34th Inf Div Assoc. Division History- 2nd Brigade

135th Infantry

Minnesota Red Bulls

The 34th Infantry Division has a proud history of service to our country during eras of two world wars and the global war on terror.

WWII

- Kreger, A Condensed History of 135th Infantry “To the Last Man” from Gettysburg to the Po.pdf

We bring together here three World War II narrative histories of the 135th Infantry Regiment. They all originated in the combat theater, prepared by soldiers serving in the regiment at that time. They are all official documents of the regiment, and are not here 'corrected' by later observers.

The lineage and honors, going back to - and beyond - the Minnesota Volunteers, raised in April 1861 and serving at Gettysburg, are carried today (2010) by the 2nd Battalion, 135th Infantry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, of the Minnesota National Guard and the 34th Infantry Division.

The first of the three collections, largely prepared by Ray Rudolph, on the S-3 staff of the regiment, brought together the monthly historic reports from Minneapolis (1941 February) to Monte Cassino (1944 February). His replacement continued the effort up to the breakthrough at the Gothic Line (1944 September) but was then captured by the Germans. We thank Ray, long-time Secretary/Treasurer of our Tri-State Chapter, for the donation of his personal copy of those papers.

The other two collections list command and staff assignments to company level and identify casualties in detail. They are major portions of the regiment's required monthly operational reports.

The second collection, from the archives of the Gold Star Military Museum, Iowa National Guard, at Camp Dodge IA, was scanned by Lt.Col. (Ret.) Mike Musel. Further material, unique to this collection, includes unit strength and location reports, some communication logs, and many of the personnel citations and awards which tell the story of its soldiers - the hearts of the regiment - in detail.

The third collection is from the personal papers of Col. (Ret.) John Breit, commanding the 135th Infantry Regiment in the Po Valley Campaign and during the Italian occupation. These papers were donated to the Gold Star Military Museum by William Breit, the colonel's son, and scanned by Pat Skelly. Extensive 'Lessons Learned in Combat' and Awards and Citations reports are included at the end of this collection.