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WHEN the 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania National Guard, was inducted into federal service for the third time in half a century on September 5, 1950, another chapter began in the long and proud history of the "Keystone" Division.
The "Bloody Bucket" Division (so-named by the Germans in World War 11) embarked after its call for Camp Atterbury, Indiana, under the command of Major General Daniel B. Strickler.
Behind this movement was a story long in years and long in achievements.
Record books of some units within the 28th begin as long ago as 1747, even though the Division itself did not receive its present designation until 1917.
FIGHT FOR FREEDOM
Ever since the Revolution, components of the 28th have been fighting for American freedom in all ways in which the United States has taken part.
From Valley Forge, where General Washington had the support of many elements of what is now the 28th Division, to the Battle of the Bulge, where it earned the title of the "Bloody Bucket Division" by resisting the onslaught of nine German Divisions, the achievements of Divisional units are recorded.
In two World Wars the men of the 28th have left a record of service second to none. it is written after the names of many of the greatest battles of the wars-such names as St. Agnan, Chateau -Thierry, Grimpettes Woods, Fismes, Fismette, Varennes, Apremont, Le Cherie Tondu, in World War
I; and, in World War II, St. Lo, Paris, Compiegne, Solari, San Quentin, Bastogne, Arlon, Luxemburg, the Hurtgen Forest, Chantilly, Creil, Wiltz the Our River, the Siegfried Line, and many others.
WORLD WAR I CASUALTIES
It is a
history written in the indelible blood of thousands of brave men.
In World War I the Division suffered 14,139 causalities, well over half
its total strength, Its casualty list stood fourth highest among
all American divisions in France by the end of 1918.
In World War
II, the causalities numbered 25,310, yet the division was still fighting
when Victory in Europe was finally proclaimed.
The 28th Division came into being on October 11, 1917, at Camp Hancock, Georgia, where the Pennsylvania National Guard, then a full division, had been sent for training following federalization. The unit, however, was new in name only, for Pennsylvania had had a militia for 171 years prior to that day.
BATTALIONS OF ASSOCIATORS
The first entries into the records of the oldest elements of the 28th start with Benjamin Franklin's "Battalions of Associators," organized in 1747 to protect the state. Later, units of the militia took part in the French and Indian War of 1754.
Battle Streamers of the 28th now show participation of the Pennsylvanians in the Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection and service on the Mexican Border in 1916.
In addition the militia campaigned during the Whiskey Insurrection and the Pennsylvania riots of 1877. It was after this latter disturbance, when the militia was called out in every corner of the state to quell rioting strikers that the units were reorganized into a National Guard Division.
OLDEST COMPONENT
The First Philadelphia City Troop, now the 28th Reconnaissance Company, has the distinction of being the oldest component of the Army of the United States with a record of continuous service. When it was formed in 1774 it was the first military body organized to protect the people against the oppression of the British Government.
Among the many other units claiming ancient descent is the 103rd Engineer Combat Battalion which is one of those tracing its lineage back to 1747. The lineage of this battalion traces through many campaigns when it was variously known as the 84th Infantry, the Washington Guards, Light Infantry Corps, Washington Grays, Independent Light Artillery Corps, Gray Reserves, 119th Pennsylvania Volunteers, and finally the First Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry before it received its present designation in World War I.
WORLD WAR I SERVICE
During the first World War the Pennsylvanians again proved themselves worthy of the historic battle streamers carried by the new Division.
General John J. Pershing dubbed the 28th the "Iron Division" after it had been thrown directly into battle in France during 1918, without any experience in a "quiet" sector of the front as was the custom with new divisions.
NAMED IRON DIVISION
The famed war correspondent, Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Palmer, reported the reasons for General Pershing's nickname. They were:
"Its habit of fighting on and sticking, no-matter. what the odds against it.
"The fact that it was the only Division in any of the Allied Armies which was able to reorganize in the midst of battle and go on fighting."
"Capturing and operating a German railroad."
"Its tanks and men running over a German counter-attack and smashing it before it was fairly launched."
CONTINUOUS SERVICE
From July, 1918, until the Armistice, the 28th saw virtually continuous service in the campaigns at Champagne, Champagne- Marne, Aisne-Marne, Oise Aisne, Lorraine and Meuse-Argonne.
Its more than 14,000 casualties in just 41/2 months of battle attest to the kind of action it saw. Among the battle dead was Brigadier General Edward Siegerfoss, the only General Officer of the American Expeditionary Force to be killed in action in France.
Although the Division went overseas as a strictly Pennsylvania outfit, casualties had reduced their number to less than 65
percent by the time the unit sailed for home in 1919.
NATIONAL GUARD UNIT
Between the wars the 28th continued as the Pennsylvania National Guard Division, until it was recalled in February, 1941, for service in World War 11. When it went into training it was again composed entirely of Pennsylvanians, yet when it returned to its home state, at the end of the conflict, replacements and 25,000 casualties had reduced its ranks of native sons to a scant 10 percent.
The history of the 28th During World War 11 brought more honors to the unit than ever before. The price was terrible-2286 known dead and 4586 missing in addition to the wounded and injured-but veterans of the 28th can take pride in the fact that some of its hard-won victories were as important as any fought during the war.
Following federalization the 28th trained hard through 1941 and 1942 and did not sail for Europe until late in 1943. After nine months in Wales and England the Division landed at Normandy as part of the First Army on July 22, 1944.
The Division took part in the breakthrough at St. Lo and marched on toward Paris. In Northern France, a month after landing, the 28th had three commanders in as many days. Major General Lloyd Brown, who succeeded Major General Omar N. Bradley as commander in February, 1943, was relieved in August, 1944, by Brigadier General James E. Wharton.
General Wharton was fatally wounded a few hours after taking command and was replaced by Major General Norman D. Cota, who remained in command until the end of the war.
Paris was liberated August 25 and four days later the 28th passed in review on the Champs Elysees. Then the Division raced on from Paris through Compiegne, Chantilly, Creil, Senlis and other points.
OUR RIVER CROSSING
After regrouping to prepare for the onslaught of the Siegfried Line, the 28th crossed the Our River and entered Germany at 2100 hours, September 10, 1944-thus becoming the first invading Division to enter that territory in 150 years.
Men of the 28th fought on, gaining some ground and consolidating their positions until December, 1944. Then the fateful counteroffensive-the last desperate effort of the Germans to gain a quick victory-began.
