1.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
2.
Camp Atterbury
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Camp Atterbury, located in south-central Indiana, about 4 miles west of Edinburgh, Indiana, serves as a military and civilian training base under the auspices of the Indiana National Guard. The camp is named in memory of William Wallace Atterbury, a New Albany, Indiana, during its peak years during World War II, Camp Atterburys primary mission was to provide combat training for the U. S. Army. Numerous auxiliary and service units, as well as four U. S. Army divisions, Wakeman Hospital Center, the camps 6, 000-bed hospital and convalescent center, became the largest in the Fifth Service Command. It trained medical personnel and treated an estimated 85,000 patients during the war, between 1943 and 1946, a portion of the camp was used an internment compund for an estimated 15,000 soldiers, most of them Italian and German prisoners of war. A small chapel that the Italian prisoners built in 1943 is the only remaining POW-related structure. Camp Atterbury also served as a reception and separation center during the war. Its separation center, one of eighteen such facilities in the United States, Camp Atterbury and Wakeman Hospital were deactivated in December 1946. After World War II, Camp Atterbury remained on stand-by status until 1950, after the U. S. Army discontinued its use as a military installation in December 1968, the Indiana National Guard assumed responsibility for oversight of the camp. Since 1969 the camp had continued to serve as a military and it supports the Indiana National Guard and its missions, the Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center, and the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center. War Department issued orders to consider sites for a new U. S. Army training center in Indiana. The site, which portions of Johnson, Bartholomew, and Brown Counties, was was selected because of its terrain, its location near larger urban areas. On April 28,1941, the U. S, War Department announced its intention to establish a military training camp that would be capable of housing 30,000 men. On January 14,1942, about a month after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the United States entry into World War II, War Department announced its decision to proceed with its plan to build the military training center in southern Indiana. Initial land acquisition for the camp encompassed 40,351.5348 acres in 643 tracts, the land acquisition cost an estimated $3.8 million. In addition to the land, the site encompassed numerous farmsteads, the town of Kansas, fifteen cemeteries, four of the areas fifteen cemeteries remained intact, the gravesites in the other cemeteries were exhumed and relocated. Initial work at the site began in February 1942, various civilian contractors built the camp over a period of six months from February to August 1942. At the peak of construction in June 1942, there were 14,491 workers on the payroll, an estimated 700 vehicles and daily bus service provided transportation from nearby towns and an on-site concession tent served meals to 600 workers at a time. Other names that had been considered were Camp Johnson, Camp Bartholomew, in addition, Camp Atterbury was nicknamed Mudbury during its construction because of its muddy grounds, the result of heavy spring rains during 1942
3.
Army Superior Unit Award
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The Army Superior Unit Award was created in 1985. The award is composed of a green and red ribbon, enclosed within a gold frame. Background, As part of the Army Cohesion and Stability Study of 1980 and this recommendation was based on the fact that present Army unit awards were for combat service only. While all MACOM\ and most of the Army Staff supported the proposal, in 1984, the Vice Chief of Staff, Army, directed that a Peacetime Unit Award be developed and submitted for approval. As a result of the criteria and lack of approving awards. This change deleted the words unique and national interest, only two units were awarded the ASUA prior to the revision. The first ASUA was awarded to the 164th Military Police Company, 59th Ordnance Brigade, Miesau, West Germany, the second went to the 3d Battalion, 502d Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. This recommendation was based on the fact that the award was being presented to units with a significant number of civilians assigned and this change permitted issue of an emblem to both military and civilian personnel. The Secretary of the Army approved the recommendation on 12 December 1991, other personnel may wear this decoration while serving with an organization to indicate the unit has been awarded the Army Superior Unit Award
4.
First United States Army
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It now serves as a mobilization, readiness and training command. First Army was established on 10 August 1918 as an army when sufficient American military manpower had arrived in France during World War I. As an element of the American Expeditionary Forces in the stages of World War I it was the first of three field armies established under the AEF. Serving in its ranks were many figures who played important roles in World War II. First Army was inactivated in April 1919, the field armies were established to provide organizational structure for large military organizations that might be mobilized in time of national need. First Army was located in the northeast United States and was activated on 11 September 1933 at Fort Jay, Governors Island, initially activated as a paper army, it was commanded by General Dennis E. Nolan. Until 1942, First Armys commander was always the senior commander of one of its three corps areas, since First Army was only a paper organization in its early days, its staff was the existing staff of the corps areas. The overall mission of the First Army was commanding and training army, army reserve. In the years after World War I, Conner was a mentor in the careers of Dwight Eisenhower. Passed over as a candidate for Army Chief of Staff for Douglas MacArthur, in 1938 First Army came under command of General Hugh A. Drum. Drum who along with a buildup of the Army in 1939 and it began to establish and develop its own staff and participated in the large scale Army maneuvers in Louisiana and North Carolina between 1939 and 1941. As the United States entered World War II, Drum was assigned a new command of the newly established Eastern Defense Command, responsible for coastal, Drum retired in 1943 when he reached mandatory retirement age. Headquarters, First Army was activated In January 1944 at Bristol, upon going ashore on 6 June 1944, D-Day, First Army came under 21st Army Group and commanded all American ground forces during the invasion. Three American divisions were landed by sea at the Western end of the beaches, on Utah Beach the assault troops made good time, but Omaha Beach came nearest of all of the five landing areas to disaster. First Army captured much of the gains of the Allied forces in Normandy. Once the beachheads were joined up, its troops struck west and isolated the Cotentin Peninsula, when the American Mulberry harbour was wrecked by a storm, Cherbourg became even more vital. After the capture of Cherbourg, First Army struck south, in Operation Cobra, its forces finally managed to break through the German lines. The newly established Third Army was then fed through the gap, the Army then passed from the control of 21st Army Group to the newly arrived 12th Army Group
5.
Indiana
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Indiana /ɪndiˈænə/ is a U. S. state located in the midwestern and Great Lakes regions of North America. Indiana is the 38th largest by area and the 16th most populous of the 50 United States and its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th U. S. state on December 11,1816, before becoming a territory, varying cultures of indigenous peoples and historic Native Americans inhabited Indiana for thousands of years. Indiana has an economy with a gross state product of $298 billion in 2012. Indiana has several areas with populations greater than 100,000. The states name means Land of the Indians, or simply Indian Land and it also stems from Indianas territorial history. On May 7,1800, the United States Congress passed legislation to divide the Northwest Territory into two areas and named the section the Indiana Territory. In 1816, when Congress passed an Enabling Act to begin the process of establishing statehood for Indiana, a resident of Indiana is officially known as a Hoosier. The first inhabitants in what is now Indiana were the Paleo-Indians, divided into small groups, the Paleo-Indians were nomads who hunted large game such as mastodons. They created stone tools made out of chert by chipping, knapping and flaking, the Archaic period, which began between 5000 and 4000 BC, covered the next phase of indigenous culture. The people developed new tools as well as techniques to cook food, such new tools included different types of spear points and knives, with various forms of notches. They made ground-stone tools such as axes, woodworking tools. During the latter part of the period, they built mounds and middens. The Archaic period ended at about 1500 BC, although some Archaic people lived until 700 BC, afterward, the Woodland period took place in Indiana, where various new cultural attributes appeared. During this period, the people created ceramics and pottery, an early Woodland period group named the Adena people had elegant burial rituals, featuring log tombs beneath earth mounds. In the middle portion of the Woodland period, the Hopewell people began developing long-range trade of goods, nearing the end of the stage, the people developed highly productive cultivation and adaptation of agriculture, growing such crops as corn and squash. The Woodland period ended around 1000 AD, the Mississippian culture emerged, lasting from 1000 until the 15th century, shortly before the arrival of Europeans. During this stage, the people created large urban settlements designed according to their cosmology, with mounds and plazas defining ceremonial
6.
United States Army Reserve
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The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. On 30 June 2016, Lieutenant General Charles D. Luckey became the 33rd Chief of Army Reserve, on 23 April 1908 Congress created the Medical Reserve Corps, the official predecessor of the Army Reserve. This organization provided a pool of trained Reserve officers and enlisted men for use in war. The Organized Reserve included the Officers Reserve Corps, Enlisted Reserve Corps, the Organized Reserves were redesignated 25 March 1948 as the Organized Reserve Corps. Recognizing the importance of the Organized Reserve to the World War II effort, Congress authorized retirement, a tentative troop basis for the Organized Reserve Corps, prepared in March 1946, outlined 25 divisions, three armored, five airborne, and 17 infantry. These divisions and all other Organized Reserve Corps units were to be maintained in one of three categories, labeled Class A, Class B, and Class C. The troop basis listed nine divisions as Class A, nine as Class B, eventually the War Department agreed and made the appropriate changes. Although the dispute over Class A units lasted several months, the War Department proceeded with the reorganization of the Organized Reserve Corps divisions during the summer of 1946. That all divisions were to begin as Class C units, progressing to the categories as men and equipment became available. Also, the War Department wanted to take advantage of the pool of trained reserve officers, by that time Army Ground Forces had been reorganized as an army group headquarters that commanded six geographic armies. The armies replaced the nine areas of the prewar era. The First United States Army declined to support a division. After the change, the Organized Reserve Corps had four airborne, the Second Army insisted upon the number 80 for its airborne unit because the division was to be raised in the prewar 80th Divisions area, not that of the 99th. Finally, the 103rd Infantry Division, organized in 1921 in New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona, was moved to Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, a major problem in forming divisions and other units in the Organized Reserve Corps was adequate housing. While many National Guard units owned their own armories, some dating back to the nineteenth century, although the War Department requested funds for needed facilities, Congress moved slowly in response. During the summer and fall of 1951 the six army commanders in the United States, staff agencies, the army commanders urged that all divisions in the Organized Reserve Corps be infantry divisions because they believed that the reserves could not adequately support armored and airborne training. They thought thirteen, rather than twelve, reserve divisions should be maintained to provide a geographic distribution of the units
7.
