WikiPortallus: 41st Infantry Division (United States).html

The 41st was first activated for Army service in 1917-04-01 primarily from Guard units of the Northwestern United States and trained at Camp Green, North Carolina. On 1917-11-26 the first elements of the division embarked for Europe as part of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). Units of the 41st were aboard the SS Tuscania when it was torpedoed by a German U-boat and sunk off the coast of France.

In France, the 41st Division received a major disappointment. It was designated a replacement division and did not go to combat as a unit. The majority of its infantry personnel went to the 1st, 2nd, 32nd and 42nd Infantry Divisions where they served throughout the war. The 147th Field Artillery was attached to the 32nd Division and saw action at the Third Battle of the Aisne, the Meuse-Argonne and other areas. The 146th and 148th of the 66th Field Artillery Brigade were attached as corps artillery units and participated in the battles of Chateau Thierry, Aisne-Marne, St Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne.

World War II

Preparation

In 1921, the 41st Division was allocated to Pacific Northwest states. Its units returned to National Guard status but retained divisional organisation. Each state was instructed to form divisional units.

Major General George A. White was appointed to command of the division in 1929 and eventually led it into World War II. As the international situation worsened in the 1930s, the intensity and urgency of training in the 41st increased. In 1937, the 41st paired with the 3rd Division for Corps manoeuvres at Fort Lewis. In these manoeuvres, a "Blue Army" drawn from the 41st Division attempted a combat crossing of the Nisqually River, which was defended by a "Red Army" under the command of Brigadier General George Marshall, then the commander of the 5th Infantry Brigade at Vancouver Barracks. The 41st Division's mission was accomplished by a night crossing of the river.¹

The 41st Division's annual summer camp at Fort Lewis in June and July 1940 was extended from two weeks to three,¹ and on 1940-09-16 with President Franklin D. Roosevelt's signing of the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, the 41st Division was inducted into Federal service for one year. By this time, a National Guard recruiting campaign had raised the strength of the division to 14,000 - still well short of its war establishment strength of 18,500.² The difference was made up by 7,000 selective service men, the first of whom arrived in February 1941.³

The division was initially accommodated in a tented camp known as Camp Murray until the construction of new permanent accommodation nearby Fort Lewis could be completed.² Delayed by strike action at sawmills in Washington and Oregon and by maritime workers, the project fell behind schedule,⁴ and the entire division was not accommodated in the new barracks until April 1941.⁵

General White died on 1941-11-23 and was replaced by Brigadier General Horace H. Fuller, the former commander of the 3rd Division Artillery.⁷ Promoted to Major General on 1941-12-15, he would remain commander until June 1944.⁸

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the 41st Infantry Division was deployed to defend the coastline of Washington and Oregon against a possible Japanese landing.⁹ The 218th Field Artillery was at sea en route to the Philippines; it was turned back to San Francisco and eventually rejoined the division.¹⁰

The 41st Division was officially renamed the 41st Infantry Division on 1941-08-02.¹¹ In January and February 1942, it was reorganised as a "triangular" division, losing the 161st Infantry, which eventually joined the 25th Infantry Division, and other units.¹²

In February 1942 the 41st Infantry Division was alerted for overseas movement. It handed over its coastal defence responsibilities to the 3rd Infantry Division and concentrated at Fort Lewis. First to depart was the 162nd Infantry, 641st Tank Destroyer Battalion, and 41st Reconnaissance Troop, which entrained later that month for Fort Dix. This group departed the Brooklyn Navy Yard on 3 March 1942 and sailed for the Pacific via the Panama Canal, reaching Melbourne on 9 April. A second group consisting of Division Headquarters, the 163rd Infantry, 41st Signal Company, 116th Engineer Battalion, 167th Field Artillery Battalion, 116th Medical Battalion, and 116th Quartermaster Battalion embarked from San Francisco on 19 March in a convoy that included the liner RMS Queen Elizabeth. This convoy reached Australia before the first, on 6 April. Because Melbourne could not accommodate the Queen Elizabeth, it unloaded at Sydney and the troops and cargo were moved to Melbourne by rail and smaller Dutch ships. That month the remainder of the division, including the 186th Infantry and 146th, 205th and 218th Field Artillery battalions entrained at Fort Lewis for San Francisco, from whence they sailed for Australia, arriving on 13 May. As each contingent arrived it moved to a camp near Seymour, Victoria, where training was conducted at the nearby Australian Army base at Puckapunyal.¹³

In July the division moved by rail to Rockhampton, Queensland.¹⁴ The division had arrived in Australia with a reputation as "the top ranking National Guard division and one of the three top divisions in the whole Army",¹⁵ a reason for its early shipment.¹⁶ However, the 41st Infantry Division had never conducted manoeuvres with live ammunition and many men had not even fired their own weapons.¹⁷ A training inspection found:

Sanananda

The 163rd Regimental Combat Team was attached to Major General George Alan Vasey's 7th Division and Doe assumed command of the Sanananda front from Brigadier Ivan Dougherty on 3 January 1943.²² The front line consisted of a raised road with Japanese positions on relatively dry ground astride it, surrounded by jungle swamp. Roadblocks had been established behind the Japanese positions but they had not been budged; both sides resupplied their positions through the swamp. Vasey's plan was for the Americans to fix the Japanese in position while he attacked with Brigadier George Wootten's 18th Infantry Brigade, supported by M3 Stuart light tanks of the 2/6th Armoured Regiment and 25 pounders of the 2/1st Field Regiment.²³

Doe, "eager to come to close grips with the Japanese", requested permission to launch an attack against the enemy Perimeters Q and R between his two roadblocks. Herring and Vasey thought that he was underestimating the enemy, but Vasey gave permission for the attack, provided that it would not jeopardise the main plan.²⁴ The attack went ahead on the afternoon of 8 January 1943 but both attacking companies of the 1st Battalion, 163rd Infantry encountered heavy fire and were thrown back. First Lieutenant Harold R. Fisk became the first officer of the division to be killed in action. His body could not be immediately recovered. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. The roadblock position he had attacked from was named Fisk in his honour.²⁵

The first part of Vasey's plan involved the blocking of the Killerton Trail to prevent the Japanese from using it as an escape route, and to provide a jumping off point for a later advance by the 18th Infantry Brigade. The 2nd Battalion, 163rd Infantry, under Major Walter R. Rankin, set set out early on 9 January 1943. Company G, covering the flank of the advance, was strongly engaged by Japanese heavy machine gun, mortar, and rifle fire. The remainder of the battalion established themselves astride the trail in a new position which was named Rankin after the battalion commander. The attack had cost four dead and six wounded. More casualties would be taken holding the position over the next few day.²⁶

On 10 January, a patrol from the 163rd Infantry discovered that the Japanese had unaccountably evacuated Perimeter Q. This was occupied at once by Company A, which sent out tree snipers and patrols to harass the enemy and feel out the contour of the Perimeter R, which was now open to attack from all sides. The Japanese had left behind a considerable quantity of material, including a water-cooled .50 calibre machine gun. The Japanese had evidently been very hungry and there was evidence of cannibalism.²⁷

With the roadblock established, the 18th Infantry Brigade launched the main attack against Perimeter P on 12 January. Vasey's plan of attack was based on the assumption that the Japanese defenders had no antitank guns. This proved to be incorrect, and three Stuart tanks were hit by fire from a concealed Type 1 37 mm Anti-Tank Gun.²⁸ Although the 2/9th and 2/12th Infantry Battalions killed some Japanese and gained some ground, the Japanese position remained intact. The attack had cost 18th Infantry Brigade 34 killed, 66 wounded and 51 missing.²⁹

The Australian commanders were now demoralised. Wootten reported that to continue the attack under the existing conditions could only lead to heavy casualties. Vasey directed him to continue aggressive patrolling.³⁰ They had completely misread the situation. On 14 January, a patrol from the 163rd Infantry captured a very sick Japanese soldier. Taken to 7th Division headquarters for interrogation, the man revealed that the Japanese commander, Lieutenant Colonel Tsukamoto Hatsuo had ordered all able bodied men to evacuate Perimeter P, leaving the sick and wounded to hold it to the last.³¹ Vasey ordered an immediate attack. Supported by a troop of the 2/1st Field Regiment and their own mortars, Rankin's 2nd Battalion reduced the three small enemy perimeters to the south of their position and advanced to meet the Australians on the Killerton Track. By early afternoon the Australians and Americans had also joined hands on the Sanananda Road as well. Some 152 Japanese were killed and six captured.³²

On 15 January, a platoon of A Company managed to get inside Perimeter R undetected. The rest of the company followed, taking the Japanese defenders by surprise. Company C joined in the attack from the Fisk while Company B attacked from the west. Bunker after bunker fell to small groups attacking with rifles, grenades and submachine guns but the Japanese resistance was desperate and the entire position was not taken until the next day.³³

