The Project Gutenberg eBook of Historic Jamaica, by Frank Cundall This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost an When, where and if they saw action in WWI. rifle and rocket grenades. Those that sleep beneath our feet On 9 August, the enemy defenders were forced back to the Citadel at St. Servan and to Dinard on the west bank of the river just opposite St. Malo. Many soldiers were killed instantly. They captured Greveldange with little opposition. The unit included men from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Michigan, New York, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Maryland, North Carolina, Kansas, Connecticut, Kentucky, Washington, D.C., Tennessee, and even included T/Sgt. Included in this collection of medals and documents are the following items:- Original WWII Cased . J Company You notice the German line bent back at a 90 angle (left-middle)? 3/331 Clarence W. Brown to my mother. US soldiers with German prisoners of war//Robert Capa, 83rd Infantry Division in Europe in World War II 1944. I became intrigued with the combined 83 ID / 330 IR overlays and decided to add the data points from the After Action Reports, Unit Journals and Morning Reports. Supplies could only trickle through as the Germans continuously pounded the town's approaches with artillery fire. Then, more than 380 medium bombers dropped 650 tons of high-explosive and fragmentation bombs, while 550 fighter-bombers dropped more than 200 tons of high-explosive and napalm. Oliver and view many of the photos by clicking here. 106th Cav Rcn Sq, from July 16th to 28th, 1944 I guess the people must be used to voting for F.D.R. It must have seemed that the world was coming to an end, as wave after wave of bombers delivered continuous shockwaves of exploding bombs that shook the earth and turned it into a lunar landscape. After a period of training, elements of the division took Chteauneuf-d'Ille-et-Vilaine, 5 August, and Dinard, 15 August, and approached the heavily fortified area protecting St. Malo. A Co, 86th Chemical Mortar Battalion, from August 1st to 16th, 1944 Constituted 5 August 1917 in the National Army as the 335th Infantry and assigned to the 84th Division. C Co, 709th Tank Battalion, from August 12th to 16th, 1944 The GIs of the 83rd Division were awarded one Medal of Honor, one Distinguished Service Medal, five Legions of Merit, 798 Silver Stars, 34 Soldier's Medals, 7,776 Bronze Star Medals, 4,747 Purple Hearts, 271 Medical Badges, 20 Meritorious Service Unit Plaques, and 106 Air Medals. Infanterie-Division) was a formation of the Imperial German Army in World War I. Home | 83rd Thunderbolt Division Family Bringing together veterans, relatives and friends from all over the world Research Helping you learn more about your veteran Family Bringing together veterans, relatives and friends from all over the world Research Helping you learn more about your veteran Legacy Remembering those who served Family The men of the 83rd finally had some breathing space, and they began to forget about the formidable Siegfried Line waiting for them across the Moselle. mortar. 908th Field Artillery Battalion (105 Howitzer) Elements reduced the garrison at Ile de Czembre, which surrendered, 2 September. Commander 331st Anti-Tank Company, Third Platoon, Company B - 331st He was moved to the front lines, 2 and 3/4 miles south of the town of Sainteny, along with 45 other GIs from the 41st Replacement Battalion that was stationed at Treviers, south of Omaha Beach. As the initial movement in operation "Unicorn," the division took Le Stromberg Hill in the vicinity of Basse Konz against strong opposition, 5 November, and beat off counterattacks. D Company 44106, 10900 Euclid Ave. At times they had to blast supply routes through the hedges. Byron Herde, 331st Infantry These are his wartime memoirs, which he started working on when he retired in his sixties and was still . 12th FA Obsn Battalion (-Btrie A), from August 7th to 16th, 1944 They had marched as far as the Loire, but with bridges down and American troops patrolling the North bank, there seemed no reasonable prospect of achieving a crossing. 