The 28th Infantry Division was spread out along a 25-mile front. Suddenly, nine of the best German divisions attacked. No Division in American history had ever before engaged this total of enemy divisions at one time. Hopelessly outnumbered, the men nevertheless fought and died in their positions in order that their delaying action might give the Allies time to recover from the initial blows of the attack. During those days as the Division fell slowly back, giving up no ground until it was virtually overrun, even the cooks, clerks, post office staff, and the band were put into the line.
HOLDING THE BULGE
The stubborn 28th hung on despite crippling losses. By its holding actions in the Battle of the Bulge, the 28th Division had
performed one of the greatest feats in the history of the United States Army at a cost
of 6000 casualties.
The Germans respectfully named the 28th the "Bloody Bucket Division" in reference to
the flaming red Keystone shoulder patch worn by its members. The Germans claimed
more than once during the battle to have "wiped out" the Division, but a month later, after
a rest period during which replacements filled the gaps in the ranks, the 28th was back in
the line ready to take Colmar from the Nazis. Later, it fought through the Siegfried Line
at Gemund, Sliden, Andernoch and Koblenz, and finally crossed the Rhine into Central
Germany.
At the end of World War II the 28th Infantry Division came home with a record that
matched its previous history. When the Division disbanded in 1945 as the soldiers
returned to their homes, a chapter had been added to its record of achievements that was
second to none in the United States Army.
HISTORICAL BATTLE CREDITS
OF THE 28TH INFANTRY DIVISION
1.
War of the Spanish Succession of
1747.
a. Colonial service under the King of
England.
2.
French and Indian War of 1763.
a. Colonial service under the King of
England.
3.
Revolutionary War of 1775.
a. Brandywine.
b. Germantown.
c. New Jersey, 1775.
d. Pennsylvania, 1778-81.
4.
War of 1812.
a. Federal service before Washington.
5.
Mexican War of 1846.
a. Vera Crus.
b. Cerro Gordo.
6.
Civil War of 1861.
a. Wilderness. b. Spottsylvania. c. Cold
Harbor. d. Petersburg. e. Shenandoan Val-
ginia. o. Vicksburg. p. Appommatox.
7.
Spanish-American Way of 1898.
a. Manilla. b. Malolos. c. Porto Rica.
8.
World War I of 1917.
a. Champagne. b. Champagne- Marne. c.
Aisne-Marne. d. Oise-Aisne. e. Lorraine.
f. Meuse-Argonne. g. Ypres-lys.
9.
World
War II of 1941.
a. Normandy. b. Northern France. c.
Rhineland. d. Ardennes. e. Central Europe.
10.
Army of Occupation, 1945.
11.
Korean War of 1950.
a. Federal Service.
28TH DIVISION COMMANDERS
SINCE SINGLE DIVISION REORGANIZATION OF 1878
Major General John F. Hartranft.
Major General George R. Snowden.
Major General Charles Miller.
Major General J. P. S. Gobin
Major General John W. Schall.
Major General John A. Wiley.
Brigadier General Charles B. Dougherty,
Major General Wendell P. Bowman.
Major General Charles Dougherty.
Major General Charles M. Clement.
Major General Charles H. Muir (World War I combat).
Major General William H. Hay.
Major General William G. Price Jr.
Major General Edward C. Shannon.
Major General Edward Martin.
Major General J. Garesch Ord.
Major General Omar N. Bradley.
Major General Lloyd D. Brown (World War II combat).
Brigadier General James E. Wharton (killed in World War 11 combat)
Major General Norman D. Cota (World War II combat).
Major General Edward J. Stackpole.
Major General Daniel B. Strickler.
PEACETIME PLANS
The end of World War II for the 28
Infantry Division did not spell the end of the Division's service. Within six months after
deactivation, plans had been completed to return the proud unit to its normal peacetime role as Pennsylvania's National Guard.
Thus it was that on June 1, 1946, the Adjutant General of Pennsylvania authorized reorganization of Division Headquarters at Harrisburg, and immediately the wheels were put in motion to establish the entire unit across the state.
Under the leadership of Major General Edward J. Stackpole and Brigadier General Daniel B. Strickler, the new Division grew rapidly until November, 1946, when Federal recognition was granted to the 28th after a Second Army inspection.
Most of the historic old units of the Division were back in their original areas. The 109th Infantry Regiment, commanded by Colonel Thomas L. Hoban, was spread over northeast Pennsylvania with headquarters at Scranton. Colonel James Hawkins reorganized the 110th Infantry Regiment in southwest Pennsylvania wi th headquarters at Washington. In the northwestern section of the state, the 112th Infantry Regiment had its headquarters at Erie under Colonel Kenneth C. Momeyer. Division artillery units were scattered at Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Kingston, New Castle and Lancaster under the command of Brigadier General Brenton G. Wallace.
SERVICE UNITS SCATTERED
The Division service units were scattered in other areas. The 103d Engineer Combat Battalion set tip headquarters in Philadelphia under Lieutenant Colonel Wilbur E. Duryea. At Lancaster, Lieutenant Colonel James Appel established the 103d medical Battalion. The 28th Military Police Company was at Harrisburg, the 728th Ordnance
Maintenance Company was at Chambersburg, the 28th Quartermaster Company and the 28th Band were at Altoona, and the 28th Reconnaissance Company was at Philadelphia. The latter was the designation of the famed First Philadelphia City Troop, the Army's oldest component with a continuous record of service, which had previously been a part of the 104th Cavalry Regiment.
During 1946 and the early part of 1947 the units set up and began extensive recruiting drives. Training was conducted weekly at the home armories under the six-year training program of the National Guard Bureau. The program was so designed, to build a Division that could be put to immediate service at the completion of the training.
Not all the Guardsmen's time was devoted to training activities, however, for' there were also the traditional manifold social functions, hometown parades on National holidays, and a variety of other missions. Some units, like the 109th Infantry Regiment, spent part of their time every year in community projects
such as such as annual under-privileged children's parties at Christmas.
At Philadelphia, the 28th Reconnaissance Company provided the escort for visits by President Harry S. Truman, Vice President Albert W. Barkley, and the Prince of the Netherlands.
SUMMER TRAINING BEGUN
The customary two-week summer training encampments were begun again in 1947 at Indiantown Gap Military Reservation near Harrisburg, and were conducted in August every year. These periods provided a chance for the Division to function as an entire unit so the staff and subordinate commands
On June 1, 1947, General Stackpole retired as Division commander and turned over the job to General Strickler. Shortly thereafter Colonel Hoban of the 109th Infantry was named Assistant Division Commander and was succeeded at Scranton by Colonel Fred R. Evans.
