The 99 Battalion th
By Ivar Kraglund
Vol. 5, No. 2 2007
W
hen the SS Bienville reached Boston on the first day of November, 1945, it carried the remnants of a unit activated more than three years earlier with the intention of waging war in Nazi-occupied Norway. Their story had turned out quite differently. The 99th Infantry Battalion (Separate) emerged in planning documents in May 1942. Pearl Harbor was only some six months gone and the U.S. authorities were eagerly turning every stone in order to maximize the war effort. In the great U.S. melting pot there were a number of people of Norwegian descent, and the battalion’s story begins with them.1 The idea of utilizing personnel of a particular nationality was not a new one. Great Britain from the very start had recruited people for so-called “independent” companies, and the most successful was the Norwegian one. Run by the Special Operations Executive (SOE), the British pioneer organization in “ungentlemanly warfare,” Norwegian Independent Company No. 1, alias Kompani Linge, or simply NORIC, set the standard. When the Office of Strategic Services was established, the initiators may also have been well aware of the British experience mentioned above. The document initiating the 99th is dated July 10, 1942, and is addressed to “Commanding General, Second Army.” The two-page document opens: The War Department has constituted the 99 th Infantry Battalion (Separate) and it is desired that you activate this unit without delay at Camp Ripley, Minnesota, in accordance with the provisions set forth herein. It is intended that this unit eventually will consist only of Norwegian nationals (aliens or aliens with first papers).2 The letter continues with further specifications. The unit was to be brought up to the strength of 931 enlisted men, and it seemed imperative that everybody should have a thorough command of the Norwegian language. Paragraph after paragraph stresses this. It specified: If it develops that insufficient aliens are procured to form a complete battalion, Norwegian-speaking soldiers who are United States citizens may, with their consent, be transferred to the battalion.4 Very soon after this order had been issued, the first men arrived at Camp Ripley and the ranks began to fill. Their backgrounds were quite different, but they had one common denominator—they spoke Norwegian. They all volunteered to free their country of origin from the Nazi tyranny and their first commanding officer was Captain Harold D. Hansen. Helmet worn by Kjell J. Nilsen, a member of the 99th Infantry Battalion.
Vesterheim 1985.096.011—Gift of Kjell J. Nilsen through Morten Tuftedal.
Shoulder sleeve insignia: 99th Infantry Battalion (Separate). Vesterheim 1996.070.005—Gift of Robert Bjorgum.
Camp Ripley offered only the initial training for the recruits and by the end of September the unit was transferred to Fort Snelling, Minnesota. It was here the real physical training began, which also sorted out personnel unfit for such tasks. As it turned out, however, the training time at Fort Snelling was only a mild breeze compared to the gales ahead. Shortly before Christmas, 1942, the battalion moved to Camp Hale, Colorado, which, at 9,600 feet above sea level, represented a somewhat different environment than the rolling hills of Minnesota. Their stay at Camp Hale lasted for about eight months, during which they underwent intensive training in mountain warfare, with all the snow and low temperatures that they probably anticipated in Norway. Colorado’s mountains are, of course, much taller than the Norwegian ones, and experiencing altitudes up to 12,000 feet definitely gave the men an edge. The battalion also undertook testing new equipment and provisions for the War Department. Mention should be made of the “Plough Project.” Initiated by the eccentric (putting it mildly) but innovative British psychologist Geoffrey Pyke, the idea was to master snow warfare partially by means of a vehicle so far unheard of.3 Pyke suggested the construction, or rather, the invention, of a belt-driven device capable of operating in the snow-covered mountains. Pyke’s idea was supported by people in high positions and eventually led to the development of the Cargo Carrier Light, alias the T-15 or M29 Weasel. The development proved successful, but the vehicle did not see active service until the 99th got other assignments. It could have proved an important tool for the battalion. With the coming of spring, 1943, another option appeared for the 99th personnel at Camp Hale. The O.S.S. (Office of Strategic Services) started recruiting for what eventually became the Nowegian Special Operations Vesterheim
the battalion moved up to Glenusk Castle in Wales. Their accommodations were Nissen huts, slightly less than castlelike, although the surroundings were picturesque. By May, with the mounting feeling of a forthcoming invasion, the battalion moved further east. After a few short stops, the unit went down to Plymouth, where they embarked and left England in LCIs (Landing Craft Infantry) on June 17. They were thrown ashore on Omaha Beach, Normandy, four days later, having experienced rough seas in their flatbottomed vessels. The front line was not very far away and they were able to observe and listen to enemy fire from a distance. After the necessary checking of equipment, etc., the 99th, now attached to the Second Armored Division, was sent down to the Cherbourg peninsula as Division Reserve. The time of training was definitely over and very soon the unit was thrown into battle that proved the value of the preceding two years of training. By August 20, the battalion was exposed to real enemy fire for the first time and the first casualties were sustained. Another great challenge came only a few days later, on August 25, at Elbeuf by the Seine River—a German attack that included tanks shelled their positions, killing 7 enlisted men and wounding another 41 and 9 officers. Among the wounded was Lt. Col. Turner, which opened the way for Harold Hansen to take command for a second time. Despite the losses, the 99th was able to fight down enemy resistance, taking many prisoners. The battalion, from its activation onward, was labeled “Separate,” but that did not exclude attachments. After Elbeuf, it was transferred from the Second Division to the Seventh
Staff Sergeant uniform worn by Morten Tuftedal, a member of the 99th Infantry Battalion.
