History Of The Third Infantry Division In World War II, Vol. III

By Lt. Donald G. Taggart

Few units in the U.S. Army can boast as proud a unit history as the Third Infantry Division; it fought on all of the Europe and North African fronts that American soldiers were engaged against the Axis forces during World War II. The 3rd Infantry Division saw combat in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, Germany and Austria for 531 consecutive days. In this official division history written by the officers who served with the unit at the time serves as a fascinating memorial and a detailed history of the “Marne Division” during World War II.

The 3rd Inf. Division made landfall in Fedala on the 8th November 1942 as part of Operation Torch during the Allied invasion of North Africa and was engaged in heavy fighting before the German and Italian troops were finally levered out of the continent. The division was back in the thick of the fighting in Sicily under the command of such famous leaders as Generals Lucien Truscott, Omar Bradley and George S. Patton. As part of General Mark Clark’s U.S. Fifth army it engaged in some of the bloodiest engagements of the Italian campaign at Salerno beaches, Volturno river, Monte Cassino and Anzio. Under their old division commander General Truscott they formed part of the force that landed in Southern France and battled into the heart of Germany before the eventual capitulation of the Nazi High command in 1945.

Richly illustrated with maps and pictures throughout.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lucknow Books
• Release date: Mar 28, 2016
• ISBN: 9781786258786

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Text originally published in 1947 under the same title.

© Pickle Partners Publishing 2016, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

Publisher’s Note

Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

HISTORY OF THE THIRD INFANTRY DIVISION IN WORLD WAR II

EDITED BY

DONALD G. TAGGART

Vol. III

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

APPENDIX 6

DECORATIONS AND AWARDS 6

Medal of Honour 6

Distinguished Service Cross 32

Silver Star 32

Legion of Merit 47

Bronze Star 49

Distinguished Unit Citations 75

Meritorious Service Unit Plaque 88

Battle Credits 3d Infantry Division 92

THIRD (REGULAR ARMY) DIVISION, WORLD WAR I 94

ROSTERS OF PERSONNEL WHO SERVED OVERSEAS IN WORLD WAR II 96

3d Infantry Division Commanders & Staff 96

Headquarters and Headquarters Company 3d Infantry Division 98

7th Infantry Regiment 102

15th Infantry Regiment 138

30th Infantry Regiment 169

Headquarters and Headquarters Battery—3d Infantry Division Artillery 198

9th Field Artillery Battalion (Medium) 200

10th Field Artillery Battalion (Light) 204

39th Field Artillery Battalion (Light) 208

41st Field Artillery Battalion (Light) 212

3d Reconnaissance Troop 216

10th Engineer Combat Battalion 219

3d Medical Battalion 224

3d Signal Company 227

3d Quartermaster Company 230

703d Ordnance Company 233

3d Infantry Division Band 235

441st Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion (Sp) 237

601st Tank Destroyer Battalion 242

756th Tank Battalion 249

The Dogface Soldier 254

REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 257

APPENDIX

DECORATIONS AND AWARDS

Medal of Honour

The Medal of Honor is awarded in the name of the Congress to each person who, while an officer, non-commissioned officer, or private of the Army, in action involving actual conflict with an enemy, distinguishes himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk, of his life above and beyond the call of duty.

In order to justify an award of the Medal of Honor, the individual must perform in action a deed of personal bravery or self-sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty, so conspicuous as clearly to distinguish him for gallantry and intrepidity above his comrades, involving risk of life or the performance of more than ordinarily hazardous service, the omission of which would not justly subject him to censure as for shortcoming or failure in the performance of his duty. The recommendations for the decoration will be judged by this standard of extraordinary merit and incontestable proof of the performance of the service will be exacted. (Act of 9 July 1918, 40 Stat. 870; to U. S. C. 1403; M. L. 1939 sec. 903).

