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On 18
December 1941 a combat team from 2nd
Battalion, 113th Infantry was moved to
Georgetown, Delaware for temporary bivouac
and combat support for Fort Miles. By
November 1943, it had been determined by the
War Department that an attack on American
shores was extremely remote. A new,
smaller detachment of the 113th was
emplaced. By 1944 only 3000 men were
assigned to the Philadelphia / New York
sector for duty at coastal defense and
homefront stations.
Source: "Report on defense of
Philadelphia Sector," US Army. (Fort
Miles Archives)
The 2nd Battalion, 113th Infantry makes
its headquarters in Riverdale, Morris
County, New Jersey. It traces its lineage
back to the Revolutionary War. This
mechanized infantry battalion has four
companies of infantry, an anti tank company,
and a headquarters company. Units are
located in Newark, Jersey City, and
Woodbridge, as well as Riverdale.
The history of the 113th Infantry begins
with the infantry militia of northern New
Jersey in 1664. Prior to the revolution,
Colonel Peter Schuyler of Belleville-Newark
organized, outfitted and marched NJ troops
to Canada. This militia fought in King
George's War (1746-1748) and the Seven Years
War (1756-1763). The 2nd Battalion, 113th
Infantry traces its lineage to the American
Revolution.
In October of 1775, the 1st (Eastern)
Battalion was formed in Newark. During its
many campaigns, it earned the motto Fidelis
et Fortis (Faithful and Brave). On January
10, 1776, the unit was nicknamed "Jersey
Blues," a name that one Captain Littel had
given to his Newark company.
In 1861, New Jersey's 1st and 2nd regiments
were summoned to fight at Bull Run and
elsewhere. The majority of these men came
from the City Battalion of Newark.
In 1889, several regiments were again called
to federal service during the
Spanish-American War. These were the 1st
Regiment out of Newark, the 2nd Regiment out
of Paterson and the 3rd Regiment out of
Elizabeth. These regiments were also
activated in 1916 as part of the 1st Jersey
Brigade that defended the Mexican border.
In 1917, the 1st Infantry Regiment was
mobilized for service in World War I. The
regiment fought in the Alsace and Lorraine
Campaigns and in the Meuse-Argonne
Offensive. The 1st and 4th regiments, along
with the 2nd NJ Infantry, formed the nucleus
of the 113th Infantry.
The Battalion 373rd Infantry (Colored) was
formed by the conversion of the 1st
Battalion of the New Jersey National Guard.
The first unit, one of five, was Company A
of Newark, which was mustered into service
on September 9, 1940.
During World War II, the 113th Infantry,
then part of the 44th Infantry Division,
participated in most major European
campaigns. Units of the 2nd Battalion, 113th
Infantry (predecessors of companies now
stationed at the Newark Armory landed at
Normandy on D-Day. They earned citations for
services in Northern France, the Rhineland,
the Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe.
Source:
GlobalSecurity.org |