Vesterheim 1985.096.023—Gift of Morten Tuftedal.
Wool mittens worn by Owen D. Bekkum, a member of the 99th Infantry Battalion.
Vesterheim 1992.082.005—Gift of Owen D. Bekkum through Morten Tuftedal.
Combat boots worn by Morten Tuftedal, a member of the 99th Infantry Battalion.
Vesterheim 1985.096.003—Gift of Morten Tuftedal.
(NORSO) Group. This was a special forces unit that was given parachute and commando training. A group from this unit went to Norway in the spring of 1945 to carry out railroad sabotage in central Norway. These were among the few who saw battle in the country they were trained to liberate. The summer of 1943 saw a new commanding officer, when Lt. Col. R. G. Turner took over and Hansen, now a Major, became second in command. By the end of August, the battalion left Colorado and went east to New York. It became very clear that a transfer to Britain was imminent. The SS Mexico left port on September 5, reaching Scotland after an eleven-day voyage. The 99th was rapidly sent to Perham Downs in Wiltshire, where they were to experience another period of extensive and physically demanding training. It was also here that the men acted as guinea pigs for a new type of ration. Both the soldiers and the ration survived the testing, and the latter became standard army equipment for decades. The time in Wiltshire came to a close in January 1944, when Vol. 5, No. 2 2007
Pack board for carrying ammunition (front and back views). Vesterheim 1987.139.007—Gift of Morten Tuftedal.
Armored Group. During September they were thrown into what has been called the “Canal Drive” operations in Belgium. The battalion’s companies during this period were operating partially on their own under different commands. The Canal Drive included some very heavy fighting, but by the end of September the enemy withdrew, and the battalion was able to get some brief rest. Two weeks later, by the middle of October, “the holiday season” was definitely over, as the battalion was thrown into battle at Wurselen, right outside Aachen. A pocket of strong German forces struggled to keep open a corridor, which resulted in a fierce, nine-day struggle, including numerous attacks and counterattacks. The 99th held their positions and, despite murderous fire and shelling, managed to close the gap with other forces. Their own losses were 2 officers and 26 enlisted men killed, another 5 officers and 40 enlisted men wounded. Their “reward” was a one-month stay near Henri Chapelle in Belgium. It was a period of mud, rain, and wind and “nothing to write home about.”5 These miserable conditions came to an end on November 25, when they moved to Tilff. For another few weeks life was good! Then, just before Christmas, 1944, there was another unwelcome surprise—the Ardennes offensive, also known as “The Battle of the Bulge.” The Germans launched a major counter-offensive in the areas of Luxembourg and parts of Belgium. For a few chaotic days the main Allied supply lines were threatened by the advancing German forces. The 99th Battalion was deployed at Malmedy, a German-speaking town with a somewhat hostile population—at least it was felt to be. Together with some 60 engineers, the battalion constituted the entire Allied presence in that particular area, which heavy forces of the First S.S. Division eventually attacked.7 These were Germany’s elite forces and “they were good but not good enough.”6 Christmas preparations turned out quite differently that year and the 99th was busy digging foxholes and carrying out other defensive arrangements in and around Malmedy. The German attacks were several and fierce, but eventually the massive strength of the Allied Forces had its effect. The 99th spent Christmas and New Year’s around Malmedy, and wasn’t moved out until January 6. There had been an almost continuous shelling during the whole period. When they subsequently were transferred to the Stavelot area, the situation didn’t fundamentally improve.8 It wasn’t until January 18 that the battalion was removed from the front line. Having sustained 31 full days of everything the enemy could muster, they were sent to French Barneville by the English Channel. This used to be a pleasant summer resort, but trouble was nearby—a strong Nazi garrison on the Channel Islands just off the French coast. Nightly German raids made their stay less rewarding. Significantly, they joined with the 474th Infantry Regiment, consisting of men from the First Special Service Force. The idea was to create an elite force capable of carrying out the most hazardous jobs. When April came, the 474th left for Aachen, which, for members of the 99th, was a second visit. After a few days, the battalion temporarily separated from the regiment and went deep into southeastern Germany around Hertsfeld. Its task
Snow camouflage jacket and pants. British Army issue, but said to have been worn by a NORSO Group member. Vesterheim 1995.083.002-3—Gift of Morten Tuftedal.