83rd Infantry Division Situation 12:00 12 July 1944 less the 330th Infantry Regiment. In April 1944, the men of the 331 st Regiment boarded a troop ship bound for England. in France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Austria. The division went overseas in June 1918, and was designated as the 2nd Depot Division. Mobley wrote after the war to tell his wife where he had been and what he had done all those long months away from home. The division was formed in November 1914 as the "Division Posen 1", part of the Posen Corps (Korps Posen), and became the 83rd Infantry Division in June 1915. By 15 July, the 83rd had regrouped along the Ays River. Another photo taken at Camp Breckenridge, showing M Company/331st, can be seen by clicking here. 83rd Infantry Division Legacy Chapter Email Group What I think Ill do is go ahead from here and prepare and put up the overlays I have and then go back and figure outhow to best incorporate the information from the reports. Kerr; Pvt. Infantrymen of the 83rd Infantry Division warm themselves around a fire near Fays, Belgium, on January 3, 1945. email _ | _ 83rd Division "Thunderbolt" Message Board _. The two squads were ambushed and pinned down on the ground. 83rd Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia, U.S. Army Reserve Readiness Training Center. D Company Previous page: 330th Infantry Regiment Map Overlays Click here to see the trail of the 83rd. var sc_partition=5; B. Lyon Company, 1912. US Army Patches - Army Unit Patches and Army Regiment Patches. On 8 July, they fought through hedgerows to the village of Auxais, and finally on the 10th, the 331st captured Sainteny after an attack supported by fire from 19 artillery battalions. By the end of September, the division had moved into Luxembourg. My father, Thomas Dickson Curry, was a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 331st Infantry Regiment, 83rd Division. The 83rd Infantry Division was recognized as a liberating unit by the US Army's Center of Military History and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1993. It was reformed in March 1944 as part of the 24th Welle (wave) from Schatten-Division Wahn. This would seem to indicate a pretty good advance on the 12th then. P.E. It can be seen by clicking here. A Co, 634th Tank Destroyer Battalion (SP), from July 10th to 13th, 1944 In addition, the 83rd Division recovered documents for use by war crimes investigators. Store windows were full of photos of the 5th Armored Regiment which had liberated the city just nine days before. S/Sgt. Taking Remich on the 28th and patrolling defensively along the Moselle, the 83d resisted counterattacks and advanced to the Siegfried Line defenses across the Sauer after capturing Grevenmacher and Echternach, 7 October. July 14, 1944: Hotat Oliver returned home, he brought with him a remarkable collection of F Company photos. [13] The division even seized and flew a German Bf 109. These documents are provided for by Dave Curry, historian of the 83rd Infantry Division Association. Unit: 1 st Battalion, 24 th Field Artillery Regiment (Philippine Scouts) Service Number: O-11578; Date of Birth . The 83rd Division command post was in a school building in the city of Luxembourg. Frank E Douglas earned the Silver Star for action the 8th August 1944, serial no 0-1296500. The air was choked with dust so thick that they couldn't see, and the concussion so great that their clothing ballooned out. Most Luxembourgers spoke several languages, and many spoke some English. He knew an irony, or a contradiction, when it bit hard enough. 83rd Division Reenactment Website Robert A. Turner, A Company, 331st Infantry Regiment lost his right arm to enemy tank fire and became a prisoner of war on 16 July 1944. 83rd Infantry Regiment Nickname: Ninth Militia; City Guard; Ninth Infantry National Guard Mustered in: June 8, 1861. Every enemy unit or town that surrendered or was captured subscribed its quota of rolling stock for the division, usually at gunpoint. On a Red metal shield is a black pile behind a gold Lorraine cross. Another photo taken at Camp Breckenridge, showing M Company/331st, can be seen by clicking here. L Company, 330th Infantry Regiment: Colonel Ernest L. McLendon, relieved of command on July 9, 1944, replaced by Brigadier General Claude B. Ferenbaugh, replaced by Colonel Robert T. Foster on July 13, 1944. -- We launched 24,507 anti-tank Check out this awesome '83rd+Infantry+Division+-+Thunderbolt' design on @TeePublic! In late December 1944, the 83rd took part in the Allied effort to stop the German offensive in the Battle of the Bulge. As the regimental journal says for this overlay, Defense areas to use in an emergency.. While elements moved south to protect the north bank of the Loire River, the main body of the division concentrated south of Rennes for patrolling and reconnaissance activities. At the end, the 83rd Division, born in war, was disbanded and all its men reassigned to other units. brothers we all know. The unit also requisitioned medical supplies from the US Army's 20th Field Hospital. Whilst he was a prisoner of war, he was tried by the Reich War Court in Nazi Germany, in his absence, and condemned to death. 