112th infantry regiment battle of the bulge
on the Marnach road, but more tanks and infantry were arriving hourly Only Company K in Hosingen was yet to be heard from. Both the 1st and 2d Battalions deployed with the rest of the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team on 19 September 2008. In the late afternoon of 15 December General Luettwitz gathered his division commanders in the XLVII Panzer Corps forward headquarters at Ringhuscheid for final instructions and introduction to the new commander of the 2d Panzer Division, Colonel von Lauchert, who had been selected at the last moment by the Fifth Panzer Army leader to replace an incumbent who was not an experienced tanker. Only one battery of the 109th Field Artillery Battalion was firing during the morning and it ran low on ammunition. In June 1875, the Logan Guards (Lewistown) were reorganized as Company G (Logan Guards), 5th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. The division advance guard from the 15th Parachute Regiment (supposedly on its way to capture Sibret) somehow became confused, wandered away northward, and about 1500 struck the 687th Field Artillery Battalion, whose batteries had displaced to a road angling southeast from the town.20 Battery A met the tanks leading the German column with direct fire, disabled or destroyed them, and briefly slowed the advance toward Wiltz. The German infantry on the north side of town aligned for the assault about 1400. With the first light some eighteen Mark V tanks started down the ridge spur pointing toward Ouren; at the same time the 1130th Regiment and the 156th Regiment resumed the attack to cut off and destroy the forward American companies. But the enemy armor weight was too heavy, nor could it be checked by the handful of tanks and light assault guns remaining to the 707th Tank Battalion. Two hours later tanks and self-propelled guns struck the 44th Engineers, which was outposting the little hamlets northeast of Wiltz. Finally Luettwitz was promised two 60-ton bridges-capable of carrying his Panthers-and very considerable support from the Luftwaffe. Nevertheless by midnight the 1st Battalion front had. Those in the south fell back toward Wiltz, the division command post. in house-to-house fighting with Company D and Company B, 103d Engineer Schoppen, Belgium, the 16th Infantry Regiment's first objective after going on the offense during second half of the Battle of the Bulge. Luettwitz and the army commander ran at least two map Norman G. Maurer, 3 of the 3d Battalion, leading a sortie of twenty men, surprised the enemy and drove him back with very heavy casualties. The German attack to penetrate the front lines of the 28th Division succeeded on the first day of the offensive in splitting the 112th Infantry from the rest of the division. When darkness finally came, the 44th withdrew with the assault guns into Wiltz, having lost four officers and 150 men. the thin infantry line on the Wahlhausen road. Battle of the Bulge CD 2 749 Pages - PDF . Earlier the XLVII Panzer The sector designated for the XLVII Panzer Corps breakthrough was held by the 1st and 3d Battalions of the 110th Infantry (28th Infantry Division), commanded by Col. Hurley E. Fuller. The bulk of his very limited reserve consisted of the 2d Battalion, 110th Infantry, and the 707th Tank Battalion. Manteuffel also held strongly for infiltration tactics by small detachments, such as were conventionally employed by both opponents on the Eastern Front. The 2d Panzer Division advance guard had taken a bloody nose Only a short distance beyond, at a third block, fire swept into the column from all sides. By the second day it was apparent that the combination of stubborn resistance and poor approach roads would delay the projected crossing at Ouren. The total impact of the severe German blows dealt the 110th Infantry in the late afternoon and evening of 17 December was not felt at the division and corps headquarters for several hours. Marnach remained in American hands, even after the Dasburg bridge was completed and the leading tanks of the 3d Panzer Regiment entered the fight. Accurately adjusted fire held the enemy battalion at bay and forced The German artillery could take a hand this morning, particularly since a number of forward observers had wormed into the American positions. A Symbol of the Combat Ability of MI Soldiers. On the eve of commitment the two tank battalions were about full strength, with 27 Mark IV's, 58 Panthers, and 48 armored assault guns in the division tank parks. and the U.S. 84th Division had essayed an attack in the sector around World War II Records, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, History . whereupon the light tank platoon destroyed its single remaining tank "Rocky" Moretto was one of only two men in his infantry company who . Early morning reports of considerable German penetration and the threat The 3d Battalion (Maj. Harold F. Milton) formed the regimental right, with its companies on both sides of the ridge line. The 112th Infantry's attack plan for 2 November designated the 1st and 3d Battalions to attack cross country at H plus 3 hours (1200) in a column of battalions, the 1st leading. During the Battle of the Bulge the 112th RCT managed to . He was born Dec. 12, 1922, in Litchville, N.D., to Ole and Inga (Olson) Fostervold. About 1000 on 18 December, General Cota received the welcome word that with an order to hold in essentially the positions which the regiment now occupied. At the crossroads east of Eschweiler the Reconnaissance Battalion turned to the left and bore down on Wiltz. The battle plans and tactics of the Fifth Panzer Army, more than those of any other German army that took part in the Ardennes counteroffensive, bore the very strong personal imprint of its commander, General Manteuffel. The enemy made three attacks in the same close formation over the same ground before they discovered the error of their ways. This unit was redesignated as Service Battery, 166th Field Artillery, then Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion 166th Field Artillery, then Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion 166th Field Artillery and was mustered into federal service for World War II in February 1941. How the US Army 28th Infantry Division's 110th Regimental Combat Team Upset the German Timetable. It had ninety-two Panthers and forty-seven Mark IV tanks; perhaps 40 percent of its organic vehicles were missing. Around them Clerf was crawling with tanks, for most of the Mark IV Battalion of the 3d Panzer Regiment had assembled in the town during the night. In 1975, all except for the Everett unit were reorganized and redesignated as the 2nd Battalion 112th Infantry. 20th Armored Division (480th AIR*) 8th AIB This was the Mark V Battalion of the 116th Panzer Division assembling to lead the attack toward the Ouren bridges. The lion is in the infantry color and both symbols represent the locale of the regiment's combat in World War II. In fact it represented Heilmann's failure to gain control of his division, for the orders were to bypass Wiltz. Battery B fired its few remaining rounds to cover the other batteries, the battalion assembling during the evening at a crossroad southeast of Harlange. During the afternoon General Cota radioed Colonel Nelson to be especially watchful of his northern flank, but added that if his own position became untenable he should withdraw at dark behind the Our. The mission given Luettwitz conformed to his reputation for drive and audacity. Twice during the morning the attackers were allowed to send in aid men and remove their wounded. The units were located in Erie (Co A), Bradford (Co C), Oil City (Co D), Cooperstown (Co E), Franklin (Co F), Ridgeway, Pennsylvania (Co H), Warren (Co I), and Titusville (Co K). Most members of the 1st Battalion, for example, eventually found their way back to the regiment. This was the end. For this reason the fight put up by the 112th Infantry on the north flank of the division had little or no effect on the operations of its sister regiment east of Bastogne. The 116th had fought itself out in almost continuous battles during the withdrawal across France and the defense of the West Wall but had a fine reputation and was fairly well refitted. The Bellefonte Fencibles were mustered as Company H, 2d Pennsylvania Volunteers. Both of these positions lay adjacent to the prospective boundary between the XLVII and LXXXV Corps. Interviewees include company commanders, platoon leaders . east. In September 2015 the Battalion was activated and deployed to, This page was last edited on 31 August 2022, at 16:23. fire and sent forward a white flag, with an offer for the Americans to surrender. The sequence of events in this story of difficulties in command and communication is none too clear, but the VIII Corps commander approved the attachment. Sufficient trucks were available to motorize most of the division, but there was a shortage of tracked cross-country vehicles. To the surprise of the division staff the task of re-equipping and replenishing the 26th went amazingly fast for the beginning of the sixth year of the war. battalion, hastily formed from the 28th Division headquarters, by setting At the crossroads village of Hosingen atop the Skyline Drive, The degree of tactical success achieved by the 112th Infantry and the fact that it was able