278th Armored Cavalry Regiment - History - World War II

World War II

On 16 September 1940 the 117th Infantry Regiment from Tennessee was inducted into federal service at home stations for a period of one year. The regiment was moved by train and arrived in Fort Jackson South Carolina on 24 September 1940 as part of the 30th Division once again. The regiment was housed in pyramid tents at Fort Jackson. Colonel Grant A. Schlieker assumed command of the regiment on 12 August 1940. In October 1940, the unit was filled by Selective Service with men primarily from the Knoxville area.

The 117th Infantry moved by motor convoy to Dixie, Tennessee on 27 May 1941 for the VII Corps Tennessee Maneuvers. The regiment returned to Fort Jackson on 5 July 1941. The regiment along with the rest of the National Guard soldiers inducted in 1940 was extended for the duration of World War II. The regiment then moved to Chester, South Carolina on 27 September 1941 for both the October and November 1941 Carolina Maneuvers. The 117th Infantry Regiment as part of the 30th Division returned to Fort Jackson on 29 November 1941 where the 30th (Old Hickory) Division was redesigned as the 30th Infantry Division.

On 16 February 1942 the 30th Infantry Division arrived at Camp Blanding, Florida for extensive Infantry Training. On 12 September 1942, the 117th Infantry Regiment was ordered to the Infantry School, located at Fort Benning, Georgia, to furnish troops for demonstration purposes and to assist instructors in the training of officer classes and the Officer Candidate School (OCS). The 117th Infantry Regiment moved back to Camp Blanding, Florida by motor convoy on 28 February 1943 to conduct training designed to physically harden the troops.

They moved on 30 May 1943 to Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Starting on 4 September 1943, the regiment participated in the Second Army’s No.3 Tennessee Maneuvers. On 7 September 1943 the 117th Infantry Regiment returned to Camp Forrest (Arnold AFB today), near Tullahoma, Tennessee.

The 117th Infantry Regiment arrived at Camp Atterbury, Indiana on 14 November 1943 to complete their final phase of training. The 117th Infantry Regiment departed Camp Atterbury and arrived at the staging area in Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts on 29 January 1944. The regiment departed from the Port of Boston, which was the Port of Embarkation, on the USS John Ericsson on 12 February 1944. The 117th Infantry Regiment disembarked in Liverpool, England on 24 February 1944.

In England, from 25 February, to 5 April 1944 the regiment was quartered in Nissen huts near Petworth, England and undertook extensive Infantry training. From 6 April to 9 June 1944, the regiment was billeted in the town of Berkhamstead, England and completed their final training before entering combat in Normandy.

On "D-Day" 6 June 1944 the regiment was alerted for movement to France. The regiment moved to the staging area in Southern England where a briefing was given on the general situation, then moved to Southampton dock for loading.

The 117th Infantry Regiment crossed the English Channel and landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy on D+4, 10 June 1944. The regiment initially moved into a Staging Area near Lison, France. The regiment remained here until 2 July 1944. The first casualties of World War II were suffered here as a result of German 88 mm fire on the Staging Area. The regiment’s initial mission was to replace some of the units of the 29th Division, which had been almost immediately lost on D-Day. The balance of the 30th Infantry Division went into Normandy and was almost immediately committed to action against the German Army.

The 117th Infantry Regiment attacked across the Vire river along with the 120th Infantry at 04:30 am the morning of 7 July 1944 as part of the initial breakout from the Normandy Beachhead. They assaulted across the Vire-Taute Canal on 7 July 1944, establishing a bridgehead toward Les Landes, east of St Jean-de-Day, which the 3rd Armored Division passed though the regiment to conduct exploitation operations.

The regiment repulsed a major German counter-attack conducted by the German Panzer-Lehr-Division the night of 7 July 1944 and again during the morning of 9 July 1944. The Germans suffered heavy losses as the result of the Tennessee guardsmen’s tenacious fighting and accurate fire.

As the 117th Infantry advanced on Saint-Lô, as part of the 30th (US) Infantry Division, it checked a German counterattack along the main Hauts-Vents Highway 11 July 1944 and Pont Hebert fell after protracted fighting 14 July 1944. Patrols reached the Periers-Saint-Lô Road by 18 July 1944.

VII (US) Corps made the main effort along the St. Lo-Periers highway just west of Saint-Lô. The corps commander’s intent was to drive through the German crust-like defense before the Germans could reform, then exploit the break thought by passing mechanized forces into the Germans' rear. The plan called for saturation bombing by fighter-bombers, medium and heavy bombers from the front line back to the enemy’s artillery positions to disorient and dislodge the Germans. Following the bombers, 4th(US) Infantry Division, 9th (US) Infantry Division, and the 30th (US) Infantry Division were to attack southward along a narrow front, clearing the way for the 2d (US) and 3d (US) Armored Divisions and the 1st (US) Infantry Division to pass through. The armored forces were to sweep south then southwest into the rear of German forces opposing the VIII Corps along the western portions of the Cotentin Peninsula.