331st Infantry Regiment Basic training of the new recruits was conducted at Camp Sherman, northwest of Chillicothe, OH. It expresses a basic truth that was obvious to every GI on the front lines in Europe, but evades most of us until we realize the brutal conditions that they were forced to endure. In December 1944, Sweeney was assigned to Company I, 330th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division. var sc_security="ff55f57b"; Finally, direct hits by 8-in. Across the marsh (and the river Taute) were two causeways; one from Le Moulin to La Varde, and one from Le Port to Tribehou. On 25 September the 83rd Division crossed into Luxembourg. They are, from left to right, first row: my dad--Thomas D. Curry; Larry Dalton (field promotion to 2nd Lt., Silver Star); Dominic Colestro (runner until Luxembourg); and "Doc" Berrardi (platoon medic). William T. Oliver is one of the GIs in the photo at the top of this page. Overall, the division had 170.2 percent replacements. You will notice, maybe, there are more points than labels; for this map I wanted to only identify what related to the end-of-day situation since that was what bothoverlays were all about The unidentified points refer to either earlier in the day, or have no time information, though I did include a few of these latter if there was room. The 83rd Division crossed the Rhine south of Wesel, 29 March, and advanced across the Munster Plain to the Weser, crossing it at Bodenwerder. "TDC, December 3"Here it is another Christmas away from home--I hope it is the last one like this. 331 Infantry Regiment 83rd Infantry Division. December 13, 1813, the regiment was reduced . Nicknames: Thunderbolt Division, The Rag-Tag-Circus and the Ohio Division. The Green items are German locations or German related information, again, from the various reports. To slow the spread of sickness and death, the 83rd Division ordered the local German mayor to supply the camp with food and water. There are numerous monuments in France honoring the GIs of the 83rd Division. The 83rd entered France on the 21st through 24th of June 1944. $3.99 ground shipping enabled for all orders! ", December 6"Tell people not to mention 'good luck.' He had brown hair and brown eyes, and a ruddy complexion attributable to his Scotch-Irish ancestry. On the 7th, the 329th took the city of Echternach on the Sauer River. Photo from "We Saw It Through," The story of how the 83rd survived winter in the Battle of the Bulge, 83rd Infantry Division Association website, 83rd Infantry Division Legacy Chapter Email Group, Mapping the Overlays: 83rd Division maps for Normandy Campaign, Samuel J. Bifano--B Battery, 324th Field Artillery, Sgt. rounds of 155 mm shells. They moved by truck to the Hurtgen Forest west of Aachen to relieve the 12th Infantry. British infantry the 3rd Monmouthshire Regiment aboard Sherman tanks near Argentan, 21 August 1944. The barn and the house are all built together and the front yard is the stable yard. Cleveland, They literally raced across the rest of Germany, covering 280 miles in 13 days and were within 60 miles of Berlin when they were ordered to stop. Headquarters Company; Looking for reliable information or news facts about WW2? We specialize in Army patches. 1 pton 709th Tank Battalion, from August 13th to 16th, 1944 Social Media. Troupes de la 83rd Division traquant les derniers snipers allemands dans les rues de Saint-Malo. The 83rd Division reported the death rate at the camp had been 500 per month. Supporting tanks were knocked out on both sides of the town by mines in the streets, bazookas, and artillery fire. 29th Infantry Division: June 6: Omaha: After training in Wales, the division landed at Omaha Beach, 18 June 1944, and entered the hedgerow struggle south of Carentan, 27 June. The 330th Infantry Across Europe The 83rd had three infantry regiments, the 329th, the 330th, and the 331st. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. L Company, 83rd Artillery Division var sc_invisible=1. B Co, 86th Chemical Mortar Battalion, from July 19th to 29th, 1944 There were no welcoming home parades for the Thunderbolt Division, but the GIs of the 83rd would carry its memory home with them. The 83rd Infantry Division (83. annotated for each man: Staff Sergeant Edward J. Devlin, 31188341, 542 (communications chief) Original Item: Only One Available: This is a wonderful condition M1917 US Army uniform tunic, worn by a member of the US Army's 83rd Infantry Division. 24th Cav Rcn Sq, from July 18th to 19th, 1944 got badly handled on 04 July. This single overlay for 14 July shows the 330IR pulled back but in a defensive set up to the north-east of Sainteny; very much in line with what we saw with the last two overlays for 13 July. His unit had been engaged in battle with German forces near Strass, Germany, in the Hrtgen Forest, when he was reported missing in action on Dec. 16. The chances that the six-foot tall, slim medic from Alabama, known as "Mob" or "Moe," was someone other than Charles P. Mobley are almost too remote to consider. 324th Field Artillery Battalion (155 Howitzer), Anti-aircraft artillery They landed across Omaha Beach and from there, they fought all across Europe. I'd hate to think of our son having to grow up to fight."TDC. (My grandmother said that even though she was German, she hated the Germans for what they had done.) By the time Sainteny was taken on 10 July, that number multiplied to 3,264. 739th FA Battalion (8 How), from August 29th to September 3rd, 1944, Armor Foreign-born Soldiers in WWI; American Indians ; American Music in WWI ; Army Nurse Corps ; . U.S. Intelligence estimated between 3,000 and 6,000 German troops occupied St. Malo. 802nd Tank Destroyer Battalion (T), from July 1st to December 7th, 1944 Ive decided I will come back to incorporating geographic data points later. On 4 July, the 83rd Division left Carentan and moved south toward Sainteny, a short march of about four miles that quickly turned into a six-day battle claiming over 1,400 casualties in the first 24 hours. the official history of the 331st Infantry, 83rd Division. The patches we carry are of the highest quality. For three days the Nazis continued to pour reinforcements into the town. C Company Then they raced through Germany. 5 July 1944 is very confused; a lot was going on,and I have realized there area lot of discrepancies amongthe reportsespecially the Morning Reportsand I really need to incorporate all the information from the After Action Reports and Unit Journals and collate it with what information can be gleanedfrom the morning reports. Well see, if I ever get around to integrating the information from the Unit Journals. 1/331 Click here to read more of his story. The unit journal contains in-depth descriptions of the activity of the unit on a daily basis. After action reports (Incredibly, both Charles Mobley and Sarge were born on Cotton Avenue in Birmingham.) Intense fighting during the Battle of Saint-Malo reduced enemy strong points and a combined attack against the Citadel Fortress of St. Servan caused its surrender, 17 August. The 9th Army had also been slowly advancing north of Aachen towards the Roer. Thanks to Kathy Mobley Mathews for allowing us to use this material. -- Our artillery battalions, According to this paper, the war was practically over and the people were just waiting to celebrate. Original Item: Only One Available. The 331ST INFANTRY REGIMENT served during WORLD WAR I as part of the U.S. Army 83d Infantry Division. Since there are no map overlays for 4 July, that Ive seen anyway, I would just take advantage of this map to point out that is the location of the Island where the 2 Bn, 329 IR, got very roughly handledon 4 July. 1918: 83rd Division HQ, Maj G. Details Last Updated: 06 May 2018 Address : Val-de-Meuse. July 3, 1944: Pontorson Mobley is almost certainly the same person that Sarge walked out of Gey, Germany with in December 1944. October 8"There isn't a lot to write about over here. [7][8][9] From the 1st through the 5th of October, the 83rd advanced in heavy combat to the West Wall across the Sauer as the 329th fought the battle for Grevenmacher. F Company That would soon change. Time after time they only gained an advantage for a few hours before being completely cut up themselves, accumulating losses they could not afford. Subscribe to 