In March, 1949, the 628th Heavy Tank Battalion was organized at Johnstown as an integral part of the Division and was put under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James A. Zimmerman.
No major changes or activities affected the Division between 1946 and 1950. Training was conducted with relative ease, since thousands of World War 11 veterans of all ranks and grades were in the Division acting as cadre for the untrained recruits. Many were former infantrymen filling the same positions they had held in the Army before. Many others were former members of the 28th Division who had been separated from the Keystone patch by reassignment during the war, but who hastened back to the ranks when the conflict ended.
VETERANS IN THE GUARD
But also among the Guardsmen were veterans of other services. Long before the unification of the Armed Forces became an accomplished fact, the 28th had enlisted former officers and enlisted men from the Air Force, the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the Coast Guard. Former bomber pilots found themselves commanding rifle companies; former seamen were now plotting the course of the Army's "tin cans," the heavy tank. While Congress debated and finally approved unification with crossed fingers, the 28th Division made unification a fact and Proved it would work well.
By 1950 the "Bloody Bucket" had a good sound core of men sufficiently trained in organization and operational procedures so the Division was able to function easily and freely. They lacked only combat training to make them ready to meet any assignment. But few believed any major assignment was in the offing, and if they did, they only stood by and waited. They aid not have long to
that some mobilization of United States reserve and National Guard troops would be necessary.
In July, President Truman told the nation that be had authorized the call of four National Guard divisions into active federal service. The announcement was not unexpected, but until the units were actually named, Guardsmen all over the country waited and hoped.
TRAINING AT THE GAP
Thus it was that the 28th Division started its annual summer encampment at Indiantown Gap on July 1.9, 1950. No man in the Division could escape the feeling that his might be one of the outfits called. But there were also those who counted the odds, and concluded that of the more than 30 National Guard divisions in the country, the 28th had a better than average chance of not being called.
The optimists, however, had not considered the caliber of the 28th Division, while in Washington, the Department of the Army planners had. The President did not just want any four National Guard outfits, he wanted the best. One of those was the 28th.
ALERT ORDER FINALLY COMES
On August 2, 1950, the alert order came to the Division. Major General Strickler immediately called a meeting of his staff and organization commanders and told them the news. The encampment would be ended a week early to allow the men approximately thirty days at home before entering active military service. Then, the "Keystone" Division would go to Camp Atterbury, Indiana for combat training.
The news hit the Guardsmen like a bombshell. True, the uncertainty was over, but as commanders gathered their men together to confirm the facts and inform them of the details, the soldiers listened in silence, still not quite able to believe it. There were thousands of phone calls made from Indiantown Gap that night, as thousands of men told their families to prepare to start a new way of life.
The early ending of the encampment was quickly scheduled, and on Sunday, August 6, the Governor's Day Review was held. The annual review held a new meaning, and thousands of relatives and friends poured into the camp to see their Guardsmen in final review before marching off to active duty. The presence of General Mark W. Clark, chief of the Army Field Forces, on the reviewing stand with Governor James H. Duff served as a reminder that the gala reviews of previous years would be gone for a time.
LEAVE SCHEDULED
Early the following morning the Division broke camp and started toward home. Uppermost in everyone's mind were personal problems. Countless details would have to be attended to before they could leave their homes and start a new life.
In Division Headquarters the same situation faced the staff. The date for induction was set as September 5. In four short weeks the equipment and supplies for the entire division, along with the men themselves, had to be prepared.
To help
speed up the process, armory drills were ordered increased from one to
three a week until induction. This would help considerably to get all the manifold details completed, the Division officers felt.
Other problems, however, soon became apparent. Three things had to be accomplished before induction. First, new physical examinations had to be given to every man to determine those unqualified for active service and allow them opportunities for discharge. Then, new records had to be made for all the men. Finally, a complete inventory of the supply and equipment available to the Division had to be made and then the equipment turned over to the Army.
In addition to this, extensive recruiting drives were ordered to increase the Division to as large a group as possible. It was naturally difficult to enlist new men into a unit that had already been ordered to active duty, but, with the aid of intensive publicity by press, radio and television, many men who wanted to serve with fellow Pennsylvanians were recruited into the ranks.
DEFERMENT FOR SOME
On the other hand, many Guardsmen who were over-age or had large families to support requested deferment. Others, hoping for better jobs while on active duty, applied for officer appointment and promotions.
The sum of all these and the numerous smaller problems was paper work. Piles, stacks, and mountains of papers, the lifeblood of the Army, faced Division officers at every turn. And to add to the immensity of the problem, most of the Guard personnel were not familiar enough with such work to be able to accomplish the task in the time permitted. The aid of Regular Army instructors attached to the Division and others from the Pennsylvania Military District was procured to help in the various headquarters units to complete the job. Toward the end of August, ten percent of the officers and men of each unit were put on active status for the last ten days prior to the Division's activation so the job could be completed.
The job was done, but not before new personnel records were made out for every man in the Division. That job in itself presented the most staggering task of all the paper work.
ANOTHER PHYSICAL CHECK-UP
Physical examinations
caused another huge amount of work. With the help of Reserve
doctors and civilians, however, the job of examining all the men and preparing their records was completed on time.
The next, and last, major problem was that of getting the Division to Indiana. Since Camp Atterbury was being re-opened after five years of inactive status for the specific purpose of accommodating the Division, full facilities for handling incoming troops were not available there and it was necessary to send advance detachments to the camp ahead of the troops. General Strickler and his staff flew to the Camp in late August to inspect the facilities and plan the arrangement of units.
The Advance Parties were scheduled to leave the (lay after induction, September 6, and the bulk of the troops were scheduled to begin leaving Pennsylvania a week later. These plans had the additional advantage of allowing units to have their entire complements on full-time duty at the home armories for several days prior to departure.
And so it was on the morning of September 5, 1950, that a formation of Division staff officers and Headquarters enlisted men stood on the parade ground at the Harrisburg armory and listened to the reading of the brief order which automatically made them all, and all other Division troops in the state, part of the United States Army.
THIRD TOUR OF SERVICE
The years of reorganization since the end of World War 11 showed that the efforts of the organizers had not been wasted. A total of 8856 enlisted men, 134 warrant officers, and 726 officers reported for duty that morning. They comprised the sound core of a proud Division, entering its third tour of service in half a century. The two previous tours had not ended until conflicts unmatched in world history had been resolved. What lay ahead of them on September 5, 1950, no one dared predict.
