"35th Infantry Division in the Battle of the Bulge" Topic

Great source for daily Daily Strength and Casualties. Robert

"35th Infantry Division in the Battle of the Bulge

Information provided by Jay Karamales

26 December 1944 to 16 January 1945

The 35th Infantry Division was formed in December 1940 from elements of the Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska National Guards. Having fought in the slugging match in the Normandy hedgerows in the summer of 1944 and in the Lorraine battles in the fall, it was by December 1944 a veteran unit. Before the Germans launched their attack into the Ardennes on 16 December, the 35th had been assigned, with the green 87th Inf Div, the task of clearing German outposts from between the Saar River and Westwall defenses in preparation for Patton's new offensive, scheduled to begin on 19 December. Several days of bitter fighting ensued, and the Americans had to pay dearly for each yard.

On 20 December, when the scope of the German attacks into the Ardennes was finally being realized by the American high command, Patton ordered that XII Corps (of which the 35th was a part) should disengage immediately, move north to Luxembourg City, and prepare to enter the Battle of the Bulge, driving north as part of Patton's offensive to relieve the surrounded 101st Airborne Division in Bastogne. The 35th Inf Div, which had been in the line for 160 consecutive days, was to be relieved posthaste and sent to Metz for quick rehabilitation. Then it would rejoin Gen. Manton Eddy's XII Corps in the Ardennes. In the event, the division was to transfer instead to III Corps and help in the push eastward from the Bastogne pocket, which Patton's 4th Arm Div relieved on 26 December."
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Just heard a vet from this campign with the 35th division speaking yesterday. His memories are mostly of the cold :)

This is the hard fighting "Santa Fe" Division. I'm building a platoon of these guys for the Ardennes and later for CoC rules. Any idea if this division had its own recon units and was it the Jeeps and M20 combo? If not what?

My Father-in-Law Sgt Saul Joseph was a member of the 320th Infantry Regiment, which was the 3rd regiment in the 35th Infantry division. He's mention in the history of the 320th.
His battalion was mostly Illinois National Guard.

coulthart.com/134/320-uh.htm

We were lucky that even though he passed on recently, we were able to get plenty of interesting stories from him on his participation in the bulge, Mortain, and St. Lo.

He found it quite amusing that Kelly's Heros depicted the 35th IR.

The division of Harry Truman, Sherman Potter, and my grandfather in the previous war.

I hadn't thought of building a platoon from the 35th for WWII--maybe I should think about that.
Grelber

I remember the 3t's patch being worn in Kelly's Heroes. Robert

Yes, I remember the same, that is one of my favorite movies …

Someone must have read their history to know that the 35th was in action around Nancy LOL with the 4th Armored Division. Robert

Attack! The Story of the 35th Infantry Division

""Attack!" is a small booklet covering the history of the 35th Infantry Division. This booklet is one of the series of G.I. Stories published by the Stars & Stripes in Paris in 1944-1945."

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