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My Dad Richard L. Pooler 35 629 551 Staff Sergeant

Discussion in 'Information Requests' started by rspooler1226, Jun 25, 2014.

  1. rspooler1226

    rspooler1226 New Member

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    Thanks Earthican!!! This is great! Since Dad was a Staff Sergeant when he came back to the States then he probably supervised two 'crews' - I don't know when he was made this rank but as you have said previously he had to start at the bottom. So so proud of him!!! Sigh...gosh I wish he was here ...I march on more to discover!
     
  2. KodiakBeer

    KodiakBeer Member

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    Earthican spells it out pretty good. Essentially, the fighting element of a Battalion is 3 rifle companies and a heavy weapons company. There were other elements - comms, medical, cooks, transport, etc, but we'll leave them out for now.

    Anybody could call in mortar fire. Most troops were trained to do that. But the heavy weapons company had their own observer/runners who would be up front with the rifle companies in most situations.

    The Battalion commander positioned the companies and positioned the mortars to best protect them. He might put them near his headquarters (theoretically, at the rear near the center of his line), but really the ground decided that. Perhaps half his line is facing open fields from which you wouldn't expect an attack, so he might site the mortars closer to the more dangerous part of the line. The heavy weapons company also had the heavy machine guns (in effect, the same machine gun the companies had, but with water cooled jackets so they could maintain sustained fire), and those machine guns would also be placed where attack from the enemy is most likely, or where he was going to initiate his own attack.

    It's a very good system. Essentially, the weapons company served as his reserve of strength and gave him great flexibility.
     
  3. rspooler1226

    rspooler1226 New Member

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    WOW - this is good stuff!!! ~ Today July 4, 2014 takes on a more special meaning for me. 70 years ago, July 4, 1944 at 1100 hours, my Dad debarked his ship and landed at Utah Beach, in the second wave of the Normandy invasion. This was 28th day after D-Day. Job well done!
     
  4. Earthican

    Earthican Member

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    I was searching for memoirs of any mortarmen in WWII and found this. He was a machine gunner in D/13th Infantry. He relies a lot on the regimental history and is short of personal recollections. He has a few names but he also says he changed companies so he may not be a reliable source for such information.

    http://web.ccsu.edu/vhp/Johnson_Norman/PersonalWorldWarIIHistory.pdf

    Thanks for sticking around, it gives us time to see what is out there. A small note lets us know you are still looking...
     
  5. rspooler1226

    rspooler1226 New Member

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    OMG I can't believe that you found this...I have a question now as I am getting conflicting stories - wondering if Dad landed on Utah Beach or Omaha Beach. I thought by a piece of paper in his possessions that it was Utah. Just within the last 72 hours am I seeing Omaha...The AAR says Utah.
     
  6. Earthican

    Earthican Member

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    From what I have seen, I would say UTAH beach. Keep an open mind, though, there were four ships that transported the 13th Infantry. There is a small possibility that one ship was misdirected to OMAHA beach. Just one of those things when doing research -- always consider the source -- stay with the conventional story until there is strong evidence.

    The above caution also applies to forum posts. Many of us are hip-shooting from memory...


    Another 13th Infantry forum member:
    http://www.ww2f.com/topic/32530-a-bit-of-my-grandpa%C2%B4s-history/#entry394301
     
  7. rspooler1226

    rspooler1226 New Member

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    Thanks for the caution...I found out yesterday that a family member has a few of Dad's ribbons & his CIB badge & his dress uniform jacket...couldn't believe it. I spoke with a cousin yesterday and she remembers (she was a little girl) the entire family going to the train station when he arrived home. She had a lot of detail of who was there, words spoken...how he came RUNNING to them all & my grandmother almost passed out and his brother & sisters held her up until Dad was able to get to her... She is going to write something up so I will have this info. Priceless...simply priceless.
     
  8. Earthican

    Earthican Member

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    That's great, I hope it will be possible to preserve his mementos and his story for all of the extended family to appreciate and share.



    As usual after I have moved-on to something else, an unrelated WWII search turns this up...

    From this webpage I got this description of being a mortar crewmen -- or part of a mortar squad. The rest of the page is a pretty rambling story with many digressions.

    http://www.nuspel.org/reminiscences/rem3.html

     
  9. rspooler1226

    rspooler1226 New Member

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    I have been very very busy researching my Dad's time in Europe.
     
