A Final Polish

After maneuvers the men came back to Shelby, scraped off the mud, and began again the endless task of cleaning up their equipment. The Combat Team was commended for proficiency by Major General Charles H. White, Commanding General of IX Corps, and Major General Charles L. Bolte, Commanding General of the 69th Division. The entire Combat Team now began the business of brushing up on its small-unit tactics, reviewing and correcting the weaknesses that had turned up during the last hectic weeks in the field. Twenty officers and 210 men left for George G. Meade, Maryland, for transhipment to Italy and the 100th Battalion. There was also a certain amount of combat firing and review work on marksmanship to be completed, as well as some...

Combined Units

The regimental commander, Colonel Pence, took his regiment into the field as a unit for the first time on December 13, holding exercises that ran until the day before Christmas. Training was getting into higher levels now. Battalion staffs learned to work with the regimental staff. Battalions attacked or took defensive positions side by side, coordinating their fires, helping each other out of tough spots, keeping contact in heavily wooded terrain. Tactics were going into high levels, but the privates in the rear rank, the guys who carried the rifles and brought up the ammunition, still wanted to know why. Why did the regimental commander do this? Why did we withdraw to this position instead of another one? The officers and the NCO’s did their...

From Civilian to Soldier

Basic training was hectic for these new soldiers, as it is for every new soldier. Heads buzzed with military courtesy and discipline, close order drill, manual of arms, and the nomenclature and functioning of all the weapons that make the present day infantryman a walking arsenal. Slowly they learned to hit the ground, to take advantage of every fold in the earth, and every bush for cover and concealment, to work as squads and sections. Muscles hardened, backs straighten, and civilians became men who lived war and thought war. Relations with civilians and other soldiers were not always easy. Most of the men on the post and the inhabitants of the nearby towns accepted the Nisei for what they were and for the job they...

Maneuvers

“D” Series maneuvers began on January 28, 1944, in the DeSoto National Forest, Mississippi. They were conducted by the 69th Infantry Division, Major General Charles L. Bolte commanding. The 442nd Infantry and the 232nd Engineers were attached to the Division for operations, working as a part of the Division for the first three problems and being the “red” or enemy force for the last three. The men probably learned more as a unit of the Division but they had a lot more fun being the enemy. Maneuvers being what they are, there were always a certain number of snafus. The umpires were the unhappiest people on the field no matter who won or lost the battle. There were not enough umpires to mark the simulated...

Operating as a Unit

Basic training was over; now began the even harder task of welding the Combat Team into a single fighting unit. The men knew their weapons; they knew how to take advantage of cover; they could find their way long distances on the blackest night; They had worked together as squads on small problems. It remained to make platoons out of squads, companies out of platoons, and battalions out of companies. During basic the GIs finished their training and came back to a hot shower, a hot meal, and a warm if not always comfortable bed. Unit training would wean them away from this, and enable them to live in the field for long periods, to endure cold, rain, inadequate blankets, to keep going even if...

The Cadre Prepare

On January 22, 1945, the War Department directed by a letter that a Japanese-American Combat Team should be activated on February 1, and should be composed of the 442nd Infantry Regiment, the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion and the 232nd Engineer Combat Company. In accordance with these orders the 442nd Combat Team was activated on February 1, 1943 by General Orders, Headquarters Third Army. Colonel Charles W. Pence took command, with Lieutenant Colonel Merritt B. Booth as executive officer. Lieutenant Colonel Keith K. Tatum commanded the 1st Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel James M. Hanley the 2nd Battalion and Lieutenant Colonel Sherwood Dixon the 3rd Battalion. Lieutenant Colonel Baya M. Harrison commanded the 522nd Field Artillery, and Captain Pershing Nakada commanded the 232nd Engineers. From the 1st to...

