Army
| Unit | Service | Year awarded | Campaign or battle | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26th Cavalry Regiment | U.S. Army | 1941 | Battle of Damortis/Lingayen Gulf | |
| Division and 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division | U.S. Army | 1944 | Normandy | |
| Division and 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (less 2nd Battalion, 401st Glider Infantry Regiment) and with the following attached unit: 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment. | U.S. Army | 1945 | Battle of Bastogne | CITADEL OF BASTOGNE
As authorized by Executive Order 9396 (sec. I, Bul. 22,WD, 1943), superseding Executive Order 9075 (sec. III, WD Bul, 11, 1942), the following unit is cited by the War Department under the provisions of section IV, Circular No. 333, War Department, 1943 in the name of the President of the United States as public evidence of deserved honor and distinction. The citation reads as follows: 101st Airborne Division (less 2nd Battalion, 401st Glider Infantry Regiment), with the following-attached units: 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment; 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment; 463rd Parachute Field Artillery Battalion; Counterintelligence Detachment, 101st Airborne Division; Order of Battle Detachment Number 5; Military Intelligence Interpreter Team Number 410; Photo Interpreter Teams Number 9 & 81; Prisoner of War Interrogation Teams Number 1, 9 & 87;U Third Auxiliary Surgical Group, Team Number 3; 969th Field Artillery Battalion; 755th Field Artillery Battalion; 705th Field Artillery Battalion; Combat Command B, 10th Armored Division including: Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Combat Command B, 10th Armored Division; 3rd Tank Battalion (less Company C); 20th Armored Infantry Battalion (less Company A); 54th Armored Infantry Battalion (less Company A and C); 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion; Troop D, 90th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Mechanized); Company C, 609th Tank Destroyer Battalion (less 1st Platoon; with 2nd Platoon Reconnaissance Company attached); Battery B, 796th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion; Company C, 55th Armored Engineer Battalion ; Company C, 21st Tank Battalion; Reserve Command, 9th Armored Division including: Headquarters Reserve Command, 9th Armored Division; Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 12th Armored Group; 2nd Tank Battalion; 52nd Armored Infantry Battalion; 73rd Armored Field Artillery Battalion; Company C, 9th Armored Engineer Battalion; Company C, 811th Tank Destroyer Battalion; Battery C, 482nd Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion (Self-Propelled); These units distinguished themselves in combat against powerful and aggressive enemy forces composed of elements of 8 German divisions during the period from 18 December to 27 December 1944 by extraordinary heroism and gallantry in defense of the key communications center of Bastogne, Belgium. Essential to a large scale exploitation of his break-through into Belgium and northern Luxembourg, the enemy attempted to seize Bastogne by attacking constantly and savagely with the best of his armor and infantry. Without benefit of prepared defenses, facing almost overwhelming odds and with very limited and fast dwindling supplies, these units maintained a high combat morale and an impenetrable defense, despite extremely heavy bombing, intense artillery fire, and constant attacks from infantry and armor on all sides of their completely cut off and encircled position. This masterful and grimly determined defense denied the enemy even momentary success in an operation for which he paid dearly in men, material, and eventually morale. The outstanding courage and resourcefulness and undaunted determination of this gallant force is in keeping with the highest traditions of the service. |
| 117th Regiment, Easy Company | U.S. Army | 1944 | Battle of Aachen | |
| 3rd Infantry Division | U.S. Army | 1945 | COLMAR | War Department General Orders Number 44, 6 June 1945: As authorized by Executive Order 9396 (sec. I, WD Bul. 22, 1943), superseding Executive Order 9075 (sec. III, WD Bul, 11, 1942), the following unit is cited by the War Department for outstanding performance of duty in action during the period indicated under provisions of section IV, WD Circular 333, 1943, In the name of the President of the United States as public evidence of deserved honor and distinction. The citation reads as follows:
