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141st Lost Battlion of 36th Texas Divison


caseloadr
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I'm wondering if any one knows where to find either a history or other information about this unit. Or if there is an association or reunion information. My great uncle was KIA at the end where the 442nd rescued them in France Oct 25-26 1944. Any info would be helpful

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Try the forum on the Texas Military History

Link: www.texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org/index.html

 

Click on Directories and it will pull up Message Boards about various aspects of Texas units through US history. This is the link to the Forum for the 36th Texas Division.

 

http://texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.yuku.com/...y-Division.html

 

There is also a link to the Lost Battalion Association

 

www.texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org/lostbattalion/index.htm

 

Steve

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Try the forum on the Texas Military History

Link: www.texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org/index.html

 

Click on Directories and it will pull up Message Boards about various aspects of Texas units through US history. This is the link to the Forum for the 36th Texas Division.

 

http://texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.yuku.com/...y-Division.html

 

There is also a link to the Lost Battalion Association

 

www.texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org/lostbattalion/index.htm

 

Steve

 

Steve,

 

The website link you gave for the Lost Battalion is actually for the 36th Division's original WW2 lost battalion, the 131st Field Artillery of the 36th Division. They were called up to active service prior to WW2, sent to the Pacific Theater, and then basically taken prisoner en masse when the island of Java fell early in the war.

 

One of those little known facts about the 36th Division I guess, that one of their original units went to the Pacific Theater and was lost.

 

There is a book about the 131st called LOST BATTALION - RAILWAY OF DEATH by Kyle Thompson. It's a paperback, and a good read.

 

MW

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The website link you gave for the Lost Battalion is actually for the 36th Division's original WW2 lost battalion, the 131st Field Artillery of the 36th Division. They were called up to active service prior to WW2, sent to the Pacific Theater,

 

Hmm. I thought I was linking to the general WW2 forum. Oh well.

 

When I first heard/read about the 131FA going to the Pacific, I said No Way---they went to Italy. Well, surprise, surprise. You don't hear about unit splitting up like that.

 

Quite an interesting story.

 

Steve

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I have a piece of POW mail from a camp on the Thai Burma railway from one of the Texas field artillery boys captured in Java .

 

Kurt

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  • 1 month later...
Hmm. I thought I was linking to the general WW2 forum. Oh well.

 

When I first heard/read about the 131FA going to the Pacific, I said No Way---they went to Italy. Well, surprise, surprise. You don't hear about unit splitting up like that.

 

Quite an interesting story.

 

Steve

 

Oh, this happened more than what you think. Here are some more for ya' taken from US Army orders.

 

When the US Army activated the 342nd, 343rd, 345th, and 346th AAA Searchlight Battalions in the Panama Canal Defense for the Panama Sector, the orders read "the [insert named battalion] is activated less Battery C."

 

Battery C, 342nd AAA Sl Bn was assigned to the Puerto Rico sector. This battery was also divided, one platoon sent to Curacao the other to Aruba. I have not yet found what happened to the other C batteries.

 

The battalion, it was implied, had no control over the battery C.

 

Sources: The Adjutant General's Office Historical Data Unit Card for each named battalion. For those of you not familiar with these cards, this is a 4x6 or so index card prepared by the War Department summarizing all orders affecting the military unit it covers. These cards are available at the US Army History Institute at Carlisle Barracks, PA and at NARA College Park, MD.

 

The 245th Coast Artillery (Harbor Defense) was assigned to Fort Hancock, New Jersey but one battalion remained at Fort Tilden. The army then assigned a different regiment except one battalion to Ft Tilden at the same time this fort had the battalion of the other regiment. This battalion, guess where it was? Yep, Fort Hancock! I think this was the 7th CA (HD). Finally it decided to "transfer the 245th CA (HD) battalion at Tilden, less equipment and men, to Ft Hancock, and the battalion at Hancock of the regiment at Tilden, less equipment and men, to Ft Tilden." Source: The Coast Artillery Journal. True, this split up did not involve splitting up these two regiments across theaters or departments or breaking the command structure like the searchlight battalions. It still was a split, nevertheless.

