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95th DIVISION (TNG) HISTORY AND MISSION IRON MEN OF METZ "Bravest of the Brave"

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Page 1: History and Mission

95th DIVISION (TNG)HISTORY AND MISSION

IRON MEN OF METZ

"Bravest of the Brave"

Page 2: History and Mission

The record of an organization is extreme-ly important in that it contributes a crucialdimension to the unit's self-image. Thehistory of the 95th Division (Training) iscertainly one in which all members ofthe unit can take great pride.

The story of the Division is the sum ofover fifteen thousand personal experiencesfrom World War II alone. While the histori-

an can gather the statistics of the groundgained, the cities captured, the prisonerstaken, and perhaps sketch in the terriblebackground against which the Divisionlived and fought, he can never tell thewhole story as it was lived.

There are hundreds whose quiet heroism went unrecorded in the confusion ofbattle and whose stories remain untold because no one came back to tell them.

Thousands of men and women have served in the Division since World War I I--

quietly contributing to the nation's defense by training new soldiers for the battle-field. As this book goes to press, the Division is leading the way in a new chapter ofcitizen soldier preparedness through a unique mobilization mission known as "LoneIronman." The 95th Division has been the first training division to perform its fullmobilization mission, just as we would do it in the event of warl

So, asyou read this book, keep in mind that the 95th Division (Training) continuesto make history--in the confident tradition of the "Iron Men of Metz!"

/

Robert C. Hope ,_

Major General, USAR

Commanding

PRODUCED BY:

The 95th Division(Training)MAJ GaryEllis SGM Don StillsSFCAnnieMurphy MSGDon Myers

andthe95th DivisionPublicAffairsOffice

January1989Fourth Edition

Page 3: History and Mission

THE 95TH DIVISION HISTORY AND MISSIONThe initial activation of the 95th Division wasbegun at Camp Sherman,

Ohio, September 5, 1918. The activation order directed the Division's

composition to include the following major units: the 189th Infantry Brigade,the 190th Infantry Brigade, the 170th Field Artillery Brigade, the 358th

Machine Gun Battalion, the 320th Engineer Battalion, the 620th Field SignalBattalion and the 95th Division Trains. The organization and training of all unitsexcept the 320th Engineer Battalion and the 95th Division Trains was .fullyunder way at the time of the Armistice.

Brig. Gen. Mathew C. Smith, commander of the Division during its briefFirst World War history, received orders early in December, 1918, todemobilize the Division, and this demobilization was completed December 21,all officers and men being discharged or transferred.

From this date to the Division's activation during the Second World War,the unit existed as an organized reserve division with headquarters inOklahoma City.

The Division's Second World War pre-combat history extended over morethan two years of training and travel throughout the breadth of the UnitedStates and to include later the United Kingdom and France. Early in its post-activation period, the Division indicated a high degree of personnel intelligencefor Army division as the result of Army General Classification Test scores. Itwas rated equally high in physical fitness tests which were conductedfollowing the completion of basic training. Its performance on three sets ofmaneuvers, laid the groundwork for a latent combat efficiency.

The Division's Second World War history can be said to have begun whenMajor General Harry L. Twaddle was named commanding general in March,1942. Later Brig. Gen. Robert L. Spragins (afterward a major generalcommanding the 44th Infantry Division) was named assistant, divisioncommander, Brig. Gen. Ward H. Maris was appointed commander of DivisionArtillery, and Col. Donald W. Brann (later to become a major general) wasnamed chief of staff.

An enlisted cadre was drawn from the 7th Infantry Division and was

trained for organizational duties in June and early July, 1942. A cadre of juniorofficers was supplied by the various officer candidate schools and the 2nd,31st, 38th and 43rd Infantry Divisions. The Division was ready to become a_part of the Army, and its activation was climaxed by formal ceremonies atnewly-constructed Camp Swift, Texas, and by the arrival of filler replacements,July 15.

An early group of inductees from crowded Middlewestern receptioncenters began drilling immediately after arrival July 10 and were able to stagea review on activation day.

As a blazing Texas sun shone down On the assembled Division nucleus

and many civilian guests, including Texas' Governor Coke Stevenson, GeneralTwaddle proclaimed his command an active part of the Army of the UnitedStates. The Division's component units were activated the same day: the 377thInfantry Regiment, commanded by Col. Francis A. Woolfley; the 378thRegiment, commanded by Col. Allison J. Burnett; the 379th Regiment, led byCol. Mar!!n C. Martin; Division Artillery, commanded by General Maris; the

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Page 4: History and Mission

420th Quartermaster Battalion (subsequently reorganized as the 95th

Quartermaster Company), the 320th Medical Battalion, the 320th EngineerBattalion, the 95th Reconnaissance Troop, the 95th Signal Company, the 795th

Ordnance Company, 95th Division Headquarters and Headquarters Companyand the Military Police Platoon.

Upon the arrival of all filler replacements it _NaS found that slightly morethan eighty per cent of the Division's enlisted personnel were from the

Middlewest, the Chicago area predominating. Personnel turnover reduced thisfigure subsequently, but the Middlewest held its majority or plurality

throughout the Division's period of activation.

Regular Army, National Guard, Reserve and Selective Service troops allcontributed to the Division, with the last named the largest source. Previous to

the Division's activities, a provisional Division staff was assembled at Fort •Leavenworth, Kansas for preliminary training and organization. Regimental,

battalion,-company and batter_/ commanders had reported to Fort Benning,Georgia, and Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for a one-month training course.

Until August 2, the Division's recruits were broken into the military

regiment as individuals, undergoing the customary physical conditioning andindoctrination preliminaries. But on that day a seventeen-week basic training

program was launched, aimed at simultaneous training of individuals andsmall units, The Division's Gl's were introduced to a fate that met millions of

the nation's new soldiersl There were road marches, they scrambled over;obstacle courses, hit the dirt, learned about first aid and military courtesy, the

dual-business end of a rifle -- bullet and bayonet; they scanned maps and took

azimuths; they hiked, patrollecl and drilled, both close-order and extended; theyheard military sounds-in-the-night and how to muffle them; they matchedshelter-halves to pitch their tents, then striking the canvasto roll their packs

again, there was calisthenics, squad problems and company problems, all thisand much more made up the fast-flying transitional period from rookies to

basically trained soldiers and teams.

July 23, 1942, the Division was passed from control of the VII Corps todirect control of the Third U.S. Army, then commanded by Lt. Gen Walter

Krueger. The change was occasioned by departure of the VII Corps formaneuvers. When the maneuvering 2nd Infantry Division selected a cadre for

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Page 5: History and Mission

the 102nd Infantry Division, a month of further training was necessary beforethe cadre could join its new division. It was thus transferred to the 95thDivision to receive this training.

At Camp Swift the distinctive 9-V insignia was adopted, replacing theoriginal O-K denoting the Division's initially Oklahoma and Kansasconstituency. The new insignia was designed by Lt. Col. Leland B. Kuhre, firstSecond World War commander of the 320th Engineer Ballation, whenmembers of the Division staff were assembled at Fort Leavenworth before

activation. It was approved by the War Department in August. In color anddesign, the insignia was especially appropriate, the red-white-and bluesymbolizing the national character .of the Division which represented virtuallyevery state; the Arabic "9" in artillery red, interwined with a white' Roman fiveof V-for-Victory, and both on an elliptical background of infantry blue. Prom itsinception the "victory" theme of the insignia was recognized and largelyinspired the Division's nick-name, "Victory Division" selected in September1943.

