Seventh Army, along with Free French forces, were able to advance north quickly. After brief inactivation and subsequent reorganization as a unit restricted to Oklahomans, the division returned to duty in 1951 for the Korean War. Division (105mm Howitzer), 01.12.1944-03.12.1944 & 20.01.1945-07.02.1945, 12.03.1945-20.03.1945 & 30.03.1945-01.04.1945, 06.11.1944-09.11.1944 & 28.11.1944-05.12.1944, 313th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry The 45th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Scouts, was an element of the Philippine Division, U.S. Army, based at Ft. McKinley. Also in that collection are two Army Air Corps patches - he started out in the Air Corps - and one USSTAF patch, which the Air Corps evolved into sometime prior to the crossing of the Rhine. I also examined the lists of names in the History of the Third Infantry Division without success. The 45th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the United States Army, most associated with the Oklahoma Army National Guard, from 1920 to 1968. 79th Infantry Division, 03.01.1945-17.01.1945 & 22.01.1945-29.01.1945, 19th Armored Infantry Battalion, 14th [39] The division had great difficulty moving across the rivers and through the mountainous terrain, and the advance was slow. Veterans and next of kin of deceased veterans also may use eVetRecs to request records. Assignments [80][121] The 45th Infantry Brigade received all of the 45th Division's lineage and heraldry, including its shoulder sleeve insignia. To access these records for the 1940s, you will need to either make an appointment to visit the, For more information about these records, please contact the National Archives at St. Louis (RL-SL) at, You may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RL-SL. Read more about the division insignia and there nickname. [9] The division's first commander was Major General Baird H. [7] It was assigned the 89th Infantry Brigade of the Colorado and Arizona National Guards, and the 90th Infantry Brigade of the Oklahoma National Guard. Dad told us he was at Dachau. forces. [94] The involvement of the National Guard in the fighting in Korea was further expanded when the 40th Infantry Division of the California Army National Guard received warning orders for deployment as well. In September of 1940, the War Department called the 45th Infantry to federal service and began training for a possible war with Germany and Japan. His photos seem to point to him potentially being in the 45th Infantry.We know he entered as a private and within 6 months was a Master Seargent. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience as we balance mission-critical work and the safety of our staff during the pandemic. It is curious that his draft card (Ancestry.com) has an annotated discharge date of 31 March 1946. The 45th landed at Anzio, 22 January 1944, and for 4 months stood its ground against violent assaults. [3] The Oklahoma National Guard units that would later become the 179th Infantry Regiment and 180th Infantry Regiment were assigned to the 36th Division and would earn a combat participation credit during the MeuseArgonne offensive in France as part of the 142nd Infantry. [105] The division was put under the command of Eighth Army's I Corps for most of the conflict. 45th Infantry Division. This tool uses JavaScript and much of it will not work correctly without it enabled. Slowly advancing through Italy, they fought in Anzio and the Beachhead breakout to the capture of Rome. The 45th Infantry was originally a National Guard unit drawn from Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Will order it. As I turned to look over the prison yard with unbelieving eyes, I saw a large number of dead inmates lying where they had fallen in the last few hours or days before our arrival. [39] The division captured Munich during the next two days, occupying the city until V-E Day and the surrender of Germany. [26] Nine soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during their service with the 45th Infantry Division: Van T. Barfoot,[72] Ernest Childers,[73] Almond E. Fisher,[74] William J. Johnston,[75] Salvador J. Lara,[76] Jack C. Montgomery,[77] James D. Slaton,[73] Jack Treadwell,[78] and Edward G. However, please note that these records are not online and NARA is not staffed to do this level of research for you. 45th ID in World War II. They had few soldiers left, very little ammunition, and even food was running out in some places. Lucas then moved the rest of the 45th Division to the left-center of the perimeter, at Aprilia and along the west branch of the Mussolini Canal. [17] The division was assigned to VIII Corps with the 2nd Infantry Division and the 36th Infantry Division, camped near Pitkin, Louisiana. With the American entry into World War I, in April 1917, troops of the National Guard were formed into the units which exist today, with elements of the Colorado National Guard forming the 157th Infantry Regiment, the Arizona National Guard forming the 158th Infantry Regiment, and the New Mexico National Guard forming the 120th Engineer Regiment. Additionally, only about 20 percent of its personnel had prior experience of military service from World War II. 45th US Infantry Division "Thunderbird" home