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Researching My Grandfather

Discussion in 'Military Service Records & Genealogical Research' started by davidjaffieWW2, Jul 16, 2010.

  1. davidjaffieWW2

    davidjaffieWW2 Member

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    My grandfather fought for the U.S. in WWII and was captured as a POW by the Germans. Here is the information I have. Any more information would be very helpful.

    Herman Jaffie
    Serial Number: 32970744

    28th Infantry Division
    110th Infantry Regiment
    Possibly C Company
    Infantry/Medical Department/Dental Corps
    Private First Class or Corporal
    Participated in the liberation of Paris and continued through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany
    December 1944 - Holding extended portion of 28th Division Line when Germans started the offensive called the "Battle of The Bulge"
    Battered by six German Divisions and became encircled
    Regiment retreated through the darkness of the night and reassembled in IGMR, but lots of men were lost or captured (He was captured then I am guessing)
    Captured: 12/20/1944
    Camp: Camp Funfeichen (Stalag 2A 53-13 near Neubrandenberg and Mecklenberg)
    Most likely in a labor camp on the outskirts of the main camp
    Camp served as a waypoint of Allied soldiers being marched westward, away from the advancing Red Army
    Was marched westward in the middle of April 1945 ahead of the advancing Red Army
    Liberated by British Troops on 5/30/1945
    Medals: American Theatre Award, Europeans Middle Eastern Africa Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, POW Medal, Good Conduct Medal
     
  2. davidjaffieWW2

    davidjaffieWW2 Member

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  3. macrusk

    macrusk Proud Daughter of a Canadian WWII Veteran

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    Here's a link re the 28th of the 110th. This gentleman was in Company E, however.

    WW II Memoirs

    Lone Star MVPA - COL. Hurley E. Fuller 110th Combat Team during the Battle of the Bulge

    "
    On February 1941 the 110th was mobilized for one year of training but due to World War II stay on to the conclusion of the war. After two and one half years of stateside service and nine months in Great Britain the regiment landed in Normandy and struck into the forest of St. Sever. Advancing as much as 18 miles in one day the regiment proudly participated in the liberation of [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]Paris[/COLOR][/COLOR]. The regiment continued fighting across France into Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. In December of 1944 the regiment was holding an extended portion of the 28th Division line when the Germans started their offensive that resulted in the "Battle of the Bulge". Battered by six German Divisions, the 28th fought on. Units of the 110th completely encircled, hacked their way in the dark of night, and reassembled to fight again. More than 2,700 men were lost in three days of fighting, but the regiment implicated a fearful toll upon the Germans. A month later the regiment was back in action to liberate Colmar. The end of World War II found five more campaign streamers added to the regimental colors. These were [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]Normandy[/COLOR][/COLOR], Northern France, Ardonnes, Rhineland and Central Europe. When V-J day was proclaimed the 110th was training in the states for the final battle against Japan. " from 1st Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment (Mechanized)

    Battle of the Bulge: U.S. Army 28th Infantry Division's 110th Regimental Combat Team Upset the German Timetable ยป HistoryNet see below re :

    <LI id=comment-47051 class=odd>My father was killed in Munshausen Lux, around the 16th or 17th of December 1944 during the battle of the bulge. He was in Company C, 110th Infranty Regiment. His name was PFC Windell E. Callen. He was buried in the church cemetery in Munshausen the first time then reburied in Foy Belgum, then reburied in Stratford Okla. Is there anywhere I can find a Morning Report or After Action report to determine how he was killed. I was his only son. Thank you
    By charles Callen on Mar 27, 2009 at 5:46 pm

    <LI id=comment-52825 class=odd>Charles,
    Company C of the 110th was deployed on the northeast corner of Munshausen in support of one of the 11oth's cannon companies. They were overrun on the morning of the 16th by the 2nd Btln of the 2nd Panzer Div. Company C was able to protect the howitzers long enough such that their direct fire on the Germans cause many casualties. What was left of Company C displaced to the north moving along the Clerf river until they reached Clervaux and took up positions as the CPs security company. Most of Company C was lost during the defense of Clervaux. Rest easy in the sure knowledge that their sacrifice that morning allowed time for the 101st to take positions in Bastogne. Heroes in every sense of the word. Heartfelt condolences to you for the loss of your father."

    28th Infantry Division 110th Infantry Regiment Company C - Google Search

    Fact Sheet of the 28th Infantry Division
    "COMBAT HIGHLIGHTS: From Normandy, through France, Belgium, Luxembourg and eventually into Germany itself, the 28th Infantry Division blasted its way to success against the enemy which referred to the Keystone unit as the "Bloody Bucket" division. That phrase described the fury of the assaults which it launched shortly after landing on the Normandy beaches 22 Jul 1944. By 31st Jul, the 28th was in the thick of the hedgerow fighting. Advances were at a crawling pace while towns like Percy, Montbray, Montguoray, Gatheme and St Sever de Calvados and Hill 210 fell. By 20th August, the Division was rolling eastward along the highways of France. An advance north to the Seine to trap the remnants of the German 7th Army saw the capture of Vernauil, Breteuil, Damville, Conchos, Le Neubourg and Elbouf as the bag of prisoners mounted. On 29th August, the Division entered Paris and paraded under battle conditions before a populace delirious with joy. There was no time for rest, however, and the advance continued on through the Forest of Compeigne, La Fere, St Quentin, Laen, Rethel, Sedan, Mezieros, Bouilion and on the 6th of September the crossing of the Mouse was accomplished. The Division swept into Belgium averaging advances of 17 miles a day against the resistance of of German roadblocks and "battle groups." The city of Arlon, Belgium fell to a task force as the Division fanned out into Luxembourg. Combat Team 112, attached to the 5th Armored Division, liberated the southern portion of Luxembourg and smashed its way into Germany at Wallendorf in an attack aimed at Bitburg. Combat Teams 109 and 110 liberated the northern part of Luxembourg and on 11th September entered Germany in strength. After hammering away in assaults which destroyed or captured 153 pill boxes and bunkers the Division moved north and cleared the Monschau Forest of German forces in the area east of Elsenborn, Rocherath, and Krinkelt, Belgium, moving up to the Siegfried Line again. Further attacks were postponed and the Division made another move northward to the Hurtgen Forest. There the attack began 2nd November 1944 and the Keystoners stormed into Vossenack, Kommerscheidt and Schmidt amid savage fighting. Losses were heavy and ground once wrested from the enemy was lost and regained to be lost again to the ever increasing fury of his counter-attacks. By 12th November, the 28th had completes its Hurtgen Forest mission and moved south to the scene of its initial entry into Germany where it held a 25 sector of the front line along the Our River, from the northeastern tip of Luxembourg to the vicinity of Wallendorf. In this sector the Germans unleashed the full force of their winter offensive against the thinly-held and over-extended division line. Five crack (German) divisions were hurled across the Our River the first day to be followed by four more in the next few days. the Keystone rocked under the overwhelming weight of enemy armor and personnel but refused to become panic stricken. The defense by the Division against Von Rundstedt's assault was termed by one correspondent as "one of the greatest feats in the history of the American Army." By the time that the 28th was relieved it had thrown the German timetable completely off schedule and had inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. During early January 1945, the Division was charged with defense of the Meuse River from Givet, Belgium to Verdun, France. Later that month a move to the south, to Alsace, was made. There the 28th had the experience of serving in the French First Army in the reduction of the "Colmar Pocket" and to it went the honor of capturing Colmar, the last major French City in German hands. Further advances to the east across the L'Ill River and Rhino-Rhono Canal to the west bank of the Rhine followed. By 23rd February, the Division had returned north to the American First Army and was in the line along the Olef River. March 6th was the jump-off date in an attack which carried the Keystone to the Ahr River. Schleiden, Gomund, Kall, Sotenich, Sistig and Blankonheim all fell in a rapid advance. Many prisoners and large stores of enemy weapons, equipment and ammunition were taken. The Rhine was crossed and an area south of the "Ruhr Pocket" occupied by the 28th awaiting an southward drive by the German forces trapped in the pocket. Early in April the Division moved west of the Rhine and took up occupation duties in the area north of Aachen along the Holland-German border. Two weeks later came a move to the permanent occupation area; the Saarland and Rhonish Palatinate. Early in July the Division started redeployment to the United States, arriving home in August 1945. After V-J Day, the 28th Division reassembled at Camp Shelby, Mississippi and was inactivated on 12 December 1945. "

