65th Infantry Division (United States)

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65th Infantry Division

65th Infantry Division SVG.svg

Division badge
active 1943 to 1945
Country Flag of the United States.svg United States
Armed forces United States Armed Forces
Armed forces United States Army
Branch of service infantry
Type Infantry division
Nickname Battle Ax
Butcher Second World War

The 65th Infantry Division ( German  65th US Infantry Division ) was a major unit of the US Army in World War II .

history

The division was established on August 16, 1943. She came to France on February 21, 1945 , from where she came to the front in early March to join the 26th Infantry Division . During fighting on March 18, one of the division's medics, PFC Frederick C. Murphy, was still able to treat numerous wounded comrades under heavy fire despite being wounded. For this achievement he was awarded the Medal of Honor . Murphy died as a result of his wounds on March 19th. The division's soldiers operated in the Saar region between Orscholz and Wadgassen and captured Saarlautern on March 19. The soldiers fought numerous street fights and the urban area was heavily bombarded with artillery to drive away the German defenders.

Stanley Eric Reinhart

The 65th Infantry Division fought as part of the 3rd US Army against some still considerable resistance from the Wehrmacht . On March 21, the division captured Neunkirchen . On March 30th, the Rhine was crossed at Oppenheim , which again led to heavy fighting with the German soldiers. On the further advance to the east, Bad Langensalza was taken on April 5th, Struth on April 7th and Neumarkt on April 22nd. Oberursel , Bebra and Rottenburg an der Laaber were also liberated . Regensburg was reached on April 27th . The mayor of the city, Otto Schottenheim , handed over the city to the Americans after an agreement without a fight. On May 1, parts of the division liberated a satellite concentration camp in Plattling . SS members captured there were later interned. On May 2, division commander Stanley Eric Reinhart accepted the surrender of Passau . Soldiers of the division liberated the Hersbruck and Kirchham satellite camps at the same time . Afterwards the Inn and at the same time the border to Austria , part of the German Reich since 1938 , were crossed. On the way south, Schärding and Enns were liberated. On May 4th Linz was able to get through the vanguard of the XX. Corps that was placed under artillery fire before the city was occupied by the 11th Panzer Division on May 5th . During the advance in Upper Austria , the division surrendered numerous German soldiers. The 65th Division formed the crew of the city of Linz. In the vicinity of the city her u. a. about 10,000 soldiers of the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitler Youth" . In the final phase of the war, soldiers from the 65th Infantry Division helped to take care of the liberated prisoners of the Mauthausen concentration camp . After the end of the war on May 8th, soldiers of the division met soldiers of the Red Army on May 9th near Erlauf . In 1965 a memorial plaque was erected there due to this event.

During the war, 233 soldiers of the division died in combat and 927 were wounded. In 1945 the division remained in the American occupation zone as an occupation force before the division was demobilized there on August 31, 1945.

organization

  • 259th Infantry Regiment
  • 260th Infantry Regiment
  • 261st Infantry Regiment
  • 65th Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized)
  • 265th Engineer Combat Battalion
  • 365th Medical Battalion
  • 65th Artillery Division
    • 867th Field Artillery Battalion
    • 868th Field Artillery Battalion
    • 869th Field Artillery Battalion
    • 720th Field Artillery Battalion
  • Special troops
    • 765th Ordnance Light Maintenance Company
    • 65th Quartermaster Company
    • 565th Signal Company
    • Military Police Platoon
    • Headquarters Company
    • tape

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Frederick C. Murphy at Find A Grave
  2. ↑ Joachim Brückner: End of War in Bavaria 1945 , Verlag Rombach Freiburg, 1987, p. 154.
  3. ↑ Christoph Wagner: Development, rule and fall of the National Socialist movement in Passau from 1920 to 1945 . Frank & Timme, 2007.
  4. ^ The occupation of Upper Austria in May 1945
  5. ↑ Chris McNab: The SS: 1923-1945. Amber Books Ltd. (2009) ISBN 978-1-906626-49-5 .
  6. ↑ Erlauf Peace Memorial