Germany Campaign: Spearhead Across the Rhine
The date for the jump-off was March 15th. The movement of the regiment from Nancy would be one of secrecy, all markings for the units in the main assault would be blackened out using adhesive. Vehicle numbers, patches both on the shoulder and on the helmet none were to show. The regiment attacked through the Siegfried Line on time early on March 15th, anti-personnel mines slowed the advance initially, however, these were quickly overcome. On March 20th, the city of Zweibrucken would fall. The U.S. 30th Infantry Regiment had become the first unit to breach the infamous Seigfried Line. The advance of the 30th Infantry continued quickly up and to Worms which was secured by March 26th. There the regiment would cross the Rhine and the opposition strengthened as they reached the opposite side. The resistance didn't last long as the overwhelming numbers of American forces landed across the Rhine the Germans pulled back and the 30th Infantry continued onto capture and secure the city of Heppenheim by the next day. On March 29th, the 1st Battalion dashed 40 kilometers to Lindenfels to secure 2,200 hospital patients. March 30th, the 30th Infantry spearheaded an assault across the Main River to capture Bad Kissingen on April 11th. In Bad Kissingen the 30th Infantry captures 22 hospitals with 2,825 patients, some former 3rd Division soldiers.
The 30th Infantry on April 11th would spearhead another river crossing on the Main River. On April 20th after five days of heavy fighting the 2nd Battalion, of the 30th Infantry is the first element to enter the city of Nuremburg, after being heavily damaged by allied bombing the 3rd Infantry Division captures intact the Zepplin Stadium, a reknown location for Nazi war rallies. Later in the day they demolished the swastika off the top of the stadium as a sign of victory. From the 23rd to the 27th of April the 30th Infantry swept southward, clearing the area north of Dillingen. On April 28th the 30th Infantry cross the Lech River. Moving quickly the 30th Infantry was the first unit into Munich the cradle of Naziism on April 30th. On May 4th, the 7th Infantry moves in front of the 2nd Free French Armored Division and the 101st Airborne Division to be the first unit into Berchtesgaden and the "Eagle's Nest." The war would end for the 30th Infantry in Salzburg, Austria on May 5th, 1945 after 31 months of hard combat.
The casualties sustained by the U.S. 30th Infantry Regiment during the Germany Campaign are as follows:
Casualties: 696
Killed: 111 Enlisted, 10 Officers
Wounded: 530 Enlisted, 35 Officers
Missing In Action: 10 Enlisted
During the Second World War the U.S. 30th Infantry Regiment had began the war in North Africa and succeeded in completeing the war in Austria with a complied 531 days in combat, the most of all divisions that participated in the Mediterranean and European Theatres of Operation. They achieved 12 Congressional Medal of Honor recipients(1/3rd of all CMH recipents from the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division)and sustained 8,308 casualties throughout the war. Most divisions in all the theatres of operations and never achieved as high a casualty rate as that of the U.S. 30th Infantry Regiment. They were also the only U.S. Army regiment to take part in six seperate amphibious landings on four different hostile shores during WWII.
U.S. 30th Infantry Regiment: Occupation to Present Day
The U.S. 30th Infantry Regiment remained in Germany until 1946 on occupation duty. They returned and were stationed back at Fort Lewis, Washington. During the Korean War (1950-1953), the regiment didn't participate except in a replacement capacity for the U.S. 7th, 15th, and 65th Infantry Regiments, they were stationed at Fort Benning but, merely left on paper. The 30th Infantry Regiment was reconstitued as a seperate active unit in 1954. The 30th Infantry in both 1957 and 1963 underwent reorganization. On June 16th, 1989 the regiment was inactivated from service while in Germany. The regiment was activated and reassigned again on August 16th, 1992 in a battalion size capacity but, only for a couple of years until January 15th, 1994 when it was again inactivated. The 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry now redesignated was reactivated on February 16th, 1996 when the U.S. 24th Infantry Division (Mech) and the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division(Mech) were transferred between duty in Germany and duty at Fort Stewart, Georgia. The 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry headed back to war in March 2003 during the Invasion of Iraq: Operation Iraqi Freedom and has since done two stints in country. Upon its 1st return the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry was surprised to discover that for the first time since 1989 the regiment now had two battalions. The 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry is with the U.S. 10th Mountain Division, which is currently serving in Afghanistan. However, upon the latest return the 1st Battalion, U.S. 30th Infantry Regiment stationed at Fort Benning was redesignated a cavalry reconnaissance battalion and the 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry became the new 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment.