46th Infantry Regiment (United States)
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The 46th Infantry Regiment ("The Professionals") is a unit in the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
that served in World War II and Vietnam.


History

During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the 46th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the 5th Armored Division. Landing at
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
in 1944, the 46th Infantry led the 5th Armored Division in five campaigns earning the nickname "Victory’s Spearpoint". For their repeated courage under fire, the 2nd Battalion, 46th Infantry, was awarded two Presidential Unit Citations, the
French Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first aw ...
, and the Luxembourg Croix de Guerre, those nation’s highest awards for gallantry in action. The 4th Battalion, 46th Infantry was deployed to help suppress the April 1968 Chicago riots. During the Vietnam War, the 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry and the 5th Battalion, 46th Infantry were part of the
Americal Division The Americal Division was an infantry division of the United States Army during World War II and the Vietnam War. The division was activated 27 May 1942 on the island of New Caledonia. In the immediate emergency following Pearl Harbor, the U ...
. Both initially deployed to Vietnam with the 198th Infantry Brigade from
Fort Hood, Texas Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarter ...
. But the 1-46th was placed under operational control of the 196th Infantry Brigade (Light) and later became fully a part of the 196th Brigade. Though the 5-46th left Vietnam when the Americal Division cased its colors in the fall of 1971, the 1-46th deployed to
Da Nang Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one ...
with the rest of the 196th. The 1-46th left Vietnam in June 1972. The 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry subsequently was assigned to 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division at Ferris Barracks, Erlangen, Germany. It continued in this assignment until late 1984. The battalion was organized as a mechanized infantry battalion. By 1981, as VII Corps flank battalion on the movement to the General Defense Position (GDP), the battalion's initial mission had flanking units of the West German Corps to the southeast. As a result, the battalion maintained an active partnership with a panzer and a panzer grenadier battalion that had the German corps' flank mission, initially Panzerbatallion 104, Pfreimd, and later Panzergrenadierbatallion 122, Oberviechtach. Throughout 1982-4, the battalion was in the process of reorganizing to become a Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle equipped unit. The maintenance sections were consolidated into headquarters company, the infantry company anti-tank sections were consolidated into an anti-tank company, additional 2 1/2 ton trucks were received, a fourth infantry company was formed and the M578 Light Recovery Vehicles were replaced by the heavier M88 Armored Recovery Vehicles among other changes in preparation. LTC Werner Banisch commanded for much of this period of reorganization preparation with Major Thomas Rozman commanding as acting commander for several months. The 2nd Battalion, 46th Infantry, was a garrison unit in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
until September 1972 when it was inactivated. In October 1987, the 2nd Battalion, 46th Infantry, was reactivated at
Fort Knox, Kentucky Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository, which is used to house a large portion of the United States' official gold res ...
as a Basic Training battalion, (assets derived from the 13th training battalion), charged with providing the force with disciplined, highly motivated and physically conditioned soldiers. Note: the entire 4th Training brigade during this time consisted of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th battalions of the 46th Infantry. Later the 3rd and 4th deactivated leaving only the 1st Battalion ("Professionals") and the 2nd Battalion ("Lead to Victory") as the last two basic training battalions on Ft. Knox. In 2011, 1st Battalion became part of the 192d Infantry Brigade at
Fort Benning Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees ...
,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
, where it continued to service as a basic training battalion. 1st Battalion 46th Infantry Regiment served as a Basic Combat Training Battalion on Sand Hill at Fort Benning, Georgia organized under the 194th Armored Brigade. In 2020 it transitioned to Infantry
One Station Unit Training One Station Unit Training, sometimes referred to as One Site Unit Training, is a term used by the United States Army to refer to a training program in which recruits remain with the same unit for both Basic Combat Training (BCT) and Advanced Indi ...
under the 197th Infantry Brigade.


Distinctive unit insignia

* Description A Gold color metal and enamel device 1 5/32 inches (2.94 cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Azure, in pale a mullet and a flaming torch Or. On a canton Argent a Roman numeral "X" of the first superimposed on a Roman sword in scabbard palewise point down Or. * Symbolism This Regiment was organized in 1917 at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, from the 10th Infantry. The field is blue, the Infantry color. The charge, a gold torch and star, is taken from the flag of the State of Indiana while the badge of the 10th Infantry is shown on the canton. * Background The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 46th Armored Infantry Regiment on 24 February 1942. It was redesignated for the 46th Armored Infantry Battalion on 30 November 1943. The insignia was redesignated for the 46th Infantry Regiment on 2 January 1959.


Coat of arms

*Blazon ** Shield: Azure, in pale a mullet and a flaming torch Or. On a canton Argent a Roman numeral "X" of the first superimposed on a Roman sword in scabbard palewise point down Or fimbriated of the field. ** Crest: On a wreath Or and Azure between two pine trees eradicated Gules a spear issuant from the base of the first charged on the point with a fleur-de-lis of the second and enfiled by a castle tower Sable masoned of the first charged with a lion rampant Argent. **Motto: VICTORY’S POINT. *Symbolism ** Shield: This Regiment was organized in 1917 at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, from the 10th Infantry. The field is blue, the Infantry color. The charge, a gold torch, and a star is taken from the flag of the State of Indiana, while the badge of the 10th Infantry is shown on the canton. ** Crest: The spearhead bearing a fleur-de-lis represents the unit’s participation in the drive from the Normandy Peninsula through Northern France. The black castle signifies the penetration of the Siegfried Line and the campaign in Luxembourg, for which the unit received the Croix de Guerre, is noted by the white lion rampant (adopted from the arms of the town of Diekirch). The red pine trees represent the bitter, arduous fighting in the area of the Hurtgen Forest of Germany. * Background: The coat of arms was originally approved for the 46th Infantry Regiment on 27 January 1921. It was redesignated for the 46th Infantry (Armored) Regiment on 29 December 1941. It was redesignated for the 46th Armored Infantry Regiment on 9 March 1942. The insignia was redesignated for the 46th Armored Infantry Battalion on 1 December 1943. It was amended to add a crest on 15 December 1965. It was amended to add a motto on 8 March 1988.


In popular culture

Tim O'Brien described his tour in Vietnam with the regiment's Alpha Company, 5th Battalion in his book
If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home ''If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home'' (sometimes printed as ''If I Die In A Combat Zone'' or incorrectly as ''If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Send Me Home'') is an autobiographical account of Tim O'Brien's tour of dut ...
.


References

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External links

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Global Security Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:046 Military units and formations of the United States Army in the Vietnam War 046 Military units and formations established in 1917