Military: 103rd Infantry Division, WWII, Rapides Parish, La. File submitted by Kenneth E. Seguin (ksseguin@fastlane.net) Used by permission of K.E. Seguin from his website. ------------------------------------------------------------------ ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** ------------------------------------------------------------------ This website is dedicated to the memory of all of the soldiers who served with the 103rd Infantry Division during World War II, and particularly to those 821 courageous men who gave their lives while enduring horrible conditions in the European Theater of Operations and engaged in combat with the enemy. I especially honor the memory of my father who, with Major Ernest F. Brockway and 2Lt Robert C. Nordhausen, was wounded in action on 23 Nov 1944 at St Die, France: Aubert Ferdinand Seguin 4 Feb 1919 (Montreal, Quebec) - 17 Sep 1994 (Allen Park, Michigan) Corporal, 36546074 Headquarters Company 1st Battalion 410th Infantry Regiment 103rd Infantry Division SERVICE 19 Nov 1944 - 30 Nov 1944 Enlisted Reserve Corps 1 Dec 42 - 6 Dec 1945 Army of the United States 7 Dec 1945 - 6 Dec 1948 Enlisted Reserve Corps DECORATIONS Purple Heart Good Conduct Medal American Theater Medal European-African-Middle East Theater Medal w/2 Campaign Stars World War II Victory Medal TAPS Burial 21 Sep 1994 Fort Custer National Cemetery Augusta, Michigan Division Composition Headquarters, 103rd Infantry Division 409th Infantry Regiment 410th Infantry Regiment 411th Infantry Regiment Division Artillery 382nd Field Artillery Battalion 383rd Field Artillery Battalion 384th Field Artillery Battalion 928th Field Artillery Battalion 328th Engineer (Combat) Battalion 328th Medical Battalion 103rd Signal Company 803rd Ordnance Company 103rd Quartermaster Company 103rd Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop 103rd Military Police Platoon Attached Units 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion (10 Dec - 24 Dec 44; 10 Mar - 5 May 45) 781st Tank Battalion (17 Jan - 5 Feb 45) 756th Tank Battalion (22 Feb - 31 Mar 45) 761st Tank Battalion (10 Mar - 28 Mar 45) 534th AAA Auto-Weapons Battalion (29 Mar - 9 May 45) 824th Tank Destroyer Battalion (4 Apr - 5 May 45) 991st Field Artillery Battalion Camp Claiborne Forest Hill, Louisiana HISTORY: This World War II tent camp, initially called Camp Evangeline, was renamed for William C.C. Claiborne, the Governor of the Territory of Orleans and first governor of the State of Louisiana. It was located in Rapides Parish on the west side of U.S. Highway 165 (at the intersection of Louisiana State Highway 112), about 17 miles southwest of Alexandria in the Evangeline District of the Kisatchie National Forest (established 10 Jun 1930), just north of Forest Hill, LA. During World War II, Camp Claiborne was one of four military posts in the vicinity of Alexandria, LA. The other three were Camp Livingston, Camp Beauregard, and Alexandria Army Airfield (later named England AFB). Construction of Camp Claiborne was started in 1940 by the W. Horace Williams Company of New Orleans. By December of that year, 13,300 workmen were engaged in building the camp which was about two and one-half miles long by one and one-half miles wide. It had 684 frame buildings and 6,796 tents, occupying 3,100 acres. The final cost of the initial camp was in excess of $14,000,000. West Camp Claiborne was added in 1943. Companies E, G, and H of the 22nd Infantry arrived at the camp in December 1940, and 151st Engineer Regiment was there in January 1941. The 34th National Guard Division (from the States of Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota) had completely moved into the camp by February 1941. The 82nd Infantry Division was activated at Camp Claiborne but was converted to the 82nd Airborne Division. The latter was split there on 18 August 1942 to create the 101st Airborne Division. Although the 11 key commanders and the 85th Division's initial cadre of 210 officers and 1,446 enlisted men arrived in early October 1942, the 103rd Infantry Division was not officially activated at Camp Claiborne until 15 November 1942. More troops to bring the division to its required strength began arriving on 4 December 1942 They came from: Camp Grant, IL (4,060), Fort Custer, MI (3,845), Fort Leavenworth, KS (1,307), Fort Dodge, IA (1,036), Fort