Pfc John Basil Hopkins - Battery A, 32nd Field Artillery Battalion, 1st ID; 6JUL42 - 4OCT45

Attached Is a copy of my fathers’ WD AGO 53-55, “Enlisted Record And Report of Separation, Honorable Discharge” (aka, in post-WWII parlance: “DD214”)

Block 8 indicates “321st FA BN”; this is solely the unit assigned at date of separation; however, as confirmed by U.S. Army CMH, Once ASR Score was accumulated (in this case, “101” – Block 55), It was common to “hitch a ride home” with a related/similar unit; in this case, the 321st GFAB.

From Operation Husky 9JUL43 - amphibious assault on Sicily, through to Neptune/Overlord 5JUN44 “D-Day” Normandy. He was assigned to Battery A, 32nd Field Artillery Battalion (typically associated with 18th RCT)

Block 35 “Service outside CONUS” dates coincide with both the movements of 1st ID and 32nd FA BN… as well as Bronze Star (w/”V”) issued by HQ, 1st ID (HQ 1st ID GO 86-44, 16SEP44).



Having accumulated a “mountain” of info Particularly Neptune Assault ships from NARA, First Division Museum, WW2talk, etc. I am currently working on/waiting for acquiring/downloading high-resolution maps;

AMS M865” and/or G.S.,G.S. 4347 (1:25,000 scale);

the following “sheets”:

34/20 SW – Isles St Marcourt

34/18 NW – St Marie du Mont

34/18 NE – St Pierre du Mont (Omaha Beach)

34/18 SE – Treviers

37/18 SW – Ryes

37/18 SE – Creully

40/18 SW – St Aubin (Sword and Juno Beaches)

40/16 NW – Ouistreham

40/18 SE – Houlgate

FWIW, NARA is “limited to 5 Courtesy Scans”… awaiting notification.



Trying to avoid French fee-based versions, mutilated with “copyright” and or watermarked in sufficient resolution (file size approaching +/- 750MB); (most are asking 200 bucks for a set of fuzzy lo-res)

Americans – as well as my father – already paid for these.



Somewhere between 16SEP44 (1st ID Bronze Star) and end of the war(to the 321st ), he was transferred to an Infantry unit (Award of CIB), then the 321st…

This change of unit may be associated with “25 Days lost AW107” (Block 55)… (“...intemperate use of alcohol…??)

32nd FAB Morning reports (shortly after 16SEP44) and 321st Morning Reports, shortly before returning CONUS may give some indications of when, who, where.



Any useful hot tips, would be appreciated,

john

 

Errata:
WD AGO 53-55 Block 33;
Distinguished Service Badge (aka Distinguished Unit Citation - "DUC", nka "PUC" - Presidential Unit Citation);
MTO (HQ, Mediterranean Theater of Operations) General Order... MTO GO 90-45
I believe this was a clerical error (and is therefore not valid), where he was erroneously included in the DUC for 32nd FAB, in Tunisia, prior to his arrival on "NATO" - North Africa Theater of Operations.
Generals Orders for 18th RCT DUCs also do not "fit"... nor can I find a "GO 90-45" that, likewise, "fits".
Bronze Star: HQ 1st Infantry Division GO 86-44 (16SEP44)
Bronze Service Arrowhead: Amphibious Assault Normandy, 6JUN44;
... Regarding his Amphibious Assault, Operation Husky (Sicily), he would not have qualified for the Arrowhead, as he was with "KOOL" Force -
Floating Reserve (with 18th RCT) and did not land until 10JUL43... the day after D-Day, Operation Husky (9JUL44)...(note, Block 35 of his 53-55)
For those who may be interested, I have a complete copy of 1st ID GO-86-44 (downloaded from FDMuseum); can be posted at this forum.
... all, fwiw

 

WW2Talk has a Excell spreadsheet as a research services with links to many of the 1:25,000 maps of Normandy, as well as a mostly complete set of 1:50,000 and a complete 1;100,000 series.

Errors in the WD AGO 53-55 were common. On a typical day at a separation center in the fall of 1945 tens of thousands might be processed, all by typists on manual typewriters. Cut them some slack.

I doubt that receiving a CIB meant he was transferred to Infantry and then back to FA before returinng home. More likely it was issued in error, probably because he was a member of a Liaison on Forward Observer team and so served with the infantry.

That he was a Pfc. after three years of service says a lot about why he was docked 25 service days. I'm afraid he was probably a very naughty boy.

 

Regardless of your "doubts" Both HRC Fort Knox... as well as CMH, agree that it is entirely feasible that Battalion or brigade approved his CIB (multiple small arms qualifications, notwithstanding). He did not "return to Artillery", he was assigned to "hitch a ride" back CONUS (a quote from CMH)
That "Naughty boy" was 27 years old when he first landed for the rescue of 1st ID artillery, on Gela, Sicily... as well as 28 years when "punctuating" the success of 16th RCT landing on Easy Red... it is yet, and forever may be, unknown the impact he had on terrified, wide-eyed, 17-year-old kids.... "only" a Pfc... perhaps you should review the film "When Trumpets Fade"... not everyone sought to be a ten-star general; just get the job done, and get back to his farm.

FWIW, The Blib links are long-since defunct/dysfunctional; most likely due to the most recent virus attacks on their website.

 

Hmm... 53-55 is wrong, NavSource is wrong, Ibiblio is wrong, researchers are a scam...
Guess I need to move to St. Louis and rent an apartment nearby...DIY

fwiw, WW2Talk has reported, to me, that the relevant Blib links no longer work with "dezoomify"

 

You misunderstand my "doubt". I doubt that it required him to transfer to Infantry as you implied for him to have received a CIB, which is what I said, regulations not withstanding, many non-Infantry were awarded the CIB in World War II, most commonly Field Artillery.

He may have been 27, but for a soldier to remain at Pfc and to have so many days docked on his separation from service implies he was indeed a "naughty boy". There were many soldiers who were, but the exact infractions he indulged in did not mean he was a bad soldier, nor did I intended to imply he was. He violated Regs and got called for them and penalized in his separation. D & D was the most common offense, but Insubordination and such were also common.

I am not sure why I should "review" a concoction of Hollywood for source data on a subject I have been researching and writing on for 37 years?

You seem to be finding insult where none are intended.

 

"...where none is intended.": yet, from the peanut gallery, persisting in said

 

The facts of life are that many soldiers were naughty boys in World War II. I choose to use that language because otherwise you might think they were bad soldiers, or bad men, because to accumulate a loss of 25 days service under AW 107 those were typically the days they were AWOL or in the Guardhouse for offenses. Ditto for ranking as a Pfc after three years and three months service; that was also unusual...unless they had 25 days lost due to violations of AW 107.

May I ask why you chose to be so rude on this site, but not at WW2Talk? What is "sad" is that I'm the same person answering your questions there as I am here. I am also not a member of the "peanut gallery", given I have been a member posting here for nine years, and have 37 years in defense studies and analysis, specializing in World War II in the ETOUSA.