Help in finding a D Day veteran's unit

I live in the UK and married an American whose father, long time deceased, landed on the Normandy beaches during D Day. I am trying to piece together his military history.

All I have is his Report of Separation (which confirms his Purple Heart and wounding in action on 20 June 1944) as well as his Separation Qualification Record. I have tried the Military Personnel Records Center but have been told his records were lost in the fire in the 1970's.

I'd be grateful for any advice anyone can give me on how I can find out which unit he would have been in when he landed in Normandy. I know that after that because he was wounded he was transferred to Lichfield in the Midlands in England where he stayed until returning to the US in 1946 on board the Wheaton Victory. (I have some pictures of this ship full of servicemen - amazing photos). Is there any information on the two documents I have which could be used to get at the information I am after?

Many thanks for any help anyone can give me.

 

Welcome to the forum. If you could post both documents here it would help folks to decipher them. Meanwhile, if you could post the information from box 6, Organization, (upper left corner) from the Report of Separation, that should provide his unit. This is not always the original unit the veteran spent most of their service time with but hopefully it will be in this case. It's possible that it will instead indicate the hospital unit where he was being cared for.

We would be interested in seeing any photos you could post also.

Good luck with you research.

 

Steve, many thanks for the suggestion. I'm attaching a copy of the Report of Separation. I'll have to do his Qualification record separately.

The details in box 6 are HQS CO HQS COMD W B SEC

I hope this helps. I will post the Qualification Record in the next day or so followed by the Wheaton Victory pictures.

Many thanks. View attachment 27601

 

Colin,

Sorry to say that the info from box 6 is pretty vague; my interpretation is "Headquarters Company, Headquarters Command" but I don't know what "W B SEC" means? Gee, I was hoping this would be easy!

Hopefully there's better information somewhere else on the documents.

 

I'm blaming it on the "easy button" commercial on TV!!

 

Here goes guys - it's my second attempt to add an attachment. Hope I did it right this time. Assuming it works I'll then add the Qualification Record.

 

colinsmith18, Your father-in-law was awarded the CIB (Combat Infantry Badge) while attached to the 359th Infantry Regiment which was with the 90th Infantry Division. The 359th was attached to the 4th Infantry Division during the invasion of Normandy on June 6th.
Sometime he changed his MOS to Administration NCO 502 and was attached to Hq Company of Hq Command, Western Base Command .

 

Here's a link to the 90th AAR for June, 44, it's listed about half-way down the lefthand column: New Page 3
According to this, the 359th (excepting the 2nd Battalion which was occupying a defensive sector) was in division reserve on the 20th so it would be interesting to know how he was wounded? Possibly a mine?

 

Steve, he may have been with the 2nd Battalion in the defensive sector, or got hit with an artillary shell--or a mine. The way I read the separation papers, Normandy was his only campaign. He was a rifleman with the 359th (CIB) and got hit on the 20th (PH). It appears his wounds were such that he was taken out of front line combat and transferred to HQ Company of Headquarters Command where he was put doing administrative work as a NCO until he went home.
I can't get a handle on "Headquarters Command Western Sector"- I can't find a shoulder patch for that command. Could be something to do with SHAEF.
The Bronze star can be included with his list of awards because of the CIB.
Dave

 

Many many thanks guys - I'm just so pleased that I now know which beach he landed on and can do further research knowing the unit he was in.

The suggestion of an injury caused by a mine fits with what my wife was told as she thought he was injured in his leg.

We also know he had an administrative job after he was moved to the Second Staffordshire barracks in Lichfield, England.

I've also attached his Qualification record - does this add anything?

Again, many thanks guys

 

The Qual Record really doesn't add anything we don't already know. Wish we had a source for the regimental or battalion reports.

Dave-I agree regarding the 2nd Bn. I checked the General Orders on the 90th site, hoping to find Dominic's PH award listed but there's none noted for the 20th? And as you found, my search for Western Base Command didn't turn up anything either.

 

It pretty well confirms what I suspected--I missed him being a clerk typist while he was a corporal.
Now that we know where he was in England maybe I can shed some light on his unit.

 

This may help your research with the HQ Command, Western Base Section. It didn't make a lot of sence but perhaps you can glean something from it. Mr. Horrell has never been without an answer.

Established on July 20, 1942, the Western Base Section (APO 58) was the logistical support entity for US Military Forces in Scotland, Wales & the western region of England between Scotland & Wales. From my source, the HQ was located at Chester, Cheshire, England.
In early August 1944 the HQ, Western Base Section crossed the English Channel to France & remained there until July 28, 1945.
Good Luck with your quest.

Respectfully,
Richard V. Horrell
WW 2 Connections
211 Union St. #611
Nashville TN 37201-1502​

 

Rogue On! Nice research guys!

R

 

Although it describes a group which was part of Central Base Section, this link provides an overview of their activities: Seine Section, Paris, France, 1945 - WWII Unit History (Lone Sentry)

 

The help I've had from you all to my post has been amazing - I've learned so much about my late father in law's whereabouts around D Day from all the responses. Many thanks guys.


If possible can you clarify any of this for me?


1. The Separation Record has "SO 145 HQ 359 INF SEP 44". I'm assuming the "359 INF" refers to the unit he was in on D Day as you've clarified already but what do the other bits mean?
2. The AAR record is amazing - there is so much detail in it. I too however have searched in vain for mention of his Purple Heart but not been able to find it. Could there be a simple explanation for this?
3. How did you arrive at the 2nd Battalion rather than 1st or 3rd as being the unit he was on D Day and what does "division reserve" mean?


I've tried doing some research on his time in Staffordshire after D Day but the historian of the South Staffordshire regiment has little on the time when the US took control of its barracks. It seems clear however it did not have any hospital facilities so who knows where he went when he got wounded before going to the 10th Replacement Depot in Lichfield.

The historian did however tell me about a court martial that took place not too long after WWII ended as it seems as though what existed in the camp was a "concentration camp run by Americans for Americans". A lady I know very well who lived in the area at the time and was friends with my late mother in law said she never heard mention of this from Dominic at any time. I've just started reading "Lichfield by Jack Giek" a copy of which I could only get from an internet bookseller in the US! It's all about the court martial.

I've also attached - for interest - a copy of his orders giving him time off for his wedding. This suggests that at that time he was based in France. For a bit of fun there is also a copy of a newspaper cutting from November 1946 about the newly arrived English wives being taught how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey!

 

First, the special order for wedding leave indicated APO 513, which I believe was Reims, France. So that would be his station location at the time.

1. Special Order 145 Headquarters 359 Infantry September 1944
2. I have seen instances where Purple Hearts were awarded by orders generated by the Hosptial Unit treating the soldier. That could possibly be the case here. I don't know if this was a common practice?
3. We don't know for sure that he was in the 2nd Bn but they were the only ones on the line on the 20th so for now we've made that assumption. Division reserve means units would be behind the lines, on "standby" in case they are needed at the front lines to assist another unit subjected to a strong attack, possibly to "plug a gap" somewhere, etc. It was also a way to rotate troops off the lines to allow for rest, reorganization and/or replacment integration, re-equipping, etc.

I sent a note yesterday to a guy in France whom I've corresponded with in the past regarding the 90th. He may have access to records that we don't so hopefully I'll hear from him before long.

By the way, both pages in the turkey article are upside down. That's great that Dominic's wife is in the photo.