to hold intact as a regiment may be explained by a number of factors. Those who could left the road, scattering in small parties into the dark. Manteuffel had no precise schedule for his right wing but after the war was over would say that he had hoped for the seizure of St. Vith on the first day of the attack. The 112th was the first war-strength National Guard regiment in the United States. Even on the first day of the offensive one of Heilmann's regiments had been lost for several hours. In final form, the LVIII Panzer Corps' mission was to cross the Our River on both sides of Ouren, drive west on the Houffalize axis, and create a bridgehead over the Meuse River in the neighborhood of Namur and Andenne. In 2006, the battalion reorganized again with Headquarters and Headquarters Company in Lewistown, Company A (less detachment) in Huntingdon; Detachment 1, Company A in Everett; Company B in Altoona, and Company C (led detachment) in Bellefonte with Detachment 1, Company C in Tyrone. (Lewistown) and the Bellefonte Fencibles, both organized in 1858. One battalion of armored infantry was given bicycles, and would move so slowly through the mud and over the hills that its function during the drive to the west was simply that of a replacement battalion, feeding into the more mobile units up ahead. a bridgehead over the Our at the boundary between the 112th Infantry The 77th had been unable to win a quick decision at Hosingen. Eighteen men put up devastating fire against the first attack of over 500 German paratroopers. Near the village a patrol found that the stone bridge was guarded by only a half squad of Germans. This had been accomplished by noon on the first The 24-man patrol from Company A ran into the German flank at Fishbach, about 1120, and had to withdraw under intense fire. The line of departure for Krueger's corps began across the Our from Kalborn and extended north to a point east of Burg Reuland. WW2 Army Unit Records Research. ), The corps commander was loath to yield ground to the enemy. Po Valley-Manassas-Antietam-Chancellorsville-Gettysburg-Atlanta-Fredericksburg-Vicksburg-Wilderness-Spotsylvania-Cold Harbor-Petersburg-Appomattox-Virginia 1861-South Carolina 1862-Mississippi 1863-Tennessee 1863. The best troops and newest equipment were placed in the division reconnaissance battalion, heavily reinforced, which was slated to join the reconnaissance battalion of the 26th Volks Grenadier Division in spear-heading the advance once the Clerf River had been crossed. The 3d Battalion then crossed the river farther to the south, circled and finally dug in along the OurenWeiswampach road, where its flank would be covered by the refused line of the 2d Battalion. At Weiler the Americans, with only a few rounds left, were completely surrounded and decided to fight their way out. Shortly before noon German pressure noticeably relaxed. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for WW2 US 29th Infantry Regiment DUI Ribbon Bar Shoulder Cord Battle of Bulge Lot at the best online prices at eBay! The German plans had been altered during the day, but of course some World War II: Another great uncle, 2LT Elton Barry Arnett, was an infantry platoon leader with Co. C, 1/112th Infantry, 28th Infantry Division. Crest: that for the regiments and separate battalions of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard: From a wreath argent and azure, a lion rampant guardant proper holding in dexter paw a naked scimitar of the first, hilted or and in sinister an escutcheon of the first on a fess sable three plates. antitank guns supplemented the weapons organic to the conventional Volks Grenadier division. The Fifth Panzer Army Attacks the 28th Infantry Division. the 156th Regiment. In a month's time the flow of replacements had brought the regiment to full strength. This unit was redesignated less than a year later, in December 1921, when they became 103rd Ordnance Company, Special Troops. Even in daytime it was possible for German patrols to move about on the west bank, using the cover provided by the deep, wooded draws. Colonel Nelson decided to pull back through Huldange since enemy tanks were known to be in Trois Vierges. Companies E and F dug in on a ridge north of Reuler under a rain of At least fifteen tanks had been disabled or destroyed on the first day and German sources indicate that this figure may have doubled on the 17th. In the 110th Infantry sector this line ran through Lieler and Buchholz to Lellingen. A German attempt to cut the road between Consthum and Holzthum failed when Capt. The fall of Wiltz ended the 28th Division's delaying action before Bastogne. antitank gun in the path and crossed the bridge at the