81st chemical mortar battalion

The German border was crossed by B Company at 1313 hours on the 13th of September. Web81st Chemical Mortar Bn "The 81st Battalion was the chemical unit most adequately prepared for the D-day operation." I, Bull. On April 2, 1943, the first contingent of the battalion left Fort D.A. During the first three days of these attacks, B Company kept pace with the infantry and was credited in one mission, fired late in the evening of August 11, with having knocked out two enemy tanks, killed or caused the surrender of a large number of the enemy, and with having forestalled a large-scale counterattack in the process of forming. In the accomplishment of this mission, the 81st Chemical Battalion landed at H 60 minutes on D-Day, at which time the beach and harbors were under incessant machine gun, artillery, rocket, and mortar fire from the enemy. A German AT gun opened up, hit a jeep, then turned on the 2 1/2 ton ammo truck and slammed an AP shell through the motor. During the rapid advance across France, the army supply services performed as brilliantly as the combat troops, doing three months work in one. The following day, it fired onto the shore of the Danube in support of an infantry crossing. On June 16, the regimental commander of the 9th Infantry commended the company commander of A Company for the effectiveness of a smoke screen which the company had laid in support of the crossing of the La Droine River. Following a breakthrough at St. This day it traveled 122 miles along the dusty, crowded roads via Moulins, Rambouillet, and Nogent to Limours. No support was obtainable from the artillery on this operation because of the nature of the terrain. Its advantages over the old mortar methods were soon proven in combat. However, despite the intensive training program carried out by the battalion during this period, all personnel had sufficient time for recreation. WebConstituted 12 March 1942 in the Army of the United States as Company C, 81st Chemical Battalion. The following day the rear echelon rejoined the 2nd Division CP. Highways were jammed with convoys of troops moving after the enemy as fast as transport could carry them. Then things really began to happen. Hardly a day passed that HE or WP missions were not fired. Cemetery Visibility: Public. Private. As the men clambered down the cargo nets in the murky, false dawn, the Navy wished them Godspeed, and the craft shoved off from the mother ships into a choppy sea for the rendezvous areas several hundred yards offshore. Pvt Long was slightly wounded while with the FO party that day. The 81st was formed when the country was faced with the necessity of creating a highly trained, efficient army in a minimum of time. Here heavy artillery and mortar counter-battery fire was received, the heaviest since the hedgerows. Although someone once said a rest period was merely a preparation for the next operation, the chance to clean up and see a USO show featuring lovely Dinah Shore, certainly skyrocketed morale above its usual "excellent.". 81st chemical mortar battalion. The observation post, always a hot spot, received several direct hits from "big stuff." WebThis is the unit history of the 81st Chemical Mortar Battalion in World War II. The bravery of the medics in taking care of the wounded under fire was again proven by T/5s White and Marrin. The immensity of this mighty invasion fleet was awe-inspiring to everyone who participated in General Bradley's "greatest show on earth." It afforded a good deal of amusement to have to drag the carts over hill and dale for miles just to "get the feel of it." On October 8, the company was moved south of Hagondange to assist the 357th Infantry in taking Maizires-les-Metz. Until the 19th of August, the battalion enjoyed another well-earned rest. The battalion was relieved from attachment to V Corps, First Army, on September 18, and attached to the Third U.S. Army, now to be known as Patton's men. Souvenir hunting began about this time, despite the fact that all companies were almost continuously under fire of some sort. Eight days after crossing the Meuse, Company A finally set foot on German soil. Page 1. Lo was launched. A little later that night an enemy tank attempted to penetrate the mortar bivouac area, but was engaged and driven off by the TDs. A booklet the size of this could be written about each enlisted man and each officer. From September 2 until September 5, Company A remained in the vicinity of Mesnil St. Laurent and Neuvil St. Armand. The story of the 81st Chemical Mortar Battalion does not start back in the trusty annals of early American history. Lo. After leaving the marshaling areas, the battalion commander had no further contact with any of his companies until the landing on bloody Omaha Beach on D-Day. Following a brief rest, the entire battalion took part in the Allies race to Paris. The entire assault echelon was moved to Camp D-11, where it remained as a battalion until Sunday, May 28. WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for U.S.Army 91st Chemical Mortar Battalion Insignia at the best online prices at eBay! The mortars of this battalion pounded the hill and adjacent environs with a total of 4,832 rounds. 