451st AAA(aw)btn a Battery

Looking for information on the unit in my subject line my grandpa servd in this btn in ww2. Does anybody know what army (corp) Division, brigadeHe may have been in? he served in Naples-Foggia Southerfrance Rome-arno and Rhineland.
tom.

 

Thanks for the information. the enlisted record and report of seperation shows he was discharged from fort dix in new jersy on nov 22 1945

 

my dad was in the 451st AAA aw battery d it been hard to find much info.
i was on Dad War web site that list troop crossing and they had noting on the 4th or 5th of mar. dad did go in with the 451st and came as a truck driver. i try to dig up more later thanks Steve

 

JW - very good post. Timeline is absolutely correct according to the records I've seen.

My grandfather Maj. George I. Cook, known to all as GI, was commanding the 451st AAA Automatic Weapons Battalion when killed in the explosion of a land mine at Anzio on May 12, 1944. He is buried at the Rome-Sicily American Cemetery at Nettuno. My father was 13 at the time and never got over it, often talking about living at Fort Stewart.

It was definitely the 5th Army led by Gen. Mark W. Clark. I graduated from The Citadel where he had been President and was then living on campus in retirement. I'd walk the dog with him and talk. He's buried there now.

I can tell you from the correspondence, they had a really rough time in Italy. They were bombarded relentlessly. They went to Naples for R & R. Also, they took part in the Salerno landing. GI sent back a German aircraft door that was in Granny's basement for years. I'm not sure who has it. He wrote a very moving testimonial read at a memorial service for the lost of his unit.

Never met any of the men in his battalion, but the condolence letters are quite touching; he had been very well thought of and admired according to the letters. GI had been called up to Federal service with the 243rd Coast Artillery, Rhode Island National Guard.

Unrelated, but his brother John had an OSS platoon serving in England, France, China & Burma. He had great stories when you could get him to talk about it, and a gigantic medal awarded by Chiang Kai-shek.

Best regards, PNC

 

I found my dad's Bible he carried through WWII. In it, he listed that he served in the 451st AAA Battalion Battery D during the war. He listed the following as arrival dates and places:

• Africa - 19 March 1943 (He told me that their gun was placed on top of Gen. George S. Patton's headquarters here.)
• Italy - 13 September 1943
• Anzio - 6 February 1943 (Shows that 8 planes were credited to the 451st - I am assuming enemy planes shot down)
• S. France - 8 September 1944
• Germany - 13 September 1944

There was also a page that looks like it has names on it so I don't know if these were men he served with (it was written in pencil and is faded and difficult to read)

 

Hi guys, just came across this thread and made an account to share. Also, please correct me if I ever mis-state anything here pertaining to the military.

My great-grandfather, Major George Irving Cook was the 451st AA Battalion Commander up until his death in Anzio on May 12, 1944. We share almost the same name and he was from the 243rd Coast Artillery out of Rhode Island.

My dad left me a box with a bunch of stuff about him from the war, I am currently going through it and making a scrapbook. I took a few initial pictures of some things, including a plaque with his medals, his burial flag, the telegram informing my great-grandmother of his death, and some other stuff but the files are too big to upload - I'll try and get them up shortly. Anyone know the maximum file size?

I'll try and go through everything sooner than later and let you know what I find, thanks.

George Cook

 

Ok was able to resize the images for upload.

 

Well this is awkward - in my rush to upload to this thread I skimmed over the post from ElCid... that is my late father.

Just wanted to clear that up, thanks.

 

Hi George. I just came across this thread when I was mapping the locations that my grandfather Sgt. Jack Anderson served in the 451st AAA. I had previously transposed his journal along with my mom and uncle years before when my grandpa was still alive so he was able to participate in the process. Your great grandfather’s story was in the journal on that day, May 12. I am very willing to share if you are interested.

 

Here are a few pictures from Jack Anderson’s diary/journal. It’s 168 pages long with entries from almost every day of his experience and the 451st from September 22, 1942 - November 14, 1945.

 

Hello Jason,

Thanks for contributing to this thread! We thank your grandfather for his service, the pictures are great.

I would love to hear more from Jack Anderson's journal and his journey through the war. Also, any more information pertaining to George Irving Cook is a major plus. I finished putting together the scarpbook with what material of his I had, I can share more of it if you are interested as well.

Thank you again for participating in the thread!

George Cook

 

George,

Thank you for your great grandfather’s service and ultimate sacrifice. I will add a few excerpts where Major Cook was highlighted and maybe we can figure out a way to send you the entire journal.