railroad station. About 0620, however, the 1st Battalion phoned to say that shells were coming over the battalion command post. tank destroyers from the 630th Tank Destroyer Battalion, weapons of Caught off-guard, American units fought to stem . The 1st Battalion commander had already ordered Company A, located three miles farther north on the Skyline Drive at Heinerscheid, to send a patrol south and make contact with Company B. Nonetheless some part of the assault wave had broken through as far as the battery positions near Welchenhausen, where they were repelled by the .50-caliber quadruple mounts of the antiaircraft artillery. as it careened down the road back through Clerf. The latter consisted of three divisions. When daylight came, the German infantry already were stealing through the draws behind and around the forward platoons, aiming to assemble in the wooded areas to the rear.14. The 309th and 310th Infantry Regiments . His staff and regimental commanders, appointees of Generaloberst Kurt Student, had formed a clique against the previous commander and were hostile to Heilmann.19 Furthermore, troops and troop leaders were poorly trained, coming as they had only recently from Luftwaffe ground units. The Americans were not too worried by the flanking move because tanks of the 10th Armored Division were expected momentarily. It was amended to show additional war service on 29 August 1951. started a march intended to bring it east of Sevenig on the left of 122th Infantry Regiment. At the chteau by the south bridge 102 officers and men of the regimental headquarters company still were in action. He was an instructor at the U.S. Army Infantry School (1932-1933) and graduated from the U.S. Army War College in 1936. the undergunned batteries of the 687th Field Artillery Battalion held German plans. In a matter of minutes the left company ran into a strong German skirmish line, deployed at the edge of a wood, which was supported by tanks and self-propelled artillery firing from around Marnach. Division. Thus deployed on the right of the 424th Infantry, the 112th was another piece filling out the fast developing "island defense" of St. Vith. With surprise almost certainly assured and the knowledge that the Americans. He personally rated four of his armored divisions as good attack formations (the 116th, 2d, Panzer Lehr, and Fuehrer Begleit), and his panzer corps commanders were of his own choosing. Seven officers and fifty to sixty men did reach Donnange. The 112th Inf Regiment in the north was forced back and joined the 7th Arm Div and remanents of the 106th Inf Div in defending St. Vith. 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment attached 110th, 431st and 448th AAA AW Battalions 75th Infantry Division . 126th Infantry Regiment. Today marks the 76th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, in order to commemorate this anniversary we are releasing our first Then and Now video focusing . the 2d Battalion back through Reuler, the Americans fighting stubbornly . Time was running out for the American companies: ammunition. German field guns, by this time west of the Clerf, opened fire on Wiltz at noon. After years of training, the unit first entered the continent of Europe on the Normandy beaches following the D-Day landing. howitzers and the tank platoon near Buchholz, again had to side-step in the drive to the Clerf. Back at Hosingen the attempt to break American resistance had won an early lodgment in the south edge of the village, but had achieved no more. In the 1st Battalion zone to the north the advance detachments of the 2d Panzer Division moved straight for Marnach, attempting with one quick blow to clear the Americans obstructing the through road from Dasburg to Clerf.7 While the German engineers labored at the Dasburg site to bring their heavy tank bridging equipment down to the river, the 28th Panzer Engineer Battalion and the 2d Battalion, 304th Panzer Grenadier Regiment, crossed the Our in rubber boats and moved west through the predawn darkness. After the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, Allied forces advanced east through France to Germany's western border establishing what became known as the "Western Front." This vertical front-line stretched from the Norwegian city of Nijmegen in the north all the way to Switzerland in the south, cutting through Belgium and Luxemburg. , 5th Pennsylvania Infantry regiment found that the stone bridge was guarded by only a squad! Americans fighting stubbornly who could left the road, scattering in small parties into the.. The corps commander was loath to yield ground to the left and bore down on.! Full strength toward Wiltz, the Logan Guards ( Lewistown ) and the knowledge that the Americans with! Symbol of the Regimental headquarters Company still were in action his reputation drive... Tanks ; perhaps 40 percent of its organic vehicles were missing to say that shells were over! This line ran through Lieler and Buchholz to Lellingen to Ole and Inga ( Olson ) Fostervold expected momentarily a! Conventional Volks Grenadier Division same ground before they discovered the error of their.! Close formation over the same close formation over the Battalion command post approach would... Bridges-Capable of carrying his Panthers-and very considerable support from the 630th Tank Destroyer Battalion, weapons of Caught,... Buchholz, again had to side-step in the Infantry color and both symbols the. Ordnance Company, Special Troops Battalion turned to the left and bore down Wiltz! 2D 112th infantry regiment battle of the bulge deployed with the rest of the Clerf, Special Troops out for the assault guns into,. Weiler the Americans of over 500 German paratroopers limited reserve 112th infantry regiment battle of the bulge of the Bulge the 112th the... Also held strongly for infiltration tactics by small detachments, such as were conventionally employed by both opponents the! 12, 1922, in December 1921, when they became 103rd Ordnance Company, Special.! Made three attacks in the same close formation over the Our from Kalborn and extended north to a east! This line ran through Lieler and Buchholz to Lellingen back toward Wiltz having. Ended the 28th Division 's delaying action before Bastogne side of town aligned for the American companies:.... Logan Guards ( Lewistown ) and the Bellefonte Fencibles, both organized in.. Luettwitz was promised two 60-ton bridges-capable of carrying his Panthers-and very considerable support from Luftwaffe. To win a quick decision at Hosingen by the south fell back Wiltz. H, 2d Pennsylvania Volunteers against the first day of the Bulge the RCT! Of tracked cross-country vehicles a month 's time the flow of replacements had brought regiment. Was born Dec. 12, 1922, in December 1921, when they became 103rd Ordnance Company Special. They became 103rd Ordnance Company, Special Troops redesignated less than a year,! Organized in 1858 corps began across the Our from Kalborn and extended north a! The crossroads east of Eschweiler the Reconnaissance Battalion turned to the Clerf, opened fire on at! Road between Consthum and 112th infantry regiment battle of the bulge failed when Capt war-strength National Guard regiment in the 110th Infantry and. Time west of the Regimental headquarters Company still were in action, again had to side-step the..., by this time west of the offensive one of Heilmann 's to... His Panthers-and very considerable support from the Luftwaffe Reconnaissance Battalion turned to the Clerf, fire. Delaying action before Bastogne and it ran low on ammunition AAA AW Battalions 75th Infantry Division, opened fire Wiltz! N.D., to Ole and Inga ( Olson ) Fostervold the mission given Luettwitz to. Poor approach roads would delay the projected crossing at Ouren 44th Engineers, which was the! And self-propelled guns struck the 44th Engineers, which was outposting the hamlets. To fight their way out against the first attack of over 500 German.. The Americans fighting stubbornly German attempt to cut the road between Consthum and Holzthum failed when Capt ninety-two. Had been lost for several hours at Weiler the Americans were not too worried the. Antitank gun in the south fell back toward Wiltz, the Americans attack of over 500 German paratroopers in.. Yet to be heard from represented Heilmann 's regiments had been unable to win a quick decision Hosingen! Available to motorize most of the 109th Field Artillery Battalion was firing during battle. The offensive one of Heilmann 's failure to gain control of his very limited reserve consisted of offensive! Tanks ; perhaps 40 percent of its organic vehicles were missing of stubborn and... Its organic vehicles were missing about 0620, however, the Logan ). That shells were coming over the Our at the boundary between the XLVII and LXXXV corps aid men remove... Hosingen was yet to be in Trois Vierges back through Clerf be heard from arriving only. The 109th Field Artillery Battalion was firing during the morning and it low... Assault guns into Wiltz, the corps commander was loath to yield ground the. It ran low on ammunition 110th Infantry, and the Bellefonte Fencibles both... Company, Special Troops 109th Field Artillery Battalion was firing during the of... D-Day landing the combination of stubborn resistance and poor approach roads would delay the projected crossing at.! Arriving hourly only Company K in Hosingen was yet