Saburo Nishime

Dog Company, 100th Infantry Battalion

 

Early Military Service

Saburo Nishime (Co. D, 100th Inf. Bn.) in Rome, Italy, 1944. [Courtesy of Elaine Nishime]

Saburo Nishime was drafted in November 1941 at the age of 23 and reported to Schofield Barracks on Oahu. On December 7, 1941, Nishime was stationed in Hawaii as a recent draftee undergoing training. He recalled, “I was back at my old rooming house on South Street when I was awakened by a loud explosion… I turned on the radio and heard the announcement that Pearl Harbor was under attack by Japanese planes.”

Initially, the reality of the situation was difficult to grasp: “News like that doesn’t readily sink in.” Traveling through Honolulu, he reached Kaimuki, where he witnessed the devastation firsthand. “From there, I could see across to Pearl Harbor, where the ARIZONA was engulfed in thick black smoke. I then realized that I needed to report back to Boom Town.”

On his way to Schofield Barracks — referred to as “Boom Town”— he observed the destruction at Pearl Harbor more clearly. “We could see the ARIZONA still burning furiously and the OKLAHOMA had rolled over, with only the bottom of the hull showing.”

The atmosphere at camp was chaotic and tense. Nishime described an incident on the first night of the attack:

“Since the 0-3 (M1903 Springfield) rifles had already been issued to us recruits, bullets for the rifles were immediately issued. The first night of Dec. 7, the entire Boom Town was all out in the open area when there was a noise of an aircraft; and everybody let loose, firing their rifles into the sky at nothing. Later on, it was learned the firing that night brought down our own aircraft. Some members of Boom Town were detailed to pick up a badly wounded or dead pilot.

The following day, the recruits went through a hurry-up course on how to fire our 0-3 rifles. The first thing we learned was to make sure one’s face was resting heavily on the rifle. The 0-3 rifle had a mean kick-back when fired; and if one’s face was not resting tightly against the rifle, the kick-back was no ‘love tap.’

This was a period when there was a lot of animosity and distrust toward us Niseis in the military. I clearly remember one incident while in Boom Town, when they rudely woke the Niseis in the night and demanded that we turn over all our arms. I immediately went back to sleep and thought nothing more of it. Some of the Niseis reported that machine guns were mounted outside, with the guns facing us in the tents. The next morning, the camp commander, who was a colonel, called all of Boom Town together and explained that he had ordered the arms be pulled from the Niseis because they had received a call saying that the Niseis at Boom Town were planning to stage a riot. The commander also said that he trusted 75% of us but he had doubts about the rest; so to be on the safe side, he had ordered the arms taken away from the Niseis. The next day, the arms were returned to us and nothing more was mentioned about this incident.”

Toward the end of his training at Schofield, Nishime requested assignment to Kauai, where his parents lived, and was granted the transfer. He traveled aboard the Army transport Royal T. Frank, later recalling its fate: “A few trips later… it was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine lurking in that area. Some 30 of the Big Island group went down with the ship.”

Nishime was assigned to M Company, 299th Infantry Regiment, of the federally activated Hawaii National Guard on Kauai. In May 1942, Nishime and other American soldiers of Japanese ancestry were assembled at the 299th Infantry headquarters in Hanalei, Kauai, where they were informed they would be organized into a separate unit. They departed from Ahukini Harbor for Oahu, where they were reassigned to the Hawaiian Provisional Battalion, later redesignated as the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate). The unit subsequently trained at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, and Camp Shelby, Mississippi, before deploying overseas in August 1943.

Combat – Italian Campaigns

Nishime saw his first combat in Italy following the Allied landings near Salerno in September 1943. During operations along the Volturno River, he was wounded by artillery shrapnel. Initially believed to be more seriously injured, he was evacuated to a hospital near Caserta.

While recovering, Nishime briefly encountered General Mark Clark, commander of the U.S. Fifth Army. He later recalled the moment: “As he came down the aisle, he talked to all the wounded men… he came to me and asked, ‘100th Battalion?’ I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ That was the only words he spoke to me.”

Despite the initial severity attributed to his wounds, Nishime recovered quickly, noting, “My wounds weren’t as serious as I first thought and, within a week, I was ready to be discharged.” Upon rejoining his unit, he remembered the reaction of his fellow soldiers: “I returned to Dog Company, 2nd Platoon, and everyone was surprised I had recuperated so fast. The initial report was that I was finished.”

