47th Infantry Regiment (United States)

The 47th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Army. Constituted in 1917 at Camp Syracuse, New York, the regiment fought in World War I, and was later inactivated in 1921. Remaining nominally inactive throughout the interwar period but manned with Organized Reserve personnel, the 47th Infantry was reactivated in 1940 and subsequently fought during World War II in North Africa, Sicily, and Western Europe, then was inactivated in 1946. During the Cold War, the regiment saw multiple activations and inactivations, with service both in the Regular Army and the Army Reserve; it fought in South Vietnam. Ultimately it was reactivated as a training regiment, and as of 1999, it has been assigned to Fort Benning and consists of two active battalions.

History The Great War

The 47th Infantry Regiment was organized at Camp Syracuse, near Syracuse, New York, on 1 June 1917, almost two months after the American entry into World War I, with a cadre from the 9th Infantry Regiment; Initially assigned to Major General George H. Cameron's 4th Division; within the division the regiment was part of Brigadier General Benjamin A. Poore's 7th Infantry Brigade. By May 1918, the regiment arrived at Brest, France, training until July. In late July, the regiment along with the rest of the 7th Infantry Brigade, was briefly attached to the VII French Army Corps near Bois du Chitelet; it was then sent to bolster the beleaguered 42nd Division at Ourcq. In early August, the regiment fought near Bazoches-sur-Vesles during the Second Battle of the Marne. In September and October 1918, the regiment fought near Cuisy, Septsarges, and Brieulles-sur-Meuse; during this period of time Colonel Troy H. Middleton took command of the regiment, having previously commanded the regiment's 1st Battalion. It ended the war near Fays, Vosges, and served in the Army of Occupation near Koblenz until July 1919.

Interwar period

The 47th Infantry Regiment arrived at the port of New York on 16 July 1919 on the troopship USS Mobile. Emergency period personnel were discharged from the service in New York, and the regiment was transferred 2 August 1919 to Camp Dodge, Iowa, and to Camp Lewis, Washington, on 2 August 1920. The 47th Infantry Regiment was inactivated on 22 September 1921 at Camp Lewis and along with the 4th Division, was allotted to the Fourth Corps Area for mobilization responsibility. On 27 July 1921, the 58th Infantry Regiment had been designated the 47th Infantry's "Active Associate," that would provide the personnel to reactivate the unit in the event of war. Upon inactivation of the 47th Infantry, the personnel were transferred to the 3rd Division's 7th Infantry Regiment at Camp Lewis.

The 58th Infantry Regiment was relieved as Active Associate on 17 July 1922, and the 22nd Infantry Regiment was designated as Active Associate. The 47th Infantry was organized on 25 July 1926 with Organized Reserve personnel as a "Regular Army Inactive" unit with headquarters at Starkville, Mississippi. The regiment was affiliated with the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Mississippi's ROTC program on 25 February 1927 and was organized, less the 3rd Battalion, at Starkville with Regular Army instructors assigned to the ROTC detachment and Reserve officers commissioned from the program. An Organized Reserve officer functioned as the day-to-day commander of the regiment, but the professor of military science and tactics at Mississippi A&M was designated the regimental commander for mobilization purposes. Concurrently, the 3rd Battalion was affiliated with the Louisiana State University ROTC program and organized at Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The 22nd Infantry was relieved on 30 June 1927 as Active Associate. The 47th Infantry was relieved from the 4th Division on 15 August 1927 and assigned to the 7th Division, and relieved from the 7th Division on 1 October 1933. It participated in the 1938 Third Army maneuvers in the De Soto National Forest in Mississippi by providing numerous Reserve officers as umpires. The regimental headquarters was transferred by 1939 to Baton Rouge. The regiment conducted summer training most years at Fort McPherson, Georgia, and some years at Fort Screven, Georgia. As an alternate form of summer training, the regiment conducted infantry Citizens Military Training Camps some years at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana. The 47th Infantry was assigned to the reactivated 9th Infantry Division on 1 August 1940, and activated on 10 August 1940, less Reserve personnel, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The regiment was briefly commanded by Colonel Alexander Patch in the summer of 1941; after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Patch was reassigned to the Pacific Theater of Operations.

World War II

In November 1942, the regiment took part in Operation Blackstone in North Africa, where it fought against Vichy French forces during an amphibious landing; the regiment's Company K were the first American troops to land in French Morocco. At the time of the regiment was commanded by Colonel Edwin Randle. Following its actions during Operation Torch, of which Blackstone was a part, the regiment took part in divisional duties of monitor Spanish Morocco, which lasted into early 1943; during this time, the regiment conducted a foot march of more than from Safi to Port-Lyautey.

Still in North Africa, along with the rest of the 9th Infantry Division (United States), the regiment fought in the Battle of El Guettar, which resulted in a significant number of casualties; for actions during the battle, the regiment's commander, received the Distinguished Service Cross (he would later go on to be promoted to be the assistant division commander of the 77th Division). Following El Guettar, the regiment moved north, and fought in the Battle of Sedjenane, and soldiers of the regiment's 2d Battalion, were the first Allied soldiers in Bizerte. After Colonel Randle was promoted and parted ways with the regiment, Colonel George W. Smythe became the regiment's commander. Along with the rest of the 9th Infantry Division, the regiment was sent to Sicily, in 1943; in Sicily the regiment was tangentially involved during the Battle of Troina, which saw the 9th Infantry Division's other infantry regiments in significant combat.