Army National Guard
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The Army National Guard, in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is a militia force and a federal military reserve force of the United States. They are simultaneously part of two different organizations, the National Guard of the states, territories and the District of Columbia. The Army National Guard is divided into units stationed in each of the 50 states. Members or units of the Army National Guard may be ordered, temporarily or indefinitely, if mobilized for federal service, the member or unit becomes part of the Army National Guard of the United States, which is a reserve component of the United States Army. Individuals volunteering for active service may do so subject to the consent of their governors. Governors generally cannot veto involuntary activations of individuals or units for federal service, the President may also call up members and units of the Army National Guard, in its status as the militia of the several states, to repel invasion, suppress rebellion, or enforce federal laws. The Army National Guard of the United States is one of two organizations administered by the National Guard Bureau, the other being the Air National Guard of the United States. The Director of the Army National Guard is the head of the organization, Militia members were required to equip themselves, take part in regular training, and report to their units when called. This war resulted in hundreds of deaths, hundreds of Native Americans sold into slavery or scattered throughout North America, the militias of the Southern New England colonies fought Native Americans again in King Philips War from 1675 to 1676. This conflict led to the defeat of the Narragansets, further straining relationships between Native Americans and white Europeans, but enabling continued white settlement of New England. In addition, the colonists had little interest in paying the taxes to maintain permanent garrisons of British troops, the militias were also an early experiment in democracy, with company grade officers often elected by their men, and the higher officers appointed by colonial governors or legislatures. The colonies did not exert centralized control over the militias or coordinate their efforts, Training typically took place during musters each summer, with militia members reporting for inspection and undergoing several days of training in drill and ceremony. Militia members served throughout the Revolution, often near their homes, Militia units served in combat, as well as carrying out guard duty for prisoners, garrisoning of forts, and local patrols. On some occasions, militia members performed ineffectively, as at the Battle of Camden in North Carolina, on other occasions they performed capably, including the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Battle of Bunker Hill, Battle of Bennington, Battles of Saratoga, and Battle of Cowpens. Perhaps the most important role played by the militia was off the battlefield, during the period of the Articles of Confederation, the weak federal government reduced the Continental Army to a handful of officers and soldiers. The Articles of Confederation required each state to maintain a militia, such consent was not forthcoming in an era when the population still harbored a distrust of a standing army, so Congress largely left the defense of the new nation to the state militias. During the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Federalist delegates argued for a federal government. Federalists anticipated using the military to defend the country if it were attacked, anti-Federalists advocated limited federal government, and wanted continued state control over the militias
8.
87th Infantry Division (United States)
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The 87th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II. 87th Division was a National Army division allocated to Arkansas, Louisiana, was activated at Camp Pike, Arkansas on 25 August 1917. Went overseas in September 1918, was utilized as a pool of laborers, Returned to the Continental US in January 1919 to Camp Dix, New Jersey, and was deactivated in February 1919. Was reassigned to the Organized Reserve program in 1921, and allocated to Alabama, Louisiana, activated,15 December 1942 at Camp McCain, Mississippi. Training, Moved to the Tennessee Maneuver Area on 3 December 1943, for the Second Army #4 Tennessee Maneuvers, Consolidated to Fort Jackson, South Carolina on 20 January 1944 for divisional training. Staged at Camp Kilmer, at Stelton, New Jersey, on 10 October 1944 until it received its Port Call to the New York Port of Embarkation in Brooklyn, overseas, Deployed to the European Theater on 17 October 1944. Arrived England on 12 November 1944, and Staged for movement to France, assigned to US 3rd Army on 25 November 1944. Arrived Le Havre, France 28 November 1944, was further assigned to US III Corps on 4 December 1944, and to US XII Corps on 11 December 1944, and to US XV Corps on 21 December 1944, and to US VIII Corps on 29 December 1944. Crossed into Belgium on 12 January 1945, and returned to XII Corps on 14 January 1945, crossed into Luxembourg on 21 January 1945, and assigned to VIII Corps on 25 January 1945. Due to discontinuity of German railroad system, 87th ID was routed to Germany by returning to Belgium on 3 February 1945, entered Germany 16 March 1945, and remained to VE Day. Returned to Continental US at New York Port of Embarkation on 11 July 1945, was at Fort Benning on VJ Day. 87th Infantry Division was deactivated on 21 September 1945, at Fort Benning, awards, Medal of Honor-1, Distinguished Service Cross-9, Distinguished Service Medal-1, Silver Star-364, Legion of Merit −20, Soldiers Medal −41, Bronze Star −1,542, Air Medal −49. Commanders, MG Percy W. Clarkson, MG Eugene M. Landrum, MG Frank L. Culin, the 87th Infantry Division arrived in Scotland,22 October 1944, and trained in England,23 October-30 November. It landed in France, 1–3 December, and moved to Metz, the division then shifted to the vicinity of Gross Rederching near the Saar-German border on 10 December and captured Rimling, Obergailbach, and Guiderkirch. The 87th was moving into Germany when, on 16 December 1944, the Division was placed in SHAEF reserve, 24–28 December, then thrown into the Bulge battle in Belgium,29 December. In a fluctuating battle, it captured Moircy on 30 December, on 2 January 1945, it took Gérimont, on 10 January Tillet, and reached the Ourthe by the 13 January. On 15 January 1945, the moved to Luxembourg to relieve the 4th Infantry Division along the Sauer. The 87th moved to the vicinity of St. Vith,28 January, and attacked and captured Schlierbach, Selz, after the fall of Neuendorf,9 February, the division went on the defensive until 26 February, when Ormont and Hallschlag were taken in night attacks
9.
First Army Division East
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First Army Division East is a division of the First United States Army. With its new role, the First Army developed two subordinate multi-component headquarters – one division to support the eastern United States and the other to support the western United States. First Army Division West was activated at Fort Carson, Colorado, First Army Division East was activated on 7 March 2007, and is headquartered at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The division is organized into seven brigades located throughout the eastern United States with 52 total battalions, 4th Saber Cavalry Brigade – Fort Knox, Kentucky. Formerly the 85th Divisions 4th Brigade, 157th Spartan Infantry Brigade – Camp Atterbury, Indiana. Formerly the 87th Divisions 5th Brigade, 174th Patriot Infantry Brigade – Fort Drum, New York. Formerly the 78th Divisions 2nd Brigade, 177th Mudcats Armored Brigade – Camp Shelby, Mississippi. Formerly the 87th Divisions 3rd Brigade, 188th Battle Ready Infantry Brigade – Fort Stewart, Georgia. Formerly the 87th Divisions 4th Brigade
10.
79th Infantry Division (United States)
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The 79th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II. May 1919 Inactivated, June 1919 The division was first activated at Camp Meade, MD in August 1917, composed primarily of draftees from Maryland, after a year of training the division sailed overseas in July 1918. The 79th Division saw extensive combat in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive area where it earned the name of Cross of Lorraine for their defense of France, the division was inactivated June 1919 and returned to the United States. Throughout its entire World War I campaign, the division suffered 6,874 casualties with 1,151 killed and 5,723 wounded. Private Henry Gunther, the last American soldier to be killed in action during World War I, Gen. Ira T. Wyche, Brig. Gen. Leroy H. Watson, Maj. Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe, Brig. Gen. Leroy H. Watson, returned to U. S.10 December 1945. The division was activated at Camp Pickett, Virginia on June 15,1942 and it participated in the Tennessee Maneuver Area, after which it moved to Camp Laguna near Yuma, Arizona, where it trained in the desert. It was then ordered to Camp Phillips, Kansas for training in winter conditions, at the beginning of April 1944, the division reported to the Port of Embarkation at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts. The division arrived in Liverpool on April 17 and began training in amphibious operations, the division took Fort du Roule after a heavy engagement and entered Cherbourg,25 June. It held a line at the Ollonde River until 2 July 1944 and then returned to the offensive. On 26 July, the 79th attacked across the Ay River, took Lessay, crossed the Sarthe River and entered Le Mans,8 August, the advance continued across the Seine,19 August. Heavy German counterattacks were repelled, 22–27 August, and the reached the Therain River,31 August. The division held a line along the Lauter River, at Wissembourg from 20 December 1944 until 2 January 1945. The German attempt to establish a bridgehead west of the Rhine at Gambsheim resulted in furious fighting, the 79th beat off German attacks at Hatten and Rittershoffen in an 11-day battle before withdrawing to new defensive positions south of Haguenau on the Moder River,19 January 1945. The division remained on the defensive along the Moder until 6 February 1945, the division then went on occupation duty, in the Dortmund, Sudetenland, and Bavarian areas successively, until its return to the United States and inactivation. Total battle casualties,15,203 Killed in action,2,476 Wounded in action,10,971 Missing in action,579 Prisoner of war,1,18618 April 1944, VIII Corps, Third Army. 29 May 1944, Third Army but attached to VII Corps,30 June 1944, Third Army, but attached to First Army. 1 August 1944, VIII Corps, Third Army, 12th Army Group,24 August 1944, XV Corps, Third Army, 12th Army Group, but attached to First Army
11.
History of the United States Army
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The history of the United States Army began in 1775. From its formation, the United States Army has been the land based part of the United States Armed Forces. The Armys primary responsibility has been the fighting of land battles, the Corps of Engineers has a major role in controlling rivers inside the United States. The Continental Army was founded in response to a need for professional soldiery in the American Revolutionary War in order to fight the invading British Army, until the 1940s, the Army was relatively small in peacetime. In 1947, the Air Force became completely independent from the Army Air Forces, the Army was under the control of the War Department until 1947, and the Defense Department since then. The U. S. Army fought the War of 1812, American Civil War, Spanish–American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War. After the Cold War ended in 1991, the U. S. Army has focused on Western Asia, and was involved in the 1991 Gulf War and war in Iraq, and the war in Afghanistan. When the American Revolutionary War began in April 1775, the revolutionaries did not have an army. Previously, each colony had relied upon the militia, made up of part-time civilian-soldiers, the initial orders from Congress authorized ten companies of riflemen. The first full regiment of Regular Army infantry, the 3rd Infantry Regiment, was not formed until June 1784. During the War of 1812, an invasion of Canada failed, between 1815 and 1860, the main role of the U. S. Army was fighting Native Americans in the West in the American Indian Wars, and manning coast artillery stations at major ports. The U. S. used regular units and many units in the Mexican-American War of 1846-48. At the outset of the American Civil War, the regular U. S. Army was small, following the Civil War, the U. S. Army fought more wars with Native Americans, who resisted U. S. expansion into the center of the continent. A combined conscript and volunteer force, the National Army, was formed by the United States War Department in 1917 to fight in World War I, during World War II, the Army of the United States was formed as a successor to the National Army. The end of World War II set the stage for the ideological confrontation known as the Cold War, with the outbreak of the Korean War, concerns over the defense of Western Europe led to the establishment of NATO. During the Cold War, American troops and their allies fought communist forces in Korea, the 1980s was mostly a decade of reorganization. The Army converted to a force with greater emphasis on training. By 1989, the Cold War was coming to a close, the Army leadership reacted by starting to plan for a reduction in strength
12.
