THE 442ND’S CAMPAIGNS

Naples-Foggia, September 1943-January 1944

The 442nd landed in the Salerno Beach invasion and secured a bridgehead over the

Volturno River. The unit earned a reputation as superb soldiers right away, with three

Distinguished Service

Crosses and 19 Silver

Stars earned in the first month and a half in combat. The casualties were high as well, with three officers and 75 enlisted men killed.

The tip of the spear: After the Salerno landing, they fought in the attacks on Monte Cassino, a heavily defended mountainside fortress.

Rome-Arno, January

-September 1944

Joined by reinforcements including

Munemori, they took part in the bloody Anzio invasion, then fought for nine months heading north to Rome and further with heavy resistance all the way past the Arno River.

The units were given the first of seven

Presidential Unit Citations for seizing a town and destroying an entire Nazi SS battalion.

Rhineland Campaign-Vosges October-November 1944

The antitank company was split from the regiment and joined up with paratroopers in Operation Overlord, the D-Day invasion of France. The rest of the men fought heavily guarded positions in mountainous eastern France. They also rescued a “lost battalion,” taking massive casualties.

Rhineland-Maritime Alps Nov. 21-March 17, 1944 The unit was split up again and part fought through the French mountains to German soil before they helped Jewish survivors of the Dachau concentration camp. The others patrolled the French and Italian border and made history by becoming the first Army unit to capture an enemy submarine.

Northern Appennines and Po Valley April 1-May 5, 1945

The war was winding down, but the fighting was still fierce. The

442nd fought in tough mountain terrain in northern Italy and helped break the

Gothic Line.