Can anyone tell me about the 442nd Regiment of the U.S. Army in World War II?

The ace among the aces of the US military in World War II - the Japanese 442nd Infantry Regiment

Before the outbreak of World War II, the Pearl Harbor incident broke out, and anti-Japanese sentiment rose in the United States.

The entire United States fell into an atmosphere of hysteria and was unable to extricate itself. Before Americans began to retaliate against the Japanese Empire, Japanese Americans became the targets of revenge. Up to 120,000 Japanese Americans were forced from their homes and imprisoned in concentration camps, including the elderly and children. In Hawaii, which has a large Japanese population, although no internment camps were established due to economic reasons, curfews, light blackouts and other measures were also adopted.

In the concentration camp, there was a confrontation between the older generation and the second generation. The second generation asked to join the army to serve the country, while the older generation would rather be locked up in a concentration camp than fight with their compatriots. And beat their children with belts to prevent them from joining the army and fighting with their compatriots.

But the second generation has long regarded themselves as Americans. They believe that only by performing meritorious service and receiving honors on the battlefield can they gain the freedom and dignity of their loved ones.

When the young people's request to join the army was rejected by the US government, the young people went on a hunger strike to show their determination.

After much deliberation, the Army Department finally agreed to their request to join the army and established a force composed of all Japanese.

About 1,300 Japanese-Americans, under the supervision of 29 white officers, went to McCoy Barracks in Wisconsin on June 5 for six months of training. During this period, the battalion was officially named the 100th Infantry Battalion, and its first commander was Lieutenant Colonel Frant Turner. In training camps, U.S. soldiers jokingly called these short Japanese troops the prairie dog troops.

According to files declassified after the war, all instructors who trained Japanese recruits were not only told to report on the soldiers’ physical training, but more importantly, on their psychological state and loyalty. These reports were passed It was sent directly to the top military officials in a secret way.

Researchers believe that judging from the situation at the time, more people at the top of the military were actually looking for excuses to suspend this controversial attempt at any time.

But the performance of these Japanese recruits was unexpected. During the training, five recruits were awarded the "Soldier Medal" for their bravery in rescuing civilians who fell into the water.

By the time basic training ended in December, the military’s doubts about this group of recruits had long since dissipated. But they did not dare to send them to the East Asian battlefield, so they decided to send them to the European battlefield.

The First Battle of Salerno

In September 1943, 1,432 men of the 100th Battalion landed in Oran, Algeria as an affiliated combat unit of the US 34th Division, becoming the US's most powerful force against the Axis Powers. The first batch of troops to land in Europe since the war began.

The battalion was initially assigned to perform safer rear security duties. But Battalion Commander Turner noticed that these special soldiers were very dissatisfied with the status quo. Although the soldiers are small and thin, they strongly urge to go to the front line to fight.

Under Turner's repeated application, the 100th Battalion landed in Salerno, Italy on the 19th. Ten days later, the unit served as the vanguard of the march into Montemetro.

Sergeant "Joy Takada Shigeo" is the leading soldier of this march. At 9:45 a.m., when the troops reached an S-shaped dangerous road, the entire mountain suddenly shook violently. Mortar shells and machine gun bullets rained down. German concealed machine gun positions fired fiercely at the huddled American troops.

At this time, Takada resolutely rushed into the open field - according to eyewitnesses' recollections, Takada's purpose was to attract German firepower and indicate the enemy's firepower points.

Soon after, Takada was shot in the head and fell to the ground. After a while, Takada miraculously stood up again and continued to attack. Soldiers from the 3rd platoon of Company B took the opportunity to charge and overcame the German firepower in one fell swoop.

After the battle, it was discovered that Sergeant Takada had died due to excessive blood loss. Sergeant Takada became the first Japanese-American soldier to be killed in action. In recognition of his bravery, he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.

In the next two days, the 100th Battalion broke into 11 kilometers of the German defense line at an astonishing speed, captured two towns, and ended the first round of battlefield performance with an almost perfect performance.

In the subsequent battles, the Japanese soldiers were invincible, and "one hill a day" became a battle history myth of the 100th Infantry Battalion.

Bloody Monte Cassino

On January 23, 1944, General Clark, commander of the Fifth Army, was obviously jealous.

The 100th Infantry Battalion received the order to cross the Rapido River again. Before them, two U.S. infantry regiments were almost completely wiped out in trying to cross the river.

