18^th INFANTRY REGIMENT ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

www.18inf.org JANUARY 2003 www.18inf.org

* * WWII BOOK MAKES PROGRESS * *

Our book about the 18^th Infantry in World War II is making progress. We have completed the draft of seven chapters, with only four more to go. That brings us through Normandy, with work in progress on the Northern France chapter. Only chapters on Aachen and the Huertgen Forest, the Ardennes and Rhineland, and the fights across Germany from the Remagen bridgehead to Checkoslovia remain (most of the European campaign). Our team has received wonderful cooperation from those of you who lived this history, and we feel that this book is going to be a good one -a worthy reflection of both the 18^th Infantry Regiment and the men who soldiered in it. If you have stories, memoirs, or anything that you feel could make a contribution to our book, we need it now. Please contact me immediately. In addition, we need photos for the book. Of course, there are the obvious photos of commanders (Greer, Smith, Williamson, Brown, Sternberg, York, & Etc.). However, we need pictures that were taken at or near the time of the events where the picture is shown in the book. We also need pictures, if we can obtain them, of other individuals or groups (with each person and/or place identified). For example, I would love to have a good picture of Captain Joe Hill, or Sergeant Merrill, or 18^th Infantry soldiers at Sbiba Gap, or of one of the 3^rd Battalion jeep drivers at El Guettar, just to name a few. If you have pictures that could be used in our book, please let me know.

So far, the Association has reimbursed about $1000 in writing expenses, with the authors spending about an addition $1000 from their own pockets without asking for any reimbursement. However, we must ask for your financial help. Unfortunately, we have fallen behind our production schedule. If there is any hope of having a completed draft by the Reno reunion (for your review) or of getting this book out by June 2004, we will need to get the writing team together at least once and perhaps twice before the reunion. It would also be nice if we could host the authors at the reunion in Reno, to go over the draft and talk with the WWII veterans there. We need funds to do this. Let me be clear, funds disbursed by the Association are necessary for travel expenses required for research or material, not per diem or salary for writing (the authors are not being financially compensated). If you can help, please mail your check (put WWII Book on the memo line) to: Jim Stone, Treasurer, 18^th Inf Regt Assn, 258 Pells Rd, Rhinebeck, NY 12572-2113. If you wish to discuss this personally, please call George Gentry at 562-596-8097.

2003 REUNION + JULY 30 - AUGUST 3 + RENO, NEVADA

Visit our web site and sign in -- www.18inf.org

1943 *** KASSERINE *** 2003

The name "Kasserine" is generally not remembered as one of the finest hours of the US Army because of the disastrous battle at Kasserine Pass, where German forces delivered a crushing blow to the American Army. However, "Kasserine" was, in fact, a series of engagements between Axis and Allied forces that left the US Army still in control of the battlefield at the end of the fight. How did these engagements unfold and what was the role of the 18th Infantry Regimental Combat Team (18th RCT) that earned another battle streamer for our Colors?

At the beginning of 1943, both Axis and Allies were moving forces into Tunisia as quickly as they could. German units were being ferried across the Mediterranean by all available means. The Afrika Korps had been pulled back through Libya to the Mareth Line on Tunisia's southeastern border. The British Eight Army was slowly moving up behind the German retreat in the east and Allied forces were being moved from Morocco and Algeria into western Tunisia. The British First Army was in the north, the American II Corps in the south, with French forces in between. Unfortunately, The First Division remained dispersed and the 18th RCT was still under British command and control.

In southern Tunisia, the Atlas mountains divide into the Y - shaped extensions of the Eastern and Western Dorsals. The Germans controlled the passes through the Eastern Dorsal, secured by actions occurring at the end of January, while the Allies controlled the Western Dorsal, with a strong II Corps presence in the valley in between. Axis forces decided to expand their defensive perimeter. For this action, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel had his 21st Panzer Division, most of the 10th Panzer Division, and units in Kampfgruppe DAK (Deutsches Afrika Korps). On 14 February Rommel attacked through Faid Pass in the Eastern Dorsal, inflicting severe damage on American units in his path. Within three days, the Germans controlled the valley. II Corps suffered significant losses, including most of the 1st Armored Regiment and the 168th Infantry Regiment, killed or captured. The Allies retreated and began moving units to block a likely German attack through the Western Dorsal passes at Sbiba Gap and Kasserine Pass.

