36th Infantry Division (United States)

The 36th Infantry Division ("Arrowhead" ), also known as the Texas Division, is a modular division of the United States Army and the Texas Army National Guard. It was activated for service in World War II on 25 November 1940, and was sent overseas in April 1943.

It was reorganized in May 2004 from the 49th Armored Division.

History
World War I

The 36th Infantry Division was originally activated as the 15th Division, an Army National Guard Division from Texas and Oklahoma. The new unit also received a new commander, Major General Edwin St. John Greble. The designation was changed to the 36th Division in July 1917. The final composition of the 36th Division consisted of the 71st and 72nd Infantry Brigades, the 141st and 142nd Infantry Regiments belonging to the 71st. The 143rd and 144th Infantry Regiments were attached to the 72nd Brigade. Belonging to the 71st was also the 132nd Machine Gun Battalion. Similarly, the 72nd received the 133rd Machine Gun Battalion. The 61st Field Artillery Brigade, 131st, 132nd, and 133rd Field Artillery Regiments, 111th Regiment Engineers, 111th Signal Battalion and the 111th Supply Train comprised the rest of the 36th Division. The unit trained at Camp Bowie, Texas, then in Tarrant County, the site of the present-day city of Fort Worth. The unit was sent to Europe in July 1918 and conducted major operations in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. On 9–10 October, the unit participated in heavy combat near the village of St. Etienne. Following this victory, which included the capture of several hundred German men and officers, as well as artillery, the unit launched an assault near an area known as "Forest Farm." During World War I, the division suffered 2,584 casualties, 466 killed in action and 2,118 wounded in action. The unit was inactivated in June 1919.

World War II Europe
The 36th was called up again for active federal service on 25 November 1940, at San Antonio, Texas. The division loaded all of its equipment, mustered its personnel, and departed for its mobilization station at Camp Bowie, Texas on 14 December 1940. The 36th moved to Brownwood, Texas on 1 June 1941, where it participated in the VIII Corps Brownwood Maneuvers until 13 June 1941. The division then returned to Camp Bowie.

The division then moved to Mansfield, Louisiana, and took part in both the August and September 1941 Louisiana Maneuvers. The division then returned to Camp Bowie on 2 October 1941, where it was reorganized into a triangular infantry division on 1 February 1942.

The division then moved to Camp Blanding, Florida on 19 February 1942, and participated in the Carolina Maneuvers between 9 July 1942, and 15 August 1942. The division then was staged at Camp Edwards, Massachusetts on 17 August 1942, for its port call.

The division departed the New York Port of Embarkation on 2 April 1943, for North Africa.

Pre 2 October 1941 square organization

 * HHC, 36th Infantry Division, TXARNG
 * 36th Military Police Platoon
 * 36th Signal Company
 * 111th Ordnance Company
 * 111th Engineer Regiment (CBT), TXARNG
 * 111th Medical Regiment
 * 111th Quartermaster Regiment
 * HHC, 71st Infantry Brigade, TXARNG
 * 141st Infantry, TXARNG.
 * 142nd Infantry, TXARNG
 * HHC, 72nd Infantry Brigade, TXARNG
 * 143rd Infantry, TXARNG
 * 144th Infantry, TXARNG
 * HHB, 61st Field Artillery Brigade, TXARNG
 * 131st Field Artillery Regiment (75mm), TXARNG
 * 132nd Field Artillery Regiment (75mm), TXARNG
 * 133rd Field Artillery Regiment (155mm), TXARNG

2 October 1941 triangular reorganization

 * HHC & Special Troops, 36th Infantry Division, TXARNG
 * 36th Military Police Platoon
 * 36th Signal Company
 * 36th Quartermaster Company
 * 36th Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment
 * 36th Mechanized Reconnaissance Troop
 * 736th Ordnance Company (LM)
 * 111th Engineer Battalion (CBT), TXARNG
 * 111th Medical Battalion
 * 141st Infantry Regiment, TXARNG [cited by Heinz Guderian in his order of battle, prepared after the war at Allied request, as rating #2 of all Allied forces in the ETO]
 * 142nd Infantry Regiment, TXARNG
 * 143rd Infantry Regiment, TXARNG
 * HHB, 36th Division Artillery, TXARNG
 * 131st Field Artillery Battalion (105mm), TXARNG
 * 132nd Field Artillery Battalion (105mm), TXARNG
 * 133rd Field Artillery Battalion (105mm), TXARNG
 * 155th Field Artillery Battalion (155mm), TXARNG

1944–1945 augmentations

 * 191st Tank Battalion (26 August 1944 – 31 August 1944)
 * 753rd Tank Battalion (15 August 1944 – 26 December 1944); (4 March 1945 – 29 March 1945); (29 April 1945 – 13 June 1945).
 * 636th Tank Destroyer Battalion (15 August 1944 – 29 March 1945; 29 April 1945 – 13 June 1945.
 * 822nd Tank Destroyer Battalion (29 April 1945 – 1 May 1945.
 * 443rd Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion (AW)(7 December 1944 – 13 January 1945.