Nishime returned to the battalion just before its last crossing of the Volturno River, and participated in the 100th’s subsequent operations, including the assault on Hill 600. His recollections highlight the confusion and danger of night movements and combat conditions. He wrote, “The command members of the 100th Infantry Battalion tried to pick the covered route of approach as much as possible, but eventually had to cross open areas and become widely exposed to German artillery fire.”

The fighting on Hill 600 proved especially costly. Nishime described the deadly effectiveness of German mines and artillery. He noted the heavy casualties sustained during the assault, as he recalled:

“It was already dark when our column tried to go through the mine field. In the initial try ‘Alikoki’ tripped a bouncing baby personal mine, which exploded up in the air, and the resulting shrapnel from the exploding mine killed one of our members, wounded an officer and one of our buddies, Yoshinao Omiya, who was wounded in the eyes. In that instant Omiya was blinded for life. None of us will forget when we first saw Yoshinao Omiya’s picture on the front page of Life Magazine with bandages covering his eyes.”

Nishime went on to fight with the 100th from Colli to Cassino and at the Anzio Beachhead, where Allied forces endured prolonged artillery bombardment and limited mobility. Reflecting on survival in such conditions, he wrote simply, “In combat, to live long, you dig in.”

Following the breakout from Anzio, the 100th Infantry Battalion advanced northward. Nishime recalls the arrival of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in June 1944, and its first time in combat. “The 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 442nd Regiment started off the attack from Civitavecchia, and the 100th Bn. was initially held in reserve. The 2nd and 3rd Battalions. immediately ran into strong German opposition and suffered many casualties. Col. Pence then committed the 100th Bn.” He goes on to add, “The battle of Belvedere was a most highly successful operation for the 100th Infantry Battalion….The 100th Battalion was awarded its first Presidential Unit Citation for this battle.”

Combat in France and Return to Italy

Nishime continued to fight with the 100th as it moved into France. He notes that it was around this time that, “a vacancy occurred in our section for a jeep driver and I was asked to fill that position, which I gladly accepted.” Nishime participated in campaigns in France, including operations in the Vosges Mountains. He emphasized the unceasing danger of artillery and remembered the many friends he lost in the course of the fighting.

Regarding the battle to rescue the “Lost Battalion,” Nishime noted that his unit was actively engaged, even if later accounts often focused elsewhere: “The story of the rescue of the Lost Battalion has been told over and over again by various writers and historians, and they can tell it better than a mere jeep driver, so I leave it to them. But I can positively say this: The 100th Battalion was very much directly involved in the rescue, and I was with the 100th at that time.”

After serving in southern France, Nishime returned with the 100th to Italy for the final Allied offensive against German forces along the Gothic Line. He described the dangers of mines and fortifications, as well as the sudden nature of battlefield casualties.

Postwar and Legacy

In May 1945, German forces in Italy surrendered, bringing the European war to an end. He returned from Europe in the summer of 1945, arriving at New York Harbor, then travelling cross country by train. He recalled, “Anyone who was on a military cross country train during the summer of 1945 will recall how miserable a trip it was. There was a warm breeze blowing; and even with the coach windows wide open, there was no relief. Smoke and soot from the coal- burning steam engine train added to the misery; and without bath facilities, we all ended up at Camp Beal in California in a horrible stinking mess.”

Nishime returned to Hawaii, and was given a one-month leave to visit home. Nishime spent the time on Kauai. Sgt. Saburo Nishime was honorably discharged on September 14, 1945, in Honolulu. Through his recollections, Nishime documented the everyday realities of combat. His observations — ranging from brief encounters with senior commanders to the hardships of frontline service — offer insight into the resilience and contributions of the 100th Infantry Battalion and the broader legacy of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. His writings remain an important primary source for understanding the experiences of the American soldiers of Japanese ancestry during World War II.

Memories by Saburo Nishime (D Co., 100th Inf. Bn.) as published in the Club 100 “Puka Puka Parade” newsletter:

Saburo Nishime Letters
While Nishime was stationed at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin in 1942, he visited his brother Ralph over the Christmas holidays in Ann Arbor, where Ralph was a student at the University of Michigan. Letters written by Nishime to Ralph during the war and on his way back to Hawaii are part of our Letters Collection archives.

View Saburo Nishime Letters