| Original caption: 2 Color guards and color bearers of the Japanese-American 442nd Combat Team, stand at attention while their citations are read. They are standing on ground, in the Bruyères Area, France, where many of their comrades fell. November 12, 1944. On October 30, 1944, the United States Army 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the segregated Japanese American combat unit, was finally able to push through 1 last German artillery barrage and reach the Lost Texas Battalion from the 36th Infantry Division. 211 of the 275 trapped Texans were saved. But the losses for the Nisei unit were devastating, with at least several 100 wounded or killed. It was the worst fighting they’d encountered since landing in Europe, and the men reasonably expected to be dismissed for a period of rest. But United States Major General John E. Dahlquist (March 12, 1896 – June 30, 1975) instead ordered them to continue chasing the Germans through the forest to secure additional territory. It was another 9 days before they were finally allowed to rest – a total of more than 3 weeks of almost nonstop combat for the entire Vosges campaign, costing approximately 150 deaths and over 1,800 wounded. 4 days after the 442nd was finally relieved, on November 12, 1944, Dahlquist ordered a now-infamous parade review. Less than half of the men in the unit were still standing. The general took the poor showing as a personal affront and accused the Nisei of failing to turn out, before being informed that “the rest are either dead or in the hospital.” | |
| Image Filename | wwii2158.jpg |
| Image Size | 926.43 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2877 x 2290 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | November 12, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Bruyères |
| State or Province | Vosges |
| Country | France |
| Archive | United States Army Center of Military History |
| Record Number | SC196716 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
Author of the World War II Multimedia Database