82nd Airborne Division. ’’All American’’

98 Pages·2001·38.955 MB·English

by  Mike Verier

~SPEARHEAB~
82nd AIRBORNE
'All American'

DEDICATION
To all the young men who died beforetheirtime- yourachievementswill neverbeforgotten
Firstpublished200I
ISBN0711028567
All rights reserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproduced ortransmitted inanyformorbyany
means,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,recordingorbyanyinformationstorage
and retrieval system,withoutpermissionfrom thePublisherinwriting.
©Compendium Publishing200I
Published byIanAllan Publishing
an imprintofIanAllan PublishingLtd,Hersham,Surrey KT124RG.
PrintedbyIanAllan PrintingLtd,Hersham,Surrey KT124RG.
Code:0112/A2
British LibraryCataloguingin Publication Data
A CIPcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromthe British Library
Cover:82ndAirbornere-enactors. (TimHawkins)
Previouspage:Menof508thPIRawaitorders,
6January1945.(viaRealWarPhotos)
Abbreviations Engr Engineer QM Quartermaster
AA(A) Anti-aircraft ETO EuropeanTheatre Pfc/Pvt Private (firstclass)
artillery ofOperations PI Platoon
AB Airborne FA FieldArtillery PIR Parachute infantry
ADC Aide de camp GIR Gliderinfantry regiment
Amb Ambulance regiment Recce/Recon Reconnaissance
Arty Artillery gren Grenade RA Royal Artillery
asst Assistant HMG Heavy MG (.50 RCT Regimental
A/tk Anti-tank cal) CombatTeam
ATRL Anti-tank rocket Hy Heavy RHQ Regimental HQ
launcher (M6 Inf Infantry Sect Section
Bazooka) LMG Light MG (.30 cal) (T or Sf) Sgt (Technical or
Bn Battalion LST Landing ShipTank Staff/) Sergeant
BR British It light SHAEF Supreme HQAllied
Brig Brigade (1-/2-)Lt (First/Second) Powersin Europe
Bty Battery Lieutenant Sig Signals
camo camouflage LZ Landing zone SP Self-propelled
Cav Cavalry Maint Maintenance Tac Tactical
CC Combat Command MC Motorcycle Tk Tank
C-in-C Commander-in-Chief Med Medium or USAAF USArmyAir Force
Cml Chemical Medical USMC US MarineCorps
Col Column MG Machine gun Veh Vehicle
Coy Company Mor Mortar
Det Detachment Mot Inf Motorised infantry Dates
DZ Dropzone MP Military Police 20/7/54 20 July 1954
ea each Mtrel Materiel
CONTENTS
1 Origins & History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
2 Ready For War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
3 In Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
4 Equipment & Markings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
5 People. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
6 Postwar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
7 Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
8 Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....93
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Acknowledgements helpedwith photographsatveryshortnotice.OthersincludeJoe
Asevertheproductionofabooklikethisisnotasoloeffort,many MurchisonoftheTriple Nickles,mygoodfriend Lt.Col Peyton
peoplegaveoftheirtimeandexpertisethatitmighthavelife.I DeHartUSMC(notforgettingJane, BillandCathyJohnsonand
shouldparticularlyliketorecordtheeffortsofBobAnzuoni atthe MikeBradyoftheArmyAviation HeritageFoundation).Technical
82ndDivision Museum,FortBragg,and PatrickTremblayatthe supportforwhich Iameternallygrateful,wasprovided byWendy
AirborneandSpecialOperationsMuseum,Fayetteville.Both Ashand Sarah Ross,whilstphotographicassistancecamefrom
assistedwith researchandansweredstrangequestionsinthe CanterburyCameraCentre.
middleofthenight.Bobmadehisarchivefreelyavailabletome MythanksgotoChrisEllis,GeorgeForty,SimonFortyand Bruce
whilsttheothermembersofthemuseum staffwillinglyputupwith Robertsonforsomeoftheinformationandmanyofthe illustrations
avisiting Britforseveraldays. usedinthisbook.Themapson page64are basedontwoin Robert
MylatestvisittoBraggwasgreatlyassistedbyMajorRandyMartin Kershaw'sexcellentD-Day(IanAllan Ltd,1985).FrankAinscough
andcolleaguesoftheXVIIIthAirborneCorps,andthestaffofthe designedthebook; Donald Sommervilleeditedit; MarkFranklinof
82ndPAD-specialthanksheretoSgtChristinaBhatti.Aseverthe FlattArtdidthemaps.
menandwomenofthe82ndmademewelcomewhereverIwent. Airborne!
OnthissideoftheAtlanticCol.DerekArmitageandhisstaffat
theMuseumofArmyflyingalsomadetheirarchiveavailableand MikeVerierJuly2001
ORIGINS & HISTORY
FirstactivatedatCampGordon,Georgia,on 25August1917,scarcelyfourmonths
afterthe USAhad enteredWorldWar I,the 82nd Division was partofthe National
Army (the term used in WWI to describe drafted soldiers). It drew its original
complement of conscripts from states such as Alabama, Georgia andTennessee.
First commanded by Major General Eben Swift, the division's 28,000 men
(authorised strength was 991 officers and 27,114 other ranks) soon came to
include soldiers from every state ofthe Union (not to mention that some 20% of
inductees proved to be of foreign birth). Once this was realised the name 'All
American'was chosen and the red, white and blue'doubleA' insignia adopted.
The USwascommittedtoagoalof'onemillion men in FrancebyMay1918'and
such massive expansion inevitably led to equipment shortages in the short term,
In the early stages at least the division was forced to train with wooden rifles.
British and French officers with experience in trench warfare were seconded to
rovide first-hand guidance and training which greatly aided the process.
Shortages ofgrenades and machine guns led to something ofan emphasis on the
bayonet-which may account for the aggressive reputation the unit subsequently
acquired in France.
FRANCE
By early 1918 the division was deemed combat ready, and in April that year
embarkedforFranceunderthecommand ofMajorGeneralWilliam ~Burnham,the
second NationalArmy unitso to do. Deployment in 1918was bysea,and the men
ofthe 82nd were doubtless somewhat relieved to land briefly in England afterthe
long Atlantic crossing.The brevity of their passage onward to Le Havre did not
prevent a regiment of the division (the 325th Infantry) from becoming the first
American unit to be reviewed by King GeorgeVas it marched past Buckingham
Palace. In lateryears reviews were to become something ofaspeciality when the
division was not in combat, butfor now there was awar to be goton with.
Combat
On arrival in Francethedivision prepared itselfforaction, moving uptothelineby
rail on 16 June from its initial training area near the Somme. As this first
deployment was in aFrench·sector the troops were issued with French weapons,
including Chauchatand Hotchkissmachineguns, in orderto make resupplyeasier.
On 25June 1918theAllAmerican Division sawcombatforthefirsttime, nearthe
city ofToul in the Lagny sector of northeastern France, its assignment being to
relieve the 26th Division.
6
ORIGINS & HISTORY
Men of the division had in fact been in the front line prior to this. Officers and Above:ObservationpostontheWesternFront.(82nd
NCOs had gained some combat experience with the British on the Somme sector AirborneMuseum)
whilstthe bulkofthe division wasworking up.The unfortunatedistinction ofbeing
the82nd'sfirstcasualtyhadfallen toCaptainJewittWilliamsofthe326th Infantry
Regiment, who was killed on 9June.
The first full battalions into the front line trenches were the
2nd/325th,lst/326th, 3rd/327th, and 2nd/328th. As the 82nd's artillery units
were still training, artillery support was provided by the French. By mid-July the
division'sown machine-gun unitshadjoinedthe infantry,and on 4Augustthefirst
night raid was mounted. Companies Kand Mofthe 326th Infantry, supported by
the320th MachineGun Battalion,attackedGerman positionsatFlirey,penetrating
some 600 yards. By the time the division was moved out of the sector on 10
August it had already suffered 374 casualties.
