Need help deciphering WW2 abbreviations/ acronyms.

I just found some great info on my grandfather. I had been working on his info for years and just now found a document that tells me his battalion and company withing the 115th rgt.


But I am not sure what some of it means. Looks like he was transferred from hq company to G company? if anyone knows chime in with what you think this might mean.

Looks to me like: Name, serial number, company, date of assignment, "inf to dy" Infantry to dy? What is dy?
Second line same as above but "86Repl Bn to g 115" not sure what that means at all.


[TABLE="width: 978"]
[TR]
[TD]Roda[/TD]
[TD]Anthony[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]31286713[/TD]
[TD]Pfc[/TD]
[TD]Hq115[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]7-Jul-44[/TD]
[TD]fr G 115 Inf to dy[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]115[/TD]
[TD]HQ[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Roda[/TD]
[TD]Anthony[/TD]
[TD]P[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]31286713[/TD]
[TD]Pfc[/TD]
[TD]G115[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]10-Jul-1944[/TD]
[TD]fr 86Repl Bn to G 115[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]115[/TD]
[TD]G[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Thanks in advance guys!

 

The 8 digits are likely his service number.

Pfc, Private, first Class

HQ115 Headquarters Company, 115th Infantry Regiment

From G Company, 115th Regiment to duty 115th Headquarters company

From 86th Replacement Battalion to G company 115th Regiment

Not my specialty, hope it helps.

 

Helps a bunch. Know anything about the 86th Replacement Battalion? I know he was in the 8th armored before being switched to the 29th and training for the invasion. Never heard of him being in the 86th or even what that is.

 

Something seems strange with the guy being transferred from 115/G Co. to 115/Hq Co. on 7 July and then from the 86th Repl Bn to 115/G Co. on 10 July?

 

I agree, that is partly why I am confused. I know these records were transcribed from hand written card and mistakes can easily be made.

I'd just ask him, but he passed three years before I was born unfortunately.

He is also listed twice as you can see. both times with the same service number but once as Anthony P. Roda and the other as Anthony Roda.

I know he got moved around a bit once they found out he spoke french and german and Italian fluently but all I have in his records up until now is him being in HQ company. Never knew what battalion before today.

 

I found a pretty good website on the 29th Infantry Division by the Maryland Military Historical Society. They have a lot of interesting stuff on the Division and its respective Regiments. I found the 29th Div. AAR for July 1944 entitled, "Phase V - Capture of St. Lo". The second paragraph reads as follows:

Maybe it's possible that the 86th Repl. Bn. was used as part of the rotation system mentioned in the AAR. Just a guess.

 

I don't think the 86th was anything to do with the rotation system mentioned. That was a system whereby a battalion would be brought out of the line for a while as a unit, to refit, rearm, and rest. The 86th would probably have been a unit, probably at division level, to act as a holding unit for new people coming into the theatre, prior to their being assigned to the ultimate units which needed them. Usually, a replacement battalion would hold new personnel for only a limited time (several days), and then sent them to their actual combat units. It was essentially a small "replacement depot". Doc

 

Agree the 86th Replacement Battalion was a holding "unit" until permanent assignment.

Something does seem wrong about the dates. He should have come from the 86th Repl Bn to G/115th Inf and then, latter, from G/115th Inf to HQ Company.

One thing we don't know is whether he went to HQ Co, 2d Bn, 115th Inf, or, he went up to regimental HQ Co 115th Inf?

I find it interesting that he was with the 8th Armored Division before the 29th ID. It is well known infantrymen were "stripped" out of the infantry divisions for replacements overseas. With only three armored infantry battalions per armored division I guess it shows how desperate they were for replacements. The other possibility is that he requested a transfer for overseas service. This did happen as boring training and other army chickshit made men eager to get on with the war.

 

Could the "fr" be related to his transfer to France and be the abbreviation of his detination?

 

No, I suspect the "fr" simply means "from". Doc

 

ok , I see

 

Can you (or anyone) tell me what document you found this info in? Was this something you got through NARA, or...?

 

I see. When I saw the phrase "replacements were absorbed in the reserve areas by these units (the battalions)" in the Division AAR that it might be referring to the 86th. I figured I should at least mention it.

BTW, I had a little more time and tried some of the other links at the MMHS page for the 29th Div and found that some are "closed for renovations". Too bad, but other links are working so it is still worthwhile for research purposes.

 

Roster of the 115th Infantry here, if someone can decode the .xlsx spreadsheet. This appears to be a 2007 MS Excell format. I tried once using a "free" service online but it failed.

29th INFANTRY DIVISION


You can find a pretty detailed history of the 29th Infantry Division in the drive to St Lo here. Many thanks to the organizer and contributors to this site.

HyperWar: St-Lo (7 July-19 July 1944)


Link to the personal account of a "battalion scout/interpreter" in the 30th Infantry Division in Normandy and after. Navigate Diaries>WWII>Schneider

30th Infantry Division

 

.xlsx will work using the free "Open Office 3" from Sun Microsystems. I've gone through it, unfortunately, it is the same information provide by "fastbreak88" in his original post. So nothing new there.

 

^ Thanks for looking this up.

From the context of the document can you tell for certain whether he ended up in the HQ Company 2d Battalion (most likely) or in the HQ Company 115th Infantry Regiment (outside chance)?

By context, I mean is the document broken up by company rosters? Or is it just a list of administrative actions for the whole regiment?

 

On his discharge papers it says "HQ company 115 infantry regiment."


Here is a link to my first post with all the info I had on him: http://www.ww2f.com/military-service-record-genealogical-research/41283-piecing-together-lost-service-my-grandfather.html


This is the first new piece of info I have gotten since that post. It's crazy how long this can take. The list of administrative actions was compiled by a surviving Sgt. from G company 115th in 2010 simply put in alphabetical order. Not sure how to get in contact with the gentleman, but I have been trying the best I can for the last few days. I contacted an author I know he worked with briefly to see if he might be able to send me on the right track. Fingers crossed, I would be honored to speak with any WW2 vet at all let alone a man who experienced the war from within my grandfather unit.

 

Have you requested the Morning Reports for the units and time period in question?

 

The discharge document now has me leaning toward the regimental HQ Company 115th Infantry. Given that the major unit is accurate, the typing clerk likely asked your grandfather what unit to put on his discharge papers. Long serving soldiers would know their unit by the return address they put on their mail. See attached sample for Bn HQ Co.

One other thin piece of evidence might be whether the online roster clearly shows the difference in the entries for X Bn, HQ Co, 115th Infantry and HQ Co, 115th Infantry. If there are no entries for the battalion HQ companies then the list is unreliable.

Any evidence that your grandfather was with the 29th ID before the Normandy invasion (June 6th , 1944)? The July 1944 dates on the roster indicate otherwise.