LANDING IN ITALY
AFRICA - SALERNO - VOLTURNO
The 100th Infantry
Battalion sailed from America and arrived in Oran, North Africa
on September 2, 1943. The 100th became part of the 133rd Regiment,
which was part of the 34th Division. The men in 34th welcomed
the newcomers, and they trained them on the latest combat tactics.
During the next few months, the Japanese American and Caucasian
soldiers formed life-long friendships as they bravely fought up
the boot of Italy.
On September 19, the 34th Division, including the 100th, sailed
from North Africa and landed southeast of Naples.
The men of the 100th were eager to fight, puzzling many Allied
commanders and war correspondents. The Nisei’s
eagerness was due to their need to bring honor to their families
and prove their loyalty to America. Finally, on September 29,
1943, more than 15 months after they sailed from Honolulu, the
men of the 100th faced their first battle.
The War Department described their first week of combat: “While
acting as advance guard…the battalion advanced 15 miles
in 24 hours, operating day and night in the face of strong enemy
resistance and over difficult terrain…although suffering
casualties, their advance continued. . . all weapons were used
with complete assurance. . . ” The 100th had accomplished
its first major mission, the capture of Benevento, an important
rail center and road intersection.
As the Allies continued to push the enemy north, they crossed
the twisting, turning Volturno River in three different places.
At the crossings, the Germans always held the high ground, shooting
down on the wet GIs who struggled through the swift currents,
clambered up the slippery banks, and once on dry land were finally
able to shoot back.
At the second Volturno River crossing, the water was over the
heads of some of the shorter men. They faced minefields, fortified
machine gun nests, artillery fire and “screaming meemies”
- the dreaded German rocket launchers.
On November 3 the 100th crossed the Volturno River for the third
time. On the ground the Nisei soldiers fought the heavily
entrenched enemy. From the air the German Luftwaffe (airforce)
strafed the Nisei, wounding 12 men.
The next day, was the first “banzai charge.” A sergeant
mistakenly heard that one of the most respected officers in the
battalion was wounded or captured. The sergeant ordered his platoon
to fix bayonets and charge. The men yelled “banzai”
and swarmed the area, a move that later in the war would be used
again to rescue a lost
battalion.
The “banzai charge” occurred because of the men’s
concern for each other. The “Buddhaheads”
had known each other since they were children. No other military
unit had bonds this close. They never left a man behind. Never.
In the first month and half, there were many examples of bravery
in combat. A private silenced an enemy machine gun and freed his
pinned-down platoon. He killed the entire German crew, but was
mortally wounded. A sergeant advancing on an enemy machine gun
was hit by shrapnel, but he fought off death long enough to tell
others of the location of the gun. Another private waited until
an enemy tank was dangerously close, then he blasted it with bazooka
shots and single-handedly knocked it out. These three men earned
the Distinguished
Service Cross, the second highest honor the military bestows.
By the time they were relieved on November 11, the men of the
100th had earned 19 Silver Stars. But the casualties were high.
Eighteen officers and 239 enlisted men were wounded. Three officers
and 75 enlisted men died.
The 100th Battalion had earned a reputation as superb soldiers.
They also learned to respect the enemy. The Germans were well-trained
and well-equipped. They also built strong defenses, like the Gustav
Line at Cassino
- the 100th’s next objective.
