He participated in the invasion of North Africa, Sicily, Italy and France. He was awarded the Silver Star for leading his platoon against the Nazis. Sgt. Reed was awarded the Silver Star, and the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, WWII Service Lapel Button, WWII Victory Medal, European-African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal. Reed was graduated from Barringer high school, Newark. He entered the service from New Jersey. Sgt. Reed served in the 47th Infantry Regiment, Ninth Infantry Division. He is buried at Plot J, Row 11, Grave 2, Brittany American Cemetery, St. James, France.

 

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The 47^th Infantry Regiment was reactivated again on August 1st, 1940 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

In early November, 1942, in the campaign to secure the northern coast of Africa, the 47^th Regimental Combat Team stormed the beaches of Safi, Morocco. The 47^th continued across North Africa with the Allies in their successful campaign to drive the German armies from that continent. Landing at Palermo, Sicily on August 1st, 1943, the Raiders swung into action one week later.

On August 26^th, Sicily was officially declared in the hands of the Allies. On D-Day plus 4, June 10th, 1944, the 47th Infantry Regiment landed on Utah Beach in Normandy, France.

By June 14th, 1944, combat patrols were in contact with the Germans and by nightfall of the 16^th the 47^th Regiment blocked the last escape route for the Germans in the Cotentin Peninsula. The famous port of Cherbourg was next and its capture is one of the brightest chapters in the 9th Infantry Division’s history. With the help of sister regiments the 47th Regiment laid siege to the city. Stubborn opposition greeted the Raiders, for the enemy held the high ground and other strategic positions. However, just after noon on June 25^th, 1944, 2^nd Battalion of the 47^th Regiment became the first Allied troops to enter the city.

Stiff resistance was encountered until the 28^th of June, the day that Cherbourg fell.

The 2^nd and 3^rd Battalions received Distinguished Unit Citations for their gallantry and heroism in the seizure of the city. For a few days the 9^th Infantry Division’s operations halted for necessary rest and re-supply.

The order to resume combat came on July 9^th and soon elements of the 47^th were in the midst of the “Battle of the Hedgerows”, one of the bloodiest battles and toughest encounters of the French campaign.

With the breakthrough at St. Lo the rush was on. Innumerable Allied units raced across France in pursuit of the retreating Germans. By August 1944, the 47^th had forded the Seine River and headed for the Vesles and a memorable anniversary.

 

It was in August 1918 that the 47^th Regiment battled over the Vesles in a bloody crossing. Twenty-six years later the regiment crossed the river unopposed at the same point. In crossing they passed a monument erected to commemorate their heroic efforts in World War I.

Belgium was next for the 47^th and they gained another first – this time they were the first Allied troops to set foot on Belgium soil in the drive for Germany. Then the long awaited invasion of Germany began. On September 14^th, 1944, the Raiders breached the mighty Siegfried Line. Three days later the 47^th became the first Allied unit to pierce the Siegfried Line.

Following the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest, the Regiment was directed to shift north and drive to the small town of Frenz, where they fought to capture the Frenzerburg Castle. Despite staggering U.S. losses, the town and castle fell.

The 1^st Battalion and Medical Detachment received the Distinguished Unit Citation for their action in the battle which punctuated 145 continuous days of combat for the Raiders. The German counter-offensive known as the “Battle of the Bulge” in December 1944 hit the 47^th Regiment full force, but it repulsed the attacks and soon ripped open the way to the center of Germany.

 

The famous Rhine River was now in sight and one of the most glorious chapters in the history of the U.S. Army was about to take place at the Ludendorff Bridge near the town of Remagen. This key span marked the spot where the first Infantry Regiment since the Napoleonic Wars battled across the Rhine. The 47th Regiment was forced to earn this distinction by engaging in some of the most savage warfare of World War II. The Germans showered the Ludendorff Bridge with shrapnel and shells.

 

Through this wall of death, the 47^th pushed forward and in March 1945 it established a bridgehead and held it against all attempts to dislodge them. Finally, in the last week of April 1945, elements of the 47^th Infantry Regiment and the 337^th Russian Rifle Regiment joined ranks.

The once mighty Third Reich had been defeated and among its conquerors stood the Raiders of the 47^th Infantry Regiment.