522nd Field Artillery Occupying Germany

Fire for Effect, the history of the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion (written by the veterans) includes a brief description of their role in the Occupation of German, and several anecdotal contributions by individual veterans. The Occupation (pages 70-72) With the end of the war in the European Theater, the 522nd was detached from the 101st Airborne Division and attached to the 30th Field Artillery Group. On May 9, 1945 at 0815 hours, the Battalion moved out of Shaftlach and traveled 77 miles to the north by motor convoy over the autobahn past Munich to Steppach, a town on the outskirts of Augsburg, where the 522nd CP was established and occupied until May 17, 1945. Headquarters Battery then moved to Mertingen on May 17 where the...

442nd Infantry Guarding Italy

The German surrender in Italy had heralded the beginning of the end of the war in Europe, but the complete victory in Europe came only when the unconditional surrender became official at 01 May 9, 1945. The 442nd Combat Team received word of VE-day with very little in the way of demonstration. It was with more of a sigh that the regiment put its arms down—a very tired sigh of relief that it was all over in Europe and the long chase was ended. So many had died —along the River Arno, in the cold dismal Vosges Forests and the Maritime Alps in France, and on the rocky crags of the Apennines. Victory had not been cheap. The 442nd Infantry Regiment had contributed to its...

1944 Apr 22: Shelby to Virginia

When the last board had been nailed across the last latrine door on April 22, 1944 the Combat Team boarded trucks and rolled down to the mixed assortment of Pullmans and coaches waiting to take them to Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia. The trip was uneventful, except for large quantities of folding money which changed hands en route. Staggering wearily off the trains at the staging area, officers and men were greeted by a barrage of instructions from a loudspeaker mounted on the station platform. Quickly they formed ranks and marched to their assigned barracks. When the men left Shelby they were told that all the things not available in the Post Exchange there could be bought in the staging area Post Exchange. Accordingly everyone made...

1944 Jun 6: On to Anzio

On June 6 the Combat Team left Naples for Anzio aboard LSTs and LCIs, leaving Company E behind to await the arrival of the rest of the 2nd Battalion from Oran. The small fleet put into Anzio harbor the morning of June 7, but not before 75 percent of the personnel aboard had become violently ill. Ground swells were heavy and the landing craft displaced about as much water as an over-sized bathtub; the effect produced was about equal to the effect a cyclone would have on a larger ship. Debarking in the rubble of Anzio the troops marched about five miles to a bivouac outside the city, arriving in a state of collapse. Weeks at sea had gotten the men into terrible physical condition....

1944 Jun 9: Second Battle of Rome

On June 9 the Combat Team began one of its most memorable convoys, better known as “The Second Battle of Rome.” Moving out of Anzio late that afternoon the first march unit hit Rome in daylight and made it through with only minor deviations from course. All that night, however, serial commanders looked frantically for their reconnaissance officers and vice versa. Columns of trucks wandered around the walls of the Vatican City, looking for the road north. Most of them finally found it, but not before the officers and drivers were on the verge of hysteria. One befuddled march unit commander and his troops tried three different routes out of Rome. Each time they ended up in front of the great Dome of St. Peter’s....

1944 Mar 15: Prepare for Movement

“Beware of the Ides of March” could certainly be applied in the case of the 442nd Combat Team. March 15 saw officers and noncoms rushing around like so many mad hatters looking for all available regulations on “POM,” preparation for overseas movement. First came the initial regulations, then the first clarification, then the clarification of the clarification. At this point the regimental and battalion staffs were considering the advantages of opium. Finally, the Combat Team was furnished with a new set of instructions which rescinded all previous instructions, and everybody rushed down to the post utilities office to secure the grease, waterproof paper, crates, and the numerous other items which the regulations firmly stated were necessary to the packing and crating of supplies and equipment....

1944 May 1: Embarking for the Theater of War

Came time to head for the ships. On May 1, 1944, the Combat Team boarded a collection of coaches that most of the men felt had probably carried troops in the Civil War. The trains carried them straight to the piers at Hampton Roads, where there was a band playing “Over There” and some of the older favorites from the last war. Red Cross ladies passed out doughnuts while the men waited to board ships. Finally, the long lines were formed in alphabetical order and the men moved up the gang planks, singing out their first names in answer as the checker on the pier called their last names from his roster. The smaller men were very nearly invisible under their heavy packs and steel...

1944 May 2: Four Weeks at Sea

Once at sea, sealed orders were opened. Before long everyone had contrived to find out that the eventual destination was Italy. Although no one would say so in so many words, it was also fairly conclusive that the ships would dock at Naples, since the Liberties were not making the Anzio run with the troops at that time. Inevitably, many of the men and many of the officers were seasick, even though the weather was nearly perfect during the entire crossing. One company commander, Captain Ralph J. Graham, was stretched out on his bunk talking to one of his lieutenants between periods of wondering whether he was going to live or die when a terrific explosion shook the ship followed by a series of smaller...

1944 May 28: Welcome to Italy

The Combat Team debarked and found a ruined city. The panorama of the Bay of Naples was still breath-taking, but the port itself was a shell. Demolished buildings and gutted interiors were all that was left of the waterfront. Yet for all this, Naples was busy. Hundreds of GI trucks of all sizes, shapes and descriptions raced to and from the port. It was worth the man’s life to cross a street intersection within a half a mile of the waterfront. Some units marched to the railroad station, loaded aboard little inner-urban trains, and rattled and rocked the ten miles or so to Staging Area #4 at Bagnoli. Others moved out in trucks. Immediately everyone went to work uncrating all the equipment that had been...

442nd Infantry Guarding Italy

The German surrender in Italy had heralded the beginning of the end of the war in Europe, but the complete victory in Europe came only when the unconditional surrender became official at 0001 May 9, 1945. The 442nd Combat Team received word of VE-day with very little in the way of demonstration. It was with more of a sigh that the regiment put its arms down—a very tired sigh of relief that it was all over in Europe and the long chase was ended. So many had died —along the River Arno, in the cold dismal Vosges Forests and the Maritime Alps in France, and on the rocky crags of the Apennines. Victory had not been cheap. The 442nd Infantry Regiment had contributed to its...

Pearl Harbor Aftermath: From Tragedy To Triumph

Ted T. Tsukiyama resides in Honolulu and is an active member of the 442nd RCT Veterans Club. During World War II, he was a member of the Varsity Victory Volunteers, the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion of the 442nd RCT, and the Military Intelligence Service. Throughout the years, Ted has served as a wartime historian, often writing about his own experiences. We’re happy to have Ted’s participation on our website. We have created “Ted’s Corner”, which will feature, from time to time, Ted’s past and current articles. PEARL HARBOR AFTERMATH: FROM TRAGEDY TO TRIUMPH UNIVERSITY ROTC 7:55 A.M, Sunday,  December 7, 1941, a day that will remain etched in my memory forever. I couldn’t sleep late that fateful Sunday morning because of the constant rumbling of...

The Evolution of Post World War II Hawaii Through the 442nd Nikkei’s

Ron Oba is an active member of the 442nd Veterans Club in Honolulu. He has served as president of the organization. He is a veteran of the Second Battalion, F Company, 442nd RCT and spends much of his time promoting the 442. Here’s an article written by Ron, originally published in 1992. The Evolution of Post World War II Hawaii Through the 442nd Nikkei’s Whatever we do will have consequences. Conversely, whatever we don’t do will result in consequences – this is the meaning of “Karma”. “Karma” is not merely a cause and effect. On December 7, 1941 we experienced the “Karma of Opportunity”. Our Nikkei (Japanese immigrants and their descendents) lives were not predestined to prejudice, injustice nor to a life of subordination purely...

Origins of the 442nd

A Salute to “The One Puka Puka”

Did you ever wonder how the 1ooth Battalion began?  Ted Tsukiyama unfolds the “guinea pig battalion” story in “The One Puka Puka”… Their Japanese ancestry caused them to be unwanted, feared, distrusted and even despised.  An expected Japanese invasion of Hawaii induced their hasty removal from their beloved island home. The Army didn’t know what to do with them after 14 months of training, even after their dispatch to North Africa.  They were the Army’s “orphan outfit,” playing “guinea pig” for Japanese Americans in military service.  Finally, after assignment to the 34th Division they gained the opportunity to engage in combat as the first and only segregated, all-Japanese infantry unit. Soon they earned the reputation as the “Purple Heart Battalion” as the most decorated unit...