Snelling, MN (990), Jefferson Barracks, MO (526), Fort Bragg, NC (600), Fort Oglethorpe, GA (600), Fort McPherson, GA (537), Fort Jackson, SC (218), and various posts in the Eighth and Ninth Service Commands (921). The division received its 13 weeks of initial basic training and remained in place at Camp Claiborne until it departed for maneuvers in western Louisiana on 15 September 1943, and was officially given a permanent change of station from its final maneuvers location (Merryville, LA) to Camp Howze, TX, on 18 Nov 1943. Later a large part of Camp Claiborne was used for training engineering units and service forces. The Camp Claiborne and Fort Polk military railroad was constructed for use in training railroad battalions. Almost half a million troops trained at Camp Claiborne before it was deactivated on 15 December 1945. It was commanded from 24 August 1944 to 20 Oct 1945 by Brigadier General Louis F. Guerre, a longtime officer in the Louisiana National Guard. Part of the camp was used to house prisoners of war. Over 7,000 buildings at the camp were sold in March 1947. Portions of the range have been used by the U.S. Air Force for bombing exercises in recent years. LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY AT ALEXANDRIA ORAL RECORDS COLLECTION Brigadier General Carlton Smith was interviewed by his granddaughter, Patricia Lavoner, in 1974. Smith was a major with the 634th Tank Destroyer Battalion at Camp Claiborne. Patricia introduced her subject with this note: "General Smith toured the abandoned camp with me on April 8th, 1974, and pointed out the crumbled foundations which is all that remains of Claiborne build 34 years ago." Smith told his granddaughter: "We arrived at the Camp Claiborne site in the fall of 1940. The camp area was under a complete construction program. Thousands of workmen from the area were building the temporary housing and utility buildings for the entire camp, which was expected to be used early in 1941. The area at that time consisted of 6,195 acres plus a large training and maneuver area, approximately 40 miles, extending west to Camp Polk. Much of this area was on a lease basis and was used only as a maneuver and training area." "The camp site consisted of a tent area and many more or less permanent type structures that would last for an unknown period. The first troops arrived in January and February 1941. They mainly consisted of the 34th Infantry Division from Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and South Dakota, plus many other service units and engineers units were were to help in construction of the area." "There is still evidence in the area where one can identify the actual sites where the troops were located, where the buildings were located, and the maneuver and training area." "At the entrance of the camp area off of Highway 165, the stone and concrete columns still identify the old camp entrance." "Shortly inside the old gates were the buildings used for vaults for the camp records and finance offices. This area was also used for construction headquarters during the time of the construction." "Further in the camp you can identify the foundation, footings and columns of the old gymnasium and theater buildings. The service road through the center of the camp has now been improved and is the main route from Highway 165 to Leesville." "The location of the old camp headquarters, the camp quartermaster, and the utility services for the camp can be identified by the footings, the walls, the remaining parts of the concrete buildings and by rows of concrete footings that extend above the ground. These can be easily identified for most of the buildings on the site." "Although I know where the old hospital building was located, there is little evidence to indicate that it was ever there. The area has been reforested and has grown to cover this particular area. The hospital had been built for 1,656 beds and was located near the hill at the center of the camp." "The roads for the camp still crisscross through the area. Most of these roads have been barricaded due to deterioration or salvage. The area roads still in use consist of the main road through the camp to Leesville and various service roads accessible to the areas around the camp. The entire camp area, still owned by the government, has been reforested and is now under the supervision of the U.S. Engineers" (U.S. Forest Service) "As we stand here today and see the mute evidence of what was a part of World War II, we hope that the time will never come again when it will be necessary to rebuild Camp Claiborne, as it was an emergency project for World War II." COMMEMORATIVE MARKER At the entrance to Camp Claiborne (U.S. Highway 165 and Louisiana Highway 112), the State of Louisiana has erected a commemorative marker, noting the existence and location of the camp. CAMP CLAIBORNE Activated Oct 1940 - Deactivated Dec 1945 Camp Claiborne was named for William C.C. Claiborne, first governor of the state of Louisiana. The camp was part of the 8th Service Command. It was also home for the U.S. Army's 34th Infantry Division, the first American force sent to the European theater. The camp's 23,000 acres were also the center of the famous "Louisiana Maneuvers," which were the largest peacetime war games ever conducted. Almost 500,000 American troops trained here between 1940-1945. When Congress deactivated the Camp, use of the land was returned to the U.S. Forest Service. COMMEMORATIVE MARKER A commemorative marker placed in downtown Alexandria, LA, recalls the Louisiana Maneuvers. LOUISIANA MANEUVERS In 1940, Lt. Gen. Stanley D. Embrick of the U.S.Army Fourth Corps Area, Atlanta, Ga., selected central Louisiana as site of training maneuvers to prepare American forces for possible involvement in war in Europe. Louisiana's 1941 maneuvers were the Army's largest peacetime training exercise. Approximately 400,000 troops were divided into armies of two imaginary countries: "Kotak" (Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, and Kentucky) and "Almat" (Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee), supposedly at war over Mississippi River navigation rights. These maneuvers allowed Army strategists to test conventional defenses attacked by armored vehicles. Maj. Gen. George Patton's tanks pushed back conventionally-armed defenders but failed to achieve a spectacular victory. Army commanders also encountered reconnaissance and troop supply problems expected in battlefield conditions and thus had several months to formulate solutions before the U.S. entered World War II. The Army conducted smaller scale maneuvers in 1942 and 1943 in the same area, but cancelled 1944 exercises to allow troops to participate in the D-Day invasion of Europe. In addition to Patton, military leaders central Louisiana during the maneuvers included Joseph Stilwell, Dwight Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, Mark Clark, and J. Lawton Collins. Many of these headquartered at the Hotel Bentley. amp Camp Shanks, New York, was the final stateside stop for 1.3 million soldiers who processed through this staging area and prepared for departure from Piermont Pier to the European Theater of Operations. Units bound for France were shipped overseas from Piermont Pier, approximately four miles away, where a monument marks their embarkation. Camp Shanks World War II Museum is located on South Greenbush Road (at the intersection of Routes 303 and 340), Orangeburg, Rockland County, New York 10962 (Telephone 914-638-5244). The museum, located to the rear of the city library, is housed in a quonset hut structure with a lobby. A recreated World War II barracks is the setting for the main body of the museum. At the rear of the museum is a video monitor for viewing several different documentary movies made during the war. There is no admission charge but donations for the continued operation of the museum are accepted. A large map of the camp is available for purchase. The museum is operated by the County of Rockland Veterans Agency, directed by Jerry Donnellan. The Historical Society of Rockland County published a book in 1991 entitled "Camp Shanks and Shanks Village: A Scrapbook," by Scott E. Webber. It contains photographs and information about life during World War II and in the late 1940s and 1950s. The cost of the book is $37.50 plus $3.00 shipping and handling. Checks may be made payable to the Historical Society of Rockland County. Email address of the Historical Society: HSRockland@aol.com HISTORY: On the evening of 25 Sep 42, over 300 Orangeburg residents met at the Orangeburg School (now the city library) to learn that their homes, lots, and farms (amounting to approximately 2,040 acres