    More....

    U S 28th Infantry Regiment : Who, What, Where, When see link to Office of Medical History:

    "
    110TH INFANTRY REGIMENT
    28TH INFANTRY DIVISION
    IN THE ARDENNES
    DECEMBER 1944

    The 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division, on 16 December 1944, held the center sector of the defensive zone of the division and VIII Corps in the Ardennes. Here it lay astride the main attack axis of the German LXVII Panzer Corps of the Fifth Panzer Army headed to Bastogne, Belgium, and points west. Vastly outnumbered and outgunned by the attacking German force, the 110th Infantry put up one of the classic defensive stands in American military history. By sacrificing themselves, the officers and men of the 110th Infantry bought the precious time needed for the 101st Airborne Division to be trucked into the vital crossroads town of Bastogne and consolidate its defenses with elements of the 9th and 10th Armored Divisions and miscellaneous remnants of the 28th Infantry Division and VIII Corps. The story of Bastogne is well-known, but it was only possible with the sacrifice of those American soldiers to the east.

    After the war and before its release from Federal service, the 110th Infantry Regiment compiled its wartime history that is now located in box 8596, World War II unit records, Record Group 407, Records of the U.S. Army Adjutant General, in the National Archives and Records
    Administration, Archives II, in College Park, Maryland. In this history, the members of the 110th Infantry recorded their history and listed their casualties, by name and campaign. Their history was broken up into the main campaigns in which the 110th Infantry participated. Two of the sections are reproduced here:

    The Our River, November 15, 1944 to December 15, 1944
    The Ardennes Breakthrough 16 December 1944-15 January 1945

    Also among the pages appended to this history are documents that were submitted to support the division's recommendation of the 110th Infantry Regiment for a Distinguished Unit Citation (later redesignated as the Presidential Unit Citation) for its actions from 16 through 23 December 1944 during the German Ardennes offensive. Three of these documents that are particularly important for understanding the story of the 110th Infantry are the personal accounts of the successive commanders of the 110th Infantry during the Battle of the Bulge that are published here:

    Col. Hurley E. Fuller's letter of 22 February 1945 to Maj. Gen. Norman D. Cota, commanding general, 28th Infantry Division

    Col. Theodore A. Seely's letter of 8 May 1945 to Maj. Gen. Norman D. Cota

    Col. Daniel B. Strickler's "Action Report of the German Ardennes Breakthrough As I Saw It from 16 Dec. 1944 - 2 Jan. 1945"

    Both Cols. Fuller and Seely became prisoners of war during the early days of the German offensive, and Strickler, who became regimental commander after Seely, had his own personal Odyssey that he tells in his report.

    John T. Greenwood
    Chief, Office of Medical History
    Office of The Surgeon General, U.S. Army"
     
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  4. macrusk

    macrusk Proud Daughter of a Canadian WWII Veteran

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    Military History: unit location info, Heavy Mortor Company, 28th infantry division

    "On Feb. 17, 1941 , the 28th Division was ordered into federal service for one year of active duty. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 , led soldiers of the 28th to remain on active for the duration of the war. Having conducted specialized combat training in everything from offensive maneuvers in mountainous terrain to amphibious warfare, the Division's intensive training agenda culminated in its deployment to England on Oct. 8, 1943.

