The Japanese American 442nd Regiment's Sacrificial Rescue of the 141st Infantry "Lost Battalion", 1945 Letter

[Japanese American] [WWII] [442nd Regiment] Exceptional Typed Letter from the 442nd Regimental Combat Team to the 141st Infantry, Acknowledging the Rescue of the “Lost Battalion” and Expressing Gratitude for the Receipt of a "Handsome Plaque." Single-page typed letter, 10.5 x 8 inches, on official military letterhead of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, dated January 31, 1945. Signed in type by Colonel C.W. Pence, Commanding Officer of the 442nd RCT, and countersigned on February 10, 1945 by Colonel Charles H. Owens of the 141st Infantry Regiment.
A rare and emotionally resonant wartime document expressing profound gratitude from the 442nd Regimental (truncated) Combat Team—the highly decorated, all-Nisei (second-generation Japanese American) unit of World War II—following their legendary rescue of the “Lost Battalion” in the Vosges Mountains of France. In this missive, Colonel C.W. Pence of the 442nd formally acknowledges receipt of a commemorative plaque from the 141st Infantry Regiment, writing, “It is a pleasure…to acknowledge receipt of the handsome plaque which you and the members of your command have so thoughtfully presented to this unit in remembrance of the episode which is now known as the ‘Rescue of the Lost Battalion.’"

The 442nd RCT’s efforts to liberate the “Lost Battalion” of the 36th Infantry Division in October 1944 came at devastating cost: over 800 casualties in less than a week.The 442's mission was to rescue 211 trapped soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry, who had been surrounded by German forces in the dense forests of the Vosges Mountains near Biffontaine, France, in late October 1944. The 442nd, already exhausted and depleted from previous operations, was ordered back into combat with minimal rest. Over five days of ferocious fighting—often in freezing rain, thick fog, and dense underbrush—they faced heavily entrenched German units equipped with machine guns, artillery, and mortars. Advancing uphill against constant fire, the men of the 442nd endured relentless counterattacks, booby traps, and sniper fire, often resorting to hand-to-hand combat in close quarters. Their sacrifice was immense: over 800 casualties, including more than 100 killed in action, to save a battalion that had been cut off and without supplies. The rescue, though tactically perilous and costly, became one of the most storied feats of bravery in U.S. military history and cemented the 442nd’s reputation as the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in American military history. Their heroism was especially poignant given the context of internment back home—many of the men’s families were confined in U.S. camps while they fought abroad. This letter stands as an exceptionally scarce primary artifact affirming the 442nd’s patriotism and sacrifice. As Pence notes, “The officers and men of this American-Japanese unit join me in extending to the members of the 1st Battalion…our warmest regards and sincere wishes for a successful and early termination to this great conflict.”

That a segregated Nisei unit—composed of Japanese American soldiers, many of whose families were imprisoned in U.S. internment camps—was publicly honored by their white commanding peers makes this letter especially meaningful and rare. Pence’s language evokes both patriotic unity and deep mutual respect: “We trust that our paths shall cross again, however under more pleasant circumstances.” The accompanying February 10 forwarding note from Colonel Charles H. Owens underscores official endorsement, calling attention to paragraph 4, which extends the 442nd’s “warmest regards and sincere wishes.” The letter is a powerful expression of solidarity and recognition of valor by a segregated unit. Pence writes with evident reverence: “We shall treasure this award, as a symbol of the spirit of cooperation which is so characteristic of the American Soldier,” and continues, “as a remembrance of those who so gallantly gave their lives in a common cause.” Issued just three months after the brutal campaign, this missive demonstrates the deep respect earned by Japanese American soldiers who risked—and in many cases, gave—their lives to rescue 211 men of the 141st Infantry trapped behind enemy lines. An important and dignified piece of documentary ephemera from one of the most storied acts of valor in U.S. military history, underscoring the intersection of race, loyalty, and national service during WWII. Mild creasing and short closed tears to margins, old staple marks at top edge, else very good. (Inventory #: 22103)