Combat chronicle
The 36th Infantry Division landed in North Africa, 13 April 1943, and trained at Arzew and Rabat. It was assigned to the VI Corps, Fifth Army, but attached to Services of Supply, North African Theater of Operations U.S. Army (NATOUSA), for supply. The division first saw action on 9 September 1943, when it landed by sea at Paestum on the Gulf of Salerno against intense German opposition. The Germans launched counterattacks on 12–14 September, but the 36th repulsed them with the aid of air support and naval gunfire, and advanced slowly, securing the area from Agropoli to Altavilla.

After a brief rest the 36th returned to combat, 15 November. It captured Mount Maggiore, Mount Lungo, and the village of San Pietro despite strong enemy positions and severe winter weather. This grueling campaign was marked by futile attempts to establish a secure bridgehead across the Rapido River, 1 January 1944, to 8 February 1944. After assisting the 34th Division in the attack on Cassino and fighting defensively along the Rapido River, the severely depleted 36th withdrew, 12 March 1944, for rest and recreation. The division arrived by sea at the Anzio Beachhead, 22 May 1944, to take part in Operation Diadem, with the breakout from the beachhead commencing the following day. It drove north to capture Velletri, 1 June, and entered Rome on the 5th. Pushing up from Rome, the 36th encountered sharp resistance at Magliano, but reached Piombino, 26 June 1944, before moving back to Paestum for rest and recreation.

On 15 August 1944, as part of the 6th Army Group, the division made another amphibious assault landing, against light opposition in the Saint-Raphaël-Fréjus area of Southern France as part of Operation Dragoon. A rapid advance opened the Rhone River Valley. Montelimar fell, 28 August, and large German units were trapped. On 15 September 1944, the Division was attached to the French First Army.The 36th advanced to the Moselle River at Remiremont and the foothills of the Vosges. In a grinding offensive, the Division crossed the Meurthe River, breached the Ste. Marie Pass and burst into the Alsatian Plains. The enemy counterattacked, 13 December 1944, but the 36th held the perimeter of the Colmar Pocket. On 15 December 1944, the Division was released from attachment to the First French Army, and returned to the control of VI Corps. The German Army counterattacks out of the Colmar Pocket were so fierce, that at times, the field artillery was forced to fire over open sights, at point blank range to stop them. On 20 December 1944, the Division resumed the attack, advancing northward along the Rhine River to Mannheim meeting heavy resistance at Haguenau, Oberhofen, and Wissembourg. In this action Company "G" 143rd Infantry Regiment gained a Presidential Unit Citation. On 27 December 1944, the division was reassigned to XXI Corps, and the division was pinched out and returned to Seventh Army Reserve on 30 December 1944.

The division was taken out of the line for the first time since it had landed in the south of France. On 3 January 1945, the division was reassigned to XV Corps. On 18 January 1945, the division was reassigned to VI Corps. It returned to the line early March 1945. The 36th was reassigned to the Seventh Army on 29 March 1945, and moved to the Danube River on 22 April 1945. It was reassigned to the XXI Corps on 27 April 1945, and attacked the "National Redoubt" at Künzelsau on the 30th. The 36th has been recognized by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum as a liberating unit for their work securing the subcamps of the Dachau concentration camp system. By 8 May 1945, the division was based in Kitzbühel, Austria where it captured Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, the commander of all German army forces on the Western front, and its final station was at Kufstein, Austria on 14 August 1945.

After 400 days of combat, the 36th Infantry Division returned to the United States in December 1945. It was returned to the Texas Army National Guard on 15 December 1945.

World War II - The Lost Battalion
The 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, long with the rest of the 36th Infantry Division, was mobilized for federal service on 20 November 1940. It was soon sent to Camp Bowie at Brownwood.

Earmarked as part of the reinforcements to U.S. Army troops in the Philippine Islands, the Battalion was detached from the 36th Infantry and sailed on the USS Republic (AP-33) on 21 November 1941. It arrived at Pearl Harbor on the 28th of the same month. After refueling in Hawaii, the ship sailed south in the company of several other troopships, including the Chaumont, Hallmark, Holbrook, Admiral Halstead, Bloemfontein, Coast Farmer and Gregg, a corvette and the cruiser USS Pensacola (CA-24).

