When they came back to the states they were often assigned to a more or less random unit for discharge from what I understand.
Well, that pic pretty much seals the deal on his being in the 645th TD Bn. Great pics, Wilts42. Thanks for sharing them here.
YES! Im so excited when my dad pulled these out ! Im so excited to make a photo album and maybe a shadow box, something to make sure his story goes on even after im dead and gone! I'm ecstatic and so greatful for you guys chiming in and giving information and advice. One more question, Should i continue to get his military documents from the archives ? Having his discharge papers with the info i have all I really need?
That was mostly true, especially for the high pointers who they were discharging first. They would be attached to units heading back to the US, while those with low points would be transferred to units destined for Occupation duty or the Pacific. Sadly, there are many WWII veterans with units completely unrelated to their war service on their grave markers.
This pic has me scratching my head. This exact picture is on the 645th history page. I thought maybe a stock photo every soldier was given but the picture has the same thickness and feel as the pics with his pic on them. I though this might be a type of "post car" for the Unit?
I would certainly suggest requesting his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). However, keep in mind that many Army personnel records were destroyed or damaged in the 1973 fire at the NARA in St Louis. It doesn't cost anything to submit a request for his records. You would only need to pay if you decide to get copies. If all they have is his Final Payment Voucher, I would advise skipping it. However, if they do have more, it may be worth it to get copies. What research you should do depends on how much more information you wish to know about his service. There are other records which can be obtained (AAR's, Journals, Operations Reports, Morning Reports, etc.) which all have benefits. Usually, unless you are very fortunate, none of them are available for free. I am a proponent of Morning Reports for researching individual soldiers. By the way, you should check with Natman about having your photos added to the 645th TD Bn page on the tankdestroyer.net website. They would be a nice addition.
The photo is actually on the 45thdivision.org website. There is a link on the TD website to the page where the photo can be found. It may be a photo that was obtained at a post-War reunion where they were provided as a memento. It's definitely the same photo.
Using the US Army Order of Battle, ETO you can do a pretty good job of tracking your father's unit through France and Germany. Order of Battle of the United States Army - WWII - ETO | U.S. Army Center of Military History Given the dates the 645th was attached to the 45th ID, my guess is it was always part of Seventh Army. That should make the search a lot easier. 45th Infantry Division OOB Tank Destroyer 645th TD Bn (SP) 15 Aug 44-30 Sep 44 Co C, 601st TD Bn (SP) 6 Oct 44-25 Oct 44 645th TD Bn (SP) 6 Oct 44-26 Oct 44 636th TD Bn (- Co C & 1 plat, Rcn Co) (SP) 6 Oct 44-27 Oct 44 645th TD Bn (SP) 1 Nov 44-10 Nov 44 Co B, 824th TD Bn (SP) 1 Dec 44-2 Dec 44 Co A, 824th TD Bn (SP) 1 Dec 44-3 Dec 44 645th TD Bn (SP) 1 Dec 44-14 Feb 45 645th TD Bn (SP) 5 Mar 45-22 Mar 45 645th TD Bn (SP) 1 Apr 45-10 May 45 [pages 181-182
The TD's in post #23 are M36's. The 645th converted to them in Feb, 45, so you know that photo was taken after that date. Looks post-war to me. The M-10 photo looks like it could have been a Signal Corp photo. I know that guys with camera's would have additional copies of their photos made and pass them around in my Dad's unit so that is another angle to consider. I would suggest you spend time reading the unit's battle reports if you haven't already. I was looking at the Sept-Oct ones tonight and they are well done compared to many units. You'll learn a lot from them. The jeep in post #28 has a "B" on the bumper so it belonged to Company B.