Posted on 05/29/2017 8:46:16 AM PDT by Retain Mike
The Army deployed 65 infantry divisions for the Second World War. Each was a small town with its own equivalents for community services within eight categories of combat arms. Units such as artillery, engineering, and heavy weapons engaged the enemy directly. Yet of all categories, the foot soldier faced the greatest hazard with the least chance of reward.
These civilians become warriors confronted the most dismal fate of all whose duty was uninterrupted by missions completed or a fixed deployment time. The infantryman was enveloped within a most deranged, barbaric, and brittle existence against a resolute enemy where victory often required actions pushing beyond prior limits for impossibility. Except for the Purple Heart and the coveted Combat Infantryman’s Badge, recognition often eluded these common men become citizen soldiers because so few came through to testify to the valor of the many.
Omar Bradley said, “Previous combat had taught us that casualties are lumped primarily in the rifle platoons. For here are concentrated the handful of troops who must advance under enemy fire. It is upon them that the burden of war falls with greater risk and with less likelihood of survival than any other of the combat arms. An infantry division of WW II consisted of 81 rifle platoons, each with a combat strength of approximately 40 men. Altogether those 81 assault units comprised but 3,240 men in a division of 14,000…..Prior to invasion we had estimated that the infantry would incur 70 percent of the losses of our combat forces. By August we had boosted that figure to 83 percent on the basis of our experience in the Normandy hedgerows.”
Nearly a third of the 65 divisions in the Pacific and European theaters suffered 100% or more casualties. However, their regimental staffs saw frontline units obliterated three to six times over. To deal with this problem there were never enough infantrymen coming from the states, though large numbers were transferred from Army Service Forces and Army Air Forces to Army Ground Forces. Replacement centers overseas continually reassigned artillerymen, machine gunners, cooks, and clerks to infantry duties. The situation in Europe became so severe that rear area units in France and Great Britain were tasked to supply soldiers for retraining as infantrymen. Those suffering battle fatigue came off the line for a few days for clean uniforms, bathing, hot food, and sleep. However, scarcity compelled their repeated return until crippling wounds, mental breakage, death, or victory brought final relief.
For example the 4th and 29th Infantry landed on D-Day and suffered about 500% battle casualties in their rifle platoons during the eleven months until VE-Day. Added to these numbers were half again as many non-battle human wrecks debilitated by trench foot, frost bite, pneumonia, hernia, heart disease, arthritis, etc. Many never returned to duty. In the jungles of the Pacific, non-combat losses often exacted a greater price. But somehow the infantry crossed Europe and the Pacific and always remained in the forefront of attacks.
Ernie Pyle said of them, “The worst experience of all is just the accumulated blur, and the hurting vagueness of being too long in the lines, the everlasting alertness, the noise and fear, the cell-by-cell exhaustion, the thinning of the surrounding ranks as day follows nameless day. And the constant march into the eternity of one’s own small quota of chances for survival. Those are the things that hurt and destroy. But they went back to them because they were good soldiers and they had a duty they could not define.”
Partial bibliography: A Soldier’s Story by Omar N. Bradley Brave Men by Ernie Pyle (the quote named Tommy Clayton, but was generalized here because Ernie Pyle saw him as an example of the infantrymen he loved.) Crusade in Europe by Dwight D. Eisenhower The U.S. Infantryman in World War II by Robert S. Rush Foot Soldier by Roscoe C. Blunt, Jr. Links for Listings of United States Divisions during WW II http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Army_divisions_during_World_War_II http://www.historyshots.com/usarmy/
Army Battle Casualties and Non-battle Deaths in World War II http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/Casualties/index.html
3rd 'Marne' Infantry Division http://www.custermen.com/ItalyWW2/Units/Division3.htm Total casualties greater than 34,000
National 4th Infantry (IVY) Division Association http://www.4thinfantry.org/content/division-history Total casualties of 34,000
29th Infantry Division http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/29th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)
45th Infantry Division http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/45th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)
Remembering the Thunderbirds – Oklahoma’s 45th Infantry Division http://www.baptistmessenger.com/remembering-the-thunderbirds-oklahomas-45th-infantry-division/ Total casualties of 62,640 When Gen. George S. Patton described the 45th Infantry Division, he said it was “one of the finest, if not the finest infantry division in this history of modern warfare.”
