The 99th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War II. It played a strategic role in the Battle of the Bulge when its inexperienced troops held fast on the northern shoulder of the German advance, refusing them access to the vital northern road network that led into Belgium.
The 99th Infantry Division, also named Checkerboard Division or the Battle Babies Division, was activated on Nov 15 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Missouri. On Sep 16 1943, the Division moved for the Third Army #4 Louisiana Maneuvers and two months later, on Nov 19 1943, the 99th Infantry Division moved to Camp Maxey, Texas then staged at Camp Myles Standish Massachusetts from Sep 13 1944 until departed Boston Port of Embarkation for England and arrived there on Oct 10 1944. Finally, the 99th Infantry Division landed in France on November 3 1944. The 99th arrived in Belgium and was involved in the Battle of the Bulge. In February 1945, the 99th started to advance into Germany till the Inn River and Giesenhausen when hostilities were declared ended on May 7 1945.
99th Infantry Division Casualties
KIA : 993 – WIA : 4177 – DOW : 141
99th Infantry Division Wartime Commanders
- Maj Gen Thompson Lawrence : Nov 1942 – Jul 1943
- Maj Gen Walter E. Lauer : Jul 1943 – Aug 1945
- Brig Gen Frederick H. Black : August 1945
99th Infantry Division Order of Battle 1944-1945
- Hqs & Hqs Co 99th Infantry Division
- Hqs & Hqs Battery Division Artillery
- Hqs, Special troops
- Military Police Platoon
- 99th Quartermaster Company
- 99th Signal Company
- 99th Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment
- 324th Engineer Combat Battalion
- 324th Medical Company
- 370th Field Artillery Battalion (105 MM)
- 371st Field Artillery Battalion (105 MM)
- 372nd Field Artillery Battalion (155 MM)
- 393rd Infantry Regiment
- 394th Infantry Regiment
- 395th Infantry Regiment
- 799th Ordnance Light Maintenance Company
- 924th Field Artillery Battalion (105 MM)
- 535th AAA A-Weapons Battalion : 11-12-1944 – 09-05-1945
- 629th Tank Destroyer Battalion : 22-02-1945 – 09-05-1945
- 644th Tank Destroyer Battalion : 28-01-1945 – 08-02-1945
- 750th Tank Battalion : 28-01-1945 – 05-02-1945
- 786th Tank Battalion : 23-02-1945 – 09-05-1945
- 801st Tank Destroyer Battalion : 09-11-1944 – 03-02-1945
- 814th Tank Destroyer Battalion : 08-02-1945 – 13-02-1945
- 817th Tank Destroyer Battalion : 13-02-1945 – 22-02-1945
99th Infantry Division Combat Narrative
The 99th Infantry Division arrived in England on October 10 1944. Put under operational control of V Corps, First Army, it moved to Le Havre, France on Nov 3 and proceeded to Aubel, Belgium (St Jean Sart), to prepare to enter the front lines. The division first saw action on Nov 9 1944, taking over the defense of the sector north of the Roer River between Schmidt and Monschau.
After defensive patrolling, the 99th probed the Siegfried Line against heavy resistance on Dec 13. Formerly known as the Checkerboard Division, which referred to its shoulder patch, in late 1944 having not yet seen battle, it was nicknamed the Battle Babies.
On Dec 16 1944, the German Ardenne Counteroffensive hit the division which initially held at Höfen (Germany) but gave ground to the south. The division was partially surrounded and suffered heavy losses as it retreated to new defensive positions before Elsenborn Ridge on Dec 19. The next day German forces temporarily breached the lines west of Wirtzfeld, but the division reestablished its front.
From Dec 21 1944 to Jan 29 1945 the division was rebuilt on the front and maintained defensive positions. It attacked with the 393rd Inf into the Elsenbuchel Woods east of Elsenborn on Jan 30 1945 and gained its objectives in the Monschauer Forest February 1 1945. It was then withdrawn into reserve except for the 395th Inf which was detached to assist the 1st Infantry Division in the West Wall near Hellenthal from Feb 3 to Feb 5 1945.
On Feb 5 1945 the division relieved the 1st Infantry Division, but on Feb 11, was itself relieved in line and moved to Waimes – Faymonville, Belgium for rehabilitation.
On Feb 20 it moved to the Aubel, Clermont/Berwinne areas. The division attacked again, reinforced by the 4th Cavalry Group, on Mar 2 1945 with the 393rd Infantry Regiment as it crossed the Erft River at Glesch and took Neurath. The detached 395th Inf Regt meanwhile assisted the 3rd Armored Division at the Pfaffendorf Bridgehead Mar 1 to Mar 3. The division sped along the Erft on a broad front and reached the Rhine at Grimlinghausen Mar 5, the 395th Inf Regt capturing Udesheim the next day.
On Mar 8 1945 the division was relieved and moved to Meckenheim area Mar 9. It crossed the Rhine at Remagen Mar 10 – 11 and took over the southern flank of the bridgehead, withstanding counterattacks and expanding it through the Hönnigen Wald into Honnigen which fell to the 394th Inf Regt after heavy combat by Mar 16. The 395th Inf Regt reached the Wied River Mar 17 and the division made limited attacks to improve positions.
The 393rd and 395th Inf Regts attacked across the Wied River Mar 22 and advanced past Kurtscheid the next clay, cutting the Koln – Frankfurt Highway near Willroth on Mar 25 as the 394th Inf Regt crossed the Wied also. Driving east behind the 9th Armored Division, the 393rd Inf Regt cleared to the Dill River line northwest of Wetzlar and relieved the armor of crossing in the Asslar – Hermannstein region on Mar 28.
The following day the 394th lnf Regt relieved the 7th Armored Division at Giessen. The division was relieved at Wetzlar Mar 30 1945 and deployed to the Gemuenden area on April 1 1945. On Apr 4 it relieved the 9th Infantry Division in the Schwarzenau area.
The division began its attack on the Ruhr Pocket with the 393rd and 394th Inf Regts in assault on Apr 5, taking Wingeshausen the next day as it cleared resistance bypassed by the 7th Armored Division.
On April 9, the division crossed the Lenne River and the 394th Inf secured Bracht and the 395th Inf Regt cleared the Saalhausen – Langener sector. By April 16 all resistance in the eastern portion of the Ruhr Pocket collapsed as the Iserlohn garrison surrendered to the division. It then started toward its assembly area at Trossenfurt, northwest of Bamberg, and relieved the 42nd Infantry Division of responsibility for Fuerth on April 21 1945.
The division attacked again on April 23 as the 394th and 395th Inf Regts followed in the wake of the 14th Armored Division to advance to the Allersberg – Holpoltstein line by the end of the day. Against heavy opposition, it reached the Altmuhr River at Dietfurt and Kinding April 25 and then pushed rapidly to the Danube from the Altmuhl Bridgeheads the following day.
The 393rd Inf Regt assaulted across the Danube River on April 27 at Eining, followed that same day by the 395th Inf which was repulsed in the Neustadt area.
After sharp combat the bridgehead was expanded and the division then advanced to the Isar River against little or no resistance. On April 30 and May 1 1945 the division crossed the Isar with the 393rd Inf at Landshut and the 395th Inf in the Moosburg area to cover bridging ope rations of the 14th Armd Division.
The division then continued its advance without opposition to the Inn River and Giesenhausen when hostilities were declared ended on May 7 1945.
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