The 3rd Infantry Division with the following-attached units: 254 Infantry Regiment, 99th Chemical Battalion, 168th Chemical Smoke Generator Company, 441st Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion (SP), 756th Tank Battalion, IPW Team 183, fighting incessantly, from 22 January-6 February 1945, in heavy snow storms, through enemy-infested marshes and woods, and over a flat plain crisscrossed by numerous small canals, irrigation ditches, and unfordable streams, terrain ideally suited to the defense, breached the German defense wall on the northern perimeter of the Colmar bridgehead and drove forward to isolate Colmar from the Rhine. Crossing the Fecht River from Guemar, Alsace, by stealth during the late hours of darkness of 22 January, the assault elements fought their way forward against mounting resistance. Reaching the Ill River, a bridge was thrown across but collapsed before armor could pass to the support of two battalions of the 80th Infantry on the far side. Isolated and attacked by a full German Panzer brigade, outnumbered and outgunned, these valiant troops were forced back yard by yard. Wave after wave of armor and infantry was hurled against them but despite hopeless odds the regiment held tenaciously to its bridgehead. Driving forward in knee-deep snow, which masked acres of densely sown mines, the 3d Infantry Division fought from house to house and street to street in the fortress towns of the Alsatian Plain. Under furious concentrations of supporting fire, assault troops crossed the Colmar Canal in rubber boats during the night of 29 January. Driving relentlessly forward, six towns were captured within eight hours, 500 casualties inflicted on the enemy during the day, and large quantities of booty seized. Slashing through to the Rhone-Rhine Canal, the garrison at Colmar was cut off and the fall of the city assured. Shifting the direction of attack, the division moved south between the Rhone-Rhine Canal and the Rhine toward Neuf Brisach and the Brisach Bridge. Synchronizing the attacks, the bridge was seized and Neuf Brisach captured by crossing the protecting moat and scaling the medieval walls by ladder. In one of the hardest fought and bloodiest campaigns of the war, the 3d Infantry Division annihilated three enemy divisions, partially destroyed three others, captured over 4,000 prisoners, and inflicted more than 7,500 casualties on the enemy. |
| 32nd Infantry Division | U.S. Army | 1943 | Kokoda Track campaign, Battle of Buna-Gona | General Orders Number 21, War Department, 6 May 1943: "When (a) bold and aggressive enemy invaded Papua in strength, the combined action of ground and air units of these forces, in association with Allied units, checked the hostile advance, drove the enemy back to the seacoast and in a series of actions against a highly organized defensive zone, utterly destroyed him. Ground combat forces, operating over roadless jungle-covered mountains and swamps, demonstrated their courage and resourcefulness in closing with an enemy who took every advantage of the nearly impassable terrain. Air forces, by repeatedly attacking the enemy ground forces and installations, by destroying his convoys attempting reinforcement and supply, and by transporting ground forces and supplies to areas for which land routes were non-existent and sea routes slow and hazardous, made possible the success of the ground operations. Service units, operating far forward of their normal positions and at times in advance of ground combat elements, built landing fields in the jungle, established and operated supply points, and provided for the hospitalization and evacuation of the wounded and sick. The courage, spirit, and devotion to duty of all elements of the command made possible the complete victory attained." |
| 2nd Battalion, 274th Infantry Regiment, 70th Infantry Division | U.S. Army | 1945 | Wingen | |
| 2nd Battalion, 311th Infantry Regiment, 78th Infantry Division | U.S. Army | 1945 | Kesternich (Siegfried Line) | |
| 3rd Battalion, 310th Infantry Regiment, 78th Infantry Division | U.S. Army | 1945 | Rhineland Campaign | |
| Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division | U.S. Army | 1981 | Battle of Bulge | On October 26, 1981, after considerably lobbying and letter-writing by Lt. Lyle Bouck, members of the unit were finally decorated. Fourteen of the 18 members were present. Secretary of the Army John O. Marsh presented the recognition. The Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division, distinguished itself by extraordinary heroism, in action against enemy forces on 16 December 1944 near Lanzerath. Belgium. The German Ardennes Offensive that began the Battle of the Bulge was directed initially against a small sector defended by the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon. Following a two-hour artillery barrage, enemy forces of at least battalion strength launched three separate frontal attacks against the small Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon of 18 men. Each attack was successfully repelled by the platoon. The platoon position was becoming untenable as casualties mounted and ammunition was nearly exhausted. Plans were made to break contact with the enemy and withdraw under cover of darkness. Before this could be accomplished, a fourth enemy attack finally overran the position and the platoon