General Orders 1946 - Fort Benning

G m Omms WAR DEPARTMEWE -
NO. 74 WASHINGT~N 25, D. C., 19 July 1948
scetion
INDUSTRIAL FACCILITIE&Dimonflowd aa separate Installations and placed in
stand-by statue as subposta of class I1 industrial instailatlons
BATTLE HONORS--Citations ot onita
I
I1
I..INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES.-Effectiue as of 28 diay 1946, the following
industrial facilities are discontinued as separate Installations and are placed,
without change of functlon, in astand-by status as subposts of the respective
Class I1 industrial installations indicated:
1. Storage area of the Cornhusker Ordnance Plant, Grand Island, Nebraska, as
subpost of the Nebroska Ordnance Plant, Fremont, Nebraska.
2 Storage area of the Plum Brook Ordnance Works, Sandusky, Ohio, as subpost
of the Rnvenna Arsenal, Awo, Ohio.
3. Major portion of the New River Ordnance Plant, Radford, Virginia, as
subpost of the Radford Arsenal, Radford, Virginia.
IAQ 6803 (13 Jul46)l
II..BATTLE HONORS.-As authorized by Executive order 9390 (see. I, WD
Bul. 12, 1843), superseding Executive Order 9075 (sec. 111, WD Bul. 11. 1W),
citations of the following units in the general orders indicated are confirmed
under the provisions of section IV, WD Circular 333, 1943, in the name of the
President of the United States as public evidence of deserved honor and distinetian.
The citations read as follows:
LThe 1st Battalion, 138th Infantry Reghat, is cited for outstanding performance
of duty in action against the enemy in the Caraballe Mountains, Lueon,
Philippine Idands, from 23 Narch'to 30 Nay 1945. Over what has been otEciall~
referred to as "some of the bloodiest fighting in the history of the United
Ntates Army," the 1st Battalion, durin~ this period, attacked and vanquished
the fanatical encmy entrenched in seemingly impregnable fortifications mtmlling
the ViilR Verde TraiL So long had the enemy been in preparation bf Its cave
fortifications, so elaborate had been their orepnrations, and so skiilfuliy wethese
enemr defensive uositious located, that the entire ooeration for the 1st
BaftaZion consisted of assaults upon fortified positions. In the reduction oi
this force's forward area near Salacsac Pass Number 2, the 1st Battalion killed
TO0 Japanese, demolished innumerable care positions, and captured countless
enemy weapons. On Xay 1045, the 1st Battalirm, after nearly complete replacement
of its personnel because of eombnt casuulties, began the attack on Hill
608, the commanding ground In the division sector and tbe focal point of the
elaborate enemy defensive system. By skillful and courageous use of the flamethrowers,
demolition charge6 and hand grenades, the assault farces literally
blasted and buried enemy troops to annihilation as the battalion fought its way
ento the hill. Because of the clever emolwment of the enemy's weauons for
mutual fire support in breadth and 3epth. the most exact coordinwn between
elements of the battalion mas required. xany times flre direction was given by
forward assault groups for adjoining attackers, in order to overcome the
asual poor observation. Often during the assault on Hill 508, the attackers
found that the Japanese tunnels and underground oositions extended completdr - -
ihrough ridges, all of which were virtually-inrulnerable to bombs and artillery.
After 0 days of constant assault on the hill mass, during which the Jspnese
made innumerable counterattacks. the 1st Battalion overwhelmed the entire
MU to complete the annihilation of the Sampel force. Upon examinatlon of the
conquered fortress, it was found that the main cave was approximately 200