Italy

From Anzio to the Arno: The 100th and 442nd in Italy
(Anzio Campaign / Rome-Arno Campaign)

Breakout from Anzio

On March 26, 1944, the replenished 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) was deployed to the Anzio beachhead, about 35 miles south of Rome. The Allied forces at Anzio were intended to break through the German defenses and advance toward Rome, while the Allied offensive at Cassino sought to break through the Gustav Line from the south. Success in both operations would open the way for the Allied advance on the Italian capital. Instead, determined German resistance at Anzio created a prolonged stalemate, keeping Allied forces pinned down in the surrounding plains.

The 100th moved to the vicinity of Borgo Montello, where its men occupied underground dugouts and war-damaged farmhouses. Except for security guards, the men generally remained sheltered during daylight unless ordered otherwise, emerging after sundown to patrol their assigned area, guard against enemy infiltration, and gather information on German movements.

On April 2, Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Singles assumed command of the 100th, with Major Caspar Clough returning to his position as second in command. With few prisoners being captured during patrols, regimental headquarters pressed for updated intelligence on German positions and movements.

Meanwhile, First Lieutenant Young Oak Kim (HQ) devised a plan to obtain intelligence about enemy units and their positions in the area. Kim, a Korean American from California, was one of the few Asian Americans to have attended Officer Candidate School. He had already developed a reputation as a bold and fearless leader.

On May 16, Kim and Private First Class Irving Akahoshi (HQ) crawled through enemy lines and captured two German soldiers. The prisoners provided valuable information about German units and their locations. The intelligence contributed to the Allied breakout from Anzio and subsequent advance toward Rome. For their courageous actions, Kim and Akahoshi were each awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

On May 23, Allied forces began their breakout from the Anzio beachhead. With the arrival of the third group of replacements from the 442nd RCT, the 100th was nearly back to full strength. Initially held in reserve, the battalion soon entered the fighting as the Allies advanced toward Rome. On May 27, the 100th moved toward Lanuvio, north of Anzio, where it became engaged in further combat.

Advance Toward Rome

On June 2, the 100th attacked German positions near Lanuvio, fighting its way through strong resistance. Earlier attempts by two battalions of the 135th Infantry Regiment to break through the German defenses had failed. The 100th engaged in fierce fighting, clearing lanes through minefields, and by the morning of June 3 had taken Pian Marano. The 100th and supporting units then continued the advance, clearing German forces from Hill 435, one of the last major positions blocking their route toward Rome.

The fighting near Lanuvio produced a number of notable individual acts of heroism. In this single battle, six men—Technical Sergeant Yeiki Kobashigawa (Co. B), Private First Class Haruto Ronald Kuroda (Co. B), Private First Class Shinyei Nakamine (Co. B), Private First Class Thomas Ono (Co. B), Private First Class Hiroshi Robert Yasutake (Co. C), and Staff Sergeant Yukio Yokota (Co. B) — were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Nakamine was killed in action during his attacks. Kobashigawa and Nakamine later had their Distinguished Service Crosses upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 2000.

On June 4, 1944, Allied forces advancing along other routes entered and liberated Rome while the 100th continued advancing north as German forces withdrew. Even as Allied forces entered Rome, fighting continued in the surrounding area. On June 5, near Genzano, Private Jesse Masato Hirata (Co. B) encountered an enemy sniper during a reconnaissance mission. When his rifle malfunctioned, Hirata picked up a German shovel and charged the enemy position, calling for assistance from his comrades. Seeing the approaching soldiers, three Germans surrendered. Hirata was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions.

Having fought its way forward from Lanuvio so rapidly, the battalion’s men believed they might be the first Allied combat unit to reach the Italian capital. However, when the 100th was only about 10 kilometers from Rome on June 5, it was ordered to halt its advance. The men were deeply disappointed, with some feeling that racial prejudice might have been a factor in the issuance of the order. They watched as trucks carrying other Fifth Army units and Allied troops rolled past them toward Rome, where they received a heroes’ welcome of applause and cheers.

The 100th Infantry Battalion eventually entered the outskirts of Rome that night, where only small groups of civilians still lingered on the sidewalks. For some of the battalion’s original members, the moment brought back memories of exactly two years earlier, when the Hawaiian Provisional Infantry Battalion had quietly departed Honolulu Harbor. Although headlines soon turned to the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, the liberation of Rome was a significant Allied victory. The 100th departed the city shortly afterward and moved to Civitavecchia for a much-needed rest.

Arrival of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team

On June 11, 1944, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT) who had recently arrived in Italy, moved into bivouac next to the 100th at Civitavecchia, northwest of Rome. The meeting brought emotional reunions between brothers, relatives, and friends. Roughly two-thirds of the 442nd’s original members were from Hawaiʻi. The battle-tested 100th helped prepare the newer soldiers of the 442nd for combat.