I

"'Deep in the heart of Texas", Division troops sought relief from the grindof training with excursions to Austin and other nearby communities.Meanwhile, two Divisional organizations were combining music withsoldiering in their daily duties; the bands of the 377th Infantry Regiment andDivision Artillery. After establishing commendable reputations for playing at " -Divisional functions and outside entertainments, the two units were to

_combine in September, 1943, to form the 95th Division Band. Climaxing theDivision's athletic participation at Camp Swift were the Armistice Day trackand field competitions and the first Division softball tourney, won bythe 377thInfantry Regiment's 3rd BAttalion, which defeated the 320th Medical Battalionin the final game.

November 2 was the date of the first review of the entire division, theparade precision being in marked contrast to the irregularities of the recruits'activation review. In the middle of November, morale was stimulated with the

announcment that the first furloughs would be forthcoming, beginningNovember 28. These were deferred when it was announced the Division wouldmove to Fort_Sam Houston at San Antonio, Texas.

The seventy miles to historic Fort Sam Houston were negotiated by motor.The famed old Army post proved to be the most ideally situated of any of the

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0ivision's stations from the standpoint of its location in the large city of SanAntonio, self-styled "winter playground of America". And from a trainingviewpoint, the outlying Leon Springs Military Reservation offered ideal terrain "for many sorts of tactical problems.. Its eighteen-mile distance from the mainpoint was turned to the Division's advantage in that it afforded excellent routesfor road marches and motor movements. Shortly after the Division was settledat its new station, training at Leon Springs was in full swing. Most units wererotated in cycles which generally allowed two weeks on the reservation,followed by one in garrison. Infantry platoon proficiency tests were conducted,the Division receiving a grade of satisfactory. Meanwhile, the Division'smission for its second phase of. training had become perfection of DivisionArtillery, regimental and separate unit commands into well-coordinated teamsin preparation for t.he third phase, combined unit training.

A new assistant Division commander, Col. Wilbur Dunkelberg, soon to bepromoted to brigadier general, was named in December, when GeneralSpragins tranferred to another station. Division pride focused on its basketballteam, which was all-victorious in the San Antonio Service League and spread-the Division's name on a generally-winning circuit of Texas collegiate andamateur opposition. Representing most of the Division's units the team neverfailed to impress a large following with near-professional prowess. SergeantsIrwin (Bud) Prasse and Durward (Red) Culp enhanced their already standoutcollege reputations, Prasse an Iowa All-American. The team's final record wastwenty-two victories and four defeats. And while the Division cheered its varsityathletes, the men took only a fraction of their sports sitting down. Far fromvicarious was the athletic penchant evidenced by physical-fitness performancesof all personnel. In the corps-conducted tests, the Division received a superiorrating of 91.5. Physical foundations were also being readied for a twenty-five-mile march in eight hours.

Movement to the Leon Springs Military Reservation presented at first around-trip hike of eighteen miles with full field packs. Later, troops weretransported out in trucks, returning to the main post by foot after completingthe two-week training stretch. Camp B'ullis was the military reservation's basecamp. Camps Cibolo, Sheel, Staht, Panther Springs and Wilderness were builtor prepared to accommodate the various units; Cibolo for the infantry, Sheel,Stahl and Panther Springs for the field artillery and Wilderness for the 320thEngineer Battalion and the 320th Medical Battalion. _rraining included villagefighting in mock villages constructed by the engineer battalion. "'Branntown'"was a North African type village named for the Division's then chief of staff,"'Kuhreville",a German type, was named for the first commander of theengineer battalion and the designer of the Division shoulder patch. Troops

were introduced to the bangalor torpedo and flame-thrower as training shiftedto the assault of fortifications in February. Again, the engineer battalion wascalled upon to construct the fortification facsimiles which served as the onlytargets until the Division fought at the Metz les than two years later.

A unique Army educational experiment was conducted by the Division inFebruary, a special scho(_l for the salvage of manpower. Directed by theDivision classification off!cer, Maj. Julius Mann, the school's purpose was toinstruct the Division's non-English-speaking and illiterate personnel in thefundamentals of reading and writing. Many men were reclaimed by the schoolwho might have otherwise been lost. The school was believed to have been the

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Page 7: History and Mission

first of its type conducted by a tactical unit.

With the end of February, 1943, came the end of the unit training phase.As the division turned to combined unit training in March, its members grewincreasingly familiar with the sprawling Leon Springs Reservation, its groundand its insects especially, the adhesive tick. Life in the field was rugged, andthe return to Fort Sam Houston seemed almost to equal a trip home.

For one March training specialty, river crossing exercises, the Divisionwas diverted from Leon Springs to the Guadalupe River at Seguin. Here, again,the Division's top utility soldiers, the men of the 320th Engineer Battalion,mainly sponsored the exercises, first demonstrating a crossing and thencooperating with the infantry units in subsequent crossings under simulatedtactical conditions. Meanwhile, the combined unit training was predicatedlargely on regimental combat team exercises, a series of eight being held inaccordance with Army Ground Force directives.

A series of "D'" problems through most of May marked the next advance intraining, a transition between the practice of training and the application ofmaneuvers. Involving all units, the "D'" problems were the Division's firstsham battles and "dummy scrimages". Umpired by officers of the VII Corps,the minor maneuvers posed conditions similar to those which were to beexperienced in the soon-to-come Lousiana exercises.

The tank-and-truck-torn maneuver ground loomed ahead in Louisiana.During the period June 18 through June 24 the Division moved along the OldSpanish Trail by motor and rail to a bivouac area northeast of the village ofMany in western Louisiana, near the Sabine River which forms most of the

Texas-Louisiana border. A series of four "flag" exercises began June 28 andended July 7, the purpose of the problems being to afford the divisioncommander additional time to improve the teamwork of the Division before thetest of competitive maneuvers. As troops acclimated themselves, it wasapparent early that Louisiana weather, terrain and insects would offer more

formidable opposition than any of the maneuvering and opposing divisions.Proving ground for most Second World War divisions and lesser units, the

Louisiana maneuver areas was living up to its reputation as a "'grill ground" totest both the tactics and stamina of the Division.

A broad variety of tactical situations were staged between the Red andSabine Rivers, the latter being crossed by the 95th Division -- a trainingforerunner of what was to come in the European Theatre.

The Division was directed to move into Camp Polk, east of the town ofLeesville, Louisiana, near which the Division was situated at the end of"maneuvers. At Camp Polk, the Division newspaper, The Journal, wasincreased from half to full tabloid size, semi-monthly. The Journal had beeninstituted during maneuvers. A Journal-sponsored contest resulted in thenickname of the Division, "Victory Division". But the Division post-maneuvertraining was cut short when orders were received to move to the CaliforniaDesert Training Center.

The Division began its California directed movement October 11, precededby an advance detachment which took over Camp Coxcomb in the Californiadesert. Coxcomb was a tent city, spread out in rectangular unit areas along astretch of desert grass-studded sand, sloping slightly to the east from the pilesof corrugated rock that had been named the Coxcomb Range.

