France

Rescue of the “Lost Battalion” and the Maritime Alps
(Rhineland Campaign)

The Rescue of the “Lost Battalion”

On October 24, 1944, following the intense, almost non-stop battles of Bruyères and Biffontaine, the 100th/442nd was placed in reserve. The men had little time to rest before beginning another period of intense fighting through the thick Vosges forest. On October 26, the regiment was ordered back into combat to rescue the 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment of the 36th Infantry Division, which had become surrounded by German forces in the forested hills east of Biffontaine.

Major General John Dahlquist, commander of the 36th Division, had ordered the 1st Battalion, 141st Regiment to pursue German forces deep into the forest. Officers and soldiers warned that the unit could become isolated, but Dahlquist ordered them to continue. The battalion moved beyond the support of nearby units and was soon surrounded and cut off from the rest of the division by German forces.

About 275 soldiers of the 141st had become trapped behind German lines. They had endured repeated German attacks and were running low on food and ammunition, while many wounded soldiers needed medical care. After earlier attempts had failed, Dahlquist ordered the 100th/442nd to break through the German lines and rescue the surrounded battalion.

In the cold, wet early morning of October 27, the 100th and 3rd Battalions moved out from Belmont and attacked through the thick forest, with the 100th on the right and the 3rd Battalion on the left. The 2nd Battalion protected the regiment’s left flank and maintained contact with the 7th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Division.

The 100th and 3rd Battalions faced stubborn German resistance as they slowly fought their way through the forest. The Germans used the thick trees for cover and defended their positions with machine guns, mortars, artillery, and minefields. The soldiers also faced cold, wet weather and increasing cases of trench foot.

On October 28, the two battalions continued their advance against German defensive positions and roadblocks. The three rifle companies of the 100th Battalion moved forward on the right while the 3rd Battalion fought through the forest on the left. Meanwhile, the 2nd Battalion attacked Hill 617, helping protect the regiment’s left flank.

The fighting became even more intense on October 29. Dahlquist ordered both the 3rd and 100th Battalions to “push at all costs.” The 3rd Battalion encountered a German roadblock along a narrow trail, protected by machine guns and mines. Under intense fire, its soldiers fought their way through in close, hand-to-hand combat, in a “banzai charge” with bayonets and grenades into German machine-gun positions. The men succeeded in breaking through the roadblock but suffered heavy casualties.

Meanwhile, the 100th Battalion advanced on the right, facing strong German resistance and heavy shelling. Its soldiers skirted minefields and continued pushing forward while Company A guarded the battalion’s exposed flank against German attempts to attack from the rear.

On October 30, after another artillery and mortar bombardment, the 100th and 3rd Battalions resumed their advance. The 2nd Platoon of Company B, 100th Battalion, broke through a German minefield and reached an outpost of the Lost Battalion. Meanwhile, a patrol from Company I, 3rd Battalion broke through from another direction and reached the trapped soldiers. The long-awaited rescue was confirmed by radio.

After being surrounded for seven days, the 211 surviving soldiers of the Lost Battalion were rescued. During their isolation, they fought off repeated German attacks as their food and ammunition dwindled and their wounded needed medical attention. Attempts by the Allies to drop supplies to the battalion had largely failed, with much of the supplies landing in German-held areas.

The rescue came at a tremendous cost. Published accounts estimate 54 killed in action and around 300 wounded in the 100th/442nd during the five-day effort to rescue the Lost Battalion. History would remember the heroic effort – the Lost Battalion rescue is listed in U.S. Army annals as one of the ten most significant battles of World War II.

The rescue did not end the regiment’s combat in the Vosges. On October 31, the 100th and 3rd Battalions moved into new positions overlooking the road from Biffontaine. The 100th took a defensive position and guarded a roadblock, while the 3rd Battalion moved toward its objective. Both battalions reached their positions by dusk and continued patrolling the area. Meanwhile, the 2nd Battalion continued to protect the regiment’s left flank and maintain contact with the 7th Infantry. As the men remained in the field, increasing cases of trench foot, wounds, and exhaustion led to more soldiers being evacuated from the front.

The fighting had left the 100th/442nd severely depleted. In October 1944 alone, the regiment reported more than 800 casualties. The 100th/442nd’s October 1944 wartime battle casualty summary records 117 killed in action, 639 wounded in action, 18 injured in action, and 40 missing in action — a total of 814 battle casualties during the month of fighting in the Vosges.

 

Presidential Unit Citations in the Vosges

The 100th Battalion earned its second Presidential Unit Citation (originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation), recognizing its actions at Bruyères, Biffontaine, and in the rescue of the Lost Battalion.

The citation, issued in Seventh Army Headquarters, General Orders No. 360 on August 3, 1945, reads in part:

“The 100th Battalion, 442nd Regimental Team is cited for outstanding accomplishment in combat during the period 15 October 1944 to 30 October 1944, near Bruyeres, Biffontaine, and in the Foret Domaniale de Champ, France. During a series of actions that played a telling part in the 442nd Regimental Team’s operation which spearheaded a divisional attack on the Seventh Army front, this unit displayed extraordinary courage, endurance and soldierly skill.

