Battle of the Bulge Co. B 180th Inf Seventh Army 45th Div

I am looking for ANY info or a photo of my 2nd great-uncle, Michael Kenny. He died at Battle of the Bulge, and as I was born in 1990, I never met him - nor did my mother of grandfather (Kenny's nephew). I have always had a love for genealogy, and having no information on a man that I should have met as a child really bothers me. If anyone has any information, or can point me in the right direction, please do! I believe Kenny had a pregnant wife when he died, which leaves an entire branch of my family that has yet to be discovered.

 

my uncle was with the 179th Regiment of the 45th ID....I did not think the 45th was anywhere near the Bulge.....unless your great uncle was detached for some reason....my knowledge was the 7th Army was below the 3rd Army...US Armies 9-1-3-7 in that order north to south.. with the 1st taking the brunt of BOB, and 3rd coming up from below to relieve them...probably died during the time of the BOB, but not in the BOB...?..what state was he from??

http://www.ww2f.com/topic/22872-180th-infantry-regiment-after-action-reports/

here's a very old thread on the 180th ....

http://www.iandrplatoon.org/45th%20ID%20History.html

a short history of the 45th ID ....with great picture of their CP in Germany.....there are others here much more knowledgeable than I that will help you further

 

The Bangor Public Library has a digital copy of the 180th Infantry history which you can download. I did a search for anyone with the last name "Kenny" and found nothing, not even in the listing of KIAs. Is it possible he was in a different unit?

 

Here's his headstone application, 180th is the correct unit:

View attachment 23574

 

Great find, Steve. It didn't even occur to me to check the headstone applications. I must be getting slow in my old age.

At the end of the list of KIAs it does say that men listed initially as MIA and later declared KIA are not on the list. That is one possibility. It also could be just an omission. I've seen that before in other unit histories. It is also possible that he joined the 180th as a replacement shortly before he was KIA. Clearly, more needs to be known about the exact circumstances.

You should request his IDPF. You can read more about IDPFs and how to request them here.

 

I go to them any time they're available, especially handy to confirm you have the right guy when they have a common name.

 

I have an Ancestry account, Lou. Started out doing a family tree but find it useful for TD research. There's loads of sloppy work by members on there but govt. records are usually pretty safe to rely on.

 

I get them from Fold3, which is an Ancestry deal. I haven't joined Ancestry because 1) Fold3 focuses on military records, and 2) I have a family member who has an Ancestry account already. If you are interested in doing family genealogy stuff, Ancestry is the better way to go.

 

The 7th Army was on the receiving end of Operation Nordwind, a less well known surprise attack on the Allied forces in Alsasce and the Vosges. The 45th Divisions were part of the VIO Corps which was on the receiving end of the main attacks.

It is a bit of a pity that we tend to rank battles by how well they are known. The men who fought in Alsace all did their bit and their story deserves to be remembered as much as thouse who fought in the Bulge or on D Day.

 

many, many unsung 'heroes' and unsung battles.....I think the members here are doing their bit to remember them.....Elinor and Historian do a great job at that.....

 

The US military has always considered that Nordwind operation was part of the Battle of the Bulge. Hence some comprehension difficulties.
If Natman found the right person, KENNY Michael J. died in Alsace. The 45th Infantry Division, 180th Regiment, Co B, was in the northern Vosges (and as I said, this area was considered part of the Battle of the Bulge, from the US Army)
The headstone clearly indicates that he died in "France", January 8, 1945.

180th Infantry regiment :
January 3, 1945: assembling area southwest of Wimmenau
January 7, 1945: 12th SS Mountain Regiment was encircled in Wingen sur Moder but managed to break through the American lines, and around 7:00 attacked the rear of the Co C. At 9:45 the Co B came into contact with the Co A and The enemy retreated. Bn quickly gathered and continued the attack: on the right Co A, B Co on the left.
Bn able to advance to the main road that lies to the east of Wildenguth (I guess the one that is in the "Kindsbronnerthal" between Kohlhuette and Wildenguth) There, due to enemy superiority Bn due strengthen its positions and conduct reconnaissance of the front.
January 8, 1945: At 8:00, 1st Bn tried again to dislodge the enemy from the northern part of this route. Co A & B managed once again to reach the upper part overlooking the valley, encountering only small arms fire and mortars. At 8:35 the enemy is strengthened and counterattack, forcing Co A, B & L to stop their advance. At 10:00 1st Bn was ordered to join his original positions.

Eric

View attachment 23850