was captured at bayonet point. Although greatly outnumbered, through numerous feats of valor and an aggressive and deceptive defense of their position, the platoon inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy forces and successfully delayed for nearly 24 hours a major spearhead of the attacking German forces. Their valorous actions provided crucial time for the American forces to prepare to defend against the massive German offensive. The extraordinary gallantry, determination and esprit de corps of the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon in close combat against a numerically superior enemy force are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Army and reflect great credit upon the Unit and the Armed Forces of the United States. |
| 26th Infantry Division | U.S. Army | 1945 | Ardennes-Alsace | |
| Combat Command "B", 7th Armored Division | U.S. Army | 1948 | St. Vith (Ardennes Campaign) | Dept. of the Army GO #48, dated 12 July 1948: "Combat Command B. 7th Armored Division, composed of the following units: Headquarters and Headquarters Company; 17th Tank Battalion; 31st Tank Battalion; 23d Armored Infantry Battalion; 38th Armored Infantry Battalion; 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron Mechanized (less Troop D); 275th Armored Field Artillery Battalion; 434th Armored Field Artillery Battalion; 965th Field Artillery Battalion; 81st Engineer Combat Battalion (106th Infantry Division); 168th Engineer Combat Battalion; 1st Platoon, Company F, 423d Infantry Regiment (amended from 3rd Platoon in Defense Department Permanent Order #032-01, dated 1 February 1999); Company B, 33d Armored Engineer Battalion; and Company A, 814th Tank Destroyer Battalion (SP), is cited for outstanding performance of duty in action from 17 to 23 December 1944, inclusive, at St. Vith, Belgium. Combat Command B, 7th Armored Division, was subjected to repeated tank and infantry attacks, which grew in intensity as the German forces attempted to destroy the stubborn defenses that were denying to them the use of the key communication center at St. Vith. By the second day, the flanks were constantly threatened by enemy forces that had bypassed the St. Vith area and pushed far to the rear in an effort to encircle the command east of the Salm River. The attacking forces were repeatedly thrown back by the gallant troops who rose from their fox holes and fought in fierce hand to hand combat to stop the penetrations and inflict heavy losses on the numerically superior foe. As the command continued to deny the important St. Vith highway and railroad center to the Germans, the entire offensive lost its initial impetus and their supply columns became immobilized. By 21 December, the German timetable was so disrupted that the enemy was forced to divert a corps to the capture of St. Vith. Under extreme pressure from overwhelming forces, this command, which for 6 days had held the St. Vith area so gallantly, was ordered to withdraw west of the Salm River. By their epic stand, without prepared defenses and despite heavy casualties, Combat Command B,. 7th Armored Division inflicted crippling losses and imposed great delay upon the enemy by a masterful and grimly determined defense in keeping with the highest traditions of the Army of the United States." |
| 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion of the 82nd Airborne Division | U.S. Army | 1944 | Battle of the Bulge, Rochelinval, Belgium | for "exceptional heroism" at the beginning of the American counteroffensive in the Ardennes, Belgium, noting the "heroic attack and seizure of the critical, heavily fortified, regimental German position" of Rochelinval on the Salm River. A separate battalion attached to the 82nd Airborne Division, the 551st began its grueling days as the Division's spearhead by successfully executing a raid on advanced German positions at Noirfontaine on 27 and 28 December 1944, delivering to XVIII Airborne Corps vital intelligence for the Allied counteroffensive soon to come. On 3 January 1945, the 551st from the division's line of departure at Basse Bodeux attacked against great odds and secured the imposing ridge of Herispehe. The next day, January 8, Hitler ordered the German Army's first pullback from the Battle of the Bulge. In fighting a numerically superior foe with dominant high ground advantage, the 551st lost over four-fifths of its men, including the death of its inspirational commander, Lieutenant Colonel Wood Joerg, as he led the last attack. The battalion accounted for 400 German dead, and took over 300 prisoners. The 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion fought with a tenacity and fervor that was extraordinary. In what United States Army historian Charles MacDonald called "the greatest battle ever fought by the United States Army," the 551st demonstrated the very best of the Army tradition of performance of duty in spite of great sacrifice and against all odds.