According to strength statistics on January 20, there were only 832 people in the department, including officers, at this time, which was a serious shortage.

On the night of the 24th, Japanese soldiers quietly approached the east bank of the Rapido River. The first thing they encountered was a knee-deep swamp in which the Germans had laid thousands of mines.

At midnight, just when Company A reached the stone wall on the river bank, the US artillery began to provide support! However, instead of playing a supporting role, these heavy artillery made the Germans discover anomalies near the river bank. Company A was immediately surrounded by intense machine gun fire.

On the night of the 25th, the battalion commander was wounded in the battle.

In the early morning of the 26th, Company B began to reinforce. Only 14 of the 187 attacking soldiers reached the other side, and soon an order to retreat came. The plan to attack from the Rapido River was eventually abandoned.

Despite serious shortfalls, the 100th Battalion was again deployed to capture Castle Hill (Hill 165) on February 8. The site is located on the only access to the hilltop monastery. Without any flank cover, the 100th Battalion captured and held the high ground for four days. However, this time, the regiment headquarters asked it to retreat!

In early February, the battalion was ordered to hold the high ground. For four days, they held the Castle Hill position and repelled many German counterattacks. Finally, they were forced to retreat because their wings were exposed. After the Allied forces bombed the Monte Cassino monastery, the Allied offensive still failed to improve. Only 5 people of a platoon of the 100th Battalion survived the bloody battle.

During the entire battle, the 100th Battalion suffered more than half of its casualties. Only about 500 of the original 1,300 men were left. However, their bravery was unanimously praised and they were called "iron little men" by war reporters. The battalion received a large number of Purple Heart Medals due to its large number of soldiers, thus earning the nickname "Purple Heart Battalion".

The new legendary 442nd Regiment used victory to prove its excellence

The 442nd Regiment was established when the 100th Infantry Battalion was training at Camp Silphie, Mississippi, in January 1943. moon.

The establishment of the 442nd Regiment was Roosevelt’s idea. When Roosevelt announced the order, he said a very popular saying: “Americanism is not, and will never be a hotbed of racism and blood theory. was, a mater of race or ance )

The 442nd Infantry Regiment went to the Italian front in early June 1944 and met with the 100th Battalion, which had experienced the baptism of war, somewhere north of Rome. The battalion was subsequently integrated into The 442nd Regiment became the 1st Battalion of the regiment, but was allowed to retain its original designation.

The 442nd Regiment and the 100th Infantry Battalion were not together for a long time. The members of the two units were divided into two groups. The people from Hawaii are one group, and the Nisei from mainland America are another group. The Nisei call the Nisei from Hawaii "pig heads who speak bad English", while the Nisei from Hawaii call the Nisei "dead brains" in return. , the two groups fought frequently in the camp.

Two Medal of Honor recipients, Private First Class Munemori Sadao

In the battle on April 5, they came from the 100th Battalion. During the attack on the German position, Private First Class Zongmori Sadao of Company A approached the German bunker alone and destroyed two machine gun fire points with grenades. While retreating to his own position, Zongmori found a grenade falling into the side. In a bomb crater, there were two comrades hiding in the pit. He immediately flew forward, jumped on the grenade that was about to explode, and saved his comrades with his own life. This bravery and self-sacrifice earned him a posthumous award from the U.S. military to Sadao Munemori.

On June 26, Major General Charles Ryder, commander of the US 34th Division, was marching in the so-called friendly force-controlled area. Before the general could figure out what was going on, his convoy was blocked. Surrounded, the general escaped alone. Later it was discovered that an elite SS motorized infantry battalion was guarding the town of Belvedere and controlling the main road to Sacita.

General Ryder ordered the 442nd Regiment to invest. Fighting to capture Belvedere, the attack force composed of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions ran directly into the strong point of the German defense. 88mm artillery shells fired from the hidden positions in the mountains suppressed the 2nd Battalion on the outskirts of the town. The company suffered heavy losses. The battalion commander, Captain Ralph Esminger, was killed on the spot. Company F fell into a trap set by the Germans, and the troops were exposed to direct fire from an 88mm self-propelled gun. p>

The mortar platoon where Private Cunzhong was located hurriedly set up the artillery. Due to the unfavorable terrain, the battalion headquarters ordered all personnel to temporarily hide. The villagers did not agree with this. He stayed alone at the gun position and headed 370 meters away. The German self-propelled artillery fired three rounds in the village, one of which exploded directly in front of the self-propelled artillery.

