The 222nd Infantry Regiment underwent intense combat training at Camp Gruber, Oklahoma and arrived in Marseille, France, in November 1944.

On 24 December 1944, the Task Force (TF) entered combat in the vicinity of Strasbourg, relieving the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas Army National Guard and became engaged in minor skirmishing with the Germans until the advent of major battle.

In order to cut off the American held town of Haguenau, the Wehrmacht needed to encircle the position in a pincer move.

[1] On the night of 24 January 1945, the second to last day of the German counterattack, the 222nd Infantry Regiment would see its first major combat in the face of a determined and experienced enemy.

E Company 2-222, made first contact with enemy ground troops at 2015, when the Germans charged across the firebreak that separated their two positions.

Heavy machine-gun and mortar fire from the US positions halted the attackers, and the commanding officer of E Company (Lieutenant George Carroll) counterattacked and drove the Germans back.

K Company of 3rd Battalion (3-222) was hit with artillery on its right flank and its 2nd Platoon was left with only 22 men under the command of Sergeant Chambers.

The officer and another prisoner were put on an M8 Greyhound of the 813th Tank Destroyer Battalion for transport, but soon began signalling for other German soldiers to come to their rescue.

[1] At this point in the battle, E Company was weakened and their right flank was exposed due a shifting of troops to protect the left, so the Germans took advantage of this development and attacked through the woods.

E Company men were forced to retreat back to Schweighausen, after Germans swarmed their dugouts from multiple directions.

[1] First Lieutenant Merrill, leader of the 2nd Platoon, F Company, withdrew the soldiers he could to the outskirts of Schweighausen to regroup for a counterattack on the Ohlungen Forest, which was now occupied by the Germans.

The startled Americans reeled from the initial barrage, but soon charged into the fray and captured the enemy positions, from which they poured fire into the German flanks.

[1] Meanwhile, in Neubourg, K and L Companies fought a bitter struggle with the advancing Germans that eventually resulted in hand-to-hand combat.

The 222nd Infantry regiment took a mauling, but held their ground, and received the Presidential Unit Citation for defeating the German onslaught, and bringing an end to Operation Nordwind.

The regiment moved with the division near their old positions by Haguenau and began patrolling and attacking through the Hardt Forest on 14 February.

On 29 April, Brigadier General Henning Linden and his aide, First Lieutenant Cowling arrived in Dachau and were heading to rendezvous with the 222nd Infantry for the push into Munich.

According to their Official Reports, dated 2 May 1945, prior to finding the camp, they discovered a railroad track with 30-50 boxcars all stacked with emaciated dead bodies.

"[full citation needed] The regiment continued its advance into Germany, and reached Salzburg, Austria at the End of World War II in Europe.

The 222nd set up checkpoints and road blocks throughout the countryside to halt the escape of German soldiers, SS troops, and Nazi Party officials into the mountains.