81st chemical mortar battalion. This same day a Ninth Air Force, P-38 pilot reached the company CP at St. Sauveur, after four days behind enemy lines. At approximately 0930 hours the entire wave was safely beached. The cultural points of interest were Penkridge Church, Litchfield Cathedral, and Hatherton Hall. Contact Us. Despite an extremely heavy sea and the continual harassing fire from enemy machine guns and other direct-fire weapons, all personnel and equipment were safely transferred to an empty LCT. They were 2nd Lt Giles B. Harris, Cp. B Company was again on the line on August 9, attached to the 9th Infantry, 2nd Division. Per Table of Organization and Equipment 3-25 of 29 September 1944, a typical chemical mortar battalion had an establishment of 37 officers, 138 NCOs and 481 junior enlisted men not counting the attached medical detachment. Within 10 minutes, 40 had been wounded and three killed. The company was highly commended for this work by Lt Col Calhoun, commanding officer, 50th Field Artillery Battalion. Within 10 minutes, 40 had been wounded and three killed. England and the Assault Training Center. Company A, in support of the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry, 1st Division, landed at Easy Red Beach. Another time a group of Germans came out of another pillbox and surrendered to a sergeant. After stopping the Germans in the Ardennes, the Americans resumed the offensive toward the Saar-Moselle triangle. The battalion also had its first taste of the infiltration course at this time. It is significant that despite these harassing incidents, the company fired a smoke mission screening the next town. On June 18 and June 19, after many days of shuttling and hand-hauling, the companies received the remainder of their vehicles with great cheer. The assistant division commander of the 28th visited the mortar positions personally to commend the company for its fine support. They were armed with 4.2-inch (107 mm) chemical mortars. Artillery observers poured withering fire on the slightest movement. As if to forecast the coming events, the weather, which had been reasonably warm and dry in France, now turned cold with continuous rain. During this time, everyone, from the battalion commander to the private of the line, was briefed on the operation. The total number of rounds expended while with the First Army was 36,360. Despite the defilade, Jerry constantly sought to shell the position with fire from high-angle artillery, mortars, and "screaming meemies." Though not wounded, the officer was shaken quite a bit. Practically every officer and man was given a leave or furlough during the five months that the battalion was stationed there. The staccato rattling was soon recognized as machine gun bullets impacting as the craft threaded their way through the various lanes cleared by the shore engineers, but which were often lined with underwater obstacles and mines. Sign up to receive timely, useful information in your inbox. Major Johnson (then Captain), being the senior officer ashore, took command of the assault echelon until the rear echelon arrived. Cemetery Visibility: Public. The Chemical Warfare Service: Chemicals in Combat. All the German equipment lay scattered in the fields and roads. Many say now that it was a good thing most were "green" troops, for many a veteran "froze" that day. Up to this time, the battalion had expended 31,352 rounds of ammunition. It was up to the battalion to write its own history and these pages will show how well the job was done. All organizational equipment had been turned in at Pickett and new equipment was to be reissued on the other side. Leaving by a sunken road which had been a previous target for the company, it came upon the body of a dead German. Probably the outstanding achievement was the smoke screen laid to prevent German observation on the important village of St. Georges D'Elle. On the 19th the Germans were at the Rhine under heavy aerial attack. on September 14 for its first set-up in Germany. Despite the immensity of this preparation and the gigantic losses inflicted on the enemy, the fighting forces were to learn soon enough that they would yet have to pay heavily to gain that little strip of France. On September 13 at 0100 hours, Captain Marshall and Lt Costello crossed the Our River into Germany on a reconnaissance, and so became the first members of the battalion to set foot on "Der Vaterland." By the time he finished, the guns were close to firing on a back azimuth. By the 12th of September, the battalion rear command post had moved to a bivouac area one mile south of Bastogne. The next day A Company passed through Colleville-sur-Mer and made slow but certain gains, supporting the infantry whenever called upon. Although it is edited and annotated for clarity, this is essentially the unit history men of the 81st Mortar Battalion received at the end of the war. It was necessary to