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457th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion
(Mobile)
The following is a PDF reproduction of a very thorough and detailed unit history published
by the 457th AAA AW Bn in late 1945 and printed in Nancy, France.
A portion of the history was written by Capt. Walton R. Patrick, the
battalion S-4. The publication was funded by subscriptions and
surplus monies were donated to the Red Cross. The work's title is taken from the endpoints of the battalion's
journey - Camp Hulen, Texas and Teisnach, Germany.
The 457th was one of the AAA units scheduled to land on Omaha Beach
on D-Day under control of First Army's 49th AAA Brigade. From
France, the organization trekked across Europe with Third Army.
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FROM TEXAS TO TEISNACH
with the 457th AAA AW Battalion
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This
little volume has been written to give each man of the 457th the story of
his unit. The story begins with the assembling from many parts of the
United States of those individuals who became the Battalion. The high
lights of training and travel to the battle-ground of Europe form the
first chapters. In a way the climax comes in Chapter III - Assault
On The Far Shore - which was perhaps the peak of mental tension. However,
many exciting experiences followed and the real climax comes, properly, at
the end of the volume when the 457th was at the far eastern border of
Germany and Hitler and his gang were Caput.
In
assuming
command of the unit on 1 September 1942, l was much concerned and not a
little frightened over the great responsibility involved in guiding and
directing the lives of some 40 officers and 800 men. It was both an
honor and a tremendous task to be trusted by such a large group of
my fellow countrymen with their training and leadership in combat.
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As the various
groups of individuals become welded together into a smooth functioning
team I acquired a great pride in the unit - General Allen remarked on the
occasion of his inspection for "Combat Readiness", "I can see you
are mighty proud of this outfit". That pride in the unit has continued and
grown. To see you roll down the streets of London, struggle across the
sands of Normandy, and drive deep into Germany has been an inspiration
which will endure forever. That initial reticence to assume the
responsibility of leading the unit gradually disappeared for, in training
and in combat, the cooperation end enthusiasm of each individual soldier
to carry out his job has made leadership a pleasure. I hope you will enjoy
reading this account of our experiences as much as I have enjoyed being
your Commanding Officer for the last thirty four months.
GEORGE R. CLEMENS
Lt. Col., CAC
Commanding
FORCHHEIM, GERMANY
1 July 1945
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Click on the
cover below to view a PDF reproduction of
the unit history.
(Requires Adobe Acrobat
Reader to view.)
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