Lost Battalion (Europe, World War II)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2009) |
| Lost Battalion | |
|---|---|
Vosges Mountains , France | |
| Result | American victory |
United States
GermanyJohn Dahlquist
Marty Higgins (141st)
- 141st Infantry Regiment
- 636th Tank Destroyer Battalion
- 753rd Tank Battalion
- 133rd Field Artillery Battalion
- 100th Infantry Battalion
- 3rd Infantry Battalion
- 522nd Artillery Battalion
743rd Tank Battalion
83rd Chemical Battalion
244th Infantry Division
- 933rd Grenadier Regiment
716th Infantry Division
- 736th Grenadier Regiment
141st Regiment
275 soldiers
2,943 soldiers
141st Regiment
64 killed/wounded/missing and captured
800 casualties
"The Lost Battalion" refers to the 1st Battalion,
Vosges Mountains on 24 October 1944.[1]
Battle
Against the advice of his senior officers, Maj. General
371st Fighter Group airdropped supplies to the 275 trapped soldiers, but conditions on the ground quickly deteriorated as the Germans continued to repel American attempts to reach the trapped unit.[3]
The final rescue attempt was made by the
Moosburg
, Bavaria, where they remained until the POW camp was liberated on 29 April 1945.
The combined 100th Battalion and the 442nd is the most decorated unit in U.S. military history for its size and length of service, with the 100th Infantry Battalion earning the nickname "The Purple Heart Battalion" due to the number injured in combat.
Legacy
In 1962, Texas Governor
Military Intelligence Service, the Congressional Gold Medal
, for which a ceremony was held at the Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol in October 2011, followed by local ceremonies in California, Hawaii, and other states from which unit members had been unable to travel to Washington, D.C.
See also
References
- ^ Video: Armistice Day In France Etc. (1944). Universal Newsreel. 1944. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ^ Williams, Rudi. "The 'Go For Broke' Regiment Lives Duty, Honor, Country Archived 14 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine" (25 May 2000), American Forces Press Service. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- ^ a b c Grubb, Abbie Salyers. "Rescue of the Lost Battalion". Densho Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- ^ Tanaka, Chester, Go For Broke: A Pictorial History of the Japanese American 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, (Novato: Presidio, 1997), p 99.
- ^ Kakesako, Greg K. "Today, an old wrong is righted as 22 Asian-American heroes are awarded the nation's highest honor for bravery in battle" (21 June 2000), Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
Further reading
- Newman, Tamera. Loyal, No Matter What, edited by Jim Tazoi and Kimiko Yagi Tazoi, Logan, UT: Watkins Printing, 2006
- U.S. Samurais in Bruyeres by Pierre Moulin –