AT Companies in WWII -- (specifically, but not limited to, 411th and 157th Infantry Regiments)

Hey guys-


I'm looking for more information regarding AT Companies in Europe in WWII.


My grandfather wrote "AT Co." on all his return addresses, which (I believe) refers to Anti-Tank Company. He shipped over in '44 as part of the 411th infantry regiment (103rd Div) and then transferred to 157th infantry regiment (45th Div) in January of '45. While I've been reading through accounts of these divisions, standard infantry companies were often mentioned, such as A, B, C, etc. but there was little to no mention of AT companies.




My question basically, is how did the AT company function within a regiment? Were they a standalone group like the aforementioned A/B/C/etc.? Were members of AT co. distributed among the rest of the companies? Did they stay at the rear and only come to the front when facing enemy tanks?




Any info you could give me would help me better understand my grandfather's experiences and add to my general knowledge, thanks in advance!

 

In early wartime, a division would have an organic anti-tank capability, usually battalion strength, but by 1944/5 the AT function was passed over to tank destroyer battalions that were assigned to support a Division, much like the independent tank battalions.

The division had organic arty but I doubt they would have referred to themselves as an anti-tank function. The independent Tank, TD, and Artillery support battalions were shifted from supporting one division to another quite frequently.

There were also bazooka teams that were organic to a company served as the local AT point defense, but these weren't company-strength.

During the winter of 1944/5 the 103d and 45th were both embroiled in the Nordwind/Winter Solstice furball in the Alsace region of France. Support battalions were flying from Division to division during this series of battles to plug holes in the front lines. I suppose anything was possible, but formally transferring from one division to another at the individual level was somewhat unheard of. Ruling out transfer at the individual level, I looked for support battalions. I couldn't find a TD or Arty Battalion that served with both the 103d and 45th in this time period.

I hope someone can come up with a better explanation, but I can't tie the loose ends together. Perhaps "AT Co." meant something else....

 

Each infantry regiment had an organic anti-tank company; no doubt this is what CB's grandfather referred to. The company had nine guns, 57mm at that time. There was also an anti-tank platoon of three guns in each infantry battalion, for a total of eighteen in the regiment and 57 in the division, not sure where the last three were. It might be said that these numbers in aggregate were equivalent to a battalion, but there was no literal AT battalion in the division. As noted tank destoryer battalions were often attached, these could be either towed guns or SP.

 

If you want an inside view of what is was like to be in an AT Gun crew, there is this veteran's book from the 26th ID.

Normandy to the Bulge by Pfc. Richard D. Courtney


This thread has many views on the American use of the 57mm AT Gun.

http://www.ww2f.com/artillery/35810-us-57mm-m1-anti-tank-gun.html


How your grandfather managed to switch divisions could be an interesting story but is probably not recorded in documents. The 45th ID was a National Guard outfit, did your grandfather have any friends or relatives from AZ, CO, NM or OK? The 103d ID went to relieve parts of the 45th ID in January 1945 and he may have come across people he knew and somehow arranged a transfer. Oh the stories we have lost...

 

More info after some digging: The 411th did have an anti-tank company, info available here:
103rd Cactus Division Sections Some few names are available; See if your grandfather is listed. I would love to know the reason for a divisional transfer as well!

And re: Carronade's comment - if each regiment had an AT company, and given three regiments to each division, then the Division would have three Companies of AT resources, which is therefore battalion strength as I originally stated.

 

Wow guys, thanks so much! This is amazing information!

Earthican and UpfromMarseille -- My grandfather did not have any friends in those states that I'm aware of. My guess from doing a little research is that the 157th got so banged up at the battle at Reipertswiller that they pulled in some replacements from the 411th who I believe were in that area in support, or something along those lines.

My grandfather did have an interesting history of switching groups though. I'm attaching a "timeline" of return addresses from his envelopes he sent home from 1941-1945. I don't know if they'll give you any clues, but since you guys are the experts, I thought it wouldn't hurt to include. Let me know if you can't make out the dates on the postage and I'll help out. Thanks in advance!

View attachment 15761

 

Did anyone else notice that in 1942 he is a Sgt. and then in 1944 a Cpl. then switches back to Sgt. in 1945?

 

I hadn't noticed that. The rank reduction seems to have happened around the time he was moved from a Costal Arty unit to an AAA unit. Maybe there wasn't a Sgt. slot available in the AAA unit or someone else had more seniority. Of course, there's always the possibility of some ill advised behavior. Regardless, he eventually got his Sgt. stripes back so it's all good.

 

Not likely. I don't know if I've ever come across an actual case of this. Normally, you can fill a billet above or below your current rank depending upon staffing levels. Seniority really wouldn't matter, if in an equal billet the senior person would still be senior, and a junior seniority service member can be placed over a senior person of the same rank if the junior person is filling a higher billet.

 

Yeah, you're probably right. Now that I think about it, the only time I can recall someone being reduced in rank for reasons other than punishment. That involved going from the National Guard to Regular Army. The Army did not accept his time in service/grade since he was a "weekend warrior". I don't recall anything more specific than that as it was 20+ years ago.

 

If memory serves, this practice was instituted in late September 1944. Prior to that, the unit had to adhere to the TO&E guidelines pretty strictly. I ran across a case where a T5 was "extra" according to the TO&E and he was given a choice: Take a demotion back to PFC and stay in the outfit, or keep the T5 and be transferred to an outfit that needed a T5. He stayed.

 

Recently came across another thread on the Forum that may be of interest:

114th Infantry - Antitank Unit