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Page 8: History and Mission

Thirteen weeks of training were scheduled, beginning November 1. Thescope of the desert area was such as to afford the Division its best training

ground up to that time. For the first time, the Division could use liveammunition for most of its training problems. Bangalore torpedoes boomed

through the night as troops learned to blast gaps in field obstructions, whilemany other phases of field work were covered in the "swing shift" training

periods. Close battle conditions were simulated with considerable realismduring artillery rolling barrage demonstration, when infantry troops were

progressively deployed 150 yards behind the artillery barrage and light aerialbombardment.

While the Division trained in the California desert, The Journal was

increased in size to a six-page semi-monthly, an eight-page edition" being

published February 3, 1944; Miss Virginia Ference of Maple Heights, Ohio,was named "Miss Victory Division" in a Journal sponsored contest; T/Sgt. M.

George Vanicek wrote the winning entry in a Journal conducted Division songwriting contest. Vanicek's song, "The 95th Marches On", was later publishedand copyrighted. "Prelude", a forty-page pictorial training history of theDivision, was distributed to troops early in Feburary. Late in December, 1943,

General Dunkelberg left the Division for a new assignment in the Aleutians,being replaced as assistant Division commander by Brig. Gen. Don D. Faith,former commander of the Women's Army Corps. The Division was then directedto move to the Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, Pennsylvania.

The advanced party arrived at Indiantown Gap, February 12, with the entireDivision closing into the new station February 25. having boarded trains in

California's temperate winter climate, Division troops were not altogetherprepared for the sub-zero weather that met them when they detrained inPennsylvania. The weather couldn't chill the troops' enthusiasm for their new

station, however, with the easy accessibility to several metropolitan areas(New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore) probably Indiantown Gap's

leading virtue in their eyes.

Outstanding in the Division's latest training program was the series ofexercises conducted in the West V.irginia Maneuver Area. Besides combat

teams, parts of all special troops units went through the mountain climbingexercises, while selected personnel attended the pack and assault schools. The

pack schools afforded the Division's mule-skinners a chance at their trade.Seneca Rock offered a 928-foot climb or descent to the cliff scalers who hung

Tarzan-like by their nylon ropes. "'Rappels", "traverses" and "chimneys",

among other terms, were added to the GI vernacular. The West Virginia

training was generally regarded by veteran officers and enlisted men as themost rigorous single phase of training undertaken by the 95th Division.

The influx of new men was heavy at Indiantown Gap. The Divisionreceived 4000 troops from the drastically curtailed Army Specialized Training

Program, half of this number being sent later to other units. Besides this total,2,190 other enlisted men were added to the Division's rolls at its Pennsylvaniastation.

Late in March the 95th Division Artillery received a commendation for

having attained the highest division artillery score in Army Ground Forcebattalion firing tests since the inauguration of a new form of tests in

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Page 9: History and Mission

November, 1943. Also in March, the Division newspaper made anotheradvance, The Journal becoming a six-page weekly. A few weeks earlier, TheJournal became a four-page weekly, marking an advance over thenewspaper's previous history when it had been an every-other-weekpublication.

April 1, Undersecretary of War Robert P. Patterson (later Secretary)visitedthe Divison on an inspection tour which lasted most of the day. Afterwitnessing a cross-section of troops in their various training exercises, Mr.Patterson and his party reviewed the entire Division in a steady rain. Tonewspaper reporters present at the time, Mr. Patterson said, in part, "1 am surethat dispatches from the battlefront will recall the 95th Division to my mindwith the greatest pride." That rainy-day statement was to be fullfilled eightmonths later.

Late in April the Division's first boxing tournament on a team basis sawthe 378th Infantry Regiment win the Class I (experienced) title and the 377thInfantry Regiment win the Class II (novice) trophy. Also late in April, TheJournal jumped to an eight-page weekly, thus ranking among the largestdivisional newspapers.

In early May, 1944, another change in the Division's command replacedGeneral Maris, who moved up to the command of a corp artillery, as DivisionArtillery commander with Colonel Mark McClure. Colonel McClure had beenDivision G-3 at the time of the Division's activation. Three occasions in Mayand June put the 95th Division on display for thenearby and visiting public. AMothers Day observance honored the mothers of seven Division men, drawnby lot from the seven major units. The mothers were guests of the Division fora three-day program which was featured by a radio broadcast and a review ofthe 379th Infantry Regiment. Sunday, May 28, the Division and the post werehost to the governors of 37 states and the Virgin Islands, plus other nationallyprominent politicos, who were attending the thirty-sixth annual Governors

Conference held in nearby Hersey. Combat Team Seven was reviewed by th egovernors, who also witnessed a display of military equipment. June 15 wasmarked by the most spectacular demonstration of the fundamentals of foot-soldiering ever staged by the Division. More than six thousand visitors beheld afour-hour exhibition as the Division's part in the first national observance ofInfantry Day.

June and most of July found the 95th Division treading unmistakablytoward an overseas movement. Personnel and equipment received equalattention. Speculation ended a few days before June 25, when an advanceparty left Indiantown Gap and sailed for the European Theater of Operations.June 29, the Division was on its way to battle, and most troops enjoyed their.remaining respites in Pennsylvania and surrounding states. Units beganmoving to the staging area at Camp Miles Standish, Massachusetts, July 18two trains daily, and all units had closed in by July 27.

Loud speakers warned troops as soon as they detrained that they were"now in a secret area." In the two weeks that followed, processing of clothingand equipment followed. A full round of lectures occupied all hands as they wereadvised about ship security, abandoning ship, censorship, finance, sanitation,conduct overseas and other pertinent subjects (including "gangplank fever").Physical fitness was maintained through road marches, obstacle course-

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running, and athletic contests. Boston beca me the latest metropolitan mecca forthe Division, but it wasn't long before the restriction lid was clamped down andthe. big ships tied up. The ultimate rail movement of thirty-five miles to theBoston Port of Embarkation was negotiated, trains running conveniently ontothe dock. Traditional Red Cross doughnuts, coffee and orangeade helped calmany stomachs that might have quaked at the gangplank's forbidding slope.Troops were squared off according to number and then began the fateful file ofpack-and-bag-laden men up the plank, responding with first names and initialsto the check-off of surnames. The U.S.S. Mariposa sailed August 6, with the378th Infantry, 358th, 359th, 360th, Field Artillery Battalions and the 320thMedical Battalion aboard. The U.S.S. West Point (formerly America) embarkedAugust 9 with all remaining units of the Division. Prior to sailing, troops "cameup for air" on the sundeck, looking long at the Boston waterfront and getting intheir last whistles at American girls. As the ships wound out through theantisubmarine-netted harbor, the last visual contact with the United Statesfaded out with the dimming lights of the city and Massachusetts" North Shore.The voyages were generally serene and the Division enjoyed, save forunavoidable overcrowding, the shipboard life so novel to most everyone. Motion

pictures, standing in lines at the ship's stores and reading occupied most of thetroops' time. With the ships taking about the same time to cross, they docked atLiverpool August 14 and 17, respectively. Thus, these dates became highlysignificant in the Division's history. They marked the first arrival of the divisionon any foreign soil in any war. For a probable majority of the Division'spersonnel, Liverpool's docks represented their first foreign footing. Staggeringunder maximum loads, troops made their way up a long ramp and to the waitingEnglish trains with their European-made cars. Traveling southeasterly throughthe Midlands, all eyes peered and necks craned at the alternating rustic andindustrial vistas that were framed by thick green hills. The Division's destinationwas Winchester, in Hampshire, oldest English city, capital during King Alfred'sreign and legendarily synonymous with King Arthur's Camelot. The advanceparty had been at its busiest in drawing the Division's vehicles from variouspools. The 378th Infantry, minus the 1st and 3rd Battalions, DivisionHeadquarters and Headquarters Special Troops, 320th Medical Battalion,-95thQuartermaster Company and 95th Signal Company were quartered in

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Winchester. The 377th Infantry, 379th Infantry, Division Artillery, 795thOrdnance Company and 95th Reconaissance Troop were located at BartonStacey Camp, about twelve miles northwest of Winchester. The balance of the378th Infantry was scattered in quaintly named localities east and northeast ofWinchester. Armsworth House Camp, Brighton Wood Camp, Bishop's SuttonCamp, New Alresford, Tichborne Park and Cheriton. The 320th EngineerBattalion was located atNorthwood Park, about three miles northwest of

Winchester. Under the Ninth U.S. Army, which was soon to be operating inBrittany, the Division staged its final preparation for commitment on theContinent.

