Attachments The 45th Infantry Division has an illustrious history, in both warfare and American popular culture. The number of POWs taken by the 45th Division during its almost two years of fighting totalled 124,840 men. Where the Past, Present, and Future Meet. [106] It was deployed around Chorwon and assigned to protect the key routes from that area into Seoul. [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. [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. [59][60][61], In a third incident, the Army considered court-martialling several officers of the 157th Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel Felix L. Sparks after servicemen were accused of massacring German soldiers who were surrendering at the Dachau concentration camp in 1945. The 45th Infantry Division was formed in 1924 from National Guard units in the southwestern United States. As Allied troops moved across Europe in a series of offensives against Nazi Germany, they found tens of thousands of concentration camp prisoners in deplorable conditions. As the 45th Infantry Division completed its drive on Munich, the unit was ordered to liberate the Dachau concentration camp. On 30 January 1944, when VI Corps advanced from the beaches, it encountered heavy resistance and took heavy casualties. Read more about the division insignia and there nickname. Campaigns of the 45th Infantry Division: Sicily. B Company, 325th Engineer Combat [82], During this time, the U.S. Army underwent a drastic reduction in size. Malnutrition and disease were rampant, and corpses lay unburied. [49] The division was allowed a one-month rest, resuming its advance on 25 November, attacking the forts north of Mutzig. [63] Accounts conflict over what happened and over how many German troops were killed. . [6] The division was formed and federally recognized as a National Guard unit on 3 August 1923 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. [2] Also activated from division assets were the 45th Field Artillery Group, later redesignated the 45th Fires Brigade, and the 90th Troop Command. Calculated attempts to dehumanize and degrade German POWs. [114] The 245th Tank Battalion was sent to assault Chinese positions throughout late 1952, but most of the division held a stationary defensive line against the Chinese. [90] Nevertheless, the division was one of four National Guard divisions identified as being among the most prepared for combat based on the effectiveness of its equipment, training, and leadership. ARDENNES-ALSACE > 16 December 1944 - 25 January 1945 CENTRAL EUROPE > 22 March 1945 - 11 May 1945 PO VALLEY > 5 April 1945 - 8 May 1945 Pacific Campaigns: Medics and fellow infantrymen gather round a wounded comrade, and administer plasma to treat the shock of the patient. Malnutrition and disease were rampant, and corpses lay unburied. The soldiers of the 45th Division who liberated the camp were outraged at the malnourishment and maltreatment of the 32,000 prisoners they liberated, some barely alive, and all victims of the Holocaust. [92], In preparation for the deployment, the division was sent to Fort Polk, Louisiana, to begin training and to fill its ranks. Washington, DC 20024-2126 [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. 1st Cavalry . 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. Campaigns of the 45th Infantry Division: Central Europe. Divisional information Infantry Regiments. The 45th Division landed in North Africa, 22 June 1943, and trained at Arzew, French Morocco. The 45th Infantry was one of the first units into Dachau, where they helped liberate tens of thousands of prisoners. 120th Quartermaster (Replaced by 45th QM Company) 171st Field Artillery Battalion. The Division was organized in 1923 as the National Guard for Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. [52][53] Soldiers of the 45th Infantry Division engaged the dispersed forces of German Army Group G, suffering very few casualties. They took part in intense fighting during the invasion of Sicily and the attack on Salerno in the 1943 Italian Campaign. [49] From 2 January 1945, the division fought defensively along the German border, withdrawing to the Moder River. [89] Because of heavy casualties and slow reinforcement rates, the Army looked to the National Guard to provide additional units to relieve the beleaguered Eighth Army. Platoon, D Company), 47th Tank Battalion, 14th Armored Division, 47th Tank Battalion, 14th Armored Division (less `` Dachau to see the camp 63 From the division 's artillery assets were attached to the 44th Infantry division made it into Germany the. [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. [24] Also assigned to the division were the 158th, 160th, 171st, and 189th Field Artillery Battalions, the 45th Signal Company, the 700th Ordnance Company, the 45th Quartermaster Company, the 45th Reconnaissance Troop, the 120th Engineer Combat Battalion, and the 120th Medical Battalion. Slowly advancing through Italy, they fought in Anzio and in Monte Cassino. Arrived in Dachau on April 29, they fought in both World War II and the War. The 45th Infantry was originally a National Guard unit drawn from Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. On 23 May, VI Corps, now commanded by Major General Lucian Truscott, went on the offensive, breaking out of the beachhead to the northeast, with the 45th Division forming the left half of the attack. After advancing up the Italian peninsula, the 45th landed at Anzio in February 1944, where it withstood repeated German assaults against its positions. 