General Orders 1946 - Fort Benning

3. TRs 1st Battalion, SUWL Infantry Regimeat, is cited for extraordinary hero-
/ ' ism and o~~tstnndingperfnrmarice
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of duty in armed conflict with the euemy during
the period 30 April to 5 May 1915, in the vicinity of Urasoe-Mura, Okinama.
Ryukrus Islands. During this period, the 1st Battalion, 807th Infmtru
Regiment, distinguished itself by its skillful and fearless Performance of an
exlremely difficult mission, ass;miting and securing the escarpment, a vertical
cliff some 250 feet in heieht. - . in the vicinitv of "Pinnacle Rock!' This coral
rock fortress, honeyeombcd with caves; corridors, and pillboxes, heavily fortified,
and fanaticalls defended, had hcld uo the eencral advance for 12 days. Starting
its attack at Oi30 on 30 April 1915, the battalion advnneed inch by inch against
a bidil of enemy tire directed from above, and it suffered heavy rasualties.
Fighting to n.irhin 20 feet of the top, the battalion withstood all attempts to
dislodge it, and at dawn tile following day pushed orcr the top, using ?&foot
Scalillg ladders and cargo nets. fighting the enemy with grenades and hnnQtahnnd,
and blast in^ and burning out caves with gasoline and improvised explosims.
The "sccsnru-" struggle for the top of tlle ridge eoutinued without let up
night and day during 3 and 4 May 1045, with men standing on the brink to
hurl boxes of grenades at the euemy, who replied with machine guns, rifles,
and grenades, often from positions only 60 yard avay. On 6 May 1946, the
battalion adrnnced all the way down the south side of the escarpment, bloring
and Sealing eaves as it went. The battalion used over 6,000 hand grenades.
fired over 18,000 rounds of mortar ammunition, and is credited wirh having
killed 1,150 enemy dnririg the operation. It captured one 75-mm and one
47-Uim antitank gun, 7 henvy machine guns, 22 light machine guns, 6 heavy
mortars, and innumerable knee mortars and rifles. There was a total of 309
cnsualties ullt of a total of 705 who entered the action. The extraordinary
tenacity, courage, initiative, ~allantrs, ~. and determination to close with the
erlerny exhibited by the officers and mcu of the 1st Battalion, 307th Infanivy
Ileginzelbt, reriueed n key defcnsive position. made ~ossible a general advance by
the entire command, and are eaemglilry of the highest traditions of the military
service. (General Orders 11, Headquarters 77th Infantry Division, 9 January
1946, as approved by the Cnmmander in Chief, Uniled States Army Forces,
FnciEc.)
4. The Zd Silliadron, 7th Caoalry, reinforced by %d Section. Antitank Platoon,
Heed~uarters Troop, 7tb Cacalr~; P and D Bectio?!., SCP~~CO Troop, 7th Ca~al~y;
LillisOn and Portcard Obrewtrs Partu. 99th Pield Artillerv Battalion: fat Platoon.
gd Colirctino Tmop, 1st Medical Spuadron; Detachment, 608d Tanl~ Company, is
cited fur extraordinary gallantry, antstnndinl? - couraxe. -. determination, and esnrit
de corps in erackinb. the Sllimbu Lirle near Antipolo, Luzon, Philippine Islands.
from 23 Fcbruary to I1 March 1946. The sq~~adron was assigned the mission uf
driving through a series of hills Lelween Tay T:+y and Antipola and securing a
high escarpment dominating the city of Antipolo and the surrounding arca. All
hills wilhin the asrigned Sector had been systematically developed into a huge
fortified zone during the Japanese occupation. No entrenchments were visible
from the air, or even at close visual range, without intensive terrain study with
Dowerfill scopes. Assaulting aggressively, the squadron scizcd a kcy terrain
featore and was prolnptly slil&?ctwI to intense sniper and maelline-gun fire from
dl sides. The locations of hostile weapons mere practically impassible to de-
termlne and thc rqurrdrun, refusing to withdmw, dug in amid an increasing rate
Of casualties. That night, and for 9 successive nights, the sqnadron was sub-
jected to intense previously registered mortar, artillery, and rocket barrages.
AGO 34B3B