81st chemical mortar battalion

The 81st Chemical Battalion (Motorized) was activated by GO #22, 25 April 1942, Hq Fort D.A. The following day, October 21, 1943, after everyone had been assigned quarters, the Capetown Castle steamed out of New York harbor. On November 2, 1943, the Capetown Castle docked at Liverpool, England, amidst the music of an English regimental band and the cheering and waving of a mixed crowd, including ATS girls, soldiers, and the inevitable American MPs. The first brush with the retreating enemy took place at Compiegne Forest, famous for being the place where the Armistice was signed during World War I, and where Hitler did his famous jig after bringing France to her knees in the early stages of this war. Maginn, Francis T. 1st Ranger Battalion 839 Maglothin, Willis I Company, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division 482 Magrath, John 10th Mountain Division 785 Mahaney 21st Fighter Group 217 Mahedy, Brian USS Hope 99 Maher, William F. General Wainwright's Staff 398 Mahon F Company, 274th Infantry Regiment, 70th Infantry Division 183 Below the shield is a scroll bearing the battalion's motto, "Equal to the Task," picked from many submitted to Col. James. Alles voor veel leesplezier! There were two weaknesses. All the assault vehicles of A Company were landed safely later that day, and those of C and D Companies were also landed with the loss of only one jeep apiece. Answering the call of a frantic infantry officer, whose company was pinned down by small arms and mortar fire, the mortars fired concentrations on two orchards. D Company remained in position near Cormolain until July 29, in support of the 50th Field Artillery Battalion, 5th Division. Lt Sabbione directed the fire from the mortar position. Buy 194452697237 By the 20th of August, General Patton's Third Army had broken through the German defense line of southern Normandy, near Avranches. Shortly after, the infantry commander reported the enemy completely routed, and his men had taken the position without firing a shot. Following a breakthrough at St. 73 WAR DEPARTMENT Washington 25, D.C. September 1944. ABMC Headquarters 2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-584-1501 The nearest ships to the Capetown Castle in the convoy were the Empress of Australia and Monarch of Bermuda. Originally, our mortar was designed for firing chemical shells. C Company bivouacked in an abandoned race track and many of the men were allowed to spend the evening in the city. It is believed the history is concise, yet shows the battalion to have lived up to its motto, "Equal To The Task.". Departed the New York PortOctober 21, 1943 and arrived in EnglandNovember 2, 1943. In December 1965 the 170th Aviation Company joined with the 119th to create the 52nd Aviation Battalion. Hardly a day passed that HE or WP missions were not fired. Ah, those Parisians! worldwartwoveterans@gmail.com. Between June and October small groups were assigned until October 17 when Mississippi descended on us. Naval customs and terminology, net scaling and adjustment of equipment, embarking and debarking from landing craft, loading and unloading of vehicles, and the installation and firing of the mortars in LCVPs were all studied. The commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, 109th Infantry, was rescued by the company's fire on September 18 when pinned down by fire from enemy automatic weapons. It was a "dry run," but like all dry runs it paid dividends when we fired for the record. Closely coordinating with the artillery, the company furnished very close support to the infantry. Another time a group of Germans came out of another pillbox and surrendered to a sergeant. The mortars were called on more and more as the infantry learned of their accuracy and effectiveness. During this time, everyone, from the battalion commander to the private of the line, was briefed on the operation. The companies were again relieved from the front line on August 16 and 17 and the battalion assembled in the vicinity of Ger. This decision was promoted by reports from more prisoners taken by the 175th regarding the heavy casualties inflicted on their personnel by the heavy mortars, and also by the comparative weakness of artillery in the hedgerow terrain. 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." Beginning on June 1 and continuing through June 2, the entire assault echelon was moved to Weymouth harbor where it embarked on various craft, including APAs, an LSI, and LSTs. I Company walked right into a minefield, and many of the men were seriously wounded. On being detached from the 29th Division, the commanding officer of B Company was presented with the Bronze Star for the meritorious manner in which his company had carried out the support of the various combat teams of the division. Probably the outstanding achievement was the smoke screen laid to prevent German observation on the important village of St. Georges D'Elle. By now the 3rd Armored Division had opened its drive along the roads leading to St. After a period of nervous waiting, the HE exploded with one terrific roar, completely demolishing the truck. CAMPAIGN PARTICIPATION CREDIT:Normandy (with arrowhead) Northern France Rhineland Ardennes-Alsace Central Europe, DECORATIONS:Distinguished Unit Citation (Unit cited for period 6-18 June 1944 per WD GO 73-1944). The colonel, there on an inspection tour, commended Col James on the accuracy and efficiency of the firing. The cultural points of interest were Penkridge Church, Litchfield Cathedral, and Hatherton Hall. On this occasion the battalion took up prepared positions the night before and at dawn all mortars in the battalion fired what was then considered an enormous number of rounds of WP and FS; even the now-forgotten Livens projectors were fired. Company B went into position southeast of Hascheid (Herscheid?) Lo, just to C Companys right flank. At the time, B Company was supporting the 5th Ranger Battalion in an attack to clear out the coast fortifications. Trips to Tallahassee, beach parties, and other extra-curricular activities took the curse off this particular period, but no one was sorry when orders came to leave the place that Winchell had dubbed "The Alcatraz of the Army." we were defending the Azot plant [one of the largest chemical plants in Europe . Following the St. The cities of Normandy during the 1944 battles Liberation: July 11, 1944 Deployed units: 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division 81st Chemical Mortar Battalion 741st Tank Battalion Fallschirmjger Regiment 9, 3. C Company moved through Colleville-sur-Mer and St. Honorine des Pertes, still supporting the 1st Division. At 2200 hours the company moved northwest along a sea wall 800 yards inland through les Moulins to St. Laurent-sur-Mer, arriving at 2400 hours. A good deal of time was spent in mortar drill, bringing the squads, platoons, and companies to a high degree of efficiency. Jerry, with his armies in France destroyed, passed up ideal defensive positions, selling space for time in order to get to his prepared positions in the Siegfried Line. A smoke mission was fired from this advanced position, with the infantry moving in under cover of the screen to take the town that day. 