Ron’s Canteen *** Lt. Col. John D. Porter

Lt. Col. John D. Porter A nice article on Lt. Col. John D. Porter from the Go For Broke Bulletin (Vol. XLVIII No. 3 – July – September 1997) by Ron Oba.   It’s funny how one reminisces and start to treasure the days of old.  As one ages, the urge to recapture youth through the acquaintances you haven’t seen or heard from since.  It’s as if that the remembrances of old friends and the telling of your life story with the joy of coupling the stories with the names of soldiers you’ve lived with will somehow keep immortality alive.  Maybe that is the reason so many of the veterans are now coming in to the Archives for their oral histories so that their legacy will live forever through...

A Country Stolen: The Story of the VVV

The story of the Varsity Victory Volunteers was published in the Hawaii Herald on March 17, 1995.  It was contributed by Bill Thompson and based on Army records and interviews.  VVV Statue It was about 3:00 a.m. in the morning. A shout went through the barracks at the shooting range for the men to wake up and assemble outside. The soldiers sleepily fell into line to hear the orders. What emergency had taken place for the men to get up at this un-godly hour? The orders were then read. The men were shocked! Disbelief ran through the minds of the assembled personnel. The orders bluntly stated that all men of Japanese ancestry, the Nisei, were immediately dismissed from the Hawaii Territorial Guard! Short hours after...

America’s Congressional Gold Medal Heroes

This is the first of many articles that have been published in The Hawai`i Herald.  Here is the cover story on the AJA Congressional Gold Medal — Courtesy of The Hawai`i Herald. AMERICA’S CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL HEROES In the Twilight of their Lives, America’s AJA Veterans Still Shine Karleen C. Chinen The Hawai‘i Herald (November 4, 2011) They now belong to an elite group of world citizens — honored by the Congress of the United States with the nation’s high civilian award for service — the Congressional Gold Medal. Past awardees had included U.S. presidents, astronauts, the Dalai Lama, baseball great Jackie Robinson, Pope John Paul II, and Dr. Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King, among others. Google “Congressional Gold Medal” on the Internet and you will find...

Senpai Gumi Story – 100th to MIS

Ted T. Tsukiyama resides in Honolulu and is an active member of the 442nd RCT Veterans Club and the MIS Veterans Club. During World War II, he was a member of the Varsity Victory Volunteers, the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion of the 442nd RCT, and the Military Intelligence Service. Throughout the years, Ted has served as a wartime historian, often writing about his own experiences. Here is his latest article: “Senpai” translated into English means “elder,” “senior,” “predecessor” or “pioneer,” and the word “gumi” means “group,” “team,” or “class,”  so “senpai gumi” as referred to herein means “pioneer group” or “pioneer class.”  “Senpai Gumi” is also the name of a historical booklet edited by 100th/MIS veteran Richard S. Oguro which tells the story of the fifty...

Preserving the One Puka Puka Story

1399th: Built to Last

Here is an article from the Hawaii Herald on the 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion.  Yasuo Mito, a member of the Battalion recalls his experiences.Stories and images are courtesy of the Hawaii Herald. BUILT TO LASTWahiawa Water Tank Built by 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion Still in Use Today Gwen Battad IshikawaThe Hawai‘i Herald (November 4, 2011) The view while driving up Wahiawa Heights is almost nondescript. The rows of houses on either side of the street are occasionally broken up by pasture or farm land. Along the route are storage water tanks used to supply the water needs of nearby homes and businesses. The trees and tall grass growing in front of the tanks help them to blend in with the landscape. What’s unique about one of...