Khaki parka that reverses to snow camouflage, worn by Dale Torgerson of Owatonna, Minnesota, while serving in the 99th Infantry Battalion. Vesterheim 1992.128.001—Gift of Dale Torgerson through Morten Tuftedal.
Snow camouflage mittens, ski cap, and gaiters worn by Owen D. Bekkum, a member of the 99th Infantry Battalion.
Vesterheim 1992.082.003-6—Gift of Owen D. Bekkum through Morten Tuftedal.
Ski boots worn by Christian Dyngland, a member of the 99th Infantry Battalion.
Vesterheim 1985.096.004—Gift of Christian Dyngland through Morten Tuftedal.
Rucksack and snow camouflage rucksack cover used by Morten Tuftedal, a member of the 99th Infantry Battalion. Vesterheim 1985.096.008, 016—Gift of Morten Tuftedal.
Skis and poles used by Leland Bjerke, a member of the 99th Infantry Battalion. Vesterheim 1985.096.017—Gift of Leland Bjerke through Morten Tuftedal.
now was to perform a clean-up operation in the former Nazi heartland, among a disillusioned population more than eager to denounce their former masters. In the period to follow, the 99th came to experience the horror of the Nazi regime through encounters with various concentration camps and other installations. These experiences left no sympathy for former S.S. personnel and other Nazi officials. By May the regiment was reunited, and on May 13 they received another, this time very different, order: Proceed to Norway! Because they were staying in central Germany, this meant a cumbersome, although very welcome, journey. Another Vesterheim
Snowshoe training, probably at Camp Hale. Vesterheim Archives, 99th Battalion Collection.
transfer to France was at hand, and finally they left Le Havre on June 2, on board 13 LSTs (landing ship tanks) and one cargo ship. Records indicate they reached Norway the day after, but that may have been only a land sighting. The first part of the battalion reportedly landed at Drammen on June 4, while the main force reached Oslo on June 5. Was this the promised land they all had been dreaming of since their first days in Camp Ripley almost three years earlier? The answer may be both “yes” and “no,” but probably with a fairly strong preference for the first. By this time the Norwegian character of the 99th had been diluted. Non-Norwegian replacements had filled in the holes left by 52 men killed in action, another 207 wounded, and another 6 missing in combat. Norway was free after five years of Nazi rule. On June 7, two days after they arrived, the battalion was given the task of acting as a Guard of Honor when King Haakon VII returned to the country after exactly five years in exile. For this they received commendations from the Task Force commander and their own Harold D. Hansen, by then a Lieutenant Colonel. The Norwegians duly received the 99th as liberators and their strong bonds with Norway naturally secured a pleasant stay. Their main garrison was at Camp Smestad in Oslo. From there, their task was to help control the still numerous German forces in Norway. As they recently had been doing in Germany, they carried out raids in German camps in order to ferret out war criminals and other elements in hiding. Battalion members spent the summer of 1945 participating in numerous parades and taking generous furloughs that were used for sightseeing and seeking out relatives all over Norway. For the brave men of the 99th Infantry Battalion (Separate), the circle was complete. They had finally reached the country the battalion was originally
created to liberate, but in a very different way than was foreseen back in 1942, and only after seeing some of the most bitter fighting in the European war. NORSO [Norwegian Special Operations] Some members of the 99th—the O.S.S. NORSO Group—had actually reached Norway before liberation as members of Operation RYPE. Headed by William Colby, who much later became the United States Chief of Central Intelligence (C.I.A.), they parachuted into central Norway, north of Trondheim, with instructions to carry out railroad sabotage and guerrilla warfare, cooperating with local resistance fighters. Their mission was to be fairly troublesome and partially disastrous. Eight planes left Britain on March 24. Only four of them reached the dropping area. Two returned to base, one dropped its cargo in Sweden and the last crashed near the Orkney Islands. Another attempt was made on April 7, resulting in a fatal plane crash that killed all on board. Despite huge problems, the RYPE group managed to carry out many of their tasks and were able to join in the local liberation at Steinkjer and subsequently at Trondheim. These were the only Americans actually fighting on Norwegian soil during World War II.9 In October 1945 the Norwegian chapter ended. The regiment was withdrawn in two major transports. Two battalions boarded the SS Dominican Victory on October 15 bound for New York. The 99th followed two days later in the SS Bienville, docking in Boston on November 1. Quoting Gerd Nyquist: “The 99th Battalion had been home in Norway, now they were home in America.”10
Vol. 5, No. 2 2007
Some Closing Remarks Reflecting on the 99th Infantry Battalion many years later I cannot avoid thinking of Band of Brothers, the award-winning television series produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. In my view there are many similarities between the 99th and what that masterpiece portrayed: a small unit, trained and activated, taking heavy losses and ending up decimated, but with a strong sense of unity. The uniqueness of the 99th is of course their strong national Norwegian links, which remained even when a large part of the unit had been replaced by personnel of other descent. The unit disembarking in Norway in early June 1945 was still a strong group of people mentally and physically attached to that remote country on the edge of Europe.
