Hello from a New Guy!

I wanted to say "hello"! I came across this forum during my search for information on my maternal grandfather's unit he served in during WWII.

PFC Edward Theodore Niedzwiecki
Co. L, 3rd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, Sixth Army (1945-1946 ... he was a replacement soldier that fought in the battle of Luzon).

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

Welcome Sarge, what type information are you looking for?

 

Welcome! Rich A. in Pa.

 

Greetings Buten42!
Well, I have my grandfather's military records from the National Personnel Records Center ... I have been corresponding with several folks from the 35th Infantry Regiment's Association in regards to detailed unit history from WWII. I have been doing some general searching for any further information I can find on the 35th IN, my grandfather in general, and so on. Nothing really specific! I came across this forum when searching for information on the 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division during the fighting on Luzon, and on into their occupation assignment in Japan.


Jimmy

 

Welcome!

 

I think the 25th landed north of Manila.....Caraballo Mountains - Wikipedia
Which one is he? Please Wait...

 

Welcome to the forums!

 

Welcome to the Forum, Jimmy. Congrats on getting your grandfather's records. Not many are as fortunate. The guys at the Cacti Association are great. They have been very helpful in my research into my uncle who was a replacement for G Company. It's hard to find specific info on a specific soldier, at least not without a certain amount of good fortune. Unit records and histories usually mention only a few individuals if they mention any at all. You can get a certain amount of individual info from Morning Reports, but it will be more akin to bullet points as opposed to narrative. The 25th Infantry Division has a pretty good history book that comes up on Ebay regularly. Unfortunately, I have never seen a unit history book for the 35th Infantry Regiment.

 

Hello CAW1!
Well, neither of those are him. He was drafted in 41 but, because of his job, his induction was delayed (he was a welder by trade, and his company were building Sherman tanks for the army). He finally was inducted into the army 26 Sep 1944, and send to Fort Sheridan. His serial/service number is totally different than those on that webpage.

Greetings LRusso!
Yep! Those are my Grandparents. He was born and raised in Kalamazoo County, Michigan (a little town named Galesburg).

Hello TD-Tommy776!
I have been reading a couple of books on the 25th ID, as well as the 35th IN. They have provided a very good picture (for lack of a better term) of what those guys faced during the battle for Luzon.

And as for morning reports, I was able to piece together a little more detailed info from the morning report cards included in his service records from the NPRC. Bear with me as I try to get this right. These are his service assignments:

Fort Sheridan: 26 Sep 1944 - ???
Camp Hood (Texas): 6 Oct 1944 - 22 Jan 1045 ("C" Company, 148th Battalion)
Fort Ord (California): 7 Feb 1945 - 15 Feb 1945 (AGF Replacement Depot No. 2)
Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides: 8 Mar 1945 - 5 Apr 1945 (4th Replacement Depot)
Manila, Philippines: 8 Apr 1945 - 12 Apr 1945 (5th Replacement Depot)
Co. "L", 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division: (12 Apr 1945 - 28 Mar 1946)

Left for the USA (demobilization) on 28 Mar 1946, arriving at Camp McCoy (Wisconsin on 7 Apr 1946, and was honorably discharged on 12 Apr 1946.

I do have some very detailed action he went straight into just days after arriving to his command (Co. L, 35th IN) while they were at the "Puncan Rest Camp", through the remainder of the fighting on Luzon. As for their "operations" in Japan ... I don't have much outside of dates and locations the regiment were assigned.

He was awarded his CIB for the actions he was involved in from 27 Apr until 5 May 1945.

He was also in the hospital with malaria for a short stint. He was promoted to PFC on 1 Jun 1945, and is shown on morning reports as being in the 36th Evacuation Hospital in Palo, Leyte, Philippines - the morning report is dated 4 Jun 1945. The next morning report shows him as being in the 43rd Field Hospital in Urdaneta, Panganisan Province, Philippines - dated 9 Jun 1945. Then, the next morning report I have, shows him as being in the 37th Station Hospital in Dagupan, Luzon - dated 11 Jun 1945. And back with his command ("L" Co. 35th IN) on 21 Jun 1945 (also from the morning report).

Oh, I love the picture memorials in your signature line btw!


Jimmy

 

Oh, I forgot to add .... thanks to all for the welcome!

 

Wow you got all that from a couple of books and the NPRC The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) ??, Geeze, I want you on my team. Good stuff.

 

The replacements sometimes get lost. I've seen that before. Sometimes the MOH winners get lost too, as far as the records.But those guys don't need records due to the duplication of proof.

 

25th in Luzon with the CMB units in March of 45' driving south after Antipolo. I love the part about having a dinner party during the combat action. Unbelievable!!!

