106th Infantry Division (elements of)
139-811: 99th Infantry Division (elements of) The Battle of Losheim Gap was fought in the Ardennes, in Eastern Belgium, between the Allies and Nazi Germany , part of the Battle of the Bulge . It was the first battle and spearhead of the German attack, inflicting heavy American casualties, and causing disorder on the frontlines. It paved the way for further German attacks, deeper into the Ardennes. The Americans suffered high casualties, but could replace them. The Germans, on
278-514: A Congressional hearing, and letter writing by Bouck, every member of the unit was finally recognized for their valor that day, making the platoon the most decorated American unit of its size of World War II. Prior to the Battle of the Bulge, the U.S. Army was engaged in a campaign to attack the Roer River dams before invading the rest of Germany. The green 99th Infantry Division was supporting
417-781: A bridgehead over the Altmuhl River , 25 April. The division crossed the Danube near Eining on the 27th and after a stubborn fight the Isar at Landshut on 1 May. On 3–4 May, the division liberated two labor camps and a "forest camp" (Waldlager) related to the Mühldorf concentration camp, a sub-camp of Dachau . The 99th Infantry's after action report stated they found 1,500 Jews "living under terrible conditions and approximately 600 required hospitalization due to starvation and disease." The division continued to attack without opposition to
556-536: A brief firefight, Robinson and McGeehee were wounded and all three were captured. Germans entered the home that Creger and Slape were using as an observation post. Slape climbed into the attic, while Creger only had time to hide behind a door. He pulled the pin on a grenade as the door knob jammed into his ribs. Bullets from the I&;R platoon struck the building, and the Germans suddenly left. Creger and Slape exited by
695-537: A ceasefire. This was the plan, however. When Hitler told his generals about his plan in September 1944, they were astounded by how outrageous it was. From the start, High Command was not optimistic, as it embodied Hitler's desperate and delusional state near the end of the war. They proposed a smaller offensive, but Hitler went through with his plan and launched the Ardennes Offensive . One reason much of
834-673: A combined unit, was split. Many members of the 99th Infantry Division had participated in the Army Specialized Training Program or ASTP, derisively nicknamed "all safe 'till peace;" in February 1944, the program was drawn down, and the majority of its members were assigned to later-deploying divisions such as the 99th. The 99th Infantry Division, comprising the 393rd , 394th , and the 395th Infantry Regiments , arrived in England on 10 October 1944. Put under
973-406: A defensive position in the front lines. We were trained to patrol and get information about the enemy," Bouck said in an interview 60 years later. On the night of December 16, they heard the clanking of armor and the sound of vehicles in the distance. Bouck ordered his men to remain awake. The temperature ranged from 30 °F (−1 °C) to the low 20 °F (−7 °C) during the day. Many of
1112-431: A determined fight at one of these critical choke points by even a token American force could seriously impede his schedule. When Hitler's operations officer, Generaloberst Alfred Jodl , gave him his orders, Dietrich yelled, "I'm a general, not a bloody undertaker!" On December 16, 1944, at 05:30, the Germans launched a 90-minute artillery barrage using 1,600 artillery pieces across an 80-mile (130 km) front, although
1251-409: A five-sided shield of black on which is superimposed a horizontal band of white and blue squares. The black represents the iron from the mills of Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania where many of the troops were from. The blue and white are taken from the coat of arms for William Pitt for whom Pittsburgh was named. There are nine white squares and nine blue ones, signifying the number 99. On 22 December 1967,
1390-495: A headquarters company radio operator. Hidden in a cellar, he called in reports to division headquarters until he was finally captured. Driving west-northwest, the Germans entered Honsfeld, where they encountered one of the 99th Division's rest centers, clogged with confused American troops. They killed many and destroyed a number of American armored units and vehicles. Peiper easily captured the town and 50000 gallons of fuel for his vehicles. He then advanced towards Büllingen, keeping to
1529-414: A junior general officer in their corps area to serve as division commander; from 13 June 1929 to 23 August 1932, Brigadier General James B. Gowen, concurrently the commander of the 1st Division 's 1st Field Artillery Brigade, commanded the 99th Division. The designated mobilization and training station for the division was Camp George G. Meade (later redesignated Fort George G. Meade in 1929), Maryland ,
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#17327904849471668-658: A long column of what appeared to be about 500 German troops headed toward them from the east. Their distinctive helmet style told Bouck they were Fallschirmjäger, among the best soldiers Germany could field. None of his training or experience prepared him for this situation, outnumbered as he was by perhaps 20 to 1. Bouck and James scrambled back to the ridge top and the rest of their unit. The platoon's telephone land line to 1st Battalion headquarters in Losheimergraben had been knocked out, but their SCR-300 radio still worked. Bouck reached regimental headquarters at Hünningen on
1807-775: A military advance: it was through the area known as the Losheim Gap , a 5 miles (8.0 km) long, narrow valley at the western foot of the Schnee Eifel . This was the key route through which the German Sixth and Fifth Panzer Armies planned to advance. On December 11, General Walter M. Robertson , commander of the battle-hardened 2nd Infantry Division, was ordered to attack and seize the Roer River dams. In case he had to pull back, he chose Elsenborn Ridge as his defensive line. General Walter E. Lauer , commanding
1946-404: A senior German officer (who he later identified as Peiper) attempt to obtain accurate information about the U.S. Army's strength in the area. Peiper was told by Obersturmbannführer I. G. von Hoffman, a former Luftwaffe general staff officer from Berlin and commanding officer of the 9th Fallschirmjäger Regiment, 3rd Fallschirmjäger Division, that his men had run into stiff resistance. He reported that
2085-429: A seven-man headquarters section, which was attached to the 394th Regiment's S2 section . As the platoon was not intended nor trained for combat, they were told to avoid direct engagement with the Germans. Nonetheless, they took part in several missions behind enemy lines, even as far as Losheim, 2 miles (3.2 km) behind the front line, to capture enemy soldiers for intelligence. Bouck and several of his men were among
2224-433: A shallow ridge line, about 30 feet (9.1 m) in enfilade position above the road and 200 yards (180 m) northwest of the village. Their foxholes were situated in a shallow curve along the ridge line in a northeast direction, almost to a fork in the road at their left flank. Snow fell, covering their dug-in fortifications inside the woods, leaving them virtually invisible from the road below. They took advantage of
2363-431: A single shot to the heart or head. Springer used his jeep-mounted SCR-610 radio to call in coordinates for artillery fire. A few shells landed near the road outside Lanzerath, but they did not hinder the German attack. His jeep was then struck by machine-gun or mortar fire, and his radio was destroyed. Slape and Milosevich fired continually, as fast as they could reload. Slape thought the Germans were mad to attack in such