Fort George G. Meade
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It is named for George G. Meade, a general from the U. S. Civil War, who served as commander of the Army of the Potomac. The forts smaller census-designated place includes support facilities such as schools, housing, initially called Camp Annapolis Junction, the post was opened as Camp Admiral in 1917 on 29.7 sq mi acquired for a training camp. Renamed to Fort Leonard Wood, the forts Experimental Motorized Forces in the summer and fall of 1928 tested vehicles, in 1929, the forts 1st Tank Regiment encamped on the Gettysburg Battlefield. S. The Second U. S. Army Headquarters transferred to the post on June 15,1947, and in the 1950s, from the 1950s until the 1970s, the Fort Meade radar station had various radar equipment and control systems for air defense. Fort Meade also had the first Nike Ajax surface-to-air missiles in December 1953, in 1977, a merger organized the forts U. S. Army Intelligence Agency as part of the United States Army Intelligence and Security Command. On 1 October 1991, a wing of the Air Force Intelligence Command transferred to Fort Meade, in the early 1990s,12.7 sq mi was transferred from the post to the Patuxent Research Refuge. A planned closure of the post in the 1990s was not implemented, the 311th Signal Command headquarters was at Fort Meade from 1996 – September 2006. After an August 27,2007, U. S, advancements in information technology and recent base realignment and closure initiatives have contributed to the evolution of the school. The result is a single school proud of its roots and dedicated to serving the diverse requirements for public affairs, broadcasting. Alleged gunman Hong Young was arrested in connection with shootings at five places in Maryland, including an NSA building, theaters. No motive has been established but his estranged wife attributed his behavior to mental issues, on March 30,2015, National Security Agency police officers shot and killed a person who attempted to drive an SUV through a restricted entrance to the NSA campus in Fort Meade, Maryland. A passenger in the SUV was injured, as was an officer, president Obama was briefed but the FBI determined we do not believe it is related to terrorism. Fort Meade is bordered by the Baltimore–Washington Parkway on the west and is about 5 miles east of Interstate 95 and it is located between Washington, DC and Baltimore. It is located in proximity to Columbia, Jessup, Laurel, Severn, Hanover, the Fort George G. Meade Museum exhibits the Posts historical artifacts, including uniforms, insignia and equipment
13.
Maryland
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The states largest city is Baltimore, and its capital is Annapolis. Among its occasional nicknames are Old Line State, the Free State, the state is named after Henrietta Maria of France, the wife of Charles I of England. George Calvert was the first Lord of Baltimore and the first English proprietor of the colonial grant. Maryland was the state to ratify the United States Constitution. Maryland is one of the smallest U. S. states in terms of area, as well as one of the most densely populated, Maryland has an area of 12,406.68 square miles and is comparable in overall area with Belgium. It is the 42nd largest and 9th smallest state and is closest in size to the state of Hawaii, the next largest state, its neighbor West Virginia, is almost twice the size of Maryland. Maryland possesses a variety of topography within its borders, contributing to its nickname America in Miniature. The mid-portion of this border is interrupted by Washington, D. C. which sits on land that was part of Montgomery and Prince Georges counties and including the town of Georgetown. This land was ceded to the United States Federal Government in 1790 to form the District of Columbia, the Chesapeake Bay nearly bisects the state and the counties east of the bay are known collectively as the Eastern Shore. Close to the town of Hancock, in western Maryland, about two-thirds of the way across the state. This geographical curiosity makes Maryland the narrowest state, bordered by the Mason–Dixon line to the north, portions of Maryland are included in various official and unofficial geographic regions. Much of the Baltimore–Washington corridor lies just south of the Piedmont in the Coastal Plain, earthquakes in Maryland are infrequent and small due to the states distance from seismic/earthquake zones. The M5.8 Virginia earthquake in 2011 was felt moderately throughout Maryland, buildings in the state are not well-designed for earthquakes and can suffer damage easily. The lack of any glacial history accounts for the scarcity of Marylands natural lakes, laurel Oxbow Lake is an over one-hundred-year-old 55-acre natural lake two miles north of Maryland City and adjacent to Russett. Chews Lake is a natural lake two miles south-southeast of Upper Marlboro. There are numerous lakes, the largest of them being the Deep Creek Lake. Maryland has shale formations containing natural gas, where fracking is theoretically possible, as is typical of states on the East Coast, Marylands plant life is abundant and healthy. Middle Atlantic coastal forests, typical of the southeastern Atlantic coastal plain, grow around Chesapeake Bay, moving west, a mixture of Northeastern coastal forests and Southeastern mixed forests cover the central part of the state
14.
Pennsylvania
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Pennsylvania /ˌpɛnsᵻlˈveɪnjə/, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state located in the northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The Appalachian Mountains run through its middle, Pennsylvania is the 33rd largest, the 5th most populous, and the 9th most densely populated of the 50 United States. The states five most populous cities are Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, the state capital, and its ninth-largest city, is Harrisburg. Pennsylvania has 140 miles of shoreline along Lake Erie and the Delaware Estuary. The state is one of the 13 original founding states of the United States, it came into being in 1681 as a result of a land grant to William Penn. Part of Pennsylvania, together with the present State of Delaware, had earlier been organized as the Colony of New Sweden and it was the second state to ratify the United States Constitution, on December 12,1787. Independence Hall, where the United States Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution were drafted, is located in the states largest city of Philadelphia, during the American Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg, was fought in the south central region of the state. Valley Forge near Philadelphia was General Washingtons headquarters during the winter of 1777–78. Pennsylvania is 170 miles north to south and 283 miles east to west, of a total 46,055 square miles,44,817 square miles are land,490 square miles are inland waters, and 749 square miles are waters in Lake Erie. It is the 33rd largest state in the United States, Pennsylvania has 51 miles of coastline along Lake Erie and 57 miles of shoreline along the Delaware Estuary. Cities include Philadelphia, Reading, Lebanon and Lancaster in the southeast, Pittsburgh in the southwest, the tri-cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, the northeast includes the former anthracite coal mining communities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston City, and Hazleton. Erie is located in the northwest, the state has 5 regions, namely the Allegheny Plateau, Ridge and Valley, Atlantic Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and the Erie Plain. Straddling two major zones, the majority of the state, with the exception of the corner, has a humid continental climate. The largest city, Philadelphia, has characteristics of the humid subtropical climate that covers much of Delaware. Moving toward the interior of the state, the winter climate becomes colder, the number of cloudy days increase. Western areas of the state, particularly locations near Lake Erie, can receive over 100 inches of snowfall annually, the state may be subject to severe weather from spring through summer into fall. Tornadoes occur annually in the state, sometimes in large numbers, the Tuscarora Nation took up temporary residence in the central portion of Pennsylvania ca. Both the Dutch and the English claimed both sides of the Delaware River as part of their lands in America
15.
Hoboken, New Jersey
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Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, Hoboken was first settled as part of the Pavonia, New Netherland colony in the 17th century. During the early 19th century the city was developed by Colonel John Stevens, first as a resort and it became a township in 1849 and was incorporated as a city in 1855. Hoboken is the location of the first recorded game of baseball and of the Stevens Institute of Technology, located on the Hudson Waterfront, the city was an integral part of the Port of New York and New Jersey and home to major industries for most of the 20th century. The character of the city has changed from a blue collar town to one of upscale shops, the name Hoboken was chosen by Colonel John Stevens when he bought land, on a part of which the city still sits. Like Weehawken, its neighbor to the north, Communipaw and Harsimus to the south, Hoebuck, old Dutch for high bluff and likely referring to Castle Point, was used during the colonial era and later spelled as Hobuck, Hobock, Hobuk and Hoboocken. The origin of Hobokens name was not related to the Hoboken district of Antwerp, however, in the nineteenth century, a folk etymology had emerged linking the town of to the similarly-named Flemish town. Hoboken was originally an island, surrounded by the Hudson River on the east and it was a seasonal campsite in the territory of the Hackensack, a phratry of the Lenni Lenape, who used the serpentine rock found there to carve pipes. Soon after it part of the province of New Netherland. Three Lenape sold the land that was to become Hoboken for 80 fathoms of wampum,20 fathoms of cloth,12 kettles, six guns and these transactions, variously dated as July 12,1630 and November 22,1630, represent the earliest known conveyance for the area. Pauw failed to settle the land, and he was obliged to sell his holdings back to the Company in 1633 and it was later acquired by Hendrick Van Vorst, who leased part of the land to Aert Van Putten, a farmer. In 1643, north of what would be known as Castle Point, Van Putten built a house. In series of Indian and Dutch raids and reprisals, Van Putten was killed and his buildings destroyed, deteriorating relations with the Lenape, its isolation as an island, or relatively long distance from New Amsterdam may have discouraged more settlement. In 1664, the English took possession of New Amsterdam with little or no resistance, english-speaking settlers interspersed with the Dutch, but it remained scarcely populated and agrarian. At the end of the Revolutionary War, Bayards property was confiscated by the Revolutionary Government of New Jersey, in 1784, the land described as William Bayards farm at Hoebuck was bought at auction by Colonel John Stevens for £18,360. In the early 19th century, Colonel John Stevens developed the waterfront as a resort for Manhattanites, on October 11,1811, Stevens ship the Juliana, began to operate as a ferry between Manhattan and Hoboken, making it the worlds first commercial steam ferry. In 1825, he designed and built a locomotive capable of hauling several passenger cars at his estate. Sybils Cave, a cave with a spring, was opened in 1832
16.
SS Leviathan
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SS Leviathan, originally built as Vaterland, was an ocean liner which regularly crossed the North Atlantic from 1914 to 1934. In 1917, she was seized by the U. S. government and she would become known by this name for the majority of her career, both as a troopship during World War I and later as the flagship of the United States Lines. Vaterland had made only a few trips when, in late July 1914, with a safe return to Germany rendered questionable by British dominance of the seas, she was laid up at her Hoboken, NJ, terminal and remained immobile for nearly three years. Redesignated SP-1326 and renamed Leviathan by President Woodrow Wilson on 6 September 1917, upon her return later that month, she reported for duty with the Cruiser and Transport Force. In December she took troops to Liverpool, England, but repairs delayed her return to the U. S. until mid-February 1918, a second trip to Liverpool in March was followed by more repairs. At that time she was repainted with the British-type dazzle camouflage scheme that she carried for the rest of the war. With the completion of work, Leviathan began regular passages between the U. S. and Brest, France, delivering up to 14,000 persons on each trip. Once experience in embarking troops was gained 11,000 troops could board the ship in two hours, before the armistice 11 November 1918 the ship transported over 119,000 fighting men. Amongst the ships US Navy crew during this period was future film star Humphrey Bogart, Bogart served as the Chief Quartermaster, the senior enlisted man of the Navigation Division, and in that role was on the helm whenever she sailed into or out of harbor. On 29 October 1919, USS Leviathan was decommissioned and turned over to the U. S, Shipping Board and again laid up at Hoboken until plans for her future employment could be determined. Shipping Board was by the end of the war encumbered with surplus tonnage, on 17 December 1919 the International Mercantile Marine signed an agreement to maintain their intended acquisition until a final decision could be made. The Gibbs Brothers Inc. M. M, riding on nationalistic sentiment to stop the deal, the Gibbs brothers were allowed to continue by the Shipping Board even as the deal fell through, their first big task being the creation of a new set of blueprints. None had been received from Germany under the Versailles Treaty and the price was deemed outrageous, instead an army of workers measured every part of the ship until a new set of prints had been made. The decorations and fittings, designed by New York architects Walker & Gillette, retained much of her prewar splendor of Edwardian, Georgian, the biggest deviation was an art deco night club supplanting the original Verandah Cafe. And in June 1923 she was back to the Shipping Board. Leviathans measured tonnage had increased to 59,956.65 GRT, thanks in part to Gibbs clever accounting and the Gulf stream, she had become the worlds largest and fastest ship. By this time United States Lines, which had interested I. M. M, had been sold, the Gibbs Brothers Inc would run her for her first voyages and train the crew until ownership officially changed hands. She immediately proved popular with the American public in the 20s and her passenger average reached a strong 1,300 by 1926, making her the #1 traveled ship on the Atlantic, but given her capacity of 3,000 it was too little to be profitable
17.
