US Army Training Center - Yearbook (Fort Bragg, NC)

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Q . A IlISTORY 0F THE 100th Every man of the lOOth Division has special events he keeps in his mental diary of life in the Division, and probably no two men keep the same record, for no two men have quite the same impressions, even of the same occurrences. Just about everyone came by train to Fort Jackson, S. C., where the lOOth was formed, but every last one of us have in- dividual recollections about the trip: to some, it was a cindery, jolting car voyage, in ancient wooden cars with pot-bellied stoves and stove-pipes, and to others, a mysterious journey into the great beyond, where destination is unknown until the officer announced on the siding that you were bound for the lOOth Division, Fort Jackson. And the same goes for different inter- pretations of the dozens of things that happened in the lOOth in rapid-fire succession: the greeting at the train that early morning, meeting the noncoms, the first kitchen police and guard, first GI movie, and trip to Columbia, the first 'drills and lectures, dry firing and then the real thing at the range during raw, frosty March. The first Maggie's drawers, and first bull's eye . . . and how good it was to have that warm shower after this first week beyond the comforts of civilization. All these events are remembered well, and no written history is necessary to recall them except maybe a few reminders. So here they are, a few high spot doings that happened from the date of the lOOth Division's birth up to its present training: ACTIVATION took place at Fort Jackson, S. C., in cere- monies which had as its troops the noncommissioned officer cadre taken from the 76th Division, then at Fort George G. Meade, Md. Commander of the 76th Division, Maj. Gen. Emil F. Reinhardt, presented the Century's colors to Maj. Gen. With- ers A, Burress, the lOOth commander, symbolizing the ties of the two divisions. Maj. Gen. William H. Simpson, then com- mander of XII Corps, of which the lOOth was a unit, sounded the keynote for the division's training, calling for preparation which should lead to success in battle. ARRIVAL OF TRCOPS followed shortly after the activation, and men fresh from every kind of civilian pursuit flowed into the area of hutments which was the lOOth Division's home. The soldiers about to begin their training had come from all over the eastern half of the United States, with most hailing from the Atlantic seaboard states. The bulk of these were inducted from reception centers at Fort Devens, Mass., Camp UDIOYL N- Y-1 Fort Dix, N. J., Fort Jackson, S. C., and Fort McPherson, Ga. With the start of training, the lOOth Division began to make whatever history there was to be of the Division, for no division of that designation had previously existed. A lOOth Division was almost formed in World War l, but activation plans were cancelled with the signing of the Armistice, and the Division's commanding officer, Brig. Gen. W. B. Cochran, was ordered from Camp Bowie, Texas, to another assignment. BASIC TRAINING was the beginning of the process which transformed civilians into soldiers-and men puffing over the obstacle course knew there was no easy way. Other Americans and Allied service men over the world were using in battle the Iessons'learned in just such basic and advanced training, they had travelled the same road, and men of the lOOth were im- Z INFANTR Y IIIVISIUN pressed with the necessity of gaining all possible during each training day. Centurymen, in fleeting reports gotten in bar- racks radios and glances at newspaper headlines, saw the war commencing a gigantic turn in the Allies' favor: The Russians were beginning their immense winter push, demolishing and surrounding the German forces at Stalingrad, the British were driving the Nazis across the length of Africa's Mediterranean coastline, while Americans closed in from the west on Tunisia, our forces in the South Pacific were taking Guadalcanal in their first important ground victory, and advancing in New Guinea, while our planes were hitting the Japs hard. But tremendous work still lay ahead, and Centurymen plunged on through the training which would make them capable of joining in accomplishing it. Standing out near the end of basic training was the first Division review, the first time that the new men had seen their whole Division assembled at once in a single place. Honored at the ceremony was Governor Olin D. Johnston, of South Carolina, who congratulated the lOOth on what it had accomplished in a short training period. Official recognition of the strides made during this initial training in soldiering came after completion of tests adminis- tered the XII Corps. The most extensive tests ever given a unit at Fort Jackson, they embraced all basic subjects, including military courtesy, map and aerial photograph reading, close and extended order drill, and technical subjects, such as marches, bivouacs, firing of weapons, tactics, and other combat operations. A XII Corps summary of the results of the tests described the Division's results as very satisfactory. SUCCEEDED TRAINING PHASES of the Division brought new soldiers together into fighting teams and life in the field. At first, week-long encampments were made on Fort Jackson's reservation, with the expedients of field life learned by doing them: tenting so the mosquitoes, water, and wind were avoided, keeping equipment together and in working order, eating out of messkits and keeping canteens full. At the same time there was the regular training which threw together men into fighting units. Later phases welded different branches into powerful fighting arms, with field artillery, infantry, and engineers en- gaged in combat problems. COMBAT TEAM EXERCISES were held throughout the sum- mer over the northern half of South Carolina, with one team pitted against another in simulated battle conditions. Here, lessons in field life and individual and unit tactics were put to use, while road marches added stamina to Centurymen's con- dition. LARGER EXERCISES followed in the late fall and winter, and men of the Division who worked, slept, and fought simulated battles together, began to know that they were ready to face the gruelling hardships of combat. . STAY AT FORT BRAGG, N.