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war in the pacific

Discussion in 'Military Service Records & Genealogical Research' started by megthered, Nov 12, 2007.

  1. megthered

    megthered recruit

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    I am doing research on my father in law. He was in the Pacific theatre in Hq 2nd Battalion 103 infantry, according to his discharge papers. He was awarded the Bronze star and the combat infantry medal. I would like to know anything about the battalion he was attached to. I have been on the internet and the only 103rd infantry I could find was the Cactus infantry in Europe. Where can I look for information. He was in Guadalcanal, New Guinea and the Northern Solomons. I have written to the National Archives, but his record was destroyed in the fire. The only thing they could give me were the discharge papers, which we had.

    Any information will be greatly appreciated.

    Peggy
     
    megthered, Nov 12, 2007
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  2. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Good Ol' Boy Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    It is late tonight and I need to go to bed. I can give you a good rundown of the 103rd tomorrow night.

    It was part of the 43rd Infantry Division. Look for it and you might find info on the 103rd.

    Cactus was the codename for Guadalcanal.
     
    Slipdigit, Nov 12, 2007
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  3. megthered

    megthered recruit

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    I look forward to any information you could give me. I did not know that Cactus was Guadalcanal.

    Thank you again,

    Peggy
     
    megthered, Nov 14, 2007
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  4. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Good Ol' Boy Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    Sorry for the delay.

    Cactus-You were looking at the 103rd Infantry Division, it was known as the Cactus Division. You wanted the 103rd Infantry Regiment of the 43rd Infantry Division. Regiments were sub-units of divisions. US regiments were 3-4000 men and infantry divisons 14-16000.

    103rd Infantry Regiment (IR) Inducted Federal service Portland Maine, assigned to 43rd Infantry Division (ID). Stationed at various post in US then departed San Francisco P/E 30 Sep 42, arrived New Zealand 25 Oct 42 then to Noumea New Caledonia 7 Nov 42, departing 13 Feb 43. Landed Guadalcanal 17 Feb 43 and Russell Island 21 Feb 43. Assualted New Georgia 30 Jun 43 and 3rd Battalion landed at Laiana New Guinea 14 Jul 43. Reg. returned to New Zealand 17 Feb 44 then to Aitape, New Guinea 22 Jul 44. Departed 26 Dec 44 and assualted Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philipines 9 Jan 45 (attached to 1st Cavalry Division 8-12 Mar 45). Arrived Japan for occupation duty 13 Sep 45. Returned to San Fran. 9 Oct 45. Inactivated Camp Stoneman, Ca 1 Nov 45.

    More info.

    43rd Infantry Division made up of the 103rd, 169th and 172nd Infantry Regiments, plus supporting units

    Commanders
    MGen Morris B Payne: Feb 41
    MGen John H. Hester Aug 41
    MGen Leonard F Wing Aug 43

    KIA 1128 WIA 4887 Died of Wounds 278

    Superior Commands
    South Pacific Area Command 22 Oct 42 to 19 Aug 44
    6th US Army 20 Aug 44 to 1 Oct 44
    8th US Army 2 Oct 44 to 16 Feb 45
    6th US Army 1 Feb 45 to 14 Aug 45
    8th US Army 15 Aug 45

    Divisional Patch [​IMG]


    103rd landed Russel Island without opposition.
    Other 2 regiments of the 43rdID landed unopposed Rendova Island 30 Jun 43 with 103rd joining 4 Jul 43.

    43rd ID moved to New Georgia 3-6 Jul 43 and attacked Munda Trail, reaching coast at Laiana by 13 Jul 43. All three regiments fought up Munda Trail with 103 and 169 IRs reaching Munda airfield 1 Aug 43, taking the field 5 Aug 43 after heavy fighting. Heavy combat on rest of Island until 15 Aug 43.

    Division moved to various islands inthe Solomons chain, performing garrions duties then moved in echelon to New Zealand by 26 Mar 44. Back to New Guinea by 4 Aug 44, assuming garrison duties.. Relieved by Australian 6th Division 10 Oct 44.