(Awarded on February 23, 2001, by U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki during an official ceremony at the Pentagon.) |
| 21st Tank Battalion, Combat Command B, 10th Armored Division | U.S. Army | 1944 | Battle of Bastogne | On December 18, 1944, the 10th's charge across Europe was halted due to the Ardennes Offensive. The 10th Armored Division executed a 90 degree turn and rushed 75 miles into the German onslaught. Combat Command B were sent directly into Bastogne with orders to hold. For over eight hours CCB held Bastogne alone, against eight German Divisions. When the 101 Airborne Division arrived both military outfits were surrounded and trapped. However CCB and the 101 Airborne Division maintained a defensive posture and held until the German offensive burned out several days later. At the Conclusion of the battle, the 21st Tank Battalion was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for their extraordinary heroism from December 17, to December 27, 1944 Battle of the Bulge. |
| Company "A", 612th Tank Destroyer Battalion, | U.S. Army | December 12–29, 1944 | Hofen, Germany Battle of the Bulge | During the period of 12 December 1944 to 29 December 1944 in the vicinity of Höfen, Germany, Company A, 612th Tank Destroyer Battalion distinguished itself by exhibiting outstanding courage and superior heroism in the presence of the enemy. The officers and men of Company A, 612th Tank Destroyer Battalion, by spirited arid out-standing aggressiveness, were successful in preventing a breakthrough by the enemy in the sector occupied by the 3rd Battalion of the 395th Infantry Regiment. During the entire action the personnel of Company A, 612th Tank Destroyer Battalion were employed in the role of infantry, one for which they were not trained nor to which assigned, fighting with the courage and spirit of infantrymen and being responsible for, the capture of many enemy personnel and enemy materiel as well as the killing of numerous Germans. Their outstanding courage, bravery and discipline exhibited to all that this was a superior fighting unit and was instrumental in resisting the northern arm of the German Pincer aimed for Eupen, Belgium through Monschau, Germany. Had the enemy offensive successfully overrun the positions of Company A 612th Tank Destroyer Battalion, the entire northern flank of the First United States Army would have been endangered, and the major supply depots in the vicinity of Eupen and Verviers threatened. |
| 761st Tank Battalion | U.S. Army | 1978 | ETO, World War II | |
| 1st Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Art. | U.S. Army | Guadalcanal | Army citation | |
| 146th Engineer (Combat) Battalion | U.S. Army | 1944 | Operation Overlord | Landed H+03 minutes, Omaha Beach, D-Day, June 6, 1944 |
| 695th Armored Field Artillery Battalion | U.S. Army | 1945 | Invasion behind enemy lines and capture of the French city Metz. | |
| 34th Field Artillery | US Army | 1943 | North Africa | |
| 51st Combat Engineer Battalion | US Army | 1945 | Ardennes | Defense of several key Belgian cities against Kampfgruppe Peiper between December 17–22, 1944. |
| 1st Battalion, 307th Infantry Regiment of the 77th Infantry Division | U.S. Army | 1945 | Okinawa, le Shima | "For assaulting, capturing and securing The Escarpment, a heavily fortified coral rock fortress which was the key to the famed Japanese Shuri defensive position on Okinawa, during the period 30 April to 5 May 1945, and making possible a general advance by all elements of the command." |
| 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division | U.S. Army | 1944 | D-Day - Normandy | for action at Sainte-Mère-Église |
| First Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (less Company “A”) of the 82nd Airborne Division | U.S. Army | 1945 | Operation Market Garden - Cheneux, Belgium |