Many units had changed commands in the years of reorganization, but the placement of units remained the same.
Following is a list of the units and their commanders when inducted:
Division Commander, Major General Daniel B. Strickler.
Assistant Division Commander, Brigadier General Thomas L. Hoban.
109th Infantry Regiment, Colonel Fred R.
112th Infantry Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Adam J. Dreibelbies.
28th Division Artillery, Colonel W. Willis Gilmore.
107th Field Artillery Battalion, Major Robert M. O'Donnell.
108th Field Artillery Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph L. Minter.
109th Field Artillery Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Townend.
229th Field Artillery Battalion, Major Al Fred L. Barnes.
899th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Lieutenant Colonel Harold E.
103d Engineer Combat Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Peter J. Broullire.
103d Medical Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Gilbert N. Clime.
628th Heavy Tank Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel James A. Zimmerman.
Headquarters Company, Captain Walter C. Moyer.
28th Military Police Company, Donald E. Machamer.
728th Ordnance Maintenance Company, Captain Charles A. Linthurst.
28th Quartermaster Company, Captain Joseph L. Dumm.
28th Reconnaissance Company, Captain William S. Stokes Jr.
28th Signal Company, Captain Henry W.; Cooper.
28th Division Band, Chief Warrant Officer Lewis Lastort.
Guiding and directing the efforts of the
units were the members of the Division Headquarters staff, under the Supervision of Colonel James G. Mackey, chief of staff.
Lieutenant Colonel Adelbert A. Arter was G-1 (Personnel); Major Alvan Markle III was G-2
(Intelligence); Lieutenant Colonel I Richard A. Dana was G-3 (Plans and
training); and Lieutenant Colonel George 1. Macleod was G-4 (Supply).
Other members of the staff and their assignments were: Lieutenant Colonel Albert
G. Branyan, adjutant general; Colonel William A. Boyson, division surgeon; Lieutenant
Colonel Earl M. Honaman, chaplain; Lieutenant Colonel William H. Hays, inspector
general; Lieutenant Colonel William M. Ruddock, judge advocate general; Major Alfred
L. Beck, chemical officer; Major Carl F. Manger, light aviation officer; Captain
Walter R. Ernst, special service officer; Lieutenant Colonel Harry G. Swartz, provost
marshal; 1st Lieutenant John F. Fitley, finance officer; Lieutenant Colonel Albert J. Youndt,
quartermaster; Major Robert W. Cronenweth, signal officer; and 2nd Lieutenant Richard
F. Seiverling, public information officer.
ADVANCE PARTY INSPECTION
The day after induction, on September 1950, the first echelon of the advance par left Pennsylvania by plane for Camp Atterbury. The group consisted of 100 office and enlisted men whose job was to
arrange billeting and make contacts with Post services preparatory to the arrival of the main body of troops. A second echelon, made up of mess and supply personnel from each unit,
left Pennsylvania for Indiana the same day by rail. In addition, the
entire 28th Quartermaster Company moved out of its home station at Altoona by motor convoy and headed for
Camp Atterbury.
Elsewhere at the home armories of the 28th Division units, scenes of feverish activity marked the final preparations for movement. All equipment was packed into railroad cars or trucks ready for movement. The individual soldiers packed all their personal equipment and made ready for the trip by troop train.
TRAIN DEPARTURES
ARRANGED
The main body of the Division was scheduled to move out from Pennsylvania in two echelons. Troop trains of approximately 500 men each were slated to take the soldiers on September 10, 11, and 12. At the same time, all wheeled vehicles of the various units gathered at the four corners of the state to start the overland trip in convoys.
When the final days of leaving came, a similar scene was enacted in ten
thousand homes and a hundred towns and railroad stations across the
state. Parting was an odd combination of joy and tears as hands played, banners waved, and local dignitaries made their long speeches while the men said 'good-bye' to sweethearts and families.
TRAGEDY STRIKES TRAIN
Less than 12 hours after the first train left, tragedy struck the entire state of Pennsylvania into a state of mourning. Early in the dawn of Monday, September 11, a train carrying nearly five hundred soldiers from the northeast Pennsylvania area had stopped along the tracks near Coshocton, Ohio, while brakemen inspected a broken air hose. Suddenly, despite warning flares that had been set along the tracks behind the last car, a crack passenger train crashed into the rear of the troop train at sixty miles an hour.
In an instant a peaceful scene had been transformed into unbelievable horror.
Thirty-three soldiers were dead, and hundreds injured. Hardly a man on board the train was
not bruised or cut by shattered glass.
The
dead were all members of Service and "B" Batteries of the 109th
Field Artillery Battalion. At Wilkes-Barre and Kingston, the home station of the dead, a gloom descended over the communities, and lasted for ten days until the last of the dead had been buried.
The wreck had occurred before the first troops of the main body had arrived at Camp Atterbury. As they poured into the camp in the hours after the wreck there was a noticeable seriousness in their attitudes and outlook. As one newspaper correspondent reported after the accident, "The blood of the 28th Division was shed (in the wreck) in the line of duty, as surely as though the men had died in combat." The troops knew this, and it made the seriousness of their task all the more apparent.
TRIBUTE TO THE DEAD
Five days after the wreck, on Saturday, September 16, General Strickler called an assembly of the entire Division on the Camp Atterbury parade ground. The roll of the
dead was read while the soldiers listened with heads bowed in
tribute. While this was in progress, a 36- man honor guard from the 109th Field Artillery Battalion was accompanying the dead back to burial in
Wilkes-Barre.
At the camp, however, activities were underway and training began immediately on Monday, September 18. First on the schedule was a pre-cycle training period which was to lasted i\ weeks while the Division received newly-inducted selectees to fill the Yanks to full war-strength.
The pre-cycle period was designed to give some basic training to the recruits who had been inducted with the National Guard. At the end of the six-week cycle the aim was to have all Guardsmen trained to a general level so a basic training cycle for the new selectees could be begun with the Guardsmen as instructors.
As part of this training period, the Division set up several schools to be run at Camp Atterbury.
Leadership courses were given to all officers and non-commissioned officers. With the aid of instructors from Fifth Army
- the higher headquarters for the Division, another school was run for the unit information and Education officers and enlisted men. Also, a school in 4.2 inch mortars was run by the Division Chemical Section.
