2nd battalion, 398th regiment, 100th infantry division

captain thomas h. garahan of easy company, 2nd battalion, 398th regiment, 100th infantry division raises an american flag, made by a local french girl in secret

the owner of the photography shop above which it hung snapped the image in NORTHEASTERN france. in december 1944, the 100th infantry took the offensive in bitche, france. the division also occupied wingen and lember after intense battles in early december. the division quickly advanced to reyersweiler, which shortly fell. fort schiesseck, a major defensive outpost in the are, fell after a heavy allied assault. during the battle of the, they were ordered to halt their attack and hold their defensive position south of bitche.

The division spent 163 days in combat. During that time, it suffered 5,038 battle casualties, including 883 killed in action, 3,539 wounded in action, 483 missing in action, and 491 prisoner of war. They took 13,351 enemy prisoners of war on their own.