When the village was about to fire the fourth shell, a The shell directly hit the gun emplacement, killing the villager on the spot. This was also the first casualty of the 442nd Regiment.

The stalemate situation forced the 100th Battalion to enter the battle. This battle-hardened Company B of the 100th Battalion suddenly appeared on the German flank without any fire support, throwing the defenders into chaos and completing a beautiful detour as quickly as possible.

By the afternoon of the battle, the road west of Belvedere was under the control of the 100th Battalion. In this battle, the 442nd Regiment killed 178 Germans, wounded 20, and captured 86 people. In August, the remaining German troops retreated to the Gothic Line. The Roman Battle of Arno comes to an end.

In this battle, the 442nd Regiment lost 1,272 people (239 killed, 972 wounded, 17 missing, and 44 non-combat casualties).

The Battle of Belvedere proved that the Japanese officers and soldiers of the 442nd Regiment were all excellent fighters, and the 100th Battalion was awarded the Presidential Collective Citation for its outstanding performance in this battle and its achievements in previous battles. It is the highest group honor in the U.S. military.

When General Ryder accompanied Navy Secretary James Forrestal, who came to Italy to inspect the war situation, to review the troops, he proudly pointed at the 442nd Regiment and said: "Look, this is my best. Troops."

The 442nd Regiment moved to France

In the subsequent march, the 442nd Regiment encountered fierce resistance every time they passed through a town, but they never backed down. Czech, by the end of the Battle of the Arno River on July 25, the 442nd Regiment had advanced 64 kilometers in three weeks, killed 1,100 Germans, captured 331 prisoners of war, but also lost 239 of its own lives. On September 11, the 442nd Regiment was transferred from the 5th Army to the 36th Infantry Division of the 7th Army, preparing to fight in southern France.

Rescuing the "Missing Battalion"

At 4 o'clock in the morning on October 27, 1944, after less than 3 days of rest, the 442nd Regiment of the 36th Infantry Division was reorganized into the 2nd For the first time we drove into the dark forests of the Vosges Mountains.

At this time, about 275 officers and soldiers of the neighboring 1st Battalion of the 141st Regiment were trapped two kilometers behind enemy lines during the German counterattack. The 442nd Regiment was ordered to rescue this "lost battalion."

The rescue operation began on October 27. What faced the Japanese soldiers was not only the strong defensive positions of the German army, but also harsh natural conditions. Thick fog and haze caused extremely low visibility on the battlefield. With rain and snow, cold, fatigue, trench foot and deadly shelling constantly tormenting everyone on the front line, the 442nd Regiment experienced the toughest battle in its history, but no one felt timid, constantly alternating cover, fighting for every opportunity Fighting to the death in foxholes.

The 100th Battalion and the 3rd Battalion directly ran into the German armored forces, and the attack almost came to a standstill. The anxious general came to the scene in person to supervise the battle. German heavy machine gun fire killed his adjutant, Wells Lewis, on the spot.

In this harsh environment, a banzai charge was launched in certain areas and a "suicide" attack was carried out face to face. Despite a large reduction in personnel, the German defense line was finally broken through. The 442nd Regiment established contact with the besieged troops on October 30, and further expanded its results in the next two days, occupying more German positions.

This mountain melee lasted for four full days. The remnants of Company I and Company K of the 3rd Battalion finally reached the ridge where the 1st Battalion of the 141st Regiment was trapped. What makes the U.S. military incredible is that the company I that came to the rescue had 205 people when it set off. At this time, there were only 8 *** people left, and the top commander was a sergeant.

A few minutes later, the remaining 17 men of Company K also entered the position. In this rescue operation that lasted for five days, the 442nd Regiment rescued 221 people and suffered 800 casualties.

On November 17, the 442nd Regiment finally broke away from the battle. From the attack on Bruyere on October 15 to the rescue of the "missing battalion", the 442nd Regiment fought continuously for nearly 24 days, during which they only rested for 2 days. Of the 2,943 men in the regiment, 140 were killed, 1,800 were wounded, and 43 were missing.

In order to save the Texas infantry, they paid nearly 800 casualties and forced these frozen Texas cowboys out of the gate of hell. According to Second Lieutenant Yeiki Kobashigawa, "We almost saved everyone with three lives." The 442nd Infantry Regiment was later called the "Savior of Texas." After the war, the state of Texas declared that every Japanese soldier in the 442nd Regiment was an honorary citizen of Texas.

