Looking for info on my grandpa

In the days following his capture the entire German army in France began to collapse and withdraw, so he may well have have walked all the way to Germany. Normally, they would have been marched to a rail head somewhere and been put on a train.

To get an idea of the bigger picture at this time, the events around St. Lo were set in motion by Operation Cobra which set the American army free from the beachhead and moving into the German rear and flank. At Le Mans they began moving back towards the British/Commonwealth lines who set up their own breakout operations. This developed into what they call the "Falaise Pocket" which essentially destroyed the German forces in France and forced a fighting retreat all the way to the German border.

With all that going on, it's probably not surprising that records for that period are sketchy.

 

I did find this account from a POW of camp stalag 12a... "After marching more than 120 miles, the prisoners arrived at Stalag 12-A in Limburg, Germany, near Frankfurt — a factory-like building used as a holding facility." http://www.thestate.com/2008/10/13/553322/death-march-wwii-soldier-recalls.html

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2008/10/13/553322/death-march-wwii-soldier-recalls.html#storylink=cpy"

 

It is possible that they traveled by truck or train for part of the distance and by foot the rest. I would also not be surprised if they were force marched from Stalag 12A to Stalag 9B which is about 80 miles -- not a short stroll by any means.

Earthican is exactly right. His time as a POW should not be seen as any less difficult as combat. At least in combat, they could dish it out as bad as they got. As a POW, they pretty much had to take the beating (figuratively and literally) without being able to fight back. They had to deal with horrible conditions, meager rations, parasites, disease, and death. Anyone who goes through that has every bit as much of my respect and gratitude as someone who spent the same time in combat.

 

ok, here are his medals..
View attachment 20818
View attachment 20819

 

I've not been able to find anything else on him before July 22nd except he went into service in Oct, 1943. I just always thought he must've been in training til july.

 

The CIB doesn't surprise me, but I do agree that the 3 battle stars are a poser. This is a job for... Earthican!

Sorry, E. I had a rough day at work and am a lot tired and a little punchy. This does seem like something you might be able to dig up, though.

 

By total days, he spent more time waiting than training. Eight months of training would have been a great benefit, as it was these guys -- another example bellow -- were poorly prepared to function in an infantry squad.


http://www.ncweb.com/users/davecurry/brothers/

 

Technically the CIB required thirty days of combat as determined by his unit. These medals appear to be a replacement set. Pretty hard to turn down a CIB for a Normandy veteran and POW I suspect.

However we have seen on this forum a struggle to get the CIB for a veteran who was shot in the chest and evacuated from his regiment before they could process the orders for his CIB. So count yourself lucky...


I can account for two campaign stars, see below. If he was liberated by a US unit and reasonably healthy I could see him joining them for the final push and earning the Central Europe campaign but we may never know.

http://www.history.army.mil/documents/WDGO/WDGO24-1947/WW2campindex.htm

 

My mom got these medals a few years ago, when we started looking into it and discovered he had medals he never got while he was alive. He only had 2 or 3 of them while he was alive, they ended up sending all of these to her.

 

I know this site is dedicated to WWII but Oran's father Add Marshall (Adam) was drafted in WWI. I never could find anything on him, but I have a photo of him in his uniform.

 

You could always do a post about him in the Those Who Served section under Roll of Honor and Memories - All Other Conflicts Just share what you know about him even if it's not much. We want to remember all veterans, not just WWII vets.

 

It's been awhile... I've been waiting to get my grandpas papers and took about 3 months but I got them! Super excited...Here's what I got: His honorable discharge paper, and certificate, and final payment sheet. Not alot BUT it has his fingerprint and his signature...so it was worth the $25. Anyway, I don't understand a few things listed:
#32 Battles and Campaigns
Normandy Central Europe GO 40 WD 45 Northern France GO 33 WD 45

and on #40 Reason and Authority for Seperation
Convenience of the Government AR 615-365 & WD Cir 339 1945

 

Thanks for updating us on your progress.

Regarding item #32: GO 40 WD 45 means General Order 45 (from the) War Department 1945, likewise for GO 33.

Item #40 is government speak for discharge since the war's are over.

Lou posted while I was writing this and basically said the same thing.

I wonder if he was awarded a battle star for Central Europe as a result of being a POW?

 

none of the papers says anything about his POW status....which I was hoping I would find more about that.

 

And also while on the ship going to overseas he got choked on a fish bone and a doctor on the ship had to lance his neck to get it out, there was no mention of that either.

 

How do I upload the pic?