Alfred E. Dewes
Lowell Boy Member of Special Task Force
With U.S. Forces in Norway -- When the 474th Infantry Regiment reached Norway as part of the U.S. Task Force "A" under the command of Brig. Gen. Owen Summers, the officers and men might well have said "at last we have made it."The regiment is composed of units activated in 1942 for the mission of coming to Norway but they took long and often difficult routes to reach this Scandanavian country.
The first and second battalions of the regiment originally were activated as the First Special Service Force, which was half Canadian and half American. They trained for guerilla-type warfare and were to assault Norway's extensive water power systems. However, they first were used to invade Kiska, only to find the Japs had fled, and they traveled half way around the world to show up next at Casablanca. They fought with distinction at Anzio and participated in the invasion of southern France before being deactivated as the First Special Service Force. The Canadian personnel were transferred to Canadian units and the Americans became the first and second battalions of the 474th.
The third battalion of the regiment is the 99th battalion activated at Camp Ripley, Minn., in July 1942. It was novel from the standpoint that all its personnel were of Norwegian descent. It reached France shortly after D-Day as a separate battalion, was attached to armored units for the St. Lo breakthrough and raced on through France, Belgium, and into Germany with armored units. During the Ardennes offensive, it fought with particular valor.
The regimental commander is Col. Edwin A. Walker, of Center Point, Texas.
Included in other personnel was Pfc. Alfred E. Dewes, rural route 1, Lowell.
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