By September 1, the Division had received certain attachments, most ofwhich joined the G-2 Section for the purpose of expanding the Division'sintelligence facilities. These specialists included a Photo Interpretation team, aMilitary Intelligence team, two Interrogation-of-Prisoners-of-War teams andan Order of Battle team. Also added to Division Headquarters were a G-5Section (Civil Affairs) and an Air Support Party, which was attached to the G-3Section.

The last leg of the Division's trek to the ground-operational sectors of theEuropean Theater was begun September 8. From that date through September11 troops trucked to Southampton's great channel port twelve miles south ofWinchester, or to Weymouth, about forty miles southwest of Southampton. Asa criterion of the task ahead, they carried live ammunition. Units moved in thegeneral order of Combat Teams Seven, Eight and Nine, special troops beingintermingled. All artillery units, the 795th Ordnance Company and the 95thReconnaissance Troop embarked from Weymouth, the remainder leaving fromSouthampton. First indication of Southampton's importance as a bombingtarget were the silvery barrage balloons swinging high on cables around theharbor. Signs of the blitz were still here, though sufficient time had elapsed toallow nearly fully repair of the dock area. The Division, with all its vehicles,boarded Liberty ships, LST's and converted British commercial vessels. Passageacross the English channel was delayed two and three days for most units as,following embarkation, it was necessary to lay both in and outside the harborpending availability of debarkation facilities at the landing point. Southamptonships anchored in the Solent, off the inner shore of the Isle of Wright just outside ..Southampton's bay. While portable radios carried the news that the Ninth Armywas then in the field in France, troops steadily dieted on C-Rations and waited '"for their "show to get on the road." By September 14, however, the last of theboats had gotten underway -- in convoy, the Division's first travel in a train of,ships. Late that afternoon the tail ends of the convoy arrived off the Normandycoast, sailed past Cherbourg and anchored with the predecessors near OmahaBeach to await debarkation the next morning.

September 15, 1944, training over, home far behind, the Division movedto France and bivouacked from 1 to 14 October near Norriey-Le-Sec preparingto enter the combat line.

The Division now became a part of Lieutenant General Patton's ThirdArmy, a part of the 20th "Ghost" Corps. They entered the line on 19 October inthe Moselle River bridgehead sector, east of Moselle and south of Metz. Theypatrolled the Seille River near Cheminot and were repulsing enemy attempts tocross the river.

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The 2nd Battalion, 378th Regiment's first try at offensive action lastedthree days -- three days in which the Maroun Marauders had uncorked FortYutz and the more formidable Fort d'lllange, Thionville east of the Moselle andthree more towns, all in the face of stiff German opposition. No sooner had the378th's 2nd Battalion finished the Thionville bridghead operation than the unitbecame part of Task Force Bacon, together with the 1st Battalion, 377thInfantry; the 95th Reconnaissance Troop and Company D, 378th TankBattalion.

Task Force Bacon was commanded by a man whocould never hope towina German popularity contest. He was Col. Robert Bacon, who played so muchhell with the Germans they undoubtedly had a bounty out for his scalp. Hewhipped his troops down the east bank of the Moselle into Metz like a lawnmower cutting grass.

The Colonel moved fast, his itinerary readlike this: jumping off November16, Task Force Bacon roared through Tremery, Ay sur Moselle, Boussee,Rurange and Montrequienne. Next day, six additional towns felt the TaskForce's fiery breath as doughs paced past the halfway point to Metz. Col. Baconwas given a self-propelled 155, but he didn't use it exactly as the books say itssupposed to be used. His idea of correct range for the big gun was about 200yards. Result was that a considerable number of buildings required remodelinglater..

Task Force Bacon blazed into the outskirts of Metz the same night, laterspanning the Seille River, which streams the city. A pitched battle in the heartof town followed.

Task Force Bacon had its share of heroes. One in particular was Sgt.Walter Low, Company G., 378th Regiment, Smokey Junction, Tennessee, thefirst 95th GI to receive the Distinguished Service Cross. The action whichproduced the award was a short, daring and life-saving combination of gutsand bluff. Two unmapped pillboxes near Fort St. Julien popped up surprisinglyin the path of Company G's advance. While his platoon pressed forward, Lowand two others pulled out of the formation to investigate the pillboxes.

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When equally surprising machine gun fire blocked the platoon's front overan open field, the pillboxes completed a squeeze play by pumping lead to therear of the platoon. The billboxes had to be liquidated or the platoon was in fora chop-up. A steady stream of fire forced his mates to the dirt, but Low pell-melled squarely on the objective, hand operating the sticky bolt of his M-1.Sixteen Germans occupying the strong point either were scared Or bluffed.Nonchalantly, Low flushed them out, frisked them for arms.. Advancing on the

adjoining bunker, he bagged another 16..Adding the 32 Germans to a passingcolumn, Low rejoined his outfit, which now was free to advance.

Still under the command of MG Twaddle, the Division went on theoffensive 1 November, and reduced an enemy pocket of heavy resistance eastof Maizieres. On the 8th day of November 1944, it began its march into militaryhistory. Major General Walton H. Walker, 20th Corps Commander, ordered the"'Victory Division" to cross the Moselle River and push toward the fortress cityof Metz.

The Division launched its main effort at 1000 November 15 when 377thInfantry jumped off to inaugurate the drive down the west bank of the Moselleto the very gates of Metz. The road was straight, flanked by broad, open fields.Artillery and mortar fire raked the advance route, but the 2nd and 3rdBattalions continued their drive to the south.

By nightfall, the 3rd held up in La Maxe. The 2nd slugged it out in theoutskirts of Woippy, only three miles from Metz. Tough to crack, Woippy finallywas cleared before dark, and the 2nd surged forward along the road to Metz.

Meanwhile, the 3rd was having its headaches near Fort Gambetta. Arequest for that "extra ten percent" was passed along the line November 17.No urging was needed. With .Metz in sight, the Division felt sharp.

Metz, the queen city.of Moselle, had withstood all attacks by militaryforces since 451 A.D., andthe Germans intended to maintain this record. The

orginial fortifications, completed before 1870, consisted of an inner ring of 1 5forts and an outer perimeter of 28 steel and concrete bastions built by theGermans in 191 2. In 1941, the Germans improved and modernized theinstallations. The forts were reinforced with 210 MM guns and 105 MM gunsplaced in revolving steel turrets which would withstand fire from high velocity

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direct-fire weapons. Rarely was there more than one entrance to each fort, andonly a direct hit on a turret by a 500-pound bomb would cause any damage.