HEADQUARTERS 82D AIRBORNE DIVISION Office of the Division Commander A.P.O. 469, U.S. Army, 23 March 1945 GENERAL ORDERS UNIT CITATION NUMBER 43 The First Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry (less Company “A”) has been cited by the Commanding General, First United States Army, for outstanding performance of duty in action against the enemy. The citation is as follows: The First Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry (less Company “A”) is cited for outstanding performance of duty in action against the enemy on 20–21 December 1944, at Cheneux, Belgium. This force was ordered to seize and occupy the town which is situated on hilly terrain and was defended by a heavily reinforced battalion of armored SS Troops supported by a Mark VI tank, numerous machine guns, SP 20 mm guns, SP 77 mm guns, and 105 mm howitzers. The position was further defended in depth by armored halftracks mounting triple 20 mm cannon and SP 81mm mortars. The battalion attacked Cheneux in echelons of assault waves and stormed the strongly emplaced enemy through the heavy fire of 20 mm cannon, machine gun, mortar and small arms. The first three waves suffered severe losses as they charged across 400 yards of open fields fenced with barbed wire. Despite heavy losses, these airborne soldiers kept going with grim determination, each succeeding wave getting closer until the enemy and his armored vehicles and cannon were finally overwhelmed in fierce hand-to-hand combat. When ammunition ran low the troopers drove the enemy from almost impregnable positions with bayonets and clubbed rifles. The stubborn enemy was completely routed from his perimeter defenses and the attack continued until a portion of Cheneux was seized, where reorganization was effected and preparations made for a counter-attack. At dawn, the enemy laid down a heavy artillery preparation, then launched five successive counter-attacks through the day. All of these were repelled and at dusk this undaunted force continued the attack and drove the Germans from the town and nearby high ground. In this battle for CHENEUX, the First Battalion of the 504th Parachute Infantry (less Company “A”), destroyed five companies of German SS Armored troops and large quantities of artillery, vehicles and one Mark VI tank. They sealed a trap for thirty tanks and ninety-five vehicles which were eventually completely destroyed. This airborne force sustained heavy casualties in the engagement, but, despite these losses and the fanatical ferocity with which the enemy defended key positions, it prevailed in a most outstanding manner through superb discipline, skill and teamwork. The superior fortitude, unparalleled élan and individual feats of gallantry and high courage on the part of every man and officer reflect credit on the traditions of the airborne forces of the United States Army. |
| Company "A", 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division | U.S. Army | 1945 | Co. A for crossing Rhine River at Hitdorf, Germany on 6 April 1945 |
Company "A" 504th Parachute Infantry, is cited for outstanding performance of duty in the armed conflict against the enemy in Germany on 6–7 April 1945. This company crossed the Rhine River at 02–30 hours 6 April 1945, and seized the mile-long town of Hitdorf on the east shore with the mission of providing a base for further patrolling and to cause the German High Command to commit disproportionate forces against them in the belief that it was to be a major river crossing. The enemy immediately counter-attacked, but the assault groups were met with great vigor and virtually destroyed to a man. Apparently under the impression that a strong American bridgehead had been established overnight, the Germans assembled and directed a considerable portion of two divisions to the mission of containing and annihilating the formidable thrust. In mid-afternoon the entire area was subjected to a withering and devastating artillery barrage for two hours after which counter-attacking forces in overwhelming strength with tank support assaulted the defending troopers from every direction and penetrated to the heart of the town. The troopers of Company A doggedly stood their ground, fought at close quarters, and at point blank range and inflicted terrible casualties on the masses of the enemy. Fighting with relentless ferocity throughout the afternoon and night, this gallant company held its ground and carried out its mission until it was finally ordered to withdraw to the west bank of the Rhine on the night of 6–7 April. Fighting was bitter and at close quarters. The German armor committed was destroyed with hand weapons, most of the troopers using captured German panzerfausts. The company fought its way back step by step during the hours of darkness to their boats. The courageous and skillful efforts of the officers and men of this brave group, although outnumbered numerically at least eight to one, is reflected in the total number of casualties inflicted on the German forces during the day's fighting . Eighty prisoners were taken and evacuated and conservative estimates indicate that 150 of the enemy were killed and 250 wounded. The conduct of Company A reflects great credit on the Airborne Forces of the United States Army. |
