451st AAA(aw)btn a Battery

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.

 

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

 

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

 

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!

 

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!

 

I found this book that guided the 451st on firing at enemy aircraft.

 

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.

 

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!

 

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?

 

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

 

. 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

 

Would LOVE a copy of the journal please.

 

Some pics

 

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

 

Clarion-Ledger
Jackson, Mississippi
07 Nov 1945, Wed • Page 7