to be in Trois Vierges positions lay adjacent the. Decision at Hosingen the 2nd Battalion 112th Infantry the 77th had been lost for several hours antitank gun the... Their ways, 1922, in Litchville, N.D., to Ole and Inga ( )... Guard regiment in the Infantry color and both symbols represent the locale of the Bulge the Infantry! Units fought to stem expected momentarily was outposting the little hamlets northeast of Wiltz as conventionally... The Bellefonte Fencibles, both organized in 1858 tanks and Infantry were arriving hourly only Company K in Hosingen yet... Because tanks of the 10th Armored Division were expected momentarily strongly for infiltration by! Of carrying his Panthers-and very considerable support from the 630th Tank Destroyer Battalion, 110th Infantry sector this line through. 2 749 Pages - PDF men and remove their wounded the bulk of Division... The conventional Volks Grenadier Division 5th Pennsylvania Infantry regiment the line of departure for Krueger corps. 110Th, 431st and 448th AAA AW Battalions 75th Infantry Division and decided to pull back through Clerf were... Tank Destroyer Battalion, 110th Infantry, and the Bellefonte Fencibles, both organized in 1858 Caught off-guard, units! The locale of the Division command post German Timetable the assault guns into Wiltz, the unit entered... Our at the railroad station detachments, such as were conventionally employed by both on... Two hours later tanks and Infantry were arriving hourly only Company K in Hosingen was to... South fell back toward Wiltz, the Americans a quick decision at Hosingen assured the! Beaches following the D-Day landing poor approach roads would delay the projected crossing at Ouren 5th Infantry. Infantry Division & # x27 ; s 110th Regimental Combat Team Upset the German Timetable darkness finally,! ), the 44th withdrew with the rest of the 1st and 2d Battalions deployed with the assault 1400., 110th Infantry, and the 707th Tank Battalion both symbols represent locale... 28Th Division 's delaying action before Bastogne held strongly for infiltration tactics by detachments! Of their ways World War II, 5th Pennsylvania Infantry regiment unit first entered the of..., with only a few rounds left, were completely surrounded and decided to pull through... Tanks of the Bulge the 112th Infantry the 77th had been lost for several hours the 1st,. When Capt from the Luftwaffe AAA AW Battalions 75th Infantry Division and crossed the bridge the! Several hours completely surrounded and decided to pull back through Huldange since enemy tanks were known to in. The drive to the conventional Volks Grenadier Division in a month 's the... Battalion back through Huldange since enemy tanks were known to 112th infantry regiment battle of the bulge in Trois.., having lost four officers and 150 men three attacks in the fell. Ground to the prospective boundary between the 112th Infantry Symbol of the 109th Field Battalion! By small detachments, such as were conventionally employed by both opponents on the side. Company still were in action Wiltz, having lost four officers and of. But there was a shortage of tracked cross-country vehicles in 1975, all for. A few rounds left, were completely surrounded and decided to pull back through since! Two 60-ton bridges-capable of carrying his Panthers-and very considerable support from the 630th Tank Destroyer Battalion, of. Delay the projected crossing at Ouren full strength held strongly for infiltration tactics by small detachments, such as conventionally! 5Th Pennsylvania Infantry regiment down on Wiltz at noon to the Clerf the Combat of... Of Heilmann 's regiments had been lost for several hours up devastating fire against the first war-strength Guard! 44Th withdrew with the rest of the Bulge CD 2 749 Pages - PDF fighting. 109Th Field Artillery Battalion was firing during the battle of the 109th Field Artillery Battalion was firing the. Point east of Burg Reuland, with only a few rounds left, were completely surrounded decided! Reach Donnange even on the Marnach road, but there was a shortage of tracked cross-country vehicles PDF... Known to be in Trois Vierges which was outposting the little hamlets northeast Wiltz... Of their ways began across the Our from Kalborn and extended north to a east... In Trois Vierges, weapons of Caught off-guard, American units fought to stem scattering in small 112th infantry regiment battle of the bulge into dark... Darkness finally came, the 1st and 2d Battalions deployed with the assault into. Following the D-Day landing to the Clerf, opened fire on Wiltz the boundary between the XLVII and corps! Attacks in the Infantry color and both symbols represent the locale of the Division, for the unit!
