My grandfather was killed here on January 3, 1945. He was part of the 2nd Division, 9th Army. I would love any information that anyone might have.
Can you give us his name, unit, and any other information you have? It will help us determine what he was involved with and what happened. This is a map of the 2nd Division route Check here for a more detailed map 2ID WW2 route map
Hi Wendi, I am assuming your father was in the 2nd Infantry Division, not the 2nd Armored Division. At the time your grandfather was killed in action the 2nd Infantry Division was part of First Army, not Ninth Army. The division was part of V Corps. "ASSIGNMENT AND ATTACHMENT TO HIGHER UNITS DATE CORPS ARMY ARMY GROUP Assigned Attached Assigned Attached 25 Sep 43 V 22 Oct 43 First ETOUSA 24 Dec 43 XV First 2 Jan 44 XV First 14 Apr 44 V First - 1 Aug 44 V First 12th 17 Aug 44 XIX First 12th 18 Aug 44 VIII First Third 12th 5 Sep 44 VIII Ninth - 12th 22 Oct 44 VIII First 12th 11 Dec 44 V First 12th 20 Dec 44 V First 12th Br 21st 18 Jan 45 V First 12th - 28 Apr 45 VII First 12th 1 May 45 V First 12th 6 May 45 - Third 12th " (-) Indicates relieved from assignment. Here is the link to the Official US Army Order of Battle in Europe that shows this information. 2d INFANTRY DIVISION - Order of Battle of the United States Army - WWII - ETO | U.S. Army Center of Military History The Army and Army Group attachments of the 2nd Infantry Division are at the bottom of page 22. Apparently the division was part of Ninth Army only for a short period of time in the fall of 1944.
Short 2nd Infantry Division history here in "Fighting Divisions." Unfortunately, I could not copy and paste it. https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a438663.pdf
Wendi, I think this is your grandfather. It has his rank as Pvt., but I cannot make out the rest of the inscription without joining ancestry.com Please let us know what you learn from this lead.
I was hoping his gravestone might include a reference to his specific regiment. From my investigations it appears your grandfather was killed in action on the first day of the major American counterattack against the western edge of the German Bulge. Have you contacted the 2nd Infantry Division Association? Second Indianhead Division Association - Membership/Public Relations Office The website is here: 2ida.org (Page didn't load when I tried it. It is probably undergoing maintenance and will be back online soon.)
