27th Inf. Div. on Okinawa

Hello,

Wanting to find out any information on my dad's cousin Willard Corwin from Fremont, Ohio who died in Okinawa in WW2. He was in the 105th infantry is all I know about him. Not sure if I'm in the right forum or not. Thank you!

 

Hello,

My father Allen Quin was in the 27th Division, 105 infantry regiment, I think B company. He was a recruit from California and served in Okinawa and later joined the 77th Div, and the 1st calvary in Japan. He is 88 years old and lives in San Diego. I believe all who served and received the combat infantry badge is eligible for the bronze star medal. I have a picture of my father with the 105 infantry for those that went on to Japan at the Japanese Airbase Group which is at the base of Mt. Fugi. Another picture is with his platoon or company. First row Schroth and Lt. Iezac, 2nd row: Remaro, Tufford, T. Turner, Turman, Troupe, Empting, Gilbert, Tijlo, Vanaken,Sinto, Gonzaeles, 3rd Row: Thomsom, Turkia, Granado, tyler, McClosky, Quin, Tarworth, Emmer, Reed, Wm, McCay, zjor, Mac. Some of names may be mispelled because the writing is unclear.

 

What's your Dad's name? He may be in the photo with all those that made it Japan's Airbase on the base of Mount Fuji in 1946.

 

Hi GrayBeard. I tried to upload the pics, but the files are too large. I'll have to downsize them.

 

My grandfather, Corporal Robert C. Spellman, served with Battery 'B' of the 105th Field Artillery Battalion, participating in combat operations on Makin Island, Saipan and Okinawa. I've done quite a bit of homework on his units actions throughout the campaign and also have a trove of photographs and other memorabilia he brought back. I'd like to learn more about the people he served with. From my understanding there is almost no one left from his unit. I spoke to one of his war buddies back in 2005 but he recently passed on.

 

I've scanned and uploaded a decent amount of photos from my grandfather's scrapbook. About half are from training exercises and the others from Saipan and Okinawa. Some of the men pictured in these photos were killed in action.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/92435471@N00/sets/72157637860511155/

 

Christopher:
Have you advanced in your research in any manner? My father served with the 105th Field Artillery as well. I believe battery B also. I'll seek to confirm that. He never spoke much about the overall experience and I am interested to learn more from others. Although he noted Saipan, Okinawa, etc... in very general and vague mentions.
Thanks, Keith

 

Not long ago, I picked up a field desk marked 105th Inf Div. (I think they are actually called "Chest, Records, Fiber", I suspect it may have accompanied the 105th through the Pacific. It looks salty enough. It's labeled "TAC" which I've been told means "To Accompany Troops." I have it filled with WWII era materials.

 

I know my grandfather relieved the 27th on Kakazu Ridge on Okinawa. They were ripped up pretty bad gramps said. 700 men were lost on one day alone on Kakazu,,,

 

Here's a photo.

 

Curious whether anyone can confirm -my thinking - that my desk is from the 105th Infantry. TAT = To Accompany Troops, or so I've been told. Could it be that this WWII era desk was on Saipan?

 

Curious whether anyone can confirm -my thinking - that my desk could have been on Saipan? TAT = To Accompany Troops, or so I've been told.

 

You will be more likely to get a response if you post your inquiry in the Militaria section of the Forum. That's where the collectors hang out.

 

My Dad, Vernon Branco, was part of the 27th Infantry Division, 83rd Training Battalion, Company C. He was a Staff Sargeant and was in charge of supplying the regiment. He mentioned that he participated in the battles on Saipan and Okinawa, as well as being one of the occupying forces on the Japanese mainland when the war ended.

He didn't talk much about the battles he was in. The stories he did tell us kids were more of the down-home, ordinary or humorous types .... something that he wouldn't mind remembering.

My Dad passed away on October 24, 2013 at the age of 90.

 

The 83rd Training Battalion was not part of the 27th Infantry Division. The 83rd Tng Bn was one of the training battalions of the Infantry Replacement Training Center at Camp Roberts, California. More than likely, the "Company C" was your father's training company. I fortunately stumbled upon his obituary which indicates that he served with the 105th Infantry Regiment of the 27th Infantry Division.

Since he was in regimental supply, he would not have been in combat per se. However, he probably saw quite a bit of the carnage of war.

 

Hiya, TD-Tommy .. thank you for getting those details accurate. Yes, I knew he was with the 105th Infantry Regiment ... I have no idea why I didn't include that in my original post. My mistake. Of course, I was only repeating what I remember being told .. but you're saying that the 83rd Training Battalion/Company C would have been when he was at Camp Roberts (which I also knew). Once he was deployed, that association would have been replaced with the 105th/27th? I'm just trying to get all the nomenclature straight in my head so I can accurate document it! So, to belabor the point .... there are *two* designations here ... one for when he was at Camp Roberts (83rd Training Battalion/Company C) and then *another* separate designation for when he was in the Pacific Theater (105th Infantry Regiment/27th Infantry Division)?

I kinda figured he wasn't on the front lines but he did relate some stories of skirmishes? battles? that he was involved in. After the island was secured, he was also put in charge of repatriating the island families that the Japanese had split up.

Thank you for replying; I wasn't sure if this was an active thread or not. I'm putting together a scrapbook of his military service and definitely want to be as accurate as I can.

 

The two terms that are usually used are "assigned" and "joined". Assigned refers to the administrative element. Joined refers to the soldier being physically present with the unit.

If you haven't already done so, you should request your father's Official Military Personnel File. It's relatively easy to do, and might provide a lot more information. There was a fire at the NARA in 1973 which damaged or destroyed many Army personnel files. If that turns out to have affected your father's records, there are alternatives for getting more information.

Not sure if you need this, but the Trailblazers website has a great overview of the organization of Infantry Divisions in WWII. It helps in understanding the levels of organization and the roles of the various elements of a Division.

 

oh, that's awesome! As you realize, it's difficult to speak coherently on a topic when you don't know the terminology! I will certainly follow-up on the leads you provided. Thanks again!