2502-433: A small log hut behind their position, which they used as a warming hut. Bouck had augmented the unit's weaponry with four extra carbines , two Browning automatic rifles , and one light .30 caliber machine gun . Outside official channels, he had also traded his unit's collection of German memorabilia with an ordnance supply officer for an armored Jeep with a mounted .50 caliber machine gun . His men dug an emplacement for
2641-482: A suicidal manner, straight across the open field. He later recalled that it was one of the "most beautiful fields of fire" he had ever seen. After only about 30 seconds, the firing stopped. Nearly all of the attacking Germans had been killed or wounded. McConnell, shot in the shoulder, was the only American casualty. During a second attack made around 11:00, Milosevich fired the .50 caliber jeep-mounted machine gun until enemy fire drove him back into his foxhole. In both
2780-569: A tank destroyer platoon of 55 men. The German forces were located on the eastern edge of the Losheim Gap in Losheim and further east. The Siegfried Line between them divided the Losheim Gap. SS Oberstgruppenführer Sepp Dietrich ’s plan was for the 6th SS Panzer Army to advance northwest through Lanzerath and Bucholz Station and then drive through Honsfield and Büllingen. The infantry would continue north through Losheimergraben to push
2919-422: A village of 23 homes and a church. The village lay at a critical road junction in the northern part of the Losheim Gap. The 25 men were charged by Kriz with plugging a 5 miles (8.0 km) gap in the front line between the 106th Division to the south and the 99th Division to the north. The only reserve was the 394th Infantry Regiment's 3rd Battalion, which was at Bucholz Station. Behind them lay roads that could give
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#17327904849473058-493: A writer found the now adult woman, still living in the village. She told him she did not know the Americans were still in the area, and was pointing out the direction the tank destroyer unit had departed, towards Bucholz Station. ) The German infantry deployed, and about two platoons of the 2nd Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Fallschirmjäger Regiment, 3rd Fallschirmjäger Division, attacked the Americans head-on, bunched together in
3197-407: The 60th Regiment of the 9th Infantry Division . Among the units was the 394th I&R platoon, consisting of well-trained soldiers who had been selected because they were expert marksmen and in peak physical condition. Some of the men were college-educated and were former members of the U.S. Army's abruptly terminated ASTP program. This platoon was led by 20-year-old Lieutenant Lyle Bouck, one of
3336-400: The Battle of the Bulge , they defended a key road junction in the vicinity of the Losheim Gap . Led by 20-year-old Lieutenant Lyle Bouck Jr. , they delayed the advance of the 1st SS Panzer Division , the spearhead of the entire German 6th Panzer Army , for nearly 20 hours. In a long fight with about 500 men of the 1st Battalion, 9th Fallschirmjaeger Regiment, 3rd Fallschirmjaeger Division ,
3475-638: The Dill River and pushed on to Krofdorf-Gleiberg, taking Giessen 29 March. The 99th then moved to Schwarzenau, on 3 April, and attacked the southeast sector of the Ruhr Pocket on the 5th. Although the enemy resisted fiercely, the Ruhr pocket collapsed with the fall of Iserlohn , on 16 April. The last drive began on 23 April. The 99th crossed the Ludwig Canal against stiff resistance and established
3614-470: The Global War on Terrorism . The 10 geographically based RRCs, including the 99th, were inactivated and replaced with four regional base operations commands. The 99th was selected as one of these new regional support commands. In September 2007, in preparation for the transition to Fort Dix and establishment of the new 99th RSC, the 99th RRC assumed administrative responsibility for the former regions of
3753-643: The Inn River and Giesenhausen until VE-day . The Medal of Honor was awarded T/Sgt Vernon McGarity , Company L, 393rd Infantry, 99th Infantry Division, for actions taken near Krinkelt, Belgium, on 16 December 1944 during the opening phases of the Battle of the Bulge ( a.k.a. the Ardennes Offensive). When the Battle of the Bulge ended, Gen. Lauer received verbal commendations from Field Marshal Sir Bernard L. Montgomery , 21st Army Group Commander, and Gen. Courtney Hodges , First Army Commander, on
3892-538: The Malmedy massacre . The task of defeating the 99th Division was the objective of 12th SS Panzer Division reinforced by additional Panzergrenadier and Volksgrenadier divisions. On December 17, German engineers repaired one of the road bridges over the railroad along the Losheim-Losheimergraben road and the 12th Division German armor began advancing towards the key road junction at Losheimergraben and
4031-575: The River Meuse . The remaining soldiers were left to find their own way back to the east. 99th Infantry Division (United States) The 99th Infantry Division briefly existed, but never deployed, in the closing days of World War I, was reconstituted as a reserve unit in 1921, was ordered into active military service in 1942, and deployed overseas in 1944. The 99th landed at the French port of Le Havre and proceeded northeast to Belgium. During
4170-467: The SCR-284 radio mounted on a jeep by the command post and found that German martial music jammed the channel. He then used a side-channel and Morse code , hoping the Germans were not listening in, to send a status report to regimental headquarters. As the German forces moved through Lanzerath and in front of their positions, Bouck and his men allowed lead members of the unit to pass, hoping to surprise
4309-471: The "Checkerboard Division," which referred to its shoulder patch, in late 1944 having not yet seen battle, the division was nicknamed the "Battle Babies." The 99th Infantry Division, outnumbered five to one, inflicted estimated casualties on the Germans in the ratio of eighteen to one. The division lost about 20% of its effective strength, including 465 killed and 2,524 evacuated due to wounds, injuries, fatigue, or trench foot; German losses were much higher. In
Battle of Losheim Gap - Misplaced Pages Continue
4448-485: The 18 men of the platoon along with four artillery observers inflicted between 60 and more than 100 casualties on the Germans. The platoon seriously disrupted the entire German Sixth Panzer Army's schedule of attack along the northern edge of the offensive. At dusk on 16 December, after virtually no sleep during the preceding night and a full day of almost non-stop combat, with only a few rounds of ammunition remaining, about 50 German paratroopers finally flanked and captured
4587-463: The 18 remaining US troops that dug into a ridge overlooking the village, the 6th Panzer Army's advance was delayed. On December 17, German engineers repaired one of the road bridges over the railroad along the Losheim-Losheimergraben road and the arbor of the German SS 12th Division began advancing towards the key road junction at Losheimergraben. Once past Lanzerath, the Germans planned to capture
4726-525: The 1st SS Panzer Division rolled out of Lanzerath and headed northwest for Bucholz Station. The entire timetable of their advance on the River Meuse and Antwerp had been seriously slowed, allowing the Americans precious hours to move in reinforcements. The German advance never recovered from its initial delay, and Kampfgruppe Peiper only got as far as Stoumont, where the remaining vehicles ran out of fuel and came under heavy attack from American aircraft, artillery, and tanks. Having advanced less than halfway to
