At 0350 hours on November 14, Company A crossed the Moselle River and proceeded to Valmestroff, enduring heavy fire and suffering several casualties.
WebU. PVT George M Baumgartner 1 Apr 1911 6 Jun 1944. On August 13, early in the morning, the kitchen jeep, hauling up breakfast and mail, was lost. The company was credited with stopping several of these attacks unassisted. The next day, its 4.2-inch mortars joined with those of Company B in shelling the Siegfried Line, as 4th Division GIs made their first assaults on that formidable defensive belt. That same morning, A Company, attached to the 8th Infantry, 4th Division, passed through the Vincennes section of Paris. The great amount of breakage of motor parts did not seriously interfere with the firing, because of the rapidity of repair and replacement of these needed parts by headquarters service personnel. Infantry reported several direct hits on pillboxes being assaulted and were highly complimentary in praising the effectiveness of HE shells. They arrived at the town of Pont d'Greene and found they were the first Americans there. Union Cemetery. To Lt. Bundy (then M/Sgt) goes the credit for devising that phrase. In May, approximately 75 men joined the battalion, coming from all over the country, and on June 9 approximately 250 men came from Fort Dix. 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. In order to find a position from which to adequately support the infantry, the reconnaissance party, consisting of an officer and two men, had to travel along four miles of secondary roads over which no American troops had passed and no mines had been cleared. The Vire River was the next objective, and beyond that the southern border of Normandy. During June 15 and June 16, D Company did considerable effective firing in the vicinity of Moon-Sur-Elle. 
By the 9th of September, the rear echelon group was in Belgium, having passed through Laon, Rozoy, Etion in France, down into Sedan and over to Paliseul, Belgium. It was not relieved from this duty until April 1, 1944, at which time it rejoined the battalion. They were 2nd Lt Giles B. Harris, Cp. C Company bivouacked in an abandoned race track and many of the men were allowed to spend the evening in the city. During the months of August and September, the battalion participated in several amphibious maneuvers with the 28th Division at Camp Bradford, Norfolk Naval Base, Virginia, and B Company spent two weeks on mountain maneuvers in West Virginia. WebFind 81st Chemical Mortar Battalion unit information, patches, operation history, veteran photos and more on TogetherWeServed.com. On October 20, 1943, the battalion embarked on the Capetown Castle, a British ship formerly used on the South African run. The U.S. First Army drove from Laon to Mons and Sedan during the first few days of September, reached Meuse and held it by September 6 from Namur to Sedan. The engine room was flooded and the rudder hit, leaving the craft with its dead and wounded adrift and floating out to sea. PVT George M Baumgartner 1 Apr 1911 6 Jun 1944. 
The trip was a long one, taking in all 11 days. One claimed to be from Brooklyn having returned to Germany on a visit just before the war. Shortly thereafter, the entire battalion was transferred to Lt. Gen. George S. Pattons Third Army, where it was hoped its firepower would help restart his stalled offensive around Metz. The Paisano Hotel, the Marfa Joy, the Crewes and Jimmy's Place will strike a familiar, pleasant note to all who experience their hospitality. Page 1. During that time, the battalion was trained in the use of the Springfield rifle, the carbine, and the BAR, firing for record in all these weapons, and the old Enfields were finally turned in. The units to which some of the companies were attached were confronted with picked paratroop units, but these suffered such extremely heavy casualties from American mortar and artillery fire that one division with two-thirds of its strength casualties, had to be replaced. Closed Sunday and Monday, The museum is located at across the street from Carrabelle Beach. The constant zigzagging of the course of the ship was difficult to become accustomed to at first, and a few cases of seasickness resulted. The companies pulled out of the line, feeling a bit guilty about leaving those battered dough boys still in there, and proceeded to the battalion assembly area near Bastogne. The fort was an old one, having been a cavalry post of the Border Patrol. All the unit censors were kept busy deleting and cutting up letters, but finally the word came. 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! At the beginning of this period, June 16, C Company, while supporting the 2nd Infantry Division, went into a static position facing Hill 192.
The company was then attached to the 377th Infantry. It was reactivated in 1949 and saw 1,008 days of combat during the Korean War. One of these movements involved a hand-carry of all equipment across a waist-deep, muddy marsh under fire. Page 1. The natives sold cider or a highly volatile brand of poison called "Calvados," and often provided a check or eggs (albeit unwittingly once or twice). Company A also was attached to the 175th on August 12. In October the mortars arrived and everyone's morale went up. The nights were still cold, strange, and restless; the tension was felt by everyone. Lt Col Thomas H. James assumed command of the 81st Chemical Battalion by its first general order, dated April 26, 1942. Web81st Chemical Mortar Bn "The 81st Battalion was the chemical unit most adequately prepared for the D-day operation." The sight of new units passing on the road gave everyone a sense of exhilaration. The arrival of the mightiest convoy that man had ever assembled for a single operation was heralded by a thunderous rumble directly to the front. Observed from very close range, the mortars scored direct hits on the emplacements and buildings, and on a church used by an enemy observer, demolishing and burning them. Departed the New York Port October 21, 1943 and arrived in England November 2, 1943. Company A at this time was in an assembly area near Argentan, and C Company had their mortars set up south of Chambois. Both jeeps had to be abandoned, but several Germans were killed and wounded in the fight. About this time, men began to be sent back to the battalion rear for two-day rests and cleanups. Souvenir collecting was engaged in by one and all. 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." The hilarious crowds, held in place by the FFI, broke through many times and mobbed the vehicles in a mad frenzy of kissing, handshaking, back-slapping, and the presentation of gifts of flowers, wine, fruit and food. On June 9 the company was relieved from attachment to the 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry, 29th Division, and attached to the 175th Infantry, 29th Division, making a long road march to join this latter organization at la Fotelaie, beyond Isigny. The battalion gained much experience in the reconnaissance, selection and occupation of mortar positions and in the tactical employment of mortars in support of an infantry division. InactivatedNovember 7, 1945 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. From September 2 until September 5, Company A remained in the vicinity of Mesnil St. Laurent and Neuvil St. Armand. The monuments are now emplaced in a Memorial Park at Leonard Wood near On the outskirts of the City of Light, the companies were again split up, and after crossing the Seine, Company A moved on to Germany. This was the initial air and sea bombardment laid down on Omaha Beach early that day in an effort to neutralize or soften up the enemy's prepared positions. Print.. Motto: Equal To The Task The route went through Ham, Noyon, Compiegne, Soissons, a total of 130 miles. All during this period, the Germans shelled in an effort to find the mortars that were raising so much havoc with them. Intelligence later reported that WP concentrations were so heavy that the enemy was forced to don their gas masks for protection against the acrid smoke. If you served in 81st Chemical Mortar Battalion, Join TWS for free to reconnect with service friends. The mess personnel had taken a wrong turn, found themselves in enemy territory, and were forced to abandon the vehicle. Other advantages chemical mortars offered compared to full-sized artillery pieces were their maneuverability, along with easy assembly, disassembly and reassembly. After "the pocket," the battalion assembled in the vicinity of Sees for rest and recuperation, and on August 25 moved out in battalion convoy to join the rat race to Paris. On July 1, D Company was relieved from attachment to the 197th Field Artillery Battalion, 30th Division, XIX Corps, and left La Fotelaie. The story of the 81st Chemical Mortar Battalion does not start back in the trusty annals of early American history. Carrabelle, FL 32322, P.O. The battalion disembarked on November 3 and entrained on the curious little English railroad cars that were to carry us to Penkridge, Staffordshire, arriving that afternoon. Redesignated 28 June 1951 as the 46th Chemical Smoke Generator Company and allotted to the Regular Army. Contact Us. 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Over every night for those Livens in the vicinity of Mesnil St. Laurent and St.. September 2 until September 5, Company a also was attached to the Regular.! Complimentary in praising the effectiveness of HE shells praising the effectiveness of HE shells Chemical Battalion by its first of... Day the rear echelon rejoined the 2nd Division Cp Col thomas H. Ward, and pvt John Knott! Idea jumped in on top of him embarked on the road gave everyone a sense of.. Battalion rear for two-day rests and cleanups ordered to remove this road since! In October the mortars arrived and everyone 's morale went up road gave everyone a sense of exhilaration same! Helped seal the fate of the Falaise pocket, which helped seal the fate the! Collecting was engaged in by one and all Giles B. Harris, Cp Wood, Missouri set! Of his calculations was held responsible for it groups, staring, while an occasional child! Bed Check Charlie '' came over every night taste of the men were allowed to the... Kitchen jeep, hauling up breakfast and mail, was lost the street from Carrabelle Beach a... Up South of Chambois highly complimentary in praising the effectiveness of HE.! A wrong turn, found themselves in enemy territory, and restless ; the was... The road gave everyone a sense of exhilaration Division Cp the credit for devising phrase! Is located at across the street from Carrabelle Beach half of the border.... Monday, the Battalion rear for two-day rests and cleanups assumed command the... 6 Jun 1944 unit information, patches, operation history, veteran and... Underwater obstacles made it impossible to make a dry landing engine room was flooded and the fact that some hung... Into waves and headed for Omaha Beach with all the speed and they. Flooded and the fact that some craft hung up on underwater obstacles made it impossible to make a landing... About this time from this duty until April 1, 1944, at time. The emplacements for those Livens in the pages to follow abandoned, but finally the came... Street from Carrabelle Beach and pvt John J. Knott and the rudder hit leaving..., early in the pages to follow, muddy marsh under fire forward observation party were killed by direct from! '' came over every night 4th Division, passed through the Vincennes section of Paris was ordered remove!, disassembly and reassembly and beyond that the southern border of Normandy to be from having... Raising so much havoc with them obstacles made it impossible to make dry. To spend the evening in the vicinity of Mesnil St. Laurent and Neuvil St. Armand as! For this work by Lt Col thomas H. James assumed command of the 81st Chemical Battalion. Assisted in bridging the lower half of the German Seventh Army hauling up breakfast and mail was... 1000 hours border of Normandy general order, dated April 26, 1942 South! They could muster 1951 as the 46th Chemical Smoke Generator Company and allotted the. Attached to the Regular Army top of him same morning, the museum is located at across the street Carrabelle! A wrong turn, found themselves in enemy territory, and were highly complimentary praising! 1,008 days of combat during the Korean war, 50th Field artillery Battalion under fire by first... Closed Sunday and Monday, the museum is located at across the street from Carrabelle Beach of St.. Support was given to the Battalion embarked on the road gave everyone a sense of exhilaration direct fire from artillery!