MIS: Preserving History at Building 640

Here is an article from the Hawaii Herald on the efforts to preserve the building where Japanese-American U.S. Army MIS members were trained. Hawai‘i fundraising chair Andrew Sato (left) with Herbert Yanamura, both MIS veterans. Stories and images are courtesy of the Hawai`i Herald.PRESERVING HISTORY AT BUILDING 640San Francisco Building Will Honor Wartime Work of the Military Intelligence Service Joe UdellThe Hawai‘i Herald (November 4, 2011) In 1991, on the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Military Intelligence Service, the National Japanese American Historical Society advocated for preserving an old warehouse structure known as Building 640 in the Presidio of San Francisco. It was in that now-historic building that the first Japanese American U.S. Army members were trained as linguists to serve in the Pacific theater....

The 100th Infantry Battalion

June 5th, 2012 marks the 70th Anniversary of the formation of the 100th  Infantry Battalion.  Here is an article from The Hawaii Herald archives published on the 50th Anniversary (1992). History/Roland Kotani From: “The Japanese in Hawaii: A Century of Struggle” THE 100TH INFANTRY BATTALION America’s “Purple Heart Battalion” The Hawaii Herald (June 19, 1992) The following historical profile on the 100th Infantry Battalion is excerpted from the chapter titled, “The Nisei Soldier” in Roland Kotani’s 1985 book, “The Japanese in Hawaii: A Century of Struggle.” The book was published by the Hawaii Hochi, Ltd. And was designated the official booklet of the Oahu Kanyaku Imin Centennial Committee. On the barren Italian hillside, Masayuki “Sparky” Matsunaga huddled behind a terrace wall and prayed for the dawn. He could...

War and Internment

Here is an article that reflects on the Japanese-American Internment. Hawaii Hochi writer Iwao Kosaka in front of an old mess hall at Tule Lake in 1988. Story and image courtesy of the Hawai`i Herald. WAR AND INTERNMENTKarleen C. ChinenThe Hawai`i Herald (October 1, 2010) The World War II exploits of the Varsity Victory Volunteers, 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service and the 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion are the stuff of legends and are even more gripping when retold because of the extra burden of race that the Nisei soldiers carried with them into battle. They fought not only fascism and totalitarianism, but hatred and prejudice in their own country. But knowing that the eyes of America were on them, the Nisei soldiers...

Puka Puka Parade

Here is an article on the 100th Battalion’s newsletter.  Story and images courtesy of the Hawai`i Herald. “PUKA PUKA PARADE” — VOICE OF THE 100TH INFANTRY BATTALIONKarleen C. ChinenThe Hawai`i Herald (July 6, 2012) The 100th Battalion’s Monthly Newsletter is a Gold Mine of Information and Wartime Experiences This year, the Hawaii Hochi marks 100 years since Kinzaburo Makino began publishing the Japanese-language newspaper in December of 1912. Not too far behind the Hochi in publication years is the 100th Infantry Battalion’s monthly newsletter, creatively named the Puka Puka Parade. Since April 1, 1946, the veterans club has kept its members and their extended ‘ohana informed through the PPP. “We have quite a large team largely behind the scenes,” said president Pauline Sato, who serves...

Four Special Stones

Here is an article from the Hawai`i Herald’s special edition honoring the 70th Anniversary of the 442nd RCT. Stories and images are courtesy of the Hawai`i Herald. FOUR SPECIAL STONESMinoru Kishaba’s Story Reveals the Essence of the Nisei Soldier Karleen ChinenThe Hawai‘i Herald (March 15, 2013) From the outset of our journey, one of the veterans in our group, Lahaina-born Minoru Kishaba, had struck me as an especially warm and gentle man. As we traveled through Italy, “Chappy” — a nickname that was given to him by his buddies in Anti-Tank Company because he sometimes read passages from the Bible to them — often talked about how lonely and homesick he felt during the war. “It was a very lonely feeling, especially evening, after you dig...

Partners in the Journey

Here is an article from the Hawai‘i Herald’s special edition honoring the 70th Anniversary of the 442nd RCT.  Stories and images are courtesy of the Hawai‘i Herald. PARTNERS IN THE JOURNEYA Very Special Journey for the Wives, Too Karleen ChinenThe Hawai‘i Herald (March 15, 2013) When we began our journey to Europe, my focus was on the veterans with whom I would be traveling for the next 20 days. This trip belonged to them. I was there to walk with them and record their memories and impressions. But what moved me as we bussed from historic landmarks to tiny little towns where these men had fought a half-century ago as young men barely out of teens, was the impact the trip had on their wives....