4865-410: The 2nd Platoon, Company A, 820th Tank Destroyer Battalion . The 820th was attached to the 14th Cavalry Group, 106th Infantry Division of VIII Corps. The I&R platoon and the 820th TD were reinforced by the 22 men of the 820th's 2nd Recon Platoon, commanded by Lieutenant John Arculeer, who were mounted on an armored half-track and two jeeps. Members of the 2nd Platoon took up positions in two homes in
5004-448: The 2nd and 99th Divisions out of the way. This would allow the 12th SS Panzer Division to advance westward towards a group of villages named Trois-Ponts , connect to Belgian Route Nationale N-23, and cross the river Meuse . It was then another 53 miles (85 km) to Antwerp. During the Battle of the Bulge, some of the best German units, including the 3rd Fallschirmjaeger Division and 6th Panzer Army planned to assault northwest over
5143-697: The 304th Observation Squadron trained with the 21st and 50th Observation Squadrons at Langley Field , Virginia. In addition to the unit training camps, the infantry regiments rotated responsibility to conduct the Citizens Military Training Camps held at Camp Meade, Fort Eustis, and Fort Washington , Maryland, each year. On a number of occasions, the division participated in Third Corps Area and First Army command post exercises (CPX) in conjunction with other Regular Army, National Guard, and Organized Reserve units. Two of
5282-418: The 77th and 94th RRCs, which had inactivated. On 17 September 2008, the 99th Regional Support Command was activated at Fort Dix , N.J. The 99th RSC's mission was to provide base operations functions for the assigned 13-state Northeast Region. The U.S. Army Center of Military History states that the 99th RSC does not perpetuate the lineage and honors of the 99th Infantry Division. Army policy does not allow for
5421-623: The 99th Army Reserve Command (ARCOM) was activated. While the 99th ARCOM was allowed to wear the shoulder sleeve insignia of the 99th Infantry Division and use its number, Department of the Army policy does not allow for the lineage of MTOE units, such as infantry divisions, to be perpetuated by TDA units, such as ARCOMs. In 1975, the 99th ARCOM moved its headquarters to Oakdale, Pennsylvania. After Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, 22 99th units deployed to Saudi Arabia, Europe, and other locations. After
5560-510: The 99th Infantry Division, was charged with building up the defenses around Elsenborn Ridge. Lauer knew his front was extremely long and very thinly manned; he gave instructions to his division to dig in and build cover for their foxholes. The troops of the 99th Infantry Division, who lacked battle experience, were deployed to the Ardennes in November 1944, with the 394th Regiment relieving
5699-554: The 99th moved deeper into Bavaria, it liberated one of a number of Dachau subcamps near the town of Mühldorf. The unit reported on May 4 that it had "liberated 3 labor camps and 1 concentration camp." The concentration camp was one of the "forest camps" (Waldlager) tied to the Mühldorf camp complex. The 99th Infantry's report stated that 1,500 Jews were "living under terrible conditions and approximately 600 required hospitalization due to starvation and disease." The 99th Infantry Division
Battle of Losheim Gap - Misplaced Pages Continue
5838-407: The 9th Parachute Regiment, give him a battalion of paratroops to accompany his tanks. At 04:30 on December 17, more than 16 hours behind schedule, the 1st SS Panzer Division rolled out of Lanzerath with a battalion of paratroopers preceding them and headed east for Bucholz Station. At Bucholz Station, the 3rd Battalion of the U.S. 394th Infantry Regiment was surprised and quickly captured, except for
5977-474: The American defenders inflicted dozens of casualties on the Germans and delayed by almost 20 hours the advance of the entire 1st SS Panzer Division , the spearhead of the German 6th Panzer Army . The Germans finally flanked the Americans at dusk, capturing them. Only one American, an artillery observer, was killed, while 14 others were wounded, while German casualties totaled 92. The Germans paused, believing
6116-637: The American platoon was only aware of what was happening in their sector. Their first impression was that this was the anticipated counterattack resulting from the Allies' recent attack in the Wahlerscheid crossroads to the north where the 2nd Division had knocked a sizable dent into the Siegfried Line. Bouck later said: Suddenly, without warning, a barrage of artillery registered at about 0530 hours and continued until about 0700 hours. The artillery
6255-461: The Americans inflicted between 60 and five hundred casualties on the Germans. Only one American, forward artillery observer Billy Queen, was killed; in Bouck's platoon, 14 out of 18 men were wounded. The small American force had seriously disrupted the scheduled advance of the entire 6th Panzer Army's drive for Antwerp along the critical northern edge of the offensive. After virtually no sleep during
6394-518: The Americans were still shooting, and Bouck said it was not his men doing it. Bouck surrendered and helped carry his wounded men down to the village. During their dawn-to-dusk fight, the 15 remaining men of the I&R platoon plus the four men of the 371st Artillery Forward Observation Team repeatedly engaged elements of the 1st Battalion, 9th Fallschirmjäger Regiment, 3rd Fallschirmjäger Division of about 500 men. The Germans reported 16 killed, 63 wounded, and 13 missing in action. Other reports suggest
6533-419: The Americans' southern flank through the woods. Just as Bouck was about to blow his whistle to indicate withdrawal, German soldiers penetrated their lines and began overrunning their foxholes. Several attackers were killed by grenades rigged to wires and triggered by Americans in their foxholes. Each of the positions spread out over the ridge top were overrun in turn. Surprisingly, the Germans did not simply kill
6672-647: The Balkan Republics while providing refuge to those fleeing Kosovo as they sought temporary recovery in the United States. Following the 11 September 2001 , terrorist attacks, the 99th mobilized large numbers of Army Reserve Soldiers. While the 99th was fully involved in this large mobilization, the headquarters moved to Coraopolis, Pennsylvania . In January 2003, the 99th RSC started mobilizing units for projected operations in Iraq. On 16 July 2003,
6811-647: The Belgian cities of Liège and Spa and the road network west of the Elsenborn Ridge leading to the Meuse River. After more than ten days of intense battle, they pushed the Americans out of the villages, but were unable to dislodge them from the ridge, where elements of the V Corps of the First U.S. Army prevented the German forces from reaching the road network to their west. The inexperienced troops of
6950-510: The German column advancing on his position, the voice on the other end of the radio told him "he must be seeing things". Bouck told them he had 20-20 vision and demanded artillery fire on the road in front of his unit. The platoon's position at the southern end of the 99th Division's sector was not only outside their own regimental boundary, it was outside their division's boundary and V Corps' boundary. The division prioritized artillery fire for targets within its boundary. Bouck waited in vain for
7089-404: The German forces from reaching the key road network to their west. Due to the determined resistance of the 99th Division, which was composed of relatively inexperienced troops, along with the experienced 2nd and 30th Divisions, the northern shoulder of the Battle of the Bulge was a sticking point for the entire offensive operation. Had the Americans given way, the German advance would have overrun
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#17327904849477228-425: The German units were recent conscripts with very little experience. Sergeant Vinz Kuhlbach's platoon was typical. Most of his soldiers had little combat experience and even less training. The German units had been formed by conscripting teenage boys and men over 50, men previously rejected as physically unfit for service, wounded soldiers newly released from hospitals, and men transferred from the "jobless" personnel of