Brest, France
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Brest is a city in the Finistère département in Brittany in northwestern France. The city is located on the edge of continental Europe. Although Brest is by far the largest city in Finistère, the préfecture of the department is the much smaller Quimper, during the Middle Ages, the history of Brest was the history of its castle. Then Richelieu made it a military harbour, Brest grew around its arsenal, until the second part of the 20th century. Heavily damaged by the Allies bombing raids during World War II, at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, the deindustrialization of the city was followed by the development of the service sector. Nowadays, Brest is an important university town with 23,000 students, Brest is also an important research centre, mainly focused on the sea, with among others the largest Ifremer centre, le Cedre and the French Polar Institute. Brest’s history has always been linked to the sea, the Académie de Marine was founded in 1752 in this city, the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle was built there. Every four years, Brest hosts the festival of the sea, boats and sailors. Nothing definite is known of Brest before about 1240, when a count of Léon ceded it to John I, in 1342, John IV, Duke of Brittany, surrendered Brest to the English, in whose possession it was to remain until 1397. The importance of Brest in medieval times was great enough to rise to the saying. With the marriage of Francis I of France to Claude, the daughter of Anne of Brittany, the advantages of Brests situation as a seaport town were first recognized by Cardinal Richelieu, who in 1631 constructed a harbor with wooden wharves. This soon became a base for the French Navy, jean-Baptiste Colbert, finance minister under Louis XIV, rebuilt the wharves in masonry and otherwise improved the harbour. Fortifications by Vauban followed in 1680–1688 and these fortifications, and with them the naval importance of the town, were to continue to develop throughout the 18th century. In 1694, an English squadron under Lord Berkeley, was defeated in its attack on Brest. In 1917, during the First World War, Brest was used as the port for many of the troops coming from the United States. Thousands of such men came through the port on their way to the front lines, the United States Navy established a naval air station on 13 February 1918 to operate seaplanes. The base closed shortly after the Armistice of 11 November 1918, in the Second World War, the Germans maintained a large U-boat submarine base at Brest. In 1944, after the Allied invasion of Normandy, the city was almost totally destroyed during the Battle for Brest, with only a tiny number of buildings left standing
18.
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
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It was fought from 26 September 1918, until the Armistice of 11 November 1918, a total of 47 days. American losses were exacerbated by the inexperience of many of the troops, the Meuse-Argonne was the principal engagement of the AEF during World War I. The logistical prelude to the Meuse attack was planned by then-Colonel George Marshall who managed to move American units to the front after the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, on 26 September, the Americans began their strike towards Sedan in the south. The next day British and Belgian divisions drove towards Ghent, and then British, the Meuse-Argonne offensive, shared by the U. S. forces with the French Fourth Army on the left, was the biggest operation and victory of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. The bulk of the AEF had not gone into action until 1918, the Meuse-Argonne battle was the largest frontline commitment of troops by the U. S. Army in World War I, and also its deadliest. Command was coordinated, with some U. S. troops attached, the main U. S. effort of the Meuse-Argonne offensive took place in the Verdun Sector, immediately north and northwest of the town of Verdun, between 26 September and 11 November 1918. However, far to the north, U. S. Quentin Canal, the American forces initially consisted of fifteen divisions of the U. S. First Army commanded by then-General John J. Pershing until October 16, the logistics were planned and directed by then-Colonel George C. Marshall. The French forces next to them consisted of 31 divisions including the Fourth Army, the U. S. S. and French contributions in troops were considerable. Most of the equipment was provided by the European Allies. For the Meuse-Argonne front alone, this represented 2,780 artillery pieces,380 tanks and 840 planes, as the battle progressed, both the Americans and the French brought in reinforcements. Eventually,22 American divisions would participate in the battle at one time or another, other French forces involved included the 2nd Colonial Corps, under Henri Claudel, which had also fought alongside the AEF at the Battle of Saint-Mihiel earlier in September 1918. The opposing forces were wholly German, during this period of the war, German divisions procured only 50 percent or less of their initial strength. The 117th Division, which opposed the U. S. 79th Division during the offensives first phase, had only 3,300 men in its ranks. For example, divisions that served on the Eastern front would have high morale, while conversely divisions that had been on the Western front had poor morale. Resistance grew to approximately 200, 000–450,000 German troops from the Fifth Army of Group Gallwitz commanded by General Georg von der Marwitz, the Americans estimated that they opposed parts of 44 German divisions overall, though many fewer at any one time. The objective was the capture of the hub at Sedan which would break the railway network supporting the German Army in France. During the three hours preceding H hour, the Allies expended more ammunition than both sides managed to fire throughout the four years of the Civil War, the cost was later calculated to have been $180 million, or $1 million per minute
19.
John J. Pershing
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American forces first saw serious battle at Cantigny, Chateau-Thierry, Belleau Wood, and Soissons. To speed up the arrival of the doughboys, they embarked for France leaving the heavy equipment behind, the Allied Hundred Days Offensive, which the Argonne fighting was part of, contributed to Germany calling for an armistice. Pershing was of the opinion that the war should continue and that all of Germany should be occupied in an effort to permanently destroy German militarism. Allowed to select his own insignia, Pershing chose to use four stars to distinguish himself from those officers who held the rank of General. Some of his tactics have been criticized both by commanders at the time and by modern historians. His reliance on costly frontal assaults, long after other Allied armies had abandoned such tactics, has blamed for causing unnecessarily high American casualties. Pershing was born on a farm near Laclede, Missouri, to businessman John Fletcher Pershing, Pershings mother was of English descent. He also had five siblings, brothers James F. and Ward, when the Civil War began, his father supported the Union and was a sutler for the 18th Missouri Volunteer Infantry. Pershing attended a school in Laclede that was reserved for students who were also the children of prominent citizens. Completing high school in 1878, he became a teacher of local African American children, in 1880, Pershing entered the North Missouri Normal School in Kirksville, Missouri. Two years later, he applied to the United States Military Academy, Pershing later admitted that serving in the military was secondary to attending West Point, and he had applied because the education offered was better than that obtainable in rural Missouri. Pershing was sworn in as a West Point cadet in the fall of 1882 and he was selected early for leadership and became successively First Corporal, First Sergeant, First Lieutenant, and First Captain, the highest possible cadet rank. Pershing also commanded, ex officio, the West Point Honor Guard that escorted the funeral procession of President Ulysses S. Grant. Pershing graduated from West Point in the summer of 1886 and was commended by the Superintendent of West Point, General Wesley Merritt, for leadership skills. Pershing briefly considered petitioning the Army to let him study law and he applied for a furlough from West Point, but soon withdrew the request in favor of active Army duty. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army in 1886, at age 26, graduating 30th in a class of 77. Pershing reported for duty on September 30,1886, and was assigned to Troop L of the 6th U. S. Cavalry stationed at Fort Bayard. While serving in the 6th Cavalry, Pershing participated in several Indian campaigns and was cited for bravery for actions against the Apache, during his time at Fort Stanton, Pershing and close friends Lt. Julius Penn and Lt. Richard B
20.
Horsham
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Horsham /ˈhɔːrʃəm/ is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in Sussex, England. The town is 31 miles south south-west of London,18.5 miles north-west of Brighton and 26 miles north-east of the county town of Chichester, nearby towns include Crawley to the north-east and Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill to the south-east. It is the centre of the Horsham district. The first historical record of Horsham is from AD947, the name may mean either horse home or Horsas home. The town has historically been known for trading in early medieval times, iron and brick making up until the 20th century. Horsham is the largest town in the Horsham District Council area, the second, higher, tier of local government is West Sussex County Council, based in Chichester. It was once part of the county of Surrey in 1758 until a change in boundaries through the parliament act in 1867, in addition there are various Parish Councils. The town is the centre of the constituency of Horsham. Jeremy Quin has served as Member of Parliament for Horsham since 2015, succeeding Francis Maude, Horsham holds the UK record for the heaviest hailstone ever to fall. On 5 September 1958, a hailstone weighing 140g landed in the town and it was similar in size to a tennis ball and impact speeds have been calculated to be 100 m/s. Horsham is 50 metres above sea level, the River Arun rising from ghylls in the St Leonards Forest area, to the east of Horsham, cuts through the south of the town then makes its way through Broadbridge Heath. The Arun is joined by a number of streams flowing down from the north which rise around Rusper, Horsham has grown up around the Carfax. To the south of the Carfax is the Causeway and this street consists of houses erected in the 17th, 18th and early 19th century and is lined with ancient London Plane trees. The Horsham Museum is at the end opposite to the recently developed former headquarters of the R. S. P. C. A. At the south end of the Causeway is the Church of England parish church of St. Mary, Norman in origin, rebuilt in the 13th century, the area immediately to the south of the parish church is known as Normandy. It was formerly an area of cottages and an ancient well. Fifty metres south is the River Arun, on the northern bank is Prewetts Mill and on the south side is the towns cricket field. A short walk along the banks of the Arun in a easterly direction is Chesworth Farm
21.
