Just that, no other details. The 45th Infantry Division of the United States Army was a major formation of the Oklahoma Army National Guard from 1920 to 1968. "On 20 May, the Regiment was incorporated under the Dachau Area, Command. Headquartered mostly in Oklahoma City, the guardsmen fought in both World War II and the Korean War. Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! [110] Chinese troops were well dug-in and better trained than the troops of the inexperienced 45th, and it suffered casualties and frequently had to disengage when it was attacked. [26], Most of the division returned to New York in September 1945, and from there went to Camp Bowie, Texas. One of our soldiers told his family about his participation in D-Day in France. [18] Still operating with outmoded equipment from World War I, the division did not perform well during these exercises, and was criticized by officers who considered it "feeble. Although the information contained in the following pages is not specific to the 45th Infantry Division, it presents an accurate overview of each campaign. If you havent already done so, we suggest that you request a copy of his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). and see if I can find a CIB for your dad. They had few soldiers left, very little ammunition, and even food was running out in some places. Could you kindly check your records and let me know if you have him on your list? In company with the British 1st Infantry Division, they advanced north along the Anzio-Albano road and captured the Aprilia "factory", but encountered ingrained resistance from German armored units a few miles further on. [109] It also conducted constant small-unit patrols along the border seeking to engage Chinese outposts or patrols. Primarily I'm looking for a roster of the 45th Division, but also interested in the same for the 3rd Division. Like Our Web page? They trace their lineage from frontier militias that operated in the Southwestern United States throughout the late 1800s. [21] It then moved to Pine Camp, New York briefly for winter warfare training, but was hampered by continuously poor weather. To search PDF documents, download and open in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC Adobe is unable to convert all 75 year old text to searchable text. 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. The 816 surviving prisoners were taken to barracks within the camp. If you provide your dad's name, I can check it. Courtesy of the 45th Infantry Division Museum. The division then defended the hill against a series of Chinese assaults from the Chinese 38th Army. Nonetheless, I do have a roster of the 45th Infantry Division for 1945. . [39] The division crossed the Danube River on 27 April, and liberated 32,000 captives of the Dachau concentration camp on 29 April 1945. German soldiers began surrendering to the Allies in large groups; 325,000 soldiers and civilians . I also examined the lists of names in the History of the Third Infantry Division without success. He also claimed to have been at Dachau and talked about it to some detail when I was younger. Divisional information When the three units arrived at Dachau, they discovered more than 30,000 prisoners in the overcrowded camp. After brief inactivation and subsequent reorganization as a unit restricted to Oklahomans, the division returned to duty in 1951 for the Korean War. The division remained a National Guard formation until its downsizing in 1968. 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. A row of small cement structures near the prison entrance contained a coal-fired crematorium, a gas chamber, and rooms piled high with naked and emaciated human corpses. Almost immediately the Chinese launched a concentrated attack on the hill, overrunning the U.S. The number of POWs taken by the 45th Division during its almost two years of fighting totalled 124,840 men. Army Unit Rosters and Unit Photos. 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. [22] The division, now commanded by Major General Troy H. Middleton, a Regular Army soldier and highly distinguished World War I veteran, moved to the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation's Camp Patrick Henry to await combat loading on the transports. When US troops arrived in Dachau on April 29, they found 2,310 additional corpses on the train. Malnutrition and disease were rampant, and corpses lay unburied. [7], The 45th Infantry Division Museum is located in Oklahoma City, and includes a substantial collection of cartoons by World War II cartoonist Bill Mauldin, who served with it during the war. In conjunction with the reenacting unit is a Venturing Crew of the Boy Scouts of America, allowing members of the unit who are under 18 years of age to participate in events. I have to wonder why he would have that particular book. [91] As a result, in February 1951, the 45th Infantry Division was alerted that it would sail for Japan. I've always wondered why there is a 3rd ID patch on his uniform when his discharge indicates 75th ID. [84] Regardless, by mid-1950 the division had only 8,413 troops, less than 45 percent[n 1] of its full-strength authorization. The division received seven distinguished unit citations and eight campaign streamers during the conflict. In 1963, the formation was reorganized in accordance with the Reorganization Objective Army Divisions plan, which saw the establishment of a 1st, 2nd and 3rd Brigade within the division. Men from the state militias of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Oklahoma made up the division. You may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RL-SL. The 45th in this time was regarded as one of the better-trained National Guard divisions. News of Dachau's liberation spread swiftly. I found that book on the 180th Regiment by George Fisher on line. I checked the 1944 and 1945 Division rosters (45th Div. The thunderbird is a symbol of the Southwestern Indians meaning sacred bearer of unlimited happiness. The 45th Infantry Museum honors not just their service, but that of all Oklahomans. They took part in intense fighting during the invasion of Sicily and the attack on Salerno in the 1943 Italian Campaign. Please check NARAs web page about, The U.S. The 45th participated in its fourth assault landing, 15 August 1944, at St. Maxime in Southern France. In each of them the floor of the car was covered with dead, emaciated bodies. Nevertheless, the Army officials in charge of this camp advised us that there were 50 of these cars in this 1 train and that at least 100 of these civilians had been jammed into each car . 