7367-466: The Germans. They were preparing to fire on three men who they believed were the regiment's officers when a girl from the village emerged from one of the homes. Talking to the officers, she pointed in their general direction. An officer yelled a command, and the paratroopers jumped for ditches on either side of the road. The Americans thought she had given their position away and fired on the Germans, wounding several. (In October 2006, more than 60 years later,
7506-518: The Gulf War, the 99th ARCOM became the 99th Regional Support Command (RSC). The 99th RSC's mission was to provide command and control and full-service support for assigned units and facility management. On 23 Dec. 1996, the 99th RSC mobilized the first of six units for deployment to Operation Joint Endeavor in support of peacekeeping missions in Bosnia. The 99th RSC continued to support operations in
7645-515: The Kampfgruppe to tail each other, creating a column of infantry and armor up to 25 kilometres (16 mi) long. The roads would prevent the attackers from concentrating their forces in the blitzkrieg fashion which had served them so well in the past. The main roads designated for their use had many hairpin turns and traversed steep hillsides that would delay his already slow-moving towed artillery and bridging trains. Dietrich knew that
7784-448: The Losheim-Losheimergraben road and along the railroad tracks through the Losheim Gap towards the village of Büllingen , but were held up by the broken railroad overpasses which they destroyed in their prior retreat. These were to be rebuilt on the first day of the offensive. Unable to quickly repair them, the units advanced instead into Lanzerath. In the day-long Battle of Lanzerath Ridge , they took dozens of casualties and were held up by
7923-522: The Meuse, they were forced to abandon more than a hundred vehicles in the town, including six Tiger II tanks. The soldiers were ordered to find their way east on foot. The elements of Peiper's battle group that entered Stoumont, retreated with 800 men. The task of defeating the 99th Division was the objective of 12th SS Panzer Division, reinforced by additional Panzergrenadier and Volksgrenadier divisions. On December 17, German engineers repaired one of
8062-538: The SCR-284 radio mounted in the Jeep behind Bouck, eliminating any possibility of calling for reinforcements or instructions. The German troops were reluctant to attack head on once again, and Sergeant Vinz Kuhlbach pleaded with the officers of the 9th Fallschirmjäger Regiment to allow his men to flank the Americans in the dusk. Fifty men from Fusilier Regiment 27 of the 12th Volksgrenadier Division were dispatched to attack
8201-682: The West, and the Soviets in the east, Hitler made plans to launch a last ditch blitzkrieg offensive through the Ardennes, a very forested part of Eastern Belgium. He wanted to smash through the thinly defended Allied lines and move his tanks into the open Belgian countryside and capture Antwerp , the main Allied supply port. This would separate the British and American forces in two, causing an almost Dunkirk -esque evacuation. Hitler could then agree to
8340-404: The active battle near Buchholz Station. They withdrew from the village and left without contacting the I&R platoon. This left the platoon as the only unit in the sector and without armor support. Bouck sent James, Slape and Creger to set up an observation post in a house on the eastern side of the village that had been abandoned by Task Force X. Accompanying them, he spotted in the dawn light
8479-751: The advance of the 3rd Fallschirmjäger Regiment and the 12th Volksgranadier Division to Losheimergraben, but also due to the stiff American resistance. Peiper's lead units did not reach Losheim until 7:30 pm, when he was ordered to swing west and join up with the 3rd Fallschirmjaeger Division, which had finally cleared the route through Lanzerath. Peiper was furious about the delay. En route to Lanzerath, Peiper's unit lost five tanks and five other armored vehicles to American mines and anti-tank weapons. Kampfgruppe Peiper finally reached Lanzerath near midnight. Bouck, held in Café Scholzen, turned 21 years old at midnight on December 17. At midnight, he watched as
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#17327904849478618-399: The armored jeep and its .50 caliber gun, placing it in enfilade down the road along the Germans' possible line of advance. Once an hour, in an attempt to fill the gap in their sector, they ran a jeep patrol up and down the line to stay in contact with units on their right and left flanks and to watch for any enemy movement. They hoped they would be relieved soon: "We weren't trained to occupy
8757-571: The attack through Lanzerath and clear the village before advancing towards Honsfeld and then Büllingen. The German commanders estimated they would face a full division of U.S. troops at Büllingen. Kampfgruppe Peiper's initial position was in the forest around Blankenheim, Germany, east of the German-Belgium border and the Siegfried Line. Once the infantry captured Lanzerath, Sepp Dietrich's Sixth Panzer Army led by Kampfgruppe Peiper would proceed without delay. The infantry would then secure
8896-496: The back door and ducked into a nearby cowshed. They crossed a field and then found themselves in a minefield. Picking their way forward, they circled through the woods until they encountered a handful of Germans. Opening fire, they killed them. Creger and Slape spotted Bouck and Milosevich across the road and sprinted towards them, drawing German fire. They made it back to their ridge-top position and Bouck called regimental headquarters. He requested artillery support, but when he reported
9035-570: The battalion commander, and he said that he had got the information from a Hauptmann (captain) in his battalion. I called the Hauptmann and he averred that he had not personally seen the American forces but it had been "reported to him." At this point I became very angry and ordered the Fallschirmjäger Regiment to give me one battalion and I would lead the breakthrough. At 04:30 on December 17, more than 18 hours behind schedule,
9174-517: The battle-weary 2nd Infantry Division in their attack on the German West Wall at Wahlerscheid . During two days of hard fighting, the U.S. Army had finally managed to slip through the heavily fortified lines and penetrate the German defenses. The Americans were expecting a counterattack in the area, but their intelligence completely failed to detect the Germans' movement of hundreds of armored vehicles and tens of thousands of infantry into
9313-465: The brigade's ammunition train was reorganized as the third 105 mm howitzer battalion, and the 155 mm howitzer battalion was formed from the 155 mm howitzer regiment. The engineer, medical, and quartermaster regiments were reorganized into battalions. In 1942, divisional quartermaster battalions were split into ordnance light maintenance companies and quartermaster companies, and the division's headquarters and military police company, which had previously been
9452-409: The ceasefire. The Americans suffered only one wounded in the second attack, when Private Kalil was struck in the face by a rifle grenade that failed to explode. The Germans mounted a third attack late in the afternoon, around 15:00. Several times German soldiers attempted to penetrate the American lines. The Americans left their foxholes and in close combat fired on the attackers to push them back down