 

And we continue with the 762nd and 891st Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalions. These battalions were organized and activated in the Panama Canal Zone in Sept 43. On Sept 44 they were relieved and sent to Los Angeles, Ca. Three gun batteries and the HQ battery of the 891st AAA Gun Battalion were assigned to Burbank. Two gun batteries of the 762nd AAA Gn Bn and the remaining gun battery of the 891st AAA Gn Bn were sent to Inglewood, all placed under the 891st hq battery at Burbank. The remaining two gun batteries and HQ battery of the 762nd AAA Gun Battalion were assigned to San Diego. Sources: the official War Department histories for both gun battalions and the data unit cards for each battalion. Available at NARA College Park, and the US Army facility at Carlisle Barracks.

 

Again, this split was not across different theaters or sectors, but across different groups. This split affected the 762nd AAA Gun Battalion when it went to a field exercise as there were different policies and SOPs for half the battalion. :think:

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Try the Book: T-Patch To Victory, The 36th "TEXAS" Division, France, Germany, Austria by Colonel Vincent M. Lockhart, copyright 1981. Chapter 10 of this book is titled " The Lost Battalion".

 

 

Leigh...

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Steve,

 

The website link you gave for the Lost Battalion is actually for the 36th Division's original WW2 lost battalion, the 131st Field Artillery of the 36th Division. They were called up to active service prior to WW2, sent to the Pacific Theater, and then basically taken prisoner en masse when the island of Java fell early in the war.

 

One of those little known facts about the 36th Division I guess, that one of their original units went to the Pacific Theater and was lost.

 

There is a book about the 131st called LOST BATTALION - RAILWAY OF DEATH by Kyle Thompson. It's a paperback, and a good read.

 

MW

 

These guys actually mobilized at a Fort (now a State Park) not too far from me. There's an historical marker, and now an annual event in February that commemorates it.

 

From the Park's website:

 

In November 1940, Fort Richardson was the mobilization site for Battery F, 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery Regiment, 36th Infantry Division, Texas National Guard. The unit was at sea when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. They were captured in Java in March 1942, having been left behind when the Americans retreated to Australia, garnering them the name the “Lost Battalion.” They spent the rest of World War II as Japanese prisoners performing forced labor, suffering untold hardships and starvation. A historic marker at the park commemorates the men who were mobilized at the fort.

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  • 3 months later...
private panda

I'm with the Texas state military museum, and yes we do have substantial information on the 141st. The 36th division actually had two lost units during WW2.

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I'm wondering if any one knows where to find either a history or other information about this unit. Or if there is an association or reunion information. My great uncle was KIA at the end where the 442nd rescued them in France Oct 25-26 1944. Any info would be helpful

 

Hello Here is the actual spot of the lost Bn.

 

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lostbn10.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
I'm with the Texas state military museum, and yes we do have substantial information on the 141st. The 36th division actually had two lost units during WW2.

Private Panda,

How would one get a list of the 141st that were killed and wounded ? I haven't been as active lately on here and just saw you message. Any help would be appreicated.

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  • 4 months later...

Evidently the appellation of "Lost Battalion" was somewhat of a misnomer; it was one or two companies, and also Division knew exactly where they were. Also, other units of the 36th ID were involved in the rescue besides the 442nd.

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it was one or two companies, and also Division knew exactly where they were.

 

Hello,

 

The Lost Bn was A and B Company, part of C Co and Heavy Weapons Platoon of D Co of the Alamo Regiment = around 275 men.

The Division knew where they were but the landscape is very difficult in that particular area and the hills were well defended.

When you visit the site it is hard to believe that the Germans and the Lost Bn boys positions were so close.

Kind regards gilles

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  • 4 years later...
ustpatcher1a

Thanks for posting. I did not know of the other Lost Battalion in the PTO and their slave railway work. The ETO Lost Battalion gets most of the attention.

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