    After another 10 months of train ing in England and Wales, the first elements of the Division entered combat on July 22,1944, landing on the beaches of Normandy. From Normandy, the 28th advanced across western France, finding itself in the thick of hedgerow fighting through towns such as Percy, Montbray, Montguoray, Gathemo and St. Sever de Calvados by the end of July 1944. The fury of assaults launched by the 28th Infantry Division led the German Army to bestow the Keystone soldiers with the title "Bloody Bucket" Division.

    In a movement north toward the Seine in late August, the Division succeeded in trapping the remnant of the German 7th Army through Vorneuil, Breteuil, Damville, Conch es, Le Neubourg and Elbeuf before entering Paris to join in its Liberation. The famous photograph of American troops before the Arc de Triomphe, marching in battle parade down the Champs Elysees, shows the men of 1st Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division. With no time to rest, the Division moved on to IGMRht some of the most bloody battles of the War the day following the parade.

    The advance continued through the Forest of Compeigne, La Fere, St. Quentin, Laon, Rethel, Sedan, Mezieres, Bouillon and eventually across the Meuse River into Belgium. The Keystone soldiers averaged 17 miles a day against the resistance of German "battle groups." The city of Arlon, Belgium, fell to a task force as the Division fanned out into Luxembourg in early September. On September 11, 1944, the 28th claimed the distinction of being the first American unit to enter Germany.

    After hammering away in assaults which destroyed or captured 153 pillboxes and bunkers, the Division moved north toward the Siegfried Line, clearing the Monschau Forest of German forces.After a brief respite, the Keystone soldiers made another move northward to the Huertgen Forest in late September. Attacks in the forest began November 2, 1944. The 28th Infantry Division stormed into Vossenack, Kommerscheidt and Schmidt amid savage fighting and heavy losses.

    By November 10, the 28th began to move south, where it held a 25-mile sector of the front line along the Our River. It was against this thinly fortified division line that the Germans unleashed the full force of their winter Ardennes "blitzkreig" offensive. Five Axis divisions stormed across the Our River the first day, followed by four more in the next few day. Overwhelmed by the weight of enemy armor and personnel, the division maintained its defense of this sector long enough to throw Gerd von Rundstedt's assault off schedule. With allied forces able to a move in to counterattack, the "Battle of the Bulge" ensured, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy forces.

    Having sustained a devastating 15,000 casualties, the 28th withdrew to refortify. But within three weeks, the Division was back in action. By January 1945, Division soldiers had moved south where they served with the French First Army in the reduction of the "Colmar Pocket." The 109th Infantry Regiment was awarded the French Croix de Guerre for its action which helped lead to the liberation of Colmar, the last major French city in German hands. By February 23, 1945, the Division returned north to the American First Army. The 28th was in position along the Olef River when an attack was launched on March 6, 1945, carrying the Division to the Ahr River. Schleiden, Germund, Kall, Sotenich, Sistig and Blankenheim all fell in a raid advance. By early April, the Division moved west of the Rhine and took up occupation duties in the area north of Aachen along the Holland-German border. Permanent occupation came two weeks later at the Saurland and Rhonish areas. In early July 1945, the 28th began its re-deployment to the U.S.

    The Division was deactivated on December 13, 1945. Five campaign streamers - Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland, and Central Europe - were earned during World War II, in addition to the Croix de Guerre. "
     
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  5. davidjaffieWW2

    davidjaffieWW2 Member

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    Wow, thanks for the info!
     
  6. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Good Ol' Boy Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    David,

    Michelle has offered you a good bit of information. Consider reading A Time for Trumpets, Charles MacDonald. The book goes into a good bit of detail about the fight the 110th Infantry Regiment put up against the Germans along Skyline Drive and further west at Clerf and other small towns in Luxembourg. They were ultimately overwhelmed, but the time they bought allowed Bastogne to be garrisoned by the the CCR/9th Armored Division, CCB/10th AD and the 101st Airborne Division.