9591-462: The city of St. Vith. The 5th Panzer Army planned to bypass St. Vith to the north. On the German side of the Siegfried Line, the Germans positioned their troops and armor around and to the east of the village of Losheim. On December 16, 1944, at 05:30, the Germans launched a 90-minute artillery barrage using 1,600 artillery pieces across an 80 miles (130 km) front. The infantry of the 9th Fallschirmjaeger Regiment, 3rd Fallschirmjaeger Division led
9730-564: The command was redesignated as the 99th Regional Readiness Command, placing additional emphasis on training, readiness, and mobilization. The 99th RRC continued to provide command and control for assigned units and support for the ongoing deployments. In 2005, the Army Reserve began its latest transformation under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) directive and lessons learned from eight years of deployments in support of
9869-495: The day by 18 men of the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division at Lanzerath Ridge . At 18:00, Peiper finally learned that the village had been secured. His column of 117 tanks, 149 half-tracks, 18 105 mm guns and six 150 mm guns, totaling 600 vehicles, finally moved forward. He was further held up when his tanks struck two of their own minefields, slowing progress while
10008-454: The defenders in their foxholes. Bouck was pulled from his foxhole by an officer with a machine gun, and he thought he would be shot when the German put his weapon in his back and pulled the trigger; it was empty. Both Bouck and the German officer were then struck by bullets. The German fell seriously wounded, while Bouck was struck in the calf. Sergeant Kuhlbach asked Bouck who was in command, and Bouck replied that he was. Kuhlbach asked him why
10147-807: The division took the offensive, moving toward Cologne and crossing the Erft Canal near Glesch. After clearing towns west of the Rhine , it crossed the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen on the 11th. The 99th Infantry Division was the first complete division to cross the Rhine. They continued to Linz am Rhein and to the Wied River . Crossing on the 23d, it pushed east on the Koln-Frankfurt highway to Giessen . Against light resistance, it crossed
10286-459: The division were lodged on the northern shoulder of the Ardennes Offensive on 16 December. Although cut up and surrounded in part, the 99th was one of the only divisions that did not yield to the German attack, and held their positions until reinforcements arrived. The lines were then moved back to form defensive positions east of Elsenborn Ridge on the 19th. Here it held firmly against violent enemy attacks. From 21 December 1944 to 30 January 1945,
10425-421: The division's cavalry reconnaissance troop, and one infantry regiment was removed by inactivation. The field artillery brigade headquarters and headquarters battery became the headquarters and headquarters battery of the division artillery. Its three field artillery regiments were reorganized into four battalions; one battalion was taken from each of the two 75 mm gun regiments to form two 105 mm howitzer battalions,
10564-784: The division’s units in Pittsburgh conducted their inactive training period meetings at the National Guard armory in that city. The division was chiefly manned with graduates of the ROTC programs of the Carnegie Institute of Technology , Duquesne University . Pennsylvania State College , and the Pennsylvania Military College as the number of ROTC officers in the Officers' Reserve Corps overtook
10703-425: The enemy rapid access to the Army's rear and allow them to easily flank the thinly deployed 99th Division. The I&R platoon took over positions on a ridge top immediately northwest of Lanzerath that were formerly occupied by part of the 2nd Infantry Division. They were ordered to improve their foxhole positions and maintain contact with Task Force X, made up of 55 troops manning four towed three-inch guns from
10842-527: The engineers cleared the fields ahead of mines. Peiper finally arrived in Lanzerath near midnight only to find the infantry bedding down for the night. Every officer he spoke to said the woods were full of Americans and tanks. He furiously interrogated the infantry officers to learn if any patrols into the woods had been conducted and learned that no one had personally reconnoitered the area. Disgusted, Peiper demanded that Oberst Helmut von Hoffman, commander of
10981-430: The first and second attack that morning, no German soldier got past the fence in the middle of the field. Bodies were piled around it. German medics waved a white flag late in the morning and indicated they wanted to remove the wounded, which the American defenders allowed. However, during the ceasefire American soldiers noticed what they thought were German medics transmitting coordinates of the American position, nullifying
11120-418: The first day of the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, near the village of Lanzerath, Belgium , along the key route for the German advance on the northern shoulder of the operation. The American force consisted of two squads totalling 18 men belonging to a reconnaissance platoon and four forward artillery observers , against a German battalion of about 500 paratroopers. During a day-long confrontation,
11259-517: The first soldiers in their regiment to be recognized with the Combat Infantry Badge . Most often their patrols consisted of creeping through snow-clogged defiles obscured by fog in an attempt to fix enemy positions. On December 10, the reconnaissance platoon was ordered by Major Robert Kriz, commanding officer of the 394th Infantry Regiment, to a new position about 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Hünningen, near Lanzerath, Belgium,
11398-462: The foxholes left by the previous unit, they dug them deeper so that two or three men could stand in them and fire from the concealed edges. They covered each hole with pine logs 8 inches (20 cm) to 12 inches (30 cm) thick. Their hilltop location was just inside the edge of a forest and overlooked a pasture bisected by a 4-foot (1.2 m) high barbed wire fence parallel to their location. Their position covered about 300 yards (270 m) along
11537-436: The generals sided with Hitler was because at this stage of the war, Defeatism , merely admitting that the war was going to end in defeat, would lead to them being fired from their position. Led by the 1st SS Panzer division , they planned to attack the 2nd and 99th Infantry Divisions with the goal of capturing Losheimergraben and gaining access to the vital road network to its north and west that would allow them to capture
11676-569: The heavy fighting in the Battle of the Bulge , the unit suffered many casualties, yet tenaciously held its defensive position. In March 1945, the 99th advanced into the Rhineland, crossing the Rhine River at Remagen on March 11. After fighting in the Ruhr area, the unit moved southward into Bavaria, where it was located at the end of the war. The 99th Infantry Division gained the nickname the "Checkerboard" division, from its unit insignia that
11815-424: The hill. At one point Private First Class Milsovech spotted a medic working on and talking to a soldier he felt certain was already dead. As mortar fire on his position got more accurate, Milsovech noticed a pistol on the supposed medic's belt, and decided he must be calling in fire on their position. He shot and killed him. Bouck contacted regimental headquarters once more, seeking reinforcements. At 15:50, Fort sent
11954-403: The important port of Antwerp. In a calculated risk, the Allies had only a few troops stretched very thinly across a wide area. Lanzerath, a village of about 15 homes, lay about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to the west of Losheim. It was on the border between U.S. VIII Corps to the south and U.S. V Corps . It was held by a single Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon of 18 men and Task Force X,