S/SGT. LUCIAN ADAMS, 38417252, Company I, 30th Infantry. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity as the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. On 28 October 1944 near St. Dié, France, when his company was stopped in its effort to drive through the Mortagne Forest to reopen the supply line to the isolated 3d Battalion, Sergeant Adams braved the concentrated fire of machine guns in a lone assault on a force of German troops. Although his company had progressed less than 10 yards and had lost three killed and six wounded, Sergeant Adams charged forward dodging from tree to tree, firing a borrowed BAR from his hip. Despite intense machine-gun fire which the enemy directed at him and rifle grenades which struck the trees over his head, showering him with broken twigs and branches. Sergeant Adams made his way to within 10 yards of the closest machine gun and killed the gunner with a hand grenade. An enemy soldier threw hand grenades at him from a position only 10 yards distant; however, Sergeant Adams dispatched him with a single burst of BAR fire. Charging into the vortex of the enemy fire, he killed another enemy machine gunner at 15 yards range with a hand grenade and forced the surrender of the two supporting infantrymen. Although the remainder of the German group concentrated the full force of their automatic-weapons fire in a desperate effort to knock him out, he proceeded through the woods to find and exterminate five more of the enemy. Finally, when the third German machine gun opened up on him as a range of 20 yards, Sergeant Adams killed the gunner with BAR fire. In the course of action, he personally killed nine Germans, eliminated three enemy machine guns, vanquished a specialized force which was armed with automatic weapons and grenade launchers, cleared the woods of hostile elements, and reopened the severed supply line to the assault companies of his battalion.

SGT. SYLVESTER ANTOLAK, 3503502, Company B, 15th Infantry, on 24 May 1944 neat Cisterna di Littoria, Italy, charged 200 yards over flat, coverless terrain to destroy an enemy machine-gun nest during the second day of the offensive which broke through the German cordon of Steel around the Anzio beachhead. Fully 30 yards in advance of his squad, he ran into withering enemy machine-gun, machine-pistol, and ride fire. Three times he was struck by bullets and knocked to the ground, but each time he struggled to his feet to continue his relentless advance. With one shoulder deeply gashed and his right arm shattered, he continued to rush directly into the enemy fire concentration with his submachine gun wedged under his uninjured arm until within 15 yards of the enemy strongpoint, where he opened fire at deadly close range, killing 2 Germans and forcing the remaining 10 to surrender. He reorganized his men and, refusing to seek the medical attention he needed so badly, chose to lead the way toward another strong point 100 yards distant. Utterly disregarding the hail of bullets concentrated on him, he had stormed ahead neatly three-fourths of the Space between Strong points when he was instantly killed by hostile rifle fire. Inspired by his example, his squad went or to overwhelm the enemy troops. By his supreme sacrifice, superb fighting courage, and heroic devotion to the attack, Sergeant Antolak was directly responsible for eliminating 20 Germans, capturing an enemy machine gun, and clearing the path for his company to advance.

S/SGT. STANLEY BENDER, 6920404, Company E, 7th Infantry, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in action involving actual conflict. On 17 August 1944, near La Londe, France, Staff Sergeant Bender climbed on top of a knocked-our tank, in the face of withering machine-gun fire which had halted the advance of his company, in an effort to locate the source of this fire. Although bullets ricocheted off the turret at his feet, Staff Sergeant Bender nevertheless remained standing bolt upright in full view of the enemy for over two minutes. Locating the enemy machine guns on a knoll 200 yards away, he ordered two squads to cover him and led his men down an irrigation ditch, running a gantlet of intense machine-gun fire, which completely blanketed 50 yards of his advance and wounded four of his men. While the Germans hurled hand grenades at the ditch, Staff Sergeant Bender stood his ground until his squad caught up with him, then advanced alone, in a wide, flanking approach, to the rear-of the knoll. He walked deliberately a distance of 40 yards without cover in full view of the Germans and under a hail of both enemy and friendly fire, to the first machine gun, 25 yards distant.