99th Infantry Battalion

After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7^th, 1941, the USA decided that they would set up their own units of American soldiers from special ethnic groups for interfering in occupied countries. In 1942, work began to recruit and establish five battalions:

1^st Filipino Infantry Battalion: Filipino

99^th Infantry Battalion (separate): Norwegian

100^th Infantry Battalion (separate): Japanese

101^st Infantry Battalion(separate): Austrian

122^nd Infantry Battalion(separate): Greek

 

The 99^th Infantry Battalion (Separate) was originally intended to be deployed during an Allied campaign in German-occupied Norway. The soldiers in the 99^thBattalion had to master the Norwegian language, and those who could ski were preferred. The crew was recruited from among first- and second-generation Norwegian immigrants to the USA, in addition to a significant proportion of Norwegians, mainly sailors, who were stranded in the USA after the outbreak of war. These enlisted in the US Army and received US citizenship before going into battle.

The battalion was established at Camp Ripley, Minnesota in July 1942, and was attached to the Second Army as a separate unit. The crew consisted of around 900 men. In October, the battalion moved to Fort Snelling, Minnesota, then in December to Camp Hale, Colorado. In Colorado's mountains, they received special training together with a division of 14,000 men.

The camp was 2,800 meters above sea level, and the soldiers had to learn to cope with the steep mountain landscape and freezing winter climate. Norway had long been planned as a target for the Allies' invasion of Nazi Germany, and the battalion therefore went through the most intensive mountain and winter training any American unit has received.

On September 5^th, 1943, the 99^thBattalion was shipped out from New York to Scotland. There they were stationed for infantry training. The battalion never came to combat in Norway but landed on the continent with the American invasion forces. There they fought some of the hardest battles of the war.

On June 22^nd, 1944 they landed on Omaha Beach, surrounded by fallen American soldiers and constantly under German bombardment. Eventually they were moved north and took part in the final battles for Cherburg, as part of the force that was supposed to do the "clean up", fight pockets of enemy divisions that refused to capitulate. From September the battalion operated in Belgium, and at Christmas 1944 they were involved in the Battle of the Ardennes. In January they joined the 474^th Regiment, amongst other with the aim of preventing an invasion of Norway. In the spring of 1945, the 99^th Battalion's tasks mainly consisted of patrolling and fighting pockets of German resistance in Germany.

Finally, in June 1945, the 99^th Battalion together with other elements from the 474^th Regiment landed in Norway. On June 7^th, the 99^th Battalion was guard of honor at King Haakon's homecoming when he disembarked in Oslo. They participated in guarding, disarming and sending home German forces, before returning to the USA on 17^th of October 1945.

The 99^th battalion had 101 days in combat. 52 soldiers were killed in battle with the enemy, 207 wounded and 6 missing in battle. The department's soldiers were granted a number of awards after the war.

World War II- United States Army Ski troopers - 99th Infantry Battalion (Separate)

The Norwegians

When the 99th Battalion was activated on 10 July 1942 at Camp Ripley, Minnesota, it was composed solely of Norwegians, men who had emigrated from Norway to settle in America and the descendants of those who had immigrated earlier. They trained at Camp Hale, Colorado, participating in rigorous ski and mountain training.

 

Normandy Northern France

Ardennes – Rhineland-  Central Europe

 

Awards

# Presidential Unit Citation

# Belgian Croix de Guerre

# French Croix de Guerre

 

5 June 1945 arrived Camp Smestad, Oslo. 7 June served as honor guard for King Haakon's return. Participated in removal of all German forces from Norwegian soil. October 15 Left Norway for return to America. Deactivated 11 November Camp Miles Standish Massachusetts.

 

The liberation of Norway 8 May 1945

Office of Strategic Services

O.S.S NORSO -- RYPE group - special forces

The Rype Group parachuted into Norway on 24 March 1945 for sabotage missions and later joined the underground for the liberation of Norway.

 

As quoted by an unknown but remembered 2nd armored division major at the end of the attack thru Northern France:

This Viking battalion is the only infantry tanks have trouble keeping up with.