68th Armor Regiment
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The 68th Armor Regiment was first activated in 1933 in the Regular Army as the 68th Infantry Regiment. Constituted 9 July 1918 in the Regular Army as the 68th Infantry, assigned to the 9th Infantry Division Organized July 1918 at Camp Sheridan, Alabama. From personnel of the 46th Infantry, relieved from the 9th Division and demobilized 15 February 1919 at Camp Sheridan. Organized 7 June 1918 in the National Army in France as Company A, 327th Battalion, Tank Corps, Redesignated 12 September 1918 as Company A, 345th Battalion, Tank Corps. Inactivated 5 June 1940 at Fort Benning, Redesignated 15 July 1940 as Company A, 68th Armored Regiment, and assigned to 2nd Armored Division. Activated 1 August 1940 at Fort Benning, see Regiment for further history Organized 7 June 1918 in the National Army in France as Company C, 327th Battalion, Tank Corps, AEF. Redesignated 12 September 1918 as Company C, 345th Battalion, Tank Corps, reorganized and redesignated 8 January 1921 as the 2nd Tank Company and allotted to the Regular Army Redesignated 1 January 1940 as Company D, 68th Infantry Regiment. Redesignated 15 July 1940 as Company D, 68th Armored Regiment, Redesignated 1 January 1940 as Company E, 68th Infantry. Redesignated 15 July 1940 as Company E, 68th Armored Regiment, activated 15 September 1931 at Fort McClellan, Alabama. Redesignated 1 January 1940 as Company B, 68th Infantry, Inactivated 5 June 1940 at Fort Benning, Georgia Redesignated 15 July 1940 as Company B, 68th Armored Regiment, and assigned to 2nd Armored Division. Activated 1 August 1940 at Fort Benning, Organized 17 February 1918 as B Company, Tank Service, American Expeditionary Force. Redesignated 16 April 1918 in the National Army at Borg, France as Company B, 1st Tank Center, Redesignated on 6 June 1918 as Company B, 326th Battalion, Tank Corps. Redesignated 1 September 1918 as Company B, 344th Battalion, Tank Corps, reorganized and redesignated 8 January 1921 as the 5th Tank Company, allotted to the Regular Army. Consolidated 1 January 1940 with 6th Tank Company, and then reorganized and redesignated as Company C, 68th infantry Regiment Inactivated 5 June 1940 at Fort Benning, Redesignated 15 July 1940 as Company C, 68th Armored Regiment, and assigned to 2nd Armored Division. Activated 1 August 1940 at Fort Benning, Organized 7 June 1918 as Company B, 327th Battalion, Tank Corps, American Expeditionary Force. Redesignated 12 September 1918 as Company B, 345th Battalion, Tank Corps, reorganized and redesignated 8 January 1921 as the 2nd Tank Company, allotted to the Regular Army. Inactivated 6 September 1921 at Camp Meade, Maryland, Redesignated 1 January 1940 as Company F, 68th Infantry Regiment, and activated at Fort Benning, Georgia. Redesignated 15 July 1940 as Company F, 68th Armored Regiment, constituted 1 October 1933 in the Regular Army as Company G, 68th Infantry Regiment
22.
77th Armored Regiment
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The 77th Armor is an armored regiment of the United States Army. 1–77 AR is currently stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas as part of the 3rd Brigade Bulldogs, description, A silver color metal and enamel device 1 1⁄8 inches in height overall consisting of the shield and motto of the coat of arms. Symbolism, The carnivorous tiger is symbolic of the enemy devouring qualities of the organization, unlike the man-eating lion, which only attacks man in its dotage, the ferocious tiger attacks at all ages and at any time, the battle-axe symbolizes the offensive mission of a tank battalion. Blazon, Shield, azure, on a mount a tiger sejant argent, armed and langued gules, supporting a battle-axe in pale of the second, motto, INSISTE FIRMITER Symbolism, Shield, The carnivorous tiger is symbolic of the enemy devouring qualities of the organization. Unlike the man-eating lion, which only attacks man in its dotage, the tiger attacks at all ages and at any time. Crest, The volcano is an allusion to Mt. Etna, the most distinctive feature of the island of Sicily, the eruption of flames refers to the units subsequent participation in thirteen campaigns throughout Italy, France, Germany, and finally Korea. Crossed lances denote the courage and aggressive spirit displayed by the men of this regiment throughout its many campaigns. World War II United States Training Cycle June 1941 - April 1943 753rd Tank Battalion activated 1 June 1941 in Fort Benning, the unit transferred Camp Polk, Louisiana later that month. Battalion assigned General Headquarters US Army Reserve, equipment and vehicles used to fill out units varied allowing training to begin. Later in 1941 and early in 1942, Battalion received M3 medium tanks and other current vehicles, Unit posted Camp Hood, Texas April 1942 for eight months general training in tank only operations. The Battalion was posted to Camp Pickett during January 1943 attached 45th Infantry Division, Battalion received first M4A1 medium tanks. Two months training followed focusing on gunning and small unit operations, North Africa During April 1943, the 753rd was posted to Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia for their deployment with the 45th Infantry Division overseas. The unit made a long 33-day trip on five LSTs, on 26 May 1943, the 753rd landed at several locations east of Oran and consolidated near the port city of Arzew, Algeria. By May 1943 the fighting in North Africa was all but over, the 753rd saw no combat, and instead spent six weeks in maintenance and training. From 5 to 7 July, the 753rd loaded on LSTs, the battalion was to support landings by the 45th ID II US Corp 7th Army in Operation Husky for invasion of Sicily. Sicily - Operation Husky -10 May August 28,1943 During the 39-day campaign on Sicily, tanks were deployed as companies, platoons and sections in support of the 45th Infantry Divisions 157th, 179th and 180th infantry regiments. At times the battalion was under the control of II Corps. On 10 July 1943, Company C of the 753rd landed on Blue Beach near Santa Croce Camerina, Company C supported the 157th Infantry against Italian armor in heavy action seizing Comiso and the airport
23.
42nd Field Artillery Regiment
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The 42nd Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army, first Constituted 5 July 1918 in the National Army. Attached below the shield a Gold scroll inscribed “FESTINA LENTE” in Black letters, symbolism Scarlet is the color used for Artillery. The shells indicate the nature of the organization and with the produce the numerical designation of the organization. Background The distinctive unit insignia was approved for the 42d Field Artillery Battalion on 7 May 1942. It was redesignated for the 42d Artillery Regiment on 26 November 1958, the insignia was redesignated for the 42d Field Artillery Regiment effective 1 September 1971. Blazon Shield, Gules, two bendlets between four shells, two in chief and two in base, all Or, crest, On a wreath of the colors Or and Gules a dexter hand grasping four spears pointing in four directions of the compass Or. Symbolism Shield, Scarlet is the used for Artillery. The shells indicate the nature of the organization and with the produce the numerical designation of the organization. Crest, The hand grasping the spears indicates firepower in any direction, background, The coat of arms was originally approved for the 42d Field Artillery Battalion on 7 May 1942. It was redesignated for the 42d Artillery Regiment on 26 November 1958, the insignia was redesignated for the 42d Field Artillery Regiment effective 1 September 1971. S. Artillery Regiments This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Army Institute of Heraldry document 42nd Field Artillery Regiment
24.
Reorganization plan of United States Army
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In 2006 a new deployment scheme known as Grow the Army was adopted that enabled the Army to carry out continuous operations. The plan was modified several times including an expansion of numbers in 2007. On 25 June 2013, plans were announced to disband 13 modular brigade combat teams and expand the remaining brigades with a maneuver battalion, extra fires batteries. Up to 60% of the budget is spent on personnel. On November 22 and 23,2002, the Belfer Center for Science, the conference was held at the Belfer Center at Harvard Universitys John F. Kennedy School of Government. The United States Army War College and the Dwight D. Eisenhower National Security Series were co-sponsors, in some respects this could be said to have been the birthplace of Transformation as a formal paradigm. In March 2004, a contract was awarded to Anteon Corporation to provide Modularity Coordination Cells to each transforming corps, division, each MCC contained a team of functional area specialists who provided direct, ground-level support to the unit. The MCCs were coordinated by the Anteon office in Atlanta, Georgia, history of ARFORGEN The Secretary of the Army approved implementing ARFORGEN, a transformational force generation model, in 2006. In support of transformation for the future, TRADOC, upon the advice of the Armys stakeholders, has assembled 20 warfighting challenges and these challenges are under evaluation during annual Army warfighting assessments, such as AWA17.1, held in October 2016. AWA17.1 is an assessment by 5,000 US Soldiers, Special Forces, Airmen, and Marines, as well as by British, Australian, Canadian, Danish, and Italian troops. Grow the Army was a transformation and re-stationing initiative of the United States Army which began in 2007 and was scheduled to be completed by fiscal year 2013. This grew the force from 42 Brigade Combat Teams and 75 modular support brigades in 2007 to 45 Brigade Combat Teams and 83 modular support brigades by 2013. On 25 June 2013, US Army Chief of Staff General Raymond T. Odierno announced plans to disband 13 brigade combat teams, while the number of BCTs will be reduced, the size of remaining BCTs will increase, on average, to about 4,500 soldiers. That will be accomplished, in cases, by moving existing battalions. Two brigade combat teams in Germany had already been deactivated and a further 10 brigade combat teams slated for deactivation were announced by General Odierno on 25 June, eleven brigades were inactivated by 2015. The remaining brigades as of 2015 are listed below, the fact that this modernization is now in place has been acknowledged by the renaming of the Brigade Modernization Command to the U. S. Army Joint Modernization Command, on 16 February 2017. Modular combat brigades are self-contained combined arms formations and they are standardized formations across the active and reserve components, meaning an Armored BCT at Fort Hood will be the same as one at Fort Stewart. Reconnaissance plays a role in the new organizational designs
25.
289th Infantry Regiment (United States)
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The 289th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment in the U. S. Army Reserve. The regiment was activated on 15 April 1943 at Fort Leonard Wood, the regiment was sent to the European in 1944 and participated in the Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe campaigns. It was inactivated on 23 November 1945 at Camp Patrick Henry, the regiment was allocated to the Organized Reserve Corps and re-activated on 1 March 1952 and its headquarters located at Beaumont, Texas. The Organized Reserve Corps was re-designated on 9 July 1952 as the Army Reserve, the location of Headquarters changed 25 May 1954 to College Station, Texas. The regiment was inactivated on 31 January 1955 at College Station, Texas, attached below the shield a Silver scroll inscribed VINCERE AUT MORI in Blue. The translation of the motto is To Conquer or To Die, symbolism Blue and white are colors traditionally associated with Infantry. The grapes refer to service in the Rhineland, the acorn is for the forests of Ardennes, background The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 289th Infantry Regiment on 19 June 1952. It was redesignated for the 289th Regiment, with description and symbolism revised, blazon Shield, Argent, a bunch of grapes stalked and leaved between in bend an acorn and a fleur-de-lis Azure. Crest, That for the regiments and separate battalions of the Army Reserve, From a wreath Argent and Azure, the statue of the Minute Man, Captain John Parker, stands on the Common in Lexington, Massachusetts. Symbolism Shield, Blue and white are traditionally associated with Infantry. The grapes refer to service in the Rhineland, the acorn is for the forests of Ardennes, crest, The crest is that of the U. S. Army Reserve. Background, The coat of arms was approved for the 289th Infantry Regiment on 19 June 1952. It was redesignated for the 289th Regiment, with blazon and symbolism revised, Infantry Regiments This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Army Institute of Heraldry document 289th Infantry. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History
26.
