From DiscoverNikkei.org

100th Infantry Battalion / 442nd Regimental Combat Team

The 100th Infantry Battalion was the first all-Nisei combat unit in World War II. A larger fighting unit was formed called the 442nd Regimental Combat Team that would consist of three infantry battalions. The 100th became one of the three, but had earned the honor of keeping its designation for their performance in battle. The 442nd RCT included the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion, and the 232nd Combat Engineer Company. The "Go For Broke" regiment is recognized as being the most decorated unit in U.S. military history for its size and length of service.

Contents

Background

Most Japanese Americans who fought in WWII were Nisei who were second-generation Japanese Americans born in the U.S. Nevertheless, shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Japanese American men were categorized as 4C (enemy alien) and therefore non-draftable. On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing military authorities “to prescribe military areas in such places and of such extent as he or the appropriate Military Commander may determine, from which any or all persons may be excluded, and with respect to which, the right of any person to enter, remain in, or leave shall be subject to whatever restrictions the Secretary of War or the appropriate Military Commander may impose in his discretion.” Although the order did not refer specifically to people of Japanese ancestry, it set the stage for the internment of people of Japanese descent. In March 1942, Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt, head of the Western Defense Command, issued the first of 108 military proclamations that resulted in the forced removal of more than 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast from their homes and to internment or relocation camps.

In Hawai’i, martial law, complete with curfews and blackouts, was imposed. A large portion of the population was of Japanese descent (150,000 out of 400,000 people by 1937) and internment was deemed not practicable, mostly for economic reasons. When the War Department called for the removal of all soldiers of Japanese ancestry from active service in early 1942, General Delos C. Emmons (commanding general of the U.S. Army in Hawai’i) decided to discharge those in the Hawai’i Territorial Guard, which was composed mainly of ROTC students from the University of Hawai’i. However, he kept the more than 1,300 Japanese American soldiers of the 298th and 299th Infantry regiments of the Hawai’i National Guard. The discharged members of the Hawai’i Territorial Guard petitioned General Emmons to allow them to assist in the war effort. The petition was granted and they formed a group called the Varsity Victory Volunteers (VVV), which performed various construction jobs for the military. General Emmons, worried about the loyalty of Japanese American soldiers in the event of a Japanese invasion, recommended to the War Department that those in the 298th and 299th regiments be organized into a “Hawai’ian Provisional Battalion” and sent to the Mainland. The move was authorized, and on June 5, 1942, the Hawai’ian Provisional Battalion sailed for training on the Mainland. They landed at Oakland, California on June 10, 1942 and two days later were sent to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. On June 15, 1942, the battalion was designated the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) — the “One Puka Puka”.

The 100th performed so well in training that, on February 1, 1943, the U.S. Government reversed its decision on Japanese Americans serving in the armed forces, and approved the formation of a Japanese American combat unit. A few days later, the government required that all internees answer loyalty questionnaires, which was used to register the Nisei for the draft. Question 27 of the loyalty questionnaire asked males eligible to register for the draft, “Are you willing to serve in the armed forces of the United States on combat duty, wherever ordered?” while question 28 asked all internees, “Will you swear unqualified allegiance to the United States of America and faithfully defend the United States from any or all attack by foreign or domestic forces, and forswear any form of allegiance or obedience to the Japanese emperor, or any other foreign government, power or organization?”

Nearly a quarter of the Nisei males answered with a “no” or a qualified answer to both questions; some even left them blank.[citation needed] However, more than 75% of the Nisei males indicated that they were willing to enlist in the U.S. armed forces (although not all of them really did) and swear allegiance to the U.S. The U.S. Army called for 1,500 volunteers from Hawai’i and 3,000 from the Mainland. An overwhelming 10,000 men from Hawai’i came forth. However the announcement was met with less enthusiasm on the Mainland, where the vast majority of draft age men of Japanese ancestry were held in internment camps. The Army revised the quota, calling for 2,900 men from Hawai’i, and 1,500 from the Mainland. Only 1,256 volunteered from the Mainland. In the end, around 3,000 men from Hawaii and 800 men from the Mainland were inducted. President Roosevelt announced the formation of the 442nd Infantry Regimental Combat Team (the “Go For Broke” regiment), famously saying, “Americanism is not, and never was, a matter of race or ancestry.” Nevertheless, families of the regiment’s members remained interned.

Training and Organization

The 100th Infantry Battalion relocated to Camp Shelby in Mississippi. Eventually, the 100th was joined by 3,000 volunteers from Hawai’i and 800 from the camps on the mainland. As a regimental combat team, the 442nd RCT was a self-sufficient fighting formation of three infantry battalions (originally 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions, 442d Infantry, and later the 100th Infantry Battalion in place of the 1st), the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion, the 232nd Engineering Company, an anti-tank company, cannon company, service company, medical detachment, headquarters companies, and the 206th Army Band.

Initially, there was tension between volunteers from the Hawai’ian Islands (known as “buddhaheads,” from the Japanese/English term buta-head, meaning “pig-headed”) and those from the mainland (“kotonks” or “katonks”, alleged to be the sound of a coconut hitting an empty head). The rivalry between the Hawai’ian Islanders and the mainlanders dissipated after visits were organised to the internment camps where the mainlanders’ families were being held.

Although they were now permitted to volunteer to fight, Americans of Japanese ancestry were generally forbidden to fight in a combat role in the Pacific Theater. No such limitations were placed on Americans of German or Italian ancestry who fought against the Axis Powers in the European Theater, mostly due to practicality as German- and Italian-Americans formed huge numbers compared to Japanese-Americans. However, many men deemed proficient enough in the Japanese language were approached, or sometimes ordered to join the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) to serve as translators/interpreters and spies in the Pacific, as well as in the China Burma India Theater. These men were sent to the MIS Language School at Camp Savage, Minnesota to improve their language skills and receive training in military intelligence. While the 442nd trained in Mississippi, the 100th departed for Oran in North Africa to join the forces destined to invade Italy.

Combat

The 100th landed at Oran in Algeria on September 2, 1943, and was originally scheduled to guard supply trains in North Africa. However, Colonel Farrant L. Turner insisted that the 100th be given a combat mission, and it was attached to the “Red Bull” U.S. 34th Division.

The 100th sailed from North Africa with 1,300 men on September 22, 1943 and landed at Salerno on September 26, 1943. After obtaining its initial objective of Monte Milleto, the 100th joined the assault on Monte Cassino.

The 100th fought valiantly, suffering many casualties; by February 1944, it could muster only 521 men. The depleted battalion joined the defense of the beachhead at Anzio until May 1944, and then added momentum to the push for Rome, but was halted only 10 miles from the city. Some believe that the 100th was deliberately halted to allow non-Nisei soldiers to liberate Rome.

The 442nd (other than the 1st battalion, which had remained in the U.S. to train further replacements but many of whose members were levied as replacements for the 100th) landed at Anzio and joined the 100th Battalion in Civitavecchia north of Rome on June 10, 1944. On August 10, 1944, the 100th Battalion was officially assigned to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team as its 1st battalion, but was allowed to keep its unit designation in recognition of its distinguished fighting record. The 1st Battalion 442nd Infantry at Camp Shelby was then redesignated the 171st Infantry Battalion (Separate) on September 5, 1944.

The combined unit continued in the push up Italy, before joining the invasion of southern France, where the 442nd participated in the fight to liberate Bruyères in eastern France, and famously rescued the "Lost Battalion" at Biffontaine. Pursuant to army tradition of never leaving soldiers behind, over a five-day period, from 26 October to 30 October 1944, the 442nd suffered over 800 casualties—nearly half of its roster—while rescuing 211 members of the 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry (36th Infantry Division, originally Texas National Guard), which had been surrounded by German forces in the Vosges mountains since 24 October.

Following its combat in the Vosges, the 442nd was sent to the Franco-Italian border on November 28 to relieve the soon-to-be-disbanded 1st Special Service Force. The 442nd remained there, refitting and training, until March 25, 1945, when it returned to the Fifth Army in Italy and was attached to the U.S. 92nd Infantry Division.

The 442nd resumed heavy combat, seizing Monte Belvedere on April 7 and Carrara on April 10. The 522nd Field Artillery Battalion remained in northern France and joined the push into Germany in 1945. Scouts from the 522nd were among the first Allied troops to release prisoners from the Dachau concentration camp.

The 442nd is commonly reported to have suffered a casualty rate of 314 percent (i.e., on average, each man was injured more than three times), informally derived from 9,486 Purple Hearts divided by some 3,000 original in-theater personnel. U.S. Army battle reports show the official casualty rate, combining KIA (killed) with MIA (missing) and WIA (wounded and removed from action) totals, is 93%, still uncommonly high. Many of the Purple Hearts were awarded during the campaign in the Vosges Mountains and some of the wounded were soldiers who were victims of trenchfoot. But many victims of trenchfoot were forced by superiors -- or willingly chose -- to return to the front even though they were classified as "wounded in action". Wounded soldiers would often escape from hospitals to return to the front line battles.

Decorations

The 442nd RCT became the most decorated unit in U.S. military history for its size and length of service, with its component 100th Infantry Battalion earning the nickname “The Purple Heart Battalion.” The 442nd RCT received 7 Presidential Unit Citations (5 earned in one month), and its members received around 18,000 awards, including:

  • 21 Medals of Honor

The first Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously to PFC Sadao Munemori, Company A, 100th Battalion, for action near Seravezza, Italy, on April 5, 1945. In June 2000, 20 Japanese American veterans were upgraded from other awards to the Medal of Honor (along with two other Americans of Asian descent). The recipients were:

