5/22/2023 0 Comments Unlikely Liberators by Masayo Duus![]() When Aulla fell, the German retreat was cut off and German soldiers surrendered to the American 5 th and 8 thArmies. They assaulted the German Army in Aulla, Italy in April 1945. The 100 th and 442 nd pushed hard against the German line. The units broke the Gothic Line that the German Army had constructed and reinforced under the direction of German Field Marshal Albert Kesselring. ![]() They encountered extremely difficult terrain as they traversed the Apennine Mountains. ![]() In March 1945, the 100 th/442 nd was attached to the 92 nd Division on the Italian Front. The highly decorated unit earned eight Distinguished Unit Citations during the war with five of those citations being earned for actions that occurred in Vosges, France in a single month. While these young men were fighting for their country in Europe, some of their relatives were held in internment camps in the continental United States due to their heritage. The units served in the European theatre of operations from 1944 through 1946, seeing combat in Italy, southern France, and Germany. The 100 th Infantry Regiment and the 442 nd Regimental Combat Team, which consisted of second-generation Japanese Americans (commonly referred to as Nisei) during World War II, is a shining example of the extremely honorable and self-less service many Asian Americans have made to their country. Many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have served in the United States’ military throughout the years. ![]() May commemorates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the United States. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |