The 65th Infantry Division--nicknamed the "Battle-axe"--was an infantry division of the United States Army that served in World War II. Its shoulder patch is a white halberd on a blue shield.
The entire length of Pennsylvania Route 65 is named the 65th Infantry Division Memorial Highway in its honor.
Video 65th Infantry Division (United States)
World War II
Activated: 16 August 1943.
Overseas: 10 January 1945.
Campaigns: Rhineland, Central Europe.
Days of combat: 55.
Awards: MH-1 (Frederick C. Murphy); DSC-6 ; DSM-1 ; SS-77; LM-14; SM-4; BSM-686; AM-19.
Commanders: Major General Stanley Eric Reinhart (August 1943 - 1 August 1945), Brig. Gen. John E. Copeland (1 August 1945 to inactivation).
Inactivated: 31 August 1945 in Germany.
Combat Chronicle
The 65th Infantry Division landed at Le Havre, France, 21 January 1945, and proceeded to Camp Lucky Strike, where training continued until 1 March, when the division moved forward to relieve the 26th Infantry Division. First elements entered the line, 5 March 1945, and the division as a whole took over aggressive defense of the sector along the Saar, from Orscholz to Wadgassen, on 8 March 1945. On 17 March, the division attacked across the Saar, crossing the river at Dillingen and captured Saarlautern, 19 March, as Siegfried Line defenses cracked. Capturing Neunkirchen, 21 March 1945, the division raced to the Rhine, crossed the river at Oppenheim, 30 March, and ran into heavy German resistance and counterattacks. Langensalza fell on 5 April, Struth on the 7th, and Neumarkt on the 22nd.
Continuing its advance against crumbling German opposition, the division crossed the Danube 4 miles below Regensburg, 26 April, took the city, 27 April, seized Passau, cross the Inn River, 4 May, and occupied Linz, Austria, on the 5th. Germans surrendered en masse. On 9 May, as hostilities officially ended in Europe, the troops of the 65th made contact with the Russians at Erlauf.
Order of Battle
- Headquarters, 65th Infantry Division
- 259th Infantry Regiment
- 260th Infantry Regiment
- 261st Infantry Regiment
- Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 65th Infantry Division Artillery
- 720th Field Artillery Battalion (155 mm)
- 867th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm)
- 868th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm)
- 869th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm)
- 265th Engineer Combat Battalion
- 365th Medical Battalion
- 65th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized)
- Headquarters, Special Troops, 65th Infantry Division
- Headquarters Company, 65th Infantry Division
- 765th Ordnance Light Maintenance Company
- 65th Quartermaster Company
- 565th Signal Company
- Military Police Platoon
- Band
- 65th Counterintelligence Corps Detachment
Attached Units
- 707th Tank Battalion (attached 6 Apr 45 only)
- 748th Tank Battalion (attached 7 Apr 45-past 9 May 45)
- 749th Tank Battalion (attached 29 Mar 45-6 Apr 45)
- 691st Tank Destroyer Battalion (attached 4 Mar 45-6 Apr 45)
- 808th Tank Destroyer Battalion (attached 5 Apr 45-past 9 May 45)
- 546th AAA Automatic Weapons Battalion (attached 4 Mar 45-past 9 May 45)
Source: Order of Battle: U.S. Army World War II by Shelby Stanton.
Casualties
- Total battle casualties: 1,230
- Killed in action: 233
- Wounded in action: 927
- Missing in action: 3
- Prisoner of war: 67
Assignments in ETO
- 25 January 1945: Fifteenth Army, 12th Army Group.
- 1 March 1945: XX Corps, Third Army, 12th Army Group.
- 4 April 1945: VIII Corps.
- 17 April 1945: XX Corps.
Medal of Honor recipients
Frederick C. Murphy, PFC, U.S. Army, Medical Detachment, 259th Infantry, 65th Infantry Division, Siegfried Line at Saarlautern, Germany, 18 March 1945.
Maps 65th Infantry Division (United States)
References
External links
- 65th Infantry Division Association
- "Right to be Proud: History of the 65th Infantry Division's March Across Germany" (World War II unit history booklet published in 1945)
Source of article : Wikipedia
0 Comments