The rescue of the "missing battalion" became one of the ten most famous battles in American war history. An oil painting of the battle still hangs in the Pentagon.

Italian battlefield

After experiencing the bitter battle in the Vosges Mountains, the 442nd Regiment was transferred to the Alps in southern France, responsible for guarding a 20-kilometer-long French-Italian border. It is worth mentioning that one of the sentries of the regiment even captured a stranded German pocket submarine while patrolling the seaside. This was a unique achievement in the entire U.S. Army.

In April 1945, the 442nd Regiment was transferred back to the Italian battlefield and ordered to attack the German Gothic Line of Defense, which withstood the Allies for 6 months. However, under the attack of the 422nd Regiment, it was infiltrated in less than a day.

In the next three weeks, the 442nd Regiment drove the German troops all the way to the Po River Basin, leaving the top US military officials stunned.

In May 1945, the German army, full of doubts, surrendered to a group of rare American soldiers with yellow faces and one head shorter than them.

In the Gothic Line breakthrough battle that ended in August 1944, the 422nd Regiment captured a large number of German prisoners who were much taller than themselves

At the end of the war, the 442nd Regiment paid a huge sacrifice. Price

On May 2, the German troops stationed in northern Italy surrendered to the Allies. Six days later, the European battlefield ceased fire, and Germany officially declared its surrender. From September 1943, when the 100th Battalion joined the Italian battlefield to 1945 The war ended in May 2011. The Japanese soldiers of the 442nd Infantry Regiment fought in the European battlefield for one year and seven months. They successively fought in Salerno, Cassino, Anzio, southern France, northern Italy and other places, and fought in large and small battles. Dozens of times, the battle was outstanding, but the cost was also astonishingly high. According to statistics, the 442nd Regiment suffered more than 9,000 casualties, with a casualty rate as high as 314%. When returning home, everyone had the ashes of 3 or 4 comrades hanging around their necks.

Honors Received

u won 7 presidential unit commendations throughout World War II (the 101st Airborne Division only received 2 times, and the 1st Marine Division 3 times),

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u 21 Medals of Honor (20 of them were posthumously awarded. During World War II, including the postwar period, only 464 medals were awarded posthumously to the U.S. Army),

u 52 Distinguished Service Cross (including 19 that were later converted into Medals of Honor, and the U.S. Army awarded 5,000 Distinguished Service Crosses throughout World War II), 1 Distinguished Service Medal, 560 Silver Star Medals,

u 22 Legion of Merit medals,

u 15 Soldier's Medals,

u 4,000 Bronze Star Medals (including 1 later converted to the Medal of Honor) ,

u 9486 Purple Star Medals, etc.

u The 100th Infantry Battalion of the 442nd Infantry Regiment is known as the "Purple Star Battalion" because it has received so many Purple Star medals.

Gaining Respect

The heroic fighting of the 442nd Regiment led to the release of interned Japanese immigrants before the end of World War II.

Two more were elected to the Senate. One of them, Daniel Ken Inouye (September 7, 1924 - December 17, 2012), whose Japanese name is Inouye Ken, was a Japanese-American who became the highest-ranking Asian politician in American history. Home. He has a very high political reputation in Hawaii. Inoue is also the first and currently only Japanese-American senator in the U.S. Senate. Inoue died of respiratory syndrome on December 17, 2012, at the age of 88. During a congressional meeting, a congressman asked: We all swear oaths with our right hands, why do you swear oaths with your left hand? Inoue replied: I lost my right arm while fighting to defend the country. The venue burst into warm applause to show respect for this venerable congressman.

Conclusion

As an active force, the 442nd Regiment was disbanded in August 1946 during the major disarmament of the US military. However, the 100th Independent Infantry Battalion has been retained. The U.S. military has been in the establishment sequence until today. Today, there are two highways in California named after the 442nd Regiment and the 100th Battalion. They are like silent monuments engraved with the great achievements of Japanese American soldiers in World War II.

What supports their strong hearts is the American spirit. President Roosevelt once said: "The American spirit does not and has never been based on race or blood." The Japanese troops have won countless honors with their achievements. . To this day, more than 60 years later, Obama still issues a presidential order to award these veterans with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award in the United States.

Veterans never die, and they accept applause again.