SERVICE SCHOOLS HELP
Hundreds of other men-both officers and enlisted men-were sent to the numerous Army service schools at other installations for training as specialists. They learned such subjects as auto mechanics, Army administration, radio operations, ordnance specialties, mess management, armored subjects, photography and many others.
The training at Camp Atterbury was aided by ten Regular Army instruction teams that Were sent to the 28th Division to help out during the pre-cycle phase.
The first fillers arrived on October 3, 1950, as the job of bringing the Division up to full strength began. At the same time, the 28th Replacement Company was organized to handle assignment of the selectees and reservists as they arrived. The recruits arrived fresh from induction processing centers in trainloads of several hundred a day. Most of them were from the East and Midwest, but before the Division reached full strength a month later, every state in the country and several United States possessions were represented.
As the fillers arrived, the various regiments, battalions and organizations prepared elaborate receptions for the men to welcome them to the 28th Division. General Strickler met and talked to each new contingent of troops. After a few days of indoctrination, the men were put on scheduled training activities with the units to which they were a salaried.
DISTINGUISHED VISITORS
During the pre-cycle training period, several Army dignitaries visited the Division to inspect training and orientate the unit on its mission as an active part of the Army.
The first visitor was Major General Withers A. Burress, commandant of the Infantry School at Fort Banning, Georgia, who arrived on September 21. He was accompanied by his assistant, Brigadier General George Honnen, and they spent several hours mapping training programs with General Strickler and members of the G-3 staff.
On October 5, Lieutenant General Stephen J. Chamberlin, commanding general
of Fifth Army, and several members of his staff arrived to inspect the
Division and the Camp.
The most distinguished visitor of the month was General J. Lawton Collins, Army chief of staff, who flew to Camp Atterbury on October 12 to welcome the Division to active duty. An assembly of all officers and noncommissioned officers in the 28th was held in the Camp field house to hear General Collins discuss leadership in the light of the world situation.
A later visitor was Major General James E. McIntosh, commander of the 38th
Infantry Division, Indiana National Guard, who visited General Strickler on October 20.
FIRST INSPECTION
Late in the month, the 28th Division received its first thorough inspection by a
seven-man inspection team from Army Field Forces Headquarters. Led by Major General J. W. (Iron Mike) O'Daniel, the group watched all phases of training and operation of the Division. Before leaving, General O'Daniel told division staff officers that the 28th "should be one of the best Divisions in the U.S. Army" after it completes training.
While these activities were in progress, the Pennsylvanians were taking a look at Indiana and finding they liked it. Since Camp Atterbury had been idle for many years, local recreation facilities for soldiers had been closed, but new service centers were quickly reopened in the towns of Edinburg, Franklin, Columbus, and Indianapolis after the 28th Division arrived. The soldiers found housing critically scarce, but many still were able to find homes for their families in near-by towns and brought their wives out from Pennsylvania.
The Special Service Section quickly established on-post recreation facilities and service clubs were opened as fast as they could be redecorated. Athletic teams playing
intra-divisional games were organized, dances were held twice weekly in the service clubs, and many other activities kept the soldiers occupied whenever they had spare time from training. General Strickler personally endorsed a glee club competition among Division units, and the contest was later won by a group from the 110th Infantry Regiment.
A HEROIC ACT
It was about this time that the scene was set for an act of heroism by a member of the 28th Division who later won the Soldier's
Medal for his deed. A civilian lineman, working on a light pole in the
112th Infantry Regiment area became caught on a "hot" wire. Captain Robert W. Cook, a 24-year-old Company commander from the Regiment, risked his life to rescue the man and was awarded the medal six months later at a review of the entire Regiment by General Strickler.
The 112th Infantry Regiment's first full review was held on October 28 when General Strickler presented National Guard Bronze Medals for Marksmanship to a five-member team from the Regiment. The men had earned the honors during the National Guard tournaments in the Spring of 1950. One of the men, Sergeant Arthur Balsley, received additional medals for the highest score in the Second Army area and eighth highest score in the nation.
Several changes in the Division Staff took place during this period. Lieutenant Colonel Oliver W. Robbins took over as G-1 and his predecessor, Colonel Arter, retired from active duty. Colonel Boyson, the Division Surgeon, was transferred and was succeeded by Lieutenant Colonel Albert J. Blair. Also, Lieutenant Colonel Irvin W. Gerth was assigned as Division Finance -Officer, and Lieutenant Colonel Chester N. Rees was assigned as ordnance Officer. The position of Headquarters Commandant was taken over by Major Edward A. Hitchin when the former commandant, Major E. 1. Plaskow, was transferred to be S-3 of the 112th Infantry Regiment.
COMBAT TRAINING BEGINS
On November 6, as the new fillers had brought the 28th to a large body and combat training was begun. The combat training was designed to be given in a 28-week cycle which had been specially planned by General Mark W. Clark, chief of the Army Field Forces, for the training of National Guard Divisions. It was the most intensive training cycle ever given to prepare full Divisions for combat. The program was broken down into three phases:
1. The first I I weeks were devoted to individual training in combat skills-a program similar to basic training.
2. The following 13 weeks were to be for unit training at the company, battery, and battalion level. During this period the training could include coordination of auxiliary
forces such as tanks, engineers, signal corps, artillery, and other forces in combined unit exercises.
3. The final four weeks provided for field exercises by regimental combat teams and the entire Division.
Into this training cycle the entire Division launched in early November. At the start, training was in very basic skills which were "old hat" to many of the veterans in the division. Before the winter ended, however, even the old timers admitted that it was a great deal tougher than it seemed at first.
VETERANS HELP IN TRAINING
These old-timers were the men who held the responsibility for guiding the training of the younger recruits. At the start of the combat training cycle, the Regular Army instruction teams left the Division and it was left to carry out its training mission alone. The successful completion of this mission was the job put on the shoulders of the World War 11 veterans, and they were well-prepared to accept it.
A survey of the Division showed that 3074 officers, warrant officers and enlisted men had seen service in World War H. Many more had been in the Army after the war. A great many of these men had seen combat service and had the decorations to prove it. In the Division, every valor medal given by the Army was represented, from the Congressional Medal of Honor worn by Major Edward A. Silk of the 112th Infantry Regiment, to the Good Conduct Medal worn by 1623 men in the Division.
Since the 28th Division also included veterans from other services, it was no surprise to find one Navy Cross and 26 Distinguished Flying Crosses worn in the 28th. A total of 555 men wore the Combat Infantryman's Badge.
