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451st AAA(aw)btn a Battery

Discussion in 'Italy, Sicily & Greece' started by messenger, Dec 5, 2009.

  1. Jason Grom

    Jason Grom New Member

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    Friday, May 12, 1944: Jerry was really throwing her artillery around here last nite. 3 flights of
    B-17's just went overhead toward jerry territory. Boy, it sure was good to see them again. First time in 2 months. Washed clothes this morning. Two fellows from each gun section went to fire the new bazookas this afternoon down by the
    beach. Major Cook and Capt. Larson went down a little ahead of them. There are a bunch of jerry mines in there yet, but were taped off. They walked around the top and all of a sudden heard a click. They both stopped and wondered what it
    was. In 5 seconds the mine went off and Major Cook caught the full force right in the stomach. He was killed instantly and Capt. Lossen standing right next to him got a little scratch. He was going to get his Lt. Col. rating this month too. One minute he was laughing and joking and the next minute-dead.
     
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  2. Jason Grom

    Jason Grom New Member

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  3. Biak

    Biak Boy from Illinois Staff Member

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    I knew I was saving 'Likes' for a reason :)

    Although my main interest is in the SWPA reading firsthand accounts such as these is really what this Forum is all about.
     
  4. Jason Grom

    Jason Grom New Member

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    Monday, February 7, 1944 - We finished our "40" and "50" pits about 11:30 p.m. last nite and dug the
    wheels of our truck down and put up the camouflage net. Boy, was it cold and it
    still is. Didn't sleep much as our guns and the jerries and the cold sure put the
    clamp on a little shut eye. We watched the machine gun fire of both sides last
    nite. Gee, it sure gives you a funny feeling. We are expecting a big counter attack
    and we were told the jerries outnumber us 6 to 1. Kipp is just to the right of me
    and is next to a canal which is heavily mined and booby trapped in case the jerries
    break thru. Had a raid and fired on fw-190's this afternoon. Also got our first
    casualty. Tommy Carisa stepped in front of the "50" as it fired and it cut his head
    off. He was from no. 7 gun crew. Went on recon. to pick out our alternate
    positions incase the field artillery has to retreat. Shells have been dropping all
    around us all day and shrapnel has been coming plenty close. The jerries are in
    the hills and we are on the flats so they can see every move we make. George and
    I dug sleeping quarters and stretched our sheet halves over it. It's not bad at all.
    Saw two jerry planes go down this evening. All day long the air is full of planes,
    most of them ours. Jack Anderson’s Military Service

    Jack Anderson’s Military Service
     
  5. miles21

    miles21 recruit

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    My grandfather pfc Henry G Miles was in bat a of the 451.
     

    Attached Files:

  6. Jason Grom

    Jason Grom New Member

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    It’s been fascinating to dig even deeper into the experiences of our grandfathers and the soldiers of the 451st and overall, especially connecting with people like you who’s family served! I bet your grandfather is in this photo from March 10, 1945! 3457601B-CC15-41CE-9E71-B6790B9DB1C6.jpeg
     
  7. Jason Grom

    Jason Grom New Member

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    I found a few more interesting artifacts in my grandfather, Sgt. Jack Anderson’s collection including a list of his crew, first aide guide, shrapnel, an Army book on their battles in Italy and a letter to his family. He saved a ton of letters that will provide interesting reading materials for decades to come for our family!
    0BA80028-DB2C-4211-BF54-499B93915BED.jpeg 492BB4BF-05C3-496C-A88B-33ACFAACB3E2.jpeg 071BDC6F-6340-4D09-9CA8-3194783AA5A0.jpeg DFFABDDC-D08E-46FE-8C78-A5405A6C9AEF.jpeg 89AFB15E-1640-4FEE-80EA-694CFF8BD060.jpeg D908C797-73A9-4E3E-BEAD-16433C88DF04.jpeg 5032B026-A670-4D48-8538-3D55E19B9CC6.jpeg
     
  8. miles21

    miles21 recruit

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  9. Jason Grom

    Jason Grom New Member

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  10. Jason Grom

    Jason Grom New Member

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  11. Buten42

    Buten42 Member

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    Hi Jason, I was just given a copy of a journal that Lt. Robert Hunt Curtis kept throughout the war. He was assigned to the 451st AAA (AW) Battalion.
    I'm in the process of transcribing it but his penmanship is giving me quite a challenge. It's pretty complete from shipping over to N.Africa, to Italy, to S.France, tp Belgum, to Germany, and finally to shipping back to the states. When I get it done, I'll be happy to share. Thank you for sharing your information.
     
  12. Jason Grom

    Jason Grom New Member

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    Outstanding! I would love that! I need to get back to sharing more from Sgt. Jack Anderson. He has an entry every day over that same journey. It will be interesting to compare notes from the same days!
     
  13. Buten42

    Buten42 Member

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    It's so interesting to compare the two views of the same action from an officer's side and an enlisted side. The dates that I have of Sgt. Anderson and Lt. Curtis match exactly as to the enemy action and weather conditions, etc. Did Sgt. Anderson go to southern France and Liege ? The map stops in Italy.

    An entry that Lt. Curtis made While in Liege Belgium during the Bulge got me puzzled. "..we move back 7KM to protect 515 S&W at Liers, Belgium. The eyes of the beanfighters for 100 miles into Germany." Make any sense?
     
  14. Buten42

    Buten42 Member

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    I finally got the diary transcribed (translated). I sent a PM
     
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  15. Bobby Smith

    Bobby Smith New Member

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    . I too would love to get a copy of your Grandfather’s journal. My dad served in the 451st AAA bat B. Planning a trip to Italy in May 23’. Thank you


     
  16. Bobby Smith

    Bobby Smith New Member

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  17. Bobby Smith

    Bobby Smith New Member

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    Some pics 5385F846-ABD7-4B18-840D-6223F60D8185.jpeg 3E3BDC86-A6C8-42AD-B6A5-C1C4EAA9D01B.jpeg 857A330F-3209-4CCA-9EC4-5B977A35319C.jpeg D4E738D6-CB9B-486F-B4FA-3058D91FC3E8.jpeg 1CFC9E80-F027-4CDA-8123-C14A7BB68CD9.jpeg F7FC00FB-7CF1-48B8-9A59-E22BEEBF9BE3.jpeg 5DEB1365-E759-4F17-9DAC-05D0D004D07D.jpeg 5A1BD326-CA9A-4042-9024-5E3FE4A8FC37.jpeg AEF1ACC8-404C-400D-A803-21B87B626622.jpeg 51C8D879-CD03-4781-BE9D-F70AA9122A19.jpeg
     
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  18. Temujin

    Temujin Active Member

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    A few documents out of 5th Army files on fold3.com

    197EEB9B-B4F1-4D27-B89A-942E8D1593E2.jpeg

    C24BB352-44EF-4A38-9428-38B6F3E4081A.jpeg

    90C39B11-9BBC-4C00-B008-3537EE9EAC4C.jpeg
     
  19. Temujin

    Temujin Active Member

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  20. Biak

    Biak Boy from Illinois Staff Member

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    Bobby Smith,

    Thanks for the photos ! Pictures add an exclamation point to the " I was there " aspect.

    Welcome to the Forum also.
    Now, why not drop by the new recruit thread and tell us about your family's service. Looking forward to reading more.
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2022

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