Research for the 534th Amphibian Tractor Battalion

Hello everyone,
This is my first post here, hopefully it's in the right area!
I was just informed that my Grandfather, Paul J Rothwell, served in the 534th Amphibian Tractor Battalion Company A during his time in WWII. I know that his unit was part of the invasions of Saipan and Tinian (apparently this is where he was awarded his Purple Heart) but I was wondering if anyone could give me any more details about this unit.
Are there any 'after action reports' available for the 534th during this time period? I also have a letter from his mother during the war stating that he was in Okinawa, as well as a record of him being awarded a Philippines Liberation Medal, so he must have been there as well. I would just love more proof. I would also love to find out exactly how he got wounded to receive the Purple Heart.
Anything would be great, thank you all!

Branch: Army
Unit: Co. A 534th Amphibian Tractor Bn
Rank: Cpl
Dates of Service: May 5th 43 - Jan 26th 46
Army SSN: 33778228

Josh

 

If you haven't seen this:
[8-5
it may be of interest.

Welcome aboard. The experts should be showing up shortly.

*** edit for ***
It's also mentioned in:
Across the Reef

Battle of Tinian July 1944

The Infantry's Armor

Battle of Saipan | Wikiwand
https://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/...FFALOES, AND BUSHMASTERS PCN 19000319000.pdf

 

Welcome to the Forums, Josh. The AARs will not likely explain how he was wounded, but they can be informative. The records would be held at the NARA in College Park, Maryland. You can request an index or listing of the records that they hold for the 534th. The thread Unit Operational Records will explain how to submit a request. I would also ask them to check for 534th records that may be in the 27th Infantry Division files since the 534th supported the 27th ID.

If you haven't already done so, you may want to request his Official Military Personnel File. I would submit your request sooner rather than later because it can take quite a while. There is a high probability that you will get a response stating his records were damaged or destroyed in the 1973 fire at the NARA in St. Louis. However, you won't know either way until you request his OMPF.

 

Hello TD-Tommy,

Thank you very much for your response! Yes I have requested his military personnel file from the NPRC and got the usual 1973 fire line. They did however provide me with a list of medals that he won, and just recently, a couple weeks ago actually after waiting 10 months, I received all of his medals. That was quite special for my family. But now I got the bug and want more

How do you think the After Action Reports could help? What kind of thing would be on them? I talked to a professional researcher and he quoted about $50/hour for roughly 7 hours; that's too high for me right now. You mentioned that they are at College Park MD. Is this something I could I go and find (the After Action Reports) by myself, or do I need to have a specialist find them for me? If I can do it myself, are they very difficult to locate in these archives? I live in the Philadelphia area, so I could make the trip without a problem.

Another thing that I recently was given was a VA Master Index Card, but I am not exactly sure what to do with it and how to get the file that it would hold. Any ideas?
Thanks again!!
Josh

 

In previous threads I believe it's been suggested to check with the county courthouse. Apparently they kept copies of some of the personnel records in at least some cases.

 

That is a good suggestion. The soldiers were advised to bring a copy of their discharge paper to their local county recorder's office and have it filed there. I have not had any luck with that, but others have so it is worth trying.

 

AARs are very helpful in describing what the unit was doing during a given period of time, but rarely mention individual soldiers. The content and quality of AARs is dependent on who is writing them. Some fantastic reads with a lot of good detail. Others are short on narrative detail and could just as well be related on a chart or Excel spreadsheet. Most fall somewhere in between. Here is an example of an AAR for the 773rd Amphibious Tractor Bn which you can download to see what they may be like.

My usual process is to first get the Morning Reports relating to the soldier I am researching. MRs give you the 'when', 'where', and 'what' information that function as an outline of the soldier's service. Unit histories and AARs can then be used to flesh out the story. That's not the "right way" to do it. It just works best for me.

You can certainly go to College Park yourself. I have not, though I have gone to the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, KS which has some unit records. From what I have heard and read, the processes are similar. Before you go, request the unit indexes which I mentioned earlier. They don't charge for them and it will help you to plan your research ahead of time. The NARA does have a page for researchers planning a trip to CP: NARA II College Park Info for Researchers.

 

Thanks for the 773th AAR, that was very interesting, especially since the he 773rd and the 534th both had similar landing locations during the Saipan Invasion. How did that one end up online?

My usual process is to first get the Morning Reports relating to the soldier I am researching.

Yes this was my thought as well. I had the boys over at Golden Arrow search for the morning reports. Geoff just finished last week and he did a great job. He also somehow located the DD214 despite it not being at the NPRC (not sure how he found that). The only thing was that there was a sizable missing gap between May and October 1945, right during the end of the war. So I was hoping to somehow fill in the blanks. As for the Purple Heart, the Morning Report at Tinian for July 24th mentions 'Rothwell: wounds on neck chest and arms' but doesn't really go into specifics.

