Attached Units

Throughout their time in combat, various units were attached to the 103rd Infantry Division for a variety of reasons from needing additional or specific support on various missions to working in the same area of operations. These attached units were often specialty units that the 103rd Infantry Division did not have organically built into their ranks and numbers such as anti-tank battalions, armored units, or tank destroyers. In some rare instances, the 103rd Infantry Division also bolstered their strength by having infantry battalions from different divisions folded into their ranks, which occurred in January of 1945. Please see below for a full list of the attached units and the dates that they were attached to the 103rd Infantry Division during their time in Europe. There will also be a brief description of each specialty unit to explain their importance.

Antiaircraft Artillery Units

601st Tank Destroyer Battalion (Self-Propelled):

15 November 1944- 5 February 1945

614th Tank Destroyer Battalion (Towed):

7 February- 31 March 1945, 30 April- 5 May 1945

824th Tank Destroyer Battalion (Self-Propelled):

24 April- 5 May 1945

The antiaircraft artillery units provided an umbrella of sorts over the soldiers of the 103rd Infantry Division and protected from possible enemy air attacks. These units used a variety of weapons and guns from multiple 50 caliber machine guns to heavier pieces of artillery that could fire projectiles that would explode at a certain time or height and send shrapnel in different directions to bring down aircraft at higher altitudes. In some instances, these machine guns and artillery pieces could also be used for antipersonnel purposes with devastating effect.

353rd AAA SL Battalion:

25 January- 5 February 1945

354th AAA AW Battalion (Mobile):

29 March- 9 May 1945

Armored Units

Armored units were vital to increasing the firepower of infantry soldiers in World War II, and were often used in support of ground units when moving on different or well defended objectives. The tank battalions comprised of tanks with variety of sizes of main guns from 37mm to 105mm. Once the tank battalions got to Europe, they were almost always attached to different units, such as being attached to the 103rd. Because of their strategic importance on the battlefield and mobility, armored units were oftentimes engaged in combat and had little rest.

756th Tank Battalion:

15 November 1944- 3 February 1945, 22 February- 31 March 1945

781st Tank Battalion:

17 January- 5 February 1945, 17 February- 22 February 1945, 23 April- 5 May 1945

47th Tank Battalion, 48th Tank Battalion and CCA (14th Armored Division):

2-3 December 1944, 14-19 December 1944, 4-10 March 1945

43rd Tank Battalion (12th Armored Division):

5 December 1944- 7 January 1945

191st Tank Battalion:

25 January- 5 February 1945

761st Tank Battalion:

10 March- 28 March 1945

Cavalry

The cavalry units that were assigned to the 103rd Infantry Division filled the dual roles of being both reconnaissance soldiers, and also filled positions on the frontlines to fill any necessary gaps or manpower shortages. When acting in their traditional roles, the soldiers of the cavalry units would scout ahead of the rest of the 103rd Infantry Division to look for and relay any enemy activity, possible ambushes, or other notes of importance.

115th Cavalry Group:

24 April- 3 May 1945

117th Cavalry Recon Squad:

24 April- 5 May 1945

Chemical

The chemical battalions that were attached to the 103rd worked with any munitions or other materials that could be considered hazardous or required specialty handling. These units specifically handled the mortars (small tube fired grenade style explosives) that were other than traditional high explosive mortar rounds. These specialty rounds include any smoke, white phosphorous, or chemical and gas round that would be carried and fired if necessary.

3rd Chemical Mortar Battalion:

14 November- 21 December 1944

81st Chemical Mortar Battalion:

15 March- 5 May 1945

83rd Chemical Mortar Battalion:

21 April- 9 May 1945

Field Artillery

While the 103rd Infantry Division had their own artillery battalions, additional units were oftentimes attached to help with additional fire missions especially when the division was on the move. Artillery battalions of differing firepower were often called upon as well depending on availability and necessity. The most common artillery pieces were the 105mm and 155mm guns, and both could be devastating when fired on enemy soldiers or when called upon to soften an objective before the infantry moved in to assault.

495th Armored Field Artillery Battalion (12th Armored Division):

26 December 1944- 2 January 1945

69th Armored Field Artillery Battalion:

19 February- unknown detachment date, 3 May- 9 May 1945

242nd Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer):

2 March- 25 March 1945, 28 March- 29 March 1945, 26 April- 5 May 1945

991st Field Artillery Battalion (155mm Howitzer):

20 March-24 March 1945

Infantry

274th Infantry (70th Infantry Division):

17 January- 22 January 1945

Tank Destroyer

Tank destroyers oftentimes advanced with infantry soldiers to provide protection and added firepower should any infantry unit come up against enemy tanks or armor. In many cases however, these tank destroyers provided close fire support to infantry units that were on the move or who were in need of immediate assistance. There were two main types of tank destroyer units, the self-propelled and the towed gun units. Self-Propelled units were normally guns that were attached or part of a wheeled or tracked vehicle, and therefore much more mobile. Towed guns were independent guns that relied on vehicles to move them to a fixed position.