west of the museum) were being seized for the immediate construction of a military camp. One hundred thirty families lost their homes. If the United States was to transport troops and equipment to Europe, it had to expand its military facilities around New York City. Colonel Drew C. Eberson, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was the Chief Engineer during constuction. Camp Shanks was a rush job, completed between Sep 42 and May 43 at a cost of $44,391,335. Charges of corruption, petty theft, and disorderly behavior by workmen plagued the project. In Jun 46, a federal grand jury cleared the military and the contractors of charges of graft, but acknowledged major problems among some of the labor unions, primarily consisting of a gigantic kickback system. Camp Shanks officially opened 4 Jan 45 under the command of Colonel Kenna G. Eastman. The barracks in which the transient soldiers lived measured 20' x 100', and consisted of two rows of bunks and three coal-burning pot-belly stoves which provided the limited heat. Camp Shanks comprised one of three staging areas on the eastern seaboard. The other two, Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, NY, and Camp Kilmer, New Brunswick, NJ, when combined with Camp Shanks, made the area the largest staging area in the world. One of the primary functions as a staging area was to ensure each soldier and WAC left the U.S. fully equipped. The final field inspection at Camp Shanks identified any problems, made any necessary repairs, and replaced anything which could not be repaired. Two WAC detachments, consisting of over 400 women, were assigned to the camp, and filled positions ranging from clerk to mechanic to warehouse staff to armorer. Their freedom of movement on the installation was restricted. By the end of Nov 44, all staging areas in the U.S. stopped their final field inspections. Shortages and replacements could be handled from supply depots in England. The camp closed in Jul 46. PIERMONT PIER: The pier is located at the east end of Paradise Avenue, Piermont, NY. An outstanding example of reuse, this mile-long dock that once was the eastern terminus of the Erie Railroad is now a tree-lined public walkway jutting out into the Hudson River. The concrete pier is still used by local fishermen. It is open year-round during daylight hours. (1-800-295-5723) A bronze commemorative plaque is mounted on a large stone at the entrance to the pier with an inscription which reads: In Memory of Those Who Never Returned May God Be with All of Them The Piermont Village Board Mayor William Goswick Trustee Donald Cocker Trustee Margaret Grace Trustee Charles Berger Trustee John Zahn 1985 Special thanks and acknowledgement are expressed to: Janice Greznar, a volunteer worker at the museum, who assisted the author; Patricia Edwards Clyne, a contributor to "Hudson Valley Guide"; Jennifer C. Griffin, Museum Curator; and Dorothy Holmes, a lifetime resident of Piermont, NY, who served as escort and guide to Piermont Pier. Battles The following 34 battles were those engaged in by the men of the 103rd Infantry Division from the time they went "on the line" until the surrender of German forces on Victory in Europe (V-E) Day (11 Nov 44 - 8 May 44): : Taintrux Valley, France Saulcy, France Steige, France Ville, France Maisongoutte, France Barr, France Dambach-la-Ville, France Selestat, France Mertzwiller, France Climbach, France Rott, France Bobenthal, Germany Sarreguemines, France Sessenheim, France Schillersdorf, France Moder River, France Neider Schlettenbach, France Reisdorf, Germany Klingenmunster, Germany Kircheim, Germany Nurtingen, Germany Munsingen, Germany Bohringen, Germany Turkheim, Germany Schongau, Germany Partenkirchen, Germany Klaus, Germany Landsberg, Germany Scharnitz, Austria Leithen, Austria Zirl, Austria Innsbruck, Austria Brenner Pass, Austria Campaigns For its role in the European Theater of Operations, the 103rd Infantry Division was credited with participation in three campaigns. In military terms, this means that the Division and Regimental colors are authorized campaign streamers to be affixed, and soldiers of the Division are entitled to three campaign stars mounted on their individual European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign medal and ribbon. The three campaigns, the War Department General Order, and