Respitewasbrief,the82ndrelieving the 2nd Division in the Marbachesectoron
15August. Finally, its own artillery joined up in the shape of the 157th Artillery
Brigade. Supposedlyaquietsector, Marbache was in fact farfrom restful, artillery
bombardment and strafing from the air alternating with aggressive German
patrolling.
Thefirst majorAmerican offensiveofthewar, the St Mihiel offensive,wasto see
the 82nd assigned the village of Norroy as an objective on 12 September.The
captureofthiswasreported as'relativelyeasy',although the division suffered 950
casualties during the offensive. One ofthe 78 killed was the 82nd'sfirst Medal of
Honor winner, Lt Colonel Emory Pike. The division was in action until
17 September when it was once again stationed in the Marbache sector, moving
on the 20th to prepare for its part in the Meuse-Argonne offensive.The St Mihiel
offensive ended on 21 September.
7
SPEARHEAD: 82ND AIRBORNE
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive
The division was moved to the Clermont area west ofVerdun on 24 Septemberto
act as reserve for the US FirstArmy.The offensive began on the 26th and on the
29ththe327thInfantryRegimentwascommitted,at90minutes'notice,tobolster
the linenearApremont.The regimentforce-marched to itspositionsand heldthem
against strong German attacks until relieved two days later by the 1stDivision.
The rest of the division joined the 327th nearVarennes on 4 October, and two
dayslaterthe82ndmovedbackintothefrontline,relievingthe28thDivision.Also
on the 4th Major General George ~ Duncan took command oftheAll Americans,
relieving William ~ Burnham (bythen abrigadier general).
The division's 164th Brigade was back on the offensive on 7 October, wresting
Hills 180 and 223 from the Germans. It was during this action thatAlvinYork, a
former conscientious objector from Tennessee, was to win the divisions' second
MedalofHonorand becomepossiblythemostfamousAmerican soldierofthewar.
Further regiments of the 82nd attacked northwards on 10 October, forcing the
Germansfrom the eastern halfoftheArgonne Forest.The ground they gained was
held for three weeks until the 77th and 80th Divisions relieved the division and
continued the offensive.
Below:325thInfantryparadeinfrontofBuckingham
The 82nd had earned an impressive reputation during the Meuse-Argonne
Palace,Londonin1918reviewedbyKingGeorgeVand
thedowage~PrincessAlexandra.(82ndAirborne offensive. It had cost the division dear, hQwever" with over 6,000 casualties,
Museum) including 902 killed. This perhaps was the 'earliest example for the 82nd of a
8
ORIGINS & HISTORY
Left:AmmodumpinFrance. (82ndAirborne
Museum)
problem common to all good military formations, 'the better you are, the more
workthey give you'.
Some two weeks later came the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the
eleventh month, theArmistice.
The roadhome
Thedivision spentthe nextthree monthsnearPravthaywhere itcontinued to train
whilst awaiting orders for home. At last on 2 March 1919 the 82nd began the
moveto Bordeauxandhome.Onarrival in NewYorkthedivisionwasde-mobilised,
de-activationbeingcompletedformallyon27 May1919,theAllAmerican Division
wasto remain aslumbering giantfor the next 23 years.
During America's brief involvement in the Great War the men of the 82nd had
spent105daysinthefront linesandsuffered 1,035killed inaction.Afurther378
trooperswould succumbtowoundsreceived incombatbeforethefinal accounting.
In addition to the two Medal of Honor winners, three soldiers of the 82nd won
Distinguished Service Medals, and 75 the Distinguished Service Cross. Sergeant
York also received the French Croix de Guerre with palm leaves and 'the legion
d'Honneur, the Italian Croce de Guerra, and the MontenegrinWar Medal.
ByJune 1919 most ofthe soldiers had been discharged and were on their way
back to civilian life. At that point the 82nd Division had passed into history.The
flame, however, still flickered and from 1921 until World War II the 82nd Infantry
Division, unaware of its destiny, was part ofthe organised reserves. Until 1942 a
reserve HQ was atColumbia, South Carolina.
9