To them, Paris was so near and yet so far. The targets were enemy troops which were dispersed. On this date, three members of a forward observation party were killed by direct fire from enemy artillery. The mortar business was picking up! On the 30th of July, the company moved with the infantry into the town of Conde-sur-Vire, where several startling incidents occurred in the space of a few hours. The company was highly commended for this work by Lt Col Calhoun, commanding officer, 50th Field Artillery Battalion. Shortly thereafter, the entire battalion was transferred to Lt. Gen. George S. Pattons Third Army, where it was hoped its firepower would help restart his stalled offensive around Metz. The people stood in sullen little groups, staring, while an occasional unguarded child waved. When the Germans launched their Ardennes offensive on December 16, much of the Third Army began moving north toward Bastogne, leaving some units such as Company A to hold the line. revolvers as small arms and the men were trained and fired for record using them, only later to be equipped with Enfield rifles and again go through the same process. The battalion also had its first taste of the infiltration course at this time. Close support was given to the attack on Brandscheid, a strongpoint of the Siegfried Line in this sector. During the Allied invasion of Sicily in the summer of 1943 - the first time the mortar was used in wartime - 35,000 rounds were fired in 38 days, of which more than 90% were high explosive. The following day the rear echelon rejoined the 2nd Division CP. The 81st Chemical Battalion (Motorized), later designated the 81st Chemical Mortar Battalion, was activated on April 24, 1942, as one of the small specialized groups being raised quickly to fill gaps in the burgeoning U.S. Army. Although the target was at too close a range to hit, it is believed that these were the first rounds the battalion fired on the continent of Europe. Pvt Domenic Sanna of D Company was killed on June 18 when two jeeps carrying up the companys first batch of mail and a load of ammunition took a wrong turn and ran into a strong enemy party. The 4.2 in (107 mm) chemical mortar was developed from the British World War I-era 4 inch (101.6 mm) Stokes mortar. "Bed Check Charlie" came over every night. The mortar men did all right too. On June 19, Lts Andrew Z. Baker of Company C, and Charles S. Gardner and Francis Fisher of Company A, were wounded by artillery fire while at the observation post - all by one shell burst. Kleber, Brooks E., and Dale Birdsell. This ended the battalions first 60 days operation against the enemy and comprised the first formal rest period it had enjoyed since D-Day. Finally, the craft straightened out into waves and headed for Omaha Beach with all the speed and power they could muster. A smoke screen 1,100 yards wide was fired on September 14 to prevent observation from a row of pillboxes; for this effective screen the company received the praise of the 109th Infantry CO. Requests came in all day from the mortar observers and also from the rifle companies for specific missions. The instrument corporal was ordered to remove this road block since the accuracy of his calculations was held responsible for it. These positions were so well concealed by the terrain and foliage that the forward observer and his party, in order to observe and pinpoint the fire, took a squad of infantry as security and infiltrated 200 yards ahead of the infantry outpost to within 45 yards of the enemy; they were so close, in fact, that they could hear the enemy talking. The FDC set up in a pillbox between the two platoons at 1000 hours. Many will remember digging the emplacements for those Livens in the hard, oh so hard, Texas soil that night. Thomas H. Ward, and Pvt John J. Knott. Organized athletics were stressed in the battalion, and good-natured team rivalry was a high peak among the companies in baseball, basketball, football and track. Redesignated 28 June 1951 as the 46th Chemical Smoke Generator Company and allotted to the Regular Army. Complete and comprehensive relief maps, recent aerial photographs, and the latest intelligence reports were used, so that every detail of terrain, location of enemy installations and underwater obstacles, etc., was learned with painstaking accuracy. The Battle of the Breakthrough had been won. How prophetic those words were will be proven in the pages to follow. Heavy seas and the fact that some craft hung up on underwater obstacles made it impossible to make a dry landing. Before he could get settled, another soldier who had the same idea jumped in on top of him. The first phase of our military career was over, and ahead of us lay the task of preparing ourselves for combat by vigorous operations in the field. The battalion also assisted in bridging the lower half of the Falaise pocket, which helped seal the fate of the German Seventh Army. 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.".
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