On 6 December, the convoy crossed the Equator, and the next morning the Unit was informed of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Battalion manned the Republic's four 3-inch guns and one 5-inch gun from this time until their arrival in Australia. After a short stop at Suva, Fiji Islands, the convoy sailed on to Brisbane, Australia, crossing the International Dateline (180th Meridian) on 13 December 1941.

The Battalion was among the first American troops ever to land on Australian soil. The Battalion spent Christmas 1941 in Brisbane, but before New Year's Day, it was again on the high seas, aboard the Dutch freighter Bloemfontein, bound for the island of Java in the Dutch East Indies, via Darwin, Australia (escorted part of the way by the cruiser USS Houston (CA-30)). It landed on Java on 11 January 1942 (35 days into the war). They were to be the only U.S. ground combat unit to reach the Dutch East Indies before the Dutch capitulated to the Japanese.

A few days after the Battalion's arrival in Java, it moved to Singosari Airfield near Malang, Java to support the 19th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps. The 19th had escaped the Philippines on 29 December with a few B-17 bombers, pilots, co-pilots and whatever crew members that managed to get aboard as the planes took off while under attack. The 19th flew B-17s, B-24s, and LB-30s from Java against enemy airfields, shipping, and ground installations during the Japanese offensive against the Dutch East Indies during early 1942. Until this group withdrew to Australia on 2 March 1942, the Battalion provided it with mechanics, ground crew, aerial gunners and a semblance of anti-aircraft weapons. Two men were killed on 3 February 1942 when they parachuted from one of the B-17s and were gunned down by Japanese fighters. 23 men of the Battalion transferred to the 19th Bomb Group and were evacuated with them.

When the Japanese invaded Java, the Battalion (less E Battery) used its artillery and .50 caliber machine guns (salvaged from wrecked B-17s) in support of an Australian "Pioneer Infantry" group which had arrived in Java just prior to the Japanese landing. They helped hold up the Japanese advance at Leuwilleng, near the Central Java City of Bandoeng.

Battery E remained on the eastern end of Java to guard the airfield at Malang and to support the Dutch troops in the Soerabaja area. Heavy ground action was experienced by Battery E prior to the surrender of the island by the Dutch to the invading Japanese, on 8 March 1942. The Japanese terms of surrender were unconditional and all troops were advised that any further resistance would be followed by instant reprisals against the civilian population, including women and children. Of the 558 men and officers who landed on Java on 11 January 1942, 534 became prisoners of war of the Japanese.

Within a few weeks, the Japanese had all of the American prisoners from the USS Houston and the 131st Field Artillery (less E Battery) together in the 10th Battalion Bicycle Camp, a former Dutch installation in Batavia (Jakarta), Java. Battery E remained in the Soerabaja area until moved to Nagasaki and other areas in Japan via Batavia and Singapore in November and December 1942. Thus, two units of the American Armed Forces, consisting of 902 men, seemingly disappeared from the face of the earth (and became one unit). As with crew members of the USS Houston, the U.S. government had no information on the fate of the Battalion after the Dutch surrender, hence the name, "Lost Battalion."

Of the 902 men taken prisoner, 668 were sent to Burma and Thailand to work as slave laborers on the Burma-Siam "Death Railway" of The Bridge on the River Kwai fame, building a railroad through the jungle. Of the total 163 men who died in Prisoner of War camps, 133 died working on the railroad. The 235 men who didn't work on the Burma Railway were sent to the coal mines, docks and shipyards in Japan and other southeast Asian countries. Both groups of POWs suffered together through 42 months of humiliation, degradation, physical and mental torture, starvation and horrible tropical diseases, with no medication.

Quite a few of the men were killed by American submarines while en route to Singapore and Japan and more were killed by American bombers. Through the debrief of some survivors of the POW convoys who had been rescued by U.S. submarines, the U.S. Government first found out that members of the Battalion as well as of the crew of the USS Houston had survived.

When liberated, the men were scattered throughout locations in Southeast Asia: Java, Singapore, Burma, Thailand, French Indo China, Japan, China and Manchuria, to name most of them.

Unit Awards

 * Presidential Unit Citation: 12.