| 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division | U.S. Army | 1944 | Operation Market Garden - Groesbeek, Holland | |
| 96th Infantry Division | U.S. Army | 2001 | Okinawa | Entire Division |
| 2nd Battalion and one platoon of Company A, 749th Tank Battalion and one platoon of Company A, 776th Tank Destroyer Battalion of the 44th Infantry Division (United States) | U.S. Army | 1945 | France | Defensive action starting on December 31, 1944, against the German offensive Operation Nordwind in Rimling, France. |
| 503rd Regimental Combat Team | U.S. Army | 1945 | Battle of Corregidor (1945) | Liberation the island of Corregidor in Manila Bay, 16–26 February. |
| 222nd Infantry Regiment | U.S. Army | 2001 | Alsace | 24 & 25 January 1945 withstood repeated attacks from three enemy divisions |
| Third Platoon, Company C of the 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion | U.S. Army | 1945 | Alsace | 14 December 1944 Set up their guns in full view of the enemy, acting as a decoy so other units could attack and take the town of Climback, France |
| 5307th Composite Unit ("Merrill's Marauders") | U.S. Army | 1966 | northern Burma | |
| 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion | U.S. Army | 1942 | Battle of El Guettar | 23 March 1942 broke up an attack by strong elements of the 10th Panzer Division, destroying 37 tanks and receiving the Presidential Unit Citation. This has the interesting distinction of being the only time a battalion would fight in the way envisaged by the original "tank destroyer" concept, as an organized independent unit opposing an armored force in open terrain. Received a second Presidential Unit Citation for heavy action in the Colmar Pocket, destroying 18 tanks. |
| 3rd Battalion, 351st Infantry Regiment | U.S. Army | 1944 | 9 July to 13 July 1944 - Five days of heavy combat; 425 prisoners taken; 250 enemy killed or wounded. | |
| 100th Infantry Battalion | U.S. Army | 1944 | Belvedere and Sassetta, Italy | War Department General Orders 66, 15 August 1944: 26 and 27 June 1944 - The stubborn desire of the men to close with a numerically superior enemy and the rapidity with which they fought enabled the 100th Infantry Battalion to destroy completely the right flank positions of a German army, killing at least 178 Germans, wounding approximately 20, capturing 73, and forcing the remainder of a completely disrupted battalion to surrender approximately 10 kilometers of ground. In addition, large quantities of enemy weapons, vehicles, and equipment were either captured or destroyed. |
| 100th Infantry Battalion | U.S. Army | 1944 | Bruyeres, Biffontaine, and in the Foret Domaniale de Champ, France | War Department General Orders 78, 12 September 1945: 15 to 30 October 1944 - The 100th Battalion was again committed to the attack. Going to the rescue of the "lost battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment, it fought without respite for 4 days against a fanatical enemy that was determined to keep the "lost battalion" isolated and force its surrender. On the fourth day, although exhausted and reduced through casualties to about half its normal strength, the battalion fought doggedly forward against strong enemy small-arms and mortar fire until it contacted the isolated unit. |
| 442 Regimental Combat Team | U.S. Army | 1945 | Serravezza, Carrara, and Fosdinovo, Italy | War Department General Orders 34, 10 April 1946, as amended by War Department General Orders 106, 20 September 1946: 5 to 14 April 1945 - It accomplished the mission of creating a diversion along the Ligurian Coast, which served as a feint for the subsequent break-through of the Fifth Army forces into Bologna and the Po Valley. The successful accomplishment of this mission turned a diversionary action into a full scale and victorious offensive, which played an important part in the dual destruction of the German armies In Italy. |