Eric Saul on Solly Ganor and the Holocaust

On September 5, 2013, Eric Saul wrote: Dear Friends, I wanted to take out a few moments and send you some material that I thought might be of interest to you. I just received a letter from Mr. Solly Ganor, who lives in Tel Aviv, Israel.  He is a child survivor of the Holocaust from Kovno (Kaunas), Lithuania.  He survived one of the most brutal Nazi occupations in Europe.  He was a survivor of the Kovno Ghetto and several camps of the infamous Dachau Concentration Camp.  His mother and brother were murdered by the Nazis during the war.  More than 92% of the Jews of Lithuania were murdered by the Nazi occupiers. In 1992, I started actively researching the role of the Niseis in the...

A “Very Special” Trip

Here is an article from the Hawai‘i Herald’s special edition honoring the 70th Anniversary of the 442nd RCT. A “Very Special” TripSteps Retraced in Journey to Bruyeres and BiffontaineKarleen ChinenThe Hawai‘i Herald (March 15, 2013) Genro Kashiwa was not in the best of health when he boarded the plane for our trip to Europe last fall. Eight days earlier, he was in a hospital bed, recovering from a bleeding colon. But the recently retired lawyer insisted on making this pilgrimage — his first since the war. Genro, his wife Muriel and I became fast friends on the trip. From early in our journey, I often observed him studying maps and writing in canary-colored legal tablets. When we talked, his comments usually had more to do...

Nisei Soldiers — Through Their Grandchildren’s Eyes

Honolulu – May 16, 2014. The following article was printed in The Hawaii Herald – Hawaii’s Japanese American Journal (Vol. 35. No. 10). THE NISEI SOLDIERS — THROUGH THEIR GRANDCHILDREN’S EYES Yonsei’s Pilgrimage to Their Grandfathers’ Battlegrounds Stirs a Sense of Legacy Editor’s note: The following is an edited transcript of a “talk story” session among four yonsei whose grandfathers served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in World War II. Last October, they joined their parents on a pilgrimage to Europe, where, among other sites, they visited the former Dachau concentration camp in southern Germany, and Bruyeres, France. Almost 70 years ago, Nisei soldiers from the 442nd RCT had helped to liberate Nazi-held prisoners at Dachau and to free the small town of Bruyeres...

Gen Emmons Calls for Volunteers for the 442nd

442nd RCT volunteers in Aiea, April 2, 1943 After the attack on Pearl Harbor, our families in Hawai’i and the Mainland experienced arrests and internment; the classification of Japanese-American citizens as “enemy aliens” for military draft status; and many other prejudiced and unjustified actions and conditions.  On January 28, 1943, however, Lt. General Delos C. Emmons, military governor of Hawai’i, made the following announcement locally on behalf of the War Department: “Once in a great while an opportunity presents itself to recognize an entire section of this community for their performance of duty.  All of the people of the Hawaiian Islands have contributed generously to our war effort.  Among these have been the Americans of Japanese descent.  Their role has not been an easy one.”...

This Time in 442nd History (Mar 2017)

This Time in 442nd RCT History The following quote is one example of many where a commander of soldiers writes of the horribleness of war (the “plague of Mankind” refers to war). “My first wish is, to see this plague to Mankind banished from the Earth; & the Sons & daughters of this World employed in more pleasing & innocent amusements than in preparing implements, & exercising them for the destruction of the human race.” George Washington in a letter to his former aide-de-camp David Humphreys, 25 July 1785, written nearly 2 years after the end of the Revolutionary War. The 442nd RCT and the Po Valley Campaign, April-May 1945 This is a synopsis of several written accounts of the Po Valley Campaign, links are...