Personal awards

 * Medal of Honor: 14
 * Distinguished Service Crosses: 80
 * Distinguished Service Medals: 2
 * Silver Stars: 2,354
 * Legion of Merit Medals: 49
 * Soldier's Medals: 77
 * Bronze Star Medals: 5,407
 * Air Medals: 88

Total casualties

 * KIA: 3,131


 * WIA: 13,191


 * Died of wounds: 506

Global War on Terror
On 1 May 2004, the 49th Armored Division of the Texas Army National Guard was officially deactivated and the 49th Armored Division was redesignated the 36th Infantry Division. After half a century, the "Fighting 36th" was reactivated to better carry on the proud legacy established by the 36th Division, as opposed to the peacetime-only service of the 49th Armored Division.

In January 2004, 74 soldiers from Alpha Battery (TAB) 2nd Battalion 131st Field Artillery were activated for federal service in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Alpha Battery commanded by CPT Alvaro Gomez entered federal service in Fort Sill, OK. Under the supervision of 1SG Alfredo Barrera, the soldiers trained up and deployed to Iraq. While readying their equipment in Kuwait, Alpha Battery was given her mission and the five radar sections were split up. One AN-TPQ37 Radar section (SSG Gonzales) was attached to the 1st Marine Division in Al Taqadum another (CW3 Earnest Metcalf) was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division at LSA Anaconda and the three AN-TPQ36 radar sections (CW2 Davidson, CW2 Bien, and SSG Johnson) were assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division in Mosul. The headquarters and support platoon (1LT Christopher Galvan) operated out of Forward Operating Base Freedom in northern Mosul. In addition to the target acquisition mission, the support platoon supplemented patrols conducted by the 25th Infantry Division Fires Brigade FIST Team and provided security for the FOB's perimeter by manning the entrance gates and watch towers. At the conclusion of the battery's deployment, the unit was awarded three Bronze Star Medals, 1 Purple Heart Medal, 47 Army Commendation Medals, 74 Combat Action Badges, several memorandums of appreciation from command staff, and were given the privilege of wearing the unit shoulder sleeve insignia for wartime service from the 2nd Infantry Division, the 25th Infantry Division, the 36th Infantry Division, or the 1st Infantry Division.

In 2005 approximately 100 soldiers of the 36th Infantry Division deployed to Bosnia for Enduring Mission 3 which was a continuation from previous IFOR and SFOR missions. When Task Force Strike left Eagle Base in Tuzla late 2006, it marked the end of an American military maneuver presence in Bosnia which had existed for almost a decade after the Dayton Accords.

In 2005, over three thousand troops from the 56th BCT, 36th ID deployed to Iraq as part of the largest deployment of Texas troops since World War II. 3/133 FA, 2/142 INF were both awarded Meritorious Unit Citations for their service in Iraq.

In 2005–2006, 800 soldiers of 3d Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment, 72d Brigade, 36th Infantry Division deployed to Afghanistan for combat operations. The battalion was attached to the 504th Infantry Regiment of the 82d Airborne Division and earned a Joint Meritorious Unit Citation.

In 2006, the 1st Squadron, 124th Cavalry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division became the first cavalry unit to serve as peacekeepers in the Sinai Desert for the Multinational Force and Observers. The force was made up of soldiers from several units of the 36th Infantry Division including 1–112th AR, 2–112th AR, 3–112th AR, 3rd Mech, and C Btry 2-131 FA (MLRS).

In late 2006, Company B of the 3d Battalion, 144th Infantry Regiment deployed to Iraq after pre-deployment training at Ft. Dix, NJ and were actively engaged in combat operations. They returned in late 2007.

In late 2005 to late 2006, the 36th Infantry Division was the major leading force for KFOR7, the peacekeeping mission on Kosovo.

The Combat Aviation Brigade, 36th Infantry Division shipped to Iraq in September 2006 for a planned one-year deployment.

On 7 May 2007 3d Battalion 144th Infantry Regiment mobilized as "Task Force Panther" in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. "Task Force Panther" trained at Camp Shelby, MS, and, after validation, forward deployed to Kuwait, where they processed into theater and transferred into Iraq.

On 28 August 2008, more than 3000 soldiers of the 56th IBCT again deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. On 15 August 2009, the 3000 soldiers of the 56th IBCT returned to Texas after 10 months in Iraq. Two soldiers from Bravo Troop 3-124 Cav, and one from C Btry 4-133 were wounded during the tour.

On 10 April 2009, 136 Military Police Battalion deployed more than 150 Soldiers to Afghanistan command and run the Bagram Theatre Internment Facility. Task Force Lonestar transferred the detainees from the BTIF to the new Detention Facility in Parwan. 136 Military Police returned in May 2010 after receiving numerous awards. On 1 October 2009, the 72nd IBCT mobilized for deployment to Iraq. Upon arrival in theater, the brigade headquarters assumed authority as the Joint Area Support Group-Conditional for the International Zone, with the brigade's subordinate elements distributed throughout the country conducting detainee operations. The brigade returned from Iraq in July and August 2010, with A Btry 1-133 FA being the last element to return home.