Jason Grom

 

November 15, 1943

Mon.--- We moved up 8 miles to guard a bridge the engineers are making. We aren't far from the infantry and we went by their mortar guns and boy, were they letting loose last night. We pulled into positions at 6:00 last night and had to ford a river, which came over the running boards on the truck. Major Cook wanted my section set up on a knoll but we couldn't get up there. Lt. Hedrick saw a knoll quite a ways back and said to set it up there. When the trucks arrived I took them up to the spot but it was a lot different after we got there. It was so dark and talk about rain, gee it sure was coming down. After picking a spot, which we thought was a pretty good field of fire we commenced to dig our pit. Every time we took a shovel of dirt it filled up with rain so we got disgusted and quit. We were all soaked to the skin and piled in the truck the best we could. I squeezed into the trailer and boy was I frozen and cramped. I managed to get my shoes and socks off so I put my wool cap and one I found on each foot and then shoved my feet in a barracks bag. It was raining so hard and I was shivering so much I couldn't sleep. We just left our gun pit go today as it's still raining. We put our tent up and rigged a stove up in it and dried out a bit. I opened up my bed roll tonite and every blanket is soaked. I guess I'll freeze again tonite. The river is too high to cross so if the Germans open up on us we'll sure get caught like rats if we have to retreat. They can’t even get our food rations to us but we have some “C” rations we saved but don’t know how long it will last. I can hear shells landing now and they sound pretty close. I hope and pray they don’t get any closer.

 

March 4, 1944


Sat.- Rained all nite but otherwise it was pretty quiet with an occasional shell going over our heads. Kipp, Spash and Gordon went on the infantry detail all last nite. Our battalion shot down the most planes this week out of all the ack-ack outfits on the beach head. Colonel Sexton left for the states yesterday on the rotating system. Major Cook is our new commander. The news today said this beach head is secure and that the Germans are cracking. One thing I do know is that their shells are cracking and not to our comfort either.

 

Also, I am entering the locations my grandfather mentioned in his diary to provide a map of the 451 AAA service in WWII: Jack Anderson’s Military Service Jack Anderson’s Military Service
Jack Anderson’s Military Service

 

Mar. 13, 1944
Mon.- it started out as a beautiful day this morning. Then the jerries started
throwing heavy barrages one after another around 300 yards from us. At 11:30
a.m. they changed their course abit and all hell broke loose. We didn't hear the
first one come in nor the ones that followed until they cracked. One lit right in
front of our kitchen and one on the side of the truck. Our truck, trailer, kitchen,
with dinner just about ready, and shelter halves over our dugouts were just
perforated. Our mess kits, personnel equipment, water cans and gas cans all have
to be salvaged. One shell landed about 5 ft. in front of Kipp, Frank, & Gordon
and Kipp got a piece of shrapnel thru the finger. Moe was on the floor in the
kitchen and got a slight cut on the side. It was just an act of God that
nobody else was hurt. Each and every man was praying and all say it was just thru God
that we are here yet. One man on no. 4 was killed and a man on no. 6 wounded
pretty bad. That field artillery that moved in by us the other nite is what is drawing
their fire so close. Just before each barrage there is a sad-sack that flies around
over us with American markings on which we think might be directing the jerrie
fire. I'm going to find out about him or else open up on him. We can't figure out
why our bombers haven't been over lately. Must be that they are using them for
the big invasion and which we are wondering whether it's going to take place or
not. A major from the 5th army was here today. He went around to the battalions
which were being shelled the heaviest. He sure picked a good day for it cause this
day, Mar. 13th, sure was an unlucky day for us. This major took a plane back to
Naples this afternoon and told our officers that we probably will be back there
soon. A big drive is expected by our troops here and I don't doubt it cause
supplies have been coming in every day and we haven't been doing much in
general, just hollering. So we don't doubt that something will pop up soon. They
came and took out truck back to c.p. as shrapnel went thru the radiator. Alabam
and six other truck drivers left on another detail. They are back in Naples now. It
is 9:30 p.m. and jerrie planes are over head. The 90's are opening up at them.
Our navy guns are firing over at the jerries and boy they really are throwing it to
them.

 

Monday, April 10, 1944: The jerries were over again last nite. Everytime we get a card game
going the damn jerries come over. Major Cook, Capt. Lossen, Capt. Gestuch, and Capt. Cortney came around to inspect on everything. They were pretty well satisfied and put excellence in the inspection book. Kipp and I went on a recon. with Lt. Hedrick this afternoon. The area where we have to set up in, in case we move, is just loaded with ammo of all sort. Every nite the jerries shell in that area and knock out no.'s of piles. They threw some close ones in here last nite and today, and a few air-bursts. The jerries are using a 280 mm to shell Anzio and some don't get that far. Kipp and I rode double on our stallion down to take a shower.