The 95th did not falter in the face of this firepower and slugged its way

through the west bank of the Moselle, crossed the river in assault boats, andcaptured barges under heavy machine-gun and artillery fire from Fort Driantand Fort San Quentin of the Metz chain. Advancing to Bertrange, the Divisionbegan working toward the heart of Metz.

Capture of Metz was a rich achievement. The city successfully hadweathered every assault since 1944. But the 95th had a plan, and grim-facedJoes made it work. Punching along "'88 Boulevard," the Division smacked upagainst the bristling forts ringing the city. Still, the ring was broken, and this isthe way it was accomplished.

The 378th got off to a flying start with one of the most daringly conceivedand brilliantly executed trick plays of the entire offensive. Col. Samuel L.Metcalfe, Regimental Commander, Pearsall, Texas, dreamed it up.

Fronting the 378th's zone was a series of fortifications including FortAmanvillers, the three Canrobert Forts and Fort de Feve. East of this linespread the extensive Lorraine fortifications. Taking such an area by ananticipated head-on drive would have been suicide. Col. Metcalfe's plan was tosweep around the northern tip of the fortifications and approach from the rear,leaving behind a small task force to deceive the enemy into thinking the entireregiment still fronted the forts.

The job of providing the phoney front was assigned to Task Force St.Jacques (CPT William M. St. Jacques, Service Company, San Antonio, Texas),composed of three rifle platoons, one antitank platoon, a squad from anIntelligence and Reconnaissance platoon, cooks, clerks, and other RegimentalHeadquarters and Service Company personnel. This jumbled force wasassigned to cover an eight and a half-mile front. They did a bang-up job -- withthe aid of loudspeakers and other deceptive means.

The hidden ball play worked like a charm. The regiment jumped off at 0800hours and within three hours had captured the town of Feves. Two hours later

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it swept on to take Somerc()urt. The surge continued, and Saulny, Bigneulles,Plesnois and Norroy le Veneur tumbled before the avalanche.

As the Metz campaign drew to a close, with the city rapidly being drainedof stragglers and snipers, the 379th continued cleaning up the area east of FortDriant, Jeanne d'Arc, St. Quentin and Plappeville. By November 21, the fall ofMetz was something to write home about. The 95th Reconnaissance Troop had"made contact with elements of the 5th Division which had driven up from thesouth to complete the squeeze play on the fortress city.

i Only two small pockets of resistance remained, and these were beingmopped up by the 377th. Garrisons in the four big forts across the river werecompletely cut off. The task of maintaining a death watch on these diehardswas transferred to units of the 5th Division.

The frosting on the Metz cake was the capture of Lt. General Heinrich Kittel,Commander of the 462nd Volksgrenadier Division and of the Metz fortress. Hewas captured by Company K, 377th, which had fought its way up to the southernpart of the lie Chambiere.

After capturing the Forts in front of its advance, the Division linked up wtihthe 5th Division on the outskirts of Vallieres, a few miles east of Metz, at 11

o'clock on 18 November 1944. Tanks and Infantry of the two Divisions chargedinto the streets of Metz the next morning to remove the "die hard" resistors.

One group of 300 Germans made a last ditch stand on the river islands ofChamberieres and Sauley where they held out until the afternoon of the 21st.They surrendered only after a fierce hand-to-hand battle with the men of the95th.

At 1435 on the afternoon of 22 November 1944, MG Walton H. Walker

reported to LTG Patton that Metz was completely secured. It was during the

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battle for Metz that war correspondents nicknamed the men of the 95th "TheBravest of The Brave". The German defenders gave them another name thatthe Division carries proudly: "The Iron Men of Metz".

On 25 November, the "Iron Men'" and the rest of the 20th Corps movedswiftly eastward, driving the Nazis across the Saar River and out of France•Three days later they were in Germany. They seized a Saar River bridge on 3December 1944 and engaged in bitter house-to-house fighting forSaarlautern.

Suburbs of the city fell, and although the enemy resisted fiercely, thebridgehead was firmly established by 19 December. At this point, news of YonRundstedt's attack into Belgium and Luxembourg halted the advance• Thebattle of the Bulge had begun. Part of the Division moved into an assembly areafor possible deployment to the Bulge area, while the rest held Saarlauternagainst strong German attacks•

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In January 1945, the Division began moving and on 2 February moved tothe Maastricht area in Holland, and by 14 February elements were in the linenear that city to relieve battered units of the British 21 st Army Group. Ninedays later the Division was relieved for another important assignment.

_ On 1 March, the 95th was assembled near Julich, Germany, and forcedthe enemy into a pocket near the Hitler Bridge at Uerdingen. Five days later thepocket was cleared and the Division's elements had advanced to the Rhine.The march into German heartland had begun in earnest.

It now became a matter of dates and places for the men of the "VictoryDivision". On 12 March 1945, they established defenses in the vicinity ofNeuss. Assembling east of the Rhine at Beckhum on 3 April, they launched anattack across the Lippe River the next day and captured Harem and Kamen onthe 6th. After clearing another enemy pocket between the Ruhr and MohneRivers, the Division took Dortmund on 13 April and maintained positions on thenorth bank of the Ruhr. Its final action prior to V-E day included a drive north ofLeipzig.

In July 1945, the Division returned to the United States amidst welcomingcelebrations at Boston's harbor. The retraining began for the Pacific Theater,but the atomic bombing of Japan brought the surrender of the country and the"Iron Men" were not needed.

The 95th Infantry Division had fought in Europe for nearly 12 monthsinvolving 146 days of combat including a continuous period of more than 100days. The 95th captured more than 439 centers of population, includingGermany's ninth largest city, Dortmund.

It had left behind a history of heroism and bravery and accolades of friendand enemy, "'Iron Men of Metz", "The Bravest of The Brave". But it had alsoleft behind 6591 officially recorded casualties.

The Division had received honors, though, above the accolades andnicknames. The 378th Regiment's Second Battaltion received two UnitDecorations: Streamer, Distinguished Unit Citation, embroidered MOSELLERIVER, and Streamer, French Croix de Guerre with palm World War II,embroidered METZ.

All of the Division's elements bear the Campaign streamers: World War II,Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe. In total,over 5,200 medals were awarded personnel of the 95th Division including two

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Medals of Honor.

Major General Twaddle, who had commanded the Division during itsentire action in World War II, saw the Division inactivation on 15 October1945, at Camp Shelby, Mississippi.

The now famous 95th Infantry Division remained inactive for nearly twoyears, uritil 13 May 1947 when it was activated in the Organized Reserves inOklahoma City, Oklahoma, under the command of Major GeneralWhitfieldJack.

Retiring in 1951, General Jack was replaced by Major General Ralph H. ,_McKee, who, for the next seven years, continued to uphold the tradition of the95th. In 1952, the Organized Reserves was redesignated as the United StatesArmy Reserve. The same year the Division underwent some other changes,one being the addition of the 291 st Regiment, Tulsa, Oklahoma, from the 75thDivision.