Jumping off in the attack on the morning of 15 October 1944, the 100th Battalion fought an almost continuous four-day firefight in freezing and rainy weather, through jungle-like forests, to wrest the strongly fortified hill “A”, dominating Bruyeres, from a fanatically resisting enemy…

To attack hill “A” proper, the battalion was forced to cross 150 yards of open terrain covered by seven enemy machine guns and heavy automatic weapon fire. Following an artillery barrage, limited because a draw lay between the two high hills, the battalion, with one company acting as a base of fire, launched a frontal attack. Covered by friendly tank fire, waves of platoon after platoon zig-zagged across the open field into a hail of hostile fire. So skillfully coordinated was the attack that numerous casualties were inflicted on the enemy, and the capture of the town was assured.”

The citation goes on to note the 100th Battalion’s part in the liberation of Biffontaine as follows.

“During the three day operation, beginning on 21 October 1944, that resulted in the capture of Biffontaine, the 100th Battalion fought two miles into enemy territory as a self-contained task force.

On the third day of the attack, the battalion launched an assault to capture the isolated town. In the first surprise onslaught the battalion captured large quantities of supplies and ammunition which it turned against the enemy.

Counterattacking enemy troops and tanks approached and fired pointblank into their position. Shouting defiance in the face of demands for surrender, the men of the 100th Battalion fired their rifles and threw captured hand grenades at the enemy tanks. Bitter fighting at close range resulted in the capture of the entire town…”

Finally, the citation documents the 100th Battalion’s part in the rescue of the Lost Battalion as follows.

“On 27 October 1944, the 100th Battalion was again committed to the attack. Going to the rescue of the ‘lost battalion’, 141st Infantry Regiment, it fought without respite for four days against a fanatical enemy that was determined to keep the ‘lost battalion’ isolated and force its surrender. Impelled by the urgency of its mission, the battalion fought forward, risking encirclement as slower moving units left its flank exposed…

As the terrain precluded a flanking movement, the battalion was forced to the only alternative of a frontal attack against a strongly entrenched enemy. Attacking in waves of squads and platoons, and firing from the hip as they closed in to grenade range, the valiant men of the 100th reduced the enemy defense lines within a few hours…

On the fourth day, although exhausted and reduced through casualties to about half its normal strength, the battalion fought doggedly forward against strong enemy small arms and mortar fire until it contacted the isolated unit. The extraordinary heroism, daring determination and esprit de corps de corps displayed by the men of the 100th Battalion during these actions live as an inspiration and add glory to the highest traditions of the Armed Forces of the United States.”

Presidential Unit Citations were also awarded to other elements of the 442nd for their actions in the Vosges: Companies F and L, the 2nd Battalion, the 3rd Battalion, and the 232nd Engineer Combat Company were recognized for their contributions to the campaign. Together, these five citations — the nation’s highest military unit award for valor, recognizing extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy — reflected the extraordinary performance of the 100th/442nd during the fighting in the Vosges Mountains.

 

From the Vosges to the Maritime Alps

On November 8, 1944, the 100th Battalion was detached from the 442nd and the 36th Infantry Division, and the battalion moved to an Army Rest Center south of Épinal. The rest of the 442nd RCT was relieved shortly afterward and spent November 10 to 12 finally receiving much needed rest.

On November 10, the 100th left the Vosges and headed south toward Nice for more needed rest. By this time, it was reported that only eight or nine original members of the 100th Infantry Battalion remained in each company — men who had landed with the unit at Salerno in September 1943.

On November 12, Major General John Dahlquist called the 442nd (less the 100th) out for a regimental formation to recognize the soldiers. When he saw the small number of men who assembled, he demanded to know why the entire regiment was not present. Regimental commander Colonel Charles Pence had been wounded during the Lost Battalion rescue, and Lieutenant Colonel Virgil Miller was temporarily commanding the regiment. Miller replied:

“Sir, you are looking at the entire regiment.”

The exhausted and depleted regiment had suffered enormous losses in the Vosges, but its soldiers had accomplished one of the most remarkable operations of the war.

Col. Pence returned as Regimental Commander on November 23, 1944.

In his keynote address at the 40th Anniversary Banquet commemorating the formation of the battalion, Kim recalled:

“My memories of France still show the bitterness burnt deeply into my soul.

Later, Gordon Singles, while filling a Brigadier General’s position at Fort Bragg, refused to publicly shake General Dahlquist’s hand at a full-dress review in the presence of the entire III Corps. Dahlquist was then a visiting 4-star General. He preferred remaining a Colonel than to shake Dalquist’s hand even though he asked forgiveness.

Years later after he retired, General Pence could not mention Dahlquist’s name without his voice shaking with anger.

