Which AAA Unit?

Well after an hour on the phone trying to speak with a person at NARA, I gave up. I FAXed the order for just the GO from 44-45. I tried to find out if I could order a portion of the Unit History and not the entire 500 pages. No luck with speaking to a person. I will wait until the GO come in and hopefully be sure my Dad was in the unit before I attempt to sort out how to order the part of the unit history that I may need.

Still waiting on the quote for the 209th.

Russell

 

That is not my experience at all. In 19 visits and many requests online, the staff has always been professional, accessible and courteous.


Dave

 

Well I can't complain at all about speed. I received the first CD today. It is the GO for the 72nd AAA. As luck would have it there was no mention of my Father in the orders. I have several APO's that I want to look up and see where they were at different dates.
The GO contained were mostly Purple Heart awards and Good Conduct ribbons. Also orders for Guard Mount and change of command.

If any body wants a copy let me know or maybe I can post them on here somewhere.

I still have another request in work for the 209th that I have not heard anything about.

 

Hi, I just started doing some research on my Grandfather. I have a partial photo album but many of the pictures are very seriously faded. Must have been developed poorly. Anyway the album also contains some items that provide clues. For instance there are a few passes, showing that he received from 24 to 72 hour passes to visit various places: Paris, a cousin in Foggia, etc. He passed when I was only 13 in the early 70's so of course we didn't have conversations on his service. Like most of them, he wouldn't talk about it with anyone. But we do have some pictures of him at one of the concentrations camps that I believe they either liberated or guarded.

On the one pass, it shows he was attached to Batry B, 72nd AAA (Guns) Bn and the chit was signed by Capt. Henry E. Wilkinson Jr. CO. The others are showing that he was attached to Batry B, 124th AAA Gun Bn and I can't make out the signatures. One looks like: William J Caun, 1st Lt. Looks like when he was attached to the 72nd that the APO was 464 and while with the 124th his APO was 403. Earliest date looks like 10 July 1944 and the latest I see is 26 Sept. 1945

Based on this is there any way of determining where he was and his possible campaigns?

Anything would be appreciated!

Thanks,
John

 

John,
What was your Grandfathers name? I have bought the General Orders for the 72nd and have information on the 124th AAA as well. I have 4 files on the 124th that are too large for a lot of email providers to send. They will work for Gmail, the largest file is 14.3 mb. If you send me a private message with your email address, I will send you what I have.

Russell

 

Russell, wanted to thank you for your willingness to share information you've purchased. I've spent more money that I care to think about acquiring tank destroyer unit records over the last several years but I enjoy getting the info out there for other researchers and family members.

I salute you for this!!

 

I've been reading the memoir of a battery commander with the 62d CA(AA) and later the 62d AA Gun Bn. They served through North Africa, Sicily, France and Germany. It provides a pretty good look at life in a AA gun battery (from an officers point of view) -- surprisingly little action but enough to learn from.

I just thought you might be interested -- it might help you read between the lines of the unit documents (when they arrive -- fingers crossed).

http://www.airdefenseartillery.com/online/As%20I%20Remember/As%20I%20Remember%20Homepage.htm

 

Thanks for the link. I'll be reading it.

 

Enjoy, I started with the section on Africa but then went back to the top to get the full picture. It also prompts me to do some searches related to AAA, this might be of interest here:

This article
ACTIVITIES OF THE 35TH AAA BRIGADE.
here

http://www.airdefenseartillery.com/online/2010/Coast%20Artillery%20Journal/Extract/CA%201947/May-Jun%201947.pdf

had this list of AAA on Anzio

supports the notion that the 72d AAA Gun Bn was on Anzio

 

