96th infantry division okinawa roster96th infantry division okinawa roster

Suite 910 John C. Willems, Capt. The landing was unopposed and a beachhead was established near Sunabe, 1-3 April. Alton was a Deadeye from M co. 382nd regiment seeing combat on Okinawa. hb```f``d`a`8 @QOp3( `a`Hs1X Y:,!LYRf20;v8"d`\et0 M Stripping what ammunition could be found from the dead and utilizing captured Japanese weapons, Mitchell planned a retreat. Counting all the replacements, it has been estimated that the division had upwards to 30,000 men on rosters during WWII. TWS is the largest online community of Veterans existing today and is a powerful Veteran locator. He hailed from Bruceville, Indiana. US LVTs (Landing Vehicle, Tracked) cruising toward Okinawa, April 1, 1945. US Marines and amphibious vehicles gathering on a narrow beach on Eastern morning, Okinawa, 1945. We have gathered and provided the official US digitalized volumes of the Battles of Leyte and Okinawa, Authentic Battle Statistics, Historical Documents, Biographies, Videos, Photos, and many WWII peripheral items for students of history. Lyle E. Eberspecher, 2013.495.274. It was decided to bypass Formosa and instead directly take up a position in the Ryukyu Islands. US sailors examining the inside of a large hole in the deck of the USS Birmingham (CL-62) after a Japanese kamikaze attack off the coast of Okinawa. endstream endobj startxref Visitors to Remember the Deadeyes so far! The next three months were spent in mopping up, security duty, training, and loading for the coming invasion of Okinawa. USMarine planting the American flag at Shuri Castle, Okinawa, June 1945. There were 884 men listed and included as combat fatigue. The two infantry units were able to move off of the ridge crest and into the valley below when the Japanese realized their enemys intent. They,too, became pinned down. US Navy ships firing rockets towards Okinawa, Japan, 1945. DI]c0FAju! The division left the Philippines 27 March 1945 for Okinawa, making an assault landing on the island on 1 April. The flag of the United States is patch worn by all military branches. endstream endobj 24 0 obj <>stream After resting in July, the Division left Okinawa for Mindoro, in the Philippines, and engaged in a training program. Army. The Armys 96th Infantry Division lay before Kakazu Ridge on the morning of April 8, 1945 and prepared to make an assault on the positions that had halted their initial advance. It, too, was worn to a frazzle by the Japanese defenses. We had three infantry regiments, the 381st, the 382nd (the one I was in), and the 383rd. by Donald Dencker, L Company, 382nd Infantry Regiment, 96th Infantry Division, I am webmaster for the 96th Infantry Divisions web page. Heavy rains the following week slowed down the advance. All contributions are tax-deductible. "Our intent is to have this website available well beyond our lifetimes.". [1] The division was organized in the First World War "National Army" on 20 October 1918 at Camp Wadsworth, South Carolina. From the Collection of The National WWII Museum, Gift of Dylan Utley, 2012.019.800. Okinawa itself, with its natural harbor, would also provide naval port facilities for Allied ships that would be needed to support the land invasion of Japan. One week later,Marines begin an assault on Sugar Loaf Hill. Okinawa, it was realized, would become a bloody slugfest. The 96th Infantry Division trained in Hawaiian Islands, July to September 1944, before entering combat in an assault landing in Leyte Gulf, Philippine Islands, between Tanauan and Dulag, 20 October 1944. The land campaign was moving so fast that objectives that were slated to be taken two weeks after L-Day were captured by the third day of the campaign. US Marines manning communication devices, Okinawa, 1945. The Division left the Philippines, 27 March 1945, for Okinawa, making an assault landing on the island, 1 April 1945. info@nationalww2museum.org In 1985, the 96th ARCOM was geographically the largest Army Reserve Command in the United States. Wounded US Marine helped to medical aid station on Okinawa, 1945. The division was inactivated in December 1965. Shoulder patch: A white diamond and a blue diamond which The division left the Philippines, 17 January 1946, for the United States. The division was reconstituted in the Organized Reserves on 24 June 1921 at Portland, Oregon. Okinawa was selected, as it was located almost exactly in the center of the Ryukyu Islands chain. Infantry and assigned to the 96th Division, Reconstituted 24 June 1921 in the Organized Reserves as the The 96 SB's headquarters is located at Fort Douglas, Salt Lake City, Utah. The Division left the Philippines, 17 January The 96th Infantry Division is a unit of the United States Army that served in World War II. Mitchells men repelledthe Japanese assault in hand to hand combat with fixed bayonets and rifle butts. Royster, half blinded by a mortar wound in the faceand knowing full well