442nd Regimental Combat Team

The 100th Infantry Battalion began as part of the Hawaii National Guard. On June 5, 1942, 1,432 men left Hawaii for training at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, and later at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. The 100th shipped out to North Africa on August 23, 1943, and saw heavy action in Italy. Because of its heavy casualties and many honors, the 100th became known as the "Purple Heart Battalion." The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was initially formed in 1943 from Japanese American volunteers from Hawaii and the mainland. Perhaps not surprisingly, only about 1,250 Japanese Americans volunteered from the concentration camps. In Hawaii, where there was no mass removal, almost 10,000 volunteered. The 442nd arrived in Italy in June 1944 where the battle-tested 100th Infantry Battalion became its 1st Battalion. In seven major campaigns, the 442nd became the most decorated unit for its size and length of service; the unit suffered 9,476 casualties, more than 300 percent of its original strength.

442nd Regimental Combat Team (1518)

Gallery view
List view

1518 items

img Japanese American four-star general (ddr-densho-6-2)

Joseph Kamikawa (left) and General Eric Shinseki. General Shinseki was a keynote speaker at this reunion for Nisei veterans.

http://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-6-2/

img Honor roll (ddr-densho-15-82)

Japanese Americans looking at the camp's honor roll, a listing of all the Japanese Americans from the Minidoka concentration camp who volunteered for military service. Minidoka had the highest number of volunteers from the mainland United States.

http://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-15-82/

img Two soldiers in front of a building (ddr-densho-22-170)

Herbert K. Yanamura on the right.

http://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-22-170/

img Soldier with friends in France (ddr-densho-22-312)

http://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-22-312/

img Danny Y. Teruya holding a rifle (ddr-densho-22-270)

http://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-22-270/

img Soldiers in a raft (ddr-densho-22-232)

http://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-22-232/

img Herbert K. Yanamura and his wife [?] saying goodbye (ddr-densho-22-381)

http://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-22-381/

img Soldiers on a tank and motorcycle (ddr-densho-22-215)

http://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-22-215/

img Herbert K. Yanamura at the Kalamazoo train station (ddr-densho-22-180)

http://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-22-180/

doc Go For Broke photograph album (ddr-densho-22-17)

Clarence Matsumura's Go For Broke photograph album.

http://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-22-17/

img Picking fruit in a tree (ddr-densho-22-32)

Caption in album: "As spring came and summer and leaves bloomed on trees we waited and saw some trees later bear fruit. This is the only kind of fresh fruit we ever got during the war. For fresh vegetables we traded cigarettes with some German farmer. [?] are made vegetable stew or broth without meat."

http://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-22-32/

img Five soldiers in front of barrakcs (ddr-densho-22-242)

http://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-22-242/

img 442nd Regimental Combat Team headquarters (ddr-densho-22-23)

Caption in album: "442nd Combat team H[?]."

http://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-22-23/

img A soldier at basic training (ddr-densho-22-485)

http://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-22-485/

img Group of soldiers during induction ceremony (ddr-densho-22-255)

http://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-22-255/

img Group photograph of soldiers (ddr-densho-22-164)

http://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-22-164/

img 442nd Regimental Combat Team plaque (ddr-densho-22-28)

Caption in album: "This plaque was presented to the 442nd for their rescue of the Lost Battalion of World War II."

http://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-22-28/

img 442nd soldiers cooking C rations (ddr-densho-22-31)

Caption in album: "At times chow wasn't so good as we got our share of 'C' rations most often. Breakfast, dinner, supper day after day. But when you work hard you get hungry and when you are hungry you can eat anything. Here we heat up a C ration in our mess gear. On the rear ...

http://ddr.densho.org/ddr-densho-22-31/