The 45th Division was in Sicily and Italy. Under Patton in Sicily, that’s how he came to know them.
My late Father, was a member of the 45th ID (Oklahoma, Colorado & New Mexico), and it was only late in life that he could speak of the many boyhood friends that he lost in the battles that the 45th fought from Sicily to Munich. While there were changes after the War, more were lost in Korea, a war that my Father was forever bitter about for the incompetent commanders and the hang-fire outcome, as we see in today's headlines!
There is a very REAL conversation found in the movie "To Hell and Back" (Audie Murphy biopic starring Audie Murphy) where a new replacement soldier complains about how coldly his platoon Sergeant (Audie Murphy) treats him. A non-newbie acquaints him with the cold truth of combat, that newbies, no matter how well trained, die at far higher numbers than their experienced counterparts. He is 'assured' that, if he survives the next few rounds of combat, that the friendships will be made, but for now, too many newbies have died to risk added loss!
Remember the Fallen, do not let them be forgot! God Bless!
Just means that the roster turned over more than once. Most of the units that fought in Northern Europe only saw action for less that 1 year. Think about being a British Tommy or a Russian Ivan — and what your chances of survival would be having fought from ‘39 and ‘41 respectively. The Poor Bloody Infantry.
There was a constant flow of newly trained troops throughout the Second World War. They would come into the combat theaters as replacements for the dead and wounded. In the European Theater (ETO), they would start at the 'repple depple' (Replacement Depot) where, as the dreary numbers would require, the new soldier learn where he would be 'slotted' in to replace a previous combat casualty.
A division is 10,000 to 15,000 men.
The 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red 1) sustained over 100% casualties based on unit strength.
Total battle casualties: 20,659
Killed in action: 3,616[
Wounded in action: 15,208
Missing in action: 499
Prisoner of war: 1,336
The 8th Air Force (considered a division of 10,000 to 15,000)
Half of the U.S. Army Air Force’s casualties in World War II were suffered by Eighth Air Force (more than 47,000 casualties, with more than 26,000 dead).
I agree with you. I was never infantry but for my first deployment they retrained us and used us as motorized infantry. Didn’t give us the MOS though.
I will say this though, what we faced in Iraq and Afghanistan is really a walk in the park compared to what our military faced in WW 2.
My father and all five of his brothers served, Army and Navy. Uncle Gene also served in Korea. Uncles Chuck and Robert made the Army a career. I served 22 years in the AF.
Each year people remind me about the Marines in the Pacific. I hope to have an essay by October when the Marines turned the tide of Japanese advances at Guadalcanal.
WW II had it’s heroes. Does anyone remember Collin Kelly or Roger Young? Probably not. Late 44’ to 45’ Roger Young’s ballad was on the radio. About 6 months ago I was at a yard sale and found a 37th Div.1942 year book. To my surprise, there was Roger Young right where he belonged. I decided to hold on to it. It goes to show you the geekiest looking guy can end up a hero. (A MOH winner fighting in the Solomon Islands.) The other name, Collin Kelly, did a kamikaze attack on a Japanese surface ship with a B-17, if I recall correctly. Both individuals were in songs at that time. “There’s a star spangled banner waiving somewhere” mentioned Kelly. The “Ballard of Roger Young” is all about Roger. My family had it’s share, 3 of my mothers cousins were lost over the skies of Germany, they were bombing my fathers cousins under the sky. (I’m a first generation American, and experienced stories from both sides.) My folks knew what the war did over seas and didn’t want me to be part of another one. When JFK drafted me in 62’ it was the turning point for me, 31 years later my service time ended with “0” regrets. I was a very lucky one, never fired a shot at anyone, nor did anyone fire a shot at me. Could I have been a hero? Who knows? Did Roger Young look like he would be a hero? You never know what you can do until that time arises and the choice confronts you. We are all potential heroes.
