WWII

On July 6th, 1942, the Regiment was sent up north to participate in the Carolina maneuvers and was told that “this would be the last dry run, and after that, they would be facing the enemy for real next time.” In August 1942, the regiment was moved straight from the Carolina maneuvers to Camp Edwards, Massachusetts, for last-minute training and troop replacements to get the division up to strength.

On April 2nd, 1943, the regiment sailed out of New York Harbor on the USS Brazil bound towards North Africa. While en route to North Africa, the convoy had 26 U-boat encounters. On April 13th, 1943, the Regiment arrived at the port in Oran, Algeria. While in Algeria, the Regiment underwent more training and marching to prepare them for the combat that awaited them.

In May 1943, while the rest of the regiment was doing more amphibious landing training, some of the men and officers of the regiment were sent on temporary duty to Tunisia. Their mission was to fight alongside another division against Rommel’s Afrika Corps to get some real combat experience to share with the rest of the regiment.

In August 1943, the Regiment was sent to the St. Cloud and Arzew staging areas to prepare for the Invasion of Italy. In early September, the regiment was loaded onto ships bound for Salerno Bay at the harbor in Oran. On September 8th, the news was announced that Italy had surrendered; everyone cheered and celebrated and hoped that there would be no need for an Invasion or that they would land on a friendly shore, but officers and NCOs’ were quick to remind the men that there were still Germans in Italy as well.

On September 9th, 1943, the unit participated in Operation Avalanche, the Invasion of Italy. They landed near the ancient Greek colony of Paestum. It was their first time in combat, and the Germans threw everything they had at them to try to push them back into the sea, including Mark IV panzers, but the regiment held its ground and fought the panzers off with rifles and grenades. After 12 days of bloody fighting, the Germans withdrew north, and the beaches in Salerno Bay were secure.

The next task given to the unit was to push the Germans out of a small village called San Pietro; the unit first moved into the sector in early November 1943. To take San Pietro, the entire Division was needed to take Mt Sammucro. This mountain earned the nickname “Million Dollar Mountain” because of the many casualties sustained (the heavy price) trying to take Mt Sammucro. After taking Mt. Sammucro, the Division had to clear the Mignano Gap and take Mt. Lungo. The fighting was very tough, and San Pietro did not get into Allied hands until December 25th, 1943.

Once the Allies had hit the Gustav Line with Monte Cassino in the middle, the fighting came to a standstill. The battle to break the Gustav line became a slugfest, with the allies feeding troops to the Gustav line, hoping to break it, something reminiscent of the Somme in World War One. The unit was tasked with crossing the Rapido River in hopes of breaking through the Gustav line and moving up Highway 6 to Rome, while the same day, troops landing at Anzio would be able to push through and link up with the troops moving up from the south. On January 21st, the unit first tried to cross the river but was repelled due to mines and heavy artillery coming from 88’s and machine gun fire. The fire was so intense that most of the boats that would be used to cross the river had been damaged and unusable. The next day, a second assault was tried; this time, elements of the 141st made it across the river, but once it became clear that there was no way to establish a bridgehead, the attack was called off. The troops that had made it across the river during the assault tried to retreat back across the river but, for the most part, were rounded up and taken prisoner by the Germans. The Rapido River is still a topic of debate and a sore subject with veterans of the 141st and 143rd regiments to this day. After the failed Rapido River crossing, the unit was pulled back and put on the line in the mountains facing Monte Cassino.