|
The genesis of Co. 2671 Special Reconnaissance Battalion was the 122nd
Infantry Battalion, aka Greek Battalion,
founded in January 1943 by an executive order of President Franklin D.
Roosevelt. Presumably they would eventual
deploy in Greece, then occupied by Nazi German forces. It was named
the 122nd Infantry Battalion to mark one
hundred and twenty two years of Greek independence from Ottoman
subjugation. Comprised of a mixture of native
born Greeks in their late twenties, and younger Greek-American sons in
their teens from Emigrant families across the
U.S.A.; these men of Greek blood but different cultures bonded
quickly.
August,
1943, the Greek Battalion had completed seven grueling months of
infantry
training at Camp Carson, Colorado under the superb leadership of the
first Greek born West
Point graduate, Major Peter Clainos of Manchester, New Hampshire, when
three officers of
the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) arrived at Camp Carson. The OSS
officers asked
for volunteers to join guerrilla forces in Greece and Yugoslavia; they
promised the volunteers
it would be hazardous duty, and to expect a large casualty rate. It
was required that the men
spoke Greek and were in excellent physical condition for
commando/parachute training.
According to Colonel Clainos the full battalion volunteered, the OSS
initially asked for 15
volunteers but after reviewing the troops they revised their total to
160.*
Unfortunately the
Greek Battalion was disbanded.
The
volunteers were sent to two secret camps deeply isolated within
Maryland, where
they received extensive training in guerrilla warfare from veterans of
the French Resistance,
the British Commandos and OSS Officers. In Maryland Major Peter D.
Clainos was promoted
to Lieutenant Colonel and transferred to the 81st Division
in the Pacific, his rank was too high
to lead a small unit. In the battle of Pelilu Island Colonel Clainos,
as a regimental commander,
was awarded America�s second highest award, the Distinguished Service
Cross. Every veteran
of the Greek/USOG credits Colonel Clainos� arduous training for their
excellent war record and
low casualty rate.
Lieutenant Robert F. Houlihan of Lexington KY, another outstanding
officer, and one of
four non Greek Officers in the unit, succeeded Colonel Clainos as the
commanding officer of
the budding commandos. Lieutenant Houlihan reckoned his study of the
Greek classics in
college and his respect for the ethos of Greek culture elevated him to
this position. It didn�t take
long for him to obtain a captaincy.
Departing from Brindisi, Italy, at various times in 1944, the six
groups of Co. C parachuted
or landed amphibiously behind enemy lines in different parts of
Greece; they joined the
Antartes (guerrillas) and British RSR where they disrupted the
withdrawal of Nazi troops
from Greece.
Not only
were the USOGs the best kept secret in America, but with few
exceptions, very
few Greeks know that Americans fought in Greece in WWII. Their
excellent record, which had
been sealed by the CIA until 1988, can be found in the National
Archives in Washington D.C.
The six Co. C
groups operated autonomously in Greece.
Following is an
excerpt from the files of the National Archives:
1. General
During a period of 219 days from 23 April
until 20 November 1944, troops of
Co. C., 2671 Special Reconnaissance Battalion were continuously in
occupied Greece.
The type of warfare they engaged in was unique in the history of the
American Army.
The record they made is of some interest and bears close examination.
The table of statistics at the beginning of
this record shows a large toll taken in enemy
personnel, communication, and material. It is appropriate at this
point to make it clear that much of
this destruction was accomplished in conjunction with British Raider
Support Regiment detachments
and Greek Antartes working in concert. To say that the Operational
Groups alone are responsible for
all the results shown would not be fair; on the other hand, the
Operational Groups were the close
assault troops in nearly all of these actions. The Antartes, lacking
in any real military training, were
usually a doubtful quantity, and it can be stated without fear of
contradiction that the Americans were
an inspiration to them to carry out assaults they would not otherwise
complete. The British RSR
detachments, with their mortars and machine guns, were highly skilled
and tremendously effective in
the support of the Operational Groups and Antartes. And were likewise
a fine example of aggressive
and competent soldiering.
2. Results of
Operations
Enemy Casualties:
The
number of the enemy killed and wounded has been estimated at 2,000.
This appears to be a great number of casualties to be inflicted by
such small a
number of men, especially when it is considered that American
casualties were
extremely light by comparison. .
National archives
SECRET
The
members of the Greek/ USOG were heroes in every sense of the word;
their actions went
above and beyond the call of duty. Never before or since in the
history of America Armed Services has
there been a Greek American Unit. This group fought courageously and
served America and Greece
with honor and distinction. In 1993 at Fort Bragg, NC the Ethnic
Operational groups (French, Greek,
Italian, Norwegian and Yugoslavian) were honored as the grandfathers
of the elite Special Forces
(Green Berets).
The Greek/USOG
accomplishments are not only a vital part of the history of WWII, but
also of Modern
Greek history and a rich chapter in Greek America. It is important
that the Greek/USOG�s story is known
and preserved for future generations in both America and Greece. If
this story is not told, an inspiring part of
our Greek American history will be lost forever.
To commemorate
the heroic accomplishments of the Operational Group, and finally give
its
members the recognition they deserve, the Project Committee plans on
placing a bronze statue on a
marble base in Athens, Greece. These men valiantly continued the
tradition of courage that has long
been part of our Hellenic history. It is up to us to continue another
Hellenic tradition, to immortalize our
heroes by erecting a lasting tribute in their honor.
Epilogue
The
Greek/USOG was disbanded in December 1944. The men, who were
physically able, were
transferred to various front line units: the Italian/American Group in
Northern Italy, the 82nd and 17th
Airborne Divisions in Germany, or the French/American Group in China.
+++++++
*1991-92
the author videotaped 10 hours of Colonel Clainos� Greek Battalion
memoirs in his
San Francisco home. |