12093-458: The information that he had on the enemy situation. His answer was that the woods were heavily fortified, and that scattered fires from prepared "pill boxes" plus mines in the road were holding up his advance. He told me that it was impossible to attack under these circumstances. I asked him if he had personally reconnoitered the American positions in the woods, and he replied that he received the information from one of his battalion commanders. I asked
12232-530: The lead element of the Sixth Panzer Army's spearhead, 1st SS Panzer Division, consisted of 4,800 men and 600 vehicles. On December 16, it started as much as 36 kilometres (22 mi) to the east in Tondorf, Germany, and was unable to advance at its scheduled rate because of road congestion. The road from Scheid to Losheim was one solid traffic jam, in part due to two blown railroad overpasses blocking
12371-576: The lineage and honors of a TO&E organization, such as an infantry division, to be perpetuated by a TDA organization, such as an RSC. While an RSC is allowed to wear the insignia and use the same number as a previous infantry division, it is not entitled to its lineage and honors. The 99th RSC was awarded the Army Superior Unit Award on 9 May 2016 by the US Army Human Resources Command for its role in
12510-464: The location where much of the 99th’s training activities occurred over the next 20 years. For the few summers when the division headquarters was called to duty for training as a unit, it usually trained with the staff of the 16th Infantry Brigade, 8th Division , at Camp Meade. The infantry regiments of the division held their summer training primarily with the units of the 16th Infantry Brigade at Fort Meade or Fort Eustis , Virginia . Other units, such as
12649-663: The more notable CPXs were the Third Corps Area CPX at Fort George G. Meade conducted 6–19 July 1930 and a division CPX conducted 23 August–5 September 1936 at Indiantown Gap Military Reservation , Pennsylvania. Unlike the Regular and Guard units in the Third Corps Area, the 99th Division did not participate in the various Third Corps Area maneuvers and the First Army maneuvers of 1935 and 1939 as an organized unit due to lack of enlisted personnel and equipment. Instead,
12788-451: The new StG 44 and were equipped with rifle grenades, few had ever fired them in combat. The German recruits were told the American soldiers they faced would not have the nerve to stand and fight. Their officers said the Americans were "a gum-chewing, undisciplined half-breed with no stomach for real war." To preserve the available armor, the infantry of the 9th Fallschirmjäger Regiment, 3rd Fallschirmjäger Division, had been ordered to lead
12927-402: The northern sector opposite the 99th, this included more than 4,000 deaths and the destruction of 60 tanks and big guns. Historian John S.D. Eisenhower wrote, "... the action of the 2nd and 99th Divisions on the northern shoulder could be considered the most decisive of the Ardennes campaign." The stiff American defense prevented the Germans from reaching the vast array of supplies near
13066-449: The number of World War I-veteran officers beginning in 1929. During the interwar period, all units of the division except the 394th Infantry Regiment and 198th Infantry Brigade were headquartered in Pittsburgh. The command of all three Organized Reserve divisions in a given corps area nominally fell to the corps area commander, with the divisions' chiefs of staff responsible for day-to-day operations, but some corps area commanders designated
13205-434: The officers and a few enlisted reservists were assigned to Regular and Guard units to fill vacant slots and bring the units up to full peace strength for the exercises. Before Organized Reserve infantry divisions were ordered into active military service, they were reorganized on paper as "triangular" divisions under the 1940 tables of organization. The headquarters companies of the two infantry brigades were consolidated into
13344-464: The open and charging straight up the hill, directly at the platoon's hidden and fortified positions. The Americans were surprised at the inexperienced tactics. For the Americans, it was like "shooting clay ducks in California at an amusement park." Several attackers were killed trying to climb over the 4 feet (1.2 m)-high barbed wire fence that bisected the field, often shot at close range with
13483-531: The operational control of V Corps , First Army , it moved to Le Havre, France on 3 November and proceeded to Aubel, Belgium , to prepare to enter the front lines. The division first saw action on 9 November, taking over the defense of the sector north of the Roer River between Schmidt and Monschau , a distance of nearly 19 miles. After defensive patrolling, the 99th probed the Siegfried Line against heavy resistance on 13 December. Formerly nicknamed
13622-575: The other hand, couldn't replace their men, as all reserves were directed to the counter offensive. This reflected the poor state that the German Army was in at this time, which would be the precedent for the following battles. Near the end of 1944, the Nazi Germany was in a dire state. Germany proper was fighting a two front war against giants it could not compete with. With the US and Britain in
13761-539: The plan had flaws. The Germans had captured the same terrain during the spring of 1940 in three days. Now they were being asked to do it in winter in five days. The plan counted on bad weather to keep the Allied planes grounded. Dietrich only had one-quarter the fuel needed; the plan counted on capturing Allied fuel depots and keeping to an ambitious timetable. Dietrich's assigned route (or Rollbahn) included narrow roads – in many places single tracks – which would force units of
13900-403: The plan to move west, apparently unaware he had nearly taken the town and unknowingly bypassing an opportunity to flank and trap the entire 2nd and 99th Division. Peiper suddenly turned south to detour around Hünningen, interested only in getting back onto his assigned Rollbahn . Kampfgruppe Peiper a few days later gained notoriety for their murder of U.S. prisoners of war in what became known as
14039-540: The plan, but it also inflicted such heavy losses on the enemy that he was unable to carry out other contemplated missions in other sectors of the Allied front. Gen. von Manteuffel , commander of the 5th Panzer Army , stated in the address to his troops prior to the attack that "our ground mission must be continuous; otherwise we will not achieve our goal". Due in part to the 99th Infantry Division, this ground mission has not been continuous, and he will not achieve his goal... The unit's distinctive shoulder patch consisted of
14178-405: The preceding night and a full day of almost non-stop combat, with only a few rounds of ammunition remaining, flanked by a superior enemy force, the platoon and artillery observers were captured. The German military took over several homes in Lanzerath and turned them into aid stations for the wounded of both sides. The rest of the homes were commandeered as temporary quarters. Kampfgruppe Peiper,
14317-438: The radio and requested permission to withdraw and engage in a delaying action. He was told to "remain in position and reinforcements from the 3rd Battalion will come to support you." In town, Creger watched as a forward element of the German infantry advanced, with weapons slung, into Lanzerath. They obviously did not expect to encounter any Americans. Creger radioed Bouck and told him of the Germans advancing through Lanzerath on
14456-408: The region. Much of the region was relatively quiet, lending the area the title of "Ghost Front." During early December 1944, the American defensive line in the Ardennes had a gap south of Losheimergraben. General Leonard T. Gerow , in command of V Corps , recognized this area as a possible avenue of attack by the Germans. This area, which lay between V Corps and Troy H. Middleton 's VIII Corps ,
