My grandfathers service

Howdy,

I was recently able to have a long discussion with my paternal grandfather about his service during World War II. He will be turning 90 this year and we are planning a birthday celebration for him. He is sharp as a tack despite his age. I thought I would share a little of what he told me. I still have alot of questions though pertaining to some of the units he served with. Maybe someone in here can shed a little more light on some things.

Ben H. Magness enlisted in the US Army February 5, 1942. He told me he knew the draft was inevitable and didnt want to wait. He enlisted in Dallas Texas and was sent to Camp Wolter Mineral Wells, Texas (this was apparently a large army induction installation (basic training and the like). He spent about 10 weeks there. From there he went to Camp Bowie (approx. mid April '42) in Brownwood, Texas and spent some time there. It was unclear to me what was actually done there as far as training (also I do not know what unit he had been assigned to at this point), but he did say that he was put in with a unit or division from Louisiana. He met up with two brothers who were shrimpers from Louisiana whom he called "Slim" and "Kirby". Being raised on a shrimp boat and having no formal education, neither Slim nor Kirby could read or write. My grandfather had had four years of high school (he was 22 at this time) and helped these two brothers with writing and reading letters to and from their family. I am unsure if this was something that the army assigned him to do or just something he just ended up doing. Ultimately he taught them how to read and write. He said he learned alot about cooking from these two fellows, them being from Louisiana and all. =)

September 1942 saw Ben on a train from Brownwood to Fort Dix, New Jersey. He spent about a week there.(again, unclear on what kind of training/activities went on there) From there he was put on a South African banana boat being used as a troop transport that was bound for Birmingham, England. He said they packed the troops in like sardines and they slept in beds hanging from the ceiling by chains. The brass didn't tell them at the time but he said later they had anticipated losing up to 40% of the ships in his convoy of about 120 ships. The voyage took 13 days. He said this was about the time when the Atlantic convoys were being hunted by the Nazi U-boat Wolfpacks. Thankfully they had little to no problems from the subs. He said once or twice the destroyers screening the convoy would run out, drop a few depth charges and then return to formation.

At this point Ben told me that he was with the first white army service organization to be sent to England. He said there had been previous African American units already over there. He mentioned the "114th regiment" or something to that nature but i am unsure of the exact unit he was with. In England Ben's outfit did a number of things. He said for the first year they were assigned to towns to find suitable places for billets and supply/ammo/clothing depots and the like.

Another job he was assigned to was as a security guard at a Hyde Park apartment that Eisenhower stayed at. He said there were always a trail of generals and high brass coming and going from there.

He said that in late May/June of 1944 his company was hurriedly shipped to Falmouth, England to participate in a decoy operation in which troops were massed in locations in an attempt to fool Hitler into thinking that he invasion would come someplace other than Normandy (this was possibly Operation Fortitude South?) He said they had some inflatable decoy equipment and that they were told to play poker and badminton and dice in an attempt to make it all believable to the Nazis who would reconnaissance the area. He laughed when he thought about how they had fooled Hitler good. I confirmed this when I read that while the resistance on Normandy was very stiff the Nazi reinforcements were out of place enough to allow the Allies to gain a foothold in France.

Ben went ashore on Omaha Beach on D-Day plus 8. It is unclear what he did at this point. He said that it was fast becoming evident that every available man was going to be needed for combat and very soon. I believe it was at this point that he was reassigned to the US 6th Armored division of Patton's Third Army. (possibly the 44th Armored Infantry Battalion) He was in charge of a half-track and a squad of men. He was a sergeant at this point.

His said his unit broke into the area near Bastogne, Belgium near the 20th of December 1944, possibly around the time of General McAuliffe's famous "Nuts" response to the Germans surrender request.

The fighting got bad, quick. He said it was so fast that some of the guys in his group didnt have time to get any winter clothes and had to wait until later.

He summed their objective up when he said, "The Germans had the high ground. We had to take it away from them."

December 31st, 1944 - The Germans threw everything they had at the US forces and their artillery was intense, so much in fact that it killed about 80% of the men he was with, Ben estimates.

Ben was hit with a tennis ball-sized piece of shrapnel in the left shoulder, with many more smaller pieces lodging near his heart. He called out to his men and said only one answered him. He assumed the rest had been killed in the barrage.