That same day, the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) was attached to the 442nd, which was assigned to the 34th Infantry Division. The 442nd RCT consisted of the 442nd Infantry Regiment with three battalions, the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion,
232nd Engineer Company, and 206th Army Band, but its 1st Battalion, depleted
after providing replacements to the 100th earlier in the year, and did not deploy with the regiment. It remained at Camp Shelby as a training battalion and was redesignated as the 171st Infantry Battalion (Separate).

The 100th served in the role of the 442nd Infantry Regiment’s 1st Battalion while remaining a separate unit.

Before returning to combat, the men were given a period of rest and furloughs. The respite was brief. The 100th and 442nd soon moved north with the 34th Division as the Fifth Army continued its advance toward the Arno River.

Capture of Belvedere

The 34th Infantry Division, including the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) and the newly arrived 442nd RCT, prepared for an operation to capture Belvedere. Situated in northern Tuscany, the town was strategically important to the Allied advance because of its position along the German defensive line and the roads connecting the area.

On June 26, under the command of Regimental Commander Colonel Charles Pence, the 442nd RCT entered its first major combat in Italy near Belvedere, with the 100th initially held in reserve. By midday, however, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 442nd were struggling to advance under heavy German fire. During a personal reconnaissance west of Belvedere, 34th Division commander Major General Charles Ryder’s scouts were ambushed and captured. Ryder and those accompanying him escaped by moving back to another command vehicle.

Pence ordered the 100th into the attack. With little time for ground reconnaissance, Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Singles and his company commanders quickly developed a plan. Rather than attacking directly into the German defenses, the battalion maneuvered around the enemy position and struck from an unexpected direction. Within hours, the 100th had penetrated behind the German defenses, captured Belvedere, and cut the main road from the town toward Sassetta. The maneuver helped force the German defenders to withdraw, while the 100th captured prisoners and liberated members of the 34th Division reconnaissance group who had been captured earlier that day.

For its outstanding performance in the fighting at Belvedere and Sassetta on June 26–27, the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation, later redesignated the Presidential Unit Citation. The Presidential Unit Citation is the nation’s highest military unit award for valor, recognizing extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy. The citation praised the battalion’s determination, initiative, and combat effectiveness in overcoming a strongly defended German position that had been impeding the division’s advance.

Representatives of the 100th participated in a Fourth of July review honoring Secretary of War Henry Stimson outside Cecina, Italy. Col. Pence selected Captain Sakae Takahashi and the 100th’s Company B, which he commanded, to serve as the color guard representing the battalion. Maj. Gen. Ryder presented them to Secretary Stimson as his “best outfit.”

The success at Belvedere marked the first major engagement in which the battle-tested 100th fought alongside the newly arrived 442nd RCT. It also demonstrated the effectiveness of the two Japanese American units fighting together and marked the beginning of a series of hard-fought victories for the 100th and 442nd in Italy and France.

The Battle for Hill 140 and Castellina

On July 3, 1944, the 100th and 442nd entered a five-day battle for Hill 140, also referred to as “Little Cassino,” because of its heavily mined terrain and strong German defenses. It stood in the way of the Allied advance toward nearby Castellina.

The 442nd’s 2nd Battalion captured Hill 140 after hard fighting while the 100th was held in reserve. Shortly after midnight on July 7, the 100th returned to action, relieving the 2nd Battalion and advancing toward high ground north of Castellina. The 100th fought its way forward against strong German resistance and helped secure the area as the Allied advance continued.

During the fighting, Private First Class Kaoru Moto (Co. C) attacked enemy machine-gun positions, captured a German soldier, and continued fighting despite being severely wounded. On July 8, Second Lieutenant Takeichi “Chicken” Miyashiro (Co. C) led his squad in capturing a farmhouse occupied by a German machine-gun position and repelling repeated counterattacks, remaining behind to cover his men’s withdrawal. The following day, Private First Class Kiichi Koda (Co. A) led an assault on a German-held castle, where he was killed by an enemy grenade. All three were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for their heroism; Moto’s award was later upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 2000.

After Castellina was captured, the 100th was relieved and began a slow advance toward the port city of Leghorn (Livorno). On July 19, the 100th was among the early Allied units to enter Livorno, known to the Allies as Leghorn. The city had been heavily damaged by the fighting, and German forces had withdrawn farther north. The battalion guarded key installations and performed security duties before moving to the 34th Division’s rest area at Vada.