14595-485: The relief support after Hurricane Sandy , from 29 October 2012 thru 31 March 2013. Soldiers who were in direct support of the relief efforts were also awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal as a personal award. This article contains content in the public domain from U.S. military sources. Battle of Lanzerath Ridge The Battle of Lanzerath Ridge was fought on December 16, 1944,
14734-413: The remaining 19 soldiers. Two men who had been sent on foot to regimental headquarters to seek reinforcements were later captured. Fourteen of the 18 platoon members were wounded, while only one soldier, a member of the artillery observation team, was killed. Because the unit's radios had been destroyed, the soldiers captured, and the rapid subsequent German advance, U.S. Army commanders did not know about
14873-437: The right flank of the attack route near Losheimergraben . Peiper's goal was to cross the Meuse River at Huy, Belgium. Despite the losses that had brought the Allies to the border of their homeland, German morale was surprisingly strong. The men knew the Allies were demanding an unconditional surrender . They were now fighting for the fatherland, defending the soil of their country, not just fighting for Hitler. Dietrich knew
15012-548: The road between Creger and Bouck's position. Bouck sent Robinson, McGeehee and Silvola to assist Creger, who crept down to the Bucholz Station road and thence up a ditch towards Lanzerath. Before the three men reached Creger, he left the village using a more direct route. As he returned to the American lines, he engaged and killed or wounded most of a German platoon. On the eastern side of the road, Robinson, McGeehee and Silvola attempted to rejoin their platoon, but found
15151-469: The road bridges over the railroad along the Losheim-Losheimergraben road and the 12th Division's armor began advancing towards the key road junction at Losheimergraben and the twin villages of Rocherath and Krinkelt. However, in more than ten days of intense battle, the 12th SS Panzer Division was unable to dislodge the Americans from Elsenborn Ridge, where elements of the V Corps of the First U.S. Army prevented
15290-417: The road network. This plan was thwarted by the mostly inexperienced U.S. troops, who severely limited the German's advance, halting them at the Battle of Elsenborn Ridge . The Germans were forced to reroute their armor and troops to the south, over mostly single-lane country roads, severely limiting the speed of their advance and their ability to concentrate their strength on the limited American defenses. In
15429-408: The second was not repaired until December 17. When Peiper got word that the overpass would not be repaired in time for his advance, he chose to move west through Lanzerath. He was frustrated and angry that the 9th Fallschirmjaeger Regiment had yet to report that the road was clear. The 500 troops of the 1st Battalion, 9th Fallschirmjaeger Regiment, 3rd Fallschirmjaeger Division were held up for most of
15568-561: The shrinking Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe . The German 3rd Fallschirmjäger Division , which had previously acquired a superb combat reputation, had been virtually destroyed during the Normandy Invasion in the Falaise pocket . It had been resurrected by using replacements from the 22nd, 51st and 53rd Luftwaffe Field Regiments. The German units were usually organized around small cadres of seasoned veterans. Although they carried
15707-408: The sound of incoming artillery. He called regimental headquarters again, asking for directions. He was told to "hold at all costs," which essentially meant until dead or captured. Bouck knew that if his platoon gave way, the 99th Division's right flank, already thin and undermanned, could be in grave danger. Four members of a Forward Observation Team from Battery C, 371st Field Artillery had been in
15846-505: The south of the main German front, the 5th Panzer Army was given the task of capturing St. Vith and the vital road and rail network. The 18th Volksgrenadier Division under the command of Generalmajor Günther Hoffmann-Schönborn patrolled the Schnee Eifel area. On December 16 at 4:00 a.m., they took the twenty-two foot macadam road following the Our River valley towards Manderfield. The route terminated at several vital crossroads in
15985-413: The special troops, artillery, engineers, aviation, medical, and quartermaster, trained at various posts in the Third Corps Area with Regular Army units of the same branch. For example, the 304th Engineer Regiment usually trained with elements of the 1st Engineer Regiment at Fort DuPont , Delaware ; the 304th Medical Regiment trained with the 1st Medical Regiment at Carlisle Barracks , Pennsylvania; and
16124-472: The tanks were held up for most of the morning of December 16 on the Blankenheim-Schnied road which was congested with horse-drawn artillery, infantrymen, and numerous other vehicles. Peiper himself tried to sort out the mess at one crossroads. For unknown reasons German engineers did not begin repairing the first of the railroad overpasses on the Losheim-Losheimergraben road until nearly noon, and
16263-420: The trees, sending shards of steel and wood into the ground, but the men were protected by their reinforced foxholes. The German guns cut deep holes the size of trucks in the pasture. German infantry began to advance near Losheim before the artillery barrage lifted, preparing to cross the front line as soon as it ended. They marched under the glow of massive searchlights, bouncing light off the clouds. The armor
16402-472: The twin villages of Rocherath and Krinkelt. However, in more than ten days of intense battle, they were unable to dislodge the Americans from Elsenborn Ridge, where elements of the V Corps of the First U.S. Army prevented the German forces from reaching the road network to their west. The German advance never recovered from its initial delay, and the Sixth Panzer Army only got as far as La Gleize before its advance stalled out, advancing less than half-way to
16541-467: The unit was engaged in aggressive patrolling and reequipping. It attacked toward the Monschau Forest, on 1 February, mopping up and patrolling until it was relieved for training and rehabilitation, on 13 February. The Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon , 394th Infantry Regiment , 99th Division was the most decorated platoon for a single action of World War II . During the first morning of
16680-560: The unit's last update to regimental headquarters in Hünningen. He reported they were still receiving some artillery fire, but were holding their position against an estimated enemy strength of about 75, who were attempting to advance from Lanzerath towards the railroad to the northwest. As dusk approached and their ammunition ran dangerously low, Bouck feared they could be flanked at any time. He planned to pull his men back just before dusk, when they would have enough light to escape through
16819-493: The unit's success at slowing the German advance, or even if they had been captured or killed. The platoon members were not recognized for their courageous deeds for thirty-seven years. On 25 October 1981, the entire platoon was recognized with a Presidential Unit Citation . Every member of the platoon was decorated, which included four Distinguished Service Crosses , five Silver Stars and ten Bronze Stars with "V" devices signifying awards for valor in combat. On 2 March 1945,
16958-472: The vigorous and effective defense contributed by the 99th. A written commendation was received from Maj. Gen. Leonard T. Gerow , V Corps Commander: I wish to express to you and the members of your command my appreciation and commendation for the fine job you did in preventing the enemy from carrying out his plans to break through the V Corps sector and push on to the Meuse River. Not only did your command assist in effectively frustrating that particular part of