The 291st Regiment had also seen action in World War II in the sametheaters as the Division. They too had been decorated for their efforts:Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Second Battalion and Company D(Armor) each cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in theARDENNES; First Platoon, Company D (Armor) entitled to Streamer,Distinguished Unit Citation, embroidered SANRY sun NIED; First Platoon,Company D (Armor) entitled to Streamer, French Croix de Guerre with Palm,World War II, embroidered SANRY sun NIED.

The second change that year for the division was the withdrawal ofassignment of the 377th Infantry Regiment from the 95th and assignment tothe 75th Infantry Division. The 377th had headquartered in New Orleans,Louisiana since its activation after World War I1+

1955 saw further changes to the Division and again changes ofassignment of subordinate elements. On 1 January 1955, the 291 st Regimentwas again assigned to the 75th Infantry Division from the 95th and wassubsequently inactivated 31 January 1955. On 30 January, the 377thRegiment was reassigned to the 95th from the 75th and its headquartersmoved from New Orleans to Tulsa, Oklahoma on 31 January. The same datesaw the relocation of the 379th Regimental headquarters from Hot Springs,Arkansas where it had been since 1947, to Little Rock, Arkansas.

In 1958, Major General Paul B. Bell assumed command and in 1959 sawthe "Victory Division" undergo a major change. On 1 April the 95th InfantryDivision was redesignated as the 95th Division (Training) and a majorreorganization of mission assignments was underway. Personnel trained forinfantry combat, artillery, military police and combat support roles, were nowto undergo re-training to enable them to train others. The Division had a newrole, a new place in the sun as one of the 13 Training Divisions in the U.S.Army Reserve arsenal.

The same year the Division's size increased as the 291st Regiment wasreassigned again from the 75th and was redesignated as 291st Regiment(Advanced Individual Training). With the reorganization of the Division all ofthe Regiments were redesignated. The 95th Regiment became the 95thRegiment (Common Specialist Training) with headquarters at Shreveport,Louisiana. The 377th became the 377th Regiment (Basic Combat Training) as

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did the 378th and 379th. A new role, a new mission and new Summer Camptraining sites.

The command of the "Victory Division" changed in 1962 to Major GeneralErnest L. Massad. In 1967, the nickname given the Division by the Germansduring the battle for Metz, became the officially recognized nickname of theDivision, the "Iron Men Of Metz". The Institute of Heraldy approved theadoption of the nickname and a new crest to be worn by all non-regimentalelements of the Division.

The crest symbolized and commemorated the crossing of the MoselleRiver and the breakthrough at Metz by the blue wavy band and the blackfortress. The blue wavy band further alluded to the Distinctive Unit Citation theDivision received for the action in World War II. The arrow alludes to the letter

"'V'" for victory, and the nickname given the organization.

In January 1968 the Division was reorganized along the lines of the activeArmy training units in that all Regimental headquarters were redesignated asBrigades. The Division consisted of the First Brigade (Basic Combat Training),Second Brigade (Basic Combat Training), Third Brigade (Advanced IndividualTraining) and Fourth Brigade (Combat Specialist Training). Further additions tocomplete the makeup included a Committee Group consisting of instructorpersonnel teaching common specialties in Basic Combat Training. The Divisionwas now a Fourth U.S. Army General Officer Command (GOCOM) andassumed command of some non-divisional reserve units.

The "Iron Men Of Metz" began to amass more accolades, this time onesfor the experience they displayed at their new assignment and the expertisedisplayed by their personnel.

Major General Herman H. Hankins replaced the retiring General Massadin 1968. The 95th Division (Training) was now well on its way into becomingthe "top" training division in the Army Reserve. The mission assigned was toconduct Basic, Advanced and Common Specialty training for 12,698 trainees.The Division was conducting Annual Training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, apartnership that would last for near seven years without a break.

In November 1973, a new Armed Forces Reserve Center was completedand the Division Headquarters relocated from the Center at NE36th and

Eastern, in Oklahoma City to the new facility in Midwest City near Tinker AirForce Base.

The next changes for the Division came in 1975 with Major GeneralWalter L. Starks assuming command. The change of Command occurred atFort Polk, Louisiana amid retirement ceremonies for General Hankins. But the

3600 man GOCOM, now under Fifth US Army, was still to see further changes.

On 1 August 1975, the 95th Division Maneuver Training Command(MTC) was organized by Fifth US Army General Order. The 315 strength unitwas organized in Oklahoma City and added greatly to the GOCOM strength andmission capabilities.

The active Army introduced the "One Station Unit Training" concept,OSUT, which was to put the Army's old training centers into obsolescence. Thenew concept meant that the Division would no longer go to Annual Training asone unit, but would be split among many training centers of the U.S.

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The 95th Division (Training) "Iron Men of Metz" is still intact with its originalRegiments and the additional 291 st Regiment. The reorganizations had reduced theRegimental designations to Battalion levels only as the Brigades no longer maintainedthe designation.

The Division was located in three states, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. TheFirst Brigade (BCT) is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma and has elements of the377th and 379th in Regiments in its Battalions. The Second Brigade (BCT) is head-quartered in Lawton, Oklahoma with elements of the 378th and 379th Regiments.The Third Brigade (AIT) is headquartered in Stillwater, Oklahoma, a move made inSeptember 1975, and consists of only 291st Regiment elements. The Fourth Brigade(CST) is headquartered in Bossier City, Louisiana, a suburb of Shreveport, andincludes the 95th Regiment and one element of the 379th. The Committee Group(BCT) is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas and has no Regimental elements.The 95th Support Battalion was headquartered in Midwest City, Oklahoma with theDivision Headquarters, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 95th DivisionLeadership Academy, and the 95th Division Maneuver Training Command.

On 1 January 1979 the Division was reorganized into an OSUT Infantry Structure.Permanent Order Number 136-5, dated 5 December 1978 called for the deactivationof the 95th Support Battalion and redesignation of the four brigades as OSUT Infan-try Brigades and the Committee Group was redesignated as the 95th TrainingCommand.

The mission of the 95th Division is to establish a U. S. Army Training Center andconduct OSUT Infantry and Basic Training. The Division will have the capability ofreceiving and training 20,000 young soldiers in such subjects as military conduct andcourtesy, basic rifle markmanship, chemical biological and radiological training, firstaid, offensive and defensive tactics, patrolling, weapons, land navigation, communi-cations, and drill and ceremonies.

Major General John E. Gecks assumed command of the Division in June 1979 andcontinued working diligently to maintain its high state of readiness.

Brigadier General Harold J. Wages replaced General Gecks as Commander of theDivision in September 1983 and was promoted to Major General in February 1984.

Early in 1984 the Division received the prestigious General Walter T. Kerwin, Jr.Award as the Outstanding Army Reserve Unit for Training Year 1983 and SergeantFirst Class Garry L. Carter of the 3d Battalion, 377th Regiment, _1st Brigade wasnamed the United States Army Reserve Drill Sergeant of the Year for 1984.

The Division experienced tremendous expansion in October 1984 with the additionof the 4073d US Army Reception Station, in Lafayette, Louisiana with a strength of239 and a mission to receive, classify and process new recruits into the Army. Therowth continued and a new mission wasborn on 16 October when the 402d BrigadeField Artillery Training) was initially activated with a total authorized strength of

809 personnel. The 402d Brigade's effective activation is 16 March 1985 and consistsof the Brigade Headquarters and Training Group in Lawton, Oklahoma and five bat-talions of the 89th Regiment located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Amarillo, Denton, FortWorth and Wichita Falls, Texas. The mission of the 402d Brigade has been designatedto expand the training base for the Army's Field Artillery Training Center located atFort Sill, Oklahoma.