History of 98th Cml Mortar Bn

At 0430 hours, May 3, (the day PFC Jeston C. Whittington posthumously received his Silver Star) the Japs staged a banzai charge on the 35th Infantry Regiment front. Fortunately, they crossed an area which had been previously registered in, and the 1st platoon FO only had to shift his concentration to cover the area with seven volleys of HE which turned the attack into a rout. At daylight, the infantry counted 15 bodies in front of its position which was confirmed by Captain Lamenzo, S-3 of the 25th Infantry.
A battalion staff officer on his daily trip to Company C, drove through a Jap road block consisting of riflemen and a light machine gun. Neither the officer nor his driver was hurt but the jeep was pretty well peppered. The infantry later located the road block and knocked it out.
Our ammo was now very low and we had orders to fire only at well defined targets. When it was expended, we loaded up and moved back to San Jose only to find that the only available camp site was in the middle of a rice paddy which required hauling in tons of gravel. During this time, a section of the 2nd platoon fired a test pattern for the 25th Infantry Division chemical officer to determine the probability of error when firing incorrectly stored ammo.
By May 20, Balete Pass had been secured and the 25th Infantry Division was advancing on Santa Fe. The 2nd platoon moved out of camp and went into position in a deep draw some 400 yards from Balete Pass and within range of Santa Fe. As usual, all water had to be hauled in to wet down the 10-in-1 ration. Enemy shells sailed overhead to explode on the next hillside and we felt rather secure.
Company C's command post tents were erected on bamboo framework and the mess hall was constructed with rough floor boards. A water tank was liberated from a wrecked Jap truck and set up for a shower, and a suspension bridge was constructed of homemade cable made of twisted telephone wires and placed over a nearby stream. As usual, field expedients were the name of the game.
Five days later, the 3rd platoon relieved the 2nd platoon. The sector was relatively inactive except for an occasional artillery shell or Jap straggler trying to find his way through the infantry outposts.
The next day, the 3rd platoon was ordered to supplement the fire of Company A for the 126th Infantry Regiment on the Villa Verde Trail as the fight for Imugan was in its initial stages. The platoon was ordered into an area of soft clay which provided no footing for the mortar base plates. It was necessary to cut logs and place them in tiers to support the base plates in order to carry out the fire missions. Again, more field expedients.
The 3rd platoon moved to Imugen five days later where a good mortar position was found with excellent observation of the enemy territory. The platoon fired for four hours with good results. The 2nd platoon relieved the 3rd platoon and moved to positions 1,500 yards northeast of Santa Fe on May 30 in support of the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment. The 1st and 2nd platoons moved in and began firing as more ammo was now available. Enemy troops were trapped in a narrow valley and were the immediate target.
The 1st platoon returned to Company C's Command Post at San Jose.
All personnel were now entitled to wear a second star on their New Guinea Campaign ribbon for the Bismarck Archipelago. Corporal John J. Cassin received an appointment as 2nd Lieutenant.
A dinner was given at Battalion HQ in honor of Colonel Arthur, I Corps chemical officer, and all company COs were invited.
The 6th Infantry Division was back in the area, and two platoons from Company A, 98th CMB, were attached to the 63rd Infantry Regiment north of Bagabag, and the other platoon was attached to the 20th Infantry Regiment near Bagabag. On June 12, the company moved up Route 5 and stopped overnight with Company C at San Jose. The next day Company A's command post was set up one mile north of Bagabag.

 

"Lieutenant Bell's 3rd platoon of Company D was moving south with the 169th Infantry Regiment of the 43rd Division and joined up with Company C of the 98th CMB for several days on the Pozorrubio Road. At this time the 25th Infantry Division entered the scene and Captain Gerttula reported to Major General C. L. Mullins at San Jacinto. The two divisions were moving cautiously in an effort to corner the Japs for a knockout blow."

"Company D, 98th CMB, was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division which had been inserted between the 6th and 43rd Infantry Divisions to fill the ever widening arc in the lines as the troops drove further into the interior. The 1st platoon was assigned to the 27th Infantry Regiment and the platoon and Company Command Post moved in with them at Urdeneta. The 2nd platoon was ordered to support the 161st Infantry Regiment which had the mission of taking San Manuel."

"One more major battle was required to break General Yamashita's North-South line of communication for good. Going back to February 5, the 25th Infantry Division was coming into the picture. Captain Gerttula of our Company D reported to Major General C.L. Mullins and was assigned to the 35th Infantry Regiment at San Roque which was 1.5 miles west of Lupao. The 1st platoon was attached to the 1st Battalion and went into position in a rice paddy 300 yards in the rear of the assault companies. There was no camouflage and of course no defilade. Registration was begun in Lupao and, as the buildings began to burn, twelve Japs ran out and were caught in the ensuing volley of HE. Each probable route of the enemy approach was included in the registration fires for the night. Several unsuccessful attempts at infiltration were made after dark."
[Editor's note: For more detail on the Battle of Lupao, see the Addendum to this history.]

"The 6th and 43rd Infantry Divisions, with the help of the 25th, had succeeded in driving a substantial wedge between General Yamashita's north and south forces and he would no longer be able to have access to the mountains of supplies stored in Manila. How the SIXTH Army drove the enemy forces into the mountains where they could be effectively neutralized is the rest of the story."

History of 98th Cml Mortar Bn

 

Greetings from Arizona.

 

Welcome Sarge!