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. The 45th Infantry Division guardsmen saw . One story I often share to illustrate how we have to look at the stories left by soldiers and their families helps illustrate the problem. Dad was not given to bragging about his three years in Europe. Dad's photo or name is not in the book. [21][23] By the time the 45th Division landed in North Africa on 22 June 1943, the Allies had largely secured the African theater. See: As a result of this effort, two 45th Infantry Division units existed between 1952 and 1953; the mostly Active-duty 45th Infantry Division (AUS) in Korea, and the National Guard 45th Infantry Division (NGUS) in Oklahoma. [42][46] VI Corps was stopped at the "Pimlott Line" (the perimeter of the beachhead), and the fight became a battle of attrition. [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. Yeah, I've heard of that fire in 1973. . See: Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths, Final Report (Statistical and Accounting Branch, Office of the Adjutant General, 1 June 1953), Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Streamer, "Lt. Kleindienst's Forward Observer's Notebook", "Codes Used in the Daily Journals of the Command Reports", "Legislature Honors 45th Infantry Brigade", "Home at Last National Guardsmen Return Home", The American People in World War II: Freedom from Fear, Part Two, "Obama will award Medal of Honor to 24 overlooked Army veterans", 45th Infantry Division History and Reenactments, The 45th: The Story of the 45th Infantry Division, Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture Forty-fifth Infantry Division (OKANG), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=45th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)&oldid=1132482693, 70th Field Artillery Brigade (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), 120th Ammunition Train (inactive; allotted to Oklahoma National Guard), 120th Medical Regiment (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), 120th Quartermaster Regiment (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 45th Infantry Division Artillery, 45th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized), Headquarters, Special Troops, 45th Infantry Division, Headquarters Company, 45th Infantry Division, 45th Counterintelligence Corps Detachment, Revenge killings in the heat of battle. Horrible images. [10] In 1937, the division's troops were once again called up, this time to help manage a locust plague affecting Colorado. [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. last revision document.write(document.lastModified). [16] In August 1941, the 45th Infantry Division took part in the Louisiana Maneuvers, the largest peacetime exercises in U.S. military history. The majority of the 45th ID GIs who returned in September 1945 were discharge Nov. - Dec. 1945. Each of the four sides of the patch represents one of those four states. The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States; , U.S. Government Printing Office. After the North Korean People's Army invaded the Republic of Korea, four understrength U.S. divisions on occupation duty in Japan were rushed to South Korea to stand alongside the Republic of Korea Army. In January 1943 it moved to Fort Pickett, Virginia, for its final training. During World War I, Colonel A. W. Bloor, commander of the 142nd Infantry, 36th Division, tested and deployed a code, using the Choctaw language in place of regular military code. [2] Also activated from division assets were the 45th Field Artillery Group, later redesignated the 45th Fires Brigade, and the 90th Troop Command. I have a newspaper clipping from the local paper that he had informed his parents that he had been transferred to the infantry - from the Air Corp/Air Force - of course there would be no mention of what unit he was transferred to, and this was during the winter of '44, when they were pulling men from all branches to fill the line. [39] At this time, VI Corps was attached to the Seventh Army, under Lieutenant General Alexander Patch, itself part of the Sixth United States Army Group under Lieutenant General Jacob L. On 7 December 1945, the division was inactivated from the active duty force and its members reassigned to other Army units. Error: You don't have JavaScript enabled. [94] The division was awarded four campaign streamers and one Presidential Unit Citation. Our officials advised us that many of the others who had survived the trip had died since in the camp, and many more, although still alive, were starved beyond redemption. Rosters for units serving in World War II from 1944 - 1946 were destroyed in accordance with Army disposition authorities. Mortar Battalion, 2nd Battalion, 36th Engineer Combat 45th US Infantry Division "Thunderbird" home Divisional information Divisional troops Attachments Assignments Detachments Command Posts Divisional information Top Specials [read more] Read more about the division insignia and there nickname. The muster rolls often indicate which unit a soldier is transferring from when he is first noted on the muster rolls as transferring to the unit. [49] The 45th, 36th, and 3rd Infantry