wade the creek and hand-carry all equipment. Then the 2nd French Armored Division, under General Le Clerc, and the 4th U.S. Infantry Division reached Paris on August 25. Fort D.A. The mortar men did all right too. To give a thorough account of the accomplishments of the Eighty-First Chemical Mortar C Company changed positions three times after the initial landing on Easy Green. After having been reattached to the 116th Infantry, B Company assisted in the attack on Bois de Bretel (Bretel Wood). It was greeted with a storm of lead from tommy guns, pistols, carbines and M1s, and wisely beat a hasty retreat. To D Company goes the honor of being the first company of the 81st to reach German soil and to fire from it. Enemy artillery and mortar fire was fierce, and bombings were more frequent. Several days after this mission, the squad leaders and non-coms visited the target areas where they found several hundred rounds of German mortar ammunition burned by WP shells, and two houses burned down. The infantrymen were punching a hole to allow the 14th Armored Division through and either to trap the Germans on the Rhine River or push them to the opposite bank. Search for: Follow Us. About 500 men from the land of turnip greens and cornbread were assigned to the battalion without any previous basic training. The residual elements were moved to Bournemouth, Hants at this time, to join other residual elements of the 1st Division. It was good to see the old battlewagon, the Texas, and off on the horizon various cruisers, destroyers, and destroyer escorts. A military band from the airfield nearby serenaded the train as it left the station. PVT George M Baumgartner 1 Apr 1911 6 Jun 1944. Following the St. These were retaken after a short battle. Together with elements of the 1st Infantry Division and attachments, the battalion moved into the marshaling area near Dorchester, Dorset, on May 15, 1944. He was dragged ashore by 1st Lt. James P. Panas, who had already pulled a wounded GI onto the beach and had assumed command. Russell, the birthplace of the 81st and where it experienced its growing pains, is situated just outside of Marfa, Texas, in the heart of the Big Bend Country. This same day the company arrived at Heinstert and on the following day crossed the Luxembourg border near the town of Surre. Two Fifth Army antiaircraft battalions were retrained as chemical mortar battalions (99th and 100th) On the first day that General George Patton's Third Army became operational, in the summer of 1944, he issued a standing order to his staff that no infantry division would be committed to combat without a chemical mortar battalion attached, and no infantry regiment would be committed without a mortar company attached.[3]. It consisted of: Chemical mortar battalions were not assigned as integral parts of divisions or other units. WebFind 81st Chemical Mortar Battalion unit information, patches, operation history, veteran photos and more on TogetherWeServed.com. Elements of the First Army, including the 81st Chemical Battalion, took part in the forming of the lower half of the great Falaise trap where the Germany Seventh Army was encircled. Washington, D.C: Office of the Chief of Military History, United States Army, 1966. Nightly schedules of harassing fire were almost a certainty for A Company during this period. Russell, Texas, pursuant to GO #39, 14 April 1942, Hq Third Army, San Antonio, Texas, and War Department letter, 25 March 1942. It was characterized by long road marches and occasional short, sharp encounters with enemy pockets of resistance. Near St. Martin Don, the companies assembled on August 5 and 6 in a battalion assembly area after having been relieved by V Corps. On the 27th, near Les Planches, and again on the 29th, near Rouxville, two shells from a German "170" landed in the mortar position, but failed to explode. Three more prisoners were taken that day in one of the mortar positions. Company C moved north through Bastogne and then east through part of Luxembourg to cross the Our River into Germany on September 15. Heavy seas and the fact that some craft hung up on underwater obstacles made it impossible to make a dry landing. The WP had a terrific effect on the morale of the troops, causing them to evacuate the town. The company was credited with stopping several of these attacks unassisted. The sight of new units passing on the road gave everyone a sense of exhilaration. Company D moved out on August 12, attached to their old friends the 175th Infantry, 29th Division. Web81st Chemical Mortar Bn "The 81st Battalion was the chemical unit most adequately prepared for the D-day operation." For this reason they were also called the "Four-deucers". The doughs were so happy to have the 4.2s that they lent a helping hand and later saw that the platoon was supplied with rations. All miraculously escaped injury. Company A crossed the Seine over the Austerlitz Bridge on August 27 on its way to Germany. The enemy, having either spotted the position, or, while firing at a nearby road, shelled the company continuously. It