Company B went into position southeast of Hascheid (Herscheid?) Mess and ammo trucks were dispatched to the companies soon after arrival. It was truly to be a "battle of the giants.". This booklet is dedicated to the forty-one officers and men of the Eighty-First Chemical Mortar Battalion who made the supreme sacrifice. Join Our Newsletter. 918-786-4414ccriger@groveok.gov. Penkridge was a sleepy English village and at first the natives didn't know quite what to make of the "Yanks," but when the civilians found out that Americans weren't all gangsters and that they might sleep safely in their beds at night, they became quite friendly and hospitable. The cultural points of interest were Penkridge Church, Litchfield Cathedral, and Hatherton Hall. Many will remember digging the emplacements for those Livens in the hard, oh so hard, Texas soil that night. All the unit censors were kept busy deleting and cutting up letters, but finally the word came. From September 13 to 19, D Company remained in position on the Siegfried Line, firing night and day in support of the battered 28th. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. It was during the next day that a C Company jeep struck a Teller mine. Here the company guarded Radio Luxembourg, the most powerful transmitter in Europe. 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. Gunner examinations followed soon after, and the results were excellent. After the registration was completed the enemy started throwing hand grenades at the party, so they withdrew to high ground and covered the area with mortar fire. Add links. The infantry, taking advantage of this concentrated shelling, moved in as the fire was lifted and succeeded in securing the ground. 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. At St. Hubert on September 8, B Company received another memorable welcome. I, Bull. This was the time of the Big Sweep, as the British Second, the American First, Third and Seventh Armies, raced across France and Belgium on a 500-mile front. Col. James was evacuated to England later that day in a hospital ship. Both companies received much credit for the work done in this operation, but no one will forget the sacrifices of the dough boys of the 28th Infantry Division as they attempted to breach the line. The country consisted of rolling plains, largely barren of growth, and poor for defense. D Company remained in position near Cormolain until July 29, in support of the 50th Field Artillery Battalion, 5th Division. AbeBooks.com: Unit History of the 81st Chemical Mortar Battalion in World War II: A+ Customer service! Below the shield is a scroll bearing the battalion's motto, "Equal to the Task," picked from many submitted to Col. James. The truck, loaded with 150 HE and 150 WP shells, caught fire, the WP going off in bursts of two or three rounds at once. This action caused a withdrawal for the time along the highway. All during this period, the Germans shelled in an effort to find the mortars that were raising so much havoc with them. The mortars saved one infantry platoon pinned down by machine gun fire, by firing a covering smoke screen while they withdrew. C Company bivouacked in an abandoned race track and many of the men were allowed to spend the evening in the city. ACTIVATION: April 24, 1942 CAMPAIGNS: Normandy, Central Europe, Northern France, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland 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. Most nights for the company were spent in houses and beds, and for the next four days there were no missions on the German side of the Rhine. The foggy weather gave birth to the famous story that England was kept afloat by barrage balloons, but the blackouts seemed to enhance sociability rather than kill it. June 14 (D plus 8) found C Company in position near Les Aieres facing Hill 192, when the enemy repulsed an attack by the 2nd Division to take the hill. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. Between June and October small groups were assigned until October 17 when Mississippi descended on us. 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. The 4th Division, to which A Company was attached, was facing a comparatively weak section of the Siegfried Line only two kilometers in depth. D Company also celebrated the Fourth of July by knocking out an entire platoon of German mortars. The program was vigorous, hazardous and exciting, and several fell by the wayside due to the rapid pace and constant exertion under the hot, tropical Florida sun. Finally, the craft straightened out into waves and headed for Omaha Beach with all the speed and power they could muster. Direct hits had been obtained on mortar position. Company A fired continuously from a sea of mud for the next few days. Entdecke Bastard Battalion: A History of the 83rd Chemical Mortar Battalion in World War in groer Auswahl Vergleichen Angebote und Preise Online kaufen bei eBay Kostenlose Lieferung fr viele Artikel! The signal honor fell to C Company, and PFC Place was the lucky man to drop the round down the barrel while the battalion waited with bated breath. The nearest ships to the Capetown Castle in the convoy were the Empress of Australia and Monarch of Bermuda. AN AIM-9L Sidewinder is mounted on the left wing. 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. 