US Army Training Center - Yearbook (Fort Benning, GA)

Page 26 text:

Division was alerted for Korea and 1 1 days later the first elements of the Division land- ed. The Indianhead Division was the first American unit to leave the United States for the fighting in Korea. Units of the Division were thrown into the defenses of the Naktong River Line and were rejoined by the remainder of the Di- vision south of Taegu. Moving swiftly to counter enemy threats, the 2d halted the Red attempt to overrun the Naktong Line in a battle which raged from 1 to 15 Sep- tember 1950. The North Korean armies were forced to break and retreat, and the first wave of Operation Breakthrough was initiated. With Operation Breakthrough under- way, the Indianhead troops, as part of the 8th Army, swept northward in the drive toward the Yalu River. With the entry of the Chinese Communists into the conflict, the Division came under heavy attack. The overwhelming forces that the Chinese threw into the attack and the swiftness of their thrust cut the 2d off from the rest of the Eighth Army troops temporarily. At Wonju, the right flank of the United Nations forces was endangered. With the Netherlands and French Battalions at- tached, the 2d took a stand and protected the rear and right flank of the Eighth

Page 25 text:

days of attack, the Siegfried Line was pen- etrated. The Division readied itself to re- sume the attack on the East when the great German counter-offensive struck the allied front. The Nazi Sixth Panzer Army poured through the Ardennes, but the Division held its ground in the snow-covered Else- born area until the Battle of the Bulge was won. For its part in the Battle of the Bulge, the 2d Division was cited twice by the Belgian government and was awarded the Belgian Fourragere. After that historic battle, the Division began its sweep into Germany and by the end of the war, the men of the Indianhead Division had reached the ancient Czecho- slovakian city of Pilsen. The 2d advanced 750 miles in combat during 320 days of battle, had suffered 15,000 battle casual- ties and captured 70,000 prisoners in its fight for the liberation of Europe. The Indianhead soldiers embarked from LeHavre, France, on 13 July 1945, and were stationed at Camp Swift, Texas. Less than a year later, the Zd, minus the 38th Infantry Regiment, moved to California and then on to Fort Lewis, Washington, which remained its home until the out- break of hostilities in Korea. From the autumn of 1946 until it was alerted for combat in Korea, the 2d took part in a series of large-scale maneuvers which prepared it for the future. On 8 July 1950, the Second to None .H 'J ' --1. L 119'

Page 27 text:

Army. They pushed north in a two-pronged attack aimed at Twin Tunnels and Chip- nong-Ni and toward Hoengsong, which re- sulted in the first complete halt of Chinese forces since they entered the war. On 16 May 1951, Chinese hordes launched an attack with full force against the Indianhead sector with the announced purpose of destroying the 2d. After six days of heavy fighting, the Chinese were re- pulsed and began to withdraw. The deter- mined defense then turned to a lashing of- fensive which caught the enemy off bal- ance. His stunned and battered armies broke in disorderly retreat. It was the worse defeat ever suffered by the Chinese Army. For this action the 2d Infantry Division was awarded the Distinguished Unit Cita- tion-the highest decoration the United States bestows on a unit. With the opening of armistice negotia- tions, the Battle of the Hillsi' began. From 18 August to 5 September, the Division battled to seize Bloody Ridge. The period of 13 September to 13 October saw a hard fought battle which culminated in the cap- ture of Heartbreak Ridge. The final cap- ture of the ridge was made possible by Operation Touchdown, launched just as the Chinese were relieving the North Ko- reans. During the next 18 months, the 2d Divi- sion fought for and held other critical pieces of terrain. At this time members of the Division and the attached Thailand Battalion fought off repeated attacks against Old Baldy, T-Bone and Pork Chop Hills. Aggressive patrolling and de- fense of these occupied the Division for the remainder of the year. Moving back to the line in early Feb- ruary, the Division defended positions in the Hook area. The 2d was still defending in the vicinity of Chorwon when the Armistice was signed. With the implementation of the agreement, the Division moved to positions along the southern boundary of the demilitarized zone and engaged in a rigorous training program. On 20 August 1954-exactly four years after the last elements had arrived in Korea -the 2d Division was alerted for redeploy- ment to the States. On October 10, an impressive ceremony marked the homecoming to Fort Lewis of the famed Indianhead warriors. More than 1 8,000 oflicers and enlisted men of the 44th Infantry Division stationed in the North- west military site were transferred to the Second to None Division as the colors of the 44th were officially retired from active military service. 1'--. 2-4 ' D5 ,-15 I- xg 3 r-. rd . Qfeifwezfffreeifsieffvk 3.!'3'gf21,-Eeffgfiwifliwi fig ?f'imfvf'xf-if'3f'l'.f i' E 52991 !B'd1lk2A,Li'fiH:.. .3.lz.::fi:RLt'-'fi