that his company was on the verge of being overrun and annihilated, called his battalion for further support. The campaign was fought savagely in the air, on the land and across the sea. Includes history of the 96th Division during World War II, pictures and biographies of veterans, roster of the 96th Infantry Association. From the Collection of The National WWII Museum, Gift in Memory of Sgt. established near Sunabe, 1-3 April. It was the largest campaign of the Pacific War, involving over half a million combatants from five Allied nations. From the Collection of The National WWII Museum, Gift in memory of Sgt. Of the Japanese defending the island, an estimated 110,000 died. Thank you. A second barrage was requested and then a third before enough smoke drifted in front of Roysters position to allow him and his battered company to withdraw. Cannon, M. Hamlin. The 96th Infantry Division is a unit of the United States Army that served in World War II . The Division left the Philippines, 17 January 1946, for the United States. Back to Search Results Veterans History Project Service Summary: War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945 Branch of Service: Army Unit of Service: 382nd Infantry Regiment, 96th Infantry Division Location of Service: Okinawa Island (Ryukyu Islands); Northern Mariana Islands; Pacific Theater Highest Rank: Technician Five View full service history From the Collection of The National WWII Museum,Gift of Ms. Paulette Stewart, 2001.078.005_4. Marines of the 22nd Regiment forced the enemy through the peninsula and isolated them near a series of craggy ridges, called Yae-Dake, where the Marines eliminated the Japanese there by the 18th of April. ;efU}{-,I@;>e/I+'*N_9r_= Q^ Okinawans caught in the fighting suffered greatly, with an estimate as high as 150,000 civilians killed. The microfilm may be scheduled for future scanning. There were locations of stiff fighting, like the Motobu Peninsula and Cactus Ridge, but overall, Japanese defenders had been less than fanatical in holding their territory. active military service 25 January 2005 and reverted to reserve status, Additional elements ordered into active military service in support of the War on Terrorism, Relieved 1 May 2007 from assignment to the 75th Division (Training Support), World War II: Leyte; Ryukyus (with arrowhead), Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered OKINAWA, Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered 17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 4 JULY 1945, Army Superior Unit Award, Streamer embroidered 2003. The veteran 7th Infantry Division took over their former positions, and likewise ran into a Japanese meat grinder on and around the ridge. Walter Jacobs talks about encountering a wounded Japanese soldier during the fighting on Ie Shima and how he believes that his sparing of an enemy soldiers life resulted in him surviving the fighting there and later on Okinawa. Sterling R. Ryser succeeded Major General Free as ARCOM commander in early 1969. As he did so, he came across a singlewounded man who had been mistakenly left behind. The division trained and rested 19 May, while elements mopped up bypassed enemy pockets and then returned to the offensive, 10 May 1945, attacking and capturing Conical-Sugar Hill Ridge, 21 May, thus breaking the right flank of the Shuri defenses. Further offensives pounded the area until the 96th Infantry was relieved on April 12. The first American effort to capture and hold Kakazu Ridge had failed. hP We created this site to preserve soldier's combat stories, tributes, photos and to provide many links to items for Deadeyes research. On Easter morning April 1, 1945, elements of the US Tenth Army including the 7th, 27th, and 96th Infantry Divisions of the Army and 1st and 6th Marine Divisions land on the southwest coast of Okinawa. This screen shows the complete catalog entry of the title you selected. [5] In 1993, MG Richard F. Reeder assumed command of the 96th ARCOM. The division was first organized in October 1918, during the U.S. mobilization for World War I. Ari Phoutrides talks about experiencing a massive kamikaze attack one day while posted to Radar Picket Station #1 off the coast of Okinawa during which his ship was hit by four bombs and six kamikazes. We are a Dad and Daughter team on a mission to "Preserve the legacy of the 96th Infantry Division, the "Deadeyes." It said, My fatherI dont remember him. From the Collection of The National WWII Museum, Gift in Memory of Sgt. Two Japanese machine guns, well emplaced near the entrance of two separate caves, pinned Royster and Belmans companies down. Moskala provided fire support from his isolated position for three hours, killing over 25 of the enemy, while his comrades crawled away. Looking at the WWII records from the Armed Ground Forces report of April 1946 it was reported from the official Army list of casualties of all Divisions, either in European or the Pacific Theatres of Operation, that Deadeyes were 10th from the top of all 83 Army Divisions. From the Collection of The National WWII Museum, Gift of Dylan Utley, 2021.019.211. In addition hundreds were awarded Bronze Stars, Combat Infantry Badges and Battle Stars. 96th Infantry Division casualties at Okinawa. The 7th Infantry Division, though battered and worn down, still packed plenty of power. Men in the Division in WWII earned five Congressional Medals of Honor, twenty-three Distinguished Service Crosses, and more than 200 Silver Stars. 4 Joseph A. Kahl, unit historians; The Infantry Journal, Washington 6, D. C.; 1947. The warships were there to protect the fleet of over 100 assault transports and supply ships needed to put ashore over 200,000 American combat troops of the newly formed Tenth Army that would be needed to defeat Japanese General Mitsuru Ushijimas army of over 67,000 Japanese defenders. A tank supports infantrymen as they cautiously move forward. The Division continued to wipe out resistance on the There were four artillery battalions: three light ones with 105 mm howitzers to support each infantry regiment, and a heavier one, the 363rd. Moskala again provided fire support as the wounded man escaped down the ridge. Incredibly, a handful of American POWs managed to survive the Palawan massacre and with the aid of Filipino guerrillas reached safety. Over 300 men were casualties in the initial fight for Kakazu Ridge, with the regiments 1st Battalion officially at half strength and unable to continue offensive operations. Emblems, Insignia, Patches, Badges, Ribbons, Awards and Pins of the 96th Infantry WWII. On 9 April 1989 Donald M. Bagley was appointed Commanding General. Deadeyes, The Story of the 96th Infantry Division; by Capt. American infantry, tanks, artillery and supplies poured ashore as soldiers of the 7th, 27th, 96th (and later 77th) Infantry Divisions, alongside their Marine brothers in the 1st and 6th Marine Divisions, swept aside paltry resistance and raced across the island. Conscientious objector, Army Medic Desmond Doss, selflessly attends to wounded menwhile unarmed. The 307th Infantry Regiment moved into the line on Okinawa on April 29, on the top of the Maeda Escarpment known asHacksaw Ridge. In 1991, 3rd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, located in Colorado, was mobilized for security duties in Germany during the Gulf War. Nickname: Deadeye Division. from the Combat Arms Regimental System; concurrently redesignated as the 381st 703-302-1012 Co., c1998, High Density: {{copy.hd_shelf}}, {{copy.hd_shelfmark}}. In a period of just 24 hours, American casualties ashore nearly doubled. A Japanese counterattack against the American positions resulted in heavy losses for the Japanese and forced the Japanese to take a permanent defensive position around Kakazu. The "preferred plan" for Okinawa landings withmaps of theEastern Island beaches. Infantry support pushed forward only to be stopped in its tracks by heavy Japanese mortar and machine gun fire. After defeating the Japanese counterattack, the depleted 7th was relieved by the 27th Infantry Division who also wore themselves down on the Japanese positions. Now to the Okinawa campaign. Converted and redesignated (less 3d Platoon) 5 November 1962 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 191st Infantry Brigade, and relieved from assignment to the 96th Infantry Division (3d Platoon, 96th Reconnaissance Company, concurrently redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 192d Infantry Brigade - hereafter separate lineage) The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War Two. Resistance stiffened again, 3 June, and Laura Hill was taken, 14 June 1945, only after a bloody fight; the last important Japanese defense position, the Yuza-Dake, Yaeju-Dake Hill mass, was secured by 17 June, and on 22 June all resistance was declared at an end.Many of the landmark names and other locations of the massive engagement have been changed by modern Japanese. The 96th Infantry Division was basically organized the same as all other Army infantry divisions. We do not share personal information with anyone. Resistance stiffened considerably as the division advanced to Kakazu Ridge, where fighting was fierce, from 7 to 16 April 1945. Taking Okinawa would provide Allied forces an airbase from which bombers could strike Japan and an advanced anchorage for Allied fleets. The land campaign was going incredibly wellin fact, almost too good to be true. There would be no more lightning advances. On October 3, 1944, the General Staffs headquarters in Washington, DC ordered Admiral Chester Nimitz, commander of the Central Pacific forces, to forget about planning for Operation Causeway. The division appears to have kept the 381st, 382nd, and 383rd Infantry Regiments. From the Collection of The National WWII Museum, Gift of Dylan Utley, 2012.019.796. 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