-C., came as hotel life to the Division after this extended period afield. As the Division streamed into the post late in January, every soldier will remem- ber with joy the welcome sight of barracks, shower rooms, and just plain warm rooms and beds. Training, however, did not slow down by any means, but, if anything, increased in severity. The big job lay ahead and there could not be too much prep- aration. '

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1l 1 i P SIPEARIIEAD 0F THE ATTACK N Infantry Division is the basic arm of an army. Around it and for its support all other branches of the Army are built. Without the Infantry, there just wouldn't be an army. Of course, as most of us know, an Infantry Division is not composed entirely of foot troops. There's almost every component of the Army Ground Forces within an Infantry Division-Artillery, Engineers, Signal Corps, Medics, Reconnaissance Troop, Quartermaster Company and other special troops. Briefly, an Infan- try Division is an entity in itself, capable of subsisting and fighting on its own. The battle mission of an Infantry Division is to take and hold territory. Before the Infantry there is nothing but the enemy. In every battle, the doughboy and his outfit are in the thick of things, 'way up front where the payoff is either life or death. We are the first to occupy territory, and we occupy it by our own sweat and suffering and blood. And we hold it, fighting like hell for every inch of earth. Once we get a foothold, we push on and on, retreating only when there is no other way out. Technically, a United States Infantry Division is a triangular division. This means that in each division there are three combat teams, with each combat team composed of an Infantry Regiment and a Battalion of Artillery. Supporting and servicing each combat team is a company of Engineers and a company of Medics. And supporting the Division as a, whole are the various special troops. Broken down, an Infantry Regiment is made up of three combat battalions and one provisional battalion that functions as a service unit for the battalion. In each Infantry Battalion there are three rifle com- panies, one heavy weapons company and a headquar- ters company. In the Infantry Division Artillery there are four bat- talions--three light Field Artillery Battalions and one medium. A Field Artillery Battalion is composed of five batteries, three firing batteries, a headquarters battery and a service battery. Attached to on Infantry Division are a Battalion of Engineers, a Signal Company, a Quartermaster Com- pany, an Ordnance Company, a Reconnaissance Troop, a Medical Battalion and a Headquarters Company. While an Infantry Division primarily moves by foot, the mechanized strength of the unit is immense. All field pieces and heavy weapons are motor-drawn. The Artillery generally moves by truck, as do all special troops. The fire-power of a modern Infantry Division is tremendous. With thousands of small arms, hundreds of machine guns and mortars, plus the several light and medium field pieces, an Infantry Division can concentrate thousands ot pounds of ammunition on a specific area in the shortest possible time. Though battle tactics differ in various circum- stances, an Infantry Division is generally given a spe- cific objective to take or a definite area ro hold. Its battle-tront varies in size, from a few hundred yards to several miles, depending entirely on its specific mission at a particular time. ' In a military campaign in total war, an Infantry Division gives and receives the active cooperation of all branches of the Army, plus definite assistance from the Navy. Prime examples of this cooperation between all arms of the services were the invasion of North Africa, the campaign in Sicily and the current campaign in Italy. In all three phases in this war, Infantry Divi- sions spearheaded the attacks with the support of other branches. The usual tactics were first to have the Air Corps plaster the immediate objective with thousands of tons of bombs, next, to have the Navy's heavy guns bombard it, and while this was in progress foot soldiers moved in and took over. Quite properly, the Infantry has been called the Queen of Battle. Since ancient times, the Infantry has carried the brunt of battles. Throughout recorded history, it has always been foot troops who captured and held ground. And, more than ever, it has been proven in this war that the Infantry is the one indis- pensable branch of the Army. It is not easy to be a good lnfantryman. The train- ing is the most rigorous, the life is often monotonous, and seldom is there any glamour or glory attached to the foot soldier. But there is a lot of inner-satisfaction in knowing that you are doing a tough job to the best of your ability. When you're in an Infantry Division, you can take a fierce and sincere pride in the knowl- edge that you have gone up against tough men and pitted your strength, mental and physical, against them, and that you were not found wanting. As Lieutenant General Lesley J. McNair, com- mander of the Army Ground Forces, recently put it: To the Infantry belong the strong.