You men did not know of these command differences and performed unbelievably in the face of the determined enemy at Cassino, Anzio and in France. There was never a question of whether the 100th could take an objective. There was only the question of how soon was its capture needed. The more time available to the 100th meant fewer casualties among our own men.”

 

The “Champagne Campaign” – Maritime Alps

The 100th Battalion left Nice on November 15, 1944, and relieved the 551st Parachute Infantry on November 17, carrying out reconnaissance and security patrols in the Maritime Alps sector. Meanwhile, the 442nd RCT (less the 100th) left the Vosges Mountains on November 19 to join the 100th in southern France, and replacements arrived to replenish their depleted ranks.

The 100th Battalion reverted to control of the 442nd Infantry on November 24 and was relieved on the evening of November 25. The battalion returned to Nice before moving by truck to Menton along the coastal highway. The sunny beaches, date palms along the roadside, and bougainvillea vines reminded many of the men of home in Hawaiʻi.

On November 28, the 100th entered the line on the outskirts of Menton.

The 100th/442nd spent the next several months in the Maritime Alps sector along the French-Italian border, maintaining defensive positions and conducting reconnaissance and security patrols. The men dubbed this period the “Champagne Campaign” because they were able to spend their leaves in towns along the French Riviera.

The 100th Battalion held defensive positions from Menton toward the area south of Sospel and Mount Grammondo, and conducted patrols in the surrounding mountains. The other elements of the 442nd covered a front of approximately 30 kilometers across the mountainous terrain. Although relatively quiet compared with the Vosges Mountains, duty in the Maritime Alps was not without danger. Sporadic shelling from both sides of the border, enemy mines and sniper fire, and encounters with enemy patrols posed continuing threats.

In mid-December, Joseph “Joe” Farrington, president of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and Hawaiʻi’s delegate to the U.S. Congress, visited the men in France. Respected for their support of the 100th Infantry Battalion and Americans of Japanese ancestry (AJAs), Farrington, Charles Hemenway, and Leslie Deacon had been voted by the men of the 100th as the first three Honorary Members of their veterans’ club. Farrington brought news from Hawaiʻi and promised to support efforts to obtain furloughs for the men to return home.

 

The Return to Italy

In mid-January 1945, Lieutenant Colonel Gordon Singles, who had commanded the 100th since April 1944, was promoted to colonel and transferred to the 397th Infantry Regiment. Singles had previously turned down an opportunity to command a regiment so he could remain with what he called his “little Army” of the 100th. The men were sorry to see him go but knew that the promotion was well deserved.

Captain Mitsuyoshi Fukuda was appointed executive officer of the battalion on January 18. Major Alex McKenzie then assumed command of the battalion until March 12, when Lieutenant Colonel Jack Conley of Maui took command of the 100th.

Meanwhile, Allied commanders were preparing to return the 100th/442nd to Italy for the spring offensive against German forces in northern Italy. By this time, the 100th Infantry Battalion had 18 months of combat experience, while the 442nd Regimental Combat Team had 9 months. Together, the AJA soldiers had established a remarkable combat record that was well known among Allied commanders.

General Mark Clark negotiated with General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, for the return of the 100th and 442nd. Clark commanded the U.S. Fifth Army until December 1944, when he assumed command of the Fifteenth Army Group. The Fifteenth Army Group was the Allied command responsible for coordinating the U.S. Fifth Army and British Eighth Army in Italy. Clark wanted the 100th and 442nd back in Italy to help break the German defensive line guarding the approaches to the Po Valley. Eisenhower had planned to use the 442nd in the Battle of the Bulge but agreed to Clark’s request.

The 522nd Field Artillery Battalion was detached from the 442nd RCT and retained by the U.S. Seventh Army, commanded by General Alexander Patch, for the Allied advance into Germany. The rest of the 100th/442nd was ordered back to Italy to fight with the Fifth Army. Clark planned to use the combat team as a “secret weapon” on the left flank, where the segregated 92nd Infantry Division needed additional support. The 100th/442nd would take part in a surprise diversionary attack against the western end of the Gothic Line.

The combat team received word that it would be relieved from its positions in the Maritime Alps. On March 16, the 100th Battalion left Menton by truck at night and moved to Marseille, where preparations were made for overseas movement with the rest of the regiment. On March 23, the 100th and elements of the 442nd departed Marseille aboard an LST (Landing Ship, Tank) convoy and arrived at Leghorn (Livorno), Italy, in secrecy. The 100th/442nd was placed under the Fifth Army and attached to the segregated 92nd Infantry Division, an all-Black combat division, for the final push into northern Italy.

. On March 23, the 100th departed Marseille aboard an LST (Landing Ship, Tank) convoy and arrived at Leghorn (Livorno), Italy, in secrecy. The 100th/442nd was placed under the Fifth Army and attached to the segregated 92nd Infantry Division, composed of African American soldiers, for the final push into northern Italy.

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• Italy (Naples-Foggia Campaign/ Anzio Campaign/ Rome-Arno Campaign)
• Return to Italy (North Apennines Campaign/Po Valley Campaign)