of the German 29th Panzergrenadier Division and XVI Panzer Corps. Yeah, I've heard of that fire in 1973. [125], As of 1 August 1950, the division consisted of 698. In some of these cars there were more than enough to cover the floors. You can not post a blank message. Divisional information Major General Roy Hoffman took command in 1931, followed by Alexander M. Tuthill, Alexander E. McPherren in 1935, and William S. Key in 1936. 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. They trace their lineage from frontier militias that operated in the Southwestern United States throughout the late 1800s. [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. Sheeran told Brandt that, when a German soldier had just killed his close friends and then tried to surrender, he would often "send him to hell, too". Please turn JavaScript back on and reload this page. 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. PFC Donald E. Thompson, member of I Company, 3rd Battalion, 180th Infantry Regiment, per the 29 June 1945 Roster of the. 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. 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. The 45th Infantry Division of the United States Army was a major formation of the Oklahoma Army National Guard from 1920 to 1968. They took part in intense fighting during the invasion of Sicily and the attack on Salerno in the 1943 Italian Campaign. 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. Artillery and the four Artillery Battalions) and did not find his name. forces. Please check NARAs web page about COVID-19 updates for the latest information. 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. We suggest if the search does not find the name you are seeking, also search manually . [93][97] Nevertheless, it was not deployed to Korea until December 1951, when its advanced training was complete. I had to show them his records, with our unit to prove that he was nowhere near Normandy in June 1944. Just that, no other details. [55] The 45th Infantry Division, now commanded by Major General Robert T. Frederick, who had previously commanded the 1st Special Service Force, was reassigned to VI Corps on New Year's Day. Battles & Campaigns of World War II Combat load of Infantry SoldierSicily On April 29, 1945, three US Army divisions converged on the camp: the 42nd Infantry, the 45th Infantry, and the 20th Armored. If there is any information requested by the form that you do not know, you may omit it or provide estimates (such as for dates), but the more information you provide, the easier it will be to locate the correct file if it survived the fire. After Action Reports. Detachments [1], On 16 September 1940, the 45th Infantry Division, under Major General William S. Key, was federalized from state control. "[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]. 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. [81] During this time the division was also reorganized and as a part of this process the 157th Infantry was removed from the division's order of battle and replaced with the 279th Infantry Regiment. Additionally, only about 20 percent of its personnel had prior experience of military service from World War II. [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. [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. In the town of Dachau, German opponents of the regime, including a few escaped concentration camp prisoners, took over the town hall, but the local SS put down the small rebellion and executed those among the insurgents whom they caught. Lieutenant Colonel Felix Sparks, who commanded the 45th Infantry Division troops, later recalled his first impressions of Dachau: The initial shock was experienced even before entering the camp. Dad was not given to bragging about his three years in Europe. [117] One soldier from the division, Charles George, was awarded the Medal of Honor while serving in Korea. The Regimental, Command Post was moved into Dachau and training began. Ray, John F Company, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division 482. ", This page was last edited on 9 January 2023, at 02:37. TheDivision was pulled off the line for rest and training. The number of POWs taken by the 45th Division during its almost two years of fighting totalled 124,840 men. Division (105mm Howitzer), 01.12.1944-03.12.1944 & 20.01.1945-07.02.1945, 12.03.1945-20.03.1945 & 30.03.1945-01.04.1945, 06.11.1944-09.11.1944 & 28.11.1944-05.12.1944, 313th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry Once this rest period was complete, the division was assigned to XV Corps for the final push into German territory. 1st Cavalry . I found that book on the 180th Regiment by George Fisher on line. 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 female cooks were first allowed to leave unmolested, then Sheeran and his fellow GIs "ate what we wanted and soiled the rest with our waste". Based in Oklahoma City and one of the first National Guard units to be activated for World War II, from the shores of France and all the way to Berlin liberating Dachau along the way, they later served in the brutal Korean War. [21][23] By the time the 45th Division landed in North Africa on 22 June 1943, the Allies had largely secured the African theater. Documents. 79th Infantry Division, 03.01.1945-17.01.1945 & 22.01.1945-29.01.1945, 19th Armored Infantry Battalion, 14th It's like a window back in time. Veterans and next of kin of deceased veterans also may use eVetRecs to request records. I came on this site hoping to find a clue to Dad's whereabouts in Germany after crossing the Rhine, but I have to say I don't appreciate him being dismissed as every Tom, Dick, and Harry. These offensives were conducted largely in order to secure a better position during the ongoing truce negotiations. Best of luck with your family research! & 3rd Battalions), 3rd Battalion, 36th Engineer Combat For more information about these records, please contact the National Archives at St. Louis (RL-SL) at stl.archives@nara.gov. 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. In addition to burying the dead, the Allied forces attempted to help and comfort the survivors with food, clothing and medical assistance. Headquartered for most of its history in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the guardsmen fought in both World War II and the Korean War. 1st Cavalry Medical Squadron. As the 45th Infantry Division completed its drive on Munich, the unit was ordered to liberate the Dachau concentration camp. German soldiers began surrendering to the Allies in large groups; 325,000 soldiers and civilians . [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. . [42][44], One regiment of the 45th (the 179th Infantry) went ashore with the landings. Over the course of its history, the 45th Infantry Division sustained over 25,000 battle casualties, and its men were awarded ten Medals of Honor, twelve campaign streamers, the Croix de Guerre and the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation. The 45th Division was deployed on the southeastern side of the beachhead, along the lower Mussolini Canal.[45]. [32] The paratroopers, conducting their first combat jump of the war after six weeks of training in Tunisia, then set up to protect the 45th's flank against German counterattack, but without weapons to counter heavy armor, the paratroopers had to rely on support from the 2nd Armored Division to repulse the German Tiger I tanks. 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