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. Company A, in support of the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry, 1st Division, landed at Easy Red Beach. It was later learned, after the voyage was over, that the U.S.S. Thus was born the 81st, without fanfare, but with quiet purpose. On June 12, 1943, the 81st Chemical Battalion arrived at Camp Pickett, Virginia, where it was stationed until October 14 of that year. It arrived at Gomelange near the Neisse River on November 24. COAT OF ARMS SHIELD:Per bend or and azure, in chief a volcano peak sable errupting smoke throughout proper, in base a mullet argent. Lo. By March 1945, the drive for the Rhine was underway, and Company A moved on the 12th to an area five miles east of Saarburg to support the 80th Division. The company initially set up its guns in the small town of Hecklusheide and commenced the heaviest firing since Normandy against the mighty Siegfried Line. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as CDs or access codes. Millions of people jammed the sidewalks and crowded towards the vehicles. By this time the Germans had built up sufficient strength to half V Corps advance for a while. In October the mortars arrived and everyone's morale went up. Add links. B Company's mission was to land on Dog Green Beach and provide direct support for the 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry. While standing in line for breakfast, the men were strafed by enemy aircraft. Lo. Zo ben je er helemaal klaar voor. The grateful Belgian people had placed his body in a position of honor and brought floral tributes to a truly brave man. It is significant that despite these harassing incidents, the company fired a smoke mission screening the next town. Moving just north of Torigny, Company A approached Vire and on August 4 fired one of its most successful missions. He had taken a stand behind a building and the Germans had apparently used tanks in destroying the building. The mess personnel had taken a wrong turn, found themselves in enemy territory, and were forced to abandon the vehicle. 91st Chemical Mortar Battalion 92nd Chemical Service Company 110th Chemical Processing Company . 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 assault group of this battalion was composed of 437 officers and men and 35 vehicles. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, which D Company entered on September 10, was a beautiful little country with wooded, rolling hills and fields, here and there an ancient castle, and clean, picturesque little towns. Souvenir hunting began about this time, despite the fact that all companies were almost continuously under fire of some sort. It was necessary to wade the creek and hand-carry all equipment. The combat team was composed of the 22nd Infantry, 4th Division, elements of the 5th Armored, 801st Tank Destroyer Battalion, and B Company 81st. The beautiful Meuse River, located deep in a cultivated valley, was reached on September 5. 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. 81st Chemical Mortar Battalion 84th Chemical Mortar Battalion 85th Chemical Mortar Battalions . The WP had a terrific effect on the morale of the troops, causing them to evacuate the town. The mortar business was picking up! A copy of the citation is given below: GENERAL ORDERS No. The Chemical Warfare Service: Chemicals in Combat. Practically every infantry dough boy had a belt full of Lugers and P-38s. Monday-Friday (excluding Holidays) It was in Louisiana on Easter Sunday that the battalion held its first anniversary and Col. James presented to the unit, in a colorful ceremony, its battalion colors on which was portrayed its insignia and motto. Brest Fortress through the eyes of Wehrmacht soldiers<br><br>On the fourth day of the fighting in Brest, three infantry regiments of the 45th Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht formed assault groups of sappers and infantrymen to master the strongholds that remained until now in the hands of the Red Army soldiers. Read online free Unit History Of The 81st Chemical Mortar Battalion In World War Ii ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. In view of the successful initial penetration, the enemy expected a major breakthrough attempt and so threw many fierce counterattacks, massed many big guns, and threw terrific artillery concentrations at the attacking Americans. The infantry, taking advantage of this concentrated shelling, moved in as the fire was lifted and succeeded in securing the ground. Here the company effectively fired on a pocket of enemy resistance in the forest. 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. B Company, attached to the 29th Division, fired a highly successful smoke mission on June 20, west of Couvains, to cover the withdrawal of friendly tanks. Colonel Thomas H. James (WIA 6 June 44) [view folder] Battalion Executive Officer: S-1: S-2: S-3: S-4: A Company: Captain Thomas P. Moundres [view folder] (KIA 6 June 1944) 1st Lieutenant James P. Panas [view folder] Men from the 3rd battalion of the 376th ran into trouble immediately. The Army closed that post on September 15, 1999, and all six (2nd, 3rd, 81st, 83rd, 86th, 91st) chemical mortar battalion monuments were moved to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, along with other Chemical Corps monuments including that of the 1st Gas Regiment. The sight of new units passing on the road gave everyone a sense of exhilaration. Infantry learned of their accuracy and effectiveness the companies were almost continuously under fire of some sort to infantry! The largest Chemical plants in Europe in position near Cormolain until July 29, in support of the men seriously! D Company remained in position near Cormolain until July 29, in support of the line, briefed... Of Torigny, Company a approached Vire and on August 4 fired one its., moved in as the infantry commander reported the enemy completely routed, many! 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