111th Infantry in WWII

While many know the iconic performance of the 28th Division in WWII in Europe, one element of today’s Division served with distinction on the other side of the world in the Pacific Theater of Operations.  Though the 111th Infantry was mobilized as a member of the 28th Infantry Division on February 17th 1941, it would receive a new set of orders, which separated them from the rest of the Pennsylvania National Guard for the duration of the war

In February of 1942 the Army “modernized” its National Guard Divisions. As part of this modernization an Infantry Division composed previously of four Infantry Regiments in two Brigades, reformed as a Division with three Infantry Regiments under the command of the Division Headquarters. While the rest of the 28th Division would continue training for combat in Europe, the 111th would be detached and take on new duties. Transferred to the Army Ground Forces Reserve the 111th was assigned to the east coast of Virginia where it guarded power plants, railroads, tunnels and other critical war installations.

Their assignment to Army Ground Forces Reserve would be short lived, and only a few months later the 111th Infantry was transferred to the 3rd Coastal Artillery District, Fort Monroe in Suffolk, Virginia. The 3rd Coastal Artillery District covered the Harbor Defenses of the City of Baltimore and the Chesapeake Bay. The 111th Infantry became part of 70,000 troops assigned to Harbor Defense and Coastal Defense in 1942. The 111th became part of a “Mobile Defense Force”, as such they would patrol coastline, man radar stations, and work with Coast Guard and civilians to watch for possible signs of sabotage along the coast. The Regiment spread out along North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, and Maryland. It would perform duty here until October of 1943.

Hawaii

The 111th Infantry began it’s first stint overseas I WWI departing on the USS West Point November 9th, 1943, en route to Honolulu, Hawaii. There, the 3rd Battalion received orders to assist in combat operations on Makin Island and left the rest of the Regiment behind on December 3rd. The Regimental Headquarters along with the 1st and 2nd Battalions were stationed at Schofield Barracks and began duties at the Army’s Jungle Warfare Training School. The 1st Battalion of the Regiment assumed duties as staff and “Defense Battalions” at the school, while the 2nd Battalion began courses on jungle warfare at the schoolhouse. The training consisted of river crossings, marksmanship, patrolling, demolition training and jungle tactics. With the 111th slated for operations in the Pacific Theatre, this new training would be far more useful than anything learned at Indiantown Gap or in the Carolinas. Units rotating back from combat in the pacific staffed the Jungle Training Center and brought vivid lessons from the battlefield to the men training there.

Kwajalein

In December of 1943 elements of the 111th Infantry were selected to participate in the invasion of Kwajalein Island. The 1st Battalion (less Company C) and volunteers from the 2nd Battalion were attached to the 7th Infantry Division and departed Hawaii in January 1944 for the Marshall Islands. Company C and the remainder of 2nd Battalion 111th Infantry assumed defensive positions at Ft Hase, Hawaii.  On January 31st, 1944, the unit participated in Operation Flintlock, the invasion of Kwajalein. Though the initial landings were successful, extended mopping up operations saw casualties among the regiment mount. During the fighting from January 31st to February 4th, ten soldiers from the 111th Infantry were killed in action. The unit continued to conduct mop up operations around the island, and on March 23rd, 1944, 3rd Battalion of the 111th (which had been deployed to Makin Atoll) rejoined them to conduct garrison duties. Other elements would later garrison Eniwetok Atoll, and three more members of the regiment would be killed during mop up and reconnaissance operations in the island chain before the final units returned to Hawaii on October 6th, 1944.

Return to Hawaii and Combat at Peleliu

On October 6th, 1944, the entire 111th Infantry was again together for the first time in nearly a year. The 3rd Battalion fresh off duty Kwajalein Atoll was assigned to the Jungle Training Center to conduct refresher training. Battalions rotated guard duty and provost duty in the region, in addition to conducting training exercises to prepare for future operations. On December 14th, 1944, the entire Regiment was brought back together at Schofield Barracks and entered a phase of “high intensity training”. Relieved from all other garrison duties the regiment spent several weeks training on ranges, at the Jungle Training Center, and preparing equipment and supplies for overseas movement. On January 5th 1945, Companies D and H were attached to 81st Infantry Division and forward deployed, and on January 19th the rest of the 111th Infantry shipped to the Palaus.

After an initial garrison at Eniwetok, the 111th landed at Peleliu on January 31st, 1945 to conduct garrison operations and mop up missions in the surrounding islands. Platoons and companies are regularly detached to conduct independent operations. In early May the Regiment began operations to clear the outlying islands of Eomogen, Abappaomogen, and Bassett. Over the course of May 9th-May 11th seven soldiers were wounded and one killed securing enemy positions. The Regiment remained on Peleliu until November 2nd 1945, when it was sent back to Camp Anza, California, where it was inactivated, with all remaining members shipping to separation stations across the country.