The formation of an Austrian battalion in the U.S. Army was announced here today by Secretary of War Stimson who stated that refugees from Austria have appealed for an opportunity to serve together as a unit in liberating their homeland and other nations now under Nazi yoke.
The Austrian battalion, Secretary Stimson said, will be an infantry unit. “It will demonstrate to Austrians all over the world the determination of the United States to free Austria and her people from oppressive Axis control,” he added. The battalion’s officers at first will be Americans of Austrian extraction, who will be replaced later by Austrians qualifying for commission in officer’s schools.
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