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History of the 46th Infantry Regiment
A Brief History of the 46th Infantry Regiment The 46th Infantry was constituted in May 1917 as a part of the General Mobilization for World War I. The 46th was assigned to the 9th Division just at the end of the war. The unit was inactivated November, 1921. The 46th was reconstituted at Fort Knox as the 46th Armored Infantry, 5th Armored Division, in 1943. The regiment consisted of three battalions: the 46th, 15th, and 47th Armored Infantry Battalions. The 46th Infantry participated in the Normandy Invasion, the Liberation of France, and reached the vaunted Seigfried Line in September, 1944. The 5th Armored Division liberated the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and also had the distinction of being the first American unit to reach German soil. All three battalions of the 46th fought in the three month bloody campaign of the Hurtgen Forest. These were the worst, most difficult, and trying conditions of the European Theater. Casualties were extremely high and in December 1944, the 46th Armored Infantry Battalion lost half its effective strength in a single day, taking a stubbornly defended hill. Three men, including the battalion commander, won the Distinguished Service Cross that day. The sacrifices made in the Hurtgen Forest are symbolized by the two pine trees, colored red, found on the Unit Crest. Upon completion of the war in Europe, the 46th Infantry returned to the States and was deactivated in October, 1945. The regiment was activated and deactivated several times in the intervening years. In October, 1967, the 46th Infantry deployed for Vietnam. Two battalions of the 46th (the 1st and 5th) served honorably with the 198th Infantry Brigade and the 196th Infantry Brigades and the 23d Infantry Division (Americal). The battalions have credit for twelve campaigns, stretching from October, 1967 to June, 1972. On 13 May 1969, CPT Kern Dunagan (later MAJ), Commanding Officer of A Company, 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry, saw action which resulted in his being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The 46th was inactivated again in August, 1984. Today, the 46th lives again. The basic training battalions of the 1st Brigade at Fort Knox, KY were redesignated the 46th Infantry on 30 January 1987 and are now training the nation's youth, preparing them for the day when, like the "Professionals" before them, they will defend our freedom. Regimental Distinctive Unit Insignia The Distinctive Unit Insignia (metal type for wear on the shoulder loops) consists of the Shield of the Coat of Arms for this organization, which was originally approved for the 46th Armored Infantry regiment by letter AG 421.7 LO, the Office of the Adjutant General, on 24 February 1942. Certificates of Lineage & Honors The certificates attesting to a unit's lineage and honors are probably the single most important documents relating to the history of a unit. Issued by the Department of the Army's Center of Military History, they are the unit's birth certificate, its deed to organizational properties and its service record. While the original copies are stored at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., the information contained on them has been reproduced here to aid you in tracing the history of the Regiment. The
46th Armored Infantry Regiment has received credit for participating
in eighteen campaigns against the enemy during the course of its
history. It has been awarded a battle streamer for each one of the
eighteen campaigns. These battle streamers are affixed to the top
of the flagstaff on which the Regimental Colors are carried. The
Regiment has also been awarded a Presidential Unit Citation Streamer
embroidered LUXEMBOURG, and the Valorous Unit Streamer embroidered
Quang Tin Province. |