The 30th (US) Infantry Division attacked with the 120th Infantry Regiment on the right and 119th Infantry Division on the left. Two battalions from the 117th Infantry Regiment were attached (one battalion each) to the 119th and 120th Infantry Regiments. The remainder of the 117th Infantry was in division reserve prepared to pass through on the left and clear out the curve in the Vier River.

The air plan called for 350 fighter-bombers hitting the German front lines followed by 1,500 bombers assigned to targets 2,500 yards (2,300 m) deep and 6,000 yards (5,500 m) wide. As the friendly troops moved forward, another 396 medium bombers would bomb the rear areas for another 45 minutes. Friendly troops were moved back 1,200 yards (1,100 m) from their line of departures for safety.

After two postponements due to bad weather, the attack got underway on the morning of 24 July 1944. At 11:30 am, 350 P-47 fighter-bombers arrived on schedule and started dive-bombing, followed by the steady drone 1,500 heavy bombers. Some of the P-47 fighter-bombers bombed friendly troop positions and one squadron of heavy bombers dropped its bombs squarely on friendly troops. Twenty minutes after the attack started it was called off. "Operation COBRA" the breakout from St. Lo, the 30th Infantry Division endured the heaviest bombing by "friendly aircraft" of the entire war. Approximately 88 men were killed and over 500 seriously wounded over the two-day period. Lieutenant General Leslie J. McNair, Commanding General Army Ground Forces, was visiting and observing this attack in the area of the Second Battalion, 120th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division when bombs instantly killed him dropped by friendly B-17s flying in support of Operation COBRA.

The two battalions of the 117th attacked with the units to which they were attached on 25 July 1944 to drive beyond Saint-Lô during Operation COBRA. On 26 July 1944 the 117th Infantry Regiment took the high ground overlooking Saint-Lô. The Armor and Infantry Forces passed through the hole in the German defenses and advanced south. The 30th Infantry Division had made a spectacular attack, and opened the way for Patton's newly arrived Third Army to drive into Brittany and onward to Brest, France.

The division took well-defended Troisgots on 31 July 1944 and relieved the 1st Infantry Division near Mortain, France on 6 August 1944. The 30th Infantry Division and the 117th Infantry Regiment was subjected to a strong German counterattack, which ruptured its lines in the area on the following day during the battle for Avranches.

In the morning of 6 August 1944, the regiment moved southwest to the vicinity of Bracy, France near Mortain to relieve the 26th Infantry and to take up defensive positions. At dusk, it was apparent the Germans were in the 1st Battalion’s area in strength. About 01:30 am, on 7 August 1944 the 117th Infantry Regiment was attacked by crack troops of the 1st SS Adolf Hitler Division. Between midnight and 04:00 the regiment was blanketed by intense and devastating mortar and artillery fire. Enemy aircraft strafed supporting Artillery units as they tried to register their fire on Germany tanks and infantry. The situation became critical at dawn when the main body of the Germans attacked in a thick fog and overran two company roadblocks. C Company of the 117th Infantry held their position, which caused the Germans to pause in their attack. Colonel Walter M. Johnson, the regimental commander issued orders to hold at all costs because there was nothing behind the 117th Infantry Regiment to stop the Germans from reaching the sea. A new defensive line was established on a sunken road bisected by the highway from Juvigny to Saint Barthelemy and situated on a hill overlooking Saint Barthelemy. Cooks, clerks, messengers, and administrative personnel from the battalions and the regimental Headquarters became riflemen. The Tennessee Infantrymen held their positions against intense attacks by German infantry and armor.

Late in the afternoon of 8 August 1944, the Germans launched a fresh large-scale attack employing numerous tanks and fresh Infantry. Despite the terrible odds, the 117th Infantry Regiment stopped the German assault. Determined and stubborn Tennessee riflemen and machine gunners held their positions and stopped the German Infantrymen. Company B from Athens, Tennessee bore the brunt of the attack. Private Timothy L. Birt of Company B was a platoon runner and ended up as the runner for all the platoons. Through heavy enemy fire he carried orders, ammunition, rations and mail from the company command post to all of the platoons. On six different occasions he repaired telephone lines between the CP and the platoons. He helped evacuate seriously wounded soldiers from an open field under intense enemy fire. Twice he went with litter bearers to help evacuate the wounded. Once during the battle he served as observer and adjusted the Company’s 60 mm mortar fire. Private Birt, from rural Meigs County, Tennessee was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery.

During combat at Mortain and Saint-Barthelemy, the 117th Infantry Regiment and the 30th Infantry Division became known as the Workhorse of the Western Front. It was also known as "Roosevelt's SS Troops," so named by German high command because of the consistent vigor and pressure the division brought to bear on the elite 1st SS Adolf Hitler Division. According to three of Germany’s top generals interviewed after World War II, (Jodl, Keitel and von Kesslring) the battle for Mortain and Saint-Barthelemy was one of the two critical operations leading to the defeat of Germany in the west. Mainly the 1st Battalion, 117th Infantry at Saint-Barthelemy, absorbed the main drive of the Germany Army in Normandy, thus allowing Lieutenant General George Patton's armored forces to race forward through France, thereby shortening the war by many months.

The 117th Infantry Regiment went over to the offensive again 11 August 1944 and forced back German gains to Mortain. The 117th Infantry Regiment along with the rest of the 30th (US) Infantry Division then pushed east behind the 2nd Armored Division, taking Nonancourt on 21 August 1944.

The 117th Infantry Regiment was moved by truck on 14 August to the vicinity of Rouelle near Domfront France. German artillery fired on the battalions of the regiment forcing them to dismount and move on foot to l’Onlay-l’Abbaye, France. Tennessee’s 117th Infantry Regiment crossed the Seine river near Mantes-Grassicourt 25 miles (40 km) west of Paris to relieve the 79th (US) Infantry Division, which had established a bridgehead across the Seine River. After two days of fighting the regiment was moving quickly in open country towards Belgium.

The 30th (US) Infantry Division (with the 117th Infantry Regiment) was the first American infantry division to enter Belgium 2 September 1944, and advanced over the Meuse River at Vise and Liege 11 September 1944. The 117th Infantry Regiment was the first Allied unit to enter the Netherlands on 13 September 1944.

On 14 September 1944 the 117th and 119th Infantry advanced into Maastricht east of the Meuse River where the 2d Battalion, 117th Infantry Regiment cleared the area west of the river.

The 117th Infantry Regiment attacked from Maastricht towards the German border in the vicinity of Scherpenseel Germany starting on the morning of 17 September 1944. Here German resistance intensified as the Germans employed 155 mm artillery against the regiment as they approached the border.

On the afternoon of 19 September 1944 the 1st Battalion crossed into Germany and entered the town of Scherpenseel. The next morning, the regiment planned the attack on the Siegfried Line, which the German claimed to be invincible fortress.

The 119th and 120th Infantry attacked toward the West Wall north of Aachen and the former reached positions commanding the Wurm River on 18 September 1944. The 30th Infantry Division attacked across the Rhine River between Aachen and Geilenkirchen 2 October 1944 against strong German opposition. On the following day the 117th Infantry Regiment seized Uebach after house-to-house fighting as the 119th Infantry finally captured Rimburg Castle.

At 11:00 hrs, 2 October 1944, the 117th Infantry, along with the rest of the 30th Infantry Division, launched an attack on the Siegfried Line near Palenberg, Germany. It was here that Private Harold G. Kiner from Enid, Oklahoma of Company F, 117th Infantry Regiment won the Medal of Honor. With four other men, Private Kiner was leading a frontal assault on a Siegfried Line pillbox near Palenberg, Germany. Machinegun fire from the strongly defended enemy position 25 yards (23 m) away pinned down the attackers. The Germans threw hand grenades, one of which dropped between Private Kiner and two other men. With no hesitation, Private Kiner hurled himself upon the grenade, smothering the explosion. By his gallant action and voluntary sacrifice of his own life, he saved his two comrades from serious injury or death. The Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously to Private Kiner. Private Kiner was the fourth soldier from the regiment to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

The 117th Infantry Regiment was assisted by elements of the 2nd Armored Division as it continued with slow progress against the West Wall. The 1st Battalion of the 117th Infantry Regiment was the only lead battalion to crack the West Wall for the entire XIX Corps. The regiment’s advance was checked by a strong German counterattack on 9 October 1944 which isolated the 119th Infantry at North Wuerselen. The encirclement of Aachen was completed on 16 October 1944 when the 117th Infantry made contact with the 1st Infantry Division.

