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Go for Broke:
Remembering The 442nd Regimental Combat Team & the 100th Infantry Battalion
In honor of Memorial Day, we’re highlighting the most decorated unit in US military history: the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
After #JapaneseAmerican families were forcibly placed into internment camps, the War Dept. called for the removal of all service members of Japanese descent from active duty. In Hawaii, the Hawaii National Guard, including about 1,300 Japanese American soldiers, was permitted to remain in service. The Hawaii Territorial Guard, made up mainly of ROTC cadets, petitioned to join the war effort and became the #VarsityVictoryVolunteers. Army Leadership, doubting the loyalty of Japanese American soldiers, sent the Hawaii National Guard to the mainland, designating them the #100thInfantryBattalion.
The 442nd RCT, made up entirely of Japanese American soldiers including those from the 100th Infantry, was activated 1 Feb 1943. By April, there were 4,000 men in the #442nd. Their motto: Go For Broke!
The Lost Battalion • After numerous attempts to rescue 275 members of the 141st Regiment had failed, the 442nd was sent in. After 5 days of fighting, the 442nd broke through enemy lines & rescued the men of the 141st. Doing so, they suffered massive casualties. The 442nd lost 800 men to save the 211 men of the 141st.
Gen. Dahlquist called for a formation to honor the 442nd, and seeing the small number of men present, he turned, irritated, to Col. Miller and said, “I want ALL your men in this formation.” Miller replied, “that’s all that’s left, sir.”
Rescue of Dachau • On 29 April 1945, scouts from the 442nd’s Artillery Unit (522nd Artillery) who had been sent to Germany were the first to discover the Dachau concentration camps. Tadashi Tojo, Robert Sugai, & Shozo Kajioka were the first American soldiers to stumble upon a camp near Dachau and rescue the survivors.