    Assaulted San Fabian area of Luzon Island, Philipines 9 Jan 45. Several important hills taken with the 103rd taking crest of hill 602* 21 Jan 45. Various other hills taken with 103rd in reserve, with entire 43rd ID going into reserve 17 Feb 45.

    43rd ID attacked Fort Stotsenburg area 28 Feb 45 and relieved the 40th ID in the Zambales Mountaiins 2 Mar 45. The 103rd seized Bench Mark 7 (?), the last Japanese strongpoint west of the Morong River Valley 16 Mar 45. Hill 1200 fell to the 172nd IR, allowing the Shimbu Line to be turned and the 103rd then secured Santa Maria Valley 1 Apr 45.

    43rd ID attacked toware Ipo 6 May 45 and after heavy combat seized Ipo Dam intact 14-17 May 45. Mopping up area took until 2 Jun 45, then 43rd ID moved to fight in the Wawa Wawa-Mt. Haponang area 26-60 Jun 45. 1 Jul 45, the division moved to Cabanatuan and trained until end of war.

    My info came from Order of Battle, US Army World War II, by Shelby Stanton

    Here are some web pages:
    43rd Infantry Division -- Winged Victory

    43rd Infantry Division (United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

    *Hills were numbered by their height in meters above sea level.
     
    Slipdigit, Nov 14, 2007
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  5. megthered

    megthered recruit

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    Thank you so much for the information. Since most of the records were lost in the St. Louis fire, this is great news for the family. We knew nothing about where he was because he would never talk about it, that is a problem with a lot of WWII vets. Now we piece together the information so no one will forget.

    Thank you again, very much.

    Peggy
     
    megthered, Nov 15, 2007
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  6. mnmike21

    mnmike21 recruit

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    dear megthered,

    I have been researching my father-in-law's service during WWII. His name was Jerome B Goldstein. He served with the 103rd Infantry on Guadalcanal and New Georgia. I just read a book called "Into The Shadows Furious", by, Brian Antobello, it was a historical account of that battle.

    The main objective of the battle was to take an airfield built by the Japanese. It was on a small peninsula called Munda Point. The 103rd were on the left flank of the attack and moved from their landing beach at Laiana and advanced along the coast towards Munda. A distance of several miles.

    The name for the over-all operation was code named Cartwheel. The conditions on New Georgia were some of the worst during war in the Pacific. From some a accounts I've read it was a living hell. It may be why your father-in-law was so reluctant to talk about it. There were a tremendous number of cases of battle fatigue. Some of the highest during the war.

    My father-in-law only opened up to me once after a few drinks. He recalled living in slime and mud filled holes for weeks on end. He said the nights were the worst, the Japanese would infiltrate American lines with knives and grenades. Every noise was nerve racking and resulted in many friendly fire incidents. He said there were several cases of men wounded at night, bleeding to death rather than calling out for help, afraid they would give away their positions. He contracted malaria and dysentery and was forced to defecate in his one piece uniform because it was too difficult to remove without exposing himself to enemy fire.

    I wrote a memorial tribute to him on my blog; commonsense: Local Boy Helps Save The World if you would care to read it.

    other keyword searches you might try are:
    Northern Solomon's
    Operation Cartwheel
    New Georgia WWII Pacific
    43rd Division
    Winged Division

    Good luck with your search.
    Let me know if you want further info.

    mnmike21
    mweber21_mn1@comcast.net
     
    mnmike21, Feb 6, 2008
    #6
  7. lefty

    lefty Member

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    Slipdigit, or Jeff,
    Can you do the same for the 186th. Infantry Regiment as you did above?
    Would be great!
    Thanks,
    lefty
     
    lefty, Feb 6, 2008
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  8. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Good Ol' Boy Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    I can, but it won't be tonight. If I haven't posted something by Sunday evening, PM me and remind me.
     