First Presidential Unit Citation and Retaining the 100th Identity

On July 27, 1944, at Vada, Italy, Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark, commander of the Fifth Army, formally decorated the colors of the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) and the guidons of its companies with the blue streamer representing the Distinguished Unit Citation for the Battle of Belvedere. Later redesignated the Presidential Unit Citation, it was the first of seven such citations ultimately awarded to the 100th/442nd during World War II.

The citation, issued in Fifth Army Headquarters General Orders No. 121 on July 18, 1944, reads in part:

“THE 100TH INFANTRY BATTALION (SEPARATE) is cited for outstanding performance of duty in action on 26 and 27 June 1944 in the vicinity of Belvedere and Sassetta, Italy…With insufficient time for a proper physical reconnaissance but with a determined desire to fulfill its important mission, the battalion quickly formulated its plan and launched the operation…All three companies went into action, boldly facing murderous fire from all types of weapons and tanks and at times fighting without artillery support.

Doggedly the members of the 100th Infantry Battalion fought their way into the strongly defended positions. The stubborn desire of the men to close with a numerically superior enemy and the rapidity with which they fought enabled the 100th Infantry Battalion to destroy completely the right flank positions of a German army, killing at least 178 Germans, wounding approximately 20, capturing 73, and forcing the remainder of a completely disrupted battalion to surrender approximately 10 kilometers of ground.

In addition, large quantities of enemy weapons, vehicles, and equipment were either captured or destroyed, while the American infantry division operating in the sector was able to continue its rapid advance. The fortitude and intrepidity displayed by the officers and men of the 100th Infantry Battalion reflect the finest traditions of the Army of the United States.”

At Vada, the men also learned that the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) would be formally integrated into the 442nd RCT. The strong desire among members of the 100th to retain their unit designation had been communicated to headquarters. Chaplain Masao Yamada of the 442nd also wrote to the War Department requesting that the 100th be allowed to keep its original designation.

Headquarters Fifth Army issued General Orders No. 132, directing that, effective August 10, 1944 the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) would be redesignated the “100th Battalion, 442d Infantry.” Issued by command of Lt. Gen. Clark, the order incorporated the battle-tested 100th into the 442nd while preserving its historic “100th” designation.

The change ended the 100th’s status as a separate battalion, but not its identity. Although it continued to function as the 442nd’s 1st Battalion, it retained its historic 100th designation, recognizing its distinguished combat record. The battle-tested battalion that had landed at Salerno less than a year earlier would continue fighting as the 100th Battalion together with the 442nd RCT.

Of the 340 members of the 100th Infantry Battalion who died during World War II, approximately 73 percent would lose their lives before this formal integration of the battalion into the 442nd.

From Italy to France

In August 1944, the 100th Battalion was temporarily detached from the 442nd and assigned to the Arno River line east of Pisa, where it conducted patrols and guarded the sector. On August 19, Private Masato “Curly” Nakae (Co. A) distinguished himself near Pisa by taking up a wounded comrade’s rifle and launching rifle grenades to force an advancing enemy attack to withdraw. Despite being seriously wounded by mortar fire, he continued fighting until the enemy withdrew. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, later upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 2000.

On September 1, 1944, the 100th crossed the Arno River in waist-deep water as Allied forces prepared for the advance against the German Gothic Line and into the Po Valley. The battalion advanced to the Serchio River, where it held its position until being relieved on September 6 and moved south to Castiglioncello.

On September 7, the 100th rejoined the 442nd at Castiglioncello. On September 10, the 100th/442nd moved south to Piombino, where it boarded the U.S. Army Liberty ship John Holmes and departed for Naples.

Arriving in Naples on September 12, the 100th/442nd was detached from the Fifth Army and assigned to the Seventh Army. The regiment bivouacked in the Naples area while replacements arrived from the United States, and the men received passes to visit the city.

During its stay near Naples, representatives from each company of the 100th met to approve bylaws and elect officers for its post-war veterans’ club that would become the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans (Club 100) in Hawaiʻi. Since their time training on the mainland, at Camp McCoy in 1942, the men of the 100th had been contributing a percentage of their pay to a fund, sent to Charles Hemenway in Honolulu for investment. By this time this fund had reportedly grown to over $30,000. Katsumi “Doc” Kometani was elected as the club’s first president, Sakae Takahashi vice president, Andrew Okamura secretary, and Hideo Yamashita treasurer.

On September 21, the 100th/442nd moved to Bagnoli. Then on September 27, it departed Naples aboard the U.S.S. Samuel Chase for Marseille, France. Two days later, the soldiers arrived in France, where the 100th/442nd would soon enter a new and exceptionally difficult phase of the war in the Vosges Mountains.

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• France (Rhineland Campaign)
• Return to Italy (North Apennines Campaign / Po Valley Campaign)