For some reason, Daddy hated paratroopers. I mean he really, really hated them. The only response I ever got from him on the subject was that they were trained to fight their own people.
Once we were visiting my Aunt Ida Lee who was Mothers’ oldest Sister. Her Son-in-Law was in the 82nd airborne. He was there and Daddy mentioned that paratroopers thought they were better than anyone else. My Cousin was courteous enough to agree with Daddy that they did teach them that.
Aunt Ida Lee said “they are better than the others”.
I thought Daddy was being a jerk but he had been there and done that so I just let it go. My paratrooper Cousin was later killed in Viet Nam. I once tried to look up his name on the internet but could not find it. Still I know he killed in action.
I certainly remember Colin Kelly. We were taught about him in school. He was from the same town my Father was born, Madison, Florida.
I think his accomplishment was exaggerated but probably not so much intentionally as due to the fog of war.
I used to have an album with “Roger Young” on it. It was by Burl Ivers.
It's not well known that the 8th's KIA total was larger that all Marine KIA in WW2.
God Bless them all.
I see you are also a USAF vet. 69-73 here with one tour of Vietnam. Was TDY at Cahm Ran Bay, 9 months at Phan Rang 614th TFS working on F-100’s, then 8th SOS at Bein Hoa crewing A-37 Dragonfly’s. Finished up at Andrews crewing T-39 Super Sabre’s. At that time I was going to re-up but my hearing had already degraded to where I would have had to change MOS, so I got out rather than cross train.
My dad was among those your father hated. He was an
original member of the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment/
11th Airborne Div. He fought in the Leyte and Luzon
and received a head wound during the liberation of Manila.
He lived the last 70 years of his life with a titanium
plate in the top of his skull. When he died in 2015 at the
age of 90 the VA officer listed his death as a result of
“combat wounds”. Well, OK.
Pop was a self-made and humble man. He graduated from
college in Animal Science in 3yrs, became a farmer,
then a high school Ag teacher, later a vocational specialist
for the CA Dept of Ed and earned a PhD along the way.
He raised 4 kids built 2 houses, loved to hunt and fish
and was married to my mom for 64 years.
In the early 1980s both his WWII regiment and division
organized membership chapters and began having large
and small reunions. My folks hosted chapter reunions
every summer. I got to meet a number of these old
paratroopers including Bill Nellist who was an Alamo
Scout who had been team leader in the Cabanatuan POW
rescue as described in ‘Ghost Soldiers’ by Hampton Sides.
I was the designated tri-tip griller so I was in the
middle of lots of old paratroopers. If they had ever
thought they were better than others they eventually
outgrew it. Some of them showed lots of confidence
and I know my dad was pretty confident but I sure
never got the sense that any of these guys thought that
they were better than others at any point in their
lives. They did receive some training others did not
get so some could have thought they had a leg up on
others but I bet that was more the exception than the
rule.
THANK YOU!
A Division of infantry is about 10,000-15,000 men, but a full Division with all its cats and dogs is closer to about 50,000 men.
Numbers vary by country and operational deployment.
Some German battalions in WWII were as lean as about 490 men, while some US landing support battalions were closer to 2000 men.
I checked the online database at the American Battle Monuments Commission for obvious misfiling errors in where he ended up.
There are a number of his comrades in the 109th Infantry Regiment who died in the same action who are buried at Ardennes AC.
He is memorialized with a plaque at another cemetery as MIA, as you said.
The MIA plaque is apparently at Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands, which is 40 miles WNW of Germeter.
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