    Slipdigit, Feb 6, 2008
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  9. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Good Ol' Boy Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    This is the best I can do for you. All hand typed, no cutting and pasting.
    Source: Order of Battle, US Army World War II, by Stanton, 1984

    186th Infantry Regiment (IR), 41st Infantry Division (ID) (Oregon National Guard)

    Inducted 16 Feb 40 in Federal Service at Portland Oregon, assigned to 41st Infantry Division and moved to Camp Murray WA 23 Sep 1940 then to Fort Lewis WA 20 Mar 41 and departed San Francisco P/E 22 Apr 42. Arrived Australia 14 May 42 and moved by air to the Buna-Gona area of NEw Guinea about 25 Jan 43. Returned to Australia Jul 43 and back to New Guinea 11 May 44. Assualted Hollandia 27 Apr 44; assualted Biak Island 27 May 44 and departed 2 Feb 44. Assualted Palawan Island, Philipines 28 Feb 45 and rejoined divisin at Zamboanga Mindanao 27 Mar 45. Inactivated in Japan 31 Dec 45.


    41st Infantry Divsion Narrative (excluding other detached regiments) [Some of the information is hard to follow as the narrative I am reading mentions "the division", but due to the nature of the operation, it sometimes was only 1 regiment out the three actually fighting, but I don't know which one]

    Division moved in echelon to Australia, arriving 9 Apr through 13 May 42, depending on the regiment. See above for the 186th's dates.

    The division moved to New Guinea with the 163rd IR carrying the burden of the fighting and returned to Australia by 3 Oct 43.

    Division relocated to Finschhafen New Guinea on 20 Mar 44 and regiments parceled out on different tasks. The 186th and 162nd formed Task Force RECKLESS and lnvaded Humboldt Bay 22 Apr 44. The two regiments captured Hollandia and Sentani airdromes. They were relieved by the 24th ID 6 May 44 and division moved to Hollekang for rehab.

    186th landed against slight oppostion on Biak Island 27 May 44. The 162nd was forced back from it's positions west of Parai and was forced to evacuate by land and water to a small perimeter near Idbi. The 163rd landed 31 May 44 and the 186th pushed into the Island plateau on 1 June 44. AFter 162nd reorganized and began push through the Parai Defile, which was not cleared until the entire division was committed on 12 Jun 44. The 186th seized Mokmar Airfield 7 Jun 44 and the caves were cleared by 4 Jul 44. The division mopped up the island until 20 Aug 44. Division departed Biak by echelon 29 Jan-1 Feb 45 and moved to Mindoro, Philipines, 8-9 Feb 45.

    The 186th assulted Palawan Island 28 Feb 45, taking Puerto Princesa and it's airfields, seized hill 1445 on 8 Mar 45 and eliminated Japanese mountain positions until 27 Mar 45, when it returned to division control. The division landedon the Zamboanga Peninsula on Mindanao on 10 Mar 45. Orgainzied resistance here ended 29 Mr 45. Division assaulted numerous small islands in the area, with the 186th taking Busuanga Island 4 May 45. Fighting continued on the various islands and the division continued to mop up the area until the then end of the war.

    KIA 743 WIA 3,504 Died of Wounds 217

    Commanders (in the Pacific)
    MG Horace H. Fuller (Dec 41- Jun 44)
    MG Jens A. Doe (Jun 44 - )

    Assignments:
    Army Forces in Australia -6 May 42
    I Corps - 8 Sep 42
    Sixth Army - 24 Feb 44
    I Corps - 23 Mar 44
    Sixth Army - 6 May 44
    I Corps - 15 Jun 44
    Sixth Army - 29 Jun 44
    Eighth Army - 9 Oct 44
    I Corps - 1 Jul 45
    X Corps - 15 Aug 45

    The switching back and forth from Army to Corps was usually indicative of the division passing from active combat participation to reserve (R&R, etc).

    Organizaton 1944
    162nd IR (formerly Oregon National Guard)
    163rd IR (formerly Montana NG)
    186th IR
    Arty
    146th Field Artillery Battalion (105mm)
    167 FA (105)
    295th FA (105)
    218th FA (155)
    41st REcon Troop, Mech
    116th Engineer Combat Batt
    116th Medical Batt
    41st Counter Intell Corps Det.
    Special Troops
    Military Police platoon
    741st Ordinance light Maintenance Co.
    41st QM Co.
    41t Signal Co.
     