Pvt. Barney F. Hajiro
Pvt. Mikio Hasemoto
Pvt. Joe Hayashi
Pvt. Shizuya Hayashi
Second Lieutenant Daniel K. Inouye
Tech. Sgt. Yeiki Kobashigawa
Staff Sgt. Robert T. Kuroda
Pfc. Kaoru Moto
Pfc. Kiyoshi K. Muranaga
Pvt. Masato Nakae
Pvt. Shinyei Nakamine
Pfc. William K. Nakamura
Pfc. Joe M. Nishimoto
Sgt. (later Staff Sgt.) Allan M. Ohata
Technician Fifth Grade James K. Okubo (combat medic)
Tech. Sgt. Yukio Okutsu
Pfc. Frank H. Ono
Staff Sgt. Kazuo Otani
Pvt. George T. Sakato
Tech. Sgt. Ted T. Tanouye

  • 52 Distinguished Service Crosses (including 19 Distinguished Service Crosses which were upgraded to Medals of Honor in June 2000)
  • 1 Distinguished Service Medal
  • 560 Silver Stars (plus 28 Oak Leaf Clusters for a second award)
  • 22 Legion of Merit Medals
  • 15 Soldier’s Medals
  • 4,000 Bronze Stars (plus 1,200 Oak Leaf Clusters for a second award; one Bronze Star was upgraded to a Medal of Honor in June 2000)
  • 9,486 Purple Hearts

External Links

Includes the scanned text of a pamphlet, The Story of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (ca. February, 1946).
The 232nd Engineer Combat Company
Reprinted in the Local History section of the Santa Cruz Public Library web site.
Includes a video oral history of George Oiye, a Japanese American fighter with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, fought in the Battle of the Lost Battalion and helped liberate the Dachau concentration camp.
Article by Jefferson High School (Boulder, MT) student Darby Smith, profiling research by Jefferson High alumnus Casey Pallister into the military experience of George Oiye, who served in the 442nd.
  • Archive: The Photographs of Wallace and Mary Doi (University of Utah, Photograph Collection P0884)
"The Doi collection reflects Wallace Doi's participation in the 100th and 442nd Divisions, and the time he spent recovering from his war injuries at the Bushnell Hospital in Brigham City, Utah."
"In JOURNEY OF HONOR, filmmaker Stuart Yamane follows a dozen Americans of Japanese Ancestry (AJA) veterans from Hawai'i on a historic return to the World War II battlefields of Italy.
  • Audio: Sam Chu Lin, "The 442nd on Film". "Pacific Time" (December 16, 2004), KQED-FM, San Francisco. As part of the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, this segment reports on a new film, "Only the Brave," that focuses on the 442nd.
"The Japanese American 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team were covered in glory. Here is their chronicle."
  • Exhibition: "Unlikely Liberators" (San Francisco, The Holocaust Center of Northern California, July 14-September 30, 2002)
This photographic exhibition, curated by Eric Saul for the Holocaust Memorial/Education Fund, highlights the role of two segregated military units -- the African American 761st Tank Battalion, and the Japanese American 522nd Field Artillery Battalion -- in the liberation of German concentration camps at the end of World War II. It underscores the irony that these highly decorated veterans served as liberators abroad, while their own families faced discrimination and, in the case of the Japanese Americans, incarceration at home. The exhibition includes many photographs taken by the soldiers themselves.
  • Documentary film: Citizen Tanouye (2005; Robert Horsting & Craig Yahata, co-directors)
This film follows the three-day journey of eight ethnically diverse students as they search for the clues to uncover the lost story of local World War II hero and Medal of Honor recipient Technical Sgt. Ted Tanouye of the highly decorated 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
Katharine Herrup, "Japanese Americans: Victims to Heroes". The New York Sun, May 15, 2006. Herrup interviews Robert Asahina (the Sun's deputy managing editor) on the occasion of the publication of his history of the 442nd.
Los Angeles' Evergreen Cemetery contains the graves of a number of Japanese Americans who served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, including Joe Hayashi, Sadao S. Munemori, Kiyoshi K. Muranaga, and Ted T. Tanouye.
Alton Takiyama-Chung, a storyteller in Portland, Oregon, has created a show that honors the sacrifice and achievement of the 442nd RCT. Includes video.
"The show I've created is called 'Okage Sama De' in Japanese: 'I am what I am, because of you.' These are stories of what it was like to be in internment camps and go to war or serve in the Military Intelligence Service as translators in the Pacific. It's the story of Takejiro Higa, who was born in Hawaii, grew up in Okinawa and helped plan the invasion of Okinawa and what it was like to go to where he grew up carrying a gun, wondering if he was going to meet his uncle or his cousins. Or Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese consul in Lithuania, who wrote transit visas to allow Polish Jews to escape the Nazis. And the story of Solly Ganor, an 11-year-old Lithuanian Jewish boy who survived Dachau and was rescued by the 442nd at the end of the war."
Retrieved from "http://www.discovernikkei.org/wiki/index.php/100th_Infantry_Battalion_/_442nd_Regimental_Combat_Team"
Personal tools