Post by 2nd Bat on Oct 17, 2020 13:24:30 GMT -5
With a heritage that goes back to the War of 1812 the 39th Infantry Regiment became one of 3 Infantry Regiments in the 9th ID during WW2. They fought in most of the key battles in the ETO and MTO. They landed in North Africa and also Sicily. In Normandy they landed on June 12th and fought thru the hedgerows to St Lo. They broke through in operation Cobra and were tasked with clearing the Cotin Peninsula and the fortified harbors which made for bitter fighting and high casualties. Later when those efforts were mostly abandoned they took part in the battle of Mortain and the sweep to the Seine. Later the Sons pocket and the Hurtgen Forest. They defended the shoulder of the Buldge Counter Offensive and crossed the Rhine at Remagen. The entered the Ruhr and were still actively engaged at the end of hostilities in Europe.
The 39th initial Regimental Commander was injured severely in North Africa. (Horribly broken leg). Bradley then appointed Col. Harry "Paddy" Flint, who at 56 was very old for a field commander. He was colorful and was described by Patton (of all people) as "probably nuts, but by God he will fight!". Col Flint instilled a fighting spirit and emphasized their motto of " Anything, Anywhere,anytime, bar none. He created a sort of logo with an AAA-O which against orders he had stenciled on the sides of all the front line units helmets . Prior to Flint the motto had denigrated to: Ask And we Ain't, no way! The logo on the helmets defied the need for unit secrecy but Flint said he wanted the enemy to know who they were fighting so they would choose to surrender or run away.
Once in Normandy Paddy continuously lead from the front and exposed himself to fire. Patton wrote of him in a letter to his wife Beatrice and said "He expects to die fighting and I expect he will." In WW2 the wirey old cowboy was usually dressed in a paratrooper M42 tunic with a section of camo parachute cloth as a scarf. Para nylon as scarfs was commonplace on 39th Infantryman in the short time he was commander he was awarded an incredible 2 Distinguished Service Crosses, 3 Silver stars and a Legion of Merit. He was killed 24 Days after landing in Normandy after leading an attack on an enemy pill box. The fighting seemed over and he was shot from long range while casually stepping into a farm house. He was initially buried in France but now rests in Arlington. The 39th of the 9th ID would be an excellent choice for an Infantry Impression.
The 39th initial Regimental Commander was injured severely in North Africa. (Horribly broken leg). Bradley then appointed Col. Harry "Paddy" Flint, who at 56 was very old for a field commander. He was colorful and was described by Patton (of all people) as "probably nuts, but by God he will fight!". Col Flint instilled a fighting spirit and emphasized their motto of " Anything, Anywhere,anytime, bar none. He created a sort of logo with an AAA-O which against orders he had stenciled on the sides of all the front line units helmets . Prior to Flint the motto had denigrated to: Ask And we Ain't, no way! The logo on the helmets defied the need for unit secrecy but Flint said he wanted the enemy to know who they were fighting so they would choose to surrender or run away.
Once in Normandy Paddy continuously lead from the front and exposed himself to fire. Patton wrote of him in a letter to his wife Beatrice and said "He expects to die fighting and I expect he will." In WW2 the wirey old cowboy was usually dressed in a paratrooper M42 tunic with a section of camo parachute cloth as a scarf. Para nylon as scarfs was commonplace on 39th Infantryman in the short time he was commander he was awarded an incredible 2 Distinguished Service Crosses, 3 Silver stars and a Legion of Merit. He was killed 24 Days after landing in Normandy after leading an attack on an enemy pill box. The fighting seemed over and he was shot from long range while casually stepping into a farm house. He was initially buried in France but now rests in Arlington. The 39th of the 9th ID would be an excellent choice for an Infantry Impression.