In November and December 2010, the 36th Infantry Division Headquarters deployed to Basrah, Iraq, replacing the US 1st ID, where they provided command and control of US Active Army, Reserve, and National Guard units in support of Operation New Dawn. The 36th ID command covered 15,000 deployed military and contractor forces at 17 bases in the nine provinces in Southern Iraq. As part of the drawdown of US forces in Iraq, the division headquarters redeployed to the US starting in late August 2011, the main body following in September 2011 to Fort Hood, TX. No 36th ID soldiers were lost to combat operations during the deployment.

On 26 November 2011, the newly formed 1st Battalion (Airborne), 143rd Infantry Regiment mobilized as Task Force Walker for deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The battalion, comprising companies from Texas, Rhode Island, and Alaska, was deployed across the country in support of provincial reconstruction teams. The headquarters element was located in Kabul serving under the 648th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (Task Force Hydra) in the Kabul Base Cluster.

In the summer of 2012, both the 136th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (MEB) and Task Force Arrowhead mobilized for service in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The 136th MEB took control of several bases in the Kabul area, while TF Arrowhead, composed of 31 Security Force Assistance Teams (SFATs), performed advisory duties with various Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) elements in Regional Command-South.

Insignia
The 36th Division insignia consisting of an olive drab "T" on a blue flint arrowhead was adopted in 1918. The flint arrowhead represents the State of Oklahoma (once the Indian Territory), and the "T" is for Texas.

Current Structure
36th Infantry Division exercises Training and Readiness Oversight of the following elements, they cannot be considered organic:
 * Special Troops Battalion
 * 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (OK ARNG)
 * Special Troops Battalion
 * 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment
 * 1st Squadron, 180th Cavalry Regiment (RSTA)
 * 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Regiment
 * 1st Battalion, 160th Field Artillery Regiment
 * 700th Brigade Support Battalion
 * 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (TX ARNG)
 * Special Troops Battalion
 * 1st Squadron, 124th Cavalry Regiment (RSTA)
 * 2nd Battalion, 142nd Infantry Regiment
 * 3rd Battalion, 144th Infantry Regiment
 * 3rd Battalion, 133rd Field Artillery Regiment
 * 949th Brigade Support Battalion
 * 72nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (TX ARNG)
 * Special Troops Battalion
 * 1st Squadron, 112th Cavalry Regiment (RSTA)
 * 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment
 * 3rd Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment
 * 1st Battalion, 133rd Field Artillery Regiment
 * 536th Brigade Support Battalion
 * 155th Heavy Brigade Combat Team (MS ARNG)
 * Special Troops Battalion
 * 1st Squadron, 98th Cavalry Regiment
 * 2nd Battalion, 198th Armor Regiment
 * 1st Battalion, 155th Infantry Regiment
 * 2nd Battalion, 114th Field Artillery Regiment
 * 106th Brigade Support Battalion
 * 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (LA NG)
 * Special Troops Battalion
 * 2nd Squadron, 108th Cavalry Regiment (RSTA)
 * 2nd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment
 * 3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment
 * 1st Battalion, 141st Field Artillery Regiment
 * 199th Brigade Support Battalion
 * Combat Aviation Brigade, 36th Infantry Division (TX NG)
 * Headquarters and Headquarters Company (TX NG)
 * 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment (General Support) (TX NG) (HQ Grand Prairie, Texas)
 * 1st Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment (Attack/Recon) (TX NG)
 * 3rd Battalion, 131st Aviation Regiment (Assault) (AL NG)
 * 1st Battalion, 114th Aviation Regiment (S&S) (AR NG)
 * 449th Aviation Support Battalion (TX NG)

Attached units

 * 136th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade
 * 36th Sustainment Brigade
 * 71st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade
 * 3rd Squadron, 124th Cavalry Regiment (R&S)
 * 636st Military Intelligence Battalion
 * 321st Military Intelligence Battalion (USAR) (TX)
 * 143rd Network Support Signal Company
 * 112th Brigade Support Company
 * 236th Network Support Company

Former divisional command sergeants major

 * CSM Roger Brownlee
 * CSM Bruce Hendry
 * CSM Jim L. Broyles
 * CSM George Williams

Unit timeline

 * December 1943 – combat against the Bernhardt Line
 * 20–22 January 1944 – attempted crossing of the Rapido against the 15th Panzer Grenadier Division
 * 18 May - 5 Jun 1944 - Battle for Anzio