Remaining in Sicily after the Axis forces retreated, the regiment received orders to move in November 1943, making its way to England; with the rest of the 9th Infantry Division, the regiment trained until June 1944. The division was garrisoned around Winchester and during this time a number of personnel married local women. While stationed around Alresford, the regiment adopted a dog as a mascot which died when struck by a vehicle in May 1944. The dog's marked grave is still in place in Alresford.Photo: Grave of Hambone Jr, 47th Infantry Regiment mascot. Alresford, England.

On 10 June, four days after D-Day, the 9th Infantry Division landed at Utah Beach. Assigned to VII Corps, it was allocated to the liberation of the Cotentin Peninsula and was the division that sealed off the peninsula to prevent additional German reinforcements from breaking through. Medical supplies for the regiment had been lost during its movement from England to Normandy, but were replaced and captured German vehicles were pressed into service by the regiment's medical detachment. By 14 June, the entire regiment had landed, and the following day the 47th began combat operations, fighting alongside regiments of the 82nd Airborne Division, attacking along a path which was near, or included, Orglandes, Hautteville-Bocage, and Ste. Colombe. The regiment reached Saint-Lô-d'Ourville, via Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte, Saint-Sauveur-de-Pierrepont, and Neuville-en-Beaumont, by 18 June.

Relieved by the 357th Infantry Regiment (of the 90th Infantry Division) along the English Channel, facing Jersey, the regiment moved to Saint-Jacques-de-Néhou where it began its push northward to Vasteville, via Bricquebec; on 20 June it began its push towards Cherbourg, but was initially halted near Sideville by stiff German prepared defenses around the outskirts of the port city. On 22 June, the attack on Cherbourg began, with the regiment errantly being attacked by aircraft of the IX Bomber Command, and the 39th Infantry Regiment following behind its advancement; by the 24th the regiment had broken through the enemy defenses, and along with the 39th, where fighting within the suburb of Octeville. The regiment continued to fight in the western portion of Cherbourg, and by the 26th it captured German General Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben and Admiral Walter Hennecke. The city fell to the Allies by the next day; following the liberation of the port city, along with the 60th Infantry Regiment, the 47th fought the remaining German forces in Cap de la Hague, ultimately capturing over 6,000 Germans by 1 July.

By 10 July, the 9th Infantry Division was tasked to join the effort to liberate Saint-Lô; the next day it was attacked by the Panzer Lehr Division. On 11 July, wounded men and medical officers of the regiment's third battalion, were captured by German forces; one of the medical officers would later be killed by friendly fire and buried at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial, while the other was liberated at Château-Thierry while taking care of wounded prisoners of war. In early August the regiment, along with the 60th Infantry Regiment, was fighting in the area of Gathemo. The liberation of Château-Thierry occurred on 27 August, while the 9th Infantry Division was following the wake of the movement of the 3d Armored Division.

On 14 September, the regiment entered Germany, at or near, Roetgen; it was the first German city to fall to the Allies. The regiment penetrated the Siegfried Line near Schevenhütte on 16 September. This was followed by fighting in the Hürtgen Forest; during the battle the regiment captured Frenzerburg Castle. By 30 September, the regiment had lost 163 officers; one company alone lost 18 officers killed, leading to a loss of experienced leadership over time. During the Battle of the Bulge, the regiment served as a cornerstone of American resistance around Eupen. The regiment had the distinction of another first; on 8 March 1945, soldiers of the regiment became the first infantry troops to cross the Rhine River, doing so at Remagen; for its actions during the crossing of the Rhine, the regiment was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation. During March the regiment experienced multiple changes in command, at the beginning of the month Colonel Smythe departed the regiment, leaving Lieutenant Colonel Herman A. Schmidt to act as the regiment's commanding officer, only to be succeeded by Colonel Peter O. Ward a week later.

By early April, the 9th Infantry Division was assigned to III Corps, and was part of the effort against the Ruhr Pocket; once again the Panzer Lehr Division attacked the 9th Infantry Division. For its actions in repelling the attack the regiment earned another Distinguished Unit Citation. By mid-April 1945, the 9th Infantry Division was reassigned to VII Corps, and fought against remaining German forces in the Harz Mountains; there they encountered concentration camps near Nordhausen. After the Germans surrendered, the regiment conducted occupation duty in Germany, which lasted until late 1946.

Part of the Regiment's postwar occupation duty included a stint at the Dachau Concentration Camp. Elements of the 47th were assigned guard and administrative duty from July, 1945. By this time Dachau had been converted to its postwar use as an internment camp that would intern former SS, Nazi functionaries, and officers of the German army.

In December 1946, the regiment was deactivated in Germany.

Cold War