17097-478: The village of Lanzerath about 200 yards (180 m) to the southeast. Together, the two units comprised the foremost units in their sector of the American forces facing the Siegfried Line. The Americans attacked through the Siegfried Line at Walerscheid about 5 miles (8.0 km) to the north, and a localized counterattack was expected. Lieutenant Bouck followed procedure and ordered his men to build fortifications with interlocking fields of fire. Taking advantage of
17236-424: The village when the tank destroyer unit withdrew. Lieutenant Warren Springer and the other three men, Sergeant Peter Gacki, T/4 Willard Wibben, and T/5 Billy Queen joined Bouck's unit on the ridge, where they could continue to observe the enemy movement. Bouck distributed them among the foxholes to help reload magazines and reinforce their position. Radio operator James Fort attempted to contact headquarters on
17375-413: The way blocked by German soldiers who threatened to flank them. They decided to head for Losheimergraben and seek reinforcements. They crossed a 20 feet (6.1 m) deep railroad cut and once on the far side encountered soldiers from Fusilier Regiment 27 of the 12th Volksgrenadier Division . Trying to outflank the 1st Battalion, 394th Infantry Regiment in Losheimergraben, they spotted the three men. After
17514-577: The way through the Losheim Gap, tasked with clearing American resistance along the Main Line of Resistance . To spare the armor, they operated in advance of Kampfgruppe SS Standartenführer Joachim Peiper 's 1st SS Panzer Division , the spearhead of Dietrich’s 6th Panzer Army. The infantry would then secure the right flank of the attack route near Losheimergraben. The 12th Volksgrenadier Division reached Losheimgraben at 07:00 East of Losheim, Kampfgruppe Peiper expected to reach Losheimgraben by 08:00, but
17653-455: The woods and road ahead were packed with American troops and tanks. He had bedded his troops down for the night and planned to probe the forest for Americans at first light. Their expectations of further resistance was all based on the stiff defense offered by Bouck's force of just 18 men. Peiper asked the battalion commander and a Hauptmann (captain) in the same unit about the American resistance. Peiper later commented, I asked him for all
17792-413: The woods were filled with more Americans and tanks. Only when SS-Standartenführer Joachim Peiper and his tanks arrived at midnight, twelve hours behind schedule, did the Germans learn the nearby woods were empty. Due to lost communications with battalion and then regimental headquarters, and the unit's subsequent capture, its disposition and success at delaying the advance of the 6th Panzer Army that day
17931-485: The woods. Bouck ordered his men to remove the distributor caps from their Jeeps and to prepare to evacuate to the rear. He dispatched Corporal Sam Jenkins and PFC Preston through the woods to locate Major Kriz at Regimental HQ and seek instructions or reinforcements. Bouck tried to contact regimental headquarters on the SCR-300 radio for instructions. A sniper shot the radio as Bouck held it to his ear. The sniper also hit
18070-472: The youngest officers in the Army, and the second youngest man in the unit. For the next few weeks his platoon established and maintained regimental listening and observation posts, conducted patrols behind enemy lines, and gathered information. They lived in a brick building in Hünningen, taking advantage of a basement full of potatoes and a homemade stove to supplement their military C-rations . The platoon consisted of two nine-man reconnaissance squads and
18209-465: Was constituted at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, on 23 July 1918. Plans called for the division to include the 393rd, 394th, 395th, and 396th Infantry Regiments. Organization and training began in October but were not complete by the time the war ended in November 1918, so the division was demobilized in early 1919. No division commander was appointed during the organization's brief existence. The 99th Division
18348-674: Was demobilized on 7 January 1919 at Camp Wadsworth , South Carolina . It was reconstituted in the Organized Reserve on 24 June 1921, allotted to the Third Corps Area , and assigned to the XIII Corps . The division was further allotted to the western half of the state of Pennsylvania as its home area. The division headquarters was organized in November 1921 at 3939 Butler Street, in Pittsburgh . The headquarters
18487-427: Was devised in 1923 while it was headquartered in the city of Pittsburgh. The blue and white checkerboard in the insignia is taken from the coat of arms of William Pitt , for whom Pittsburgh is named. The division was also known as the "Battle Babies" during 1945, a sobriquet coined by a United Press correspondent when the division was first mentioned in press reports during the Battle of the Bulge. On May 3–4, 1945, as
18626-475: Was located farther back, near Blankenheim , Germany. At 08:00, as the sun rose, the American platoon heard explosions and guns around Buchholz Station and Losheimergraben to the east and north where the 3rd and 1st Battalions of the 394th Infantry Division were located. The 55 soldiers of U.S. 2nd Platoon, Company A, 820th Tank Destroyer Battalion, 14th Cavalry Group was initially ordered south to help protect Manderfeld, but shortly afterwards were redirected to join
18765-647: Was recognized as a liberating unit by the US Army's Center of Military History and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1992. The insignia, though not the US Army recognized lineage, is maintained by the 99th Readiness Division, a United States Army Reserve (USAR) unit constituted in 1967, serving as of 2023 as a geographic command, headquartered at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst in New Jersey. The 99th Division
18904-482: Was relentless and frightening, but not devastating. Much landed short, wide and long of our position, and mostly tree bursts. At any rate, our well-protected cover prevented casualties. The telephone lines were knocked out, but our one radio allowed us to report to regiment. I called regiment and told them, ‘the TDs are pulling out, what should we do?’ The answer was loud and clear: ‘Hold at all costs!’ Many shells exploded in
19043-610: Was relocated in December 1922 to Room 604 in the Chamber of Commerce Building. It was relocated again in October 1923 to Room 310 in the Westinghouse Building and remained there until activated for World War II. After its reorganization, the division slowly built its strength, and by July 1924, the division was at 100 percent strength in authorized officers, but dropped back to 91 percent by March 1926. Typically, many of
19182-431: Was undefended and just patrolled by jeep. The patrols in the northern part of the area were conducted by the 99th Infantry Division's 394th Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon , whereas those in the south were conducted by the 18th Cavalry Squadron, 14th Cavalry Group , which was attached to the 106th Infantry Division . In the border area between Germany and Belgium, there was only one road network that could support
19321-526: Was unknown to U.S. commanders. First Lieutenant Lyle Bouck considered the wounding of most of his men and the capture of his entire unit a failure. When the war ended five months later, the platoon's men, who were split between two prisoner-of-war camps , just wanted to get home. It was only after the war that Bouck learned that his platoon had prevented the lead German infantry elements from advancing and had delayed by about 20 hours their armored units' advance. On October 26, 1981, after considerable lobbying,
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