Divisions were pulled from the line in Italy in preparation for Operation Dragoon (formerly Anvil), the invasion of southern France. [119] That same year, due to the perceived lack of need for so many large formations in the Army National Guard, the 45th Infantry Division was inactivated, as part of a larger move to reduce the number of Army National Guard divisions from 15 to eight, while increasing the number of separate brigades from seven to 18. [32] The paratroopers, conducting their first combat jump of the war after six weeks of training in Tunisia, then set up to protect the 45th's flank against German counterattack, but without weapons to counter heavy armor, the paratroopers had to rely on support from the 2nd Armored Division to repulse the German Tiger I tanks. At the end of World War II, it contained 89 divisions, but by 1950, there were just 10 active divisions in the force, along with a few reserve divisions such as the 45th Infantry Division which were combat-ineffective. Please turn JavaScript back on and reload this page. Documents. For more information, please refer to, Onsite Operations at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, We searched the National Archives Catalog and located, 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. NPRC expects to eliminate this portion of the backlog by fall 2022, and restore their pre-pandemic response times of under ten days for these requests later this fall. The 45th Infantry Division was reassigned to VI Corps on New Year's day. [49] From 2 January 1945, the division fought defensively along the German border, withdrawing to the Moder River. History. [106] It was deployed around Chorwon and assigned to protect the key routes from that area into Seoul. Headquartered for most of its history in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the guardsmen fought in both World War II and the Korean War. Battalion. Please complete a GSA Standard Form 180 and mail it to NARA's National Personnel Records Center, (Military Personnel Records), 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138-1002. For more information, please refer to Onsite Operations at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. We have no records for him other than his registration card and photos. My father, Charles Joseph Capra's records were burned up in the Armory fire in St. Louis. He died in 1966. In practice, the military institutionally recognized the Korea unit as the only "official" division, and most of the returning Oklahoma guardsmen were either separated from the Guard at the end of their enlistments or remained in inactive reserve status. [86], At the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, the U.S. Army looked to expand its force again to prepare for major conflict. It arrived on December 2, 1920 and redesignated as a Philippine Scout regiment the next day. Please type your message and try again. [13] After a long process of reviewing design submissions, a design by Woody Big Bow, a Kiowa artist from Carnegie, Oklahoma, was chosen for the new shoulder sleeve insignia. [7] It was one of four National Guard divisions to be federalized on that day, alongside the 30th, the 41st and 44th Infantry Divisions, originally for a one-year period. Please turn JavaScript back on and reload this page. 45th ID in World War II. [112], In early 1953, North Korean forces launched a large-scale attack against Hill 812, which was then under the control of K Company, 3rd Battalion, 179th Infantry. like the original poster my grandfather was originally in the army air corp as a belly gunner in I believe the B24, but was transferred to infantry after a perforated eardrum. A non-commissioned officer, Sergeant Horace T. West, 33 years old, later confessed to the crimes in the first incident and was found guilty. Sheeran told Brandt that, when a German soldier had just killed his close friends and then tried to surrender, he would often "send him to hell, too". Is the 3rd ID patch on his right or left shoulder (as he would have worn the uniform)? Raymond, Allen D. 1st Battalion, 272nd Infantry Regiment, 69th Infantry Division 200. [37] Opposing them were elements of the German 29th Panzergrenadier Division and XVI Panzer Corps. Two regiments of the 45th (the 179th and 157th Infantry) were sent to the Aprilia sector to reinforce the British. [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. . In the first two cases, dubbed the Biscari massacre, occurred on 14 July 1943, American troops from C Company, 180th Infantry Regiment, were alleged to have shot 74 Italian and two German prisoners in Acate following the capture of an airfield in the area. Division, 2nd Battalion, 411th Infantry Regiment, Raymond B Company, 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion 382. After landing in France during Operation Dragoon, they joined the 1945 drive into Germany that ended the War in Europe. [11] The onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s severely curtailed its funding for training and equipment. [105] Two companies of Chinese forces ambushed and devastated a patrol from the 179th Infantry a short time later. Campaigns of the 45th Infantry Division: Southern France, Campaigns of the 45th Infantry Division: Rhineland. [39] The division had great difficulty moving across the rivers and through the mountainous terrain, and the advance was slow. Documents: All of the files from The 45th Division in World War II: The Thunderbirds Facebook Group in searchable PDF format plus other documents. [111], In the division's first few months on the line, Chinese forces conducted three raids in its sector. [55] On 17 February the division was pulled off the line for rest and training. [105] In the spring, the division launched Operation Counter, which was an effort to establish 11 patrol bases around Old Baldy Hill. 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