| 2nd Battalion, 442 Regimental Combat Team | U.S. Army | 1944–1945 | Bruyeres, France; Biffontaine, France; and Massa, Italy | War Department General Orders 83, 6 August 1946: 19 October 1944, 28 and 29 October 1944, 6 to 10 April 1945 - The 2d Battalion executed a brilliant tactical operation in capturing Hill 503, to expedite the forward movement beyond Bruyeres, France and to erase the German threat from the rear. On 28 October 1944, the 2d Battalion secured its objective in a 2-day operation, which eliminated a threat to the flanks of two American divisions. In the face of intense enemy barrages and numerous counterattacks, the infantrymen of this battalion fought their way through difficult jungle-like terrain in freezing weather and completely encircled the enemy. Maintaining its admirable record of achievement in the vicinity of Massa, Italy the 2nd Battalion smashed through and exploited the strong Green Line on the Ligurian Coast. Surging over formidable heights through strong resistance, the 2nd Battalion, in 5 days of continuous, heavy fighting, captured a series of objectives to pave the way for the entry into the important communications centers of Massa and Carrara, Italy, without opposition. In this operation, the 2nd Battalion accounted for more than 200 Germans and captured or destroyed large quantities of enemy material. |
| 3rd Battalion, 442 Regimental Combat Team | U.S. Army | 1944 | Biffontaine, France | War Department General Orders 68, 14 August 1945: 27 to 30 October 1944 - One of the battalions of another unit which had been advancing deep into enemy territory beyond the town of Biffontaine was suddenly surrounded by the enemy, and separated from all friendly units by an enemy force estimated at 700 men. The mission of the 3rd Battalion was to attack abreast with the 100th Battalion and four other battalions and relieve the entrapped unit. Though seriously depleted in manpower, the battalion hurled back two determined enemy counterattacks, and after reducing a heavily mined roadblock finally established contact with the besieged battalion. |
| Companies F and L, 442 Regimental Combat Team | U.S. Army | 1944 | Belmont, France | War Department General Orders 14, 4 March 1945: 21 October 1944 - Companies F and L, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, designated the O'Connor Task Force, launched an attack down the north slope of the wooded ridge, Foret de Belmont. In destroying the enemy main line of resistance and advancing the divisional front lines by approximately 2,000 meters, the task force captured 56 prisoners, killed 80 of the enemy, and captured considerable quantifies of enemy material and equipment. |
| 232d Engineer Combat Company (then attached to the 111th Engineer Combat Battalion), 36th Infantry Division | U.S. Army | 1944 | Bruyeres, France | War Department General Orders 56, 17 June 1946: 23 October to 11 November 1944 - Even though the engineers sustained 57 casualties in dead and wounded, they captured 27 German prisoners and killed many more as they worked. Almost continuous rain and snow made their task more difficult, and yet by sheer determination and grit, these men accomplished this magnificent feat of engineering. Without this road, the division operation could not have succeeded and it is due to the extraordinary achievement of the 11th Engineer Combat Battalion with the 232d Engineer Combat Company (attached) that the 36th Division was able to outflank the enemy forces in the Laveline-Corcieux Valley and pursue a disorganized enemy to the banks of the Meurthe River. |
Read more about this topic: Presidential Unit Citation (United States), Recipients, World War II
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“In one notable instance, where the United States Army and a hundred years of persuasion failed, a highway has succeeded. The Seminole Indians surrendered to the Tamiami Trail. From the Everglades the remnants of this race emerged, soon after the trail was built, to set up their palm-thatched villages along the road and to hoist tribal flags as a lure to passing motorists.”
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