Divisional information Divisional troops Attachments Assignments Detachments Command Posts Divisional information Top Specials [read more] Read more about the division insignia and there nickname. Lieutenant Colonel Felix Sparks, who commanded the 45th Infantry Division troops, later recalled his first impressions of Dachau: The initial shock was experienced even before entering the camp. WW2 Order of Battle Medical Units. The 45th Infantry Division guardsmen saw . Eisenhower wanted as many as possible to witness the camps. [41] Until 9 January 1944, the division, now under Major General William W. Eagles (replacing Major General Middleton who, struck down with arthritis, was sent to England to command VIII Corps in the Normandy invasion), inched forward into the mountains reaching St. Elia, north of Monte Cassino, before moving to a rest area. [11], The division's original shoulder sleeve insignia, approved in August 1924,[12] featured a swastika, a common Native American symbol, as a tribute to the Southwestern United States region which had a large population of Native Americans. Anyways if you see this his name was Clarence LaHayne and he was enlisted. Divisional information In size, these cars were of the small European type, which, when used for the movement of troops, would never accommodate more than 40 men. If there is any information requested by the form that you do not know, you may omit it or provide estimates (such as for dates), but the more information you provide, the easier it will be to locate the correct file if it survived the fire. last revision document.write(document.lastModified). [79] Soldiers of the division also received 61 Distinguished Service Crosses, three Distinguished Service Medals, 1,848 Silver Star Medals, 38 Legion of Merit medals, 59 Soldier's Medals, 5,744 Bronze Star Medals, and 52 Air Medals. But the mule drivers were shot and buried in the holes they had dug. Dante's Inferno seemed pale compared to the real hell of Dachau. It joined the United Nations troops on the front lines during the stalemate of the second half of the war, with constant, low-level fighting and trench warfare against the People's Volunteer Army of China that produced little gain for either side. Confessed murderer Frank Sheeran later recalled his war service as the time when he first developed a callousness to the taking of human life. In later interviews with Charles Brandt, he divided such massacres into four categories: During World War II, the 45th Division fought in 511 days of combat. As the 45th Infantry Division completed its drive on Munich, the unit was ordered to liberate the Dachau concentration camp. Some of those photos match the area where Operation Dragoon was executed. [39] During this time much of the division's artillery assets were attached to the 44th Infantry Division to provide additional support. Sheeran explained that by then, he "had no hesitation in doing what I had to do. [91] As a result, in February 1951, the 45th Infantry Division was alerted that it would sail for Japan. [39] The division was then slated to move to the Pacific theater of operations to participate in the invasion of mainland Japan on the island of Honshu, but these plans were scrubbed before the division could depart after the surrender of Japan, on V-J Day. It went over to the attack, 23 May, crossed the Tiber River, 4 June, outflanking Rome and withdrew for rest and training on the 16th. While Sheeran's unit was climbing the Harz Mountains, they came upon a Wehrmacht mule train carrying food and drink up the mountainside. The 816 surviving prisoners were taken to barracks within the camp. "[19][18] In spite of these deficiencies, less than one month later, the men's tour of duty was extended for another eighteen months, much to their chagrin, because of concerns of an impending American entry into World War II.[17]. The 42nd and 45th Infantry Divisions and the 20th Armored Division liberated Dachu, however there were many subcamps and soldiers with our unit, the 36th Infantry Division, often related in the stories they told to their families that they liberated Dachu, when technically it was a subcamp called Kaufring II in Landsburg. I know that the 45th, the 42nd, and the 3rd Divisions swept down through that area. The 4th Armored Division was activated during World War II on 15 April 1941 with 3,800 men (10,000 by the end of May 1941) from various other units, at Pine Camp (Camp Drum, 1951; Fort Drum, 1974), New York under its first Commanding General, Brigadier General Henry W. Baird.. World War II. Dragoon was originally planned to coincide with the Normandy landings in the north, but was delayed until August because of a shortage of landing craft. These brigades would see no major deployments or events, and were inactivated five years later in 1968. Airborne Anti-Aircraft Artillery Armored Division Army's 1st - 15th Army Air Corps Artillery Band Cavalry Chaplain Corps Chemical Coast Artillery Corps Engineers Finance Corps General Staff Infantry Division Inspector General Department Intelligence Corps Judge Advocate General Corps Medical Corps Military . In each of them the floor of the car was covered with dead, emaciated bodies. We would like to thank Crown Family Philanthropies