    Don't be fooled into thinking that the men of the 28th Infantry Divison broke and ran. They didn't. They were in Indian country, so to speak, and were far outnumbered. Most of the combat units that were not surrounded or destroyed came out in good order, although with heavy casualties.

    If your grandfather was in Company C, then he was in the 1st Battalion/110th IR. They were hit hard by the 116th Panzer Division. They were covering a front of around 5 miles, far more than 3 companies should have been responsible for and they were far understrength, after the battering they had taken in the Hurtgen Forest the month before.
     
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  7. davidjaffieWW2

    davidjaffieWW2 Member

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    Thanks Slipdigit. Yeah, from what I can tell, they were just giving their division enough time to get a good foothold in Bastogne to start fighting. They bought enough time, but a lot were captured or killed.
     
  8. Fayntastic

    Fayntastic New Member

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    To David Jaffie,
    My uncle was in the 28th Division, 110th Regiment, Company E. Is your grandfather deceased? I have been trying to research what happened to my uncle and was able to communicate (through his wife) with Robert (Bob) Phillips before he died last year. Bob had written the seminal book on the "battle before the battle" titled To Save Bastogne. What have you found out? I have done a TON of research and probably know more about the first 3 days of the breakthrough battle than most.
    Would you like to communicate about this?
    Fayntastic
     
  9. Fayntastic

    Fayntastic New Member

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    Oh, yeah, another great book is Alamo of the Ardennes by Dr. John McManus. A lot of books talk about the battle where both of these books talk about actual people who were doing the incredible job of fighting after (Col. Fuller) having been told to "hold at all costs" by General Cota. In some cases, they were outnumbered by 20 to 1 by enemy forces. Along the line they held, they were stretched 5 times too thin as required by Army operation manual standards. They pulled off an amazing feat, at a HUGE cost, sometimes literally fighting hand to hand, street by street, house by house, because they had run out of ammunition - and they were all Heroes.
     
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  10. Tim Breaux

    Tim Breaux New Member

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    My great uncle Lloyd "Preacher" Breaux served in WWII, 101st airborne. Normandy/Market Garden/Bastone. He received 2 purple hearts. I am trying to find details of his service. Any suggestions? Born March 17 1925 Louisiana. Any help would be appreciated.
     
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  11. chibobber

    chibobber Member

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    Tim and Fayntastic,
    We all like to help here.That being said,we like a little info on who we are helping. Start an intro thread.Then start a new thread about your relatives.You will get more responses than you will by piggie backing a current thread.
    Hope you stick around and add to the conversation.
    Bob
     
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  12. JoScott10s

    JoScott10s New Member

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    Hi there! I saw this thread and it looks like you were looking for information similar to me now. did you find specifics? Below is what I wrote on my page. I am looking too! Any help is appreciated!
    Proud Army Brat through a couple of generations! Currently looking for more information on my grandfather, Staff Sergeant Donald L. Smith whom was shot near Verdun, France September 1, 1944. Looking for anything really, just want to know more about his time during the war. He died in his late 50s due to lung cancer as he only had 1 lung bc the other had to be removed from being wounded. Only book our family has is relating to the Red Diamonds.
     
  13. JoScott10s

    JoScott10s New Member

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    Hi there! I saw this thread and it looks like you were looking for information similar to me now. did you find specifics? Below is what I wrote on my page. I am looking too! Any help is appreciated!
    Proud Army Brat through a couple of generations! Currently looking for more information on my grandfather, Staff Sergeant Donald L. Smith whom was shot near Verdun, France September 1, 1944. Looking for anything really, just want to know more about his time during the war. He died in his late 50s due to lung cancer as he only had 1 lung bc the other had to be removed from being wounded. Only book our family has is relating to the Red Diamonds.
     
  14. OpanaPointer

    OpanaPointer I Point at Opana Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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