I requested the index as you mentioned, thank you. In your experience, how long does it take them to respond?

As for the VA Claim index file, it was suggested to go to the county courthouse. Are we talking about the county where he lived back when it was filed?
Geoff from Golden Arrow suggested I contact my senator for more information on the VA Claim Index file. Has anyone done or tried this before?

Thanks for the suggestions guys!
Josh

 

The Combined Arms Research Library (CARL). Here is their description of the WWII Operational Documents collection:

About this collection
During WW II the Command and General Staff Colleges primary mission was to train large numbers of captains and majors to be staff officers in battalions, brigades, divisions, and corps. To that end, the Army provided copies of documents produced by field units to the College. Operations orders, after action reports, intelligence analyses, logistics appraisals, and similar documents are in the CARL documents collection. Primary focus will be on documenting operations at the tactical and operational levels of warfare.​

I have run into that problem (missing MRs) myself. I did find a link that provides some info regarding the 24 July landing on Tinian:

"The 534th Amtrac Battalion landed the Arm's 773rd Battalion and the 25th Marines over White Beach 2."

"At the end of the day, the beachhead was 3,000 yards wide and 1,500 yards deep, at the cost of 15 dead, 225 wounded, of which 7 dead and 31 wounded were amtrackers. Twenty-one Amtracs were lost, 3 to mines and the rest to coral damage and mechanical failure."

"534th Amphibian Tractor Battalion, US Army (22) LVT-2s"​

The USMC monograph, The Seizure of Tinian, confirms that the losses to mines occurred on White 2:

"Twelve fighters and two torpedo bombers strafed and bombed the area, achieving "successful" results, according to the Northern Attack Force's summary of daily air strikes. This appraisal appears overly-optimistic, however, three LVT's were subsequently blown up by mines on WHITE 2..."​

While none of this specifically mentions your grandfather, it does suggest that his wounds may have been due to shrapnel from a mine. We can't completely rule out other causes, so more info is needed.

It has usually taken a couple weeks, sometimes less.

The discharge papers would be filed at their local courthouse at the time they were discharged. I have not requested one, but I believe the VA Claim file would need to be requested from the VA. Geoff's suggestion makes sense. Getting a politician involved may grease the bureaucratic skids, so to speak.

 

​

Bad info in the link, the 534th didn't land the Arm's 773rd Battalion because it too was an Amphibious tractor battalion. On the small chart near the end where they list, Amphibian units ~ Battle of Tinian: D-Day 24, July 1944; they also list the 773rd twice as if it were two separate units, first as 773rd Amphibian Tractor Battalion, US Army with 92 LVT-2, second as 773rd Amphibian Tractor Battalion Reinforced , US Army with 44 LVT-4, it should be 773rd Amphibian Tractor Battalion Reinforced , US Army with 92 LVT-2 and 44 LVT-4 (total 136 LVT's). If you notice the two Marine Corps units listed at the top the 2d and 10th Amphibian Tractor Battalions, Reinforced, have a mixture of LVT-2 and LVT-4 tracs and a total of 136 vehicles each.


The USMC Historical monograph provides the OOB for the operation in appendix VI:

• Northern Troops and Landing Force--Major General Harry Schmidt.
  
  
  
  Corps Troops
  Headquarters and Service Battalion, V Amphibious Corps (less detachments).
  Signal Battalion, V Amphibious Corps (less detachments).
  Motor Transport Company, V Amphibious Corps (less detachments).
  Provisional Engineer Group, V Amphibious Corps.
  • Headquarters, Provisional Engineer Group, V Amphibious Corps.
    18th Naval Construction Battalion.
    121st Naval Construction Battalion.
    34th Engineer Battalion (Army).
  7th Field Depot (less detachments) (Reinforced).
  Medical Battalion, V Amphibious Corps.
  31st Field Hospital (Army).
  38th Field Hospital (Army).
  96th Portable Surgical Hospital (Army).
  97th Portable Surgical Hospital (Army).
  98th Portable Surgical Hospital (Army).
  477th Amphibian Truck Company (Army) (less detachments).
  Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion, V Amphibious Corps.
  1st Battalion, 29th Marines.
  Communication Unit 18.
  Group Pacific 6.
  1. 4th Marine Division (Reinforced)--Major General Clifton B. Cates.
     4th Marine Division (less 3d and 4th Battalions 14th Marines) with 1st and 2d Battalions, 10th Marines attached.
     Provisional LVT Group, V Amphibious Corps (less detachments).
     • 2d Armored Amphibian Battalion.
       2d Amphibian Tractor Battalion.
       5th Amphibian Tractor Battalion.
       10th Amphibian Tractor Battalion.
       708th Amphibian Tank Battalion (Army).
       715th Amphibian Tractor Battalion (Army).
       773d Amphibian Tractor Battalion (Army).
       534th Amphibian Tractor Battalion (Army).
     1st Joint Assault Signal Company.
     1341st Engineer Battalion (Army).
     1st Amphibian Truck Company.
     2d Amphibian Truck Company.
     1st Provisional Rocket Detachment. 2d Tank Battalion.
  2. 2d Marine Division (Reinforced)--Major General Thomas E. Watson.
     2d Marine Division (less 10th Marines and 2d Tank Battalion).
     2d Joint Assault Signal Company.
     2d Provisional Rocket Detachment.

