242nd Infantry Regiment (United States)
242nd Infantry Regiment | |
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Active | 1943–1947 1975–1984 |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Army
|
Type | Infantry |
Motto(s) | Valor and Force |
Engagements | World War II
|
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Colonel Burns Beall Colonel Norman C. Caum |
U.S. Infantry Regiments | ||||
|
The 242nd Infantry Regiment was a formation of the
, in January 1945.Formation
In June 1943, the United States Department of War issued orders reactivating the 42nd Infantry Division for service in World War II.[1] The division's task organization included the 222nd, 232nd, and 242nd Infantry Regiments.[1]
The cadre of experienced officers and noncommissioned officers around which the 242nd Infantry formed had recently returned from overseas service in
Recruits, draftees, and soldiers reassigned to the 242nd Infantry began arriving at Camp Gruber in August 1943.[1] At the end of October, the 242nd Infantry Regiment reached 100 percent of its authorized strength.[1]
The regiment's first commander was Colonel Burns Beall.[1] He was subsequently assigned as the division chief of staff, and was succeeded by Colonel Norman C. Caum in October 1944.[2]
Task organization
The 242nd Infantry Regiment's World War II task organization included:[3]
- Regimental headquarters
- Headquarters Company
- Anti-Tank Company
- Cannon Company
- Service Company
- Medical Detachment
- 1st Battalion
- Headquarters Company
- Company A
- Company B
- Company C
- Company D
- 2nd Battalion
- Headquarters Company
- Company E
- Company F
- Company G
- Company H
- 3rd Battalion
- Headquarters Company
- Company I
- Company K
- Company L
- Company M
Combat history
Following training at Camp Gruber and transport to Europe, the 42nd Infantry Division's three infantry regiments and a detachment of the division headquarters arrived at
While defending a 31-mile sector along the
In February 1945, the full 42nd Division entered combat and took up defensive positions near
The 42nd Division moved across the Rhine on March 31, captured
On April 25, the 42nd Infantry Division captured Donauwörth on the Danube.[13] On April 29, soldiers of the 222nd Infantry under Linden's command liberated approximately 30,000 prisoners at Dachau concentration camp.[14]
The 42nd Division ended World War II on occupation duty in Austria. While serving on occupation duty, the regiment’s 1st Battalion was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation (United States) for their stand at Hatten in January 1945.[15]The regiment was inactivated in January 1947.[16]
Campaign participation credit
The 242nd Infantry Regiment's campaign participation credit included:[17]
- Ardennes-Alsace
- Rhineland
- Central Europe
Post-World War II
In April 1975, the New York Army National Guard's 142nd Tank Battalion was converted to Infantry and re-designated 1st Battalion, 242nd Infantry Regiment, a unit of New York's 42nd Division.[18][19] This unit was inactivated in April 1984.[19]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g 242d Infantry Regiment, 42d Infantry Division, p. 65.
- ^ 242d Infantry Regiment, 42d Infantry Division, pp. 9, 65.
- ^ 242d Infantry Regiment, 42d Infantry Division, pp. 76–131.
- ^ 42nd "Rainbow" Infantry Division, p. 13.
- ^ a b 42nd "Rainbow" Infantry Division, pp. 13–14.
- ^ 42nd "Rainbow" Infantry Division, pp. 15–16.
- ^ 42nd "Rainbow" Infantry Division, pp. 21–22.
- ^ 42nd "Rainbow" Infantry Division, p. 36.
- ^ 42nd "Rainbow" Infantry Division, pp. 47–48.
- ^ 42nd "Rainbow" Infantry Division, pp. 53, 70.
- ^ 42nd "Rainbow" Infantry Division, p. 77.
- ^ 42nd "Rainbow" Infantry Division, pp. 83–84.
- ^ 42nd "Rainbow" Infantry Division, p. 89.
- ^ Dachau 29 April 1945.
- ^ 42nd "Rainbow" Infantry Division.
- ^ Maneuver and Firepower.
- ^ The Encyclopedia of the War Years, 1941-1945, p. 251.
- ^ "242nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion".
- ^ a b United States Army Infantry, Artillery, Armor/Cavalry Battalions 1957-2011, p. 39.
Sources
Books
- Aumiller, Timothy S. (2008). United States Army Infantry, Artillery, Armor/Cavalry Battalions 1957-2011. Takoma Park, MD: Tiger Lily Publications. ISBN 978-0-9776-0722-8 – via Google Books.
- 242d Infantry Regiment Staff (1944). 242d Infantry Regiment, 42d Infantry Division. Baton Rouge, LA: Army and Navy Publishing Company of Louisiana. )
- Daly, Hugh C. (1945). 42nd "Rainbow" Infantry Division: A Combat History of World War II. Baton Rouge, LA: Army and Navy Publishing Company of Louisiana – via Internet Archive.
- Dann, Sam (1998). Dachau 29 April 1945: The Rainbow Liberation Memoirs. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-89672-391-7 – via Internet Archive.
- Polmar, Norman; Allen, Thomas B. (2012). World War II: The Encyclopedia of the War Years, 1941-1945. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0-4864-7962-0 – via Google Books.
- Wilson, John B. (1998). "Chapter VIII: An Interlude of Peace". Maneuver and Firepower: The Evolution of Divisions and Separate Brigades. Army Lineage Series. United States Army Center of Military History. CMH Pub 60-14. Archived from the original on 26 December 2012.
Internet
- "242nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion". dmna.ny.gov. Albany, NY: New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs. Retrieved October 25, 2019.