World War II was raging, and on the European front a group of heroic American soldiers
had found themselves in a dangerous fix.
Cut off from supplies, surrounded by the enemies, and facing certain doom, their only hope was
a miracle.
And a miracle would come - in the form of some unlikely saviors.
This is the story of the Lost Battalion - and the unique bond formed in their salvation.
They say everything’s bigger in Texas, and the 141st Infantry Regiment was hoping that
was true.
Also known as the 1st Texas Infantry, this military unit traced its origins back to the
Texas Revolution, and when they were called into action in World War II, they were ready
to fight.
Assigned to the 36th division, they were sent to clear a ridge in the Vosges mountain range
in occupied France.
But this would be anything but a routine mission.
Major General John Dahlquist was advised against the mission by his officers, but chose to
commit the unit anyway - something that backfired terribly.
The Germans had swept into the area with superior forces, and the US command gave the order
to withdraw.
But while the flanking units received the order and retreated, the 141st never received
it, and were left behind enemy lines, encircled and with quickly dwindling supplies.
US command tried to drop supplies, and the rest of the 141st regiment made two rescue
attempts, but the Lost Battalion remained stranded with conditions quickly deteriorating.
But half a world away, an unlikely hope was coming.
For Japanese-Americans in the United States, World War Two brought its own unique hardships.
As soon as Pearl Harbor was bombed by imperial Japan, the immigrants and first-generation
Americans - known as Nisei - who made up the community found themselves viewed as strangers
in their own land.
They faced harassment, suspicion, and even violence from Americans who viewed them as
potential spies secretly loyal to a country many of them had never set foot in.
But with the stroke of a pen, their situation was about to get much worse.
President Franklin Roosevelt signed the controversial Executive Order 9066, which created military
camps where anyone with Japanese heritage would be contained for the duration of the
war.
While this was limited in Hawaii, the US territory where the majority of the US’ Japanese population
lived, on the West Coast over 110,000 Japanese Americans were taken from their homes, forced
to abandon or sell their property and imprisoned in internment camps far from home.
While the initial order was not specific about how far-reaching it was, Colonel Karl Bendetsen
- in charge of the program - expanded it to anyone who had even distant Japanese heritage.
And no one locked up in these camps knew when they would be released.
But there was one way out.
The majority of Japanese-Americans were patriotic citizens, and many of the young men couldn’t
abide being locked up on the home front when there was a war being fought.
They wanted to join the war effort, and a year after the internment, they got their
chance.
The government organized a segregated unit of Japanese-Americans named the 442nd Infantry
Regiment.
Many left families behind in the internment camps, hoping they could help bring the war
to a close and the internment camps with it.
They would later be joined with the 100th Infantry Battalion, composed mostly of former
members of Hawaii’s Army National Guard.
They were a small and controversial group - and they were about to go down in history.
From the moment the war broke out, these Japanese-American soldiers were treated as potential security
threats.
The Hawaii National Guard, already enlisted, were classified as enemy aliens and not allowed
to carry their weapons when sent to training.
At training camps, their commanding officers were taught to test not just the Japanese-American
recruits’ skills but their loyalty as well.
But at every turn, these young recruits passed the test and impressed their commanding officers.
It was on to war.
Because the US command didn’t trust soldiers of Japanese ancestry to fight in the Pacific
theater, they were sent to Europe and first fought on the African front.
They would later be sent to Italy, where they were able to cut off German soldiers and drive
them north.
It was a tense and brutal series of battles, and the 442nd and 100th suffered heavy casualties.
Many felt they were being used as cannon fodder by their commanding officers, but they acquitted
themselves heroically - leading many to nickname them “The Purple Heart Brigade”.
But their greatest test was still ahead.
The 442nd was transferred out of the Italian front and placed with an Anti-tank company
to prepare for the invasion of Southern France.
This led to heavy fighting in the Vosges Mountains, in a constant battle of back-and-forth with
German troops.
This was a challenging period, where they had barely any rest and continued to take
heavy casualties from German counterattacks.
At one point, there were nine days of constant fighting - but it was just beginning.
New orders were coming in.
It had been nearly a week since the Lost Battalion had been in contact with any other allied
soldiers, and they were barely holding out.
It was October 27th, 1944 and the 442nd and 100th units had only had two days’ rest
since their last battle - but they were now being called in for their most critical mission
yet.
They would be sent in to rescue the stranded battalion, with backup from two Field Artillery
units.
But the Lost Battalion was surrounded by the considerable forces of General Wilhelm Richter,
one of Hitler’s most feared commanders.
This would be the most brutal fight of the war for this brave group of Japanese-American
soldiers.
The American soldiers had to breach a powerful line that had encircled the 141st, and they
would have to fight on multiple fronts.
