175th Infantry Regiment (Maryland), 29th Infantry Division

175th Infantry Regiment (Maryland), 29th Infantry Division. “Decus et Praesidium”. The 175th Infantry Regiment is one of the oldest military organizations in the United States. Founded on 3 December 1774 as the Baltimore Independent Cadets, it later became a component of the "Maryland Line" and fought in most of the major battles of the Revolution. Designated the 5th Regiment of Militia in 1794, the unit helped repel the British assault on Baltimore in September 1814. During the Civil War many members of the 5th Maryland fought with distinction for the Confederacy. Reformed in 1867 as a component of the Maryland National Guard, the 5th Maryland was federalized in April 1917 for the Great War. Federalized again and redesignated in February 1941, the 175th Infantry moved to Ft. Meade, Maryland, to train. , , Organic to the 29th Infantry Division, the 175th embarked on the Queen Elizabeth for Britain in October 1942, first occupying Tidworth Barracks in Wiltshire then shifting in May 1943 to Cornwall for a year's amphibious-assault training. On 17 May 1944, the regiment moved into marshalling areas near Falmouth to make final preparations for D-Day. Embarking on U.S. Navy LSTs (Landing Ship, Tank) on 1 June, the 175th joined "Force B," the follow-up force scheduled to land on Omaha Beach in the immediate aftermath of the D-Day assault. D+1 broke with the regiment anchored as planned off Omaha Beach. , , Because first-wave casualties exceeded expectations, the V Corps commander, Maj. Gen. Leonard T. Gerow, ordered the 175th to land as early as possible on 7 June. Led by their commander, Col. Paul R. Goode, the regiment's soldiers transferred from LSTs to smaller landing craft and stood out for land. Several landing craft succumbed to enemy mines en route, but 1st and 2nd Battalions came in between the D-3 and E-1 Draws at about 1300; 3rd Battalion followed a few hours later. Encountering scattered sniper and machine gun fire, the regiment moved westward along the beach. D+ 1 closed with the regiment assembled at Gruchy, one mile west of Vieville, at the cost of 7 killed and 28 wounded. , , First Army commander General Omar N. Bradley considered it vital for Omaha and Utah beachheads to link up as soon as possible. Thus at 2100 on 7 June, General Gerow issued V Corps Field Order 1, directing the 175th Infantry, supported by the 747th Tank Battalion, to move twelve miles west with all speed and capture Isigny. At dawn of D+2, the regiment pushed inland, making rapid progress despite resistance at several enemy strongpoints along the way. The regiment reached Isigny and secured it early on D+3. Later that day, Company K advanced farther west and executed a daring assault across the Vire River, one of the last major water barriers separating the two beachheads. With the link-up of Omaha and Utah beachheads on 13 June 1944, one of Operation Overlord's essential objectives had been achieved. , , This monument is placed in lasting tribute to the 115th Infantry Regiment’s devotion to duty, contribution to the success of Operation Overlord, June 1944, and continued service in defense of freedom in the global war on terror.