THE RESCUE OF THE LOST BATTALION
The 442nd Regimental
Combat Team is best known for rescuing “the Lost
Battalion” in the Vosges Mountains. The 442nd and the
141st Texas Regiment were both part of the 36th Division under
the command of Major General John Dahlquist. They were fighting
in Eastern France, near the German border.
The 442nd had just finished 10 brutal days of fighting to liberate
the French towns of Bruyeres and Biffontaine. Finally, on October
23, 1944, the Nisei
got clean, dry clothes, hot food and rest. Glorious rest.
But not for long. General Dahlquist had another trapped unit
that needed rescuing. Dahlquist had ordered the 141st Texas Regiment
to advance four miles beyond friendly forces. The Texans warned
that they would get cut off, but they pushed on as ordered. Naturally,
the Germans surrounded them. In fact, 6,000 fresh German troops
moved into the area. Der Fuhrer’s orders were to hold the
area. No surrender. No retreat. More than 200 Texans, known as
the “Lost Battalion” were stranded on a ridge. They
were low on food, water and ammo - just like the men in the 100th
at Biffontaine. However, the Texans were not rescued by their
own men in the 141st, nor by other white soldiers in the 143rd
Regiment. Dahlquist ordered the Nisei soldiers to save
them.
Once again, on October 25, after less than two days rest and
already short of men, the Nisei trudged through the dark
and the cold rain. The stranded Texans were about four miles from
friendly forces. But, it was more like nine miles - because the
hills were steep, the ravines and fields were littered with mines,
and the few roads that crossed the terrain were narrow, sodden
logging trails bristling with German roadblocks. By early afternoon
on October 27, the Nisei were moving toward the narrow
ridge that held the besieged Texans.
On the right flank, the 100th chased the Germans across a gully
toward the next hill. But it was a trap, and the Germans blasted
the Nisei with an hour-long artillery barrage. The shelling
wounded 20 Nisei, but the 100th held its ground.
In the center, on the narrow ridge K Company hit a series of
three heavily entrenched barriers. By evening, the 100th and 3rd
Battalions had gained only a few hundred yards, but they had managed
to take 70 German prisoners.
That same night, 2nd Battalion Commander Lt. Col. James Hanley,
led E and F Companies to circle behind the enemy troops around
a nearby hill - Hill 617. Meanwhile, 2nd Battalion’s G Company
spread itself thin to simulate a battalion. At dawn, G Company
attacked frontally, while E and F Companies attacked Hill 617
from the west and stormed down from the high ground, surprising
the Germans. The 2nd Battalion quickly captured Hill 617 and 61
Germans prisoners.
By October 29, the Lost Battalion’s situation was desperate.
Isolated for six days the Texans had beaten back five enemy assaults.
Deaths and casualties mounted, yet they couldn’t evacuate
the bodies. They pooled their meager supplies of food and ammo
and risked German sniper fire to get water. The Allies
tried to send supplies. First they shot shells filled with chocolate,
but the shelling caused casualties. A few days later the Allies
dropped supplies by parachute, but most of the packages landed
in German-occupied positions.
The 522nd Field
Artillery Battalion’s accurate fire hit the Germans
without harming the trapped Texans or the Nisei rescuers.
Often the tall trees and steep slopes made it impossible to adjust
artillery fire properly. The terrain made tank travel almost impossible,
too.
The American GIs had to fight with what they could carry: bazookas,
grenades, BARs, machine guns, Tommy guns, pistols, and rifles
with bayonets.
By October 29, the Nisei had fought for five days ,
but hadn’t made much progress against the heavily entrenched
Germans. 3rd Battalion’s I and K Companies were on a narrow,
exposed ridge. With a steep drop on the left and right, the men
had no choice but to go straight up the middle. I Company Private
Barney Hajiro was pinned down on the ridge. He saw enemy machine
guns kill eight and wound 21 of his buddies. Then suddenly, a
few men, including Hajiro decided to “Go
for broke.” He charged up the ridge, shooting his BAR
and running 100 yards under fire. He single-handedly destroyed
two machine gun nests and killed two enemy snipers. His brave
actions spurred his comrades to rally and boldly attack. Hajiro
was awarded a Medal of Honor. (Hajiro was awarded the DSC, but
in June 2000 it was upgraded to MOH.)
That same day, October 29, Private
George Sakato of 2nd Battalion’s E Company led a charge
that rescued his pinned squad and destroyed a German stronghold.
He earned a DSC, which was upgraded to a Medal
of Honor in June 2000.
Finally, on October 30, after six days of desperate combat, the
442nd broke through to the “Lost Battalion.” The Nisei
infantry in B, I, and K Companies were the first to arrive, but
the entire 442nd had helped. Forward observers from the 522nd
fought along with the infantry. Members of the Antitank units
carried the wounded and braved enemy fire. Clerks, cooks and Nisei
from the 232nd
Combat Engineer Company joined in combat.
Many were wounded or killed by mines, sniper fire, heavy artillery,
and spraying shrapnel. More than 25 of K Company’s wounded
were treated by medic, Technician
Fifth Grade James Okubo. Okubo was the only medic to earn
a Medal of Honor (Silver Star upgrade), but many other medics
braved enemy fire and saved countless lives.
The men of the Lost Battalion and their rescuers exchanged happy
greetings. But it was a short celebration. After the successful
rescue, after 16 days of almost non-stop combat - the worst the
100th/442nd had ever experienced - after losing many of their
buddies and officers they expected to be relieved. Instead, General
Dahlquist ordered the men to keep pushing and securing the forest
for nine more days.
On November 7, near the village of La Houssiere, Private
First Class Joe Nishimoto, an acting squad leader in G Company
broke a three-day stalemate against German forces. He destroyed
a machine gun nest with his hand grenade, and killed the German
crew of another nest with his Tommy gun. Nishimoto was later killed
in action. He received a Distinguished
Service Cross, which was upgraded to Medal of Honor in June
2000, posthumously.
On November 17 when the 442nd was finally relieved, the dead
and the wounded outnumbered the living. The 442nd ended up at
less than half its usual strength. K Company, which started out
with 186 men had 17 left. I Company started out with 185. At the
end, there were only 8.
During the six days the 442nd fought to rescue the Lost Battalion,
54 men were killed and many, many more were wounded and sent to
hospitals. During the entire Vosges Campaign, 34 days of almost
non-stop combat - liberating Bruyeres and Biffontaine, rescuing
the 211 Texans, and nine more days of driving the Germans through
the forest - the 442nd’s total casualties were 216 men dead
and more than 856 wounded.
When Division Commander Dahlquist ordered the 442nd to assemble
for a recognition ceremony, he scolded a 442nd colonel. “You
disobeyed my orders. I told you to have the whole regiment.”
The colonel looked him in the eye and reportedly said, “General,
this is the regiment. The rest are either dead or in the hospital.”
To the U.S. Army, the rescue of the Lost Battalion became one
of the top 10 battles in its history. But to many, questions still
remain. Why did the General order the 141st to advance nine miles
beyond reasonable support, and without protection in the rear?
Did Dahlquist use the Nisei more ruthlessly than the
other American troops?
At the time, the Nisei didn’t ask questions. They
just did their duty. Their parents taught them: “Keep your
troubles to yourself. Don't show how you're hurting. Don’t
bring shame on your family.”
“Comrades who are slain
In our charge on the ridge
Have not died in vain
But forged through heroism a bridge
For all Japanese Americans to cross
This was I Company’s fate.
To prevail with heavy loss
And then there were eight.”
- Lloyd Tsukano