Making it worse, the elements seemed to be conspiring against them.
The area was foggy during the day and unusually dark at night, making it hard to see what
was in front of their eyes.
The men often had to hang on to each other in a chain just to move forward.
Heavy rain and snow wore them down, many soldiers came down with trench foot.
Things were no less dire for the heroes of Texas.
The conditions had deteriorated for the stranded soldiers, but they weren’t giving up.
They dug deep into the muddy soil and created makeshift disguises for themselves with tree
limbs.
This would both make it harder for the Germans to see them, and give them some rudimentary
protection from the constant barrage of artillery and shattering trees.
Rations had long since run out, and the soldiers were barely able to survive off rainwater
and occasional lucky drops of supply that got through the fog and the German barrage.
And their plight had become a major issue on both sides of the war.
Hitler had since become aware of the stranded Texans, and believed that killing them would
demoralize the Americans.
He ordered they be captured or killed at all costs, setting up a brutal final stand.
But he didn’t account for the motto of the 442nd and 100th - “Go for Broke”.
It was time for a final stand.
The battle to save the Lost Battalion would be the most brutal of the war for both groups.
The Texans had already taken heavy losses - losing 20% of their forces before they were
rescued.
The 442nd unit lost a full third of their three thousand men, with eight hundred injured
and a full two hundred killed in action.
But when the 141st met the 442nd, they immediately recognized fellow American soldiers - and
shared a cigarette before getting back to the war.
The Nisei soldiers were starting to get the recognition they deserved - but the war was
far from over.
There would be many intense battles ahead, both in France and Italy.
They would continue to fight bravely despite dwindling numbers, culminating in a last stand
at the Gothic Line.
It was the last days of the war in Europe, and they fought against an increasingly desperate
German war machine.
But time and again, they forced the Germans to retreat and cut off their escape routes.
The Nisei soldiers had gained a reputation for their fearless nature and devastating
charge, and managed to make several sneak attacks on German forces.
As the war reached its close, the German forces began surrendering one unit after another,
and on May 2nd the 442nd and 100th got to celebrate Victory in Europe.
But not without a heavy cost.
The losses these two units suffered along the way was shocking, and led many to feel
like they had been used as cannon fodder.
General John Dahlquist, the commanding officer in charge of the unit’s strategy, once asked
the entire unit to present itself for an award.
When he saw the small numbers, he became angry and thought they were ignoring him - only
to be told those were the only men who had not been injured or killed.
The Nisei soldiers had fought heroically - and paid terribly.
But when they returned to the United States, they would finally receive their due.
President Harry Truman, who replaced the late Roosevelt, saluted the Nisei soldiers upon
their return from Europe.
He cited not only their heroic actions in combat, but the fact that they did it while
facing great prejudice from their own countrymen.
And over the years, the 442nd would become the most highly decorated unit in American
history.
Not only did they receive more Purple Hearts than any other unit their size, but over the
war they would receive 5,200 Bronze Stars, 588 Silver Stars, and a stunning 21 Congressional
Medals of Honor - the highest award for valor in combat.
Many of the unit would go on to extended careers in politics or the military, with one - Daniel
Inouye - going on to be a long-serving Senator from Hawaii after losing his arm in the Italian
theater.
But there was one place where their heroism was held in higher regard than anywhere else.
Texans have long memories, and the citizens of America’s largest state at the time followed
the story of the Lost Battalion with great fear.
Not only were their citizens trapped on that French battlefield, but many of them were
the sons and husbands of the people of Texas.
This was personal, and when word got out that they would be returning home safely, Texas
wanted to do something to thank the people most responsible.
It would be a while, but one man had a unique idea.
John Connally was no stranger to the horrors of World War Two, serving in the United States
Navy and earning a Bronze Star himself.
He was a Lieutenant Commander by the time he was released, and went on to serve as Secretary
of the Navy before returning home to Texas in 1961.
But now he had another job in his sights - Governor of Texas.
And the proud veteran won - and almost immediately after taking office, decided to honor some
deserving heroes.
Creating honorary Texans is a popular trick of Texas Governors, and the list is a long
one.
Iconic action stars John Wayne, Chuck Norris, and Arnold Schwarzenegger have all received
the honor, as has Bob Dylan.
Rick Perry named most of his favorite politicians and pundits as honorary Texans, including
Rush Limbaugh.
But no Governor created more Texans with the stroke of a pen than John Connally when he
made every single member of the 442nd Infantry Regiment and the 100th Infantry Battalion
honorary Texans - an overdue thanks from a grateful state to a group of soldiers who
gave their all in America’s greatest conflict - at a time when many of their fellow citizens
saw them as enemies.
For another unlikely hero of the European Front, check out “Titanic Officer Who Became
Hero of Two World Wars”, or watch this video instead.