307th Infantry Regiment (United States)
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The 307th Infantry Regiment was a National Army unit first organized for service in World War I as part of the 77th Infantry Division in Europe. It later served in the Pacific Theater during World War II, since then it has served as a training Regiment. The 2nd Battalion is stationed at Camp Atterbury, Indiana and concentrates on training Field Artillery units under the command of the 157th Infantry Brigade. The Regiment was constituted 5 August 1917 in the National Army as the 307th Infantry and it was organized at Camp Upton, New York on 29 August 1917. The Regiment participated in the campaigns, Oise-Aisne, Meuse-Argonne, Champagne. Company K was a member of the Lost Battalion, the commander of Company K, Captain Nelson M. Holderman was awarded the Medal of Honor. After completing its war service in France, the Regiment sailed to New York City aboard the U. S. S, the Regiment demobilized at Camp Upton on 9 May 1919. The Regiment was reconstituted in the Organized Reserves as the 307th Infantry on 24 June 1921 and it was actually organized in August 1921 with the entire Regiment located in New York, New York. Also conducted infantry Citizens Military Training Camp training some years at Camp Dix, the primary ROTC feeder schools were the College of the City of New York and New York University. The Regimental designated mobilization training station was Camp Dix, ordered into active military service 25 March 1942 and reorganized at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. The Regiment participated in the January 1943 Louisiana Maneuvers, the 307th first saw combat during the liberation of Guam in July,1944. The 307th served in the liberation of the Philippines, arriving on 23 November 1944, the 2nd Battalion was detached for duty on Samar from 30 November until 14 December. The Regiment assaulted Yakabi Shima on 26 March and Company G assaulted Kuba Shima on 27 March, the regiment fought on Okinawa from 27 April though 27 June. Arrived in Japan for occupation duties on 5 October 1945 and inactivated there 15 March 1946, activated 17 December 1946 in the Organized Reserves with Headquarters in the Bronx, New York. After adoption of the ROAD program, the Regiment was reorganized on 26 March 1963 to consist of the 1st and 2d Battalions, the 1st and 2d Battalions were inactivated 30 December 1965 and relieved from assignment to the 77th Infantry Division. The 1st, 2d, and 3d Battalions were concurrently allotted to the Regular Army, on 15 December 2009 all three Battalions were relieved from assignment to the 87th Division. 1st Battalion was then assigned to the 174th Infantry Brigade and is stationed at Fort Dix. Symbolism, The red and white of the background are the used in flags for Armies
27.
Combat engineer
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A combat engineer is a soldier who performs a variety of construction and demolition tasks under combat conditions. The combat engineers goals involve facilitating movement and support of forces while impeding those of the enemy. Combat engineers build, repair and maintain buildings, roads and power supplies and they employ explosives for construction and demolition projects, and clear minefields using specialized vehicles. Typically, an engineer is also trained as an infantryman. A general combat engineer is often called a pioneer or sapper, terms derived respectively from the French, while the officers of a combat engineering unit may be professionally certified civil or mechanical engineers, the non-commissioned members are generally not. Sapper, In the U. S. British, Indian, Canadian, Australian, in the Israeli Defence Forces, Sapper 06 is a military profession code denoting a combat engineer who has graduated from basic general engineering training. In the Canadian Army, is a term for soldiers that have completed the basic Combat Engineer training, in the Portuguese Army, a sapador de engenharia is a soldier of the engineering branch that has specialized combat engineer training. A sapador de infantaria is a soldier of the branch that has a similar training. The Italian Army uses the term Guastatori for their engineers and other specialized units. Pioneer, In the Finnish army, pioneeri is the equivalent rank in the army for a soldier who has completed the basic combat engineering training. Naval engineers retain the rank matruusi but bear the insignia on their sleeves. The German Bundeswehr uses the term Pionier for their engineers and other specialized units. Also the combat engineers in the Austro-Hungarien k. u. k, until recently, assault pioneers were responsible for the operation of flamethrowers. Field engineer, is a used in many Commonwealth armies. In modern usage, it is synonymous with combat engineer. However, the originally identified those military engineers who supported an army operating in the field as opposed to garrison engineers who built. In its original usage, field engineering would have been inclusive of, miner Pontonier Combat engineers are force multipliers and enhance the survival of other troops through the use and practice of camouflage, reconnaissance, communications and other services. These include the construction of roads, bridges, field fortifications, obstacles, in these roles, combat engineers use a wide variety of hand and power tools
28.
337th Infantry Regiment (United States)
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The 337th Infantry Regiment was a National Army Infantry Regiment first organized for service in World War I as part of the 85th Infantry Division in Europe. It later served in the Mediterranean Theater during World War II, since then it has served as a training Regiment, training Army Reserve and Army National Guard Soldiers for service in support of the Global War on Terror. The Regiment was constituted 5 August 1917 in the National Army as the 337th Infantry and it was organized at Camp Custer, Michigan on 30 August 1917. The Regiment didnt participate in any named campaigns during the war, after completing its war service in France it arrived at the port of New York on 2 April 1919 on the U. S. S. Leviathan and demobilized at Camp Custer on 23 April 1919, the Regiment was reconstituted in the Organized Reserves as the 337th Infantry on 24 June 1921 and reassigned to the 85th Division in the Sixth Corps Area. It was organized in December 1921 with the Regimental Headquarters and the 1st and 2d Battalions at Grand Rapids, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions relocated by 1929 to Muskegon and Cadillac respectively. The Regiment conducted summer training most years with the 2d Infantry Regiment at Camp Custer, in 1928 the Regiment conducted summer training with the 126th Infantry Regiment at Camp Grayling. In 1934 the Regiment conducted summer training with the 125th Infantry Regiment at Camp Grayling and they also conducted infantry Citizens Military Training Camp training some years at Camp Custer or Fort Brady, as an alternate form of summer training. The primary ROTC feeder school was Michigan State College of Agriculture, the Regiment was ordered into active military service 15 May 1942 and reorganized at Camp Shelby, Mississippi using a cadre provided by the 2nd Infantry Division. The Regiment participated in the #2 Louisiana Maneuvers in April 1943 and it arrived in Naples, Italy on 27 March 1944. The 337th participated in the Rome-Arno, North Apennines, and the Po Valley campaigns in the Mediterranean Theater as part of the Italian Campaign. The Regiment usually fought as a Regimental Combat Team with the addition of the 328th Field Artillery Battalion, Company A, 310th Engineer Battalion and Company A, 310th Medical Battalion attached. The Regiment saw heavy combat attacking the Germans Gustav and Gothic Lines as they moved north up the Italian Peninsula during Operation Diadem, the Regiment began a drive on Terracina on 21 May that on the 24th opened the road to the Anzio beach head. Over the next month, the Regiment fought through Monte Artemisio, in June the 337th captured Monte Ceraso and advanced to the Viterbo River before being relieved on 10 June 1944. The Regiment relieved the 2nd New Zealand Division on the Arno River Line on 16 August, on 17 August the 337th seized Mount Pratone. By 18 September, the division had penetrated the Gothic Line, on 1 October, Sergeant Chris Carr of Company L earned the Medal of Honor for actions near Guignola, Italy. The 85th Division went on the defensive near Pizzano from 27 October through 22 November 1944, on 9 January 1945, the 85th relieved the British 1st Division near Monte Grande and then the 1st Armored Division on 17 April as part of Operation Grapeshot. On 26 April the division crossed the Adige River in the Verona area, the German forces in Italy surrendered on 2 May 1945
29.
Fort Leavenworth
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Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. Built in 1827, it is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D. C. Fort Leavenworth has been historically known as the Intellectual Center of the Army. Fort Leavenworth was also the base of African-American soldiers of the U. S. 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on 21 September 1866 at Fort Leavenworth and they became known as Buffalo Soldiers, nicknamed by the Native American tribes whom they fought. This term eventually was applied to all of the African-American regiments formed in 1866, during the countrys westward expansion, Fort Leavenworth was a forward destination for thousands of soldiers, surveyors, immigrants, American Indians, preachers and settlers who passed through. On August 1,1846, a Mormon Battalion, led by Col. James Allen, colonel Allen became ill and died at the fort, his headstone marks his grave at the Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery. Today, the garrison supports the U. S. Army Training, cACs mission involves leader development, collective training, Army doctrine and battle command. The fort occupies 5,600 ac and 7,000,000 ft2 of space in 1,000 buildings and 1,500 quarters. It is located on the Frontier Military Scenic Byway, which was originally a road connecting to Fort Scott National Historic Site. The garrison commander is a colonel reporting via IMCOM West to the Installation Management Command, the fort is nicknamed the intellectual center of the Army because much of its mission involves training. S. and allied soldiers and officers. The school trains almost all of the armys majors, all modern five-star army generals have passed through the college including George Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower, Henry “Hap” Arnold, and Omar Bradley. Since 1978 it has been commanded by a Lieutenant General, in 2007, its commander was David Petraeus. It reports to the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command, United States Disciplinary Barracks, which is the only maximum security prison for military personnel of all branches. Since a 2007 reorganization, its commander is a colonel who reports to the United States Army Corrections Command, midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility, a low security prison. Reports to the United States Army Corrections Command, army/ACE Registry Transcript Systems See Fort Leavenworth School District The Fort Leavenworth Lamp newspaper serves the military community living on post. The fort is 10 miles south of the 18th century French Fort de Cavagnal and its commandant was François Coulon de Villiers, a brother to Louis Coulon de Villiers, who was the only military commander to force George Washington to surrender. The French abandoned the fort after ceding its territory to Louisiana at the conclusion of the French, early American explorers on the Missouri River to visit the area of Fort de Cavagnal include Lewis and Clark on 26–29 June 1804 and Stephen Harriman Long in 1819. The fort location had been chosen then because of its proximity to a large Kansa tribe village, the spot being chosen, he will then construct with the troops of his command comfortable, though temporary quarters sufficient for the accommodation of four companies. This movement will be made as early as the convenience of the service will permit, the first army installation in Cantonment Leavenworth was located on Scott Avenue, south of the Post Chapel with initial strength of 14 officers and 174 enlisted men
30.
Kansas
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Kansas /ˈkænzəs/ is a U. S. state located in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas is named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribes name is said to mean people of the wind or people of the south wind. For thousands of years, what is now Kansas was home to numerous, tribes in the eastern part of the state generally lived in villages along the river valleys. Tribes in the part of the state were semi-nomadic and hunted large herds of bison. When it was opened to settlement by the U. S. Thus, the area was a hotbed of violence and chaos in its early days as these forces collided. The abolitionists eventually prevailed, and on January 29,1861, after the Civil War, the population of Kansas grew rapidly when waves of immigrants turned the prairie into farmland. By 2015, Kansas was one of the most productive agricultural states, producing high yields of wheat, corn, sorghum, and soybeans. Kansas, which has an area of 82,278 square miles is the 15th largest state by area and is the 34th most populous of the 50 United States with a population of 2,911,641, residents of Kansas are called Kansans, officially. Mount Sunflower is Kansass highest point at 4,041 feet, for a millennia, the land that is currently Kansas was inhabited by Native Americans. The first European to set foot in present-day Kansas was Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, in 1803, most of modern Kansas was secured by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Southwest Kansas, however, was still a part of Spain, Mexico, from 1812 to 1821, Kansas was part of the Missouri Territory. The Santa Fe Trail traversed Kansas from 1821 to 1880, transporting manufactured goods from Missouri and silver and furs from Santa Fe, wagon ruts from the trail are still visible in the prairie today. In 1827, Fort Leavenworth became the first permanent settlement of white Americans in the future state, the Kansas–Nebraska Act became law on May 30,1854, establishing the U. S. territories of Nebraska and Kansas, and opening the area to broader settlement by whites. Kansas Territory stretched all the way to the Continental Divide and included the sites of present-day Denver, Colorado Springs, Missouri and Arkansas sent settlers into Kansas all along its eastern border. These settlers attempted to sway votes in favor of slavery, the secondary settlement of Americans in Kansas Territory were abolitionists from Massachusetts and other Free-Staters, who attempted to stop the spread of slavery from neighboring Missouri. Directly presaging the American Civil War, these forces collided, entering into skirmishes that earned the territory the name of Bleeding Kansas, Kansas was admitted to the United States as a free state on January 29,1861, making it the 34th state to enter the Union. He was roundly condemned by both the conventional Confederate military and the partisan rangers commissioned by the Missouri legislature and his application to that body for a commission was flatly rejected due to his pre-war criminal record
31.
World War I
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World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War, or the War to End All Wars, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history and it was one of the deadliest conflicts in history, and paved the way for major political changes, including revolutions in many of the nations involved. The war drew in all the worlds great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances, the Allies versus the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary. These alliances were reorganised and expanded as more nations entered the war, Italy, Japan, the trigger for the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, by Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. This set off a crisis when Austria-Hungary delivered an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia. Within weeks, the powers were at war and the conflict soon spread around the world. On 25 July Russia began mobilisation and on 28 July, the Austro-Hungarians declared war on Serbia, Germany presented an ultimatum to Russia to demobilise, and when this was refused, declared war on Russia on 1 August. Germany then invaded neutral Belgium and Luxembourg before moving towards France, after the German march on Paris was halted, what became known as the Western Front settled into a battle of attrition, with a trench line that changed little until 1917. On the Eastern Front, the Russian army was successful against the Austro-Hungarians, in November 1914, the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers, opening fronts in the Caucasus, Mesopotamia and the Sinai. In 1915, Italy joined the Allies and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers, Romania joined the Allies in 1916, after a stunning German offensive along the Western Front in the spring of 1918, the Allies rallied and drove back the Germans in a series of successful offensives. By the end of the war or soon after, the German Empire, Russian Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, national borders were redrawn, with several independent nations restored or created, and Germanys colonies were parceled out among the victors. During the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, the Big Four imposed their terms in a series of treaties, the League of Nations was formed with the aim of preventing any repetition of such a conflict. This effort failed, and economic depression, renewed nationalism, weakened successor states, and feelings of humiliation eventually contributed to World War II. From the time of its start until the approach of World War II, at the time, it was also sometimes called the war to end war or the war to end all wars due to its then-unparalleled scale and devastation. In Canada, Macleans magazine in October 1914 wrote, Some wars name themselves, during the interwar period, the war was most often called the World War and the Great War in English-speaking countries. Will become the first world war in the sense of the word. These began in 1815, with the Holy Alliance between Prussia, Russia, and Austria, when Germany was united in 1871, Prussia became part of the new German nation. Soon after, in October 1873, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck negotiated the League of the Three Emperors between the monarchs of Austria-Hungary, Russia and Germany
32.
World War II
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World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although related conflicts began earlier. It involved the vast majority of the worlds countries—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing alliances, the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, and directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. Marked by mass deaths of civilians, including the Holocaust and the bombing of industrial and population centres. These made World War II the deadliest conflict in human history, from late 1939 to early 1941, in a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany conquered or controlled much of continental Europe, and formed the Axis alliance with Italy and Japan. Under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union partitioned and annexed territories of their European neighbours, Poland, Finland, Romania and the Baltic states. In December 1941, Japan attacked the United States and European colonies in the Pacific Ocean, and quickly conquered much of the Western Pacific. The Axis advance halted in 1942 when Japan lost the critical Battle of Midway, near Hawaii, in 1944, the Western Allies invaded German-occupied France, while the Soviet Union regained all of its territorial losses and invaded Germany and its allies. During 1944 and 1945 the Japanese suffered major reverses in mainland Asia in South Central China and Burma, while the Allies crippled the Japanese Navy, thus ended the war in Asia, cementing the total victory of the Allies. World War II altered the political alignment and social structure of the world, the United Nations was established to foster international co-operation and prevent future conflicts. The victorious great powers—the United States, the Soviet Union, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next 46 years. Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers waned, while the decolonisation of Asia, most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. Political integration, especially in Europe, emerged as an effort to end pre-war enmities, the start of the war in Europe is generally held to be 1 September 1939, beginning with the German invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. The dates for the beginning of war in the Pacific include the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War on 7 July 1937, or even the Japanese invasion of Manchuria on 19 September 1931. Others follow the British historian A. J. P. Taylor, who held that the Sino-Japanese War and war in Europe and its colonies occurred simultaneously and this article uses the conventional dating. Other starting dates sometimes used for World War II include the Italian invasion of Abyssinia on 3 October 1935. The British historian Antony Beevor views the beginning of World War II as the Battles of Khalkhin Gol fought between Japan and the forces of Mongolia and the Soviet Union from May to September 1939, the exact date of the wars end is also not universally agreed upon. It was generally accepted at the time that the war ended with the armistice of 14 August 1945, rather than the formal surrender of Japan
33.
Operation Overlord
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Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings, a 1, 200-plane airborne assault preceded an amphibious assault involving more than 5,000 vessels. Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on 6 June, the decision to undertake a cross-channel invasion in 1944 was taken at the Trident Conference in Washington in May 1943. The coast of Normandy was chosen as the site of the invasion, with the Americans assigned to land at sectors codenamed Utah and Omaha, the British at Sword and Gold, and the Canadians at Juno. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies conducted a military deception, Operation Bodyguard. This misled the Germans as to the date and location of the main Allied landings, Adolf Hitler placed German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in charge of developing fortifications all along the Atlantic Wall in anticipation of an invasion. A failed counterattack by German forces on 8 August left 50,000 soldiers of the 7th Army trapped in the Falaise pocket, the Allies launched an invasion of southern France on 15 August, and the Liberation of Paris followed on 25 August. German forces retreated across the Seine on 30 August 1944, marking the close of Operation Overlord, in June 1940, Germanys leader Adolf Hitler had triumphed in what he called the most famous victory in history—the fall of France. The defending British Expeditionary Force, trapped along the northern coast of France, was able to evacuate over 338,000 troops to England in the Dunkirk evacuation. After the Germans invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin began pressing for the creation of a front in Western Europe. Two tentative plans code-named Operation Roundup and Operation Sledgehammer were put forward for 1942–43, instead, the Allies launched the invasion of French North Africa in November 1942, the invasion of Sicily in July 1943, and invaded Italy in September. These operations provided the troops with valuable experience in amphibious warfare, the decision to undertake a cross-channel invasion within the next year was taken at the Trident Conference in Washington in May 1943. Churchill favoured making the main Allied thrust into Germany from the Mediterranean theatre, but was over-ruled by his American allies, British Lieutenant-General Frederick E. Morgan was appointed Chief of Staff, Supreme Allied Commander, to begin detailed planning. The initial plans were constrained by the number of landing craft, most of which were already committed in the Mediterranean. In part because of lessons learned in the Dieppe Raid of 19 August 1942, the failure at Dieppe also highlighted the need for adequate artillery and air support, particularly close air support, and specialised ships able to travel extremely close to shore. Morgan considered four sites for the landings, Brittany, the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy, as Brittany and Cotentin are peninsulas, it would have been possible for the Germans to cut off the Allied advance at a relatively narrow isthmus, so these sites were rejected. The Pas de Calais is the closest point in continental Europe to Britain and was the location of sites for V-1 and V-2 rockets. The Germans considered it to be the most likely initial landing zone, Normandy was hence chosen as the landing site
34.
Invasion of Normandy
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The Western Allies of World War II launched the largest amphibious invasion in history when they assaulted Normandy, located on the northern coast of France, on 6 June 1944. The invaders were able to establish a beachhead as part of Operation Overlord after a successful D-Day, Allied land forces came from the United States, Britain, Canada, and Free French forces. The Normandy invasion began with overnight parachute and glider landings, massive air attacks, the invasion began and during the evening the remaining elements of the airborne divisions landed. Land forces used on D-Day sailed from bases along the south coast of England, Allied forces rehearsed their D-Day roles for months before the invasion. On 28 April 1944, in south Devon on the English coast,749 U. S. soldiers and sailors were killed when German torpedo boats surprised one of these landing exercises, Exercise Tiger. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allied forces conducted an operation, Operation Fortitude, aimed at misleading the Germans with respect to the date. There were several leaks prior to or on D-Day, through the Cicero affair, the Germans obtained documents containing references to Overlord, but these documents lacked all detail. Double Cross agents, such as the Spaniard Juan Pujol, played an important role in convincing the German High Command that Normandy was at best a diversionary attack. After being told, Eisenhower reduced Miller to lieutenant colonel and sent him back to the U. S. where he retired, another such leak was General Charles de Gaulles radio message after D-Day. He, unlike all the leaders, stated that this invasion was the real invasion. This had the potential to ruin the Allied deceptions Fortitude North, in contrast, Gen. Eisenhower referred to the landings as the initial invasion. A full moon occurred on 6 June, Allied Expeditionary Force Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower had tentatively selected 5 June as the date for the assault. The weather was fine during most of May, but deteriorated in early June, the Allied troop convoys already at sea were forced to take shelter in bays and inlets on the south coast of Britain for the night. It seemed possible that everything would have to be cancelled and the returned to their embarkation camps. The next full moon period would be nearly a month away, at a vital meeting on 5 June, Eisenhowers chief meteorologist forecast a brief improvement for 6 June. Commander of all forces for the invasion General Bernard Montgomery. Commander of the Allied Air Forces Air Chief Marshal Leigh Mallory was doubtful, on the strength of Staggs forecast, Eisenhower ordered the invasion to proceed. As a result, prevailing overcast skies limited Allied air support, some troops stood down and many senior officers were away for the weekend
35.
Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine
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The Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine was a phase in the Western European Campaign of World War II. This roughly corresponds with the official United States military European Theater of Operations Rhineland, German forces had been routed during the Allied break-out from Normandy. The Allies advanced rapidly against an enemy that put up little resistance, but after the liberation of Paris in late August 1944, the Allies paused to re-group and organise before continuing their advance from Paris to the River Rhine. The pause allowed the Germans to solidify their lines—something they had been unable to do west of Paris, while Montgomery and Bradley each favored relatively direct thrusts into Germany, General Eisenhower disagreed. The rapid advance through France had caused considerable logistical strain, made worse by the lack of any major port other than the relatively distant Cherbourg in western France. Although Antwerp was seen as the key to solving the Allied logistics problems, as the campaign progressed, all the belligerents, Allied as well as German, felt the effects of the lack of suitable replacements for front-line troops. There were two major obstacles to the Allies. The first was the natural barriers made by the rivers of eastern France, the second was the Siegfried Line, which fell under the command, along with all Wehrmacht forces in the west, of Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt. Although the breakout from Normandy had taken longer than planned, the advances until September had far exceeded expectations, Bradley, for example, by September had four more divisions than planned and all of his forces were 150 miles ahead of their expected position. One effect was that insufficient supplies could be delivered to the fronts to maintain the advance. Much war material still had to be brought ashore across the invasion beaches, the availability of Cherbourg had been valuable until the breakout, but then the shortage of transport to carry supplies to the rapidly advancing armies became the limiting factor. Although fuel was pumped from Britain to Normandy via the Pluto pipeline, this still had to reach the fronts. The railways had been destroyed by Allied attacks and would take much effort to repair. In an attempt to address this shortage of transport, three newly arrived U. S. infantry divisions—the 26th, 95th, and 104th—were stripped of their trucks in order to haul supplies. Advancing divisions of the U. S. 12th Army Group left all their artillery and half their medium artillery west of the Seine. Four British truck companies were loaned to the Americans, unfortunately,1,500 other British trucks were found to have critical engine faults and were unusable, limiting assistance from that quarter. The Red Ball Express was an attempt to expedite deliveries by truck, the 6th Army Group advancing from southern France were supplied adequately from Toulon and Marseille because it had captured ports intact and the local railway system was less damaged. This source supplied about 25% of the Allied needs, the U. S. supply organization—Communications Zone —is perceived to have failed to expedite solutions and to have been far too bureaucratic, employing 11,000 staff
36.
Battle of the Bulge
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The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive campaign of World War II. It was launched through the densely forested Ardennes region of Wallonia in Belgium, France, the surprise attack caught the Allied forces completely off guard. American forces bore the brunt of the attack and incurred their highest casualties of any operation during the war, the battle also severely depleted Germanys armoured forces on the Western Front, and they were largely unable to replace them. German personnel and later, Luftwaffe aircraft, also sustained heavy losses, the Germans officially referred to the offensive as Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein, while the Allies designated it the Ardennes Counteroffensive. The phrase Battle of the Bulge was coined by contemporary press to describe the bulge in German front lines on wartime news maps, once that was accomplished, the German dictator Adolf Hitler believed he could fully concentrate on the Soviets on the Eastern Front. The offensive was planned by the German forces with utmost secrecy, with minimal radio traffic and movements of troops, intercepted German communications indicating a substantial German offensive preparation were not acted upon by the Allies. The Germans achieved total surprise on the morning of 16 December 1944, due to a combination of Allied overconfidence, preoccupation with Allied offensive plans, and poor aerial reconnaissance. The Germans attacked a weakly defended section of the Allied line, columns of armor and infantry that were supposed to advance along parallel routes found themselves on the same roads. This, and terrain that favored the defenders, threw the German advance behind schedule, improved weather conditions permitted air attacks on German forces and supply lines, which sealed the failure of the offensive. In the wake of the defeat, many experienced German units were left severely depleted of men and equipment, the Germans initial attack involved 406,000 men,1,214 tanks, tank destroyers, and assault guns, and 4,224 artillery pieces. These were reinforced a couple of later, bringing the offensives total strength to around 450,000 troops. Between 67,200 and 125,000 of their men were killed, missing, for the Americans, out of 610,000 troops involved in the battle,89,000 were casualties. While some sources report that up to 19,000 were killed, British historian Antony Beevor reports the number killed as 8,407. It was the largest and bloodiest battle fought by the United States in World War II, after the breakout from Normandy at the end of July 1944 and the Allied landings in southern France on 15 August 1944, the Allies advanced toward Germany more quickly than anticipated. The Allies were faced with several military logistics issues, - troops were fatigued by weeks of continuous combat supply lines were stretched extremely thin supplies were dangerously depleted. General Dwight D. Eisenhower and his staff chose to hold the Ardennes region which was occupied by the U. S, the Allies chose to defend the Ardennes with as few troops as possible due to the favorable terrain and limited Allied operational objectives in the area. They also had intelligence that the Wehrmacht was using the area across the German border as an area for its troops. The speed of the Allied advance coupled with a lack of deep-water ports presented the Allies with enormous supply problems
37.
Western Allied invasion of Germany
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The Western Allied invasion of Germany was coordinated by the Western Allies during the final months of hostilities in the European theatre of World War II. This is known as the Central Europe Campaign in United States military histories, by early 1945, events favored the Allied forces in Europe. The failure of this offensive exhausted Germanys strategic reserve, leaving it ill-prepared to resist the final Allied campaigns in Europe, additional losses in the Rhineland further weakened the German Army, leaving shattered remnants of units to defend the east bank of the Rhine. On 7 March, the Allies seized the last remaining bridge across the Rhine at Remagen. During Operation Lumberjack and Operation Plunder in February–March 1945, German casualties are estimated at 400,000 men, on the Eastern Front, the Soviet Red Army had liberated most of Poland and were within striking distance of Berlin. The Soviets also pushed deep into Hungary and eastern Czechoslovakia, and these rapid advances on the Eastern Front destroyed additional veteran German combat units and severely limited German Fuhrer Adolf Hitlers ability to reinforce his Rhine defenses. As such, with the Western Allies making final preparations for their powerful offensive into the German heartland, forty-nine of these divisions were American,12 British, eight French, three Canadian and one Polish. Another seven American divisions arrived during February, along with the British 5th Infantry Division and I Canadian Corps, as the invasion of Germany commenced, General Eisenhower had a total of 90 full-strength divisions under his command, with the number of armored divisions now reaching 25. The Allied front along the Rhine stretched 450 miles from the mouth at the North Sea in the Netherlands to the Swiss border in the south. The Allied forces along this line were organized into three army groups, in the north, from the North Sea to a point about 10 miles north of Cologne, was the 21st Army Group commanded by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. Within 21st Army Group the Canadian 1st Army held the left flank of the Allied line, with the British 2nd Army in the center and the U. S. 9th Army to the south. Holding the middle of the Allied line from the 9th Armys right flank to a point about 15 miles south of Mainz was the 12th Army Group under the command of Lieutenant General Omar Bradley, Bradley had two American armies, the U. S. 1st Army on the left and the U. S. 3rd Army on the right, as these three army groups cleared out the Wehrmacht west of the Rhine, Eisenhower began to rethink his plans for the final drive across the Rhine and into the heart of Germany. Originally, General Eisenhower had planned to all his forces up to the west bank of the Rhine. The main thrust beyond the river was to be made in the north by Montgomerys 21 Army Group, 1st Army as it made a secondary advance northeast from below the Ruhr River. If successful, this movement would envelop the industrial Ruhr area. Facing the Allies was Oberbefehlshaber West commanded by Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring, although Kesselring brought an outstanding track record as a defensive strategist with him from the Italian Campaign, he did not have the resources to make a coherent defense. During the fighting west of the Rhine up to March 1945, busch—whose main unit was the German 1st Parachute Army —was to form the right wing of the German defenses
38.
United States Army Center of Military History
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The United States Army Center of Military History is a directorate within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. The center is responsible for the use of history and military records throughout the United States Army. Traditionally, this mission has meant recording the history of the army in both peace and war, while advising the army staff on historical matters. CMH is the organization leading the Army Historical Program. The center traces its lineage back to historians under the Secretary of War who compiled the Official Records of the Rebellion, a similar work on World War I was prepared by the Historical Section of the Army War College. They began publication of the United States Army in World War II series, since then, the Center has produced detailed series on the Armys role in the Korean and Vietnam Wars and has begun a series on the U. S. Army in the Cold War. These works are supplemented by monographs and other publications on a mix of topics and it has expanded its role in the areas of military history education, the management of the armys museum system, and the introduction of automated data-retrieval systems. The centers work with army schools ensures that the study of history is a part of the training of officers, much of this educational work is performed at field historical offices and in army museums. Under the direction of the chief of military history and his principal adviser and those works under way and projected are described in the Army Historical Program, an annual report to the Chief of Staff on the Army’s historical activities. All center publications are listed in the catalog Publications of the United States Army Center of Military History, CMH also serves as a clearinghouse for the oral history programs in the army at all levels of command. It also conducts and preserves its own oral history collections, including those from the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, in addition, the center’s end-of-tour interviews within the Army Secretariat and Staff provide a basis for its annual histories of the Department of the Army. As tangible representations of the mission, military artifacts and art enhance the soldier’s understanding of the profession of arms. CMH manages a system of more than 120 army museums and their holdings, current projects include the establishment of a National Army Museum at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and a complementary Army Heritage and Educational Center at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. The Chief of Military History is responsible for ensuring the use of military history in the teaching of strategy, tactics, logistics. This mission includes a requirement that military leaders at all levels be aware of the value of history in advancing military professionalism, in this effort, the chief of military history is assisted by a historical advisory committee that includes leading academic historians and representatives of the army school system. Staff rides enable military leaders to retrace the course of a battle on the ground, as one of the army’s major teaching devices, staff rides are particularly dependent on a careful knowledge of military history. Center historians lead rides directed by the Secretary of the Army and it administers the army’s Command History Program, to provide historical support to army organizations worldwide. To stimulate interest in history in the army and the nation
United States
Headquarters and Headquarters Company
313th Infantry Regiment
314th Infantry Regiment
Troop C, 9th Cavalry – Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania
1st Battalion, 315th Infantry (Mechanized) – Germantown, Pennsylvania
6th Battalion, 68th Armor – Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
4th Battalion, 77th Armor - location uncertain
3rd Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery – Bristol, Pennsylvania
157th Support Battalion – Edgemont, Pennsylvania
420th Engineer Company – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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2nd Battalion, 289th Regiment (Maneuver)
1st Battalion, 290th Regiment (Brigade Support Battalion)
2nd Battalion, 307th Regiment (Field Artillery)
1st Battalion, 335th Regiment (Maneuver)
1st Battalion, 345th Regiment (Brigade Engineer Battalion)
1st Battalion, 362nd Regiment (Air Defense Artillery))
2nd Battalion, 337th Regiment (Training Support Battalion)
2nd Battalion, 338th Regiment (Training Support Battalion)
3rd Battalion, 411th Regiment (Logistics Support Battalion),
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Army Center of Military History document "Lineage & Honors for 157th Infantry Brigade".