History of the 150TH Machine Gun Battalion
This page is dedicated in honor of Private First Class Joseph Lorenz.
On 16 Aug. 1917, Companies E, F and G, 2D Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, were officially detached from the 2nd Wisconsin and became the 150TH Machine Gun Battalion [Companies A, formerly Co. G, 2D Wis. (Appleton); B, formerly Co. E, 2D Wis. (Fond du Lac); and C, formerly Co. F, 2D Wis. (Oshkosh)], 83D Infantry Brigade of the 42D ‘Rainbow’ Division. The HQs Company was formed largely from Soldiers from Co. M, 2D Wis. (Oconto). Each machine gun company had an authorized strength of one captain, two first lieutenants and three second lieutenants, all mounted on horses, and 172 enlisted men. The Battalion Commander was Major W. B. Hall, of Oconto, previously one of the battalion commanders in the 2nd Wisconsin. The Company Commanders were; Co. A, CPT Lothar G. Graef; Co. B, CPT Adelbert R. Brunet; Co. C, CPT Gustave C. Schwandt.
The 42D ‘Rainbow’ Division was organized by combining National Guard units from 26 states and the District of Columbia. The National Guard units from the other states included: Louisiana Cavalry; 3D Battalion, 4TH Pennsylvania Infantry; 69TH New York Infantry; 4TH Ohio Infantry; Companies B, C and F, Georgia Infantry; 4TH Alabama Infantry; 3D Iowa Infantry; 1ST Illinois Field Artillery; 1ST Minnesota Field Artillery; 3D and 4TH Companies, Maryland, C. A. C., forming 117TH Trench Mortar Battery; 1ST Separate Battalion, South Carolina Engineers; 1ST Separate Battalion, California Engineers; Missouri Field Battalion, Signal
Troops; Virginia C. A. C. (Military Police); Engineers’ Train, North Carolina; Ammunition Train, Kansas; Supply Train, Texas; 1ST Ambulance Company, Michigan; 1ST Ambulance Company, New Jersey; 1ST Ambulance Company, Tennessee; 1ST Ambulance Company, Oklahoma; 1ST Field Hospital Company, District of Columbia; 1ST Field Hospital Company, Nebraska; 1ST Field Hospital Company, Colorado; 1ST Field Hospital Company, Oregon. The ‘Rainbow’ Division would be assembled at Camp Mills, Mineola, Long Island (New York) under the command of Major General
William A. Mann.
On 3 Sept. 1917 the 150TH MG Battalion departed Camp Douglas, Wisconsin bound for Camp Mills to assemble with the rest of the 42D Division. The Battalion was carried on two trains, the first section pulled out at 3:50 p.m. with the Battalion HQ’s and Company C, an hour later Companies A and B departed on the second train. The only stop was at Meadville, Pa., the soldiers detrained and took a twenty-minute hike while the trains ice and water were replenished.
On 5 Sept. the 150TH MG Battalion arrived at Camp Mills. The first section arrived at 11:20 a.m. and the second section at 4:15 p.m.
On 13 Sept. the last unit (160TH Infantry from Iowa) of the 42D Division arrived at Camp Mills making the formation of that Division complete. A different source suggested that the 1ST Michigan Ambulance Company was the last unit to arrive, also on 13 Sept.
On 18 Oct. 1917 the 150TH MG Battalion pulled out of New York Harbor, bound for France. The convoy carried 28,000 men and was escorted by the battleship U.S.S. Seattle and two torpedo boat destroyers.
On 7 Nov. 1917 news reached Wisconsin that the ‘Rainbow’ Division had reached France. The exact date of their arrival was not specified in the newspaper (due to wartime restrictions); it was probably between 30 Oct. and 1 Nov.
On 26 Mar. 1918 a fourth company, Company D, was added to the 150TH Machine Gun Battalion. Company A, 149TH Machine Gun Battalion, also of the 42D ‘Rainbow’ Division, was transferred and redesignated to become Company D, 150TH
MG Bn. Company D was originally Company I, 4TH Pennsylvania Infantry, from Reading, Pennsylvania.
On 15 Jul. 1918, PFC William L. Brockman was KIA and was posthumously
bestowed with the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism near Auberive, France, on that day. Assigned to Co. A, 150TH MG BN, he was from Appleton, WI. You can read his citation here.
On 15 Jul. 1918, PVT Willis P. Snyder performed deeds near Reims,
France, for which he was subsequently bestowed with the Distinguished Service
Cross and the Croix de Guerre. Assigned to Co. D, 150TH MG BN, he was from Reading, PA. You can read his citations here.
PVT Snyder later described the day’s events in his own words: “We were pretty far out in front of the rest of the bunch. Our two guns were well placed, so as to command the two communication trenches. We hadn’t been told the first line trenches had been abandoned but thought the French were still there. By morning we were all nearly crazy with the awful bombardment. It was broad daylight when they came and there seemed to be thousands of them coming through the bushes. At first we thought they were ‘Frogs,’ for most of them wore French uniforms. Suddenly Corporal Smith, who commanded our gun, said: ‘My God! they’re Boche.’ He jumped on the gun and fired perhaps two belts when he was hit in the brain and dropped. I took the gun and fired like mad. I couldn’t very well miss them, they were so close. I remember Karausta come running up to me, telling me that Epler and Burkey had been killed and the other gun taken, then all of a sudden the Boche were on top of me. I lit out at them and they at me. A coupled of them were tearing at my pack. They tell me I tried to pull Karausta’s body along but I don’t remember anything more until I was back in the reserve trenches.”
On 28 Jul. 1918, PVT Tony Cramp was KIA and was posthumously bestowed
with the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism near Villers-sur-Fere,
France, on that day. Assigned to Co. B, 150TH MG BN, he was from
Fond du Lac, WI. You can read his citation here.
On 28 Jul. 1918, CPL Elmer C. Grabinski was KIA and was posthumously bestowed with the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism between Sergy and Villers-sur-Fere, France, on that day. Assigned to Co. B, 150TH MG BN, he was born in Miller,
SC, and entered the service from Fond du Lac, WI. You can read his citation here.
On 28 Jul. 1918, SGT Anthony N. Halfmann was KIA and was posthumously bestowed with the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism near Villers-sur-Fere, France, on that day. Assigned to Co. B, 150TH MG BN, he was from Fond du Lac, WI. You can read his citation here.
150TH Machine Gun Battalion Battle Participation
From Battle Participation of Organizations of the American Expeditionary Forces in France, Belgium and Italy - 1917-1918.
Luneville sector, Lorraine, France, 21 February-23 March, 1918.
Baccarat sector, Lorraine, France, 31 March-21 June, 1918.
Esperance-Souain sector, Champagne, France, 4 July-14 July, 1918.
Champagne-Marne defensive, France, 15 July-17 July, 1918.
Aisne-Marne offensive, France, 25 July-3 August, 1918.
St. Mihiel offensive, France, 12 September-16 September, 1918.
Essey and Pannes sector, Woevre, France, 17 September-30 September 1918.
Meuse-Argonne offensive, France, 12 October-31 October, 1918.
Meuse-Argonne offensive, France, 5 November-10 November, 1918.
150TH Machine Gun Battalion Roll of Honor
(The Soldiers who died)
Bibliography:
The Appleton Evening Crescent. Newspaper articles from 1917.
Battle Participation of Organizations of the American Expeditionary Forces in France, Belgium and Italy – 1917-1918. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1920.
Gregory, John G. Wisconsin’s Gold Star List. Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1925.
Nolan, J. Bennett. Our Boys in the Great War. Reading: Historical Society of Berks Counts, n.d.