Company or Platoon?

Mr Leonard. I am doing some research about the 13th infantry, 2n BN and I am dying to see the rest of the unpublished book that you have. My grandfather served in F company, and it is really intriguing to hear details about the individual companies and soldiers. I have been trying to get ahold of you by private message, but I probobly did something wrong. Are you by chance related to Lt. Col. Theodore Leonard? I hope to talk with you soon.
-Geoff

 

One squad is 8 to 12 men (depending on army; in the USMC the squad is further broken down into fire teams, consisting of 3 men each, fireteams are commanded by a corporal.) Squads are commanded by a sergeant or sometimes a corporal in emergencies.
4 squads make a platoon. A platoon is always supposed to be commanded by a 2nd or 1st lieutenant, plus a platoon sargeant to help him or her (usually an E-5 or higher). 32 to 48 men make up a platoon in most armies.
(In combat conditions platoons are sometimes allowed to get even smaller then 32 men due to losses.) 3 platoons make a company, a company is commanded by a Captain or higher ranking person.

If i were looking for information on a specific unit, i'd go online and google the unit (i found member of my old Air Force squadron from the 1980's just by googling their name - one guy popped up on MySpace.) I would also contact the VFW, they might be able to put you in touch with somebody who was in your Grandpa's unit.

 

The German squad later in the war was 9 men, but earlier it was 10 or 11. The American squad was usually 10 to 12, British, the same. Three squads and a command team make up a platoon. Three platoons, an anti-tank team, a mortar team and later a recoilless rifle team/anti-tank gun crew, topped off by a command section, made up a company.

 

Christopher, Well my father must have been one of them. He was in the 2nd Battalion, 13th Infantry, company "K" . I have extensive info on his service and am writing a book for him at the present. His name is James Pasley and he is still living. How can I help you?

 

According to the 1945 13th Infantry "Blue Book" titled: _Eighth Infantry Division: A Combat History by Regiments and Special Units_ (Baton Rouge: Army & Navy Publishing Company, 1946) 64 men from Company K, 13th Infantry were listed as KIA, not counting those who died from wounds after publication.

Greg C.

 

WOW! I don't even know where to start to be honest with you. Unfortunately I don't know what battalion my grandfather was in. I don't know how to find that out. I have been told that only very few survived the company. What are the odds they would know each other? ... Anyone?
I am very interested in the book you are writing. In fact I am very interested in anything you might know.

Thank-you,
Christopher

Oh, and my grandfathers name was George Glenn Ostrander. Or as I said before, he was given the nickname of "Jinx".

 

Keep us posted on the proceedings....

 

Christopher, I talked to my father about your Grandfather, and he remembers him well, in fact corrected me on pronunciation of his name. I wrote before that my Dad was in the 2nd battalion, he was not. He was in Company 'K" which was in the third battalion. He remembers that crossing in great detail. By the time his boat was to cross, they had abandoned crossing by motor, and were making the crossings by paddle. There rendezvous point that day was the large smokestack about 500 yards across the river. Dad was a squad leader of a mortar squad at that point but was promoted to Staff Sergeant soon after, and became a platoon leader. I can share much more with anyone interested. My email is: gpasley at mchsi.com
Take Care

 

This is incredible ... I am truly speechless. I would like to know anything and everything you and your father know/remember, particularly anything that might pertain to my grandfather personally. Was his nickname really "Jinx"?
Perhaps I got lost in the conversation, but I'm not sure which crossing we're talking about.
I will e-mail you after I have collected my thoughts on what I want to ask. I never dreamed I'd have this opportunity.

Thank-you,
Christopher

 

One of the few stories that we know of his experiences (he never talked about it much), is one that haunted him probably more than anything else. Apparently a lone German soldier had infiltrated their camp one night and my grandfather shot and killed him. Does your father know anything about this? I think he said it was one of his first nights over there, so perhaps your father didn’t know him by then, but it’s worth asking.

Does your father have any specific memories of my grandfather? It sounds like he must have known him fairly well, to know the correct pronunciation of his name.

~Christopher

 

i would prefer a company so i could have a good flank backing

 

My mother added to this a little a couple of days ago:

She told me the reason that it bothered him so much was because when he saw the german, and fired on him, he kind of "froze". He held his finger on the trigger of the BAR and fired many more rounds than he needed to. I would imagine this might be something that a new soldier might do. And I can also see why this would haunt someone so much.

A question for you guys: Did all the guys have BARs? For some reason I thought that I had read that only specific men had them, but on the other hand it seems like I've always hear or thought it was a standard issue weapon for an infantryman? Is it any sort of a clue into what he did?

On another note, I am going to be uncles this weekend, armed with my laptop and scanner to gather all of the information my uncle has on my grandfathers service in the war. Hopefully I will know a lot more by this time tomorrow, and possibly something to connect him to James Pasley.

~Christopher

 

Very good you guys, very good. This is what it's all about !!

I had the same thing happen to me in 2006, a gentleman from Indiana posted on the 36th ID web site asking about his uncle KIA in WW 2. Cannon Co 141st Regiment. Moderator refered him to me. Discovered they fought together for over one year. KIA in Mittlewehr, France, temporaly burried next to each other untill reinterment after the war.

Please continue this post.

Best Regards To All

 

My grandfathers date of induction was February 8th, 1943 in Arlington California. (I thought it was at Ft. MacArthur. Was/is Ft. MacArthur in Arlington, CA?) I have military photographs of him with Palm Trees in the background so I am a little confused here. He met my grandmother at Ft. MacArthur, before he went overseas.

I have a certificate of completion of training at the Ninth Service Command Training Center, Boise Barracks Idaho. It says he satisfactorily completed the four week basic course, current basic training program A.S.F. and selected Subjects Medical Training Company. It is dated April 5, 1943 thru May 1st, 1943. Apparently he trained as a medic.

His military occupation is listed on the separation report as Truck Driver Light 345. I am assuming that this was his occupation when they were not in battle? My family has told me he was the only BAR man in his squad.

Wounds received in battle is listed as none.

His continental service was 2 years, 10 months, and 25 days His foreign service was 3 months and 28 days, Which really surprises me, I never knew he was only over there for 4 months. I wonder if he was a replacement, or is this when the rest of the 13th went over? I suspect he joined the 13th already in action?

The date of departure for Europe is March 13th, 1945, he arrived in Europe on March 26, 1945. And then he left to come back to the United States on July 2, 1945, and July 10, 1945. Anyway was of finding out which ship he sailed on?

Do you know what an ASR Score is? Under "Remarks" it says "ASR Score (2 Sep 45) -40 Lapel Button Used.

Also, what does this mean:? Inactive Service ERC 8 Feb 43 to 14 Feb 43?

I am very confused as to why he joined in February of 1943 but wasn't sent into action until March of 1945. I thought our country was in a hurry to get as many fresh men overseas as possible.

I couldn't find your father in the "Blue Book" my uncle has. By the way, do you have any idea where I could get my own copy of the "Blue Book"? I would really like some of the pictures and information out of it to add to my photo book I am making about my grandfather.

Unfortunately, unless your father remembers something specific, I do not have any further resources of information that would tie the two of them together. But perhaps with some of the dates I've supplied you with we could at the very least determine where they were together.


Thank-you,
Christopher