--157--

1. 27th Infantry Division (Reinforced)--Major General George W. Griner, USA.
   27th Infantry Division (Reinforced) (less 105th Infantry).
   762d Provisional Tank Battalion.
   Company D, 766th Tank Battalion.
   295th Joint Assault Signal Company.
   95th Bomb Disposal Squadron.
   Detachment, 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration.
   Company C, 88th Chemical Battalion.
   152d Engineer Battalion.
2. Corps Artillery--Brigadier General Arthur M. Harper, USA.
   XXIV Army Corps Artillery.
   Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, XXIV Corps Artillery.
   420th Field Artillery Group (155mm Gun) (Army).
   • 531st Field Artillery Battalion.
     532d Field Artillery Battalion.
   419th Field Artillery Group (155mm Howitzer) (Army).
   • 145th Field Artillery Battalion.
     225th Field Artillery Battalion.
   10th Marines (less 1st and 2d Battalions).
   3d and 4th Battalions, 14th Marines.
   4th 105mm Artillery Battalion (Howitzer), Corps Artillery, V Amphibious Corps.
   27th Infantry Division Artillery.
   Provisional Motor Transport Company.
3. Tinian Garrison Forces--Major General James L. Underhill.
   17th Marine Antiaircraft Battalion.
   Other units as assigned.
4. Saipan Garrison Forces--Major General Sanderford Jarman, USA.
   105th Infantry.
   Army Defense Troops.
   Army Service Troops.
   Other units as assigned.

​

Note that the only 773rd unit of any type listed is the 773rd Amphibian Tractor battalion.

Good link! I also found a US Army link for the 534th at Saipan, the 773rd was involved there as well:

ARMY AMPHIBIAN TRACTOR AND TANK BATTALIONS IN THE BATTLE OF SAIPAN 15 JUNE-9 JULY 1944 [8-5

"The sixty-eight amphibious tanks of the 708th Amphibian Tank Battalion were divided over the four Blue and Yellow Beaches, seventeen tanks on each beach. The 773rd Amphibian Tractor Battalion followed the tanks on the two Yellow beaches. Marine tractors landed the troops on Blue beaches behind 708th Tanks. In the Second Marine Division sector to the north Marine tanks were employed on the Red and Green Beaches and a Marine tractor unit formed behind the tanks on the Red Beaches. The 715th Amphibian Tractor Battalion carried assault forces to the two Green beaches where landings were made.


Unlike the other two tractor battalions, which made up four waves on two ajoining [sic] beaches and were used as a group, the activities of the 534th Amphibian Tractor Battalion were divided among the four Blue and Yellow beaches and were used to land reserve troops and artillery reconnaissance parties for the Fourth Marine Division and the 27th Infantry Division. The 534th Battalion was completely reorganized to meet the requirements of the ground units. "B" Company was reinforced with LVTs from Headquarters and Service Company and the third platoon of "C', Company. The forty-eight tractors of "B" Company and the remaining too platoons from "C" Company, with twenty-two tractors, were attached to the Fourth Marine Division for the purpose of landing reserve troops of the 23rd and 25th Marine Regiments. The first platoon of Company "A", reinforced with half of the second platoon, was attached to the division Artillery of the Fourth Marine Division. Fifteen tractors were allocated to this platoon. Another twelve tractors from ''A" Company were attached to three artillery battalions of the 27th Infantry Division. Two tractors were reserved for use by Headquarters for control and maintenance purposes."

 

I did notice the problem with the info, but since the OP was primarily concerned with the 534th, I left the quote "as is". Probably should have commented about it. I suspect they had intended to say that the 534th and 773rd landed the 25th Marines and botched a copy/paste. That's never happened to me.

 

This is just a great article! Many thanks to the author for touching on this topic! I couldn't find this information on the internet for a very long time and finally found it here.
My father knew it! He always showed me the tractors he drove. And he always helped me choose this kind of technique. For example, recently he helped me choose a great tractor from the antonybatty service so I always had good tractors that were of high quality and never broke down.
It is quite convenient to have a complete specialist in this, and not to spend money.
So if you have any friends who are well versed in this, it is better to ask them to choose you a good version of the tractor! Otherwise, you may fall into a trap, lol

 

My father was a WO in the 534th. I'm also looking for information ad will pull his records from storage and share what I have. I do have a great photo.Bill Russell