Battalion flag made by Dottie Christophersen of Denver, Colorado.
Vesterheim 1995.083.004—Gift of Morten Tuftedal.
Endnotes �������������������������������������������������������������������� My own story however, starts many years later, in the fall of 1979. By that time I got my degree in history from the University of Oslo and was subsequently engaged by the late professor Magne Skodvin. One day he mentioned that the writer Gerd Nyquist was about to do something pertaining to the war, and she was requesting some kind of professional assistance. Skodvin suggested I should take the challenge, and so I got to know Nyquist. Formerly she existed in my mind only as a well-known writer of crime novels and children books—which struck me as a somewhat strange combination, but I soon learned to appreciate both her personality and her newest project. Through the winter months of 1979-1980, I spent my days in her enchanted villa on the west side of Oslo, also breathing in the inspirational setting for her previous works. Eventually it turned out that Nyquist had her own wartime history, which she was less willing to share. Actively participating in the resistance, she had experienced a dramatic encounter with the Gestapo. In addition to this, her brother was a pilot in the Naval Air Force and was shot down and killed by friendly fire off the Shetland Islands in early May 1940 while escaping from Norway in an obsolete floatplane. My task was to scrutinize the sources related to this unit, of which I had never heard. Working through heaps of documents, the history of 99th Infantry Battalion (Separate) left a lasting impression on me. I set about reading all I could come across, which basically were documents from National Archives, Library of Congress, and numerous questionnaires filled in by former “99ers.” Naturally the personal memories stood out very differently from the prosaic and analytical records from Alexandria, Virginia. When Nyquist started her project, there already was a story of the battalion written as early as 1945 by Howard R. Bergen. This was, however, the only published source that specifically dealt with the unit. Hence, there were a number of good reasons to give an updated and perhaps a more personal account on the subject, although it has to be said that Bergen’s book gives the most accurate presentation. Nyquist’s version is based on the personal memories of the rank and file, constituting a more human approach to the story. 1
����������������������������� Cited from Howard R. Bergen, History of 99th Infantry Battalion (Oslo: E. Moestue, 1945). 3 Ibid. 4 ���������������������������������������������������������� More (colorful) information on Pyke can be seen on http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Pyke and other places on the web. 5 Bergen, 53. 6 It was not until after the battle that the grim traces of a German ������������������������������������������������������������������� massacre were discovered at Malmedy. A number of American prisoners from the 147th Medical Unit had been brutally murdered by a S.S. unit under Joachim Peiper. The Malmedy massacre trial started in 1946 and is a topic in and of itself. 7 Bergen, 59. ����������� 8 ���������������������������� This happened on January 6. 9 ������������������������������������������������������������ Many years later, in 1986, I had the honor of lunching with William Colby in Luxembourg. He expressed pride in his stay in Norway and repeatedly came back to those weeks and their contribution to “the common cause.” 10 Gerd Nyquist, Bataljon 99 (Oslo: Aschehoug, 1981). This book was translated into English some years later by�������������������� Mrs. Inger-Johanne Gerwig, Mr. Henrik M. Hansen, and Mr. and Mrs. Oddvar Nass. The English translation was printed by the Anundsen Publishing Co., Decorah, Iowa, and is not for sale to the general public, since it is restricted to members of the 99th Infantry Battalion, their relatives, and historical and/or heritage institutions. My quote is my own translation. 2
About the Author Ivar Kraglund was educated at the University of Oslo and graduated as Cand. Philol. in 1979. From 1980 onwards he has been working at Norway’s Resistance Museum (Norges Hjemmefrontmuseum) as a researcher. Kraglund has published writings on various aspects of the Resistance, including Hjemmefront, with colleague and Resistance Museum director Arnfinn Moland. Hjemmefront is part of the eight-volume work Norge i krig (1987). Vesterheim