2nd Infantry Division/2nd Engineer Combat Battalion (Texas Cowbows)

Game discussion USA and Great Britain
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No. 7398, Repeating Rifle, .30 Cal. USA Headless, May 9th, 1901.

r/guns - No. 7398, Repeating Rifle, .30 Cal. USA Headless, May 9th, 1901.# Prelude to WWII, Fort Sam Houston and Louisiana Maneuvers 1940 – 1942
For twenty three years between the two wars, the 2nd Infantry Division was stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Many of its officers and men were Texans. However, the unit was also made up of a large Hispanic community as well as the Czechs and Slovaks from one of the largest communities in the USA, settled in Texas. During the years of peace and as a result of its own tests conducted in the peace time, the 2nd Infantry Division pioneered many changes in military technique and equipment. For example, the Division became the first unit to take the triangular division´s organization. As a result of the new form of organization the 38th Infantry Regiment had been transferred to the 2nd Infantry Division alongside of the 9th Infantry Regiment and 23rd Infantry Regiment.

In 1940, final tests were completed during maneuvers in Louisiana and in October of that year, utilizing the results of these tests, the organization was completed essentially as the Division fought throughout the World War II. The 2nd Infantry Division consisted of already mentioned three Infantry Regiments: the 9th, 23rd and 38th and also the 12th, 15th, 37th and 38th Field Artillery Battalions. Division’s Special Troops included the 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 2nd Reconnaissance Troop as well as several non-combat units such as the 2nd Signal Company, 2nd Medical Battalion, 2nd Quartermaster Company, Military Police Platoon, 702nd Ordnance Company.

Following year the massive maneuvers in Louisiana continued and the 2nd Infantry Division had begun with an airborne training in Texas. At that time the Airborne doctrine was at its very beginning so the training was meant to be for experimental purposes. After the VIII Corps maneuvers in Louisiana in late summer 1942, the Division undertook tests to develop a technique for the transport by air of an entire infantry division, concluding this operation in October 1942. On October 16, 1942 orders were received for a permanent change of station. The Division, commanded by Maj. Gen. Walter M. Robertson, was to be transferred to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. On November 20, 1942, the Division moved by rail to Camp McCoy, leaving Fort Sam Houston for a permanent change of station for the first time since 1919. The main reason for such a massive transfer was a decision that the entire division will be participating in the first large-scale winter training program and maneuvers ever conducted in history of the United States Army. . After training in Northern Ireland and Wales from October 1943 to June 1944, the 2nd Infantry Division crossed the channel to land on Omaha Beach on D plus 1 (7 June 1944) near Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, however around 150 men from the 9th & 23rd Infantry Regiments and 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion volunteered to assist the operations of the Special Engineer Task Force and their Operations on June 6th, these men were disperse into the various Assault Gap Teams of the 146th & 299th Combat Engineer Battalions and landed with them at H-Plus 3 at Omaha Beach. Attacking across the Aure River on 10 June, the division liberated Trévières and proceeded to assault and secure Hill 192, a key enemy strong point on the road to Saint-Lo. After three weeks of fortifying the position and by order of Commanding General Walter M. Robertson, the order was given to take Hill 192. On 11 July under the command of Col. Ralph Wise Zwicker the 38th Infantry Regiment and with the 9th and the 23rd by his side the battle began at 5:45am. Using an artillery concept from World War I (rolling barrage) and with the support of 25,000 rounds of HE/WP that were fired by 8 artillery battalions, the hill was taken. Except for three days during the Battle of the Bulge, this was the heaviest expenditure of ammunition by the 38th Field Artillery Battalion, and it was the only time during the 11 months of combat that 2nd Division artillery used a rolling barrage. The division went on the defensive until 26 July. After exploiting the Saint-Lo breakout, the 2nd Division then advanced across the Vire to take Tinchebray on 15 August 1944. The division then raced toward Brest, the heavily defended port fortress that was a major port for German U-boats. After 39 days of fighting the Battle for Brest was won, and was the first place the Army Air Forces used bunker busting bombs.[citation needed]

The division took a brief rest 19–26 September before moving to defensive positions at St. Vith, Belgium on 29 September 1944. The division entered Germany on 3 October 1944, and was ordered, on 11 December 1944, to attack and seize the Roer River dams. The German Ardennes offensive in mid-December forced the division to withdraw to defensive positions near Elsenborn Ridge, where the German drive was halted. In February 1945 the division attacked, recapturing lost ground, and seized Gemund, 4 March. Reaching the Rhine on 9 March, the division advanced south to take Breisig, 10–11 March, and to guard the Remagen bridge, 12–20 March.

Two soldiers of 9th Infantry Regiment of 2nd Division in front of a military cinema, provided for soldiers’ entertainment (1 March 1945).

The division crossed the Rhine on 21 March and advanced to Hadamar and Limburg an der Lahn, relieving elements of the 9th Armored Division, 28 March. Advancing rapidly in the wake of the 9th Armored, the 2nd Infantry Division crossed the Weser at Veckerhagen, 6–7 April, captured Göttingen 8 April, established a bridgehead across the Saale, 14 April, seizing Merseburg on 15 April. On 18 April the division took Leipzig,[17] mopped up in the area, and outposted the Mulde River; elements which had crossed the river were withdrawn 24 April. Relieved on the Mulde, the 2nd moved 200 miles, 1–3 May, to positions along the German-Czech border near Schönsee and Waldmünchen, where 2 ID relieved the 97th and 99th IDs. The division crossed over to Czechoslovakia on 4 May 1945, and attacked in the general direction of Pilsen, attacking that city on VE Day. The division lost 3,031 killed in action, 12,785 wounded in action, and 457 died of wounds.

World War II unit history

The 2nd Infantry Division returned to the New York Port of Embarkation on 20 July 1945, and arrived at Camp Swift at Bastrop, Texas on 22 July 1945. They started a training schedule to prepare them to participate in the scheduled invasion of Japan, but they were still at Camp Swift on VJ Day. They then moved to the staging area at Camp Stoneman at Pittsburg, California on 28 March 1946, but the move eastward was canceled, and they received orders to move to Fort Lewis at Tacoma, Washington. They arrived at Fort Lewis on 15 April 1946, which became their home station. From their Fort Lewis base, they conducted Arctic, air transportability, amphibious, and maneuver training.

Campaign participation credit

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Casualties

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  • Total battle casualties: 16,795[18]
  • Killed in action: 3,031[18]
  • Wounded in action: 12,785[18]
  • Missing in action: 193[18]
  • Prisoner of war: 786[18]

Awards and decorations

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