  10. Natman

    Natman Member

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    That is great news!! You've been extremely fortunate in your research efforts. If there are any stories you can share, we would be all ears!
     
  11. TD-Tommy776

    TD-Tommy776 Man of Constant Sorrow

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    That is phenomenal news! I second everything Natman said. Anything that you can share would be very much appreciated.
     
  12. rspooler1226

    rspooler1226 New Member

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    I had heard a story at one time of my father being in a battle and all had been killed and he was alone. He had to find a 'group' to attach himself too...I told this story to one of the gentlemen and asked him about it. He became very quiet and then confirmed the story and told me that it took place in the Huertgen Forest....said it was terrible. Both men described the Huertgen Forest as the Green Hell. One of the men was a machine gunner and was wounded in the Huertgen Forest. Freezing cold& blizzards... their foxholes filled with freezing water and having to lay it them sometimes for days...whole units being killed during battles (like the story above)...getting replacements and the new replacement many times didn't even know what a mortar was.. story of 5 German ( I don't have my notes in front of me as he told me the type of plane) planes attacking them and the 5 bomber planes were hit, however one of the planes kept coming at them even though it was hit and it crashed 65 yards from them...coming upon the Wobbelin concentration camp. They could smell it for miles before they got there and the open graves and the remains not buried. He explained to me in detail what he saw as to the torture..it was horrendous torture to the POW's. I had read some information on Wobbelin and remember my father saying only that "we knew we were close because of the smell" and then he stopped talking about it...This gentlemen confirmed what I had read about going into the town and having the townspeople come and witness what had been going on there
     
  13. LRusso216

    LRusso216 Graybeard Staff Member

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    Sounds very exciting. Make sure you bring a recording device and take notes on facial expressions, etc. Are both of these gentlemen near each other? If you can interview them separately first for their knowledge, then together so that they can fill each others gaps it would be beneficial. Please relate what you find here. We love to read first-hand accounts. Most of us are vicarious observers and it is of import that we can observe what the participants went through.

    The stories you related are of great interest. Thanks.

    A few pictures of Wobbelin
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    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    There are more here http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/gallery.php?ModuleId=10006160&MediaType=PH
     
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  14. Cadillac

    Cadillac Member

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    Wow this is incredible! I wish I could have access to this kind of information for some of my relatives. My Uncle Jack O'Hara was also a mortarman, but on the other side of the world with the 158th Infantry. I have no idea what his rank even was, let alone his medals or anything. Anyway, the opportunity you have is amazing, make every second of the interview count! :salute:
     
  15. SirJahn

    SirJahn Member

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    When you talk to those 13th IR vets ask them about Rennes and if they have any stories about liberating the Allied PWs there.
     
  16. rspooler1226

    rspooler1226 New Member

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    Thank you Lou for the photos... I was asked by one if my father when drafted was placed into the 97th Infantry Div. for training. I told him I didn't believe so as everything I could find he had always been with the 8th. He called me back a few days later and asked me if I had thought anymore of my father being in the 97th. He claimed that he and the other gentleman when drafted were both put into the 97th and he thought my father was in it also and he asked if I would look at the few photo's I had of my father from WWII and look for a 'trident' patch on his arm. I enlarged the photo's that I have and all showed the 8th....but one...yes you guessed it showed the trident. I immediately called him and told him that he 'is the man' and he laughed and said 'I told you he was with us'.....unbelievable!!! He said the Army decided that they had enough training and sent them to NJ and then to NY and they were all placed into the 8th Inf., 13th Inf. Reg. & all in the same Co...they boarded a convoy ship for Ireland which lasted 10 days...the ship broken down on the 4th day out and they were constantly being circled by a destroyer ship until they could 'go'...finally caught up the convoy and made it to Ireland....after training in Ireland they were 'put' on the Sea Porpoise and landed on Utah Beach, July 4, 1944. Pretty cool don't you all think?
     
  17. LRusso216

    LRusso216 Graybeard Staff Member

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    Amazing what these vets remember. My mother says it was the thing my father was most proud of. I'm sure it is the same for these gentlmen.
     
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  18. Cadillac

    Cadillac Member

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    I am loving this story, it truly is phenomenal. I've always been a fan of the 97th's trident patch, it really appeals to me. Definitely keep us informed.
     
  19. LRusso216

    LRusso216 Graybeard Staff Member

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    Since your uncle was a Bushmaster, try contacting the Arizona Military Museum to see if they have any useful information. There is some information here http://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/cdm/search/collection/ammbush
     
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