TRADITIONS OF THE 28TH
Of the entire group, 291 had seen service with the 28th Infantry Division itself in either World War I or World War 11 or both. On these men rested the additional responsibility of instructing new personnel on the proud traditions of the "Bloody Bucket" Division.
Three days after starting the combat phase of training, General Mark W.
Clark paid the 28th Division a visit while on an inspection tour of all the newly-activated National Guard units.
After a formal reception, the four-star general made an extensive tour of all training facilities. He observed the men on the ranges, in basic training programs, barracks, mess halls, and other activities, and later held a critique for staff and organization commanders to discuss various training matters. He had high praise for the "Keystone" Division, calling it "a worthy successor to the magnificent 28th Divisions that have gone before it." He added that be had "no misgivings about its ability" and said he thought it had "the makings of a first class Division." General Clark particularly cited the many veterans of former combat service in the Division.
FIRING AT THE RANGE
About this time the Camp Atterbury ranges were opened to full use for the first time since 1943. Beginning first with just small arms firing for qualification and familiarization, the sound of heavier weapons such as machine guns, mortars, recoilless rifles, and heavy artillery was soon added to the thunder that seemed to come at all hours from the range areas. To the soldiers at least, it seemed that Indiana had saved its true weather for their first real experience in the field on the ranges. Hardly had the firing begun when the warm Fall suddenly ended and temperatures fell to well below freezing.
After two months in Indiana, the soldiers began to miss their homes in Pennsylvania more and more. To help morale, the 109th Infantry Regiment arranged for a special train to leave their home area at Scranton and come to Camp Atterbury with nearly 500 wives, relatives and sweethearts of the men on board. Tagged "Operation Homefolk" the weekend affair was held over the Armistice Day holiday on November 11 with great success, and, incidentally, attracted nationwide publicity for its originality.
THANKSGIVING WEATHER
Thanksgiving provided another holiday for the Division in November, and also offered a chance for Company cooks all over the Camp to show their best abilities in the preparation of the special meal provided by
the Army The food alone, however, will not be recalled-by 28th soldiers in the future, for also on that weekend the weather unleashed the first real taste of what an Indiana snow-storm can be like. Overnight, more than a foot of snow fell blocking roads, and disrupting other facilities. Hundreds of men were Stranded on pass in Pennsylvania when trains were late or stopped running entirely. The snow was so heavy, that scheduled firing on the ranges was delayed several (lays while the area was shoveled out.
ARTILLERY COMMANDER
During the month, Brigadier General Guy 0. Kurtz was assigned by the Department of the Army to be Division Artillery Commander of the 28th. General Kurtz, a veteran artillery commander with 30 years of service in the Regular Army, came to the Division from Ottawa, Canada, where he had been Army Standardization Representative for two years.
A Fifth Army inspection team led by Colonel A. Land spent several days studying training of the Division in late November. The inspection was preliminary to a more detailed analysis which was scheduled for January, and at the end of his visit Colonel Land held a critique for unit commanders.
Cold weather did not prevent the opening of the "Confidence Courses" late in the month when the time for more intensive physical conditioning arrived. The soldiers were a little awed at first by the names of the obstacles, but after a couple of tries, things like the "Slide For Life," "the Tough Nut" and the "Belly Buster" proved really not so difficult. Veterans particularly liked the course because, unlike those used for training in World War II, the Confidence Course demanded no maximum speed and soldiers could decline to go over any obstacle they felt they could not negotiate. It was a challange to the individual's pride, with the aim of giving the soldier confidence in his own abilities, and it proved very successful.
SERVICE SCHOOL MEN RETURN
The first 28th Division men to return from Army Service Schools brought back from Fort Knox an enviable record and a word of praise from Brigadier General Raymond E. S. Wilhamson, school commandant, for having attained "an unusually high scholastic record."
As time passed, the Division found itself well settled in its mission. Routine tasks, which at first seemed difficult and strange, became "SOP" and particularly in administrative sections was the background of experience proving valuable. In November Public Law 771 was passed permitting discharge of enlisted men with four or more dependents and many applications from Guardsmen with large families were processed. This and many other administrative jobs, however, were handled by the end of November with relative ease.
BACK IN THE SWING
The same familiarity with their jobs was evident in the troops themselves. March-outs were smarter, the soldiers appeared more neatly dressed and "looked like they belonged in uniform" when dressed up for pass. in fact, the routine of training had ceased to be a chore and had become more of a normal job to the men.
At the end of November, General Strickler, Colonel Mackey and several other staff officers flew to Camp Pickett, Virginia, to visit the43rd
Infantry Division, the former New England National Guard. Arranged
by Army Field Forces and Fifth Army Headquarters, the visit was a part of a plan to allow commanders of former National Guard units to acquaint themselves with training of other units similar to their own, and to discuss mutual problems. A week later, Major General Kenneth F. Kramer, commander of the 43rd Division, flew to Camp Atterbury with his staff for a reciprocal visit.
MORE BAD WEATHER
December came with little change in the training schedules. Range firing was the primary objective, and during the month it had priority over all other training. As units finished their range firing, they resumed training in other basic combat skills from fox-hole digging to map reading. The weather kept getting worse and worse as one of the hardest winters in Indiana history set new records for low temperatures and snowfalls almost daily. To the men, training under these conditions, was anything but pleasant, but they took it in stride knowing that it could not get much worse. At Division Headquarters, the G-3 section took advantage of the weather and looked upon it as an advantage, for they knew that the harder the conditions in training, the better the men would be able to stand up under combat conditions. News reports of the setbacks in Korea during weather worse than that in Indiana helped impress on the men the advantage of winter training.
FRIENDS TO THE HOOSIERS
Otherwise, life went on as usual. The soldiers continued to make friends with the "Hoosiers" in Indiana and apparently were winning many friends in return. This relationship prompted the largest newspaper in the state, the Indianapolis Star to print the following editorial about the men of the 28th:
"Members of Pennsylvania's Infantry have been in training at Camp Atterbury long enough. now for the Indianapolis citizens to form some opinions of their new neighbors. We're happy to report that the opinions we hear are good.
"As a 'soldier's town' of long standing, Indianapolis tends to judge men in uniform by, the way they behave away from Camp. The judgment of the men of the 28th is that they are soldierly gentlemen. On pass most of them appear to be alert, neat, courteous young men and not given to displays of 'toughness' which some servicemen in training seem to think marks them as future Medal of Honor winners.
"As for real toughness, we're confident the 28th will be as tough an outfit as an enemy ever faced if it has to go into combat. Meanwhile, we're proud to have Major General Daniel B. Strickler and his men as neighbors."