On 17 December 1944 the 117th Infantry Regiment was ordered to an assembly area in the vicinity of Haustet, Belgium in the Belgian Ardennes. En route, the regiment was stopped by an assistant division commander and diverted to Malmedy and Stavelot to block a powerful German counterattack. As the regiment approached Stavelot it was noted that a German Panzer unit already occupied the town. Elements of the 117th Infantry were ordered to retake Stavelot, a key crossroads on the Amblève River. As they moved to their objectives, Axis Sally was on the radio that morning boasting of a huge counterattack though the Ardennes, which she said, could not possibly be stopped. She said "The fanatical 30th Division, Roosevelt’s SS Troops, are en route to the rescue, but this time they will be completely annihilated!" As the regiment approached the town of Stavelot, huge Tiger Royal (Mark IV) tanks, and assault riflemen were observed in the center of town. The 1st Battalion of the regiment attacked and established a defensive position in the Town Square. The 1st Battalion was reinforced with tank destroyers, machineguns, and mortars. Late in the day, two American jeeps, and two half-ton trucks roared into Stavelot loaded with Germans dressed in American uniforms with guns blazing. The Tennesseans from the 117th quickly annihilated all the Germans captured and seized the jeeps and trucks.

It was determined that the Germans had occupied Stavelot with the 1st SS Adolf Hitler Division. This was the second time the 1st SS Adolf Hitler Division faced the 117th Infantry Regiment and the 30th Infantry Division during the Ardennes Offensive in the winter of 1944–45. The 1st SS Adolf Hitler Division, the main effort of the 1st SS Corps and the spearhead of the Sixth Panzer Army, gave up on their attempt to recapture Stavelot after the 117th Infantry Regiment repulsed six fanatical German assaults on 20 December 1944. Stavelot, like Mortain, was the key to the Sixth Panzer Army's attack in the Ardennes. It was estimated that at least 1000 German dead lined the bank of the Amblève River which was mute testimony to the heroic actions of the 1st battalion, 117th Infantry Regiment. Again the 117th Infantry Regiment had defeated the elite1st SS Adolf Hitler Division, which was never again to do battle.

The 117th Infantry Regiment moved into Germany and arrived in Varlautenheide, Germany at 2:00 am, 3 February 1945. On 19 February 1945 Major General Leland Hobbs, CG 30th Infantry Division, for the Saint-Barthelemy (Mortain) Performance awarded the Presidential Unit Citation the regiment for actions in France at Saint-Barthelemy. They were also awarded the Belgian Fourragere for its performance in the Ardennes and for the regiment’s part in the liberation of Belgium 4–10 September 1944.

On 23 February 1945 the 117th Infantry Regiment crossed the Roer River and continued to move into the heart of Germany. On 27 February 1945 elements of the 83d Infantry Division and the 2nd Armored Division passed thought the regiment to exploit the Roar River breakthrough. The regiment spearheaded the Ninth Army’s crossing of the Rhine River at 02:00 hrs on 24 March 1945. They drove west into Stockum, Germany, then crossed the Autobahn and went on to Hunxe, Germany. They captured a German Airfield here on 27 March 1945. On 31 March 1945, the 117th Infantry Regiment captured the Lippe Canal, then motored 55 miles (89 km) to Brensteinfurt, Germany. Here they encountered a mass German surrender with German soldiers, hands up and running towards POW cages in the rear. Here they met the first of the streams of Allied prisoners, thin as skeletons, liberated from German prison camps along with laborers from Poland, Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union, and France.

During the month of April 1945, the regiment continued its dash to towards the east. At 06:00 on 7 April 1945 the 117th Infantry Regiment attacked and took the town of Hamelin, Germany. Hamelin is famous for the Brothers Grimm story of "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" a children's fairy tale. Here the regiment captured hundreds of German soldiers as prisoners of war.

On 17 April 1945 the regiment seized the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River. The regiment moved east on the morning of 18 April 1945 and by noon had closed on the Elbe River where they were ordered to set up a defense and wait for the Soviet Army. The regiment waited for three weeks on the Russians and the end of the war. On 27 May 1945 British troops occupied Magdeburg and the 117th Infantry moved 150 miles (240 km) south to Oelenln and Bad Elsren, Germany near the Czechoslovakian border for occupation. Plans were to transfer the regiment and the 30th Infantry Division to the Pacific Theater to fight the Japanese.

On 13 August 1945 the regiment boarded the Liberty Ship Marine Wolfe and sailed to Southampton, England. Before departing Southampton, news of the Japanese surrender canceled to the plans to move the regiment to the Pacific. On 17 August 1945 the regiment sailed on board the RMS Queen Mary from the Ocean Pier at Southampton. They arrived at Pier 90 in New York City, the port of debarkation on 21 August 1945. The 117th Infantry Regiment moved to Fort Jackson S.C. on 21 August 1945. The 117th Infantry Regiment was inactivated 17–24 November 1945 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.