    Slipdigit, Feb 15, 2008
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  10. lefty

    lefty Member

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    Thanks a bunch for all your work on the 186th. I appreciate it.
    lefty
     
    lefty, Feb 16, 2008
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  11. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Good Ol' Boy Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    You'll have to take that up with Shelby Stanton, I'm just the messenger.

    Please tell us more about it, as you are able to.
     
    Slipdigit, Feb 16, 2008
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  12. Thor1964

    Thor1964 Member

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    My dad was with the 186th as well. He got to the pacific near the end of 1943 and saw his 1st action at Hollandia and he was at Biak as well. I remember asking him if ever had a really rough amphibious landing similar to a D-day. I thought he said that his landings themselves were relatively easy and he never was pinned down on the beach or anything like that. He told me about horrendous fighting after the landings were completed and they advanced.

    But I guess if you are one of the first troops in the landing and in the line of fire of that "slight" resistance then it doesn't seem too slight!

    I have read your other posts Jack and find them fascinating. What did you think of Macarthur? My dad respected him immensely as a General but I don't he cared for his ego. He also thought Truman was correct in replacing him in Korea.

    Thanks,
    Tom
     
    Thor1964, Apr 24, 2008
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  13. MDJ696

    MDJ696 Member

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    mnmike21. While I was video taping my dad his experiences with 43rd Recon stories I've heard all my life, he stated that while they were camped on Rendova, John Kennedy would pull up in his PT boat and get some of their men to man their machine guns on his boat at night. I damned near fell out of my chair.
     
    MDJ696, Mar 8, 2010
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  14. MDJ696

    MDJ696 Member

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    I have my dads photo album 1942 Camp Shelby, Ms. Whats your father in laws name, I'll see if I can find his army photo.
     
    MDJ696, Apr 19, 2010
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  15. rcncopywriting

    rcncopywriting recruit

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    Hi Mike,

    My wife came upon your e-mail from a forum dedicated to the     103rd Infantry, and she noted that you are an authority on their achievements in the Asian Pacific theatre during WWII. My grandfather, Staff Sargent William J. Brophy, was in the 103rd, 43rd division and fought in Guadalcanal and the Phillipines. My family is currently in the process of putting together a mini movie and collecting all of his medals and accommodations for Christmas this year. We’ve been surprised at what we have found out about his service in the Phillipines, particularly in the taking of Luzon.

    We’ve always known that he had received a bronze star and three purple hearts, but my Mother’s recent research revealed that he also received a second bronze star, with the rare “V” device for valor. We have a letter that outlines a key heroic act that he took to flank Japanese forces that were pinning down the entire 43rd’s movement into Luzon. His actions caused the Japanese forces to withdraw, which allowed the 43rd to move forward.

    I’d be happy to send you the letter and further details if it can help you in your own collections.

    I also wanted to ask you of the following:

    1. Do you happen to have any photos of the 43rd, and any record of a William J. Brophy? We have some pictures, but would be curious if there are any more.
    2. Do you have any photos of the operation to take Luzon?
    3. Do you have any further information about “operation toenails?” I believe it was a part of operation cartwheel, which my Grandfather was a part of.

    Any information would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks!

    Kind Regards,

    Mike
     
    rcncopywriting, Nov 28, 2011
    #15
  16. WW2 grandfather

    WW2 grandfather New Member

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    My Grandfather was Staff Sgt Ben Metivier. He served with the 43rd Division 103rd Infantry Company D He has an amazing photo album, but I don’t have a lot of details. He was shot twice during the war (“scrapes”), contracted malaria, and in 1945 made it back to my grandmother in Maine. He died before I was born in late 60’s because the malaria weakened his heart. I’d love to hear if anyone from company D kept a diary.
    Here are some of the photos
     

    Attached Files:

    WW2 grandfather, Apr 22, 2018
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  17. OpanaPointer

    OpanaPointer I Point at Opana Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    OpanaPointer, Apr 22, 2018
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