During the period 26 May 87 through 15 Aug 87, elements of the 95th Divisionconducted a Mobilization Army Training Center (MATC) exercise at Fort Polk, LA.This mission constituted a mobilization exercise for the purpose of receiving over600 new soldiers, inprocessing through the Reception Battalion, assignment to train-ing companies, conduct of 8 weeks basic training, outprocessing, and shipment ofthe soldiers to their next duty station. Several previous such exermses had been con-ducted, but never had the entire process been conducted solely by a Reserve Train-ing Division to include the Reception Battalion, and other CAPSTONE-aligned unitsscheduled for mobilization at Fort Polk.

Sergeant First Class Kevin D. Simmons was selected as the FORSCOM NCO of theyear for 1987.

The 95th maintains pride in its "new" mission and a rich pride in the heritage ofthe fighting "Iron Men of Metz" of World War II. The men and women of the Divi-sion still display the attitude and spirit of those that have gone before.

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DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY !

Lineage and HonorsHEADQUARTERS AND HEADQUARTERS

COMPANY

95TH DIVISION

Constituted 5 September 1918 in the National Army as Headquarters, 95thDivision

Partially organized before 11 November 1918 at Camp Sherman, Ohio, butorganization never completed

Demobilization completed 22 December 1918

Reconstituted 24 June 1921, allotted to the Organized Reserves and organizedNovember 1921 at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Ordered into active military service 15 July 1942 at Camp Swift, Texas

Redesignated 1 August 1942 as Headquarters, 95th Infantry Division

Inactivated 15 October 1945 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi

Activated 13 May 1947 at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

(Organized .Reserves redesignated Organized Reserve Corps, 1948; redesignatedArmy Reserve, 1952)

Redesignated and reorganized 1 April 1959 as Headquarters and HeadquartersCompany, 95 Division (Training)

377TH INFANTRY REGIMENT

377th Infantry Regiment, 95th Division was authorized for World War I but wasnever organized

LINEAGE:

Constituted 24 June 1921, as377th Infantry Regiment, allotted to the OrganizedReserves,assignedto 8th CorpsArea, and organized October 1921

Ordered into the active military service, less personnel, and organized 15 July1942, at Camp Swift, Texas, an element of 95th Infantry Division

Inactivated 11 October 1945, at Camp Shelby, Mississippi

Assignedto Fourth Army 20 January 1947, and Headquarters and HeadquartersCompany activated 16 December 1946, at New Orleans, Louisiana, an element of95th Infantry Division

Withdrawn from assignment to 95th Infantry Division and assignedto 75th Infan-try Division 1 March 1952

Withdrawn from assignment to 75th Infantry Division and assignedto 95th Infan-try Division 30 January 1955

(Headquarters moved from New Orleans and relocated at Tulsa, Oklahoma, 31January 1955; 1st and 3rd Battalion relocated in Oklahoma) .

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378TH REGIMENT

Constituted 5 September 1918 in the National Army as 378th Infantry, an ele-ment of the 95th Division. Organization never completed

Demobilized 22 December 1918 at Camp Sherman, Ohio

Reconstituted 24 June 1921, allotted to the Organized Reserves, and organizedJanuary 1922 McAlester, Oklahoma asan element of the 95th Division

Ordered into active military service 15 July 1942 at Camp Swift, Texas

Inactivated 12 October 1945 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi

Activated 14 March 1947 with Headquarters at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

(Organized Reserves redesignated Organized Reserve Corps, 1948; redesignatedArmy Reserve, 1952)

Redesignated and reorganized 1 April 1959 as 378th Regiment (Basic CombatTraining), an element of 95th Division (Training)

DECORATIONS:

2d Battalion entitled to Streamer, Distinguished Unit Citation, embroideredMOSELLE RIVER

2d Battalion entitled to Streamer, French Croix de Guerre with palm WorldWar II, embroidered METZ

379TH REGIMENT

Constituted 5 September 1918 in the National Army as 379th Infantry, an ele-ment of the 95th Division

Organized 24 September 1918, at Camp Sherman, Ohio

Demobilized 10-20 December 1918, at Camp Sherman, Ohio

Reconstituted 24 June 1921, allotted to the Organized Reserves,and organized inNovember 1921 at Enid, Oklahoma as an element of the 95th Division

Ordered into the active military service 15 July 1942, at Camp Swift, Texas

Inactivated 12 October 1945, at Camp Shelby, Mississippi

Activated 12 February 1947 with Headquarters at Hot Springs, Arkansas. (Head-quarters changed to Little Rock, Arkansas, 31 January 1955)

(Organized Reserves redesignated Organized Reserve Corps, 1948; Organized Re-serve Corps redesignated Army Reserve, 1952)

Redesignated and reorganized 1 April 1959 as 379th Regiment (Basic CombatTraining); an element of 95th Division (Training)

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291ST REGIMENT

Constituted 24 December 1942 in the Army of the United States as291st Infan-try, an element of the 75th Infantry Division

Activated 15 April 1943 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri

Inactivated 23-27 November 1945 at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia, and NewYork Port of Embarkation

Allotted to the Organized Reserve Corps 21 February 1952, as an element of the75th Infantry Division

(Organized Reserve Corps redesignated Army Reserve, 1952)

Withdrawn from assignment to 75th Infantry Division and assigned to 95th Infan-try Division, 1 March 1952)

Activated 15 April 1952 with Headquarters at Tulsa, Oklahoma

Relieved from assignment to 95th Infantry Division and assigned to 75th InfantryDivision 1 January 1955

Inactivated 31 January 1955 at Tulsa, Oklahoma

Redesignated 291st Regiment (Advanced Individual Training); relieved from as-signment to 75th Infantry Division and assigned to 95th Division (Training) 2 March1959

Concurrently reorganized as follows:

Headquarters and Headquarters Company; Headquarters and Headquarters Com-pany 1st, 2d and 3d Battalions; and Companies A, B and C, 291st Regiment (Ad-vanced Individual Training)

Companies D through M and Heavy Mortar, Service, Tank and Medical Companies,291st Infantry disbanded

Elements D through M, 291st Regiment (Advanced Individual Training) organizedfrom existing elements as follows:

Co A, 735th Tank Bn redesignatecl Co D (Armor)Btry A, 391st AAA Bn redesignated Btry E (AD)Btry A, 358th FA Bn redesignated Btry F (FA)

J Co A, 320th Engr Bn redesignated Co G (Engr)Co B, 320th Engr Bn redesignated Co H (Engr)Co A, 795th Ord Bn redesignated Co K (Ord)Arab Co. 320th Med Bn redesignated Co L (Med)95th MP Co redesignated CO M (MP) .Co I, (CML) constituted

Activated 1 April 1959 with Headquarters at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

CAMPAIGN SILVER BANDS:

Company D (Armor)Battery E (AD)

Normandy

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DECORATIONS:

Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2d Battalion and Company D (Armor)each cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in the ARDENNES

1st Platoon, Company D (Armor) entitled to Streamer, Distinguished Unit Cita-tion, embroidered SAN RY SUR N IED (No way to display)

1st Platoon, Company O (Armor) entitled to Streamer, French Croix de Guerrewith palm, World War II, embroidered SANRY SUR NIED (No way to display)