The Australians carried out a wide envelopment, reaching the sea on 16 January, but the 163rd Infantry remained confronted by Perimeters S, T, and U, although these were not immediately located. A first attack succeeded in establishing a new position called AD.³³ On 19 January an attack supported by 250 25 pounder and 750 M1 Mortar rounds faltered after a Japanese mortar round killed Company I's commander, Captain Duncan V. Dupree and its First Sergeant, James W. Boland.³⁴ In his situation report, under "American troops", Vasey wrote "Heb. 13:8" ("Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and for ever.")³⁵ But the next day, Companies A and K managed to fight their way into Perimeter T. This softened resistance from Perimeter S, and Companies B and C were then able to capture it. Some 525 Japanese dead were counted after the attack. Finally, on 22 January, Companies I and L were able to capture Perimeter U, counting another 69 Japanese dead.³⁶

In just three weeks of fighting in January 1943, the 163rd Infantry lost 85 killed, 16 other deaths, 238 wounded and 584 sick, a total of 923 casualties.³⁷

Salamaua

Aitape

Following the New Guinea campaign, the 41st returned to Australia for rest and re-equipping. In a few weeks, the 41st then made another thrust to the north. Hollandia and Aitape, coastal communities on New Guinea's eastern coast fell,

Wakde

Biak

Palawan

The road continued into the Philippines where more bitter fighting occurred at Palawan,

Zamboanga

Occupation of Japan

After the fall of the Philippines, the division began training for the attack on Japan itself, but surrender came first. The division did move to Japan where it occupied the island of Honshu for a few months. The 41st Infantry Division was deactivated at Kure-Hiro, Japan on 1945-12-31.

Post war

The 41st Infantry Division was reformed in Oregon in 1946. In 1965 it was reorganised as the 41st Infantry Brigade. The 41st Infantry Division was deactivated in 1968.

The 41st Infantry Division holds annual reunions for its WWII veterans. In 2008 the reunion was held in Washington, D.C. The veterans had the opportunity to visit Arlington National Cemetery and hold a special wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Many of the veterans also had the opportunity to visit the WWII memorial for the first time. Several were accompanied by family (including spouses, children, grandchildren, and in a couple of cases, great grandchildren). The Jungeleer is the publication of the 41st Infantry and is available to all former members of this Division.

World War II Casualties

Commanders

World War I

World War II

Notes

^ ^a ^b McCartney, The Jungleers, p. 1.
^ ^a ^b McCartney, The Jungleers, p. 3.
^ McCartney, The Jungleers, p. 5.
^ Fine and Remington, Construction in the United States, p. 217
^ McCartney, The Jungleers, p. 6.
^ McCartney, The Jungleers, pp. 9-11.
^ McCartney, The Jungleers, p. 12
^ McCartney, The Jungleers, p. 191.
^ McCartney, The Jungleers, p. 17
^ McCartney, The Jungleers, p. 19.
^ McCartney, The Jungleers, p. 9
^ McCartney, The Jungleers, pp. 19-21.
^ McCartney, The Jungleers, pp. 22-27.
^ McCartney, The Jungleers, p. 27.
^ McCartney, The Jungleers, p. 6
^ The 41st Infantry Division was only the fourth division to move overseas from the United States, after the 34th, Americal and 27th.
^ ^a ^b Shortal, Forged By Fire, p. 38.
^ Shortal, Forged By Fire, p. 39.
^ McCartney, The Jungleers, p. 28.
^ McCartney, The Jungleers, p. 33. About 3,800 strong this consisted of the 163rd Infantry; Company E, 116th Engineer Battalion; Company E 116th Medical Battalion; the 7th, 11th and 12th Portable Surgical Hospitals; and detachments of the 41st Signal Company, 41st Ordnance Company, 641st Tank Destroyer Battalion and 116th Quartermaster Company.
^ Milner, Victory in Papua, pp. 329-330
^ Milner, Victory in Papua, p. 330
^ Milner, Victory in Papua, p. 332
^ McCarthy, South West Pacific Area - First Year, p. 513
^ Milner, Victory in Papua, p. 341
^ Milner, Victory in Papua, p. 342
^ Milner, Victory in Papua, p. 343
^ South West Pacific Area - First Year, pp. 515-516
^ Milner, Victory in Papua, p. 345
^ Horner, General Vasey's War, pp. 232-233
^ McCartney, The Jungleers, p. 38
^ Milner, Victory in Papua, p. 348
^ ^a ^b McCartney, The Jungleers, p. 39
^ Milner, Victory in Papua, p. 361
^ Horner, General Vasey's War, p. 234
^ McCartney, The Jungleers, p. 40
^ Papuan Campaign, p. 82.
^ Stanton, World War II Order of Battle, p. 127

41st Infantry Division (United States).html

Contents

World War I

World War II

Preparation

Sanananda

Salamaua

Aitape

Wakde

Biak

Palawan

Zamboanga

Occupation of Japan

Post war

World War II Casualties

Commanders

World War I

World War II

Notes

See also

References