The 395th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, part of the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. It was organized with the rest of the 99th on 16 November 1942 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. During the Battle of the Bulge, the regiment—at times virtually surrounded by Germans—was one of the few units that did not yield ground to the attacking Germans. On at least six occasions they called in artillery strikes on or directly in front of their own positions. Their success in defending Höfen resulted in the 395th Infantry being repeatedly assigned to other divisions for difficult assignments during the remainder of the war, earning them the sobriquet, Butler's Blue Battlin' Bastards. The unit was inactivated after World War II, then became a reserve unit, and was redesignated as the 395th Regiment in 1999.
Lineage
Activated: 16 November 1942
Overseas: 30 September 1944
Campaigns: Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe
Days of combat: 151
Unit Awards: Presidential Unit Citations – 2
Individual Awards: Medal of Honor – 1 Distinguished Service Cross (United States) – 2
Commanding Officers: 395th Infantry Regiment: Lt. Col. Griffin 1st Battalion: Maj. Davis 2nd Battalion: Lt. Col. Boyden 3rd Battalion: Lt. Col. McClernand Butler (1 November 1942 – 30 April 1945) Lt. Col. J.A. Gallagher (1 May 1945 – 29 September 1945) Returned to U.S.: July 1945 Inactivated: 29 September 1945 at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts. Organized Reserves redesignated 25 March 1948 as the Organized Reserve Corps; redesignated 9 July 1952 as the Army Reserve Relieved 29 October 1998 from assignment to the 99th Infantry Division Redesignated 17 October 1999 as the 395th Regiment and reorganized to consist of the 1st, 2d, and 3d Battalions, elements of the 75th Division (Training Support); 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions concurrently allotted to the Regular Army
World War II
The regiment was organized with three battalions, each containing three rifle companies and a weapons company armed with .30 caliber and .50 caliber machine guns. The battalion also had its own Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, as well as medics and support personnel.
An Infantry Regiment consisted of: 3 Infantry Battalions | Regimental Headquarters and Headquarters Company | Service Company | Cannon Company | Anti-Tank Company | Medical Detach Each Infantry Battalion consisted of (35 officers and 825 men): 3 Rifle Companies | 1 Heavy Weapons Company | Battalion Headquarters and Headquarters Company Companies were lettered: 1st Battalion (Companies A-B-C-D) | 2nd Battalion (Companies E-F-G-H) | 3rd Battalion (Companies I-K-L-M) | *Companies D, H and M were Heavy Weapons Companies
Training and tactics
The regiment arrived at Camp Van Dorn in early December. The camp was newly built, and the barracks were covered in tar paper. From Camp Van Dorn they were transferred to the more established Camp Maxey in Paris, Texas for additional training. They engaged in division-level maneuvers in July 1944. The 395th was held in the United States until more room was available for the unit to enter Europe. From Camp Maxey they took a train to Camp Myles Standish outside Boston. The 99th boarded ships bound for England on 10 October 1944 and briefly stayed at Camp Marabout, Dorchester, England.
On 5 March 1941, as the United States began to mobilize for the possibility of war, McClernand Butler became a second lieutenant in the Regular Army. Butler's great-grandfather, General John Alexander McClernand, commanded infantry during the Civil War. Butler's uncle, General Edward J. McClernand, fought in the Indian Wars and was awarded the Medal of Honor. Butler's father had been a major in the Illinois National Guard and urged his son to become a guardsman when he was 16 years old. Butler attended, but did not graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He returned to Illinois and in 1933 was commissioned a second lieutenant in the National Guard. On 1 February 1944, Major Butler assumed command of the 3rd Battalion, 395th Regiment. Butler was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 21 March 1944, and remained in command of the 395th until 30 April 1945, when he collapsed from exhaustion. The war was over six days later.