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. It was characterized by long road marches and occasional short, sharp encounters with enemy pockets of resistance. The Battalion had placed a memorial monument to its men at Fort McClellan, Alabama. Here the fighting was as fierce as the hedgerows, with the added advantage to the enemy of having prepared positions and strategically placed pillboxes with walls and roofs of steel-reinforced concrete six to 10 feet thick. Later on, the battalion, attached to the 28th Division, engaged in the practice assault on the "Solomon Islands" in Chesapeake Bay. Company D, which had left in August, was fortunate to be sent over in the Queen Elizabeth which traveled alone, without escort of any kind, due to her speed; she made the trip in five days. Amphibious Maneuvers at Camp Gordon Johnston, Florida. On April 2, 1943, the first contingent of the battalion left Fort D.A. Everyone lined the rails and started throwing cigarettes, chocolate, money, and sundry articles to the ATS girls, but in many cases, the aim was poor and it afforded a great bit of amusement to see the mad scramble for it. Many English friends were made, and two men asked for and received permission to marry English girls. When fired upon, Captain Panas ordered the two men to disperse, which they did, escaping to a nearby wood; Cpl Raub returned later to send a radio message. Machine gun bullets ripped into the belts on several of the carts, however, deflating them and causing the carts to sink. Counterattacks were heavy, fierce, and numerous in the sectors of all companies between the date of June 14 and July 26. The FDC set up in a pillbox between the two platoons at 1000 hours. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain limited notes and highlighting. Many men were hit and PFC Kelly later died of wounds received at this time. They gave us two handcarts for mobility, one for the mortar and the other for ammo. More rugged fighting took place, many missions were fired, and several small towns set on fire. The ship wasn't long at sea before boat drills were started. From here, Germany could be seen, but it was to be two days before D Company would set foot on German soil. C Company, 103rd Medical Battalion, 28th Infantry Division 508. A huge crowd welcomed them to the city, but as usual the column did not tarry long. The assistant division commander of the 28th visited the mortar positions personally to commend the company for its fine support. It was here that the infantry reported to C Company that the bursting WP shells had sent hundreds of Germans screaming into the river to ease their burning flesh where particles of flaming phosphorous had struck them. The battalion fired a total of 26,874 rounds by the close of this period. It was necessary to wade the creek and hand-carry all equipment. First Sgt Radakovitz, T/5 Croak, and Pvt Winston were killed, and Pvt Arnold injured. The 386th arrived during the German second assault on the city, which began on December 17. On the way many jeep tires were punctured due to nails having been strewn over the roads by the FFI to delay the retreating Germans. The battalion can be justly proud of the fact that the 81st Chemical Battalion was among those cited. The battalion had been tactically attached to the 4th Infantry Division on the 26th of August. An ammunition dump was blown up, scattering small arms ammunition in all directions. By August 29, after two days of firing, which helped to clear the last Germans from the city, B Company was already moving on the roads that were to lead in less than a month to the Siegfried Line. Originally, our mortar was designed for firing chemical shells. 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 official records report no casualties those three days, but every hand was sore from shaking, and every face bore the red badge of the liberator lipstick. Deals Shop All Deals Up to 40% off Luggage and Travel Accessories Up to 20% off Gaming Flash Picks Rollbacks Clearance Tech Patio & Garden Home Sports & Outdoors Furniture Pets Toys Apparel Auto Phones & Smart Watches Stock Up Essentials Video Games & Media Kitchen & Dining Baby Home Improvement Floor Care Wellness & Personal Care Beauty & Grooming Outdoor Play Office . Following the hiatus, Company A was attached to the 175th Infantry, 29th Division, and moved swiftly through the Vire River valley. Lo. This is the unit history of the 81st Chemical Mortar Battalion in World War II. Over-enthusiastic celebrants hurled fruit and flowers at the passing column, and many times ripe tomatoes and hard pears and apples left marks on a man. The first night after leaving Hill 192 a bomb fell in the C Company area, wounding Cpl Conroy, instrument corporal. During the trip, the company passed through Vire and marveled at the damage done by air and artillery bombardment. The battalion to this day consists largely of those Mississippi lads, although they could not be recognized as the raw, green recruits of those days. The night of September 3 was an active one for B Company. Immediately on "cease fire," four of the enemy surrendered, and upon interrogation by the infantry S-3, they stated that the shells landed directly in the emplacements, killing 27 that they saw. Ollar says the 81st was awarded a Presidential . 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. 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