the date authorized are noted as: Rhineland (WDGO 118, 12 Dec 1945) (15 Sep 44 - 21 Mar 45) Ardennes-Alsace (WDGO 63, 20 Sep 1948) (16 Dec 44 - 25 Jan 45) Central Europe (WDGO 116, 11 Dec 1945) (22 Mar 45 - 11 May 45) Since most of the soldiers were discharged as part of demobilization during late 1945 and early 1946, many were never aware that they were entitled to the wear of a third campaign star for the Ardennes-Alsace campaign, which was not approved until 1948. Those former soldiers of the 103rd Infantry Division wishing to have their military records corrected should correspond with: U.S. Reserve Personnel Center Attn: ARPC-VFE National Personnel Records Center 9700 Page Boulevard St Louis, MO 63132-5100 Bronze Star Many veterans of the 103rd Infantry Division may not be aware that they are entitled to the award of the Bronze Star decoration. Army Regulation 672-5-1 is quoted below: 2-15. Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal is awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity in or with the Army of the United States after 6 Dec 1941, distinguished himself by hoeroic or meritorious achievement or service, not involving participation in aerial flight, in connection with military operations against an armed enemy; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. a. Heroism. ..... b. Meritorious achievement or meritorious service. (1) Awards may be made to recognize single acts of merit or meritorious service. The required achievement or service while of lesser degree than that required for the award of the Legion of Merit must nevertheless have been meritorious and accomplished with distinction. (2) Award may be made upon letter application to Commander, ARPERCEN, ATTN: DARP-PAS-EAW, 9700 Page Blvd, St Louis, MO 63132-5200 (enclosing documentary evidence, if possible) to each member of the Armed Forces of the United States who, after 6 Dec 1941, has been cited in orders or awarded a certificate for exemplary conduct in ground combat against an armed enemy between 7 Dec 1941 and 2 Sep 1945, inclusive, or whose meritorious achievement has been otherwise confirmed by documents executed prior to 1 Jul 1947. For this purpose, an award of the Combat Infantryman Badge or Combat Medical Badge is considered as a citation in orders. Documents executed since 4 August 1944 in connection with recommendations for the award of decorations of higher degree than the Bronze Star Medal will not be used as the basis for an award under the provisions of this paragraph. (3) ..... Memorials There are three memorial monuments erected in France, dedicated to the memory of the valiant efforts of the Cactus Division soldiers who helped to liberate France from the stranglehold of the occupying German Army. Saulcy-sur-Meurthe, France (6.5 kilometers south of St Die) Dedicated: 22 Oct 1989 Inscription: November 22, 1944 Soldiers, they came to this place and died in full youth and far from home Pfc Rosendo Cardenas Simonton, TX SSgt Frank Carraccio Jr Centerville, IA Pvt Edward V. Ciricillo Newark, NJ Pfc Bayard Dodge Jr Bronx, NY SSgt Russell Fuccy Detroit, MI Pvt Henry Gaynor Brooklyn, NY Pvt William James Metropolis, IL Pvt James H. Vanover Independence, MO Erected October 1989 By comrades, no longer young. Company A, 411th Infantry United States Army "At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them." Erige en ces Lieux a perpetuite, Grace a la Genereuse cooperation des habitants de Saulcy-sur-Meurthe Memorial Committee, Company "A", 411th Infantry Daniel T. MacMillan Douglas H. Stellner John Wuensche Pfaffenhoffen, France Dedicated: 30 Jun 1991 Inscription: Dedicated to the officers and men of the 103rd Infantry (Cactus) Division and attached units of the United States Army and to loyal French soldiers and citizens who assisted in the liberation of this portion of the Moder River Valley during World War II. Erected by veterans of the "Cactus" Division and Les Amis de Liberation, 30 June 1991 St Die, France Dedicated: 13 Jul 1992 Inscription: In grateful remembrance of the sacrifices of citizens of St Die-des-Vosges and the gallantry of the soldiers of the American 103rd Infantry Division in the Battle of the Vosges 1944-1945. Presented by 103rd Infantry Division Association of World War II July 13, 1992 Through the generous cooperation of the citizens of St Die-des-Vosges.