331st Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division Footer menu. It's funny how good the news sounds, but anyway, I hope it ends soon--the sooner the better. The division was disbanded in . They were billeted in an old chateau that was, according to Hershell McIntosh, complete with a kitchen full of dishes and silverware. *83rd Infantry Division * Normandy * Brittany * Ardennes * Rhineland * Central Europe * 83rd Infantry Division * Rolland Joseph Gustave Despres is the man that started this project, and to tell his story I must also tell the the story of the 83rd infantry division. The division was formed in November 1914 as the "Division Posen 1", part of the Posen Corps ( Korps Posen ), and became the 83rd Infantry Division in June 1915. -- We consumed 25,006,000 gallons On 16 August my father was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge for displaying exemplary conduct in action against the enemy in France. The photo below is the original Company F before they shipped out. The 83rd Infantry Division ("Thunderbolt"[1]) was a formation of the United States Army in World War I and World War II. To halt the spread of sickness and death, the 83rd ordered the local German mayor to supply the camp with food and water. I see by the returns that the election didn't amount to much this time. Then, German attempts to organize tank-supported counterattacks were shattered by the 83rd's field artillery battalions. The 83rd's position placed them in just the right spot for a front-row view of what was, according to Michael Doubler in his book "Closing With the Enemy," the largest air-ground operation ever attempted by American forces. For the first time in more than a month, they faced heavy artillery fire. 56th FA Battalion (8th Div) (105 How), from August 6th to 15th, 1944 Division Gen. Willard A. Holbrook (23 March 1918), and finally Maj. Gen. Edwin F. Glenn (3 April 1918). The 83rd Infantry Division was first activated to fight in World War I, the "War to End All Wars" in 1917, fought in 1918 and was deactivated in 1919. OH Click here to see a photo of the 2nd platoon taken in September 44, when it was at full strength. Yet as you wander down these quiet paths they swarm around you, crouching low. The 83rd was held in reserve until after D-Day, and entered France on 21 through 24 June. When Sgt. A second battalion from the same regiment defended a line further east. A Co, 87th Chemical Battalion, from July 5th to 16th, 1944 Smith; S/Sgt. The 83rd Infantry Division ("Thunderbolt" [1]) was a formation of the United States Army in World War I and World War II . Those who passed through the city were greeted by banners stretched across the streets, proclaiming "Welcome to our Liberators." They were honored with 18 British Awards and 65 French Awards. Demobilized 18 February 1919 at Camp Zachary Taylor, Kentucky. Most of them were in tears. There was fear that this was too close for heavy bombing and, in fact, many GIs were killed that day by short bombing runs. St. Malo was the main port on the northern coast of Brittany. 3rd Platoon : lieutenant Virgil M. McClintic, wounded on July 4, 1944 at Mautis Return to Top The prisoners were detailed to build underground factory installations and to carry out forced labor for Organization Todt. His Scotch-Irish pioneer ancestry also gave him mental toughness and Yankee ingenuity. The 83rd Infantry Division was first activated in the fall of 1917, several months after the United States entered World War I. The 83rd Division then assembled near Feugeres, and on 3 through 5 August they moved out of the Cotentin Peninsula and turned west into Brittany. November 22"Here it is, another Thanksgiving Day that I won't be home. In addition, the "Thunderbolt" division recovered the camp's documents for use by war crimes investigators. On Memorial Day weekend 2000 my family had reunited for my sister's long . When I finished with this map, it was a bit eerie. It seems to be drawn from the perspective of the 330th IR, or it was produced for the regiment, since it has the locations for the other two regiments but nothing for the 330th. The history of the Grand Lodge of Nebraska, and the Grand Masters elected by the brethren to lead it, encompasses many interesting challenges and successes from the mid-1800s to t The 83rd Division has special ties to Luxembourg. The call to victory beckons. Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths, Final Report (Statistical and Accounting Branch, Office of the Adjutant General, 1 June 1953), Learn how and when to remove this template message, United States Army Center of Military History, "83rd U.S. Army Reserve Readiness Training Center welcomes new commander", "83rd INFANTRY DIVISION - Order of Battle of the United States Army - WWII - ETO | U.S. Army Center of Military History", United States Holocaust Memorial Museum recognition of the 83rd as a "liberator" of the camps, Army 83rd Infantry Division - WW II in Europe (video), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=83rd_Infantry_Division_(United_States)&oldid=1111173065, Infantry divisions of the United States Army, United States Army divisions during World War II, Military units and formations established in 1917, Military units and formations disestablished in 1946, United States Army divisions of World War I, Infantry divisions of the United States Army in World War II, Articles needing additional references from July 2012, All articles needing additional references, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the United States Army Center of Military History, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, COL Joseph L. Thomas, Jr. (since June 29, 2021), 308th Train Headquarters and Military Police, 329th, 330th, 331st, and 332nd Ambulance Companies and Field Hospitals, Ordered into active military service: 15 August 1942 at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. In 1985, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the US Army's Center of Military History began a program to honor US Army divisions that took part in the liberation of Nazi camps. My dad's Individual Deceased Personnel File indicates cause of death as "Shrap. They spent 244 days in combat and suffered 23,980 casualties, 15,248 of which were combat casualties. E Company A GI in the 9th Division described the scene from his foxhole. After taking the towns of Wallenstein, Bech and Kleinmacher, they captured Schengen. This overlay obviously has more to do with the 331st IR than the 330th IR. F Company: Captain Richard E. Randal, wounded on July 4, 1944 They truly were brothers-in-arms. To avoid needless loss of life, Elster negotiated a surrender. In its one year of existence, the camp's population greatly expanded from 214 prisoners in April 1944 to about 5,400 in March 1945. Dec 24, 2018 - 331 Infantry Regiment 83rd Infantry Division. The December 8, 1944 Headquarters Company, 330th Infantry Regiment morning report listed the men from Communications Platoon who were killed during the previous day's incident, adopted below with Military Occupational Specialty (M.O.S.) Private First Class David Allen Glascock ASN 35671319 served as a member of the 330th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division during World War Two and fought in Normandy, Northern France and Rhineland before getting Wounded in Action on December 5th, 1944. Days of house-to-house fighting under thick smoke, artillery fire, and fighter-bomber attacks could not convince the Germans to give up. We focus on gathering information and documents on the World War 2 history of the United States 83rd. The DPAA said that in December 1944, Bernard Sweeney was assigned to Company 1, 330th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division. You can read it by clicking here, or on the Combat Medic's Badge. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. Nazi propaganda letters were a "Christmas present. Commanding Officers Artillery: Brig. --confirming John's recollection. E Company FULL. The 1st Battalion is located at Fort Wayne, Indiana; the 2nd at Forest Park, Illinois; and the 3rd in Waterford, Michigan." The unit motto, the Latin phrase "VERUS AD FINEM," means "True To The End." Price $11.99 They advanced toward the Taute River while rain soaked the earth and drenched their already muddy fatigues. We still have a lot to be thankful for; some of the things that happen over here don't seem possibleThe mail situation is bad again, probably due to the Christmas rush. The post-war operations reports contains information on the activities of the unit such as movements, tasks and training. The roads were strewn with German tanks, trucks and staff cars, and often with dead Germans. K Company Im not sure what the Germans hoped to accomplish doing this though. All I hope is that he puts these Germans in their place, when this is over.