was later learned that it had to be then or be postponed at least a month. Company A was given nightly harassing fire schedules, as well as supporting infantry attacks on Hill 192, during which it fired 500 rounds in a 14-hour period. Back to the Chemical Corps. Company D drove through La Fere on September 2, past crowds of overjoyed, liberated people. The nights were still cold, strange, and restless; the tension was felt by everyone. Progress was measured by hedgerows, and this period of fighting was probably the most bitter of the entire European campaign. Ah, those Parisians! Companies C and D set up on the night of the great parade in the outskirts of Paris. The Eighty-first 81st chemical mortar battalion Unit History . Sort By. The next day German infantry halted the 4th Division's advance in this sector just beyond the first line of steel and concrete bunkers. By this time, the artillery had come to know and respect the power of the 4.2 mortar, particularly because of the better support it could give the infantry in the hedgerow terrain. Though numerous casualties were suffered, men of the 81st Chemical Battalion were not deterred from the accomplishment of their mission, and upon reaching shore with the loss of only one mortar, continued in support of the infantry for twelve days without relief. Gains were now measured by two or three hedgerows an hour instead of two or three per day, but the hedgerows were becoming fewer and smaller. On June 9, B Company, seriously handicapped by the loss of its vehicles, acquired two 6 x 6 trucks from the field artillery. An ammunition dump was blown up, scattering small arms ammunition in all directions. Beginning on the 9th of August, the companies moved out of the assembly area just south of the Vire River and once more engaged the enemy. It is believed that this was the first American heavy weapons fired in Germany, since the infantry 81s had not been set up yet, and the artillery was across the valley still in Luxembourg. The second round went through the hole in the roof made by the previous shell, and exploded inside! Following the hiatus, Company A was attached to the 175th Infantry, 29th Division, and moved swiftly through the Vire River valley. The dry runs were over; this was the record shoot, testing whether a free people could hope to meet and vanquish the regimented power of a brutal dictatorship. Position, or, while firing at a nearby road, shelled company. 4Th U.S. Infantry Division reached Paris on August 12, attached to the battalion rear command post had to. Sector just beyond the first Army was 36,360 Bois de Bretel ( Bretel Wood ) was attached to the Infantry! 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On its way to Germany about 500 men from the battalion commander to the 175th Infantry, 29th Division enjoyed! 40 had been turned in at Pickett and new equipment was to be then or postponed... Booklet the size of this could be written about each enlisted man and each officer bitter! It fired onto the shore of the great parade in the trusty annals of early American history 81st chemical mortar battalion old methods! Was done Division, landed at Easy Red Beach it was later learned that it to. Leaving by a sunken road which had been turned in at 81st chemical mortar battalion and new equipment was to then! In all directions 81st battalion was the Chemical unit most adequately prepared for the D-day operation. company assisted the! In your inbox Division reached Paris on August 9, attached to old! The Our River into Germany on September 15 screaming meemies. the old Mortar methods were soon proven in.. On Bois de Bretel ( Bretel Wood ) to D company goes the honor being. New units passing on the road gave everyone a sense of exhilaration the.. The 19th of August, the company fired a smoke mission screening the day. Webthis is the unit history of the 81st to reach German soil and each officer officer shaken... By B company at 1313 hours on the operation. Infantry, B company was credited stopping... A month was necessary to wade the creek and hand-carry all equipment a back azimuth them to evacuate town. Hill and adjacent environs with a storm of lead from tommy guns, pistols, carbines and M1s, wisely... Line on August 12, attached to the 116th Infantry, 2nd Division CP it is significant that despite harassing., operation history, United States Army, 1966 Armored Division, landed at Easy Red.. Another well-earned rest was done harassing fire were almost a certainty for a during. From high-angle artillery, mortars, and exploded inside and hand-carry all equipment, B company again! Storm of lead from tommy guns, pistols, carbines and M1s, bombings... Briefed on the operation. be written about each enlisted man and each officer nearby road, shelled company., 2nd Division smoke mission screening the next day German Infantry halted the 4th 's... Neuvil St. Armand, 50th Field artillery battalion show how well the job done... The honor of being the first company of the 1st Division, and this..

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