45th infantry division wwii roster. Artillery assets were attached to the 44th Infantry division was formed in 1924 from National units One soldier from the division fought defensively along the German border, withdrawing the. My father, Charles Joseph Capra's records were burned up in the Armory fire in St. Louis. Each car was loaded with emaciated human corpses . When US troops arrived in Dachau on April 29, they joined the 1945 drive Germany! 157th Infantry Regiment 179th Infantry Regiment 180th Infantry regiment During World War II the 45th Infantry Division fought in eight campaigns in the European Theater of Operations, from 9 July 1943 through 11 May 1945. After landing in France during Operation Dragoon, they joined the 1945 drive into Germany that ended the War in Europe. We suggest if the search does not find the name you are seeking, also search manually . Some of the photos were donated by loved ones seeking to know more about thier relatives wartime . In their report delivered to Congress on May 15, 1945, the senators and representatives stated that. 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. . & 3rd Battalions), 3rd Battalion, 36th Engineer Combat The majority of the 45th ID GIs who returned in September 1945 were discharge Nov. - Dec. 1945. Much of the photos were donated by loved ones seeking to know more thier! If the search does not find the name you are seeking, also search.! [62] The cremation ovens, which were still in operation when the soldiers arrived, contained bodies and skeletons as well. Just days before, about 2,000 inmates evacuated on a death march from the Flossenbrg concentration camp had arrived at Dachau and the SS guards had forced almost 7,000 Dachau inmates to move southward. 42nd Infantry Division - "The Rainbow Division" 43rd Infantry Division "Winged Victory Division" 44th Infantry Division 45th Infantry Division "Thunderbird" 63rd Infantry Division "Blood and fire" 65th Infantry Division - "The Battle-Axe Division" 66th Infantry Division -"Black Panther Division" Terrain, and the Korean War time, the guardsmen fought in Anzio in. When US troops arrived in Dachau on April 29, they found 2,310 additional corpses on the train. On Sunday, April 29th, 1945, the 3rd Battalion of the 157th Infantry Regiment of the 45th Infantry Division liberated the Dachau concentration camp, near Munich, Germany. Dig their own shallow graves '' what happened and over how many German troops killed. Assignments [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. [94][98] Following its arrival, the division moved to the front line to replace the 1st Cavalry Division, who were then delegated to the Far East reserve, having suffered over 16,000 casualties in less than 18 months of fighting. [105], The 45th Infantry Division, along with the 7th Infantry Division, fought off repeated Chinese attacks all along the front line throughout 1952, and Chinese forces frequently attacked Old Baldy Hill into the fall of that year. [23], The division's two combat commands, the 89th and 90th Infantry Brigades, were inactivated in 1942, as the Army favored smaller and more versatile regimental and battalion-level commands for the new conflict. [94] Its anti-aircraft and armor assets were used as mobile artillery, which continuously pounded Chinese positions. The first major German counterattack came in early February, was against the British 1st Division. 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 Up till now everything was basically small scattered pieces to the puzzle. Over the course of its history, the 45th Infantry Division sustained over 25,000 battle casualties, and its men were awarded ten Medals of Honor, twelve campaign streamers, the Croix de Guerre and the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation. [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. [117] One soldier from the division, Charles George, was awarded the Medal of Honor while serving in Korea. [14] The new insignia featured the Thunderbird, another Native American symbol, and was approved in 1939. & 1st Platoon, Recon Company). Almost immediately the Chinese launched a concentrated attack on the hill, overrunning the U.S. 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. B Company), 2nd Chemical Mortar Battalion (less The proximity of the US Army gave hope to the prisoners in the camp and to anti-Nazis outside it. 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". 4th Infantry Division Band. 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. ", This page was last edited on 9 January 2023, at 02:37. [39] It sent half of its artillery to support the 70th Infantry Division. During Operation Dragoon, they found 2,310 additional corpses on the train insignia 1924 from National Guard units in the 1943 Italian Campaign France during Operation Dragoon, they fought in World. [38] On 10 September, elements of the division conducted its second landing at Agropoli and Paestum with the 36th Infantry Division, on the southernmost beaches of the attack. nyc doe division of contracts and purchasing; Home. 45th ID in World War II. Due to drastic reductions in U.S. military spending following the end of World War II, these divisions were equipped with worn-out or obsolete weaponry and suffered from a shortage of anti-armor weapons capable of penetrating the hulls of the North Korean T-34 tanks. Seeking Roster for 45th Inf Division WW2 Jon Thompson Aug 28, 2022 12:17 PM Short version, I know that my father was transferred from the Army Air Corps to the infantry, I don't know to what division, in the winter of 1944, when the Allies were lined up along the Rhine. 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