and the Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation for supporting the ongoing work to create content and resources for the Holocaust Encyclopedia. I'm trying to find information on my great grandfather's service in WWII. [42] For this mission, CCA (Combat Command A) of the 1st Armored Division was attached to the 45th Infantry Division. In 1940, the "Thunderbird" division was reactivated and deployed in late June 1943 to North Africa. We searched the National Archives Catalog and located Morning Reports, ca. The main goals of the World War II Recreation Association, 45th Infantry Division reenactors are to honor the veterans who served the United States Armed Forces in World War Two so that their legacy may live on, and to educate all within our reach about the history of our nation and our Armed Forces. His old dress uniform has a 3rd Infantry Division shoulder patch. 9, commanded by Major Kirk A. Meaders, and carrying personnel of, our Third Battalion and five Officers and 95 Enlisted Men of the 120th, When I have time, Jon, I will look through the General Orders of the 180th. Visit the 45th Infantry Museum. If you provide your dad's name, I can check it. Ray, E. D. 3rd Photo Reconnaissance Squadron 914. After landing in France during Operation Dragoon, they joined the 1945 drive into Germany that ended the War in Europe. Veterans and next of kin of deceased veterans also may use eVetRecs to request records. If you see this and check out your roster I would love to know what you find. Primarily I'm looking for a roster of the 45th Division, but also interested in the same for the 3rd Division. The proximity of the US Army gave hope to the prisoners in the camp and to anti-Nazis outside it. The scene near the entrance to the confinement area numbed my senses. The 45th Infantry Division, Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico National Guards, the Thunderbirds, were a group of citizen soldiers who fought long and hard during World War II (Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Rome-Arno, Southern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe Campaigns), and still do today, as a Seperate Infantry Brigade. [33] For most of the first two weeks while the division moved slowly north, it encountered only light resistance from Italian forces fighting delaying actions. Headquartered for most of its history in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the guardsmen fought in both World War II and the Korean War. Casualty figures for the 45th Infantry Division, European theater of operations: The 45th Infantry Division gained its nickname, "Thunderbird" division, from the gold thunderbird. Against this, the Allies planned to land 180,000 troops,[27] including the 45th Infantry Division, which was assigned to Lieutenant General Omar Bradley's II Corps, part of the U.S. Wilkin. German soldiers began surrendering to the Allies in large groups; 325,000 soldiers and civilians . Re: Seeking roster for 45th Infantry Division Dave Kerr Nov 30, 2022 12:50 PM ( in response to Katie Geuin ) Katie, I checked the 29 June 1945 Division Roster as well as my General Orders' Worksheet and did not find your dad's name. Yeah, I've heard of that fire in 1973. [39] The Fifth Army was battered and pushed back by German forces until 20 September, when Allied forces were finally able to break out and establish a more secure beachhead. [80] Instead of comprising units from several states, the post-war 45th was an all-Oklahoma organization. [55] The 45th Infantry Division, now commanded by Major General Robert T. Frederick, who had previously commanded the 1st Special Service Force, was reassigned to VI Corps on New Year's Day. 1912 - 1946 for Army units that may include morning reports of the component units of the 45th Infantry Division and the 3rd Infantry Division, as well as the 290 Infantry Regiment. [82], During this time, the U.S. Army underwent a drastic reduction in size. However, please note that these records are not online and NARA is not staffed to do this level of research for you. These were the 7th Infantry Division, the 1st Cavalry Division, the 24th Infantry Division, and the 25th Infantry Division, which were all under the control of the Eighth United States Army. [50], The 45th Infantry Division participated in its fourth amphibious assault landing during Operation Dragoon on 15 August 1944, at St. Maxime, in Southern France. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience as we balance mission-critical work and the safety of our staff during the pandemic. [15] Its men immediately began basic combat training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. [49] The 45th moved north to the Sarreguemines area and smashed through the Siegfried Line, on 17 March taking Homburg on the 21st and crossing the Rhine between Worms and Hamm on the 26th. The 179th Infantry and a tank battalion of CCA tried to recapture Aprilia but were repulsed. [39] It would remain in the area for a month waiting for other units to catch up before crossing the Mortagne River on 23 October. [39] The division was then reassigned to V Corps, under the command of Major General Leonard T. Gerow, for its next advance. 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