Stories From My Grandpa

Stories From My Grandpa By Kristen Nemoto Jay photo of Sgt. Wilbert “Sandy” Holck, 442nd RCT Cannon Co. I don’t remember my grandfather. Not personally, anyway. The only memories I have of him consist of a bleak image of a large J.F.K. velvet painting that he loved, which greeted (or scared) folks who’d walk through the front door of my grandmother’s house. That house was burglarized more times than I can remember growing up but not a single one thought to steal Jr. from the wall. I’d like to think it’s because they knew Grandpa would hunt them down, which—from what I also heard growing up—wouldn’t have been too far off from the truth. No, sadly, I didn’t know him. There were stories about his...

Stories of SSgt Seiji Nakahara, I Company

Stories of SSgt Seiji Nakahara, I Company By First Sgt Keith Nakahara SSgt Seiji Nakahara, I Co. My Father was in “I” company, he got shot the day before they rescued the “Lost Battalion.”  He got shot in the chest, but luckily, it hit his binoculars and wallet first, then penetrated into his chest and went out through his side, he had a big scar from it. He thought that was his ticket home, but was patched up and sent back into the front lines with the rest of the 442nd, they told him it didn’t hit any vitals, lol. He fought from Italy, France to inside somewhere in Germany, I saw his discharge papers or maybe it was his DD214. He was wounded 3...

This Time in 442nd History (July 2017)

The Flight of the Anti-Tank Company (photo courtesy of the U.S. Army) The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was an U.S. Army infantry unit, as we the friends and family of the 442nd veterans know. Not all may know, however, that just weeks after the 442nd arrived in Italy and entered combat in June of 1944, the men of the Anti-Tank Company were separated from their 442nd brethren to be trained as glider troops taking to the air to transport anti-tank guns, Jeeps and ammunition. Here are some details of the flight of the Anti-Tank Company. For general background, the 442nd HQ, 2nd and 3rd Battalions had all arrived in Italy by mid-June 1944. The battle hardened 100th Infantry Battalion was attached to the 442nd RCT...

This Time in 442nd RCT History (Sept 2017)

RHINELAND CAMPAIGN-VOSGES (October 10, 1944 – November 21, 1944) There were five major battle campaigns that were fought by the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, of which the Rhineland Campaign-Vosges was one of them.  The 442nd arrived in France in October 1944 to join the 36th Division as part of the 7th Army, after fighting in and then leaving Italy, where the 442nd and 100th Infantry Battalion had joined up to form the RCT.  At this point in time, the Allies were about 40 miles from the France/Germany border but the Vosges Mountains brought a new type of terrain experience for the 442nd soldiers. map from https://1stabtf.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/map-bruy%C3%A8res-17-octobre.png In order to proceed ahead towards the border, the soldiers needed to secure the town of Bruyeres.  Bruyeres is...

This Time in 442nd RCT History (Nov 2017)

This Time in 442nd RCT History After the Vosges: The Champagne Campaign in the French Maritime Alps October 30, 1944 was a Monday but for many with a sense of history it is the day the 442nd RCT reached the 1st Battalion, 141 Infantry Regiment in what has come to be known as the “Rescue of the Lost Battalion.”  This is a short summary of the movements of the 442nd following the brutal fighting in the Vosges Mountains, including the Rescue. According to historical information in the National Archives, the 100th Infantry Battalion was detached from the RCT on November 10 and was sent to Nice on the southern coast of France.  The rest of the 442nd RCT was given relief on November 17 after...

This Time in 442nd RCT History (Jan 2018)

The Champagne Campaign in the French Maritime Alps, Part 2 A brief summary of the “Champagne Campaign” was included in the November 2017 E-newsletter.  The 100th/442nd was assigned to protect the right flank of the Sixth Army Group along the French-Italian border in the French Maritime Alps from November 1944 to March 1945.  Despite the use of the term “champagne” and the liberty granted many of the men to Nice, Paris and other French towns and cities, there was still war at hand and daily patrols and fighting took place. Excerpts from the Headquarters 442D Regimental Combat Team Monthly Historical Report for the month of January 1945 will serve to highlight some of what the men lived through during this “campaign”. New Year’s Day 1945,...