CHRISTMAS LEAVE
Morale took several setbacks in December
as a result of the changes in Christmas leave
policy. In November, General Strickler had announced that 10-day Christmas leaves
would be granted over the holidays in accordance with Department of the Army
policy. The passes were planned for about 90 percent of the division, with the remainder
expected to remain voluntarily as the security force for the Camp. When the tide turned
in Korea, however, the Department of the Army cancelled the general leave policy and
for many days gave no indication of a sub-stitute policy. Finally, on December 12, General Strickler called a rally of the entire Division on the Camp Atterbury parade ground. He explained that the Division had been ordered to continue training without interruption during the holidays, and that, therefore, only three-day passes could be granted during the period. He told the men that half the Division would get three-day passes over Christmas and the other half over New Year's.
TRANSPORTATION TROUBLE
Since this policy meant that only those whose homes were near-by would have time to get home over the holidays, the men were naturally unhappy about the change, but they changed their plans accordingly. Fortunately, however, a growing railroad strike in late December threatened to prevent even these men getting home and so, a week before Christmas, General Strickler authorized five-day leaves in place of the three-day passes. The additional two days lost in training, he decided, would be made up by Saturday afternoon training in January. He also authorized a partial pay for all men before going on leave.
Meanwhile, another major activity was in progress in the G-1 section. The 11-week basic training cycle was scheduled to be completed at the end of December, and therefore the personnel sections were preparing to fill all the specialist vacancies in the Special Troops units. The fillers assigned to these units for quarters had not trained with them but had taken training with a provisional battalion set up in the 28th Replacement Company. Therefore, the records of all the fillers were inspected and men qualified for various positions were interviewed by the unit commanders. Also, since none of the fillers had been placed during basic training in the basic branch they had selected at the time they entered the Army, transfers of these men were planned. The re-shuffling did not take place until January, but all the planning was completed during December.
CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
The Christmas season arrived and spirits of the men picked up noticeably. Not only was the prospect of a few days at home helpful, but also nearly every unit entered into Christmas projects and parties which helped take the minds of the men off training andthe weather. Many units staged Christmas Parties for local underprivileged children, and others raised funds to help needy families in near-by Indiana towns.
When the time for leaves arrived, twice within 10 days a total of 9000 men left the Camp for home. This was not accomplished, however, until after the Division G-4 section had spent many extra hours taking surveys of the men to find out where they were going, and then planning special trains, planes, busses and other facilities for the men. It was a huge job, and all the planning was repeated three times with the changes in leave policy, but when the troops finally departed, the movement was made without incident.
For the men remaining in Camp over the weekends, there were huge holiday dinners and numerous special recreation activities planned, and details were kept at a minimum.
INDIVIDUAL TRAINING
As soon as the last men returned from leave early in January, however, the holiday was over. Advanced individual training was on the schedule, and this included many things.
During the first week in January the Division established a system of proficiency testing to determine how well the soldiers had learned their "ABC's" during basic. The Division G-3 section set up a battery of 90 testing stations in the Camp sports arena to do the job. The test was given orally, as soldiers passed from station to station to be quizzed on the eighteen basic subjects they had studied in the previous 11 weeks. Graphic aids were used whenever possible. Trainees were given weapons and told to strip them down, or at another station they might be asked to examine a field map and point out the tactical characteristics on it. The system had many original features in its method of testing and drew considerable attention from Fifth Army officials and others. One request came to the Division from the United States command in Europe asking details on how to set up the test. This request resulted from European press Coverage of the system.
After the Special Troops units had been tested in the arena, the infantry regiments and Division Artillery set up their own test batteries and quizzed their men. The results proved very successful and indicated that the men had learned their basic skills to a very high degree.
BATTLE INDOCTRINATION
Immediately after the proficiency testing was completed, the scope of training turned to battle indoctrination, and work was begun preparing the soldiers for trips through the various battle indoctrination courses under live ammunition fire. These phases of training were scheduled to begin at the start of the unit phase of the 28-week cycle at the end of the month.
Meanwhile, the process of assigning men to specialist jobs that most suited their skills was completed. In addition, the Division began processing applications for Officer Candidate School, and the G-1 section was deluged with forms that had to be completed and endorsed. A special sub-section was set up in G-1 to handle these applications
To mark the end of individual training and the start of unit training, General Strickler announced early in the month plans to hold a review of the entire Division at war-strength on Saturday, January 27, and this proved to be by far the outstanding event of the month.
FLAG PRESENTATION
As a highlight of the event, a hand-made American flag, sewn by a Frenchwoman in Sarron, France, on the occasion of the town's liberation during World War
II by elements of the 110th Infantry Regiment, was to be presented to the Regimental Commander. At the review, Mr.
Jean J. Viala, French consul general from Chicago, presented the flag to Colonel Fluck.
On the reviewing stand for the ceremonies were six Major Generals. The reviewing officer was Major General Albert C. Smith, deputy commander of Fifth Army. The others were: Major General Kenneth F. Cramer, commander of the 43rd Infantry Division; Major General Edward Martin, retired, a former 28th Division commander then a U.S. Senator; Major General Lawrence C. Jaynes, special Army assistant for civilian component affairs; Major General Raymond H. Fleming, chief of the National Guard Bureau; and General Strickler.
Many other dignitaries and several thousand visitors were present at the review on the Camp Atterbury airfield. The event apparently scared the weatherman into something special, because, for the first day in months, the temperature rose into the, fifties on that day.
PRESS COVERAGE
Publicity for the event, supervised by the Division Public Information Section, was based on the fact that the review was the first held by a division at full way strength since World War IL More than 20 civilian newsmen were invited and covered the event for newspapers, wire services, television, and photo services. An aerial photograph of the full Division lined up on the airfield was reprinted in scores of papers and magazines including Time and Newsweek and newspapers in Switzerland, Sweden and England.
Before the end of January, the Army again began sending newly inducted selectees to the Division for training. These men were organized into special provisional training battalions in the infantry regiments for basic training.
Unit and combined arms training began with the opening of the four battle indoctrination courses in the Camp range areas. The four courses were for training in close combat, village fighting, and infiltration under machine-gun fire and overhead artillery fire. The four courses were especially built
for the Division, and veterans said many times that they were of superior
quality to anything seen by them during World War II training.
