332nd Infantry Regiment (United States)

332nd Infantry Regiment
Active	1917–1919
Country	United States of America
Type	Infantry
Role	Light Infantry
Engagements	World War I Italian campaign
Commanders
Notable commanders	William G. Everson

World War I

The 332nd Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army, active during World War I. It was part of the 83rd Infantry Division, and served on the Italian front during the war, taking part in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto. It was disbanded in May 1919.

The 332nd Infantry Regiment was formed on 30 August 1917 at Camp Sherman, Ohio as part of the 83rd Infantry Division. Following a number of months of training in the United States, the regiment, under the command of Colonel William Wallace, embarked upon the troopship RMS Aquitania at New York, and departed for Europe on 8 June 1918. They arrived in Liverpool, England on 15 June, and entrained for Southampton from where they embarked again for the trip across the English Channel to France.

Shortly after the regiment's arrival in France, they were informed that they would be sent to serve in Italy instead. They arrived there in July 1918 in response from an urgent request from the Italian Government. In addition to the American infantry force, 30 American ambulance sections, a base hospital, and 54 airplane pilots also served with the Italian Army. The American pilots, as members of the Italian bombardment squadrons, engaged in bombing raids behind Austrian lines, being especially active during the progress of the Vittorio–Veneto offensive.

Its principal missions were to build up Italian morale and to depress that of the enemy by creating the impression that a large force of Americans had reached the front and was preparing to enter that battle line and take an active part in the fighting. The regiment was first stationed near Lake Garda, where it trained in methods of warfare suitable for the difficult mountain terrain which comprised the greater part of the Italian Theater of Operations. Early in October it moved to Treviso, behind the Piave River Front, where it was assigned to the Italian 31st Division. From there, for the purposes of deceiving the enemy, it staged a series of marches in which each battalion, with different articles of uniform and equipment, left the city by different road, circulated during daylight hours in exposed positions for both the Italians and Austrians to see, and returned after nightfall to its station at Treviso in as inconspicuous a manner as possible.