He went to get help, all the while blood was gushing from his wound. He said he got about 500 yards down the little road and in his words, "I just ran out of gas and laid own in the snow to die".

Then he said out of nowhere a soldier came up to him and asked him "What are you doing there on the ground, soldier?" Ben replied "I just can't go anymore". The man says, "Sure you can!, Come on I'll walk with you."

The anonymous man helped my grandfather get to an aide station and Ben never saw or heard from the man again.

The staff at the aide station was able to stop his bleeding and get him evacuated to a hospital where the doctors were able to save his arm.

Ben was discharged from the hospital in August of 1945 after some surgeries and physical therapy and was honorably discharged from the Army shortly thereafter.

This is his personal experience. Please pardon the historical/technical discrepancies.

I would love to know the exact units he was assigned to and what awards he was given besides his purple heart that he still has. I also have one of his dog-tags and his dress uniform which I am planning on displaying in a shadowbox to give him for his 90th birthday in September. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am also posting his picture. Thanks for reading!

 

According to a close friend and WWII veteran who served in the same unit as my father, in the WWII Army, a soldier had to know how to sign his own name in order to be paid. Certain soldiers (my friend was one of these) were paid an extra $3 dollars a month, to teach illiterate recruits to sign their name. He did not mention about going further with teaching them to read also, but no doubt this was not uncommon. So it is possible that your grandfather either taught the two recruits on his own, or he was assigned to teach them for a few extra dollars a month. I wish your grandfather a very Happy Birthday and thank him for his service.

Greg C.

 

That is wonderful that he told you all about his experience. I would recommend looking into the archives and see if they can tell you what metals he had to include in the shadow box. They might even be able to help you get a copy of his discharge papers to find out who he fought with-Div, regiment etc. According to my grandpa, they (whoever "they" is) weren't always great about getting the metals to the soldiers.

 

Great introductory post! Welcome to the Forum. I hope we will be able to assist you in finding out information. Please have a look at the thread at the top of this portion of the Forum which gives information on applying for US Army records. http://www.ww2f.com/military-servic...esting-copies-military-personnel-records.html

Please thank your grandfather for his service and wish him a Happy Birthday.

 

Great write-up on your grandfather. Thank him for his service and wish him a happy birthday. Can you give a description of the shoulder patch on his uniform? His picture fades out right at the patch. Does look like he has crossed rifles on his collar brass indicating infantry but his duty doesn't reflect an infantry outfit.

If you had his separation paper (DD-214) and could post them it would sure help. You should try to get his records from NARA in St. Louis. A veteran can ask for everything in his file which would answer a lot of questions. Google NARA and go to Military Personnel Records. You can download a form 180 (requesting records) or do it on line. If you send for his records, also ask for a replacement set of medals and awards. They will research everything he has coming and send them at no cost. Keep us posted.

 

Yes I was able to recently twist his arm into signing the NARA request for records. I understand there was a fire there in the 70s so i may not get anything back.

The patch on his uniform now is the triangular 6th armored patch. My mom said she sewed it on there some years ago so my brother could take it to show and tell(really wish she hadnt done that...) The ruptured duck is on the front as well. He told me the other night that he was only in combat for about three weeks before he was wounded. I'm mainly after his original service unit and any other medals he was awarded. I will be sure to take pictures at the birthday celebration and post here.

 

Have you asked your grandfather about the Normandy Breakthrough/Breakout, Operation Cobra? While much of the attention is devoted to the U.S. First Army center around St Lo (VII and XIX Corps), both your grandfather and my father were on the right (VIII Corps). Two armored divisions were released by VIII Corps on 27 July 1944: the 4th Armored Division, and the 6th Armored Division, that would race to Avranches. Leading elements of the 86th Armored Reconnaissance Squadron (6th A/D) passed through my father's unit (8th Infantry Division). My father's regiment, the 13th Infantry was attached to the 4th Armored Division, and the 8th ID followed the 4th A/D, whereas the 79th ID followed the 6th Armored. Lt. Gen. George S. Patton Jr., ordered the 6th Armored Division to race over 200 miles and capture the port of Brest at the tip of the Brittany Peninsula. They made it in unprecedented time, but one armored division alone could not take the port. I'm sure you have visited the "Super Sixth" web site: Super Sixth: The 6th Armored Division in WW II . There are many good links there that will aid your discussions with your grandfather. Good luck.

Greg C.