THEN CAME THE RAINS
As usual, the Indiana weatherman had something special in line for the men going through the difficult battle indoctrination courses. This time, it was rain. During early February the rains, combined with the melting snow, turned the entire camp into a virtual sea of mud. Dirt roads in the range areas virtually disappeared and on several occasions the mud became so bad that the transporting of soldiers to the indoctrination courses had to be halted while road repair was undertaken. In some gullies, the water became so deep over the roads that jeeps were practically submerged trying to get through.
MORE COLD WEATHER
However, as with the winter snows, the rains just added more reality to the training in the minds of training officers. When soldiers were forced to carry many pounds of mud that stuck to their clothing with them across the infiltration courses they learned that in combat such conditions do not prevent movement entirely. When the rains finally ceased, a cold wave again descended and the men had to endure more weeks of sub-zero temperatures.
On February 2 the Division was rocked by an unexpected levy on several thousand o its fillers. The announcement that basically trained filler personnel in all National Guard Divisions on active duty would be taken from their outfits and sent overseas started many wild rumors and speculating. Actually, t e need for the fillers came from a new Army policy of rotating soldiers after six months combat in Korea.
However, the call for fillers presented entirely new problems to the Division.
Processing of men for overseas is normally handled
at replacement training centers rather than by divisions which usually go overseas as a single unit.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF LEVIES
When the levy was announced, plans were immediately made to handle the processing in special sub-sections set up in the infantry regiments and at Division Headquarters. Before the men could be sent out their personnel records had to be altered, they had to receive immunization shots, special phases of training had to be completed by them, and then, prior to being shipped to the embarkation point, they were all given seven days leave.
The job required many many extra hours of work on the part of many sections, but it was completed on time and the shipment made, 'I he February levy was taken from the infantry regiments only, but hardly had that been completed when a second levy was made in March and fillers were taken from all units in the Division. Again, the job of processing put a terrific burden on the Division but was completed.
COMMENDATION
The special effort made by the Division in processing the fillers was not to go
un-rewarded, however. After the second levy had been made and the men sent to shipping points, General Strickler received the following letter from the Commanding Officer, Fort Lawton, Washington.
"I. The enlisted personnel transferred to this station under levy from the 28th Infantry Division arrived in excellent condition.
"2. The morale, discipline, records, clothing and equipment of the individuals received indicates careful prior planning and close attention to duty by all members of your command concerned with the preparation of these men for overseas movement.
"3. Of all the large bulk shipments received at this station to date, there were none in better condition for overseas
shipment than those received from the 28th Infantry Division.
"4. Please accept and pass on to all those responsible my profound thanks for their admirable work."
THREE GENERALS SIGN
LETTER
The letter was endorsed noting pleasure and appreciation by Lieutenant General A. C. Wedemeyer, commanding general of Sixth Army; Lieutenant General Stephen J. Chainberlin, commanding general Fifth Army; and by Major General Withers A. Burress, commanding general of Camp Atterbury.
Although the levies created an unexpected burden on the Division, training was continued for those remaining practically without interruption after a rearrangement of schedules.
RETURN INSPECTION
The habit the 28th seemed to have of collecting visits by ranking dignitaries came to a peak on February 7 when Secretary of the Army Frank Pace accompanied General Mark Clark on a return inspection of the Division.
A customary 19-gun salute greeted the Secretary on his arrival, and full honors were
presented to him. He and General Clark then spent most of the day inspecting training. Before leaving, Secretary Pace told a press conference that "if there is anyone in doubt as to the reality and thought-out program of training of this Division, it can be dispelled with what I saw this afternoon. I was tremendously impressed." The Secretary added he did not believe that "more realistic training than I saw here could be evolved."
SPECIAL
LECTURE-CONFERENCES
Several special training features were started
as the Spring progressed. In an effort to emphasize the responsibilities of leadership on Division personnel, General Strickler began in February giving a series of
lecture-conferences to non -commissioned officers throughout the Division.
"Aggressor" tactics and training in "The Maneuver Enemy's" techniques were taught to certain units in the Division by a special team of instructors sent to Camp Atterbury from Fort Riley, Kansas. The team demonstrated work in psychological warfare, intelligence plan, special aggressor-type equipment, and the umpire control system as
applied to platoon problems.
Late in February the 28th was authorized another unit when a provisional Ranger Company was organized from volunteers within the Division. The primary mission of the company is infiltration behind enemy lines to destroy vital military installations and positions and therefore training was designed to provide for every possibility. After organization, the Ranger Company, under command of Captain Harold V. Kays, was sent for special training to Fort Benning, Georgia, for paratrooper training and ranger training.
UNITS LEAVE FOR COURSES
Also in February, the 899th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion left Camp Atterbury to spend six weeks firing its guns on the ranges at Camp Oro Grande, New Mexico. Elements of the 628th Heavy Tank Battalion went to Fort Knox, Kentucky for advanced armor training
As unit training progressed, companies began working more and more in the field as units. The 28th Military Police Company sent its men into Indianapolis and other towns to learn traffic control first-hand by working with regular policemen on city streets. The 103rd Medical Battalion set up a field clearing station and practiced working on "battle casualties." The 28th Quartermaster Company took to the field for a ration breakdown.
TACTICAL AIR SUPPORT
An Air Force officer, Major Richard J. Gedon, was assigned to the Division as Air Liaison Officer in Division Headquarters. His mission was the instruction and coordination of tactical air support for the 28th and plans were made for having aircraft available later in the spring for battalion
exercises.
During
this period fillers arrived daily to fill the vacancies created by the
levies. The new men were put in provisional training battalions
organized throughout the Division to give them basic training while the
veteran troops continued with the training cycle. On April 12 the Division
again reached full war strength as the last group of selectees arrived.
By
late Spring of 1951 the 28th Infantry Division was fast becoming a crack,
fully trained unit. Its future was somewhat in doubt.
Announced plans had called for the 28th to participate in "Operation
Southern Pine," a massive maneuver exercise in the Carolinas which
had originally been scheduled for late June. Shortly after the
levies curtailed the number of trained personnel in the Division,
"Southern Pine" was postponed until late August.
Meanwhile,
press speculation ran high that the 28th would become a part of the
expanded United States force in Europe under Supreme Headquarters, Allied
Powers in Europe.
Which
of the possibilities would be the next move for the 28th was a question no
one in the Division could answer in the Spring of 1951. One thing
was certain, however, the 28th had spent a long time preparing for its
future missions, and had all the potentialities of adding another proud
chapter to the long and glorious history of the Division. |
Page last revised
01/12/2024