95TH REGIMENT

Constituted 5 September 1918 in the National Army as Headquarters, 170thField Artillery Brigade, an element of the 95th Division

Partially organized before 11 November 1918 at Camp Knox, Kentucky, butorganization never completed

Demobilization completed December 1918

Reconstituted 24 June 1921, allotted to the Organized Reservesas Headquartersand Headquarters Battery, 170th Field Artillery Brigade and organized in November1921 at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Reorganized and redesignated 30 January 1942 as Headquarters and HeadquartersBattery, 95th Division Artillery

Ordered into active military service 15 July 1942 at Camp Swift, Texas

Inactivated 15 October 1945 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi

Activated 13 May 1947 at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

(Organized Reserves redesignated Organized Reserve Corps, 1948; redesignatedArmy Reserve, 1952)

Reorganized and redesignated 1 April 1959 as Headquarters and HeadquartersCompany, 95th Regiment (Common Specialist Training) with Headquarters at BossierCity, Louisiana. Remainder of regiment constituted new

\

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89TH REGIMENT

Constituted 5 August 1917 in the National Army as Headquarters, 164th FieldArtillery Brigade, an element of the 89th Division

Organized 27 August 1917 at Camp Funston, Kansas

Demobilized 5 June 1919 at Camp Funston, Fort Riley, Kansas

Reconstituted 24 June 1921, allotted to the Organized ReservesasHeadquartersand Headquarters Battery, 164th Field Artillery Brigade, an element of the 89th Divi-sion, and organized February 1922 at Lincoln, Nebraska

Redesignated 30 January 1942 as Headquarters Battery, 89th Division Artillery

Ordered into active military service 15 July 1942 at Camp Carson, Colorado

Redesignated and reorganized 1 August 1943 as Headquarters and HeadquartersDetachment, 89th Light Division Artillery

Redesignated and reorganized 15 June 1944 as Headquarters and HeadquartersBattery, 89th Division Artillery

Inactivated 19 December 1945 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey • ,

Activated 27 May 1947 at Wichita, Kansas

(Organized Reserves redesignated Organized Reserve Corps, 1948; redesignatedArmy Reserve, 1952)

Reorganized and redesignated 1 October 1959 as Headquarters and HeadquartersCompany, 89th Regiment (Common Specialist Training) with Headquarters at KansasCity, Kansas

Reorganized and redesignated i6 March 1985 With 5 Battalions aselements of the402d Brigade (FA)(TNG), a training brigade of the 95th Division (Training)

!

95th DIVISION PATCH

I_RI._ _ II

P_RDII_IN_-/g._ACE

]_:_01 :)_,, Original Version 19341921 By direction of DA 1942. to Present

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DISTINCTIVE INSIGNIA OF THE

95TH DIVISION (TRAINING)

A red broad arrow, point down, the shaft in black

and terminating at top to form the battlements ofa medievil tower, overall a dark blue wavy band; agold scroll with motto: IRON MEN OF METZ inblack.

95th DIVISION _

(TRAINING) (NCBU) __ =--_.=..

On a dark green oval a partially coiled snake - _"surmounted by a breast plate, both gold, lineddark green. On a gold border the motto "THISWE'LL DEFEND" between 13 stars, all black; in

chief an etched gold flaming torch.

US ARMY

TRAINING ACTIVITIES

On a red shield four gold bear claws in cross. Themotto "'NIE -- ECON -- NIM" (I Am Ready) is red

on a gold scroll.

95th REGIMENT

On a red shield shield a gold bend charged with ared arrow; in sinister chief a gold Indian's headwith five red feathers. The motto "'ALTAHA

ABILIA" (Always Ready) is red on a gold scroll.

l_l 291st REGIMENTOn a silver shield a dark green fess charged withseven silver gouttes d'eay between ten dark

green gouttes d'olive, three in chief and seven in

base. The motto "NI GA DA E SA ADI "° (Onward) is

dark green on a pierced silver scroll.

377th REGIMENT

On a dark blue shield five gold wigwams. Themotto "HIKIA KALLO'" (Stand Firm) is gold on adark blue scroll.

378th REGIMENT

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a blue a charged with three

On dark shield red bendgold bendlets. The motto "AD FINEM" (To theEnd) is gold on a pierced dark blue scroll.

379th REGIMENT

The shield is red for Artillery. The goldenrod flowerssigni_ the unit's association with the 89th Division,which was organized in Nebraska during World War I,and the Lorraine Cross represents service in theLorraine sector during World War I. The mountainrange set against a blue sky is indicative of the threestates from which the personnel were originallydrawn in 1917, namely Colorado, Missouri, andSouth Dakota.

89th REGIMENT

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Prelude, The Ninety-Fifth Infantry Division Prepares for Combat. Atlanta: AlbertLove Enterprises, 1944. Illustrated.

Bravest of the Brave. Paris, 1944. 29 pages, illustrated, (GI Stories of the Ground,Air and Service Forces in the European Theater of Operations), Route of the 95thInfantry Division (map), center spread.

Connecticut Men of the 95th, Victory Division, July 1945. 15 pages, Portraits.(Connecticut Veterans Commemorative Booklet, Vol. I, No. 1)

Victory. Atlanta: Albert Love Enterprises, 1945. 32 leaves, illustrated. At head oftitle: Insignia of 95th Infantry Division. "The 95th Division's Road to VictoryThrough the ETO" (illustrated double map included). Published by the PublicRelations Office, 95th Infantry Division. Title from cover.

• Ninety-Fifth Infantry Division History, 1918-1946. Fuermann, George M. Also byF. Edward Cranz, Atlanta: Albert Love Enterprises, 1947. Route of march map,end papers.

The Lorraine Campaign. Cole, Hugh M. (UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLDWAR II) Washington: Government Printing Office, 1960. (contains references to95th Infantry Division).

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95TH DIVISION (TRAINING)

]

The 95th Division (Training) is a major U. S. Army Reserve Command with head- Iquarters in Midwest City, Oklahoma at the U. S. Armed Forces Reserve Center. TheDivision consists of nearly 5,000 soldiers located at 28 Army Reserve Centers through- iout the states of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. The division consists offour Infantry Training Brigades, an Artillery Training Brigade, a Training Command, a iLeadership Academy, a Reception Battalion and the Division Headquarters and Head-quarters Company, which includes a Band.

HISTORY

The 95th Division was first constituted September 5, 1918, for potential wartimeservice. It demobilized on December 22, 1918, but was later reconstituted June 24,1921, as part of the Organized Reserves at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Divisionwas ordered to active duty on July 15, 1942, at Camp Swift, Texas and designated asan Infantry Division for service in World War I1. Following distinguished service inNorthern France, the Rhineland, Ardenes-Alsace, and in Central Europe, the Divisionwas inactivated October 12, 1945, at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. The Division was re-constituted on May 13, 1947, as part of the Organized Reserves in Oklahoma City,Oklahoma, and was redesignated as a Training Division on April 1, 1959.

MISSION

The mission of the 95th Division (Training) upon mobilization is to move to andestablish an Army Training Center at Fork Polk, Louisiana, and conduct Basic Train-ing and Infantry One Station Unit Training for up to 20,000 newly inducted soldiers.Additionally to provide adequate cadre to augment and expand the Army's FieldArtillery Training Center, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, conducting Artillery One Station UnitTraining for up to 5,000 additional inductees.

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