Hello...Just came across this forum while doing some research on my Dad's outfit. Been doing this for several years and it's very difficult to find info. Anyway, just wanted to let Jones 6780 know that my Dad was also in the 209th, in Upstate NY. He was in it right from the get-go though, having been inducted in the Army in April 1941 and was with the first troop transport on the Queen Mary to the UK for training after war was declared. Their first stop from there was N. Africa, Oran I believe, also has photos of Cherchell (sp?), N. Africa airfield where they were protecting British Spitfires. He was in all the same countries, towns and operations mentioned here. Operation Shingle (Anzio Beachhead Landing), Operation Dragoon aka Operation Anvil in Southern France. Also entered Dachau Concentration Camp with other GIs and ended up in Munich, Germany. I have between 200-300 of his WWll photos and a copy of his journal from throughout the war. He did basic training at Camp Stewart, Ga. He was also part of 124th and 72nd AAA Battalion, he mentions this in his journal. I can share some of his photos here if there is a particular location you are interested in. I also have some of his photos and pages from his journal on my Flickr account.

 

Welcome to the forum! Sounds like our Dads may have been in the same "B" Battery. Could you share a link to your flickr photos? What was your Dad's name? I have a hundred or so photos as well.

Russell

 

Hi Russell...My Dad's name is Mike Messineo. For some reason D Battery comes to mind for my Dad but I think that's when he was at Camp Stewart so not sure if that changed once he left there. Here's the link to some of the photos I have on Flickr. Many of the experts there filled in lots of info that I wasn't aware of. They were the greatest of help. Their comments are attached to the photos. I'll also share some pages from his journal and some of the souvenirs he brought home. Wouldn't it be great if you spotted your Dad in some of the photos!

 

The links might not have posted correctly. Here they are again.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/61214504@N00/sets/72157600859401635/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/61214504@N00/sets/72157604087479060/

 

Gia,
I looked through your photos and didn't see anything familiar with Dad's photos. I enjoyed reading the journal and will have to go back and re-read them. One point I picked up on was when the 209th was reorganized and your Dad was then in the 72nd. For that to happen, the way I understand it, he would have to have been in "B" Battery of the 209th to be moved/reorganized into the 72nd. I have a file of General Orders (21 pages) issued from July 1944 to September 1945. If you send a Private Message with your email address I will send you the file. It has names for purple heart, good conduct and such. I looked but did not find your fathers name.

 

This is just great. Having only been here a short time, watching friendships and possible connections develop from an event 70 years ago that tore many lives apart is moving in a way. This thread is just one small example of almost a genetic camaraderie developed unwittingly by our grandparents/parents/uncles/etc.

 

Hey I am doing some research and came upon this thread. My grandfather, I believe, was in the 898th after is broke off from the 209th in 1944.

I am chasing rabbits but I think its accurate.

His headstone application says the following: Battery B, 7th Anti Air Craft A.W.B.M


It also says - AS/CAC - I am not sure what the 'AS' is but CAC is Coastal Artillery Corps.

http://cdsg.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/FORTS/CACunits/CAregNG.pdf - This lists the NYS Nation Guard CAC unit as the 209th but states in 1944 2nd battalion (AW) was redesignated as 898th.

http://www.100thww2.org/support/898/898combat.html[SIZE=12.8px] - This gives some history on the 898th. It was made up on NYSNG from mostly western NY which aligns with my grandfathers enlistment records where he enlisted at Ft. Niagara in Youngstown (link below). The story goes on to state that the 209th was in Africa for a bit and then in Italy where in 1944 their battalion split off from the 209th to form the 898th and attached to the 5th army in support of their advancement in Italy. After the fall of Italy they eventually went to France and joined the 100th infantry division. [/SIZE]

https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=4&cat=all&tf=F&q=layaw&bc=&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=2853624&rlst=2853624,3060161,3354896,8405961


Am I close here?

 

If your assumption is correct, you are fortunate. The 100th Infantry Division Association (which has unfortunately been dissolved) was very generous to their subordinate and attached units in terms of providing information about them.

One thing about getting unit info off of grave markers or discharge papers is that the unit may or may not be the unit he served with in combat. Often it is the last unit the soldier was in when they were discharged. If you haven't already done so, you should request his OMPF (Official Military Personnel File) from the NARA. Another consideration is to hire a researcher, which will be much, much faster though more expensive.