On 17 February, forces were ordered into Sbiba Gap and Kasserine Pass. At Sbiba Gap were elements of the British 6th Armored Division, which consisted mainly of the Guards Brigade, to which the 18th RCT was attached. This force was later supplemented by units of the 34th Infantry Division. At Kasserine Pass was Task Force Stark, which consisted mainly of the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry, the 33rd Field Artillery Battalion, and the 19th Combat Engineer Regiment, later reinforced by elements of the 3rd Battalion, 39th Infantry. Rommel, still the Desert Fox, saw an opportunity to boldly strike the Allies and, if successful, cause their retreat into Algeria - an event that would surely prolong the German presence in North Africa. He proposed his battle plan, but, fortunately for the Allies, there were dissensions among the German commanders in Tunisia. Field Marshal Von Arnim, commander of the 5th Panzer Army, disagreed with details of Rommel's plan and Field Marshall Kesselring (smiling Albert) modified the plan, leaving Rommel somewhat perplexed and possibly much less enthusiastic about his prospect for complete success.

On 19 February, Rommel renewed the attack. He assigned the 21st Panzer Division to probe Sbiba Gap and Kampfgruppe DAK to probe Kasserine Pass, while he recovered the 10th Panzer Division from Von Arnim. At Sbiba, the British Guards Brigade dug in on the west side of the Sbeitla-Sbiba road, while the 18th RCT was assigned more exposed positions on the east side of the road. The vaunted 21st Panzer Division reached Sbiba and deployed to the east of the road. Soldiers of the 21st Panzer Division were among the most seasoned German fighters then in Africa, having been part of the original Afrika Korps. Nevertheless, the 18th Infantry repulsed their attack. Rommel arrived during the attack and noted the tough defense at Sbiba. In the meantime, Kampfgruppe DAK's probe, although initially repulsed, showed much more promise. When the 21st Panzer Division attacked on the morning of the 20th, they fought to within 600 meters of the 18th Infantry, but got no further. Therefore, Rommel ordered them into holding positions and diverted the late-arriving 10th Panzer Division toward Kasserine. The fate of American soldiers defending Kasserine Pass is well known. Rommel broke through at Kasserine, but lacked the strength (and perhaps the personal enthusiasm) to exploit his victory. He split his force, sending one goup toward Bou Chebka and the other toward Thala. At Bou Chebka he met determined resistance from CCB (1st Armored Division), the 16th RCT, and the Big Red One's DivArty. At Thala, the British 26th Armoured Brigade gave ground grudgingly in a valiant attempt to stem the German tide. Fortunately, the US 9th Division Artillery arrived just in time. By the end of the day on the 22nd, it was clear that Rommel's bold plan could not succeed. The Germans broke contact and withdraw. "Kasserine" was over.

1861 -- 18^th INFANTRY REGIMENT -- 2003

Comments from the Honorary Colonel

The October trip to visit our Battalion in Kosovo turned out to be another of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Who could have anticipated the chance to be welcomed back into the Battalion Family after nearly 35 years away? Well, we were warmly welcomed, and it was inspiring! All of us have learned there are always signs, great and small, that an organization is both solidly professional and proud of it, and that the important ones begin with noticing what the PFCs do and say. The signs were all there, everywhere we went. We spent a day with each company, seeing both the people and the terrain in their respective areas of responsibility, and talking with the PFCs who were pulling the endless security patrol missions. One company even included us on a "terrain ride" to familiarize its own leaders with Kosovo's cultural and military history. All in all, our soldiers made us feel at Home!

The Kosovo mission was a tough one. "Stabilization," as it seemed to us, meant being a positive presence in the midst of hostility, doing so in a deliberate and respectful way, yet a way that clearly would not put up with nonsense. Two or three years earlier, the Serbs and Albanians in this area had been killing each other. Asking a first-line Infantry force to become a positive barrier between people hating one another was asking a lot. But our soldiers did it in ways that prompted evident respect for themselves. They set dignified and concerned examples of decent behavior in more ways than I have space to tell. With the help of interpreters, they talked with people, offered medical help through traveling "aid stations" ("Medcaps," as some of us knew them in another time), got kids involved in soccer leagues (in some areas with Serbian and Albanian kids on the same team) and, overall, supported United Nations political and police activities when that support was not always easy to give--these were our Vanguards. The serious incident rate in our Battalion's area had dropped from double-digits about a year earlier to zero. And our junior leaders usually carried the weight of the mission.

Meanwhile, back at the base camp (Camp Magrath), our soldiers engaged in the military training activities we knew they would. Qualifying an impressive number for the Expert Infantryman Badge was just one of those activities. Off-duty college education was another individual focus, and many men were seriously involved in this, too. Along with those actions, the staff carried forward the Battalion's operational planning on a mission readiness basis. Our Vanguards used their time well. And CSM Carter and I came away feeling lucky beyond words just to have been a part of all this.

Duty First! George Tronsrue, Honorary Colonel, 18th Infantry Regiment